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Northern Star (1837-1852), 28th October 1848, Edition 1 of 3, Page 6

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      Mr Meajaersiy ? the cocuby would be regenerated ;' fire last words « e ssid were— ' Again I tell you 1 am ready . ' Yon * nsmory aupsMt to be most « eellent . No * , repeat thU- [ Tfa 9 learned gentle , aui then read the Mowing extract from the speecu IB defence of flwdy . reported in the 24 ' . h volume of the State Trial *] :- A mercenary iniormei ¦ knows no distinction . TJnder sach » sjstetn tto obnoxious peoples slaves , not only to ttopmnw * but ttevlive at the msroy of every individual ; they are atoace tbeslava of the whole community , and of every part of it ; and the worst and mostunmerci . fhl nea are those on vhise goodness they must depend . * ., .. Witness . —Stop , stop ; I cannot repeat it if you don't stop ( Ltn $ htsr . ) Mr Wbilejide . —What ! can't yon repeat that ?—Repeat s sing ' e sentence of it The witns * s hesitated , evidtntly quite at fault .

      Did not Mr Mea ? her speak Tery quick—was he not s dashing speaker ? He is a very nice young man . — ( LaughUr . ) Well , I will try 50 a again . I will read slowly—cot near so quickly as Mr Meagher gpoke—sod when I have done-you can tell ntt what I said . ( The learned counsel then read the following passage from the same volume ) : — ' But let nsfirat eximine In what manner this matter , such as it » , vai recanted . He profaned to ipeak from notes , yet Iohserred Mm frequently tasking no to the ceiling whilst he was speaking , when I said to him , * Are ton n ow speaking from a note ? Have you got any aote of what yon are now saying ? ' He

      answered—• Oh . no , this is from recollection . ' Good tod Al mieb . ty !—recollection mixing itself with notei in a ease of high treason . He did not even take down tire wwda—nay , to do the man justice he did not even affect to have taken the words , but only the gubatanw , as he himsalf expressed it ; Oh , excellent evidence ! The rabstance of words taken down by a spy , « ad supplied , when defective , by his memory . ' Now , sir , repeat that ( Laughter . ) Witness ( with a ludicrously puzzled expression of countenance . )—I don't think there is a man in the court could do it . ( Laughter . ) ' Spy * is not applicable to toe , fer I wan only discharging my duty . Mr Whiteside . —Go down , sir .

      Constable Geary deposed 'that he began to write Ms report of the speech at night , but next morning tore up what he had written and bsgan again . ( The witness was here asked to repeat a sentence in the speech , but coatf not do so unless , he was permitted to refer to Ms note . Mr Bats objected to his doing so)—I recollected the speech next morning ; there is sot a day since I came to Clonmel that £ have not looked at it , for I had it in my cap . ( Laughter . ) Mr Butt—That is the nearest it got to your head , I believe . Haw often did yon read it to-day?—I would not swear how often , whether six times or twenty . Now repeat the passage about the fin ship if you can ; are you able to repeat it ?—I a < n ; he ssid , * sink beneath the waters and rise again ,

      showing forth the benefits of a glorious republic' Well , what was the next sentence—was it huma ? Yes . that was it , 'hurrah , for tke republic . '—Well , can yon go on any farther ? Ns answer . —Can yon repeat the psa » ge abmt the children ! Witness ( scratching his head ) : About the children!—Yes . Are jon able to give ns that now ? No answer . —Were you drinking this morning * No . —Were yon drinkme on the evening yon made the report ! I wasnot —D j yon ever drink any ! I do . —Bo yon ever take a drop too much ! Oh , the first man in the land might do feat sometimes . ( Laughter . )—But are yon

      in the habit of doing so t I am not—Were yon degraded for it f No . —Were yon censured for it t I was sot . —Did yon ever loss perries for it ? I did ; . five years . —How often did that happen ! Only once . — 'Well bow , I ask yon again , can yon give me the passage about the children ! No answer . —On your oath , and before God , do yon think yon can give < ne sentence from the speech ! Have I sot deneeo already ?—But on your oath , can yon now repeat one sentence he uttered ? I can . —Well , if yen can , repeat me one ssnfenee . ( The witness hesitated for some time , but made no answer- ) Mr Butt—Yon may go down , sir .

