The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-23 00:00:00

IRELAND.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.-MONDAY.

This being the first day of Term, and it being supposed
that Mr. O'Connell and his co-conspirators would be
called up for judgment, there was a large crowd assem-
bled round the courts from an early hour, and the excite-
ment appeared much greater than during the trials.
Mr. Justice Burton came into court at eleven o'clock,
and the gentlemen who were about being called to the
bar having been sworn before him he retired, and came
into court again at half-past one o'clock, accompanied
by Mr. Justice Perlin, when the usual business of swear-
ing-in the jurys was completed. The court, which was
densely crowded, remaining in breathless silence, evident-
ly expecting that some reference would momentarily be
made to the case of the Queen against O'Connell.
At this time none of the Crown Counsel appeared in
Court, nor were any of the traversers present. Mr.
Whiteside, Q. C., was the only one of the traversers'
counsel who was in court, and as a large bag with a pile of
briefs lay before him, every one seemed to expect that he
would rise for the purpose of alluding to the State Trials.
Mr. Tomb, Q. C., and Mr. Martley, Q. C., both coun-
sel against the traversers in the State Trials, shortly after
took their places at the table, and every eye was fixed on
them in anticipation.
M r. Whiteside then rose, but it was only for the purpose
of moving for the appointment of a commissioner of affi-
davits in the town of Newry ; and after a few other mo-
tions of no public interest, the Court was adjourned until
to-morrow, without any mention having been made of the
State Trials, to the evident astonishment of all present.
P.S.—A. side-bar rule was entered this day, calling upon
the traversers to come up for judgment on Friday.

On Thursday Mr. Whiteside asked the court whether
they would proceed with the motion for a new trial on
that day.
Mr. Justice Burton said that as the Chief Justice was
not present the motion could not be heard.
Mr. Whiteside suggested that Monday would be a con-
venient day.
Mr. Justice Button fixed that day.

On Saturday, the Attorney and Solicitor-General, with
several of the other crown counsel, were known 'to be in
consultation for several hours, and those who were watch-
ing the proceedings were surprised, as the afternoon ad-
vanced, to learn that no affidavit had been received at the
crown-office. Just previous to the rising of the court,
The Attorney-General entered, and stated that, in con-
sequence of the affidavits filed by the traversers and their
solicitors, he had thought it right to send copies to the
clerks of the peace of the county of Dublin and to the
deputy, Mr. Magrath. It is stated, in explanation of
this, that the Attorney-General, seeing the general charge
of fraud in the affidavits of the traversers, in regard to the
jury lists, has thought fit to call upon the individuals
above-mentioned, as the only persona who could have
committed such fraud, in order to ascertain whether they
would swear to affidavits in reply. The Attorney-General
said he had called upon the parties to answer by twelve
o'clock that day, but no affidauits had yet been filed in
their behalf, and he could not decide on filing the affida-
vits on behalf of the crown in reply till he ascertained
whether the clerks of the peace had answered the state-
ment in the affidavits of the traversers. The Attorney-
General, under these circumstances, applied to the court
for a postponement of the motion for a new trial, which
stood for yesterday, (Monday.) He considered it but fair
to the traversers not to press on the motion on Monday,
but to give them sufficient time to inspect the affidavits
when filed. He would move, therefore, that the order
for Monday be discharged and allowed to stand generally.
The moment the affidavits were filed the fact would be
communicated to the traversers' attorneys, and time given
for consideration ; and, as it was expected they would be
filed that evening, he supposed Mr. Whiteside would be
able to bring on his motion on Tuesday.
The court assented to the motion standing generally,
the notice standing in the list without any day being fixed.
The Attorney-General is to give twenty-four hours' no-
tice to the traversers' attorneys.
The opinion in Dublin was, that the motion would not
be brought on before Wednesday.

It is said to be the intention of government to form a
large encampment on the Currage of Kildare in the month
of June. It will consist of cavalry, infantry, and artil-
lery.

The Earl of Rosse has commenced melting, at Birr, the
speculum of a " monster" telescope, the weight of which
will be four tons. The last one, called by Sir Jas. South
" The Leviathan," weighed three tons, and is not polished
off as yet.
The body of another of the unfortunate sufferers by the
late melancholy accident in our lough, Henry Smith, was
found on Saturday n ,t far from the spot where he pe-
rished. That of Lieutenant Victor has not yet been re-
co ve red.—Belfast Chronicle.
THE IRISH LAND COMMISSION.—WE have authority
for stating that it is the intention of the Land Com-
mission to present a short report this session ; and that,
on the return of its members to Dublin, steps will be
taken for preparing the document.—Dublin Mail.
On the 13th instant, at Armagh, George Dunbar, Esq.,
lately M.P. for Belfast, and heir to the extensive estates
of John G. Dunbar, Esq., of Woburn, in the county of
Down, was married to Harriet, the second daughter of the
late Lord George Beresford, niece of the Lord Primate of
Ireland, and cousin to the Marquis of Waterford.
On Wednesday, the 10th instant, George Jubee, of the
sth Fusileers, was executed at Tullamore for the shooting
of Adjutant Mackey. He ascended the scaffold with a
firm, steady ctup, apparently unmoved at the awful change
about to take place. He fully acknowledged his guilt and
the justice of his sentence.

