The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-08 00:00:00

IRELAND.

•

THE ARREST OF SMITH O'BRIEN
(LATEST PARTICULARS.)
MONDAY MORNING.—The following iS
an authentic version of tha simple incidents attending
tha arrest. About half an hour previous to the
starting of the train on Saturday, Mr. O'Brien asked
one of the guards the way to the place where the
tickets are procured. The guard, whose name is
Hulme, and who is a fine young fellow, an English-
' man, who served some time in the Manchester police
force, satisfied Mr. O'Brien's inquiries, and at the
same moment recognised him. Hulme could not
leave his post, but he dispatched a soldier to the bar-
racks with a verbal message that Smith O'Brien was
within reach. The soldier on his way to the bar•
racks met head-constable Hanover, who is one of a
body of country detectives, and apprised him 'that
Smith O'Brien was at the railway terminus. I-Ia•
novor said, " You don't say so—nonsense !—how•
ever I have a warrant for him." Hulme pointed out
the person of O'Brien, who was immediately ar-
rested.

O'BRIEN AFTER HIS ARREST.
'We have received some particulars of the appear:
ante and conduct of Mr. O'Brien at the time of his
arrest.

He was dressed in a suit of black, not apparently
soiled or disordered. One of his first acts on reach-
ing the gaol was to take off his shoes and stockings,
his feet to all appearance being much swollen from
walking.
He looked emaciated. The expression of his eye
was wild, and that of a man who had been subject to
very great excitement. Beyond an appearance of
utter prostration of mind and body, which might be
the natural result of what he has gone through, there
was nothing either in his appearance or speech fo
warrant the popular opinion that he has been for some
time insane. To all questions put to him as to
where he had been, and what were his intentions, and
so on, he gave the most consistent answers, but, at
the same time, with the manner of a man so suffering
from excitement that his intellect was un-
strung. He inquired most affectionately after
Meagher, Dillon, and his other companions. He
was under the impression that it was Dillon, and not
who had been shot in
asked for tea. He
was treated with considerable attention, but with a
youngthe t igShteapthßenasii,inogf
arKriylk.en ye,
due regard to the awful stake he bad at issue. When
they were about to bring in a sofa to the room where
he was, he declined to have it, and said he would
sleep on it in another room adjoining.
O'Brien said he had felt it impossible to hold out
any longer, as all his friends had forsaken him. He
said, " I was promised the support of a nation, to
drive the English from the country." He added
that he had been induced to leave his retreat in the
hills, because the farther he went the more the peo-
ple
seemed to fear to harbour.him, or, hold any com-
munication with him.
When asked the localities in which he had been,
he seemed utterly ignorant of their names, and
seemed surprised that the authorities should know
them.