      Captain ligngmore . of the 8 th Hussars , deposed to having seen barricades at Eillenanle ; and stated that these obstractioss to the progress of his troop ware removed when he said he had not a warrant for the arrest of Mr O'Brien . Mr Butt . —Captain Longtime , I suppose yon would be very much surprised if yon were told yon were engaged in war that morning . Captain Longmore ( laughing . )—Why , indeed I honld . Lamphier , another policeman , in his evidence , attributed to Mr Mssgher word 3 which he swore an the tr ial of-Mr O'Brien were spoken by that eentieman . and on being shown , that he had done bo , excused him 3 elf by saying ; that he was brought so often there that he was confused . The next witness we quote is of a different stamp : —

      An old woman named Mary Ksenan (« aid to h&ve been Mr Meaghert nurse ) was then called . When she made her appearance on the table she said—My lord , with the greatest submission , I beg leave to ¦ peak a single word . I have been bribed for the prosecution . I have got thia cloak and this cap . I nave been bribed . Clerk of toe Crown .-Take the book . Witness took the bosk and kitted it . She was then examined by the Attorney General . —I live on the eommoni . I recollect the evening of tire day of the fight aft the Widow Cormick ' a—Do yon know Mr Meagher ? Ob , I got a bribe , I will say nothing . —Yon are upon yonr oath ; you are bound to give evidence . Look at that gentleman ( the pruensr ) . [ Witness buried her face in her hands . ] Do yon know that gentleman ? I do not . sir .

      There was some commotion In the court at this part oEtheprooeedinss , and many persons in the gallery laughed at the strange appearance of the old woman , and her demeanour on the table . Chief-Jnstice Blackburne . —The court has for some days observed great levity immediately outside the do ± ; and if these marks of approbation or disapprobation be continued , we will order the court to be e ' eared of those persons who are thu * disturb ' ingit . Attorney General { to witness ) . —Yon must turn about , madam . Mr Butt—She has already said she does not know Mr Meagher- .

      Attorney General . —Oh , she must answer . Look my good woman , at the dock . Do you know that gentlemen ? I tonld yon I got " a bribe for spakiag I got a ca ? , a handkerchief , a oloak , and stockings forswearinz . A constable got £ lt and bought them far me ?—We will talk about the bribe by and by . lto yon . know that gentleman ? Yon must answer me . I do not know him . —Did yon ever s ^ him before ? I might—Were yon ever in Waierford ? I was .-Did yon know him there ? No answer .-Was that the gentleman yon saw at Waterford ! I do not know , sir . —What acquaintance had you with him No arquamtanee , -Were yon at aU acquainted with him ? When ten years old I was . I had no

      acquaintance with him . only to see him . —Do you recolkct seeing any gentleman about Sullivan ' s house near the commons , before Friday evening ? There were a great many gentlemen . —Were yoa renewing any old acquaintance with him there ? I do not Snow whether I was or not I do not remember . — Did yon see that gentleman npon that evening at the commons ? I do not know . I saw several gentlemen . — Come womin , yon Btnst answer . I am not able , to answer yon . — Did you see that gentleman , and were voa speakine to him ? No ' . I have not a bit of memory , sir — Yoa have nos a bit of . memory ! No , sir . I am a poor lone widow , making my way through the world . ? 3 •

      Chief Jostiee . —Mr-Attorney General , will yon prey her any more ? * - ' Attorney General—No , my lord . You may go down , madam . Mary Keenan rolled her cloak about her , and adjusted her cap , and then went rapidly off the table , covering her face in her cloak , as if unwilling even to look at Mr Meagher . . Mr WMteaida in opening lh § defenee said t—In tf » : 3 case ( he said ) , it now becomes my duty to address you on the part of my client , the prisoner at the bar I ahall not be guilty of the ally affectation of asking you as Court and judges to dismiss from yonr minds what you may have heard of the proceedings in this eve—on the contrary , I do not desire that you should

      forget all that you know and must necessarily have read of the trials which have taken place at this unfortunate oommiBiion . Had my client been tried fint , and had he been tried in any happier portion of this empire , I aver his acquittal would have been certain . Bat the Attorney General , with consummate art , has reserved this case for the last . The previous trials have paved the way for the conviction of the prisoner and my learned friend , flashed with his put successes bis kept the case of Thomas Francis Meagher for the closing scene of the commission : Gentlemen of the jury , you heard the Attorney General ' s statement That statement was clear , and inoae or two respects was remarkable . He told yon Mr Meagher was indicted for levying of war against the Queen , and he farther told you—I wrote down the sentence as he spoke it—that it was not neceisary for him to prftTn that Meagher was present at the levying of war , for that he

      would be equally guilty if he were sotted in his parlour ( I presume in Dablin ) while all the transactions spoken of were taking place in jour eounty . and if the Attorney General be right and succeed in coriTincms ; the court that his view of the law be correet , and if the court succeeds in convinoins yo » that it ought to ba adopted , of course my olienf must be convicted . But lUnttie contrary , the case of my client be heard and be teed with reference toereryttiBe he has done—with reference to his conduct and all his actions-then his acquittal is eertain . Now , the difficulty in my way is to have him tried according to ttepnnciptes of common tense aadeommonjusfice . By toe fundamental role of our law . that one man is notto be affected by the declarations , speeches , and conductotanother , unleatflat other is insert almost b T 9 lf - ^ : 2 *?*?* id « n « fied in one pnS and one object that the identical purpose stated intta indictment to affect Mr Meagne ^ SKrith

