The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-21 00:00:00

eiTtnin 141 itIL

L'iNDON, FDIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1341

Fresh advances of money are absolutely necessary
for the prosecation of the war against Mexico, and,
by a rather untoward conjunction of circumstances,
there is every probability just now of a monetary
embarrassment in the United States. Either this diffi-
culty must be mastered or the dream of the Polk
Administration will be unrealised. Unless an addi-
tional instalment of nearly 20,000,000 dollars be im-
mediately obtained, the illustrious JAMES K. will
find himself approaching the term of his Presidency
in a somewhat unfortunate attitude. To the odium
of a concession, in regard to the Oregon territories,
will be added the disgrace of a fruitless expenditure in
prosecuting the invasion of California and the other
portions of the Mexican dominions. As yet the chances
of new advancements to the war department at Wash-
gton are decidedly dubious. Cash has already been
abstracted so repeatedly from the pockets of Jonathan,
and squandered upon an unprincipled expedition with
Such effrontery and extravagance, that it is scarcely
probable that fresh supplies can Le very long filched
from
'by the community • or that if voted Congress they
will be collected otherwise
nowever much the task of wresting
such
enormous war contributions from the multitude may
tend to render Mr. President Po Ix unpopular, wrest
them he must from his fellow-citizens, or otherwise his
Government will be for ever remembered, in the
as
history of the United States, the most rash, the
most tinconscientious, the most ruinous, the
, most brag-
gart, and the most ineffective that has ever wielded
the sword and held the balance of the Anglo- Sx
.Republic. The President is consequentlyatatl(:ins
moment in the very crisis of his career as an adminis-
trator. What may be the upshot of the session just
opened, the national representatives will have to decide
for themselves, for the public opinion of the United
States is exercising but little influence
.over the
councils of the national legislature—the critical posi-
tion of affairs having, aPParently, rendered the
citizens apathetic to a very remarkable degree.
Meanwhile, a patriotic spirit still appears to
actuate the public men of Mexico, though in a way so
loose and discursive as to promise unfavourably for the
imaintenance of their nationality and the preservation
el their original boundaries. President ANAYA evinces
merely a partial determination to battle against the
aggressors, but the Members of Congress, on the
,ether hand, are so resolute in their adherence to the
ekt:se of the states by 'which they have been chosen
repret,entatives, that they have passed assed to a first
reading the following valiant and dignified propo-
rirst,:that in the event of thecity of
Queretaro (the present seat of the Mexican Govern-
ment) went) being threatened with an invasion by the
American army, the Congress shall be removed to
the' city
of Aguascalientes; second, that the Govern-
ment ,shall listen to no proposition of peace so
long as' the invading forces do not evacuate
the national territory which they occupy, and
cease to blockade the ports of the republic ;
third, the same Government, under its strictest re-
sponsibility, shall dictate such measures and projects
as will be sufficient on its part, to carry on the war."
If the acts of the Administration were only consonant

with its deliberatiore there might yet be hope for .;
its stability and permanence, and the sorrows of the.'
~ation might yet be compensated by the return of
good fortune to the arms of an outraged and (if
Moiled) pui,satit people. Unhappily for Mexico there
is little evidence of this characteristic of inherent
strength either in the camp or the council cham-
ber. To the proverbial indolence of the
sol
di y must now be added the jealousies of
their commanders, and the divisions of their
statesmen. There is but a feeble prospect of any-
thing like cohesion among elements so incompatible,
and still less probability of even a show of unanimity
among the advocates of ideas so incongruous and
irreconcileable. Mexico has her safeguard more in
the economic scruples of her enemies than in the cor-
dial co-operation of her own children. In one direc-
tion we find - PAREDES holding a colloquy with the
famous guerilla chieftain JARAISTA, and deciding
upon demanding the assistance of several of
the powers of Europe. In another, we be-•
hold ANAYA dallying with the extreme poweri
intrusted to his keeping, and uncertain as to the
particular course which should be adopted at a junc-
ture of such extraordinary imminence. BUSTAMENTE
is observed on one hand buckling on his brand as
Commandant-General, and on the other may be re-'
cognised the desperate and almost sinister patriotism'
of SANTA ANNA, displaying itself in the fervour of
his partizans, who clamour for the continuance of
hostilities at all hazards,
.and shout even in the hall of
Congress for War to the knife I Separately they are
manifesting the noblest devotion to their common
country, but collectively their plans are effete and,
their arm paralysed.
In the midst of these accumulated difficulties, the
members of the American Congress are beginning

to squabble about the fundamental doctrines of the
rights of humanity. Petitions are pouring in from
different quarters, praying for the abolition of the
system of slavery. What the adjurations of CLARE.
sox, and the eloquence of WILBERFORCE, and the
intense perseverance of FOSTER have striven in vain'
to effect, may, perchance, be yet accomplished by the
spleen of faction and the spite of party. One
advocate of the abolition has already endea-
voured to attach a peculiar odium to the sys-
tem, by maintaining that it was with an
eye to the extension of slavery that the Mexican war
was undertaken. Whether this ingenious method
of rendering the matter odious to the citizens of the
United States, by associating slavery with a profli-
gate and costly adventure, will prove successful is

rather improbable, we mist acknowledge ; but it ap-
pears to us by no means improbable that the great
legalized crime of America may be expiated by the
abandonment of its repetition, and that that abandon-
ment may originate in an incomprehensible but not
unparalleled reaction. Would that our brethren across
the Atlantic might behold and confess that the
scourge in the grasp of a republic is a far mere hi-
deous spectacle than the blood-red sword of a con-
queror, or the knout of a cruel and relentless despot !

