The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-24 00:00:00

A SKETCH OF IRISH LOCO

MOTION.

The Irish public have not, as yet, had an advanta-
geous opportunity of appreciating the superiority of
railway travelling over the old-established means of
locomotion. The Kingstown, to be sure, pays its share-
holders, notwithstanding the spirit of jobbing which
taints it, as well as almost every other Irish under-
taking ; but then it should be remembered that it is a
pet line, and only made use of to transmit the luxurious
Dublin tits from their shops and counting-houses to
suburban mansions, where they reposo until another
day recals them to light and labour. But, look at the
Drogheda affair, which neither gratifies the shareholders
by " putting mons), in their purses," nor the public, by
carrying them quickly over the ground. The rate of
travelling is very low, presenting a marked contrast to
the charge for it, which is very high, when com-
pared with the accommodation on English lines.
The pace, however, accomplished by tie engineer on
the Drogheda line is the ne plus ultra of speed, when
viewed in competition with the jog-trot system of going-
a head on the Dublin and Carlow Railway. Really,
any one who has plenty of leisure and humour may en-
joy ample amusement by graduating to Carlow through
the agency of the Great Southern and Western Railway.
The swift footed pedestrian, who delights in the name of
"The American Deer," and who has astonished so many
admirers of human agility in England, I would back
against the railway for as large a sum as a penny-a-liner
might be expected to exhibit, and, ten to one, before
half-a-dozen miles of the road had been covered, the puff
would be out of the engine, and, in sporting phrase, it
would be "nowhere." If the directors wish to make
the undertaking pro,perons, they must display some
spirit in keeping with the advanced state of science.
As far as yet appears, if they had been prompted by a
wish to disgust the community with travelling by steam
carriages on iron roads they could not have done so
more effectual than by their management of the line.
As a medium of speedy transit it is the greatest farce that
ever was imagined, and as the merry pantomime days
are approaching, I would not be surprised if the fertile
genius of Calcraft founded upon it a happy scene, in
which would be represented a " monster" snail " drag-
ging its slow length along," and with it a train of car-
riages, the subject being further illustrated by the face-
tious clown exclaiming, " Tremendous travelling in the
nineteenth century—Dublin to Carlow, at the rate of the
sixteenth part of a knot in one hour." There are three
or four stations along the line which may be serviceabl
to the inhabitants of neighbouring towns or villages, but
there are about a dozen which have been constructed for
no public purpose whatever, that I could ascertain,
unless it be anticipated that from the womb of time
marts of commerce and manufactures may hereafter
spring up among them. Whether those whom it most
concerns—the shareholders—will regard the prospect
of the country's prosperity a century hence as a full
remunsration of their investments—whether they will
be content with a draft upon
.posterity, it is not for
me to say. At each of these stations the train tarries
about a quarter of an hour, and as they are neither
few nor far between, a vast deal ef time is con-
sumed, most provokingly to energetic spirits, on the
road. The utility of the system I could not fathom, as
scarcely any persons emerged from or entered the car-
riages at the different stages excepting poor devils who
were passing on to their labour, under the Board of
Works, and who could not be expected to patronise any
other vehicles than the Parliamentary or the penny-a•
mile ones. For my own part, as my mission was one of
observation and reflection, I had no particular wish to fly
over the ground at the rate of a flash of lightning ; but
there were two gentlemen in the box with me, who did
not think there was any "luck in leisure." I should
mention that the carriage was a second-class one ; the
seats in which were not cushioned like those of the same
rank on the Kingstown and Drogheda lines. To sit upon
them for five or six consecutive hours, is assuredly
"mortifying the flesh," and doing penance for one's
sins. One of my fellow-travellers was a solicitor,
who was hastening to Clonmel to oppose the
discharge of an insolvent, and he was afraid
that, owing to the slow motion of the train, he would
not be in time for the coach to the capital of Tip-
israry, and Commissioner Ferrell would have liberated
his victim before
in he could arrive to prevent him. The
other was an emissary from an entensive grocery esta-
blishment Dublin, that has a large business in the
south of Ireland, but rarely allows its customers to amass
fortunes. His object in travelling was the benevolent
one of issuing an execution against the goods and chat-
tels of a molasses vendor in Waterford, and he was in
anguish lest he might have taken wing to America, be-
fore he could reach the urbs intacta. The griefs depicted
on the visages of this pair at the delay at each stage was
irresistibly comic to an indifferent spectator like myself.
If malisons, showered ad libitum by my temporary com-
panions upon the heath of railway directors and engi-
neers, can do them any mischief, I would be very sorry
to stand in the shoes of any of these officials. As
an illustration of the tedious system of locornotion on
the Carlow line, I may state that its Operation has failed
to drive the Wexford day coach, and the night mail, off
the road. Although a coach leaves Wexford every
morning for Carlow, people still prefer going the whole
distance to Dublin by the old-fashioned four-in-hand
vehicle. Would this be the case if anything like cele-
rity or comfort were studied by the directors of the
railway ? Who would, at such a season as this, be con-
tent to be perched the livelong day upon the top of a
coach, exposed to all the winds of heaven, if the rival
conveyance by steam were not a magnificent humbug?
Verily, it is well that the Queen's highway, running
parallel with the Carlow Railway, is being kept in repair
by the Board of Wog ks. We need it yet. There will
be no chance of grass growing upon it, at all events, for
lack of use, until the railway directors turn a new leaf,
and, instead of making their undertaking a huge laugh-
ing-stock, render it worthy of a country that has long
been sunk in degradation, but which is now bent upon
its elevation.—Dublin World.