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      anything which has been said , or spoken by another , unless on such grounds , is simply to deny the first principles of justice , and to violate the law yoa are to administer . _ Tin learned gentleman after stating the offence of which Mr Meajher was . ' acoused , and giving a luminous exposition of the law with reference to it , proceeded to give an outline of his client ' s political career and opinions : —Ibout four years ago Mr Meagher left the college in which he was educated—a place at which some of the most distinguished men at the bar , and one or two on the bench , were educated before him . Hecame over to this coumry at the time Mr 0 Conne'l wa 3 holding what were called the monster meetings . He attended several of those meetings , held for the purpose of obtaining a repeal of the union , but he did not speak . He became personally known to Mr O'Connelland was admired by

      , that distinguished person for his talents . One vice , he admitted , his client had—that any opinion he ever entertained he as openly avowed and consistently adhere J to ; and if he thought a particular question was bottomed on principle and justice , he adhered to his opinion , whoever those might ba who held a contrary one . In almost the outset of his life he got into one difficulty . In May , 1815 , npon the occasion of the bill being brought in by Sir R . Peel to establish provincial colleges ia thia country , there was a discus-Bioii at the Repeal Association , on the Yalae of thoge associations . Mr Meagher held the opinion that & mixed religious education was the best mode in order to abate religious rancour , and to combine the youth of the country in sentiments of union and affection : he spoke in advocacy of that plan , and instantly be was assailed and branded ai an infidel . A storm

      burst upon him which he believed Mr O'Connell rather directed , and Mr Meagher for some time was obliged to withdraw . In February , 1846 , however , he became an active member of the Repeal Association , and npon no occasion did be shrink from avowing sentiments of generous nationality , In strains of rather ratio eloquence . His theory , right or wrong , was this , and in it he ( Mr Whiteside ) entirely agreed with him , and thought he had dons a lasting benefit to his country , by asserting that without the entire and complete union of all classes of persons it would be impossible to accomplish the object he had in view . When the Whigs came into office he was found in a prominent position , and one thing occurred which brought him into odium . A proposition was mooted whether Repealers should hold places or

      not . Mr Meagher was of opinion that they should not , and that it would destroy the object of the patty ; and in troth he thought the Whigs most dangerous to his project , because agitation was carried on as a means of getting places , and no farther , and no good was done to the country . His opinion met with . violent opposition that led to a schism , and resulted in the Confederation . There was a proposition to oppose Mr Shell at Dangarvan . and Mr Meagher espoused that came , but he was deemed an impracticable perron , ntteti pg extravagant opinions that could never be put in praotice . After that , what _ were called the notorious peace resolutions were introduced , and anargument was got up against physical force and for moral resistance . He refused to agree to that doctrine , that in no event should a

      nation resort to armed resistance . It was by the assertion of the doctrine whioh Mr Meagher supported that the Qaeen held her throne . In January , 1847 . the Confederation waB formed , and MrMeagher on several occasions candidly expressed his feelings , uttering sentiments which were all in favour of the legitimate rights of property , of the preservation of the various orders ot the state , but advocating no doubt with ardent expressions , that course which he thought would recover and restore what lie had been tanght to believe was the . good old constitution of Ireland . In February there came a question as to the organisation of clubs , and the great question of Repealers holding placeb was again discussed . At a later period Mr Meagher attended a meeting in Belfast , and at that meeting he disclaimed the idea

      of any ascendancy of any class in the country . The next transaction he figured in was at Galway , in snpportiag Mr O'Flaherty against the Attorney General , though not from any personal disrespect to his learned friend . Mr Mssgher afterwards became a candidate for Waterford , but was not returned ; that was on the 14 th of March , and on the 15 th he uttered that very speech in which , as the Attorney General conceived , he had established something guilty against him . What did they think of the principle of a case whioh relied npon speeches in March to explain acts dene in July ? It was a most unconstitutional style of argument It was mong , tronstotake speeches made at a given time , and whioh might then be seditious only , and to strain them into treason four or five months afterwards

      , and to make them evidence of a crime which , at the time they were delivered , they did not establish and could not prove . lie objected to take old stale speeches , connecting them with others , and mixing them up into a jumble , and then saying , 'This proves high treason . ' That was the bad doctrine of cumulative treason , which he thoHght was driven ont of our courts of law . He was surprised that the Attorney General could refer to the speeches of Mr Meagher , and say that his enthusiastic declamation ahoutthe Republic of Franca was evidence of treason . His client spske with warmth , bnt the best men he ever knew had talked in their youtu in the same manner , and he wonld not give a rush for any young man through whose brain an idea never passed of restoring the departed glories of Greece or