His whole demeanour was that of a man jaded
and prostrate. His expression, that of indescribable
despair.
ANOTHER ARREST IN DUBLIN.
This morning Francis Hanley, of 6, North Earl-
street, a student of Trinity College, and a native of
Tipperary, was arrested. Ile had been in correspond-
ence with Smith O'Brien's party.
MORE ARRESTS.
John Lawless, secretary to a club at Sandymount,
and Francis Henley, of North Earl-street, an officer
in one of the late clubs, were arrested yesterday for
treasonable practices.
Mr. Lalor s brother was discharged from Nenagh
gaol on Saturday.
Several additional arrests are announced from the
country. The following communications are extracted
from the Freeman and Saunders papers, published
this morning :
(From Saunders's News Letter.)
NENAGH, SUNDAY EVENING, EIGHT A.M.
The news of the arrest of Smith O'Brien was
brought to this town at five o'clock in the morning
by a sergeant of police, and excited much interest.
The country people could not at first believe that the
fact was true, but the statement was confirmed dur-
ing the day. The mode of his arrest is no doubt
better known from your correspondent in Thurles,
but the letter conveying the news of his capture here
states that O'Brien was arrested by the guard on the
railway at Thurles, while on his way up to Dublin in
the evening train. It seems a strange piece of mad-
ness to have attempted escape by the way of Dublin,
where O'Brien was so well known.
Front persons well acquainted with the views of the
insurgents, I understand that the rising would not
have taken place so soon but for the advice of Doheny.
He it was who became so elated by the meeting of
the peasantry at Slievenamon, that he declared the
whole of the south and west would rise if O'Brien
gave the word; and acting upon this, the latter, after
leaving Carrick-on-Suir and arriving at Cashel,
adopted the advice of Doheny.
It is my opinion that Doheny cannot avoid the
pursuit after him for many days. His person is well
known, and the want of funds will also operate
against his movements. On the other hand, however,
it is to be considered that he is intimately acquainted
with the mountain fastnesses, and the withdrawal of
the small stations of police is also a circumstance in
his favour. That he was at a place called Hollyford,
in the direction of Cappaghwhite, on Thursday, is
certain, for a tailor was employed by him to make
frieze coats for him and some of the other leaders,
and the police and military that started from this for
the Keeper Mountain were close on his track.
A threatening letter of a most atrocious nature was
received by the Roman Catholic clergyman
of Ros-
crea, on Friday, threatening him with death if be did
not join the people in their struggle.
A curious circumstance took place here yesterday.
A respectable gentleman was asked to convey a letter
to one of .the state prisoners in the gaol who is
charged with treason. He was given to understand
that it only contained money for his use, but on
its being opened by the authorities, besides the
money, there was a statement by the writer
that had the arrest of the prisoner taken place
half an hour later a powerful body of pike-
men would have been collected in time to effect a
rescue.
The best spirit animates the soldiery and police,
and the closest inquiry leaves no doubt of the utter
falsehood of the statements so industriously circulated
in certain quarters that many of them could not be
depended on.
I have been speaking to a gentleman who was pre-
sent at the arrest of Mr. Smith O'Brien. He got
into the train at the Dundrum station, and was
recognised by the guard, who said nothing until he
was in Thurles. There the arrest was made, and Mr.
O'Brien sent off in custody of Mr. Fitzmaurice, R.M.,
Mr. Bracken, of the constabulary, and a large force.
A troop of the Royal Dragoons, at two o'clock
this day, received a sudden route for Limerick, and
have left. Disturbances are expected at Limerick.
The mails from Limerick to Tralee up and down
are said to have been stopped and rifled of all th e
letters.
CLONMEL,
......:TUNDAT EVENING.
The excitement caused yesterday evening by the
arrest of Dr. Ryan, of Carrick-on-Suir, and Mr.
O'Ryan, has already subsided—the immense body of
military and police, numbering at least 500, together
with the forlorn and deplorable appearance of the
unfortunate prisoners, struck .terror into .the hearts
of the clubbists and their sympathisers, and doubtless
made them feel very small.
Two companies of the 3d Buffs, two companies
of
the 83d Regiment, and two troops 4th Light Dra-
goons,
nbeinggt
thenu
Carrickretrn to their
portion of thean escort, left
p
quarters.
They had directions to divide themselves and pro-
ceed round Slievenamon Mountain, where, it is said,
the insurgents are posted in almost inaccessible posi-
tions, having barricaded the passes leading thereto,
and that M
tr. O'Ryan,herethey
remainabovenw anwtai
ned
awaiting and defying
, Was
arrested
in that neighbourhood, and brought into Carrick
gaol, whence he was removed to Clonmel owing to
an attempted rescue. The chapel bells rung for hours,
and collectedthdiffitocguelttyherk ofeaptvuasntdnerumbb;rthetroops. People, who
were
The
authorities ordered the bells to be taken down, and
they were removed this morning into their keeping.
Doheny is reported to have had a narrow escape
in this neighbourhood last night, having time only
to
tumble out of a back window as a body of police
were approaching the door of the house in which he
was located.
The military and constabulary are undergoing
excessive fatigue ; of the latter force, not one in ten
has had a regular night's rest since the excitement
commenced. Oa heavy guard duty by day, and
patrolling in all directions, under all weathers, by
night, they are going through great hardship. Their
admirable discipline and steady conduct is worthy of
all praise.
A number of persons here were lately notified that
their services as special constables would be required
by the local authorities—several neglected or declined
to come forward, and are summoned to appear be-
fore the magistrates on next Wednesday to account
'for themselves. They can be fined in the sum of 51.
each.
A constable told me to-day that a vast quantity of
pikes had been found within the past week in Carrick-
on-Suir. Yesterday a number were taken by the
police and destroyed in the open street. Altogether,
A not less that} ten horse loads have been captured,

A pike was found in the house of Mr. James
O'Donnell, of Ballyboe, of whose arrest I informed
you before.

