Star.
London, England, 1823-04-01 00:00:00

• STATE OP IRELAND.

A copy of a dispatch from the HarquisWeLLest.RY
to Mr. Put., dated Phceoix Park, January 20, 1823,
gives some curibtiS particulars relative to the present
condition of Ireland. We cannot insert the whole of
this document, but the following are the most essen-
tial points ;
Dorsal the. summer and the early part of the
autumn of 1822, the measures sanctioned by Puha=
mast tot the restoration of tranquillity, combined with
other causes, had produced such a degree of quiet,
that no necessity existed for my usual communica-
tion; and I entertained a hope that .I might have
been able At this time to furnish a very favourable
report of the actual state of ,the country; and that
this winter would have passed without any material
disturbance of the public tranquillity.
Although events have happened in some of the
provinces which have disappointed my expectations,
I am happy to inform you that the general condition'
of Ireland, with respect to internal tranquillity, is,
considerably ameliorated.
In the county of Limerick, the principal seat of the
late dtsturbances, my expectations have not been dis-
appointed. The reports from the Magistrates of that
county present no ajcgravated cases of crime, but
manifest indications of the decline of that system of
illegal and secret co:nbination which originally led
to open violence. Information is now-more readily
afforded; criminals are more easily detected; and
the witnesses against them no longer entertain that
cxtreme apprehension of danger, which, during the
early part of the year 1822, so universally and so
justly prevailed.
Limerick, therefore, has been restored to a state of
tranquillity, and is now more exempt from crimes
than other counties, which have been deemed tran-
quil. The condition of Limerick, however, cannot
justify the removal of any considerable portion of the
force of the army or police; nor the suspension of the
operation of the Insurrection Act.
At the end of November a.disposition to disturb-
ance began to appear in Clare, by notices on the sub-.
ject of tithes, by, punishing persons engaged in the
collection of them; and by a violent attack on (Mr.
11.1‘Cullock) aa, clergyman, whose life was seriously en-
' dangered by the injuries which he suffered.
To such an extent had crime prevailed in the ha-1
rony of Tulla, that the Magistrates had anticipated
the necessity of requiring the application of the pro-
visions of the Insurrection Act.
At the close of the, harvest a general disposition
was manifested in Cork and 'Tipperary, to invade the
property of the Clergy, and of others deriving an in.
gm* from tithes.
Tithe property, whether in the hands of laymen or
ecclesiastics, was the object of attack ; and the means
usually employed. destruction by fire. During. the
latter part of September, few nights passed witaout
the destruction, by fire, of some building, haggard,
or stacks of tithe corn,, in the proclaimed Baronies'
in the county of Col k. The same system has con-
tinued in those Baronies, with some abatement, to
the present time. It is a cut ions circumstance, how-
ever, in the character of these transactions, that, in
several instances, the grain had been artfully sepa-
rated from the straw, and had been sold, by they pro-
prietor of the stacks, for its full value; and that the
same propietor•had destroyed the stacks of straw by
fire, with a view of recovering from the Barony the'
full value of the corn already sold. These cases
were not so unfrequent.
The incendiary was of Course undiscoverable. The
fact of such numerous and secret conflagrations was
alleged to be' an indisputable proof of general com-
bination, until the vigilante of the military and Po-
lice actually detected 'a considerable number of the
stacks of straw, cleared of thi grain, and prepared
for the fire; and thus dis Covered the whole mystery
otthis double fraud.
By the activity of The troops and of the Police, the
number of conflagrations has been gradually reduced;
several instances, however, of that outrage occurred
during the last week, in one Barony.
• While these lawlet.i outrages have been directed
against tithe property, the former system of robbing
houses for arms, has not been altogether abandoned.
—Attempts to destroy persons Obnoxious to the in-
surgents, on account of information given, or of a
refusal to obey their commands, have been renewed ;
but these robberies have not been frequent, and have
appealed rather subsidiary to*the attainment of other
.objects connected with the *destruction of the pro-
perty of the church.
There is reason to believe, that in some cases out.

rages have been perpetrated by persons detached fur
the special pinpose, from the disturbed Baronies; and
even in the parts of the country where the outrages
have most,prevailed they have seldom been conducted
by persons of the immediate neighbourhood, with the
exception of the cases of fraud already described.
In lipperiry a similar system commenced, though
in a mitigated degree. During the latter part of
September and the month of October some destruc-
tions of pi operty by fire occurred; notices were posted,
and some attacks were made for the purpose of pro-
curing arms.
Many crimes have since been committed in the
county of Tipperary, but not generally of the former
insurrectionary character.
The districts of the King's and Queen's counties,
bordering on Tipperary, have been affected by simi-
lar diiorder ; property has been Cestioyed by fire;:
and in some places great apprehensions have existed
of the disturbance of tranquillity.
In the county of Ruscommcni, notices of au inflam-
matory and threatening character, during the winter,
have been senendly circulated ; but, in consequence
of the exertions of the police, the outrages. have not
attained any alarming height.
Some disturbance has also occurred in the counties
of Kildare and Westmeath ; it has been met in bbtb.
inittances, by an extension of the Peace Presektition
Act to additional Baronies.
The Province of Ulster maintains its tranqnillky.
hunt the statement of facts contained in this dis-

patch, and from the obsertations which I have sub-
mitted„to you, it will appear, that the general con-
dition of Ireland, with regard to the•internal tran-
quillity of, the Provinces, is considerably improved
since the last winter. That the appearance of syste-
matic disturbance is confined to a few districts on the
north-western boundary of the county of Cot k ; and
that, even in those districts, no Insurrectionary com-
bination has been manifested; but K most outrageous
attack has been made upon the system of tithes, and
upon the rights and property of the Church, with
reference to that system. •
That a considerable improvemeni ha' been effected
in the administration of the law, within the.dlstH icts
which had been disturbed; and that it is reasonable
to expect increased vigour and purity in their admi-
nistration. That the new Police has been introduced
into the lately disturbed districts, and into others, with
general approbation, with the cordial and effective
co-operation of the Magistrates; and, in many in-
stances, with great success in the detection of crime,
the speedy apprehension of offenders, and the main.
tenance of public peace.
The Marquis attributes the improvement chiefly to
the Act of the last Session of Parliament tOr the im-
provement of the Police, and to the revision which
has taken place in the appointment of Justices of
Peace. A considerable degree of praise is bestowed
on the Magistrates, Gentlemen, and Clergymen, for
the assistance they have given in enforcing the laws,
and for their readiness in holding Petty Sessions.-...
Linder the favourable view, however, which the:Mar-
quis takes, he does not think it prudent to recommend
the relaxation of those eitrwordioary powers which
Parliament considered tp be necessary for the pre-
servation of the peace of Ireland. In particular, the
Marquis considers the renewal of the Insurrection Act'
for another year to be indispensably requisite.