      Rome . A jury would not convict him on this speech of sedition , and yet the jury were now called on to take his life for it . The Attorney General said he had an idea in his mind . An idea ! Sach a phrase suggested the worst days before the old Revolution . And because the prisoner entertained ' anidea' about the independence of his country , he was to be accused on the authority of speeches delivered months before . Attempts like these had been crammed into indictments in England , and speeches , songs , and ribald verses poured into tbe ears of jurors until they weresick , but all to no good ; in every ease the juries acquitted the accused . The learned geatleman read another Bpeech of Mr Meagher , in which he Bpoke of the necessity of procuring repeal , and if that were denied , of essaying for independence . The Attorney

      General prosecuted him—and be was sorry he had failed—for sedition , but a common jury did not believe him " guilty ; and now he was tried before ajnry characterised , it was said , by firmness and determination , for high treason . Let them beware that they did not earn a character for firmness and determination at the expense of humanity ' and justice Mr Whiteside proceeded at great length to comment with singular power and ability on the evidence adduced by the crown , and especially on the various speeches attributed to Va client , and the letters written by him , and put in evidence against him and having olosed the documentary part of the case at nearly seven o ' clock , requested the court would adjourn , as he felt much exhausted , the court granted the request .

      A burst of clapping of hands and stamping of feet followed the close of the speech , and lasted a few seconds . The High Sheriff ( to the police ) . —Take any one into ousted ? you see applauding at once . The delinquents were , however , concealed b eneath the shades of night in the gallery and the court and not one of the enthusiasts was caught to be made an example of ; Ob Friday morning Mr Whiteaide resumed his address for the defence . Aftefahrief recapitulation of what he had advanced on the previous day , he entered into a minute analysis of the evidence and charaoter of the witness Dobbin . He first painted out the discrepancies in his evidence , and then the ad ditjons made to it since his former examination which alone would

      , expose him to suspicion . He denounced his whole story , and condemned the officers ef the crown for not attempting to sustain it by any csrroboration . The means were within their power even witnesses had been placed npon the table who could have corroborated portions of his Btory had it been true , and yet the Attoraey-General had not dared to examine them on those points . Dobbin ' s history sb extraoted on cross-examination , was next handled with great effect ; and Mr WhiteaMe closed this part of the case by asserting that on Dobbin ' s endenoa the whole ca ? e hinged , and no twelve men in their senses could place the slightest confidence in his testimony . The speeches , as reported by the nolice , were next commented upon , and the speaker condemned , m strong language the emnlovment of

      illiterate men in Buch duties as are likely to imoair their efficiency , and bring them bto greatcontempt . He went rapidly through the remaiaing evidence concluding as foW-Who is the prisoner whow acquittal I demand in the name of justice ? You see him scarcely entered on the race of life , with every prospect of a happy and a bri ght career , ardent in feeling , of generous aspirations , gifted with impassioned eloquence , and urged on by a vehement lave of country : His indiscretions have been free from meanness , selfishness , hyprocrlsy , or falsehood ; bnt still they have been indiscretions . His desire to restore a looal parliament may be visionary , bat it is natural , and springs from the noblest feeling whioh can warm or animate the heart ef man . I do not say he was right . I declare emphatically my belief that npsn such shreds of evidence as you hire heard , if tried ia England , his acquittal wonld be certain . Discriminate between guilt and innocence- The

      proceedings at this commission , the condition of « ur country , the many prejudices pressing npon the prisoner , are all with honourable miads go many additional reasons for the extremest caution in listening to the proof of words—words , nothing but words—to establish treason . I only ask you to adt in conformity with the law , and I tell yon the honest verdict ot acquittal will be hailed with delight by all reflect , ing men , by your countrymen throughout the wide world with gratitude , and , better still , if will receive thelaatingapprobation of the impartial monitor within your hearts . Posterity will remember and bless yournames ; it mil be said of you , that when impanelled in a time of unparalleled excitement you did your duty between the crown and the subject , and executed justice temperately , wisely , reconciling many to the law who had doubts of its impartiality and fairness ; that you wonld not listen to sophistry , nor convicti your fellow-creature on conjecture and guess ; that you struck down the odiouidootrine of

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      eonstrnotive treason , and restored the law to the noble simplicity in which it was fashioned by a free and vutnong ancestry . May that law , not' a law of subtleties and quirks , quibbles and constructions , bat a law of broad reasen , be perpetual , as t he greatness of the people from whom it » pririg 8 , and may the 4 ree ~ and-h * ppy tionstitution , - defended - "and guarded by that law , flourish in unbroken Btfength and splendour until that dread day on which we are taught to believe this fabric of nature must be dissolved ' in eternal a 9 hes . Mr'Whiteside was quite exhausted at the olose of his address , whioh ended at about half-past one , and on this occasion even surpassed his effort on behalf of O'Brien .