NINE O'CLOCK.
A gentleman► just returned from Templemore, via
Thurles and Cashel, who has been travelling for the
last three days in his own gig, describes the country
through which he passed as perfectly peaceable.
There are 1,700 men in the camp at Turtulla, the
demesne of Nicholas V. Maher, Esq. The victual-
lers of Thurles have refused to supply them with
meat; it had, therefore, to be procured from the
commissariat stores at Limerick. Large quanti-
ties of biscuit have been got from Dublin, as
Mr. Lester, who was supplying the troops with
bread from Thurles, suffered greatly from the
violence of a mob, who were enraged at his doing
so. His house was broken into, and his furniture
destroyed. A body of military was looking on, but
unable to act in the absence of a magistrate, and
there were only a sufficient number of police in the
town to protect their own barrack, so that he and
his property were for some time at the mercy of a
violent rabble. The house of a Mr. Thomas Hen-
nesy was also attacked; he, though a leading O'Con-
nellite Repealer, was disliked by them, as he had
been on a jury who found a fellow guilty of pike
making, and is opposed to physical force. On the
first onset of the mob he presented a gun at them,
which he fired over their heads to terrify them. He
was successful in his object, but was very near. being
the innocent cause of an innocent's death. Miss
Quinlan, daughter of Surgeon Quinlan, was in her
father's drawing-rooth (just opposite to Mr. Hen-
nesy's) when the shot was fired. The bullet passed
through part of her dress, but fortunately did not
touch her person.

CAPTURE OF SMITH O'BRIEN.

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OP THIS DAY.

TIMES.—The thousand and one romances about
Mr. S. O'Brien have suddenly given way to a most
simple and unromantic conclusion. The unfortunate
gentleman strayed into Thurles on Saturday, walked
down the principal street, and asked a railway guard
the way to the station. He was recognised, and even-
tually apprehended in the quietest manner possible just
as he had taken a second-class ticket for Limerick.
Everybody will ask what O'Brien could be thinking of
to run into the lion's mouth so directly and yet so un-
gracefully. Had he surrendered himself to General
Macdonald at the head of 2,000 men, the incident
would have gone. down to an undiscriminating poste-
rity, together with the surrender of Porus, of Dost
Mahomed, of Abd-el-Kader, and a hundred other vic-
tims of fortune. The nursery rhyme says—
" The man in the moon
Came tumbling down,
And asked his way to Norwich."
In this case he asked his way to Limerick, but the
sequel bids fair to be very much the same as in the
mysterious legend aforesaid. Mr. O'Brien will most
probably visit a southern latitude, and, as an inmate of
one of her Majesty's Dockyards; become acquainted with
the diet the legend refers to. King Charles hid himself
in the oak, and King O'Brien in the cabbages. Rumour
also added the coal-pit to the adventures of the modern
fugitive. But O'Brien was growing in story; he was
rising into the majestic and looming into the mysterious.
Passing from ridge to ridge, from the sides of Slievena-
mon to the tops of the Keeper and the Galtee mountains,
then sinking to the subterranean world, and heard of
alternately in mid Europe and the Atlantic, he woks ac-
quiring just that sort of prestige which takes deepest
root in the Celtic imagination. Had he never more ap-
peared in this vulgar working life he would have lived
a thousand lives in romance. Smith O'Brien is
aa
murderer;traitorfdor ah ro
ebel;
the
l nay; he is
tmore,tcon he is
word
for the a
Majesty's servants, the fifty men besieged in Widow
a her
Cormack's house. According to the law, and according
to the universal idea of the crime, he is guilty of actual
rebellion. He, therefore, deserves to die. It is needless
to say that he would have died for his crime in almost
any age or any country but this. Nor can we deny that
it is necessary to surround with wholesome terrors so
great and dangerous a crime. If judge and jury do their
duty, Smith O'Brien will at least hear the sentence of
that death which the success of his design would have
inflicted upon thousands. If, however, her Majesty
should be advised to commute the sentence, we
have no doubt the people of this country will readily
acquiesce in such an act of generosity and mercy. Not-
withstanding the gravity of his crime, notwithstanding
the bloodshed he has entailed, Mr. O'Brien moves a con-
temptuous sort of pity even more than our indignation.
It is impossible not to smile at the serio-comic air of
his adventures. But to laugh at a man and hang him
also is taking it out both ways. Were O'Brien found
lunatic, that would save his life. lie is not lunatic but
crazy—as crazy as Don Quixote when he charged the
windmills or the sheep, or when he rescued the wild
beasts or the convicts. We are not blind to the bad
temper, and even malice, Mr. O'Brien has uniformly
exhibited; but on the other hand, we cannot help giving
him the benefit of the eccentricity, vacillation, and folly
which have marked his career, and rendered abortive
his criminal designs.