The Special Commission for the county Clare has
been adjourned, and the results of the sittings at
Ennis have been no less important than those which
took place at Limerick. The law officers of the
Crown have conducted the several prosecutions with
equal ability and judgment, and the jurors have dis-
charged in a like conscientious manner their perilous
duties—perilous we say for persons who so readily
convict members of the organized band of desperadoes
which disturbed the peace of the county, and unhesi-
tatingly shed the blood of those who incurred their
displeasure—were exposed to dangers of no ordinary
magnitude in the present, or—thanks to the energy
and decision of the Irish Government—we trust we
may be enabled to say, the late condition of
Ireland. No pains were spared to get up
the several cases in the most perfect manner. No
loophole was left by which the murderer might es-
cape the penalty of his crime through any deficiency
in the evidence, or any inaccuracy or flaw in the
indictment. The jurors never hesitated for a moment
in pronouncing the verdict warranted by the testi-
mony adduced before them. No reasonable doubt
could have existed in any of the cases brought before
them, and although the effect of their judgments was
to consign their fellow-creatures to an ignominious
and painful death they suffered no undue sensi-
bility to interfere with their righteous decisions;
they would not have the peace of their
country disturbed, and many innocent victims
.iftrifiectrl ta,n ri rab of frivrri; rr 4{.0
stained criminals a further opportunity of
perpetrating new atrocities, or even of obtaining a
longer time for repentance. Neither would they
permit the reproach to be cast upon Irishmen which
was so frequently and so unjustly repeated during
the late discussions in Parliament—assertions which
were repeated by some of the ablest organs of Con-
servatism throughout the country—" that Irish juries
could not be depended on, and that no juror would
hazard his personal safety by the fitting discharge of
his duties. They have well justified the confidence
reposed in them by the Government, and they will
have their reward in the approval of their own con-
sciences, and in the peace and tranquillity, and ulti-
mate prosperity consequent thereon, which their
firmness and rectitude will have obtained for their
native land.

Six capital convictions have taken place at
Ennis, in addition to the three which were obtained
at Limerick, making in all nine persons, who have
been sentenced to the extreme penalty of the law in
those counties. Many more are still awaiting their
trials, and not a single person charged with murder
has as yet escaped conviction ; indeed, we believe but
a very few, and those only charged with crimes of an
inferior degree, have as yet been acquitted in both
counties.

The parties convicted at Ennis have been guilty
of murders occasioned by very different motives.
There were three victims—one of those was a gentle-
man, agent to an extensive property in the neighbour-
hood, who had fallen under the ban of the midnight
legislators, for having, in the discharge of his duty to
his principal, distrained the cattle of a farmer,
who desired to hold his land without the dis-
agreeable necessity of paying rent therefor.
This was a crime which could not be passed over, and
accordingly, as usual in such cases, professional as-
sassins were sought fur, the price of human blood
was settled, and the unfortunate gentleman was bru-
tally murdered, shortly, after having partaken of
his breakfast in the centre of his family, to whom he
was brought back in a dying state within half an
hour after he had left his residence, in health and
strength, and with every reasonable prospect of a
long and happy existence. The next victim was of a
wholly different station in society, and the causes
which led to his assassination were altogether of an-
other character.

Poor CLEARY was of the humblest rank. lie had no
concern with property of any kind, and could not,
therefore, have violated in that respect the provisions of
the agrarian code ; but he was still denounced, be
cause he had dared to give evidence honestly and
conscientiously in a court of justice; be had, under
the solemn obligation of an oath, stated the truth, and
his testimony had led to the conviction of one of the
gang 'of miscreants. This was inconsistent with the
system of terror and intimidation which the secret
tribunal considered it necessary to maintain, and his
doomo Lyng pronounced, and the executioners decided
• He wasassailed by two men while walking on
the high road, e. little after six o'clock in the evening,
the month of November last,
and the gun, the
in
instrument of his destruction' wes almost touching
him when it was discharged---so much so, that there
was considerable difficulty in finding the orifice occa-
sioned by the bullet, the surrounding parts being
so scorched and swollen from the effects
of the powder. In this case the conviction was
chiefly obtained on the declaration of the dying man,
made to his wife almost immediately before his death ;
a more formal declaration, previously made before a
magistrate, having been rejected by the Court, it
_Dot
being sufficiently clear that the sufferer had given up
all hope of surviving, and the Attorney-General
n end
qtuo
eps
trieosns
iann
vyo evidencethe
hofaviangdomubosttfuplrcolpiaerralyctedrecon l
lives of the accused. The murderers were brought
to justice; the majesty of the law was vindicated
from the accidental interview which took place be-
tween the unfortunate man and his bereaved partner,
but a quarter of an hour before he breathed his last.
He deplored the wretchedness that she must endure
owing to his untimely end. Ile lamented the desti-

