The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-01 00:00:00

INCREASE OF CRIME.

We regret to find that crime of a serious character is
increasing in towns of the midland counties and in Tip-
perary. The Leinster E.tpre.s, of this day, contains
the following details. That Tory journal, in describing
faction fighting in Dunkerrin, where Shinrone police
agents had been at work for some months before, admits
that the peasantry, on this occasion, were supplied with
whiskey by a villain of this description
" MORE VACTION FIGHTING.—At the fair of Dun-
kerrin, on Saturday, we had a renewal of the brutal and
baneful system of faction fighting. A fellow, who earned
for himself an infamous notoriety at Hoscrea during the
recent visit of the apostle of temperance to that town,
played a prominent part on the present occasion. It is
stated that he plied the leaders of one party with whiskey,
and then, with a demon-like propensity for evil, furnished
the heads of the opposing faction with a supply of the
same fiery and maddening fluid. The affray soon com-
menced, and the fair presented one scene of turbulency,
uproar, and riot. The contending factions were the
Hickeys and the Lahys—parties who so often fought for
the last three months, and as often, we regret to say,
escaped, at least from legal punishment. Had these fel-
lows been made amenable to law when involved in its
meshes, faction fights would be more or less suppressed.
Leniency towards men of such untameable ferocity is too
often an inducement to them to continue their career of
crime.

" ATTEMPT TO BURN A HOUSE.—On Tuesday even-
ing the house of Mr. Patrick Savage, Willow-lodge, near
Cloughjordan, was observed to be on fire by a man who
was passing at the time. He immediately called on
one of the servants to know if there was any light in
the yard ; the servant haring said no, they examined
the dwelling-house, and found it in flames. Having
given alarm, the fire was quenched before much damage
was done. A coal was found in the thatch. This hap-
pened at the early hour of half-past five o'clock in the
evening.
" On the night of last Monday, four armed men, two
of whom had their faces blackened, entered the dwelling-
house of a man named Banan, of Clonaganna, near Dun-
kerrin. One of the miscreants fired a shot into the
kitchen. Banan, who had been at his brother's house,
a short distance from his own, hearing the report, and
conjecturing the cause, whistled and hallooed, as if he
had assistance at hand. The ruse had the desired effect;
for the ruffians became alarmed, and fearing that they
would be set on by a superior force, they decamped.
" LATE MURDER OF THE SHEPPARDS.—Some arrests
have been made for this barbarous murder, and the
parties committed to Parsontown bridewell and Tuna-
more gaol, for further investigation.
" BARBAROUS MURDER IN THE QUEEN'S COUNTY.—
About four o'clock on the 20th instant, a boy who hap-
pened to be cutting switches in the plantation at Le-
velly, near Rathdowney, discovered the body of a man
who had been brutally murdered. There were five cuts
on the head, and on the right side was the appearance of
two stabs, inflicted by a bayonet or some sharp instru-
ment. The murdered man was John Dillon, of Rath-
downey, and it was the opinion of medical gentlemen
who attended, that he must have been five or six hours
dead when discovered. John Dillon was upwards
of seventy years of age, and a respectable man. It
seems he had a rent-charge on some land held by
nephews of his, also named Dillon, which, being
allowed to run in arrear, he had them served with an
ejectment process, that was to be tried at Abbeyleix
Quarter Sessions on the 28th instant. On Saturday
an inquest was held on view of the body at Rathdowney,
by Thomas Budds, Esq., one of the Coroners for the
Queen's County ; and Thomas Cannon, RM., Robert
Fitzgerald, Thomas Mosse, and Steele, Esqs., ma-
gistrates. After the examination of several witnesses,
and two medical gentlemen, Doctors Harte and Delany,
a verdict of wilful murder was returned against some
person or persons unknown, and that James and Robert
Dillon were aiding and conspiring in the same. Robert
Dillon was arrested on the evening of the murder. There
were recent marks of blood on his trousers. In account-
ing for himself he equivocated very much, and his state-
ment could not be sustained by facts. Jame Dillon has
absconded. The Government has offered, through the
hands of Thomas Cannon, Esq., R.M., Maryboroagh, a
reward of 801. for the discovery of the murderer.
" ATTEMPT TO MURDER.—On Friday night last two
armed ruffians entered the house of Kyraa Bergan, at
Ballycooled, near Rathdowney. Having placed Bergan
on his knees, they ordered him to say his prayers and
prepare himself for death. While in a kneeling posture
one of the miscreants snapped a pistol at him, which,
-fortunately, missed fire. Bergan, feeling the hopeless-
ness of his condition, became desperate and reckless.
He -bounced off his knees, and rushed at the other
Rockite, wrested his pistol from him, and acted most
manfully, both on the offensive and defensive., He at
last succeeded in getting both, ruffians out of,,the house.
His head has several cuts in it; but none of them very
dangerous. Government has offered a reward for the
apprehension of theperpetrators of the above outrage.
" ATTACK ON HENRY CARDEN.—Sir Henry was
passing through the streets of Templemore, when he was
assailed and knocked down by a blow of a stone ; while
down he was struck on the head by another ruffian, also
with a stone ; and, but for the exclamation of some chil-
dren who were playing near the spot—that • a man was
murdering'—there can be little doubt that Sir Henry
would have been added to the list of persons whose lives
have been sacrificed.

