The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1844-03-12 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

ATHLONE ELECTION PETITION.—OD Tuesday last, the Committee of the House of Commons selected to try the merits of the petition against the return of Mr. Collett, as member for Athlone, were sworn at the table of the House, and on Wednesday they commenced their inquiry. The committee consisted of Mr. J. S. Pakington, Mr. Wm. Beckett, Mr. W. 0. Stanley, Mr. H. G. Ward, Mr. W. Cripps, Mr. R. Currie, and Mr. Locknart. On Thursday, two Irish witnesses were examined, who negatived the facts they had been called to prove ; and in consequence the petitioners' Counsel withdrew the petition. Mr. Collett was accordingly declared elected. EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR RIBTIONISI4,—.A remarkable case arising out of this nefarious conspiracy was tried at the Meath assizes last week. A man named Lynch was indicted for ribbonism, the principal witness being an informer. who for three years acted as parishmaster and paymaster of the association. If there is any credit to he placed on the evidence of this miscreant, the horrible revelations disclosed are of a nature calculated to arouse the worst feelings of any man who may, even inadvertently, render himself obnoxious to this system of Irish Thuggism. In the course of his direct examination " Paymaster" Blake (the informer) swore " that he had often issued money for assassinations !" and on his re-examination by Chief-Justice Doherty he affirmed, "that any person joining the association can complain of such as are obnoxious to him, or supposed to be tyrannical, and can have them either ill-treated, beaten, or murdered I" The jury were discharged without agreeing to a verdict; but 11, it is stated, were for finding the prisoner guilty.—Standard. THE VICEREGAL GENERAL GAOL DELIVERER: The following timely observations appear in the Cork Constitution of Saturday When Lord Normandy lately, in allusion to his gaol deliveries, stated that few of the persons whom he discharged were ever re-committed, he exhibited a marvellous forgetfulness of facts. Why, of 16 whom he pardoned, and of 41 whose sentences he commuted in the gaol of our own city, 13 were re-committed, and of those no fewer than ten were in due time transported. One of the latter—Mary Lynch—was subsequently five times committed, and at last transported ; Jeremiah Twomey, alias Old Lock, was subsequently six times committed, and finally transported, while two others were twice committed. Of the whole 57 (who were liberated between January, 1835, and April, 1839,) there were at the time of their sentences being commuted or themselves discharged, 34 under sentence of transportation and two under sentence of death. In the county gaol, 47 prisoners experienced the benefit of vioeregal liberality. Of these 18 had been under sentence of transportation, 11 of them for life ; but how many of them it became the duty of the Government to introduce a second or third time to the notice of the judge, or what was their ultimate destiny, we are, unfortunately, not informed. The Recorder, we observe, passed sentence of transportation yesterday on a fellow named Corkery. who had been some years ago similarly sentenced by one of the judges, but for whose release his worship was unable to account. The explanation, however, is easy. Corkery was liberated by Lord Normandy, and he has since been living on the plunder of the citizens, on whom that vain and visionary Viceroy so inconsiderately let him loose. Fortunately for us we have now a Viceroy who has too much interest in the peace of the country to turn out its malefactors for the poor purpose of raising a shout or obtaining a reputation for humanity."