tute condition of his wretched orphans. Her brother,' '
be,thought, might take one of the children, but the
union workhouse was the only place of reft:e
to which she and her two younger chil-
dren could look forward. At that last sad
moment she implored him, if hei,had any the slightest
doubt about the guilt of the meu (I.3nl'iza and float-
REGAN), that he would not criminate them. He,
however, distinctly repeated his declaration that they
were guilty of his murder, and died while expressing
his forgiveness of his murderers. Most seriously (:o
we hope that the Government may take the widow
and orphans under its especial protection, and that
they may be placed in a happier position than that of
being the recipients of the pittance doled forth to
paupers. Not only the sympathy due to those who
have been deprived of their only guardian would, de-
manclit, but it should be conceded on the - grounes
of public policy. The father was sacrificed because
he came forward as a witness on behalf of the Crown,
and the Conviction of his murderers was owing to the
testimony of his widow.
The other murder was perpetrated on the 3d inst.,
since the opening of the Special Commission at Lime-,
rick, in one of those attacks on dwelling-houses
which were of such frequent occurrence. A party of
eight or nine persons ♦isited the residence of a farmer
named M‘MAnori, probably for the purpose of plun-
dering it of arms and enforcing a contribution of,
money. The farmer and his brothers resisted, a
contest took place, in which one of the brothers re-'
ceived a blow which deprived him of life. For this
outrage one man has been convicted, and three more
who had declined to join in the challenges,
and consequently were not put on trial at the,
same time, subsequently applied to be permitted 'to,
withdraw• their pleas of " Not Guilty," and
to substitute that of " Guilty" in place thereof—which
was assented to by the Crown. It is probablethat
these latter may have been less guilty, and that their
lives may be spared in consequence of their sub-
mission.

• There have been, therefore, in the two counties,
nine capital convictions, and three who have pleaded
guilty on capital charges, making twelve in all sub-
ject to the extreme penalty of death. Two cases
are, however, of greater importance, as examples,

than all the others, namely, that of Joux CROWD, who
was convicted of the conspiracy to procure the murder.
of Mr. WATsmv, and WILLIAM FABWIN, sentenced
to transportation for life as an accessory after the
fact, for sheltering RYAN (Puca), who was charged
with murder, and is now under sentence of death at
Limerick. We shall refer to these cases at greater
length on a future occasion.

The Universal Gazette of Prussia ,publishw' the:l
following letter from Vienna, dated Jan. 22 ' •
" The arming here continues, and cremes a certain
agitation in society, wherel:these threatening symp-
toms are seriously discussed.. The purchase of:I
cavalry horses amounts, up to the present momenta'
to the enormous sum of 1,500,000 florins. The Go-ii
vernmeut is anxious to have ten or twelve thousand
horses at once. The price of a curassier's horse is.
160 florins, a dragoon's horse 180 florins, and a horse
for light cavalry 118 florins. A great quantity of
ammunition and cannon for Italy has been ordered.
The Emperor has announced, in an autograph letter,
that the present state of the Lombardo-Venetian
kingdom may be considered as revolutionary, and
that, in consequence, the superior authorities of the.
State have orders to take the necessary measures for
the re-establishment of the tranquillity and security
of the country."
The sudden-recal to• Copenhagen of Baron Bunow,
the Danish Minister to the German Diet, is at-
tributed to some measures about to be Adopted by
the King of DENMARK for declaring the indivisible
unity of the Danish kingdom, including the duchies
of Schleswig-Holstein.

The Genoa Gazette announces that the Board of
Health at that port issued, on December 81, a cir-
cular order, declaring all merchandise coming from
the ports of Great Britain to be suspicious if shipped
after the 3d of that month.

The Spsner Gazette gives the following account 01
the manner in which the recruits are levied in Po.
land:—

" The levy is made during the night, and in order
more surely to take all persons that are destined to
recruit the armies of Russia, the houses are sur-
rounded, and married and single are torn from their'
homes to serve for twenty years. Those who wish to
escape can only do so by emigration, for if lie ra-
mains in the country he incurs the greatest dimple

Amnia journals or tne 14tH nave arrives.

General ESPARTERO had called on the preceding
day on the Prime Minister, the Minister of War, and
the CaptainrGeneral of the District.

NARVAEZ had, in the Senate, announced the com-
plete extermination of the insurgents in Catalonia.
MADRID BOMA, JAN. 14.—Threes, 27 ; Fires,
16k; Exchange on London, 48 15.