The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-04 00:00:00

COMMISSION COURT-TUESDAY.

CONfBINATION.—John Kennedy and William Hudson
were arraigned for having assembled, on the 12th Sept. last,
and inflicting several dreadful blows on the person of Win.
Dalton.

William Dalton examined by the Hon. Mr. Plunkett—l
live near Coolock, in this county, and recollect coming into
Dubiiii on the P2th of September. As I crossed the ca-
nal bridge, a person, who I believe is William Hudson,
came over to me and said something which I did not hear ;
he was followed by Kennedy, the other prisoner, who said,
to the best of my opinion, " Hurra for the North."
Baron Foster—The best of your opinion wont do, Sir ;
you must swear positively. Witness : I can't, my Lord.
Mr. Plunkett—Will you swear positively Kennedy was
one of the men ? Witness—To the best of my opinion.
Baron Foster—When did you swear informations against
the prisoners? Witness—The next day.
Baron Foster— And did you recollect it better then than
you do now ? Witness—l did, my Lord.
Baron Foster—You're afraid of another beating, I

suppose.
Mr. Plunkett—Will you swear yes or no ? Witness—
To the best of my opinion.
Mr. Plunket—l have directed this man's words to be
taken down, my Lord, in order to have him prosecuted for
perjury.
Judge Crampton—l think a public example ought to be
made of him.
Mr. Plunkett—He is the principal witness, my Lord,
and of course we must now give up the case.
Baron Foster—Gentlemen of the Jury, you must acquit
the men ; and, I must say, it is very hard, indeed, that
not only is intimidation used and violence offered, but where
the parties are brought to justice, the prosecutor is intimi-
dated from proceeding. This, if possible, must be put an
end to. The Learned Judge then directed the Jury to
ac-
quit the prisoners, and the Court directed Dalton to be put
in the Dock, that informations for perjury might be sworn
against him.
Well, does not this report afford conclusive evidence of
the existence of Ribbonisni ! ()tie of the prisoners, it will
be seen, is said, actually to have used the words (horribile
dicta ! ) " Hurrah for the north." Now, quoth the dog
alluded to that gave tongue yesterday, had Mr. Dalton
been knowing enough to have shouted out " All Ireland is
good," the aforesaid William Dalton would not have been
beaten at all, much less received the several dreadful
blows, for the infliction of which the criers of " Hurrah
for the north" were arraigned. Hence it is quite plain
that the Dalton affair is no ordinary case of combination,
but a spark of that popish 'co►:flagration and Ribbon con-
spiracy which has for its object the extermination of Pro-
testants, the destruction of the Protestant religion, the
overthrow of the Church, the usurpation of the Govern-
ment, and a catalogue of errors which it were as tedious to
enumerate as dreadful to dwell upon ! ! !
We must really be pardoned for not treating this matter

seriously, for the whole superstructure raised upon the re-
port is so fanciful and absurd , that we have been unable to
repress the consequences of our perception of the ludicrous
as exhibited by the nocturnal caterer for the Conservatives.
GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND.