IREL AND.

REPEAL ASSOCIATION.

DUBLIN, DEC. 21.—The usual weekly meeting of the
members of this body was held to-day at one o'clock, in
the Conciliation Hall. There was but a very thin
attendance of members and associates present. Amongst
those of the Committee upon the pl ttform were—Mr.
O'Connell, M.P., Mr. J. O'Connell, M.P., Mr. N.
Maher, M.P., Mr. J. A. O'Neill, Mr. Steele, Mr. C.
M`Loughlin, Mr. James O'Hea, Mr. E Clements,
Captain Broderick, &c.
Upon the motion of Mr. O'CONNELL, the chair was
taken by Mr. W. Thomas Kelly, solicitor.
Mr. RAY (the Secretary) having read the minutes of
the previous meeting, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Steele, and
others, handed in various renewed subscriptions, includ-
ing 161. 10s. from Thurles ; 71. 16s. from Edinburgh ;
41. 13s. from Antrim ; and 31. 7s. froth Liverpool.
A letter having been read, enclosing some subscrip-
tions, in which allusion was made to the Clare election
of '2B, and the Catholic emancipation—
Mr. O'CONNELL said that they had succeeded on that
occasion, because they were unanimous, or nearly so,
for, although they were joined by a few, those few
were afterwards ready to reap all the fruits they could
from the movement.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. STEELE observed that Mr. William Smith O'Brien
was at that time a member of the Catholic Association—
and, notwithstanding. did all in his power to put out
Mr. O'Connell, but his attempts were fruitless and faith-
less.—(Cheers.)
Mr. J. O'CONNELL then brought up a report "upon
the money question between England and Ireland,"
with reference to the threats that, he said, were held
out, that the last penny advanced by the Govern-
ment that year to relieve the distress amongst the
poor, would be most rigorously exacted from the
landlords, even to the sale of their estates.—( Rear,
hear.) The Learned Gentleman here referred to
several London newspapers as his authority for this
statement—(Hear, hear)—and the fact, he (Mr. O'Con •
nell) believed, was, that the intention of the English
people was to confiscate the lands of the Irish landlords
under the Labour Act, and to purchase them up and
keep them themselves.—(Hear, hear.) And under such
circumstances, he would ask Irishmen of all creeds and
politics, to lose not a moment in coming forward to join
the Repeal Association, which would oppose the repay-
ment of one penny of the moneys then advanced, which
were only a part of what was actually due to the country.
--(Hear.) In conclusion, he moved the adoption of the
report, which was seconded by
Mr. MAHER, MP., and passed.
Mr. O'CONNELL here said he wished to make an ob-
servation which referred to himself. There was a little
Orange rag in Kerry, called the Kerry Evening Post,
which had lately stated that some of his tenants from
Renard were engaged in an attack lately made in that
county.—(Hear, hear.) Now he (Mr. O'Connell) had a
letter from his son Maurice that morning, stating that
this allegation was false; his tenants had made no
attack, and had no need to make one, for he had sent
them ten tons of Indian meal a few days before.
Mr. CLEMENTS read a letter from Thurles, addressed
to Mr. Maher, M.P., which, he said, proved that the
Young Irelanders were not the only Repealers in that
town, as had been stated.—(Hear.)
Some subscriptions having been handed in,
Mr. O'CONNELL then came forward to address the
meeting. He said that the first thing he would refer to
was the horrible state of the country.—(Loud cries of
"Hear, hear.") They must have all read the awful
letter in that day's paper from Mr. Comyn, of Skibbereen,
who detailed a series of the most disgusting cases
of wretchedness—cases of such a nature, that they
were never equalled before in a Christian country.
Now, a remedy they should have for this state of
things—and he would at once tell the Government
what the remedy was he required. He wanted
30,000,000/. of money to be lent to Ireland—to be re-
paid out of the revenues of the country, and not out of
the pockets of the landlords. He (Mr. O'Connell) had
joined the Agricultural Society to call on the Govern-
ment to relieve the poor and to relieve the landlords of
Ireland from burdens they were unable to bear ; but
that body was not one calculated to carry out his views.
He hoped to have an aggregate meeting of land-
lords in Dublin in a few days, which would not be
afraid of their own shadows. They would pint and
make propositions to relieve the country permanently, and
prepare petitions to the Government to take up exten-
sive measures of relief ; and in such a work he would
not grudge to give up his Christmas holidays. They
had leisure to consider these things—they had time
to think of something besides the Young Irelanders.
This question of reconciliation was all over—
there was an end to it: and as the association was
able and willing to work by itself for repeal, in total dis-
regard to the machinations of the little Ireland party, he
would tell that party that he gave them his defiance.—
(Loud cheers.) Now, he was assailed for stooping to
the Young Irelanders, and he was told that they would
claim a triumph.—(Hear, hear.) Of course, he knew
that such would be the case before he made an offer of
reconciliation, he knew he would be so taunted ; yet it
did not hinder him from making the offer—and why?—
(Hear, hear.) Because the result he knew must turn
out in his favour.—(Cheers) What had he done? He
sacrificed his feelings and his pride—and, after a strug-
gle for Ireland for fifty years, he was ready to place the
palms of his hands under the feet of the seceders to
bring them back and obtain unanimity ; in fact, he did
all but sacrifice principle, and they, nevertheless, refused
his offers—ungraciously refused them.—(Hear, hear.)
He (Mr. O'Connell) was glad at having made this effort,
and at what had occurred, although he could not but
regret that there was not a reunion. He was glad at
what had occurred, because important facts had come
out—for instance, Dr. Miley stated in his letter
a matter which he had altogether forgotten—
(Hear, hear)—it was an inciden t that occurred
a few weeks before the secession, in his
own house.—(Cheers.) Mr. Meagher was in his (Mr.
O'Connell's) stuiy, and Doctor Miley came in ; and, in
the course of conversation, he spoke to Mr. Meagher as
to the language he used in Conciliation Hall, telling him
he ought to abstain from such language, as it might
place their necks in jeopardy ; in reply to which Mr.
Meagher said he would offer himself to be hanged, in
case his language should lead to such a result ; but he
(Mr. O'Connell) stated that perhaps he would not be
taken. The Hon. Gentleman proceeded at considerable
length to discuss the difference between the Old and
Young Irelanders. Several other gentlemen addressed
the meeting, and after the announcement of the rent, 88
the meeting adjourned.
THE MURDER OF MR. LYNCH.