" BORRISOKANE, DEC. 26.—1 have just a moment be-
fore the post goes out to inform you that a frightful at-
tempt at murder has been made in this part of unhappy
Tipperary, at an early hour yesterday evening. This
occurrence took place in the parish of Terryglass, within
pistol-shot of the village of Carrigahovig, and five miles
of Borrisokace. The circumstances are as follow :—A
Mrs. Going (a widow) was some time ago ejected from
a small farm which she held at or near Carrigahovig. A
respectable farmer, named Cleary, got into possession of
it. Ile was served with threatening notices, but did not
mind them. Yesterday evening, when going to his
own house, and quite hard by it, a gun, charged with a
vast quantity of heavy shot, was fired at him. At the
moment the deadly weapon was discharged, Cleary had
his hands in his breeches pockets, and in his left hand,
the one next the assassin, he held a bunch of keys, with
some pence and halfpence, which he had just got from a
neighbour. The shot struck his left hand, carried off
three of his fingers, smashed the ring of the keys, bat-
tered the money, and tore away his pockets and linen.
The abdomen is untouched, but his left thigh is much
_ _ _

lacerated. Hopes are entertained of his recovery, and
never was there so narrow, so providential an escape."

TIIE ROMAN CATHOLIC CLERGY.

The Leinster Express, a Tory journal, eulogises the
Rev. Mr. Nolan, parish priest of Dunkerrin, and other
Roman Catholic clergymen of the district, for their in-
defatigable exertions in repressing outrage, and in ob-
taining fire-arms from the peasantry, which had been
delivered to the authorities.
THE SCOTCH BANKS.

The London correspondent of the Mercantile Adver-
tiser states, under date of Wednesday—" I think I may
announce, with confidence, that Sir Robert Peel has
yielded to the remonstrances of the Scotch people, of
all parties, by abandoning, for the coming session at
least, his threatened project for the regulation of bank-
ing and currency in Scotland, the main feature of which
was the suppression of the small note system in that
part of the empire. As you must be aware, all Scot-
land has been in motion in defence of its banking sys-
tem; but, probably, by this time, the agitation has been
somewhat calmed down by an official intimation from
the Government that the contemplated changes will not
beroposed during the session of l 845;
"
TEE VANGUARD STEAMER.—The Cork Examiner of
yesterday says, " We have the pleasure to announce
that the Vanguard has been most successfully removed,
her leaks staunched, and that she is placed in safety on
a smooth sand-bank, from which she is to be removed
next tide to Passage, in order to get finally repaired."

