The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-15 00:00:00

As his apologists have attempted to justify his con-
duct, we may be permitted to examine the nature of
the offen ce which provoked the animadversion, and
led to tb e denunciation, which might have occasioned
the most serious results.

I t appears that a complaint was preferred by Mr.
OD ELL, a sub-inspector of constabulary, against the
Rel r. ANTHONY NOLAN, parish priest of Monsea and
other parishes in the county of Tipperary, for having
during the performance of Divine service denounced
free n the altar, and anathematized a police-constable
and , a process-server, for having dared to post on the
doo 1.3 of the chapel an ejectment notice. This was
the lead and front of the offence which provoked the
wrat; h of the Rev. Gentleman, and for which he felt
him,” elf justified in arousing the "passions of an
already inflamed and excitable people." In order
to us nderstand fully the character of this atrocious
outrn ge on his feelings, it should be stated that it is
frecri sently the practice of the Irish Law Courts to
pen el it a substitution of service in ejectment proceed-
ings. when unusual difficulties or dangers are inter-
pose x I in the way of the ordinary service. In such cases
the t .ttempts that have been made must be recited in
the :affidavits on which the application is grounded,
and if the Court should judge that there is an organized
a tance to the law, and that a refusal of the
Lion would lead to a failure of justice, an order
Dade, declaring that what has been effected, as set
ih upon the face of the affidavits, may be deemed
goc ti service, provided that copies of the order and
the notice are posted upon the most usual places for
pos ting notices in the vicinity, amongst which the
doc ITS of the church and chapel, and other places where
pub ilic worship is usually solemnized in the parish, are
inve tiably included. The ; constabulary generally
affo. r d their protection to the process-server, who is
emp: toyed to post the notices while engaged in his
unp : pular and perilous avocation, without which
come,' iderable fears might reasonably be entertained for
the .1 Ifety of the obnoxious officer of the law. Some
sucht proceedings had taken place at Mown. The
bail ef, in obedience to the direction of the Court
post t .d the notices, and a private constable bad at-
tenc-V, ed in pursuance of the commands of his superior
whir, e the posting was being effected—which com-
mar u ds, if he had ventured to disobey, he would most
justPk y have been discharged from the force. The
Rev., Gentleman, however, could not pardon this
mt. trage," and, in the language of his " vindicator,"
"spy ke strongly from the altar on the subject, and
used, in the heat of his indignation, one or two expres-
sion i which, under other circumstances, except of
stro. a, provocation, and if used in cool &Übe-
rati n without cause, might be objectionable—but
whi ch, under the stinging insult given, were
veni it/ indeed, if not wholly excusable." The
" do a munced " policeman had the audacity under these
circ simstances to report to his superior officer, under
\oh( 1.13 e direction he had acted, the ecclesiastical thun-
deri oh which had been hurled at his devoted head,
and , this report was forwarded to " head-quarters."
A. c smmunication with the Rev. Dr. KENNEDY, the
R. C. Bishop of Killaloe, was the result, and to the
cre, fit of that amiable prelate an investigation was
dire s :.ted, even before the receipt of the recent
rest :ript from the Vatican, to which we alluded last
wee ,;i's, but which inquiry was rendered unnecessary
by the suspension of Mr. NOLAN, and his confession
of l i‘aving acted in the manner alleged against him.
N ow none of the excuses that are usually put for-
war e 1 can be available in this instance. It was not a
land': lord who was attempting to clear his estates, and,
care.; less of the sufferings and misery which his pro-
ceed ings might occasion, whose heartlessness and
eras 3 lty aroused the burning indignation of this
min i ster of the Gospel. It was not an agent, who
had the management of property, and whose recem-
men ,clations could in any manner be attended to. It
was not a tenant, who had taken possession of, or been
in n egotiation for, lands from which others had recently
bee n ejected. In any of these cases, some plausible
pre. ext might have been put forward, some benefit to
the parties about to be driven from the homes of their
chil clhood might have been hoped for, however
unli :lrely to happen. But in the present case no
posy able advantage to any party could have accrued
friar, a such a proceeding. The parties denounced
wer first, the humble instrument of the law, whose
only duty was to serve the process with which

