The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-24 00:00:00

IRISH RELIEF COMMISSION.
The following is the sixth report of the Irish
blicf CommissioDt.r:.—

"Relief Commission-office, Dublin,
Sept. 11, 1847.
"May it please your Lordships,—ln transmitting
our sixth monthly report as Commissioners under the
Temporary Relief Act, 10 Vic., cap. 7, we have to
record the progress made towards the cessation of our
D2eratlonta.
"'The power to make advances for the temporary
relief has been restricted by the law to the last day of
September, leaving it to the discretion of your Lord-
ships to select the most appropriate periods up to that
time for its discontinuance in each and all of the
unions.
" The state of the season, and the providential
abundance of the autumnal crops, have enabled us,
under your Lordships' sanction or directions, to com-
mence reductions on a large scale in the middle of
August.
" Out of 127 unions that were under the Act, 55
have had no advances made them on estimate for any
period after the 15th of August; 26 more ceased on
the 29th of that month ; and the entire of the re-
mainder will cease on the 12th of September, with
the exception of the advances for the fever hospitals,
which will be continued until the 30th of September.
" There were but few districts in which the guar•
dians were ready to take up the out-door relief that
might be necessary, and for which provision had been
made by the new poor-law; but in many the numbers
in the poor-house had been reduced by the system of
distribution of rations, leaving hundreds of vacancies
to be filled; several committees had small balances of
money or of food in hand, which, being husbanded,
would carry them on for a few weeks or longer, and
occupation was provided for the people by the gather-
ing in of the crops ; and from all these causes com-
bined, the rapid discontinuance of this vast and some-
what loose mode of relief has not, as yet, been
attended with the distress that might perhaps have
been apprehended.
" But as the power of distributing rations shall be
withdrawn from the districts where the population is
most dense, and the property and the society less in a
condition to support the mass, and where the nvu-
hers maintained by them have been very large to the
last, the means, above enumerated, of alleviating the
change will be smaller, and the distress will be greater
in proportion, and will require every resource that
can be brought to bear upon it to prevent very much
suffering.
" Still we maintain that it is more judicious to dis-
continue the ration system while the greatest amount
of harvest work that can be expected shall be in
operation (however insufficient that may be), than to
allow it to continue through that period, and then to
cease.

" Much dread was naturally entertained of the de-
moralization that, in spite of every precaution, would
follow the large and almost indiscriminate support
afforded by the powers given under the Temporary
Relief Act ; and certainly the facilities thus afforded
to committees (many of the members of whom were
intimately associated or connected with the poorer
orders) of making the distribution a system of boons
rather than of necessity increased the expenditure
in an enormous degree, and removed from many
any desire to make exertions for self-subsistence.
The very evil itself, however, has been attended with
a salutary reaction ; and the whole country seems, by
this.experience, to have been made sensible that it is
only by the most rigid and thoroughly controlled
principle of affording relief, by any public arrange-
ment, that society can be protected from a state of
almost universal pauperization, and that the charge
of a more benevolent alleviation of distress than what
is absolutely necessary for the bare support of the
thoroughly destitute must and ought to be left to the
exertions and voluntary distribution of the charitable
and humane, which, it is to be hoped, will always be
largely afforded.
" As the operations of our commission draw to a
close, the final settlement of the accounts becomes a
very important consideration, to which we beg to call
your Lordships' attention in the accompanying report
of our accountant.

" Arrangements of peculiar difficulty have been
required in the administration of the expenditure of
nearly 2,000,000 of money, within a period of eight
months, through the agency of upwards of 2,000
committees, constituted by general regulation, and
subjected only to a very general control