This body was called into existence by the return of the
Orange regime in Lord Haddington's interregnum. Dur-
ing that interregnum it evinced the most decided energy ;
and—considering the temper of the Liberal party, and the
very decided difference which prevailed amongst them on
one great question—with a moderation truly exemplary.
Not only were minor differences sunk, but all matters likely
to lead to division placed in abeyance. The consequence
was, almost immediately, that the Association gathered
within its circle the Liberal men of all parties.
The effect of this thorough union was rendered palpable
in the results of the General Election in 1835.
But the majority was so narrow, during the first Session
of that Parliament—the state of parties were so nearly ba-
lanced in the House of Commons—the well-known re-
pugnance of the Court, and the probability of another
change were so imminent, that it would have been a dere-
liction of the duty they owed to themselves and the Re-
form Ministry, if the Association separated in a condition
of affairs so very precarious as that we have indicated. Ac
cordingly, the Association, though apparently inactive, con-
tinued on the qui vice.
In 1836 the same necessity existed, for during that year
the disfavour of the Court became still more manifest ;
people could not, for an hour, calculate upon the endurance
of the Administration—and the Association accordingly
continued.
In the early part of the present year, in consequence of
the repeated defeats which the Ministry suffered in the
House of Lords, and the absatite impossibility, with the
court against them, of forcing the Second Estate to listen
to reason—almost every one expected that an abrupt dis-
solution would take place. The only question at issue
seemed to be this—whether the advice to the Crown for
this purpose would be tendered by Sir R. Peel or Lord
Melbourne.
In the meantime, William IV. contracted his last illness.
The nature of his Majesty's complaint was speedily ascer-
tained ; and it was known, of course, that a dissolution was
inevitable.
The Association saw that much business was to be done
—business of the most important, of the most vital neces-
sity—and without much speeching, aided by the Trades'
Union, they set to work accordingly.
The success was complete. We have given to the Re-
form Minister, and to our beloved and youthful Sovereign,
an Irish majority.—Dublin Evening Post.
A very important point has been recently established in
favour of the Clergy, respecting the execution of Civil Bill
Decrees. This decision arose out of a correspondence be-
tween Government and the Sheriff of the County of Ar-
magh, and the result is, " that the Sheriff is bound in person,
or by his sub-Sheriff. or by his own Bailiff, to execute Civil
Bill Decrees, and that it is discretionary with the party
having the decree to take a special warrant or not, and that
the Sheriff cannot compel the parties to take out a special
warrant, if they do not think proper themselves to do so.'
—Dublin Mail.

(From the Dublin Freeman's Journal.)
DISSOLUTION OF THE GENERAL ASSOCIA

TION.

The General Association of Ireland has ceased to exist.
It was organised,
j and set in motion, for the express pur-
pose of extorting justice, through the moral influence of le-
gal and constitutional agitation. The necessity for such a
body no longer exists. Our present rulers are not only in-
clined, but anxious to place us on a perfect equality—social
and political with England and Scotland. The Queen is
in favour of justice to Ireland. The Ministry have already
proved themselves our friends. We now rely implicitly in
the good intentions of both. But if we should be again
disappointed--if the cup should be once more dashed from
our lips, either through the treachery of false friends, or
the continued hostility of unrelenting enemies—we have a
remedy in our hands. England must act justly by Ireland.
She must legislate for us in the same spirit as for the other
portions of the empire, or she must prepare to concede to
us the privilege of legislating for ourselves. Once more has
the representative organ of the Irish people confided_of
per-
sonal im-
plicitly in the goad intentions of the Ministry. He has
sacrificed much of personal feeling, and—it may be
—of popularity, in recommending the abandonment of agi-
tation for a season. But few who read his admirable ad-
dress at yesterday's meeting will say that he has not for-
tified his advice by a chain cogent—if not unanswerable
—reasoning. The General Association of Ireland—a body
possessed of moral influence and power only inferior to ifs
predecessor and model, the Catholic Association—has been
dissolved. Whether it shall ever be revived depends not on
us, but those whose blind and bigotted hostility to Ireland
first called it into existence. It isi.just possible, but scarcely
probable now that the sun of royal favour sheds such a be

nignant light on our hitherto ill-treated country—that the
enemies of Ireland may compel us to depend once more on
ourselves and our own exertions ; and in that case Mr.
O'Connell (who is fond of quoting Byron's opinion as to the
necessity of personal exertions on the part of " hereditary
.bondsmen") may adopt another stanza of the noble bard's
in which he tells an oppressed people to
" Trust not for freedom to the Franks,
• •

In native arms, and native ranks,
The only hope of freedom dwells."

TO LORD CLONCURRY.
MY LORD,—I beg leave, with the highest respect, to in-
form your Lordship that I, as Member for the county of
Kerry, purpose to avail myself of your Lordship's invitation
to the Representatives of Ireland, to meet you in Dublin
between the Ist and Bth of November, to consult on the
present state of affairs as regards our country. I deem it
of special importance that we should do so, at a time when
the free representation of the Irish people is assailed by a
conspiracy unexampled in the annals of political turpitude.
I have the honour to be, my Lord,
Your Lordship's obedient humble servant,
M. J. O'CONNELL.
Grena, Killarney, Oct. 29, 1837.