rear

mo',

is r
fort

he :had been intrusted in the manner indicated
to I aim. He merely lent his aid to carry the law
into execution, and had he refused to do so, many
othe srs would have been found ready to perform the
task., A short time previously a sad example, too,
had occurred of the dreadful lengths to which the
"ex t iteable people" might carry their vengeance for
such. a "provocation." An unhappy man is at this
mor a ent lying under sentence of death in Clonmel
gaol for having murdered a process-server when re-
turn:mg from having served a notice on the father of

the wretched assassin. Was the conduct of the Rev.
Mr. NOLAN calculated to deter his flock, whose
spiritual destinies were committed to his charge,
front the commission of similar atrocities, and to
inculcate a prompt and ready obedience to the law ?
We shall suffer these " vindicators" of the Rev.
Gentleman to reply.
The case of the constable was, if possible, worse.
He had only obeyed the lawful commands of his
superior officer, and yet he had been held up as a
criminal from the altar for so doing. This was a
dire:-t interference with the servants of the Govern-
ment, of which it is impossible to speak in terms of
suffi cdent reprobation. Nothing more dangerous to
the 3afety of the country could possibly take place.
If the police are to be tampered with, or censured, for
discharging their duty, the precedent will speedily be
extended to the military, and no person can say
where the matter would terminate. We trust, how-
ever, that the Papal rescript, and the ready obedience
yielded thereto by the most distinguished members of
the Roman Catholic Church, will prevent the recur-
rence of any similar proceeding at any future period.

By additional intelligence received from Naples of
the 7th it would appear that the citijens still awaited
in tranquillity for the constitution guaranteed on the
10th. The account of the withdrawal of the troops
is confirmed. Much curiosity was excited by the
sudden demise, on the Ist of February, of the Countess
Of CIIIRLEVILLE.

A correspondent writes from Lombardy :—" The
municipal council have presented a petition to the
Viceroy of Lombardy, at Milan, praying for reform.
To this the Viceroy has replied that the EMPEROR
listens to all reasonable demands, legally presented.
The Augsburg Gazette says that ten arrests have been
made at Milan of persons moving in the higher ranks,
and that important papers have been discovered."

It would appear from letters just arrived from
Geneva, dated the 11th inst., that certain difficulties
had arisen there respecting the freedom of the press.
Some members of the Landsgemeinde demanded
" a law of repression against the press," alleging as
a reason for the request the publication of certain,
offensive articles. This demand had been peremptorily]
refused.

Athenian papers to the Ist of February have hee:
received.

The commercial relations with Turkey having been
resumed, it was hoped that commerce would gra-
dually revive from the blow that had been inflicted
upon it.
M. MUSSURUS had not yet arrived at Athens.
The Chamber of Deputies had resumed its sittings.
On the 25th of January the Minister of Justice pre-
sented a Bill for establishing a Court of Appeal at
budget
wietftohroultB4d .8 was to be brought
elay.
beforePatrasThe
theC Chambers
The 21foniteur Grec, of the SOth of January, pub-
lishes a table of the general receipts and expenditure
of the State during the year 1847. The receipts are
given at 18,483,544 dr., and the expenses at
18,422,331 dr., leaving a balance of 61,213 dr. in
favour of the receipts.

Madrid papers of the Bth have arrived.
They announce the restoration of the QUXEN to
perfect health.

M. MARTINEZ DE LA RosA was about to leave
Madrid for Rome, where he is Ambassador.
A meeting of the shareholders of the Union Bank
to be h,ild on the sth of March.

MADRID BuLSA, l LE. 6.—The Three pa Cents.
at 28i at 50 clays, 271 cash; Five per Cents., 17 for
the 6th of March, 16j to cash; rikssiTO Debt, si;