The inquest on the body of the unfortunate Mr.
Lynch, of Clonkeely, has been continued at Tuam, from
day b day, during the last week, before the coroner and
a most painstaking and intelligent jury. All the cir-
cumstances connected with this bloody tragedy have
been, or will be, thoroughly investigated, and though the
evidence had not closed at the time of the dispatch of
our active correspondent's letter, yesterday evening,
sufficient has transpired to warrant the authorities in

.. --- ...
ordering the apprehension of five individuals, upon
whom there rests something more than suspicion.—
Galway Mercury.

PROVISION RIOTS IN TIPPERARY.—MURDER.
The following communication has been addressed to
the Dublin Evening l'ost :
" CAHER, DEC. 20.—This country is in a frightful
state—robberies of all descriptions, flour in particular,
notwithstanding the protection of police escorts. As I
write this, a company of soldiers has been called out of
the barracks here to protect a quantity of flour on its
way from Clonmel to Limerick and Tipperary. Last
evening about one hundred and fifty cars laden with
flour, the property of several persons, accompanied by
police, on the way to Tipperary, had only gone half a
mile outside this town when the drivers were obliged to
return back, the road being blockaded by armed men
and women with other weapons, and determined to take
the flour at risk of life. I cannot enumerate or describe
the quantity of robberies and the appalling distress of
the people.