      The evidence for the defence was then called . The first witness deposed to being a member of the Red Hand Club , and being acquainted with Dobbin . He was a member before Dobbin , and swore that neither Dobbin nor any one else had ever been appointed a delegate from the olub under any circumstances , and none of the club had ever been armed . Mr Kirwan , the solicitor for Mr Meagher , then deposed that he had examined the balloting papers for the council of war , and though Dobbin had stated that Mr D . Reilly and Mr Lalor had an equality of votes , the numbers , according to the papers , werefor Hit Reilly 16 . and for Mr Lalor 10 , and this on the fint ballot . Similar evidence to that in the case of O'Donohoe , was then given , showing that Mr Meagher . on the day of the attack at Widow M'Cormick ' s , was some miles distant , and could not have been there . ' /

      After a shnrt adjournment , Mr Butt followed on ttu Bame side as Mr Whiteside . oh whose speech he passed a high eulogium . He necessarily passed over the same ground as on this and previous trials . His speech was very able and argumentative , and had not concluded at half past seven , when he prayed tbe in > dulgence of an adjournment , which the court refused , till Mr Meagher implored them to do ao as an act of justice to hit counsel . On Saturday morning , Mr Butt resumed , and concluded an able speech by asking the jury to call back to their minds the speeches which his client made in Dablin—to read carefully those splendid lessons of toleration and peace—those grand lessons of order and loyalty which he had inculcated en his countrymen—and ask themselves whether they ought not to

      obliterate from their memories thelo : ie and : indiscreet , ay , if they would bare it so , these seditious speeches , into which persecution and percussion had betrayed him . Everything given in evidence on that trial was left to the jury . On them depended whether a precedent should be established that might prove fatal to the liberties of the country . It was by the independence of jurors that their liberties were alone protected , and if the jury he addressed betrayed the high trust reposed in them that day , they wonld be establishing a precedent that might ba used against their own children hereafter ; He would pray the Great Being wh > presided over that tribunal before which they must all app-ar , to rescue his client from a verdict of guilty , founded upon suoh evidence as

      had been brought against him by the orown on the present trial ; and fall ; confiding ia the impartiality of the judges on the bench , in the honour , integrity , and determination of the jury , and in the justice and righteousness ef the case he presented to them , he felt that the high and noble qualities of his client were not to meet the traitor ' s doom ; and that their verdict would redeem him from the inventive imagv nation of spies and informers , and restore him to the service of his Qaeen and country . The learned gentleman was applauded upon regaining his Beat . Chief Justice to the prisoner : Now is your time to say anything to the court and jury if you desire it , Mr Meagher . —No , my lord , I do not wish to say anything ; I am perfectly satisfied with the manner in whioh my counsel have defended ine .

      The Solicitor General rose and reviewed the Taw of high treason as applicable to the present case , and admitted that the speeches delivered by Mr Meagher were not treason , bat they were ased on the part of the crown to Bhow the intention of Mr Meagher when he addressed the populace of Carrick the night before the insurrectionary movement , and his appearance in Killenaule , holding with ton others , a council of war . Tfcey were to say whether they could draw any other conclusion from this , than that he accompanied armed bodies marohing through Ballingarry —waB contributing hiB aid—using that gift of eloquence which God gave him fand wbioh every man should regret had not been differently employed ) to excite , the misjudging population to aots of rebellion , whioh had unfortunately placed their lives In jeopardy .

      After going ; over the evidence , he concluded by leaving its value to tbe jury , confident they would give ajnst and impartial verdict . Lord Chief Justice Blackbnrne then summed up , daring which he re id the evidence of Dobbin verbatim , and told the jury that they must be the sole judges of his veraoity . The jury retired , and at a quarter to eight ' retnrned into court with a verdict of' Guilty' agaibt T . F . Meagher , strongly recommending him to mercy , on account of his yonth , and for other reasons . On Monday the untried political prisoners were brought up . The attorneys of the prisoners , it is understood , exerted all their persuasive powers to induce them to plead guilty , bat many of 'the boys' j repudiated suoh a pusillanimous and inglorious proceeding , insisting on their right * , o share the fortunes of the gentlemen , ' and to try chance for a verdict , and the success of those efforts may be seen below .

      The prison van arrived at the Courthouse with the usual guard of police at half-past nine o ' oleck , bat it was three-quarters past ten before the Judges took their seats on the bench . The court was very fall , the galleries being crowded by a number ef grand jarors , their families , and of officers of the regiments in garrison . The Solicitor General ( who is left to conduct the Crown cases in the absence of the Attorney General , who went up to Dublin on Saturday evening ) applied to the Court that James Orchard , Denis Tyne , and Patrick O'Donnell Bhould be brought to the bar to plead to the indiotment . The prisoners were brought forward accordingly . Orchard has the appearance of a country blacksmith in reduced circumstances , D . Tjneof a farm labourer , and Patrick O'Dannell looked like a respectable farmer .