"The readiness with which the Bank of Ireland,
the Provincial and National Banks, with various
others, undertook the office of treasurer to the unions,
and with which they entered into every proposed de-
tail and accommodation, has afforded- great advan-
tages, and deserves the thanks of the public.
" The immediate, progressive, and local audit of
these accounts, sanctioned by your Lordships, tends
greatly to prevent embarrassment, expense in the
examination, and losses ; and by these means
(in co-operation with the admirable arrangements
and system of Mr. Bromley, the accountant to
the Commission) your Lordships may have confidence
that these multifarious accounts will be as free from
irregularities as is consistent with the nature of
such a service ; such irregularities will be only found
in the n lour accounts of the electoral divisions, and
even there in a much less degree than could have been
expected.
In the great subdivision of electoral division com-
mittee, and in districts remote from towns, and where
habits of business could not be expected to exist,
it was impossible to secure the services of efficient
clerks, or to offer motives of sufficient interest to
stimulate their exertions; still it is reported that
many have shown great aptitude and willingness
to attend with precision to every form, and that
the cases of failure have arisen rather from real in•
ability than from a desire to conceal the existence of
fraud. It is only in these electoral division =counts
that some latitude will be required for a reasonable
adjustment.
"In the Appendix will be found the usual record of
the extent of the arrangements made for temporary
fever hospitals.
" We hope that our next report (which will be the
last) will be accomponied by a detailed statement
from the Central Board of Health of the working and
results of the Fever Act (10 Victoria, c. 22), which
will exhibit the sanitary condition of the country, as
arising from or connected with the destitution pro-
duced by the failure of the ordinary description of
food.

" All advances to these hospitals will cease after
the 30th instant., and the charge for their support,
which will then be comparatively moderate, must be
defrayed by the Poor-law Guardians. "
We hive the honour to be, my Lords, your Lord-
ships' most obeiient humble servants,

" J. P. BURGOYNE.
" T. N. REDINGTON.
" R. J. ROUTH.
" E. J. B. 'I'WISLETON.
" D. M'GREGOR.
" To the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners
of her Majesty's Treasury."

THE LATE MYSTERIOUS CASE
OF POISONING AT TIVERTON.
TIVEaToN, THURSDAY —Yesterday (Wedneday)
who stands charged' with
the woman, Ann Fisher,
the administration of arsenic to her husband, Richard
Fisher, was again placed before the local magistrates
for examination.
It will be remembered that a Coroner's inquest has
already been held on the body of the deceased before
Mr. Leigh, the coroner, and that although there was
distinct proof that he died from the effects of poison,
the jury considered there was not sufficient evidence
to show that it had been administered by the accused.
Subsequent to the conclusion of the inquest the fur-
ther. inquiries instituted by the police caused the
magistrates to issue a warrant for the apprehension
of Ann Fisher.

The evidence of the witnesses examined before the
Coroner having been taken,
John Dunn deposed that he was apprentice to Mr.
Rossiter, druggist, of Tiverton. About the latter
end of July last he recollected a woman like the
prisoner coming into the shop and asking Mr. Ros-
alter for some arsenic. He thought she asked for it
for the purpose of killing rats and. mice, and Mr.
Refuter, replied that he kept an article called " But-
ler Vermin and Insect Killer " for that purpose, but
not arsenic: She then went away. Was almost po-
sitive that the prisoner was the person to whom he
alluded. It was on a Tuesday, and as witness was
not engaged at the time he had a good opportunity
of looking at the person who asked for the arsenic.
He believed the prisoner to 'be that woman. On
being directed by the Magistrate to look well at the
prisoner,
Ann Fisher rose, and exclaimed firmly, Now, look
at me ; don't go to swear unless you are certain.
The witness said he should not like to swear posi-
tively.
John Cobley examined—Was a labourer, and re-
sided at Northford Pyne, and recollected Fisher's
marriage with the prisoner. A week or a fortnight
atter was at the Black Dog, and saw Leach, an ac-
quaintance of Mrs. Fisher, there. Joked him about
the marriage. Fisher being an old man, and he
(Leach) a young one, he said, " The old man would
not live long." Witness then said, Oh, you are
thinking of having the woman yet, and the property
too; and Leach answered, " Yes, I'll be d—d if you
aint right." Could not say that he thought that
meant that Richard Fisher would come to an un-
timely end. Had heard Mrs. Rattenbury say, that
Leach and the prisoner were seen walking from a
certain chapel together only the Sunday before her
marriage.
After a consultation amongst the Magistrates, the
prisoner was again remanded.

10: IVSCElidtilltx roll' THE ARMY AND NAVY.--A grand
•, the officers of both:services on Shooter's-
----- , * site) is tallied cf.—The Bulkier,

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