The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-09 00:00:00

KILRUSH PETTY SESSIONS.

RUSTIC RIVALS.—Kat:y Meehan's friends resolved,
and Kai ty herself seconded the resolution, that she
should not pass this '' shroff" (Shrovetide) without, a
mate, and accordingly overtures a In Prince Albert
were made to Master Pat Riordan, wt o, nothing loth,
came forward, in fancy phrase, "to wake the match."
But this case added another to the thousand tnd on,
illustrations of the adage " the citurse of true love never
did run smooth " " A clean-skinned liktly little girl
of the Healys," as her friends daseribed her, though,
she had a prior claim on Paddy Riordati ; so taking
the first opportunity that offered when she met Miss
Meehan with Mr. Riordon and the other contracting
parties in a public-house, of ventingher ire, the " littl
girl o' the Healys" fastened upon Katty's head gear,
and after disarranging it sadly, and drawing a crimson
stream from the saucy nose beneath it, she contrived to
kick up what the host called "sick a shindy," that
loved and lover, wooed and wooer, kinsman and kins-
woman, ()Tonne/used each other most elegantly, and
Paddy Riordan—heartless swain as he was—received
a " Victoria" behind the right auricular, that left him
for a time quite incompetent to hear or adjudicate on
the merits of either claimant.

Mks Meehan was requested to describe the assault
committed on her by her fair rival, and she did, to the
effect that " While she was sittin' wid her back to the
room doore, in Johnny M'Auliff's tap-room, not thinkin'
o' nothin' only a small taste ov a .Tandy o' punch that
Pat Riordan, an' he sittin' hard by her, was coaxin' her
to swally—Biddy Healy kern behind her, and grabbin
her be both airs, hint her down all ov a sudden, till her-
self, an' the table, an' the glasses, an' the formus, an'
Biddy Healy, an' Paddy Riordan, an' Pady Riordan's
Lather, an' her own mother, an' the man o' the house,
rowled over each other, threnahela—glory be to the
Lord, as if 'ttvas a tundherboult hot 'em down out o'
the Heavens l"—(Laukliter.)
Magistrate—You had no conversation with her pre-
vious to that ?

Katty—Not a tittle, indeed, sir ; I met her comin'
out n' last mass on Sunday : " How arc you to-day,
Biddy ?" says I.—" Ax me elbow," says she " you in-
vaig.in' schemer, that's eomin' betheunc your betthers."
That's all the conversation we had, an' twas too short
an' sweet to go on wid it, surely.
Some desultory skirmishing now ensued, in the shape
of a smart exchange of compliments, in the Irish lan-
guage, between the various frie: ds of the belligerents ;
and this being got under, Miss Healy was called on for
her share of the " great palaver," and before commenc-
ing she turned aside and emitted—

" Oh, too convincingly dangerously dear,
In woman's eye, th' unanswerable tear."
and declared that Paddy Riordan an' herself wor all
but joined for lite, when Batty Meehan threw in ;
" an' sure, your reverence," continued Biddy, " whin
I reasoned cases wid her, and tould her the boy had a
fancy for meself, she said he was her fancy likewise.
Right-go-wrong, Biddy Healy, he'll be mine,' says
she, an' you may go marry the d—l's son an heir,
an' live in the house wid th.t ould couple.' "—(Great
laughter.)

" Oh .► holy Queen o' Heaven !" exclaimed Katty.
elevating her clasped bands in pious horror, who ever
heard me say the like ? but, call Johnny M'Auliff."
Johnny M'Auliff didn't wait to be called twice, but
came forward at once, wearing a chilly look, soiled
shirt, and red nose, and deposed that " his hoUse was
turned topsy,turvey through the means o' Biddy Healy's
jallosy, and that 17s. 6d. would be far from payin' the
damage done on the occasion.'

This occasioned anoti:;-Outbreak of angry feeling;
so the parties were bound to the peace.

METROPOLITAN ANTI-CORN-
LAW ASSOCIATION.

On Wednesday evening, Mr. Paulton delivered a
Lecture on the Corn-lavc, Fallacies, in the Physicians'
Hall, Warwick-lane, in the Ward of Farringdon
Within, to a very respectable and enthusiastic audience.
Alderman Kelly took the chair at a quarter past
seven, and before eight o'clock the Hall was completely
crowded.

At the termination of the Lecture, which was re-
ceived with repeated acclamations, a petition for the
total repeal of the Corn-laws was sanctioned and very
numerously signed by the persons present.
On the following evening, Mr. Paulton delivered
another Lecture on the bearings of the Corn-laws, as
they affected the commercial. manufacturing, and agri-
cultural classes, which was still more numerously at-
tended. and received with repeated bursts of applause.
At the termination of the Lecture an elderly gentle-
man rose for the purpose of moving a vote of thanks to
Mr. Paulton, and after expressing his earnest sym-
pathy with the cause, and thorough acquiesence in every
sentiment uttered by the lecturer, generously volun-
teered a donation of five guineas to the funds of the
Metropolitan Anti-Corn-law League, and expressed
his willingness to double the amount as often as
the exigencies of the good cause might require it.
Several gentlemen followed his excellent example ;
and the unanimous thanks of the meeting were-enthusi-
astically voted to Mr. Paulton. The petition had re-
ceived nearly five hundred signatures before the meeting
separated.

