The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-09 00:00:00

IRELAND.

AGGREGATE MEETING OF REFORMERS.
STANLEY'S DISFRANCHISEMENT BILL.
The rcqu'sition, which covers our first page, exhibits the
thorough union of all ;shades of the Irish Reformers in
the demand for equal rights and franchises with England
and Scotland, and in the determination to resist the atro-
cious attempt of Lord Stanley and the faction to annihi-
late the electoral privileges of the Irish people. We
point to that requisition with pride and with confidence—
it affords to Ireland a guarantee that the disfranchisement
scheme of Stanley shall not 3ucceed.
During the struggle of the last ten years the `Liberal
party has often put forth their strength, and as often have
they conquered. The present requisition proves that their
ranks are augmented, and that the moral power derived
from the cordial union of men working in a good cause
ab,des with them. This requisition exceeds all others in
regard to the splendid array of Reformers, although—and
this should be remembered—only eight days have elapsed
since the Secretaries were appointed by the Committee.
From the tapidity with which the names are crowding
in, we are compelled ,to omit a large number of signa-
tures.

This, certainly, is a proof most gratifying, of the zeal
and energy that animate the friends of Reform and just go-
vernment in Ireland.

The meeting is to be held in the Theatre Royal. Ilaw-
kins's-street, on the 15th inst.—Dublin Evening Post.
COURT-MARTIAL ON LIEUTENANT CURTEIS.
A General Court-martial assembled at Clare Castle on
Monday, the 4th instant, for the trial of Lieutenant Wil-
liam Curteis, of the .36th regiment, who was arraigned
upon the under-mentioned charges, viz. :—" For conduct
unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman,
and highly subversive of military discipline, in having, at
Clare Castle, on or about the 12th of November, 1840,
sat down to the officers' mess-table of the depot, 36th
regiment, to dinner, in a state of intoxication, he having
also been at the time on duty as officer of the
day." The prosecution was instituted by Captain
John De Lacy, Senior Captain of the regiment,
who stated the case against the prisoner, and was
then heard in evidence, when he swore that Lieute-
nant Curteis was intoxicated at the dinner-table. The
other witnesses examined for the prosecution were—.
Lieutenant Maulever, 36th (Depot Paymaster), who
swore he noticed the prisoner intoxicated at mess, and un-
fit for duty. Ensign Carew, 36th (Depot Adjutant), de-
posed that the prisoner was not intoxicated, or unfit for
duty, but that he was not in a state fit to sit with gentle-
men ; and Ensign Bruce, 36th—the last witness in sup-
port of the charge—swore the prisoner was influenced by
liquor, though not intoxicated, and fit for duty, though not
to sit with gentlemen. The case for the prosecution having
closed on Tuesday, the Court adjourned to Thursday, whou
Lieutenant Curteis will enter on his defence to the charge.
In deference to the expressed wish of the distinguished
President and his gallant associates, who are members of
the Court, we shall offer no note or comment upon the evi-
deuce, on the direct or cross-examination, as at this stage of
the inquiry it would be premature and injurious. Lieut. Cur-
teis is an officer of 15 years standing in the service, and pur-
chased his ensigncy and lieutenancy. There is a company
vacant in the regiment since the promotion of Capt. Ash -
more to a majority on.the retirement of Major L'Estrange,
and the prisoner was the first Lieutenant for purchase,
when this untoward event occurred, and suspended all
promotion in the junior ranks. There has not been
Court-martial in the 36th since the period of Lieutenant
Sir James D. Flay, depot paymaster, when that officer
was obliged to retire, a few years ago, on account of finan-
cial deficiencies, embarrassed with a young family, and
little provision for them.

MURDER OF THE LATE MR. T. POWELL.-FURTHER PART'•

CULAkS.

An inquest on the body of Mr. Powell was held w
Monday last, anal was continued by adjournment on Tues-
day, when the Earl of Gosford, Lieutenant of the county,
Barnett M'Kee, Esq., J. P., and several stipendiery Ma.
gistrates attended. The Jury (twenty-three in number;
were unanimous in their verdict of " \Vilful murder, corn
mitted by Patrick Woods, of Tullyard, and others un.
known."