The Limerick Reporter states, that a fine interesting
girl, aged ten, daughter of George Jackson, Esquire, of
that town, was, on Sunday week, drowned in the canal.
It was ascertained in the course of the evening that the
child had gone to walk on the canal, and was amusing
herself in gathering daisies on the bank, near the first
lock, when she lost her balance, fell into the water, and
was drowned.

STEEPLE CHASING.—A very strong and a very unfa-
vourable sensation has been produced in the public mind
against steeple-chasing, in consequence of the frequency
of accidents occurring to riders and horses—many of
them fatal to both. This feeling has been considerably
increased by the late melancholy event, which deprived of
life so amiable and so estimable a young man as Mr.
Vigors, who was killed on Thursday week in this cold-
blooded and senseless sport—if such it may be called—
where there is nothing in the pursuit to excite or exhilarate.
—Dublin Evening Mail.
On Monday se'nnight, while Lord Tullamore was re-
turning home from a visit to Brettas Castle in his gig, two
fellows rushed at him, and one presented a gun close to
his head, which, on snapping, providentially missed fire !
His horse started, and off he drove. Soon after another
fellow rushed at the gig, stared at him, and, evidently
seeing he was not the man they wanted. sulkily said,
" good night." The Dublin Evening Mail states from
the information of a correspondent, that Mr. Vincent
Scully was the person intended to be shot by those who
made the recent attempt on Lord Tullamore. This gen-
tleman is the brother of Mr. Scully, who had been mur-
dered some time since.

NEW BRIDGE, OF PECULIAR CONSTRUCTION, AT
KILLESTER.—The lattice bridge across the new railway
at this place is eighty-four feet from abutment to abut-
ment, and was erected by Mr. Macneill for the purpose of
trying the principle upon which he proposed to erect the
bridge across the Royal Canal, which is now in course of
construction. The whole design is quite novel in engi-
neering, and will effect a saving which can hardly be esti-
mated in the cost not merely of railway bridges, but of
bridges generally. Nothing can be lighter or more beau-
tiful than the effect of this Killester bridge. The cost
has not exceeded £3OO, while that of an ordinary bridge
of the same span would have amounted to at least £lOOO ;
and there is nothing either of the suspension or arch prin-
ciple involved in it. By way of ascertaining its strength,
Mr. Macneill heaped upon it no less than fifteen tons of
metal, without producing any sensible deflection. The
Canal-bridge, on the same principle, will be 142 feet from
abutment to abutment.

THE ADMIRABLE POOR LAW.—The public are indebted
to Mr. Stephen French for a curious illustration of the
working of the poor-law. It is contained in a parliamen-
tary return of the numbers of soldiers and police em-
ployed in the collection of the poor-rate during the year
1843. We shall quote a few of the items, for the in-
formation of our readers, premising that the selection has
not been a curious one, but that the instances have been
taken almost at random from the return. The first union
enumerated is that of Ballinasloe, in which it appears that
twelve soldiers and 224 policemen—making altogether 236
bayonets—were employed, for seven days, in the service
of the poor-rate collectors, and that they succeeded in
levying two pounds eight shillings and one farthing. The
amount due on the union at the end of the year, during
which this foray was made, is stated in another return to
be £1,685 6s. lid. In Boyle union 534 soldiers and 130
policemen succeeded, in the course of 74 days, in collect-
ing £B2 18s. 104 d. ; and on the last day of their campaign,
viz., the 31st of December, 1843, there still remained due
£1,894 13s. 94d. In Donegal union there was a force of
three-hundred and twenty-nine bayonets, 150 soldiers,
and 179 policemen, engaged during one hundred and six
days—with better success, however, than in Boyle, as they
brought in to the cause of charity (!) no less a sum than
£343 ss. sd. ; leaving behind £490 3s. 100. out of a
total amount of rate of no more than £1,603 14s. 4d.
Again : in Longford, a brigade of 419 bayonets, employed
during six days, levied £1 19s. 63. ; and in Westport, 150
soldiers and 36 policemen collected £8 Ils. 114 d., leaving
still due £746 12s. Bid. out of a total of £1,616 Os. 54d.
But the most astounding fact of all, is that relating to the
hitherto peaceful and unagitated Union of Galway—a dis-
trict, the lamentable tranquility of which the great Agi-
tator was formerly wont to deplore. In the Union of
Galway an army (for so we must designate it) of 981 bay-
onets carried on operation for 45 days without collecting
a single shilling. This triumph of the Niebellian system
is attempted to be slurred over by the Commissioners, by
a statement made in a note that no return was received,
the collector being absent from his district. The author
of this note, however, forgot that in another column a
return was made of the rate due in the Union of Galway
on the Ist January, 1844, and that it amounted to two
thousand and sixty-four pounds eighteen shillings and
four pence. W. need not comment upon these few sim-
ple facts.—Dublin Evening Mail of Friday.

A destructive fire broke out in the extensive premises
of Messrs. Shortridge and Co., glass manufacturers,
South Shields, on Sunday week. The fire was not got
under until nearly eight o'clock at night, nor before much
valuable property was destroyed. A large quantity of
goods ready for shipment, consisting of 250 casks of glass,
received serious injury.