Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1881-07-09 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE ROYAL IRISH CONSTABUL ARY.  A recent visitor to the Emerald Isle writes as follows of the Royal Irish Constabulary : As the • world knows, this is a semi-military force composed • inclusively of Irishmen, the flower of the country from the Giant's Causeway to Cape Clear. Many years ago a mixture was attempted; some young Scotsmen joined • e ranks, but the experiment was a failure; and s non then, as before, the " alien " element is entirely . merit. Among. the hmj.ctors—whe we gentlemen holding military rank—are a few English and Scotch; but the great body of the officers :.re of the same nationality as the rank and file. It is a strange fact that notwithstanding the steady decrease of the population, the Government find no lack of good men and true to keep up the etreng'h of this Irish army. The standard of height is maintained. The men are toll and active. A sound physique is requisite; an unimpeachable character in indispensable; and a fair amount of intelligence a sine qua 11.9. It may well be said that the Irish constabulary are a " picked " body of men. The force is not" recruited 'in the prdinary sense of the term. Applications are made as for any other situations, and the crucial tests applied before the candidates are accepted. This says much for the popularity of the force, which now numbers about 12,000 men. A sight 0: the raw material being drilled at the depOt,Plicsnixpork, gives a fair idea of the general grade whence constables come. Their dress denotes both respectability and comfort, and the various files would prim for shopmen or clerks. But the great majority are to: sons of tenant-farmers, only a sparse sprinkling coming from the towns. Unlike the Bog. oh police, the Irish constabulary are isolated trom the people. They are among them, but not of them. Hence the difficulty of grappling %NI crime. The constabulary have no friends amongst the populace; the law has no " civilian " oseistance. The friends of the Irish Government are ont e small section of the community at large. The interior of a constabulary barrack is severely military and scrupulously clean. In a town of 3000 inhabitants there are stationed, say, fifteen or sixteen men of tne force. Their arms—rifle and sword and baton— are the latest developments of such weapons, and the reMtions between the men and their superior officers • .imilar to those which exist in the army. Very :mums was it to see stacked in a corner of a country barrack room the " arms" brought in or ,and after the district had been proclaimed. If they could talk, what tales they might tell! Blunderbuss. --murderous-looking old engines; muskets with flint locks, and othe-s with no locks at all; fowling pieces of grotesque manufacture; and pistols that would be hard to match in any museum of the Kingdom. The condition of these " arms " were such as to ensure the disintegration of the man who should load one of them with powder and ball and pull the trigger. It would bow miracle if the act left even a wreck behind.  [opt  perLual  THE OFFICIAL REPORT on the results of the -,arthquake at Chios gives the number of killed at 3612, and wounded 1306. A