The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-25 00:00:00

T LE_VDS.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, FRIDAY.
GALWAY AND AMERICA.
Yesterday a most influential meeting was held at
the Mansion-house, the Lord Mayor presiding, to
consider what means can best be taken to secure
the establishment of increased postal facilities be-
tween Ireland anclAmerica, via Galway. The Oak
room was densely crowded ; and the assembly com-
prised some noblemen, members of Parliament, and
all the leading mercantile men of Dublin, without
distinction of creed or party. Several practical
speeches were delivered, conspicuous among which
were those of Mr. Codd, as spokesman for the
Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Vance, M.P., Mr.
Guinness, Mr. Grogan, M.P., Mr. J. Ennis, M.P.,
Mr. W. H. Cogan, M.P., and Mr. W, Long, ex-
high sheriff of the city.

THE ARRESTS.-THE PHCENICAN OATH.
A few additional facts which transpired at the
secret investigation now holding in Cork are made
public in the local papers of yesterday. The
Constitution says,—" Nothing could exceed the
apparent levity and carelessness of the prisoners
during the inquiry. They appear to be confident
that the evidence against them will be so weak as
to insure their release within a brief period. The
evidence of the approver is very conclusive, and
contains the proceedings at several meetings of the
society at which he was present. He also deposes
to two oaths having been administered to the mem-
bers of the society by a man named Cotter, for
whom an active search has been instituted by the
police. The terms of the oath were very nearly as
follows :

"' I have something to tell you which will be a benefit
to you and to the country.
I can tell it you if you promise to keep it secret. I
have promised to keep it secret.
" An oath of secresy was then administered, after which
the following : _ •
" ' I, A. 8., do solemnly swear that I will, to the utmost
of my power, endeavour to subvert and overthrow the Bri-
tish Government; that I will join with and assist any fo-
reign army which mayarrive in this country with that ob-
ject; and that I will obey and carry out the orders of my
superiors in this society to the best of my ability."
" Such are nearly the words of the oath as de-
posed by the witness from recollection. All the
prisoners have been identified as taking part in the
conspiracy. Yesterday the inquiry was resumed,
and, the direct examination having terminated, the
witness was cross-examined by Mr. Downing. The
progress made is necessarily slow, in consequence
of the evidence havi to be taken down in writ-
ing. The cross-examination had not concluded at
the adjournment of the Court last night. It is
expected that the inquiry will be terminated to-
morrow evening. The witnesses from Skibbereen,
named Ambrose and Bevan, were escorted to the
gaol by a strong guard of police. It is expected
that one of them will be examined this day. Cot-
ter, the person who administered the oaths, has
been arrested in England, where he had fled to
elude discovery."
In the North the excitement is quite at an end:
No fresh arrests have been made, and the sudden
emigration of suspected patriots continues to attract
attention. The Banner of Ulster thus reports :
" It is almost unnecessary to state that no further
arrests of suspected parties have taken place in
Belfast. It has come to our knowledge, however,
that the ' Reign of Terror' has so far been estab-
lished by the feeble lesson already taught, that the
Phoenix' and Riband' brotherhood have for the
present wisely suspended their meetings sine die.
Another result. of Mr. Tracy's little swoop has been
to give a fresh impetus to the previously flagging
emigration trade. Several promising young men,'
some of them with families, who have had lately no
thoughts of Australia, California, or Fraser's River,
have suddenly conceived the idea of at least aban-
doning our ' diggings,' and already made tracks'
in search of other more secure from the visits of
the Peelers in disguise. We learn, from the coun-
try, that fear and trepidation have been widely
spread by the Belfast arrest. A master tailor in
the quiet and unsuspected town of Ballynahinch,
has lost four of his unlooked-for sortie. It is not
known whether they have gone to join Walker's
Filibusterers or to swell the ranks of the grand
army in New York, which is preparing to invade
Skibbereen."

TENANT RIGHT IN ULSTER.
The Derry Standard (Presbyterian organ) an-
nounces the re-establishment of the Ulster Tenant

Right Association—another Phoenix poked up
from the ashes of Irish agitation. The first
business (?) meeting of the body is fixed
for Wednesday next. Is there no sufficiently ardent
patriot living to try hiS hand at the reopening of
Conciliation-hall ? This is the season of merriment,
and the speculation might take, along with the
Christmas pantomime, Pell and his bones, or any
other seasonable amusement.

