The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-03 00:00:00

IRELAND,

At a meeting of the Cork Town Council, on Monday, a
letter from the Chief Secretary was read, announcing that
the Government considered it necessary to maintain an
additional force of fifty police in the city during the
winter, the Corporation paying half the expense. The
Town Council protested against the measure as unneces-
my, the city being perfectly tranquil. The city mem•
hers were called on to resist the proposal. On Mr.
O'Sullivan's motion a petition was adopted praying Par-
liament to prevent further Ulster demonstrations, which
w ere described by him as offensive to Catholics. He ridi-
culed the idea of Protestants and Catholics uniting, when
the former had trampled on the latter so long.
A demonstration took place in Limerick on Monday in
favour of the release of the Fenian prisoners. Twenty
thousand persons, from Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary,
including the organised trades, are said to have proceeded
through the city with banners and bands. An open-air
meeting was subsequently held, which adopted a letter to
Mr. Gladstone, demanding the release of the prisoners in
the name of the Irish people.

The Corporation of Dublin have unanimously elected
Mr. Purdon, a Conservative, to be Lord Mayor for the
next year.

A Fenian demonstration has been expected at the
Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, but, has not occurred. The
Cemetery Committee having refused to allow a memorial
cross to be erected, with a Fenian inscription, to the
memory of Stephen O'Donoghue, a law clerk, who was
shot by the police at Tallaght during the last rising, the
national sympathisers were very indignant, and it was
intimated to the authorities that an attempt would be
made to put up the monument in spite of the committee.
A force of fifty constables was stationed in the burial
ground on Saturday to prevent any outrage, and on Sun-
day the force was increased to 300 men, but, perhaps
owing to the effective precautions which were taken, the
threatened Fenian expedition was abandoned.

THE NOTTINGHAM ELECTION PETITION.

Mr. Baron Martin, in giving judgment on the Notting-
ham election petition, said he thought Mr. Serjeant
Parry and Mr. Serjeant Ballantine had come to a reason-
able conclusion in saying that the petition should be
abandoned, and the respondent not press for costs.
The petition contained two allegations. In the
first place, it declared the seat had been lost by
rsason of bribery and treating. Evidence was given of
only two cases of bribery, and they both failed on the
petitioner's own case. Four shillings and sixpence waspaid
to each man, an 3 that would have to cover the day's
services as " lambs," as well as buying the vote With
respect to treating, there was no evidence what.
ever ; for the treating must be shewn to be for the
purpose of affecting the voting. Nothing at all of that
kind had been proved, and the case failed there also. As
to intimidation, which was the other allegation relied upon,
he did not see that any evidence had been given, for he
did not think the section of the Act of Parliament
relied upon meant such a general state of things
merely as it had been sought to prove, but required specific
instances. There was, however, the general statement
made in the petition, and, as he thought, very properly
put in, that there was rioting in the town. No doubt,
if that occurred to such an extent as to prevent per-
sons of reasonable nerve from going to the poll
it would void the election by the common law, for
the common law said that persons being voters should
have an opportunity of recording their votes. But
the rioting must be such as to affect persons of ordinary
nerve. lie only need say on this part of the case that,
according to the petitioners themselves, there was nothing of
the sort. The only man who said he was deterrred from
♦ooing was the witness Armstrong, and he was not a per-
son one was likely to believe. If a general state of riot
and obstruction had existed there could have been no diffi-
culty in finding persons who bad been prevented from
Toting ; they would have come forward to say so. Then, as
to the hiring of "lambs," Mr. Serjeant Parry had cor-
rectly stated that no persons were hired on the part of Mr.
Seymour. He gave full belief to Mr. Seely's account of
how these " lambs" came to be employed ; nevertheless,
he must protest against the engagement of such persons.
The proper course would have been to have gone to the
mayor and insisted upon a sufficient number of respect.
able persons being engaged to keep the peace of the town.
It was for the authorities to see to that being done, not
for candidates to attempt it. In conclusion, he thought
this petition had come to a proper conclusion, and that all
parties should be satisfied with the result. He had only
to declare Mr. Seely duly elected, and he should report to
that effect to the House of Commons.