      The Clerk of the Crown having read over the indictment , each of the prisoners pleaded 'Not guilty . ' Mr O'Callaghan tendered the same plea as in the case of the former prisoners with respect to the list of witnesses , &o ., not having been delivered to each ten days before trial , in order to establish their rights ia case of ulterior proceedings . The pleas having been received , the prisoners were removed , and another batoh placed at the bar . They were all ill-dressed , half-Btarved men , with the air of miserable rustic mechanics and artificers , except Staok , who is an enormous peasant , with a bold and determined bearing . They consisted of William Peart , Thomas Finane , J . Brennan , J . Preston , and the last named . Eaoh pleaded ' Not gailty , ' and were removed as soon as similar pleas had been handed in on behalf of each of them .

      SKSTKKCE OR THE CONVICTED PRI 80 KERS . The Solicitor General—I have now to apply to your lordships that T . B . M'Manns , Patriok O'Donohoe , and Thomas Franois Meagher may be brought to the bar to receive the jadgaent of the court . The three prisoners advanced to the centre of the dock ; they were attired with evident attention to their appearance . Each of them comported himself with a resolute air . M'Manus seemed aa , self-composed as he was on his trial . O'Donohoe looked pale , but colleated ; . while Ma jgher had a little osten t&tious display in his attitude . The Clerk of the Crown ( having read the indictment ) said—What have you , Terence Bellew M'Manus , now to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon you ?

      M'Manus ( who , at the utterance of . the fiut word , paused for a moment , then proceeded in a firm voice , and with that composure and propriety of manner which had characterised his demeanour during hh trial)—My lords , I trust I . am enough of a Christian and of a man to understand the awful responsibility ef the question which has been put to me . ; Standing upon this my native soil , —standing in an Irish court of justice , and . before the Irish nation , I had much to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon me , and why the sentence of the law should not be passed against me ; but upon entering into this court I placed ray life , and , what is of more importance tome , my honour , ia the hands of two advo . S *" lJ A . . , a th 0 » Hand "ves and ten thousand honoursshould hav

      , I e been content to place them all under the watchful and glorious genius of the one and under the patient Zealand devotton of the off I am , therefore content on ^ this point , and have no ' thing to say with regard to it . I have this to sav which no advooate , however anxious and devoted he ' may be , can say for me-I have this to lay-that whatever part I may have taken in my struLle for my country ' s independence-whatever part Iliave acted in my short career , I stand before your K ihips now with a free heart and light conscience , ready to abide the issue of your sentence Ami mow . tay lords , « this which may be the fittest time for metoputUus sentiment on record , I Wj , that tending in this dock , and about to ascend the Beaf *** "S ? . .- ° - ? u ° ' 5 -T * n > 7 . bean ,, itmaVbe whatever the result

      never- may be , I wUh to put this on record , that mao part of my conduct ,-in no part of the proceedings I have taken , have I been actuated by animosity towards Englinhmen , for among them I have spent some of the happieBt days of my life , and of the most prosperous , and in no nut whioh Thave taken was I aotuated by enmity towards Englishmen individually , whatever I mav have felt of the injustice of English rule in this island . Therefore , I have only to Bay . it is not for havinglevedEngjandlcBs . bu / for ha ^ ngloyjd Ireland more that I now stand before you , ( Murmurs of apDiausein the gallery . ) ... O ' Donohoe , on being asked by . the Clerk of the Crown what he had to say , spoke as follows :-I beg to say that the Attorney General and the Solicitor General have . conduoted the case against me fairly

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      but strictly , and that I find ho fault with them , nor witk Che eYi 3 | n ] >Ven against me , aa far as it was stated to thejury . _ M y Lords , I do complain that in suoh a country aa this thejurors Bummoned to try me —a stranger —for a political'Offence Were exclusively m y political opponents , ; and' -with suoh ^ a panel 'I regret that your lordships did not , as my counsel requested , allow my jury to be called from those who had not served or had been rejeoted bn ' a' former trial . The jury thus selected could not be supposed to overcome all bias , and I bjlieve they found a most mistaken verdiot . Mr Justice Moore in his direotion told the jury that ifJl assisted Mr O'Brien whilst engaged in a treasonable design . I was guilty of treason , although I might not know of his intent , and that

      from their recommendation to mercy it appears they fotjnd me guilty on that direction . To one unlearned in the law , who might suppose that treason depended on intention , it seems contrary tocommon sense that I oan participate in a treasonable design of the existence of which I am ignorant . I do not , however , presume to dispute the law as your lordship his stated it , but no earthly jud ? e is infallible , and as the doctrine is so startling , and is stamped with the authority of Mr Moore ' s high constitutional character , and would form a precedent dangerous to the lives and liberties of the best men , I humbly re quest your lordship to reserve the point for the consideration of the jadges ; if your lordship be in error that error will be corrected , if not it will be a proteo

      tion to every one to know that the law laid down here ha * been confirmed . It ia not for me on this occasion , nor is it fit , to defend my opinions and character ; I will therefore only say those opinions have been tolerant , sinoere , and consistent . I am grateful to my eminent counsel , Mr Butt , for his eloquent and truly able defenoe—the more so , because that defence was generously given without fee or reward , and given to his political antagonist . I cannot express my admiration for the sincerity and great talent shown by my junior counsel . Mr Francis Meagher ; and his zeal in my defenoe . I also beg to thank my solicitor , Mr Laffan , for the ability with which he conduoted my Case , and thegreat exertions made by him on my behalf ; I thank your lordship for thin patient hearing . ¦ ¦

