The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-01 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, DEC. 29.—THE CORPORATION ADDRESS TO
THE QUEEN.—The Lord Mayor, accompanied by se-
veral members of the town council, and the civic officers,
are to leave town on Wednesday next, in order to pre-
sent the address of the corporation to her Majesty on
the 3d of January, in accordance with the intimation in
the letter of Sir James Graham, addressed to the Town
Clerk. In referring to the presentation of this address,
at the meeting of the corporation► on Saturday, Mr.
O'Connell said—" He hoped there would be a better at-
tendance on that occasion than could be expected from
the unreasonable time appointed for the presentation of
the address. It was the duty of every member of the
council to go over on that occasion. It was not one of
ceremony, nor was it for the purpose of paying a com-
pliment to her Majesty, but they would go as advocates
of the poor, to endeavour to persuade her Majesty to
adopt measures for the prevention of a famine which was
certain, and of a pestilence which would desolate the
land. If the potatoes which were affected by the disease
were eaten by human beings, or even by animals, they
would have the effect of a dangerous narcotic poison. Sir
James Murray had published a case where four indivi-
duals had lost their lives by eating the potatoes in the
diseased state. It was the duty of all the members to
attend the deputation, that her Majesty might see how
anxious they were to co-operate with her in the distri-
bution of any assistance to be afforded."
REPEAL ASSOCIATION.—The weekly meeting of the
Association was held this day, Mr. Steele in the chair.
Mr. O'ComaELL banded in a large number of remit-
tances, and then read a letter from Mr. Smith O'Brien,
M.P. Having moved the insertion of the letter on the
minutes, and expressed the gratitude which the Irish
people entertained towards Mr. Smith O'Brien, Mr.
O'Connell proceeded at considerable length to vindicate
himself from a series of " malignant misrepresentations"
which had been brought against him by the " Commis-
sioner" and reporter of th Times, with regard to bis
conduct as a landlord. The Honourable Gentleman occu-
pied upwards of two hours in his defence, which con-
sisted almost exclusively of details, and even an outline
of which it would be impossible to furnish. Having ex-
pressed his gratitude to the Conservative journals which
had espoused his cause, he concluded by saying that he
would submit his character to the decision of his coun-
trymen, and leave his conduct to the judgment of his
God.

Mr. Join( O'CoNNELL, M.P., denied that there were
any grounds for the assumption indulged in by the
Tablet, that the Repeal cause ran any risk of being
damaged by the accession of the Whigs to office. The
advent of any set of men to power could never have the
effect of inducing the Irish people to abandon a cause
with which they were identified heart and soul. He
(Mr. J. O'Connell) was most anxious that the question of
repeal should be discussed, and he had no hesitation in
saying, that the decision on its merits would be favour-
able to domestic legislation.
At the termination of the proceedings, the rent for the
week was announced to be 2371. as.
The meeting then adjourned.
TORY REPEALERS.

Mr. Bourke, of Hayes, the nephew and the heir of the
Earl of Mayo, the former Tory candidate for Kildare,
has issued an address to the electors of that county, in
which he advocates some of the principal claims put
forward by Mr. O'Connell for a modification of the Act
of Legislative Union. The recent proceedings of the
Peel Cabinet appear to have produced this extraordinary
change in the political creed of Mr. Bourke. "At a
moment," he says, " of unexampled political difficulty
and alarm, when the terms Whig and Tory, Conser-
vative or Liberal, have ceased to convey any distinct
idea of the opinions of those so designated, and when
the closest adherence to principle may often exact a de-
parture from former practice, it appears to be a duty of
all, who consider public affairs, to review their political
creed." He proceeds to complain of the ignorance of
vi.!eroys and chief secretaries, and that Irish affairs
" have been habitually administered, not with reference
to ish interests, but to English politics and parties."
He complains of the system of outrage and assassination
hick our English rulers have been unable to
check, or to find a remedy for the evil. Mr.
Bourke continues—" As a temporising policy best
suits the prejudices of an English Parliament, Ire-
land is permitted to burn, beat, and murder on, un-
checked, almost unnoticed. Again, some Irish measure
is selected from time to time (such, fur example, as the
Arms Bill, which, whether it be kst or carried, is of no
practical importance), to serve for a battle-field, on which

English parties may struggle for the mastery ; whilst our
Irish representatives, instead of uniting in a common
bond for Irish improvement, jo;t1 themselves to one or
the other of the contending parties, shout aloud for Sir
Robert, or hurra for Lord John, forgetting how little the
cause of our national prosperity is advanced by the suc-
cess of either. Again, iA h o caa over-estimate the mis-
chief of absenteeism? Yet, how unscrupulously are 105
of our principal Commoners and 32 of our temporal and
spiritual Peers, compelled to spend so great a portion of
the year and so large a part of their incomes away from
their impoverished country, advancing measures, which,
for the greater part, affect her little, or not at all."
Mr. Bourke proceeds to propound his remedies, and
it may be expected that he will be hailed as a valuable
auxiliary at the Conciliation Hall, although he may not
yet have gone far enough to qualify himself as a Repeal
Meinbe-r for Kildare.