ACCIDENT AT THE THAMES

TUNNEL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Thames Tunnel-office, Walbrook-buildings,
3d Nov., 1837, one o'clock, p.m.
Sin,—Having this moment returned from the Thames
Tunnel, I beg to enclose you an account of the accident
which took place at these works this morning, as collected
from the chief engineer, Mr. Brunel, and no doubt by to-
morrow shall be enabled to furnish you with further parti.
culars.—l am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
J. CHARLIER, Clerk to the Company.
" At a few minutes before four o'clock this morning (it
being then nearly high water) a sudden irruption of the
river took place and filled the tunnel. Every necessary pre-
caution had been taken to secure the retreat of the work-
men in case of any accident taking place ; but, unfortu-
nately, on calling over their names, one of the miners was
found missing ; and upon inquiry being made of his fellow-
workmen, it was ascertained that he was last seen returning
to the shield instead of attending to the orders which had
been given for all the men to ascend the shaft, and which
was safely effected by about seventy other individuals."

Thames Tunnel-office, Walbrook-buildings,
Friday Evening.
SIR-With reference to my communication of this morn-
ing, I beg to enclose herewith, for the information of the
public, a further account of last night's occurrences which
preceded the irruption of the river Thames into the Tun-
nel, as they are recorded by the engineer then on duty, and
which I have extracted from the daily journal which is kept
at the Company's works.—l am, Sir,
Your very obedient servant,
.1. CHAR LIER, Clerk to the Company.
" Relieved Mr. Crawford at eleven o'clock last night.
I went below and examined all the faces. At 12 o'clock
found No. 1 rather uneasy, yet not more so than Nos. 10,
11, and 12, had been. 1 therefore reported to Mr. Bru-
nel at one o'clock that every thing was well, and the works
below in fair progress.
" Mr Page, the acting engineer, having been taken sud-
denly ill, and ordered by his medical attendant to go to
bed, I did not think it necessary to disturb him. At about
three o'clock I came up from the Tunnel, and found Mr.
Brunel at the Office in the yard of the works, and repor-
ted to him that things were then much the same as they
had been in many instances, and that every precaution had
been taken to have proper materials at hand for securing
every thing. I returned dow❑ to the shield approach-
ing four o'clock, (it being then near high water,) and
discovered an increased quantity of sand and shells mixed
with a portion of black gravel running from a hole cut in
the second poling-board from the top-floor plate in No. 1
frame ; I then gave directions to have planks, straw, &c.,
in readiness in case of any sudden increase, and that a
careful watch be kept, and to inform me if any change took
place. A little before four o'clock I was sitting in the
cross gangway, and had just finished writing a note to Mr.
Brunel, to inform him (as is customary during the night) of
the state of things in general, when Williams, the foreman
of the shaft, came to me and stated that the run of sand,
&c., had very much increased, and wished to know if he
had not better continue to block up the faces of Nos. 1,
2, and 3, which he had commenced a few minutes pre-
viously._ I went with him into the box, and found the
sand, &c., running with considerable force from all parts of
that face. 1 then ordered the blocking up to be continued
with the greatest expedition possible. Williams went to
the lower stage fur the purpose of ascertaining the state of
the middle and bottom faces, when he discovered that part
of the poling boards from Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4, of the
middle boxes had been driven out ; and the water rushing
in, he immediately gave the alarm for all hands to run, and
from that time to the filling of the tunnel it did not occupy
more than about five minutes.

"We all ran with the greatest speed to the shaft. I
then lulled for a time, and I again, in company with Wil-
liams, Collier, and Cook, went down the archway nearly
200 feet, and saw the water rolling up the roadway in ter-
rific appearance. We then ran to the staircase, and watched
it there for a short time, and finally ascended to the top of
the shaft, where the water arrived a very few seconds after us.
" When at the top I met Mr. Brunel : I then had all
the names called over, and found only one missing—' Gar-
land,' an old man, a miner. It was a most providential
thing that the gangway* at the crown of the west arch bad
been extended and finished, for had that not been there
many of us must inevitably have perished.
(Signed) " J. FRANCIS, Engineer on duty.
" Thames Tunnel Works, Nov. 3, 1837."

* This gangway had been orginally constructed and
subsequently extended by Mr. Brunel's order, to give
greater facilities for the retreat of the men in case of acci-
dent occurring, and thereby also enable them to stand
longer at their post on occasions of either alarm or danger.
J. CHARLIER.