CHRONICLE—The intelligence from Ireland pre-
sents little that is important, for, in the existing state of
affairs, the capture of Mr. O'Brien can hardly be con-
sidered worthy of the term. His irreproachable private
life, his honesty, enthusiasm, amiability, and straightfor-
wardness, availed him nothing, or less than nothing,
among the half savage peasantry whom it was his fate to
lead ; while,' with a singular want of good luck or of
sagacity, he almost seemed to select studiously every
possible opportunity of placing himself in a false or
ludicrous position : at one time shut up for a fortnight
in the cellar of the Honse of Commons ; at another,
getting a black eye from his own followers in
his own town. Whether returning as a re-
jected suitor from a foreign capital, or writing
a pompous letter full of anticipations about
the success of the Irish revolution, while he was a hope-
less and despised fugitive—everywhere, and at all times,
he seemed to do exactly the wrong thing, and to make,
with all his good and even generous qualities, the cause
in which he was embarked as ridiculous as it was mis-
chievous. Perhaps, however, of all his disqualifications
the most important was his Protestantism; and we have
always looked upon his remaining faithful to the creed
in which he was brought up as no alight instance of his
conscientiousness. On the whole, he was as unfit a
leader for an Irish popular movement as could well be
found; and under no circumstances could his seizure
have any important effect in weakening the cause of
which be had become the champion. About the fate
of the captured rebels we say nothing. The law will
take its course, and we especially deprecate bringing
popular passion to bear in any way upon the decisions of
legal tribunals, or upon the manner in which those deci-
sionsi t. embarrassed
shall bh y
have
ve conflicting
been
are to be executively carried out. We wish to see
those on whom the responsibility devolves doing their
duty in an unbiassed and judicial spirit, and they can
hardly
from irresponsible individuals. When this, the first
business do
of so
Government,
dons suggestions
esteioahr-s
ear-
nestly trust that no time may be lost in taking advan-
tage of the breathing space which a suppressed rebellion
can hardly fail, if properly dealt with, to afford, and in
laying the foundation of permanent improvement in the
whole social system of Ireland. The people of this coun-
try are now thoroughly roused, and will keep their eyes
upon the Government.
POST.—Our readers were made aware, by our paper
of yesterday, that the chief of the late wretched attempt
at insurrection in Ireland was a prisoner in the hands of
the Government. Reserving for the present the opinions
we may entertain in relation to the circumstances at-
tending this arrest and the probable consequences of it,
we would recommend to others a similar abstinence.
To the question
so generally asked—" What is to be
done with Smith O'Brien ?"—we answer that he is now
amenable to the law. By an impartial trial, and the
judgment of his peers, his future fate—like that of any
other person under accusation must be decided.
It matters not what may have been the imbecility
of his conduct or the insanity of his enterprise ;
were he ten times as distinguished as he has
ever been, or twenty times as highly descended as he is
said to be—he is charged with the gravest offence re-
, cognised by the law, and the truth or falsehood of the
charge must be a question for legal arbitrement. If he
be proved innocent, it is our duty to bow to the decision;
if guilty, the result will have been of his own seeking;
and, though we may compassionate the man, as good
subjects we can feel no sympathy with the culprit. Even
in the latter case, there would still remain the power to
exercise the highest prerogative of the Crown; but it
would be at once indecorous and impertinent to antici-
pate the course that the Sovereign might be advised to
pursue. The future must be awaited with patience; the
immediate necessity is that, irrespective of all personal
considerations the majesty of the law be vindicated. •
ADVERTISER.—Mr. Smith O'Brien has been ceught
at last, if, indeed, he can be said to have been captured
at all. More properly speaking, he may be said to have
surrendered himself to the officers of justice, for he de-
liberately presented • himself, without disguise of any
kind, at the railway station at Thurles, where he must
have known that some members of the detective police
were placed to be on the out-look for him. He made no
resistance, nor does he seem to have contemplated any.
He had no other weapon about his person than a small
pistol, which lay in his waistcoat pocket. All that has
since transpired respecting the unfortunate gentleman
serves to confirm the opinion we expressed eight days
ago, namely, that he is decidedly insane. The same
impression is shared by those who have seen him within
the last few days. We trust, therefore, our suggestion,
that an inquiry into the state of his mind ought to be
instituted, will be adopted by Government. We cannot
doubt the result. It will be that he is not an ac-
countable agent. Before many weeks have elapsed we
expect to learn that his friends have placed him in a
suitable asylum.

