The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-19 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, DEC. 16.—At the commencement of Mr.
Duffy's trial, yesterday, the Clerk of the Crown, ad-
dressing the reporters, said, " Gentleman, take notice
that none of the proceedings connected with this trial
are to be reported."
Baron RICHARDS-44 Published."

Clerk of the Crown—" That none of the proceedings
are to be published, or any comments thereon, until the
final close of the trial.

This order has created great surprise and dissatisfac-
tion in Dublin. An instruction to refrain from com-
menting no one would object to, because comments
might influence or intimidate the jury, but an utter pro •
hibition of publishing mere proceedings of a public
court is unaccountable. The. effect will be, if the Court
be obeyed, that the proceedings will not be reported at
all, for their interest will cease when the verdict and
ludgment become known.
THE QUEEN 5: C. G. DUFFY.

SATURDAY, DEC. 16.—The whole of the proceedings
in this case, this day, consisted of an argument, entirely
of a technical character, as to whether the indictment in
the city ought not to be quashed; Mr. Butt, Mr. Napier,
the Attorney-General, and the Solicitor-General, were
heard upon this point, which turned on the construction
of 6 Geo. IV., c. 51.

The COURT took time to consider.
Inquiries have taken place in consequence of the re-
cent complaints so loudly made, charging the arrange-
ment of the challenges in the recent trials by the Crown
as guided by motives of religious antipathy. The whole
number of Roman Catholics directed to " stand by" by
the Crown was 37; the number of Protestants set aside
was 71. These figures certainly do not sustain the
charge on which the recent memorial was grounded, and
they do sustain the statement in the conclusion of his
Ezcellency's answer.

A warrant has been received from the Treasury, by
the Board of Works, directing that instead of repayments
into the Exchequer the instalments of the famine loan
now in the hands of the board, and which exceed the
sum of 360,000 L, this money may be re-issued, upon
proper security, to the landowners of the several coun-
ties which have paid it, for the purpose of drainage and
other means of improving the land. No applications
from persons resident in counties in arrear to be com-
plied with.

IA SMALL RETURN .—The High-Sheriff of the Queen's
County, who had a writ to execute for 83,0001. against
the property of the Duke of Buckingham in that county,
has made a return of 41., the property having been pre-
viously conveyed away to trustees.

ESSAYS DT WORKING answer to a me-
morial forwarded through Lord Ashley to his Royal
Highness Prince Albert, requesting him to preside at
the meeting for the announcement of the adjudication
and the distribution of prizes offered to working men,
for essays IN .itten by them on the temporal advantage of
the Sabbath to the labouring classes, of which there
were 1,045 competitors, the following answer has been
received through Lord Ashley by the adjudicators:—
" His Royal Highness Prince Albert has desired me to
express his regret that he is unable to comply
.with the
request of the memorialists, and take the chair at the
distribution of the prize essays on the Sabbath. His
Royal Highness, however, feels a very deep sympathy
with the striking and meritorious efforts of the working
classes, and he concludes his letter by saying, ' I think
that, now that more prizes are being collected for the
hitherto unsuccessful candidates, I can best contribute
towards the object by giving ten of the additional 51.
prizes, and asking you to be kind enough to present
them to the successful authors in my name. The Pear
of Days' has interested and pleased both the Queen and
myself extreniely.l—l am your obedient servant—
(Signed) ASHLEY."

ST. LUKE'S PROVIDENT FUND.-011 Sunday the
Lord Mayor, Alderman of the Ward of Farringdon; the
Sheriffs, Thomas Quested Finnis, Esq., Alderman of the
Ward of Tower; and Jacob Emanuel Goodhart, Esq ,
attended in state at the church of St. Luke's, Middlesex,
Old-street- road. At the conclusion of Divine service,
the Rev. J. Saunders, rector of St. Luke's, and domestic
chaplain to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
preached a sermon in aid of the Provident Fund, esta-
blished in St. Luke's parish.
CHOLERA.—Yesterday, the Board of Health re-
ceived reports of the following fresh cases :—Lambeth,
1 fatal ; Poplar, 1 fatal ; Stoke Newington, 1 fatal:;
Wandsworth, 2, 1 fatal ; Hackney-road, 1 ; Cambridge,
1 fatal ; Monkwearmouth, 8, 1 fatal ; Edinburgb, 8,
4 fatal ; Glasgow, 34, 19 fatal ; Dumfries and Max-
welltown, 12, 6 fatal ; Falkirk, 3 fatal ; Prestonpans,
8 fatal ; Prestonkirk, 1 ; Castle Douglas, 2 fatal ;
Greenock, 1; Thornhill (Morton), 1; New Kilpatrick, 1
fatal ; Old Monkland, by Coatbridge, Lanark, 12 fatal ;
total, 99, 60 deaths.