The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-01 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Jan. 31.
The Drawing-room at the Castle last night was
most numerously attended. Seldom if ever has St.
Patrick's-hall been crowded with a more brilliant
assembly of the aristocracy from all parts of the
kingdom.
A man named Farrell was arrested last night for
laying fog signals on Cork-hill, one of which was
exploded by a carriage on its way to the Castle.
The election of a member for the borough of
Armagh, in the place of Mr. S. B. Miller, who has
been appointed one of the judges in the Bankruptcy
and Insolvency Court, Dublin, took place yester-
day morning. At 10 o'clock, Mr. J. Vance, the
late member for the city of Dublin, accompanied
by many friends and supporters, entered the court,
and was received with great enthusiasm. Mr. A.
Craig, High Sheriff, having read the writ, Mr. W.
Paton proposed Mr. Vance as a fit and proper per-
- son to represent the borough in Parliament. He
was no novice. He had sat in the House 14 years.
He promised to maintain the constitution and the
institutions of the country, and Mr. Paton thought
they should return him without any pledge. Mr.
Boyd seconded the nomination. No other candi-
date being proposed, the Sheriff declared Mr. Vance
duly elected, amid loud cheers.
In returning thanks, Mr. Vance spoke at consider-
able length on the subject of Parliamentary Reform.
He made the following reference to Mr. Bright :
" Mr. Bright supported the Representation of the People
Bill brought forward by the late Government, not from
any love of the measure itself, but in order to give an op-
portunity for bringing forward one of his own, the effect of
hich would have ultimately been to make the House of
Commons the solo goveraing body in the State, to overawe.
and overwhblm the House of Lords, and to have deprived
the Queen of all her prerogatives. He would have thoroughly
Americanised our institutions, and paved the way to his
object—the formation 'of 4 model republicupon the system
of the United States of America. I believe that, notwith-
standing his character there has been a covert understand-
ing between Mr. Gladstone, Lord Russell, and himself with
respect to his support in the House of Commons. But it
was reserved for the banquet in Dublin to display the coali-
tion really existed between certain members of her
Majesty's late Government and Mr. John Bright. That
banquet was shunned by nearly all the gentry of any station
in Ireland, and by all the mercantile men in Dublin with
one or two exceptions ; but it was attended by the Attorney
and Solicitor Generals of the late Government, thereby
showing the understanding that existed between the late
Government and Mr. John Bright, whom they find it con-
venient
sometimes to repudiate."

Having noticed various measures which were ex-
pected to come before Parliament in the approach-
ing session, the hon. member thus concluded :
,4 I have to ask a favour at your hands. Lord and Lady
Abercorn give this evening their first drawing-room. There
will be a considerable attendance from the north of Ireland,
and as I shall not be able to attend at the second drawing-
room, for your business will interfere with that, I am
anxious to be present to-night ; for this purpose I must ask
your permission to leave you at an early hour this after-
noon. lam desirous of receiving the congratulationspro-
bably of his Excellency, at any rate of my friends, on the
high honour you have this day conferred on me."

There was a most important public meeting of a
highly representative and influential character held
at the Mansion-house yesterday to consider the
subject of railway reform. The Lord Mayor pre-
sided, and in his opening statement gave a clear
view of its character and objects. His lordship
said :

"The meetingwas convened in compliance with a requisi-
tion addressed to him—a requisition as numerously and
influentially signed as any ever drawn up on any subject
concerning Ireland. He wasproud to see present so many
who were eminent in every part of the country by their
position, in connection with agriculture and commerce,
and with all the great industries of Ireland. He was truly
proud to see them there to advance a step nearer to suc-
cess, in a matter which he thought lay at the root of much
of the future of Ireland's prosperity. This was the third,
meeting that had taken place in the Mansion-house on the
subject, and the same principle had been insisted on by all
the resolutions, viz., a change in the system of railways in
Ireland, which, while it would not interfere with private
property, would facilitate transit and develops the com-
merce of the country. He thought the present meeting one
for the assertion of principles, which he took to be—first,
that the Government should purchase the Irish railways ;
secondly, that they should work the lines themselves, or
lease them; or, thirdly, that by loans advanced on advan-
tageous terms they should assist the existing lines, and
make and maintain lines to develops the traffic of the coun-
try. He trusted that before Parliament was long assem-
bled they would have an explicit statement from the Go-
vernment that they meant to undertake this matter, and
that not in a niggardly spirit, but in one consonant with
the wishes of the whole country."

These positions were set forth in a series of resolu-
tions, which were ably supported by a number of
speakers, particularly Lord Dunboyne, the Mayor
of Limerick, Mr. Tait, Mr. Joseph Pim, Mr.
M'Carthy Downing, Sir John Gray, Colonel Knox
Gore, Mr. Dennehy, and Mr. Edward Fox. The
meeting was also addressed by Sir Benjamin Mor-
ris, Mayor of Waterford ; Mr. J. L. Naper, Mr.
O'Hara, D.L., Galway; Mr. Lyons, Mayor of Sligo,
Mr. Greene, Mayor of Wexford ; Alderman Rey-
nolds, Mr. Lanyan, M.P., Mr. Pim, M.P., Mr.
Galway, Sheriff of Waterford ; Mr. Marcus Good-
body, Mr. Bloomfield, Mr. Bagot, and Mr. Barring-
ton. The resolutions were all passed unanimously,
and the meeting was most harmonious. A memo-
rial to the Lord-Lieutenant was adopted, and also
one to the Prime Minister. The speaking was re-
markably argumentative and judicious, and great
confidence was expressed that the Government
would comply with the prayer of .the memorial—
which it will be certainly hard to refuse, especially
as " begging" was unanimously and strongly repu-
diated.

Mr. William Dargan still survives, but his death
is hourly expected.

The report of the directors of the Munster Bank, which
has just been issued, shows the concern to be in a highly,
prosperous condition. The profits of the half-year, in-
cluding £4,031 10s. received in premiums on shares,
amount to £21,512 17s. 4d., and after providing for all
expenses, bad debts, &c., there remains a sum of
£10,567 18s. 3d. for division among the shareholders.
The directors propose to pay a dividend of 6 per cent., and
to write off 10 per cent. of the preliminary expenses,
which will absorb £3,512 125., and to carry the balance,
£7,055 6s. 3d., to the reserve, which will raise the amount
of the undivided profits to £28,608 4s. 2d.
On Tuesday evening William Kennedy, who, it will be
remembered, was tried at the Commission and sentenced
to nine months' imprisonment for having violently as-
saulted Acting-Inspeceor Clifford, of the G DiVibi.oll, died