BALLOON RACE AT CREMORNE.—A novelty in
aerostetion in the shape of a race between the " Royal
Albert" balloon, piloted by Mr. Gypson, and the" Royal
Cremorne" balloon, steered by Lieutenant Gale, took
place yesterday at the above suburban resort, and at-
tracted some thousands of spectators. The start took
place a little before eight o'clock, each machine in its
flight conveying three aspirants for aerial honours. It
was what may be termed, in sporting parlance, a "neck
and neck race," and from the quarter of the wind it was
anticipated that the descent of the adventurous voyageurs
would take place on the Essex shores. Several persons
of distinction were present at the ascent.
THE DOUBLE MURDER NEAR SWA.NSEA.--The
high sheriff has received a communication from the
Secretary of State to the effect that the lives of the two
mtheen
spared. They are to be transported for life.
ales rat
sins
zaensd
bLye ear yr,. whoirus
twi
ceer e
vs e.n
Williams,vt ed towdeathili beat

TERRIBLE _FIRE and LOSS of LIFE.
Last night .the metropolis was visited by the out-
break of a dreadful fire, which in a very short period
laid in ruins a vast amount of valuable property, and de-
prived one, if nut nine or ten persons, of life. It broke
out upon the premises belonging to Mr. Hatfield, a
Berlin wool-dealer, situate in Albany-street, Regent's
Park, next door to the Windsor Castle Tavern.
The circumstances connected with the fire are of a very
I distressing character. It appears that shortly after the
shop was closed the inhabitants were aroused from their
slumbers by a noise resembling the discharge of a piece
of ordnance, at the same time the greater portion of Mr.
Hatfield's premises, which were four stories high, were
blown out into the street, the floorings and root were
lifted into the air, the brick wall was demolished and
sent flying in all directions, breaking in the shop fronts
of at least a dozen houses on the opposite side of the
street, seriously injuring a great number in Ernest-
street, forcing in the windows of the Windsor Castle
Tavern, and at the same moment, as if by magic, the
whole of Mr. Hatfield's premises remaining burst forth
into a general blaze.
In an instant communication was forwarded to the
barracks in the same street, and from thence the intelli-
gence was dispatched to the brigade and West of Eng-
land engine stations. The first engine that arrived was
that belonging to the Royal Horse Guards (Blue), which
was accompanied by nearly 200 soldiers. The West
Middlesex works aff.lTled a good supply of water, from
which the engines were set to work, but the fire was too
strong to be extinguished by that force. Other engines
of the London establishment and West of England
reached the spot in rapid succession, and they were,
under the superintendence of Mr. Braidwood, set to
work, the latter engine being under the command of Mr.
Connorton. Notwithstanding the exertions of the fire-
men, the flames continued to progress most fearfully,
and it was not until nearly one o'clock this morning—
three hours after the outbreak—that they were entirely
extinguished.