We noticed in our paper of Thursday, the successful
results of Mr. Smith's exertions, at the Hail of Science,
City-road, on Monday evening, and his effectual dis-
comfiture of the basiard alliance of Tory and Chartist
opposition at Bethnal-green, on Tuesday. On Thurs-
day evening the same gentleman again faced the emis-
saries of these two factions in the Hall of Science,
fiethpal-green, but the indignation of the meeting was
so thoroughly aroused by the disgraceful attempt to
carry their measures by a mere ruse, that both parties
wore almost unanimously scouted, and three cheers
for total repeal carried amidst the enthusiastic shouts
of the assembly.
Such was the disposition of the meeting in favour of
Mr. Smith's object, that he was spontaneously invited
by the persons present to give them another lecture on
the following evening, which he did to an equa:ly warm
and authentic audience.

On Saturday evening Mr. Sin;th again lectured in
Peter-street, Bishopsgate-street, to a very hearty and
respectable audience.
Public attention is on every hand directing itself to
this great question, and we trust that such displays of
public opinion in the metropolis will shortly show to
the Legislature that the active zeal and energy of the
friends of Justice, have developed a moral power that
must be listened to, and obeyed by the Council of the
nation.

FALL OF RAIN.—At the last meeting of the
Horticultural Society, a statement was made of the quantity of
rain which had fallen during the last six months of 1839, and
January of the present year, with the number of rainy days,
and a comparison of the averages for the same period for the
last fourteen years, from which it appears that during that time
the nearest approach to the bygone season was in 1836, when
the quantity of rain that fell was 19.29 inches, and the number
of wet days 119. During the last season the number of wet
days was 122, and the quantity of rain 20..09 inches. The
smallest quantity that fell during these years was in 1826 and
1834, in the former the number of inches being 69 and in the
latter 63. The barometer is higher at present than it has been
for a great many years. On the 14th November, 1837, it was
nearly as high, being 30.708 ; yesterday it stood at 30.710.
By the Parliamentary Paper No 419, Session
1834, it appears that in four years the cases of corporal pun-
ishment inflicted in the Royal Navy amounted to 7,ol3—that
is, upwards of 7,000 seamen were tried by Courts-martial and
flogged. By another Parliamentary Paper, it appears that,
during the five years ending December, 1836, 1,227 soldiers--
that is, 245 soldiers yearly, of that part of the army within
the United Kingdom, were subjected to corporal punishment.
By the same return, it appears that, during the same period,
332 marines underwent the same punishment, and that of these
1,539 persons, 242 were flogged a second timO, and 44 a third
time. Parliament have lately put an end to flogging labourers
in the West Indies. Is it not high time that our military and
naval cruelties were also abolished ?—Scotch Times.

Died at Patna, on the 18th of NovPinber last,
beloved and respected by all who knew him, Henry Douglas,
Esq., Chief Judge of Appeal at Patna, son of the late Admi-
ral Sir James Douglas, Hart., of Springweod Park. aged 82.
Mr. Douglas was a civil servant on the Bengal Establishment,
and had resided in India upwards of 60 years, 57 of which were
spent at Patna, in the province of Behar, where he held, du-
ring the whole of that period, high judicial stations, and
for many
_years, officiated as Fist Judge of Appeal
at Patna. Ile possessed, in a singular oegree, the love
and reverence of the natives, over whose minds his strict
integrity and mild benevolence gave him unbounded
sway. Mr. Douglas was justly distiugushed for his extensive
knowledge of Mahometan law and the regulations of Govern-
ment, as well as for high attainments as nn Oriental scl.o!ar,
and soundness as a Judge; anti his memory was so retentive
and accurate, that, after hearing a long case read, together
with the evidence, he could, with the greatest perspicuity anti
precision, dictate, in person, a summary of the whole proceed-
ings, although he took no notes. without making the slightest
mistakes in dates or names. llis retiring unassuming manners
shrunk from any display of those various accomplishments of
mind known only to his intimate friends. The general respect
in which he was held by all descriptions of persons could only
be exceeded by the warm affection of those who were admitted
to that privileged circle, with whom his memory will ever be
honoured and gratefully chic ished.
BUCKINGHAM.—Distressed as the people are
by the high prices of provisions, the amount of taxes imposed,
and the gre,t competition in trade, there are individuats iu
this town silly enough to be gulled by the Duke into the be-
lief that votes of money fur Church extension will not incre,se
the national burdens, and that the high protective tax on corn
will not raise the price of bread. A fortnight ago we had to
expose the jobbing, hole-and-corner, petition for Church ex-
tension. presented by Sir Thomas Fremantle, said to emanate
from the people of Buckingham. This week we have to point
the finger of scorn at the poor fools who have been influenced
by the all-powerful Frank Coley to sign a petition for keeping
up the price of bread, by retaining the present iniquitous Corn-
lay s, at a time when even the middle class people find it
difficult to keep their fami'ies well fed and respect:o,lN clad.
Like the Church extension petition, this Corn•law affair was
got up in a sly and under-hand manner. Frank very correctly
a,•ted the pact of " creep mouse"—a sobriquet he has lately ac-
quired by his creeping propensities—by stealing. like a thief in
the night, to several public houses, and inducing men half drunk
to affix their names to the " Duke's paper." Yet these are
the fellows, and this the party, who daily cry out against secret
voting, and pronounce the Ballot to be un-English The
Buckingham sillies complain of the pi essure of taxes, and ask
for Church extension! cry out for cheap bread,
and support
the Corn-laws !! denounce the Ballot, and get up petitions on
the sly !! ! Men of Buckingham ! see what a silly dance you
are being led by your great leaders, Richard Plantager.et
Bridges Temple Grenville Duke of Buckingham, and Mister
Frank Coley.—Aylesbory News.

London: Printed and Published by AIUItDO VOL
No. 11'2, Strand, at The Sun Office, No. 112, !`•tr"(l'
county of ttliddleFex.—Monday, March 9, 1840.