The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1846-12-15 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE ARMS MANIA IN IRELAND.  This dangerous movement goes on apace. Birmingham is absolutely panting under its exertions to supply guns, rifles, and bayonets, for " starving Ireland!" The " fins pisantry" appear to have more than human appetites, and can digest gun barrels, and munch their stocks, quite as easily as they can accomplish the same feats with potatoes and buttermilk. Unfortunately, however, our fellowcountrymen are occasionally tempted to put this new food of theirs to its legitimate use, previously to making a meal of it—to shoot an unoffending individual or two before swallowing their newly-acquired aliment. Popping off a bailiff or process server is nothing in their way, and never has been much ; but it is a little singular, that wits the means of this gentlemanly and humane amusement, kindly afforded them by the liberality of the British people, the " fine pisantry" should resort to the Gothic practices recorded in the following, which we quote from the London Times of Friday :  " The Evening Mail states, on what that journal considers competent authority, that an overseer in the employment of the Board of Works has been barbarously murdered in the county of Clare. It if, said that the body of the wretched man was C,41 into pieces with reaping hooks. No other particulars are given." Surely Lord John Russell ought to send to a people thus evidently preparing themselves for a graceful use of the " better sort of food," which is to result from the present potato calamity,—to wit, the use of butchers' meat—a supply of carving knives. Cutting up a human being, or any other subject for practice, with a reaping hook, is obviously not the most handy way of doing things. Another similar affair is recorded as having occurred in the county of Galway :—" On Monday evening last Mr. Lynch was entering his own gate, when he was fired at from behind, and it would appear the shot mortally wounded but did not kill him. The assassin or assassins —for it is supposed that he was attacked by more than one person—beat him dieadfully on the head, and, not content with depriving him of his life in that manner, they houghed and mangled his body in a shocking manner with some instrument, supposed to be a reaping hook." Of course, it will be supposed that this poor gentleman was some dreadful oppressor of the poor—some human. ogre devouring the substance of widows and orphans. No such thing. He is described as " one of the kindest and most benevolent gentlemen within the district in which he resided—a most inoffensive gentleman, greatly esteemed by every person, rich and poor, in the neighbourhood." Why, therefore, this " houghing" and " mangling," unless we are to believe that Irishmen are naturally bloodthirsty ? It is a problem to us, we must confess;, and would almost lead us to the conclusion, that in this portion of her Majesty's dominions the people are, under the blessed influence of Popery, relapsing into a state little removed from cannibalism.  The very material question arises, bowever,—What is to be done with such a people ? They are starving, we say ; and it is urged,—" Give them employment and. money to buy food." Well, we have tried the experiment. We have given them employment—and they refuse to till their fields. "We have given them money to buy food—and they buy guns, and use them, to destroy the lives of human beings. How long is this sort of thing to go on? Has Lord John Russell no better way of managing Ireland than that of arming its rebellious and murder-loving population? If he has not, it is time that he confessed his difficulty, and handed over his trust to other and more capable hands.