The origin of this calamity is not precisely known,
but the prevailing opinion is that it was caused from an
escape of gas. Ten persons were in Mr. Hatfield's house,
it is supposed, when the explosion occurred; out of that
number three only can be accounted for, one a yoang
girl about sixteen years of age, a servant in the estab-
lishment, was blown through the shop front to the oppo-
site side of the street. She was found dreadfully man-
gled, her head being shattered and her face burnt; she
was forthwith removed to the police-station, when she
was seen by a surgeon, who at once pronounced life ex-
tinct. Two other parties, a man and a woman, were
also forced by the power of the explosion into the street,
and were so seriously injured as to be obliged to be re-
moved to the hospital. Whether any of the other parties
were in the house at the time of the explosion, or not,
is at present unknown; but if they were, they mast have
all perished.

At one o'clock, this morning, the firemen were busily
engaged searching the ruins, to ace if they could find
any of the other residents. The number of persons who
have suffered by this disastrous event cannot be less than
t wen ty.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY.
EBOR HANDICAP.
6 to 1 agst Captain Harcourt's Ellerdale—taken and
afterwards offered
8 to 1 agst Mr. S. L. Fox's Meaux
8 to 1 agst Mr. Green's Maid of my Soul
9 to 1 agst Mr. Jaques's Sir Martin—taken
9 to 1 agst Mr. Shelley's Remembrance—taken
11 to 1 agst Lord Clifden'a King of Morven—taken
12 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Paphos—taken
12 to 1 agst Mr. Drinkald's Pillage
20 to 1 agst Mr. Harker's Little Casino
All the above prices were taken, but in small amounts,
and the odds afterwards offered; Paphos, Pillage, and
King of Morren, were only nominally in the betting.
WOLVERHAMPTON STAKES.
2 to 1 agst Lord Warwick's Yardley
5 to 1 agst Mr. Hesseltine's Cracow
ST. LEGER.
3 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Springy Jack—taken
4 to 1 agat Mr. B. Green's Flatcatcher—taken and
afterwards offered
9 to 2 agst Duke of Bedford's Justice to Ireland—
taken and afterwards offered
13 to 2 agst Lord Clifden's Surplice-7 to 1 laid to 501.
18 to 1 agst igr. B. Green's Assault
30 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Loadstone—takan to 180/.
500 to 200 was laid in one bet agst Springy Jack, and
3 to 1 laid just before the close to 50/.; the downward
movement was not confined to this horse, the other fa-
vourites being more or less on the decline.
DEBBY.
11 to 1 agat Lord Eglinton's Elthiron—taken
20 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Nunnykirk—taken
2,000 to 45 agst Mr. Bowes's Emma cole—taken
3,000 to 45 agst Mr. Pedley's Old Dan Tucker—taken
The Reading Races take place to-morrow and Thurs-
day; the course is close to the railway station, the entries
good, and the promise of sport first-rate.
INTELLIG ENCE EXTRA.
EGIIAM, 1848.
Acceptances for the Surrey and Middlesex Stakes.
Vampyre, 4 yrs, Bst 71b—Crozier, 4 yrs, Bst 41b-
-Cosachia, 4 yrs, ist 71b—Slander, 4 yrs, ist 61b—
Antagonist, 4 yrs, ist 61b—Tarella, 4 yrs, 7st 41b—
Mountain Dew, 4 yrs, 7st—Self-Detence, 3 yrs, sst 121 b
Ilippna, 3 yrs, sst 91b.
The races take place on Wednesday and Thursdty,
Augus 16th and 17th. The Gold Cup will be run fur
on the first day, and the Stakes on the second.
HUNTINGDON, 1848.
Acceptances for the Huntingdonshire Stakes.
Lola Montez, 3 yrs, Bst 71b—ilsatagetiet, aged, Bst 61b
—Palms, 4 yrs, B,t 61b—Tophana. 3 yrs, Bst—Alpheia,
3 yrs, 7st 121b—Franconi, 3 yrs, 7st 101b—The Bird of
Paradise, 3 yrs, 7st 81b.