The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-08 00:00:00

DUBLIN, Nov. 7.
The trial of Augustine Costello was resumed yes-
terday in the Commission Court. Some coast-
guards and boa'rnen were examined to prove the
circumstances connected with the arrival of the bri-
gantine at Sligo, and the landing of the prisoner and
others near Dungarvan. Buckley, the informer,
was recalled, and stated that there was a man named
Capt. Million in the expedition. On cross-examina-
tion he said he did not always remember Million.
He had made out a list of those whose names he
knew after he male his first information. Ile could
not tell whether it contained Million's name. Mr.
Heron asked to have the list produced. The Attor-
ney-General said he had never seen it, and Mr.
Anderson, the Crown Solicitor, knew nothing about
it. After some delay the document was found in
the Castle and given in evidence. It did contain an
allusion to Million. Mr. Price, the governor, stated
that Million was discharged on the 6th of August.
A prisoner named Aylward was discharged on the
30th of August. On that day he received from the
Deputy-Governor some documents in an envelope,
which he sent to the Crown Solicitor. The witness,
in answer to further questions which were objected
to by prisoner's counsel, but allowed by the Court,
stated that on the evening of the 30th of August he
said to the prisoner at the door of his cell " This
letter, which you have been endeavouring surrepti-
tiously to send out, has been discovered on the per-
son of the prisoner about to be discharged." The
Attorney-General asked what reply the prisoner had
made. Mr. Heron protested against what a prisoner
said to the governor of a gaol in whose power he
was being given against him, and said he was com-
pletely taken by surprise. He denounced it as
an infamous system. After a discussion Judge
Keogh ruled that the question should be put. Mr.
Price then deposed that the prisoner said to him,
" You have detained other letters of mine before."
He had done so, and had informed the prisoner
of the fact. He had never seen the prisoner write,
but he had seen letters purporting to have been
written by him. He had received the letters
produced from a warder. James Kenny, the warder,
swore that he saw the prisoner write the letters in
the school room, and he gave them to the Governor.
The Deputy-Governor stated that a letter had been
found concealed in the boots of a prisoner named
Aylward, who was discharged on the 30th August.
He could not say positively that the letter produced
was the same, but he believed it was. He identified
a check which the prisoner had endorsed, and re-
ceived money out of. Mr. Price was recalled, and
stated that he marked the letter which he got from
Kenny as one which ought not to go out. In answer
to Mr. Heron he said he might have got the letter
from other warders. To the Court he added that the
letter which he got was in the same state as when
he read it at the time. In reply to other questions
the witness said he could form an opinion as to the
handwriting of the prisoner, but it would be founded
on the assumption that the letters which passed
through his office were written by Costello. Mr.
Heron contended that there was not sufficient evi-
dence that the letter in question was in the prisoner's
handwriting. After another long discussion, the
Court admitted the letter found on Aylward, and
the Solicitor-General proceeded to read it as follows.
It was addressed to" Frank S. Belton, Esq., 334,
Bridge-street, Brooklyn, New York, America:"—
" Oh, I was very near forgetting a most important
fact. Tell the parties in the new' building that
Million has left here, and is said to have gone to
America. Tell them from me, should they find out
this gent. in N. Yk., to be careful how they intrust
him with important secrets. I will not go so far as
to say he is a spy or a traitor, but others would not
judge of him so charitably. It is currently reported
that he confessed all before he left here, but without
some other person to corroborate his statements his
evidence goes for nothing. This much I can say,
w'aile in Waterford Gaol he was closeted with Cory-
don and others of that ilk who were sent on to
identify us. lam afraid the fellow has played us
false. Let them keep a close eye on him. Don't
fail to tell them this ; it is of the first importance.
Tell them not to forget the men suffering in prison."
The case for the prosecution here closed, and the
Court adjourned until this morning.
The police are actively employed in searching for
arms and watching the movements of suspected per-
sons. Last night they arrested an engineer named
White, who resides in Manor-street, and found in
his possession a pistol and 100 rounds of ball car-
tridge. Ile is charged with having stolen the pistol
from a gunruaker's in Down-street. The police
patrol the streets at night in parties of twos and
threes, armed with cutlasses and revolvers. In the
suburbs the constabulary keep up patrols, and no
precaution is omitted to guard against outrage. The
attention of the coastguard having been attracted
by the firing of small arms on board the fishing ves-
sels at Ilouth the police searched them and found
27 guns, which they retain for the present. The
wounded constables are in a precarious state, and
no hopes are now felt that either of them will ulti-
mately recover.
The Railway Commissioners were yesterday en-
gaged in the inspection of the Wicklow line in the
neighbourhood of Shanganagh.
His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant will be en-
tertained at a public banquet by the citizens of
Limerick on Wednesday the 18th of December, to
commemorate the opening of a new graving dock.
Mr. Acheson Henderson has been appointed to
the Crown prosecutorship for Antrim, vacant by the
death of Mr. Shegog.
A special meeting of the corporation was held yes-
terday for the purpose of considering the present state
of the market-places and the propriety of applying to
Parliament for powers to extend and improve them.
The Lord Mayor, who occupied the chair, brought
the subject fully before the Council. He referred
to the filthy and dilapidated condition of the
markets, some of the houses being ready to fall,
others used as slaughter-houses, to the danger
of the public health, and others unoccupied or ten-
auted by the poorest classes. Such a state of things
be thought discreditable to the city. He suggested
that it would be more advantageous for the public
to restore the cattle-market to Smithfield, which
should be suitably fitted up and provided with abat-
toirs, and to remove the hay, straw, fish, and potato
markets to the site now used for a cattle market.
Under the Improvement Act the corporation had
the power of obtaining laud for the erection of mar-
kets, but only at the price at which the owner might
set upon it, but that was in fact no power at all.
He recommended that a committee of the whole
house should take the matter into consideration.
After some discussion the house resolved itself
into a committee, and the meeting was adjourned.
The citizens are far from being unanimous in desir-
ing that the corporation should obtain the powers
for which they propose to apply to Parliament.
While it is right that abuses should be corrected,
and that the corporation, or some responsible body
in whom the public would have confidence, should
have the power of inspection and control, it is ex-
tremely doubtful whether, as regards economy or
convenience, the public would be benefited by a
change which would enable the corporation to con-
centrate the markets in certain places. There seems
no fair reason why vendors of food should not share
the liberty which other traders enjoysof obtaining
the best places they can for the sale of meat, fish, or
vegetables, instead of being shut up in glass cases
which the public may find it inconvenient to visit.
In the days of the ancient guilds trades of all kinds
were collected in separate localities, but another sys-
tem now prevails ; the old nests are broken up, and
trades are scattered indiscriminately through the
business thoroughfares. Butchers, fishmongers,
and greengrocers have imitated the example of
others, and come out of the obscure, remote, and
dingy districts to which they had been consigned
into more healthful and stirring localities. They
have found it advantageous to seek out their cus-
tomers, instead of obliging their customers to seek
them out, and the public find it advantageous to
have the supply of their daily wants brought within
easy reach of them. Some improvements are un-
doubtedly required, such as the erection of abattoirs
and an efficient system of inspection to prevent
frauds, but an opinion prevails outside the Council
that no sufficient reason has yet teen shown for ap-