The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-12 00:00:00

IRELAND.

THE STATE PRISONERS IN KILMAINHAM.
DUBLIN' SEPT. 11.—On Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday, Major Brownrigg, Mr. Fitzmaurice, R.M.,
with Mr. Rea, and several other gentlemen from the
office of Mr. Kemmis, Crown Solicitor, were engaged
at the Court House, Kilmainham, in taking down
the evidence of the witnesses who are to be examined
at the forthcoming special commission in Clonmel.
A number of police-constables, and also several
women and boys, were examined—their depositions
taken down, and then they were brought into the
presence of the State prisoners to identify them. The
witnesses are from the neighbourhood of Ballingarry
and Mullinahone. When the evidence had been taken
down, and the witnesses brought before the State
prisoners, the documents were read over before all
parties, in presence of Major Brownrigg and Mr.
Fitzmaurice. This proceeding, it appears, is neces-
sary under the statute in cases of treason. One of
the witnesses, a boy about fourteen or fifteen years
of age, who identified Mr. Smith O'Brien, was
asked by that gentleman where he saw him, and the
lad replied, laughing, "Faith I saw you, Sir, at Mul-
linahone."
The preliminary proceedings of reading the evi-
dence before the prisoners was concluded on Saturday
evening.
There is nothing, up to the present, known as to
the removal of the prisoners to the place of trial, as
neither the authorities at the gaol, nor the railway
company, have received any communication on this
subject. The supposition is that they will be sent by
a special train, strongly guarded.
There was a statement in a northern contemporary
relative to the removal of. Mathew Thomas Halpin,
late Secretary to the Irish Confederation from Bel-
fast, to one of the Dublin prisons, but on inquiry it
was ascertained that the prisoner had not arrived at
any of the city gaols, or at Kilmainham.—Freeman
of this morning.
CONCILIATION HALL.—The only journal in Ireland
which has responded to Mr. John O'Connell's pathe-
tic appeal to the pockets of the Irish Repealers is the
Waterford Chronicle, which assures us that if this
opportunity be lost of re-opening Conciliation-hall,
it may cost the people thousands of pounds before
they can secure so spacious a building for their use.
Tun LISCANOR ETICTIONS.—The special corres-
pondent of the Limerick Examiner, who writes his
last letter from Liscanor, furnishes a melancholy
picture of landlordism in that unfortunate district,
and informs us that in addition to the recent evictions
from the property of Sir John Fitzgerald, several
other families, in Ballycotton, are, it is understood,
shortly to undergo all the suffering that attends the
process of expulsion.
EVICTIONS IN TUE GROSS.—The number of fa-
milies evicted by the Sheriff and assistant levellers
from the property of Mr. M`Donnell, near Kilmurry,
Ibrickane, is forty-four in all, numbering 241 indi-
viduals.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH LIVERPOOL.—A
notice has been issued by the Post-office authorities,
changing the hour of sailing of the Liverpool mail
from half-past six to half-past four ; the receiver in
Dublin to be closed at half-past three.
STATE OF LIMERICR.—We regret to state that
agrarian disturbances are likely to become prevalent
again in Limerick. Sheep stealing (the Limerick
Chronicle says) is so common in the county, that no
farmer is safe.
"Father Maloney" was denounced as "a Govern-
ment
doorm ent sopfy ,
lye o mwritten
last notices un
dpaoys.t e
Theon the
reverend
e chapelerend
Gentleman discharged a national schoolmaster, named
Corny O'Brien, for having joined and identified him-
self with the Confederate leaders, when they appeared
on the hill of Kilcommon, and he is suspected of being
the fabricator.
THE WEATHER—THE CROPS.—We have had an-
other unfavourable change in the weather, and the
consequence has been a temporary suspension of
farming operations. The accounts from the provinces,
however, are, on the whole, satisfactory.
LIMERICK A PACKET 5TAT10N.......A meeting of the
town council and harbour of Limerick was held on
Saturday, at the Town-hall, for the purpose of
deciding upon the best course to pursue in the event
of a deputation proceeding to Lord John Russell,
with the view of pointing out the eligibility of the
Shannon as an American packet station, and solicit-
ing his Lordship's influence in favour of this port
The City High Sheriff attended, also Francis Spaight,
Esq., president of the Chamber of Commerce, and
Mr. W. Randall, harbour master. Letters were:read
from Lord Monteagle, Sir Lucius O'Brien, Baronet,
M.P., John O'Connell, Esq., M.P., and the O'Gormon
Mahon, M.P., promising to co-operate with the com-
mittee in their endeavours to secure the packet
station for this port. A desultory conversation took
place, in the course of which the able report of
Captain Washington, tidal harbour commissioner, re-
commending the Shannon as an eligible site, was re-
ferred to; also the admirable pamphlet on the same
head, compiled by Mr. Randall, our scientific and ex-
perienced harbour master. The facility of railway
communication between this city and Dublin was ex-
plained, with other interesting details. The result
of the proceedings was the adoption of a resolution
authorising the Town Clerk to write to the secretary
of Lord John Russell, requesting to know when it
would be his Lordship's convenience to receive a de-
putation on the important subject, and a sub-com-
mittee were appointed to prepare a detail of every
particular calculated to induce Lord John Russell to
comply with their wishes.

DEATH OF A PRISONER IN THE COMFTER.—Yes-
terday Mr. Joseph Payne, the deputy-coroner, held an
inquest at the Compter, on view ot the body of Joseph
Rule, aged 29, formerly a grocer, and latterly a prisoner
in that gaol. It appeared from the evidence of Mr.
M‘Murdo. the surgeon, and others, that the deceased was
admitted to the prison in October last under sentence of
two years' imprisonment and bard labour, for having
forged an order for goods. Frequently since his ad.
mission he had complained of violent bowel complaints,
and he had in consequence been relieved from the tread-
mill from the time ot his admission down to the 21st of
July, whin he went on and continued taking his regular
turns with the other prisoners until the 30th August,
on which day he complained of illness. On that day he
was admitted into the infirmary, and on the 10th instant
he expired. Mr. 111‘Murdo was of opinion that he died
of strangulated
.intestine. The coroner observed that
there appeared to be a growing antipathy against the
treadmill. He understood that in the House of Correc-
tion for Middlesex some other punishment was to be
substituted for it. The jury returned a verdict of
natural death.
DUTCH REFINED SUGAR.—Numerous arrivals of
refined sugar from Holland have recently taken place.
The Antwerpen, from Antwerp, has brought 140 casks;
the Anne Elizabeth, from Amsterdam, 237 casks ; the
Magnet, from Rotterdam, 300 boxes of sugar-candy ;
the Fleika, from Amsterdam, 60 cases and 474 casks of
sugar ; the Kleinkinderyn, from Amsterdam, 251 casks,
consigned to various houses ; the Ranger, from Amster-
dam, 80 tierces, 211 barrels, and 4,375 loaves ; the
Batavier, from Rotterdam, 63 hogsheads of crushed
sugar ; the Adonis, from Amsterdam, 255 barrels, 198
casks of loaf sugar, and 98 threes of crushed sugar ;
the Lion, from Rotterdam, 198 boxes of sugar candy ;
the Ranger, from Amsterdam, 90 tierces and 4,000
loaves of sugar ; and the'Fossinaheires, from Amster-
dam, 272 casks of the article.