COERCION ACT FOR IRELAND.
(From the Dublin Evening Post.)
The Leinster Express calls upon Government for a
Coercion Act. Certainly, the extent of crime is deeply
to be deplored, and means of repression should be used,
in co-operation with the Catholic Clergy ; for the horri.
ble system of outrage must be stopped, no matter how
apparent may be the causes. But, can a remedy be found
in a Coercion Act ? That experiment has already been
often tried and found totally unavailing.
The renewal of faction fights, through the instru-
mentality of agents who supply the peasantry with
whisky, to involve them once more in brutal intemper-
ance, is one of the worst features of the present dis-
turbances. It is worthy of note that such miscreants
dare not have shown themselves whilst the late Govern-
ment were in office. During the six or seven years that
Lord Normanby and Lord Fortescue presided over the
Government, and Lord Morpeth held the office of Chief
Secretary, Ireland continued in the most profound tran-
quillity, and Tipperary had been less disturbed. than
Yorkshire or Middlesex. If the landlords of Ireland
understood their own interests, they would have cast
faction to the winds, and have upheld a Government
which had been enabled to secure such a priceless bless-
ing to the country. Then there was no hired villains
prowling about, debasing the peasantry with whisky.
If such wretches ventured to appear, the constabulary,
under the able administration of the late-Thomas Drum-
mond, would at once secure them for the vengeance of
.
the law. how it that they now stalk abroad, prac-
tising their hellish trade with impunity? After the re-
velations about the Shinrone conspiracy, concocted in the
very district where most of the present outrages were
committed, can we wonder at these crimes, no matter how
deeply we may deplore them?
CHARITABLE BEQUESTS ACT.
The opposition to this Act has been revived, and now
appears to be carried on with more energy than before,
in consequence of the statements that have been put
forth in the newspapers respecting negotiations of the
British Government at Rome, on the subject of the ap-
pointment of Roman Catholic Bishops in Ireland.
The night Rev. Dr. COEN, Roman Catholic Bishop of
Clonfert, attended a very crowded meeting in Loughrea
ou Monday, and spoke iu the most decided manner

against the Charitable Bequests Act. Dr. Coen, :oia
taking the chair, said—" The friends and advocates of
this, obnoxious measure attempt to produce arguments
in its favour, as if, by gilding the pill, they fancy
themselves able to make its bitterness and nauseous-
ness somewhat palatable to the the patients. Some
of them say that it is a boon, that it is a distinct;
proof of the friendly disposition of the Premier towards
the Irish people. A boon, indeed! oh, what hypocrisy
to call that a boon which, if its provisions are carried
out, can only be considered like that which the Greeks
bestowed upon their enemies, the Trojans of old, vrkien..
they wished to introduce within the walls of Trc7;,
the wooden horse filled with incendiaries, who were
ordered to creep out in the dark and set the city on fire..
—(Cheers.) That is what we may consider this mis-
called boon, which the Premier intends to' offer to the•
Catholic inhabitants of Ireland as a new year's gift.—
lHear, hear.) A boon, forsooth ! Oh, no ! we cannot
ook upon it in that light. Can we so regard such a.
measure, which insults the hierarchy and clergy of Ire-
land, and strips them of their vested rights and privileges
in their respective dioceses? Is that a boon which sows-
the seeds of distraction, distrust, and division between,
the priests and their flocks?—(Cheers.) Is it, is flue, a
boon which proscribes and wished for the extermination
of the regular clergy of Ireland—s learned, pious class
of men, who are our zealous co-operators in the vineyard
of the Lord ?—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) But it is said
that we ought to be satisfied with this Charities Bequests
Aat, because, as they allege, it is better than the old
penal enactment. I say emphatically no—on Me-
contrary, it is more dangerous in its consequences, more•
injurious to religion, than all the Acts passed in the
angry days of persecution. And why ? Because the
times are now changed—direct persecution for religious
opinions has ceased ; the enlightened Protestants never
looked back with pleasure to the penal code.,:they wish
its remembrance to be buried in oblivion.—(Hiar.) But
not so this new penal enactment ; it is not intended by
its framers to be a dead letter on the statute book.--
(Hear, and cheers.) And in order to give it the appear-
ance of liberality, what have they done ? They have
exerted every nerve to enlist as members of the commis-
sion a few of the prelates—persons of most exemplary
conduct among the hierarchy of Ireland.—(Hear.) But
at the same time that they have succeeded in entrapping
a few, as if to conceal the venom of the pill by gilding
it, they also take care to have the majority on the board
members of the Protestant communion, whd, if they be
true and faithful to their faith—that faith which they
publicly avow and proclaim—cannot con,cientiously de-
cide in favour of grants for Catholic purposes.—(Hear.)
Can it be expected that they, the majority, would decide
in favour of that religion which they have been taught
from their childhood to condemn, and which they haves
sworn to be damnable and idolatrous ?"—(No, no.)
The Cork Examiner contains a long report of a meet-
ing of the Roman Catholic citizens, held on Friday, to
protest against the Charitable Bequests Act. The
Mayor presided. Mr. D. Callaghan, M.P., was amongst
the speakers.
The provincial papers received to-day contain various
other accounts of meetings to protest against the Act,
which is denounced in terms the most unqualified.