      Mr Meagher . on being called on to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him , spoke as follows : —My lords , it is my intention to say a few words only . I desire that the last aot of a proceeding which haa occupied ao mnohof the public time should be of ehort duration ; nor h&ve I the indelicate wish to close the dreary ceremony of a state proieoution with a vaia display of words . Did I fear thather ^ - after , when I Bhallbeno more , the country I have tried to serve wonld think ill of the , I might indeed avail myself of this solemn moment to vindicate my sentiments and my conduct ; but I have no such fear . ' The country will judge of those sentiments and that conduct in a light far different from that in whioh tbe jury by whioh I have been tried and

      convicted have received them , and by the country , the sentence whioh you , my lords , are about to proaounco will be remembered only as the severe and solemn attestation of my reotitude and troth . Whatever be the language in whioh my sentence be Bpoken , I knoW that my fate will meet with sympathy ,, and that ! my memory will be honoured . In speaking thus accuse me not , my lords , of an indecorous presumption . To the efforts I have made in the just and noble cause I ascribe no vain importance , nor do I claim for those efforts any high reward ; but it so happens , and it ever will happen so , that they who have i tried to serve their country , no matter how weak ; their efforts may have been , are sure to receive the thanks and blessings of its people . With my

      countrymen I leave my memory , my sentiments , my aets ,- ! -proudly feeling that they require no vindication from me this day : A jury of my countrymen , it is true , have found me guilty of the crime of whioh Istoodindioted . For this I bear net the slightest animosity or resentment towards them , influenced as they must have been by the charge- of the Lord Chief ; Justice , perhaps they conld have found no other verdiot . But what oi this charge ? Any strong observations upon it . I feel sincerely wosld ill befit 'the solemnity of this scene ; but I would earnestly beseeoh of you , my lord , —you , who preside on that bench , —when the passions and prejudices of , this hour shall have passed away , that you will appeal to your own comoieace . and ask if

      it were a oharge as it ought to have been , impartial and indifferent between the subject and the Crown , My Lords , you may deem this language unbecoming in me , and perhaps it may seal my fato . But I am here to speak the truth whatever it may cost . I am here to regret nothing I have ever done—to rettaot nothing I have ever spoken—I am here to crave with no lying lipa the life I consMrate to the liberty of my country . Far from it . Even here , where the thief , the libertine , and the murderer have left their footprints ia the dust—here , on this spot , where the shadows of death surround me , and from which I see my early grave in an nnconseorated soil is opened to receive me—even here , enoiroled by those terrors , the hope which beckoned me en to embark upon the

      Deri-Ions sea upon which I have been wrecked still consoles , animates , enraptures me . No , I do not despair of my poor old country . I do not despair of her peace , her liberty , her glory . For that country I can do no more than bid her hope . To lift up this isle , to make her a benefactor to humanity , instead of being what she is—the meanest beggar . in the world —to restore her ancient constitution and her native powers—this haa been my ambitiob , and this ambition has been my crime . Judged by the law ~ et England , I know that this crime entails on me the penalty of death , but the history of Ireland explains thiaorime and justifies it . Judged by that history I am no criminal ; you ( turning and addressing Mr M'Manus ) are no criminal . You ( turning again , to

      Mr O'Donohoe ) are no criminal ; and we deserve no punishment . Judged by that history , the treason of whioh I stand convicted loses all guilt , has been sanctified at a duty , and will be ennobled as a sacrifice . With thesa ' . sentiments I await the sentence of the Court . Having done what I conceive to be my duty—having spoken now , as I did on every occasion during my short career , what I felt to be the truth—I now bid farewell to the country of my birth , of my passion , and of my death ; the country whose misfortunes have invoked my sympathies , whose fad tions I have sought to quell , whose intellect 1 have prompted to lofty aims , whose freedom has been my fatal dream . To that country I now offer as a pledge of the love I bore her , and as a proof of the sincerity

      with which I thought , and spoke , and struggled for her freedom , the life of a young heart , and with that life all the hopes , the hononrs , the endearments of a happy and an honourable home . Pronounce then , my Lords , the sentence the law directs , and I shall be prepared to hear it—I trust I Bhall be prepared to meet its exeoution . I hope I shall be able , with a light heart and a dear conscience , to appear before a higher tribunal—a tribunal where a Judge v of infinite goodness as well as of iaGnite justice will prei side , and » here , my Lords , many , many of the judgments of this world will be reversed . A murmur of applause ran through the Court . Many were moved by the prisoner ' s words to tears , and among them the counsel to whose care his . life had been intrnated . ¦ ' ¦' ¦ ' ; ¦

