The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-03 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, MONDAY MORNING.

The Cork Constitution has a letter from Clonmel,
containing some curious gossip connected with the
State trials and the prisoners. The correspondent of
that journal says :
" During the last few days Smith O'Brian has
amused himself writing poetry, distributing the scrape
amongst his friends. To one gentleman he gave the
following

• Whether on the gallows high,
Or in the battle's van
The only place for man to die,
Is where he dies for man.
" WILLIAM SMITH O'BRIEN.' "
The Limerick Examiner is literally crammed with
details of the progress of the extermination system
in Clare and Limerick. In speaking of the most
recent evictions in the parish of Kilmealy, county'
Clare, it says :

" On my reaching these districts I was forcibly
struck with the few human abodes which were left
standing in a country where, I am credibly informed,
a happy population, some two years since, cultivated
' a soil abundant in fertility. There is scarcely a small
tenant-farmer to be met with for miles together ; the
lands of the evicted being in great part possessed by
graziers, who reside at a distance, or by some few
local occupiers who have cultivated the regards of the
agent. It would be impossible to describe the wretch-
edness and privations of these poor people when the
house levellers commenced to demolish their dwell-
ings. Some of them were obliged, it is said, to sleep
out for several nights together, without shelter or
food, whilst others went through the world friendless
and pennyless. Those who were put on the relief list
of the electoral division still hovered about like ghosts
in the vicinity of their former dwellings, until the
relief ceased, and then they, too, were obliged to
become wanderers through the country. I have
heard that a good many now ' sleep the sleep that
knows no waking.'
" The country in every district through which you
travel abounds in resources that, if turned into proper
account by the landlords, would maintain at least
four times its present population. The parish of
Kilmealy comprises some twenty thousand acres
capable of well rewarding the exertions of the tiller,
and in many places suited for green crops. I could
not learn that Lord Clarendon 's green crop lecturer
ever visited this or the adjoining parishes, although he
sought the little gentry of the west. Probably he
conjectured the inutility of advice in a region where
the exterminator was busy in his heartless vocation.
But I must dismiss this part of the subject, and call
your attention to the following catalogue:—
"EVICTED FROM KNOCKATOUNI..-- James Griffin,
6 ; Tim 5 ; Thomas Kennedy, 13 ; James
Griffin, 6; P. O'Brien,ennedy, 9; Robert Hadlock, 9;
William Lucas, 7; Michael Heber, 8 ; Michael
Sheedy, 4. In all 67 persons turned out of Knock-
atouna.

" EVICTED FROM CRAGROB.—Thomas Creagh,
Widow Spellesy, Widow Hehir, Widow Nealin, P.
M'Mahon, Widow Sexton, Widow Kelly, John Pine,
Pat Kerby, Pat O'Neil, Widow Malone, Dan Mo-
riarty, Pat Davin, James Fitzgibbon, Batt. Shea,
Thomas Mungavan, Thomas Darty, and several
others with their families, who are either dead or left
the country. In all 18 occupiers. Average the fami-
lies at five, arid you have 90 human beings extermi-
nated from Cragroe.
"EVICTED FROM TULLANA.—OVer 100 human
beings have been expelled from this place.
"EVICTED FROM MAGOWNA.—Over 40 persons have
been turned out of their holdings in this division.
"EVICTED FROM GURTAGNIFF.—Over 30 occupiers
have been expelled from this denomination. In short,
on the two properties of the Marquis of Conyngham
and Mr. Westby, to whom Marcus Keane is agent, I
am informed that nearly four hundred souls have been
deprived of land and dwelling.
" I leave the public to make their own comments.
I need not animadvert upon the foregoing catalogue."
MR. RICHARD O'GORMAN.—Three different per-
sons in different parts of Limerick and Clare were
arrested last week by the police, " on suspicion of
being Mr. Richard O'Gorman, jun." Of the suspected
was the Rev. P. Moran, Catholic curate of Kilrush.
The second was a Dublin attorney, and the third an
English commercial traveller.
MR. DOHENEY.—A correspondent of the Freeman
gives another version of Mr. Doheney's escape to
France, still more romantic than the previous ac-
counts, and the Limerick Chronicle of yesterday
states that " the insurgent chief" has been polite
enough to announce his safety to the Lord Chief
Justice Black burne. Mr. Doheny, according to the
Hue and Cry, is everything but an " arbiter elegan-
tiarum," but in the case of the Lord Chief Justice, it
must be admitted that he has carried politeness to an
extreme. Perhaps the miracle is to be attributed to
the climate of France.
THE STATE TRIALS.

Under this head the Clonmel correspondent of the
Freeman states that among the parties summoned to
give evidence-on the part of the prisoner, is Major-
General Napier, who is expected in Clonmel this day;
Mr. Joseph Parker, and the private secretary of Lord
Melbourne, at the period of the passing of the Reform
Bill. These gentlemen are expected, it appears, to
prove the circumstances on which Lord John Russell
was to have given evidence, or, in other words, they
are expected to show that the leaders of the 'Whig
party were not at all times so opposed to physical
force as they are at present.
THE WRIT OF ERROR.
The Freeman's diurnal of this morning states,
that arrangements are already in progress for the
issue of a writ of error, in case of an adverse verdict.
Some of your readers may probably not be aware that
in cases of felony and high treason, it is in the power
of the Attorney-General to prevent the issue of a
writ of error, while in the misdemeanour cases the
writ issues as a matter of right. It has been whis-
pered here that the Government will give directions
to Mr. Monaghan not to consent to the process in
case a verdict against Smith O'Brien should render it
necessary. But we cannot believe that, even were
the Government to issue such a command, Mr.
Monaghan would assume the responsibility of a
course so unprecedented, and morally involving the
guilt of murder. If there be ' nothing' in the point,
the writ can only have the effect of delaying the
vengeance of-the law. If the point be good,
Smith O'Brien has not had a legal trial; and an
illegal trial not being a trial at all, the execution of
capital sentence so procured would be legally, as well
as morally, murder."