The deceased, who (we believe) belonged to the south
of Ireland, had been sent down by - Quinn, Esq.
(barrister-at-law, and Assistant Poor-law Commissioner),
to make certain improvements on his property in the town-
land of Tullyard, particularly on Drumgoose-hill, such as
planting, &c. A schoolhouse was in course of erection,
and the design of Mr. Quinn was also to build a suitable
residence for himself convenient to the lake. To effect
these improvements, however, it became necessary to re•.
move some cottiers and others, possessed of small hold-
ings, who were noticed accordingly, but other equally
good accommodation was provided for each of them on a
different part of the estate. That these arrangements were
unsatisfactory to the parties alluded to there can be no
doubt; but the manner in which that dissatisfaction has mani-
fested itself is at once revolving to humanity and disgrace-
ful, in the last degree, to the character of the popnlation.
We grieve that we arc obliged, from a sense of duty, to
add, upon undoubted authority, a fact which stamps with
eternal infamy the neighbouring population. The murder
took place whilst numbers of the people were going
home from the market, the leading road passing within
a few perches of the house. Some of them met the
deceased's daughter when running into Newtownhamilton
for the police, and, when informed of the awful occur-
rence, gave themselves no trouble, expressed no concern,
but went their way. Even the immediate neighbours,
living not more than ten or twelve perches distant, re-
mained aloof, and made not the slightest inquiry at the
house, although, it appears, the screams of the two girls
ware heard nearly half a mile off.

All parties that we have conversed with agree in one
point—namely, that Mr. Powell was a civil, inoffensive,
upright man. His orphan daughters (the only part of his
family in this part of Ireland) have found a safe refuge in
the town of Ncwtownhamilton. Woods, who has been
committed to the county gaol, is a near relation of a per-
son of the same name who was tried at Armagh in 1838,
for the murder of -- M'Creisin He is advanced in
years, and of a forbidding aspect.
Since the above was written, we have learned that an-
other person, named Hughes, who has been distinctly iden-
tified by the Misses Powell, is in custody. When appre-
hended, his clothes were deeply stained with blood.
A meeting of the County Magistrates, upon this melan-
choly affair, was to hare taken place yesterday,—Netvrg
Telegraph of this day.

THE ANEMOMETER.—A very ingenious self-
registering instrument bearing this name was yesterday
put into operation at the Royal Polytechnic Institu-
tion. The inventor is Mr. A. Follett Oster, of Bir-
mingham ; and his machine is intended to register,
on paper, the records of storms and the fall of rain,
for meteorological purposes. The importance of self-
registering instruments for obtaining a sufficiently ex-
tensive and accurate record of meteorological facts will
be obvious to all who take an interest in ascertaining their
causes and effects, and the results of the erection of the
anemometer at the Polytechnic Institution are, therefore,
looked for with corresponding interest. A general notion of
this machine, and its mode of operation, will be obtained if
we state that a vane, of a particular construction, is ele-
vated much above the roof of the building, and that to this
vane is attached a rod, or tube, which communicates with
the machinery in the apartments beneath. The direction
of the wind is registered by means of a pinion being
attached to the lower extremity of tbis rod, which works
in a rack, sliding backwards and forwards as the wind
moves the vane. To this rack a pencil is fixed, which
marks the direction of the wind on a paper intersected
with the cardinal points, and so adjusted as to progress at
the rate of half an inch per hour by means of an attached
clock. The force of the wind is at the same time asce..-
tained by a plate placed at right angles to the vane, sup-
ported by two light bars on friction rollers, and communi-
cating with a spiral spring in such a way that the plate
cannot be affected by the wind's pressure without instantly
acting on this spring and communicating the amount of its
action by a light copper wire passing down the centre of
the tube to another pencil below, which thus registers
its degree of force. Similarly ingenious arrangements
accurately determine the time at which any rain falls, as
well as the amount and mode of falling. The institution
of means for correctly guaging wind and rain is a good
step towards the development of admitted facts of which
the science of meteorology, perhaps, snore than any other,
stands particularly in need. The directors of the Poly-
technic Institution are, therefore, entitled to the thanks
of sciAilific men-for having purchased, and put into useful
operation, this most interesting instrument, whose name,
taken from two Greek words, signifies a measurer of wind.
A STARVING KlNG.—When the House were
in a Committee upon the civil list, there were some re-
flecting ouches. Mr. Smith happened to express the
necessity of the family in an ill-utiosen word, though with
a good meaning, saying that the King was in a starving
condition. Mr. Grenville took a fancy to repeat the word
very often ; and if the King were starving, why then were
such grants made of crown-lands, and why such grants and
great pensions, and \llly foreigners enriched and made
lords.—Juaites's Court and Times of William
MODERATION.—" Once," says Master Fuller
" a gaoler demanded of a prisoner newly committed unto
hint whether or no he were a Roman Catholic? No,'
answered he. What then,' said he; ' are you an Ana-
-1 baptist ?' Neither,' replied the prisoner. What !' said
the other, ' ave you a Brownist or a Quaker ?' Nor so,'
said the man ; lam a Protestant, without wealt or gard,
or any addition, equally opposite to all heretics and ree-
ntries.' Then,' said the gaoler, 'get you unto the dun-
' geon ; I will afford no favour to you who shall get no ad-
I vantage by you. Had you been of any of the other reli-
gions some hope I had to gain by the visits of such as are
of your own persuasion, whereas now you will prove to me
but an unprofitable prisoner.' This is the misery of mo-
deration."