MEETING OF THE SLIGO BOARD OF

GUARDIANS.

On Tuesday the Sligo Board of Guardians held their
usual weekly meeting at the workhouse, Major O'Hara,
chairman. Mr. Otway, Assistant Poor-law Commis-
sioner, was in attendance.

The CHAIRMAN stated that he had made a report re-
lative to the potato disease in Sligo, which they had for-
warded to the County Lieutenant, that it might be trans-
mitted by him to Government. The Lieutenant did so,
and received a very satisfactory reply. The Govern-
ment had issued orders to the county surveyor to see
what works could be undertaken with benefit to the
public.
The CHAIRMAN then read the foll..wing
" Annahmore, December 10, 1845.

" Sir,—The Board of Poor-law Guardians of the Sligo
Union, comprising three-fourths of the county, availing
themselves of their general and extended means of in-
quiry, having entered into an investigation of the potato
crop in their district, and continued the same by adjourn-
ment for a period of six weeks, have unanimously adopted
the following opinion, viz. :—That the potato disease has
prevailed, and continues to progress in the four inland
baronies of the county to an alarming extent; that a
considerable portion of the crop has perished, and that
it is impossible to forsee how long the remaining por-
tion now safe, or but slightly affected, may so continue;
that in the two baronies near the sea, the disease, though
partia:ly severe, is generally much milder than in the
inland districts.

" That numbers of the poorest classes, totally depen-
dent on their con-acre potato crop, which have parti-
cularly suffered, must be driven to the market for food,
which it will be impossible for them to purchase, unless
afforded early, special, and continued employment; that,
although the oat crop has been abundant, and is still to
an unusual degree in the possession of the grower, it is
impossible to say how soon a portion thereof may not be
sold to meet the various demands of the holder, and be
exported from the kingdom; and though such export
may be under the usual yearly average, the portion re-
maining will not be sufficient to supply the deficiency in
du
the potato crop, and maintain the poor of the d. .
bringct.
‘ ilt
the stateof impressed,the Sligothe Boardl.Tnio feel
Sh
Uni
on or
the consideration of her Majesty's Government, respect-
fully
suggesting the urgent necessity that early and con-
tinued employment should be provided by Government
for the poor of the distressed districts, in works of na-
tional or local utility, and that depots or stores of pro.
visions be established, such as may enable the Govern-
ment to supply food on reasonable terms to the district
most in need of it. The Board have not entered into
the conversation how these important objects can be at-
tained. Leaving that to the wiser and better considera-
tion of. the Government, they have confined themselves
to a simple,impartial,and a moderate representation of
the existing state of things, and of their grounds for ap-
prehending
the worst results therefrom, unless prompt
and adequate measures be adopted to avert them.
"As you, Sir, hold the highest situation in our
county, and have afforded the Board the valuable aid of
your presence and assistance in these inquiries, may I
request you to transmit this representation to her Ma-
jesty's Government accompanied by such explanation
as you may deem advisable.-1 have the honour to be,
your faithful and obedient servant,
C. K. O'HARA,
" Chairman of the Sligo Board of Guardians.
" Colonel Arthur Knox Gore, Lieutenant of Sligo."
THE PRICE OF LABOUR.—At the meeting it was
stated by the landlords present that the price of agricul-
tural labour WAS from fourpence to sixpence with food,
and eightpence to tenpence without food. Sir Robert
Gore Booth observed that it could be had at even a
lower rate. The people must, indeed, be reduced to a
wretched state when a man is got to toil from morning
until night for eightpence, and yet, small as the re•
muneration is, he would be delighted to get it. If a
dear summer should come, what will those unhappy, for-
lorn, destitute creatures do? It is fearful to contemplate
the depths of misery to which they may, and in all pro-
bability will, be reduced.

Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening from the
Colonial-office for the Governors of New Zealand and
Van Diemen's Land.