The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-12 00:00:00

LITIGATION,

The Dublin Evening Post gives the following very
glo my picture of the condition of trade in Ireland:—
" We hear, on all sides, of the increase of litigation in
the Civil Bill Courts throughout the country. The num-
ber of processes for rent—a cheap and convenient mode
of clearing estates'—and for small sums on I 0 U's,
passed fur meal and other necessaries, have increased to
an enormous extent. But in the higher courts, also, we
are likely to have a vast amount of litigatbn. We are
assured, by a correspondent, that already nearly two
thousand writs have been issued from the Court of
Queen's Bench alone for the term which commences next
week. Another very significant fact has been communi-
cated by the same correspondent. Judges' fiats, to the
number of six daily, on the average, are issued against
absconding debtors. In ordinary years, perhaps, the
number would riot exceed twenty for the twelve months.
We mention these facts as they have reached us, and we
fear that the information is too true. They afford la-
mentable evidence of the effects upon trade of the pro-
tracted sufferings of the country. The shopkeepers and
small traders, in all parts of Ireland, have been utterly
paralysed. The large wholesale houses in Dublin and
in other large towns have, from prudence and necessity,
greatly limited their operations. In fine, business is at
a stand, and the constant cry is. "There is no money
to be had.' Most happy should we be to present a less
unfavourable report; but, for the present at least, facts
will not warrant us in doing so. One thing satisfactory
and creditable to the parties we can state, namely, that
amongst the wholesale hoes' s, gen r_lly, there is great
forbearance. The struggling shopkeeper is not forced
to extremities; and, consequently, notvvithstanding the
unparalleled severity of the pressure, there are compa•
ra:ivelv few bankruptcies or even compositions."
ATROCIOUS AND VINDICTIVE MURDERS.