EDUCATION MOVEMENT.
The people of Belfast have taken the initiative in
a movement which if carried out can scarcely fail
to further the progress of Irish education. The
object in view is the establishment of a class of
public preparatory schools for the Queen's Colleges,
intermediate between the National Schools and the
Queen's University. To this, says the Northern
Whig:—
_

" The recent Endowed Schools Commission
plainly pointed—and it is generally agreed by the
supporters of a liberal and perfectly unsectarian
national education that our Queen's Colleges will
never be fully developed until we have schools
analogous in design, but not identical in system,
with Rugby, Eton, and the other great district
schools in England, where boys are educated into
students, and are prepared for the more matured
and extended sphere of the University."
The Whig supplies the following outline of the
meeting :
" Yesterday, in the Town-hall, a number of noble-
men and gentlemen met to consider the deficiency
of educational institutions in the north of Ireland,
and especially the want, generally felt, of a high class
of public schools for classical and scientific instruc-
tion. A committee was appointed to arrange for a
public meeting, to be held in Belfast, on an early
date, of those interested in the establishment of
intermediate schools, on a non-sectarian basis, with
a view of memorialising the Government, and of
adopting such other measures as may seem best
fitted to carry out their views. The following
noblemen and gentlemen were present—the Mayor
in the chair :—The Lord Bishop of Down and
Connor, Lord Massereene, Lord Lurgan, Mr. Wil-
liam Kirk, M.P., Rev. Dr. Cooke, Professor Gib -
son, Rev. John Scott Porter, Rev. Mr. Jones,
Messrs. Robert Grimshaw, James Bristow, Thomas
M'Clure, William Dunville, G. 0. Wilson, R. M.
Wilson, William Bottomley, Thomas Sinclair, W.
Coates, J.' Gibson, J. Herdinan, and W. Mullan ;
and the secretaries, the Rev. Dr. M•Cosh and Mr.
J. Hamilton."
The foregoing list embraces names of all religious
creeds but one. The Roman Catholics have stu-
diously severed themselves from the movement, and
have thus given their opponents fresh grounds for
charging the whole bcdy with subserviency to the
intolerant policy with which Dr. Cullen inaugurated
his accession to the office of Papal Delegate in Ire-
land. Even Bishop Denvir seems to have flung
his old liberality to the winds, and although resid-
ing on the spot made no sign of sympathy with the
object contemplated.
ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE.

The Belfast Banner gives the following account
of an attempt to assassinate a respectable farmer.
The motive is unexplained, but it appears to have
had no bearing on the agrarian or any other con-
spiracy :
" On Saturday evening last, between the hours
of 8 and 9 o'clock, in the hitherto peaceable town-
land of Hillhall, nearlisburn, a most atrocious at-
tempt was made to murder William Wilson, a
highly respectable and esteemed farmer. On the
above-mentioned evening, while his manservant
was in Lisburn, and he was alone, a man unknown
to him, called upon him for a newspaper. This per-
son had been engaged with a neighbouring smith,
named Scott, for about five weeks, and is supposed
to be a ticket-of-leave man. On receiving
the paper he said he should return it in half-
an-bour. When he came to return it, Mr. Wilion
was foddering his cattle, in the absence of his man-
servant. He was accosted by a voice, ' You are
suppering up ;' and while he was in the act of fas-
tnnng a rail, his back being turned, his assailant
seized a massive grape, and struck him a despe-
rate blow on the head, felling him to the ground.
However, as he was a robust and strong; man he
e
pulled the ruffian to the ground byThen a fearful
hisiegs beforeonte
t s
the second blow was given.
ensued, and, though Mr. Wilson must have suffered
weakness from a copious effusion of blood, he suc-
ceeded in overmastering the fell*, whom he tied
in the. house, where
heremained until the autho-
rities arrived. The doctorwas in immediate alt A- -
dance, and good hopes are entertained that Mr.
Wilson will tom recover."

TILE GREAT CHESS 111ATcii.—Mr. Morphy and
M. Andcrssen continued their match on Wednesday, play-
ing two games. The first was an mete singly short ore,
M. Andersson losing his queen early, and the moves ex-
tending to only 21. Mr. Morphy consequently won it.
They then commenced a second game, in which the Ame-
'lean player was also the victor. The games now stand
thus—Mr. Morphy has won two, M. AndersEen one, asg4
QZ.O has been a thaw,