Monday morning, about eight o'clock, immediately
after three policemen had left the house of Philip Houri-
gan, at Ballycullen, near Glen-Bevan, in this county, for
their station at Croom, three armed men entered his
habitation in search of Hourigan, who, fortunately for
himself was out, having gone a little before to the house
of a brother, about three or four fields off. The in-•
truders turned upon his wife, as she sat by the fire to
prepare breakfast, and deliberately fired at her, inflicting
a mortal wound in her breast. Not content with this
barbarous deed, they struck tho dying woman on the
head with their guns, until she lay apparently dead upon
the floor. They next turned into a room where the son
of the unhappy couple lay on a sick bsd, and dragged
the lad, about eighteen years of age, about the house,
and then commanding him to stand against the bed-post,
another shot was levelled at him, which entered his head,
and he fell at once an easy victim before his murderers.
Having glutted their vengeance by the immolation of
mother and son, these ferocious miscreants departed, re-
gretting they had not got the husband and father, to
complete the tragic spectacle. Hourigan's little daughter
would assuredly have been the third victim, as they were
determined to spare no human being in the house to tell
the catastrophe, only that she, providentially, was in
the out-offices milking the cow for her pcor mother.
This little girl came in as the murderers departed, and
saw thorn going off, but unperceived by them, and sus-
pecting 1:o harm, the first objscte she beheld inside the
door were her mother in the agonies of death, and her
brother a naked corpse ! The affrighted child gave the
alarm, but before any friend or neighbour came in lieu-
rigan's wife breathed her last. The distracted father
soon found his peaceful home the abode of desolation and
mourning—his wife and son in one half hour mangled
and bloody cprpses, and no one to point out the accursed
murderers, or trace their route, though seen to pass the
river Maieue, after the satanic outrage, and without any
disguise on their persons. The afflicted and persecuted
man, Philip Hourigan, at last assizes, brought to convic-
tion four persons for having in November, 1846, attacked
his dwelling by night, and assaulted him barbarously in
the presence of his wife and children. They broke his
skull. These fellows were :sentenced to seven years'
transportation, the judge having first designed to double
that penalty, so gross did the outrage appear to him.
Hourigan's life was threatened since this prosecution,
and the magistrates found it requisite to have police in
the house at night for his protection. But the unfortu-
nate roan was doomed by those who regard not law or
mercy, and watching the departure of the police on the
above morning, the murderers accomplished their in-
fernal purpose, and as they could not sacrifice Hourigan,
they butchered in cold blood those most dear to him, the
unoffending mother and son.—Limerick Chronicle.
BARBAROUS MURDER. —On Monday night a most
cruel and savage murder was committed in the county
Kilkenny, at a place called Bishap's Hall-gate, within
about three miles of this city. The murdered man was
a steward of Mr. Milward's, and was proceeding from
Waterford to his own home, at Ballynamorahan, where
he was attacked. It appears that ho left this city about
six o'clock on the previous evening, and when
within half a mile of home he called at a public-house
kept by a man named John Halligan. He left Halli-
gan s at nine o'clock, and went in the direction of his
own house ; but when within forty perches of it he was
attacked and murdered. He was found on Tuesday
morning, and his head and face were so mutilated that
he was only identified by his clothes. He was robbed
of 41. Walsh was a most inoffensive and peaceably-dis-
posed man. No trace of the murderers has yet been
discovered.— Waterford Freeman.
ATTEMPT TO MURDER JOSEPH WALLPLATE, ESQ.,
J. P., CASTLE-CONNELL.—This day (Wednesday), at
about half-past eleven, A.M., as Mr. Wallplate was pro-
ceeding to a farm of his, near Woodlands, from which
be bad dispossessed the late tenants a few days ago, he
was attacked by two men, armed with pistols, near
Doonas. The men jumped over a wall on the road, and
Mr. Wallplate, seeing their intent of attacking him,
seized one of them and tore the coat from his back. He
then seized a large stone and threatened the other, when
two shots were fired at him. One took effect under the
left breast, the other hit him somewhere in the face.
Doc!ors Griffin and Kidd, who were visiting the Rev.
Mr. Scanlan, who is in fever, passed about ten minutes
after the occurrence. Mr. Weill-slate was taken across
the river to his own residetice. The police went in pur-
suit of the assassins.— Limerick Examiner.
MONSTROUS HAvoe.—About 1,500 pauper labourers
entered the town of Gort, on Monday, and paraded the
streets, exclaiming, occasionally, they should have "blood
or bread," to the great horror of the inhabitants. They
t ventually retired without any outrage on person or pro-
perty ; but their threats were I.ot idly meant, for during
the night 154 sheep, the property of William Lahiff,
1 Esq., of Gun, at pasture, near the lands of Bunnahort,
were killed, and carried away I On Tuesday morning
Head-Constable M`Carthy, of Gort, arrested seven of the
suspected principals in this daring onslaught upon private
property.—Limerick Chronicle.
THE CORN MARKETS—IMPORTS.
NEWRY, APRIL 7.—The reaction in the article of
Indian corn meal continues, and the price is now 14s. 6d.
per cwt. for both descriptions of white and yellow.
Wheat, oats, flour, oatmeal, &c., remain without altera-
tion.

LIMERICK, APRIL 7.—The Pool is almost; in a state
of blockade with shipping, while several large vessels are
at anchor at Tarbert, Foynes, Beih CaAle, Grass
Island, &c., unable, owing to their great burthen, to get
a berth at the quay. Since Saturday last 28 vessels
tirrivcd in the Shannon, laden with Indian corn, wheat,
Shur, meal, and boan3 for this port, from Vianna, An-
cona, Marseilles, Alexandria, . Boston, Genoa, Trieste,
Valencia, S villt, Maur, New York, Smyrna, Corunna,
besides the Channel ports. Messrs. J. N. Russell and
Sons, who firA lowered the market prices in Limerick,
have further reduced the price of Indian meal to 151. per
ton. Quantity of " bread-stuffs" imported to Limerick
in the last week ;-19,300 quarters Indian corn, 9,500
barrAs and sacks of flour and meal, 900 quarters of
wheat, 1,000 quarters rye, 1,356 quarters beans, and
1,100 bags rice, besides seeds, &c.