      Lord Chief Justice Doherty proceeded , amid the mest profound silence , to pass sentence . upon the criminals . Prisoners at the bar—Terenoe Bellew M'Manus . Patriok O'Donohoe , and Thomas Franois Meagher , after deep consideration before entering into this court it was my intention , in the performance of the very painful doty which devolves upon me , not to have prolonged your stay at that bar by any length of observation . You , and each of you , appear there having been convicted by the verdict of three successive juries of the crime of high treason —the erime of the greatest enormity known to out lawp , I feel bound to say this , that it is tbe deliberate , dispassionate , and calm opinion of the Court that the verdicts which were found by those juries ,

      and the verdict which was found by a former jury , could not have been other than they were . That no honest , fair , impartial , and conscientious jurors , attending strictly to their oaths , and listening to the evidence that was produced in tbia court in the course of these unusua ly protracted trials , could have some to any other conclusion than that which they have done . They have pronounced you , one and all , guilty of the crime of high treason ; That crime consists in having levied war in this country within and during the last week of the mouth of July—of having levied war for treasonable purposes—and that you , and eaoh of you , more or less participated in , exoited to , and prepared for , and were yourselves , some of you more , some less , actively engaged in the furtherance

      of that projeot . In order to constitute the crime of high treason by the levying of war , it is no ingredient that the means should be proportioned to the end sought to be accomplished , or that there Bhould be . a rational prospect of success . The parties who engage in suoh transactions become responsible if they have arrayed , assembled , oolleoted , drilled ; and prepared those who , by force , endeavoured to accomplish that object—the common objeot that was in view . It is not , I am sorry to say , to any forbearance on your part , that that rebellion—for such I may term it—whioh broke out inthat week , was brought to a speedy conclusion . It is not due to you ; it k , under God , attributable to the fidelity and to the bravery of the police force . When I reflect on what might have been the consequences if that police force , either seduced by promises or intimidated bv threats i i ' > i , i

      whioh were made use of , had yielded to the' advances that were made to them , if they had been overwhelmed by the congregated numbers that assembled and attempted their destruction , or if they had iailed in dispersing these bands of rebels who as sembled around them on the hills , —I think there i no fair man who , looking at and contemplating what the state of this country might have been , will not see how rapidly a temporary success might have added te the number of the insurgents , and how Boon this country might have been deluged in blood , and given over te all the horrors of a civil war . It ia from that we have eaoaped by the fidelity and by the bravery of the police force . I am very far , God knows , from wishing to say one word at this moment that can raise er enhanoe the feelings which some of you may endure . But I cannot , in looking to what was the Btate of the oountry in the mQath i . 1 I

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      May last avoid adverting ( without entering into particulars of it ) to that authentio speech whioh was given in . evideuee upo * tte last trial—9 loqaent no doubt it Is—but who can avoid seeing ; in the perusal of that speech ,, delivered by you , Mr Meagher , on the 6 th of June , a terrible picture of what wasat that time the » 'tat ' e of this country , and the calamities whioh ^ were impendn ? and meditated , and from which , by God's assistance , we have esoaped .. ;; Ihave iold you that itwas my wish to abstain from enlarging or giving any details , and I shall do so . _ I shall merely . add this-observation , that from the commencement to the . conclusion of this commission , which hasinow extended to the fifth week , there has been , a perfeot coincidence in

      the views of every member of this benoh as to tbe { aw ; and if the observations of the distinguished judge who presides here did seem to you ( and lean make every allowance for their doing so ) to press and bear severely upon you ,, perhaps , in a calmer moment , when you come to refleotupon it , you will see that it was from the very nature of the transactions themselves that those comments legitimately arose which appeared to you to press with undue severity upon you . Perhaps whenyou oome to reflect dispassionately you will see this in the same light , and I trust that you may be more reconciled than you appear at present to the justice of the unhappy fate wnioa awaits yoa , and which there is not an individual with a heart to feel who must not deeply deoUre . I shall

      now not detain you longer . I have merely to exhort each of you to rtfleot on the awful situation in which each of you at this . moment stand , and to prepare for the dreadful fate that impends over you . We have not failed to send , as was our duty , to the Lord Lieutenant , the recommendations with which the juries in your respective cases have accompanied the verdiots that have been found against you . But you must be well aware that it is with the Exeoutive government , and the Executive government 1 -alone , thai the fate of those recommendations rest * . And we , in the discharge of our most anxious and painful duty , have now only-, to proceed to pass upon you , and upon each of you , the awful sentenoe of the law ,

      whioh is , that you Terenoe Bellew- M'Manns , yea Patriok O'Donohoe , and you Thomas Franois Meagher , ba taken hence to the place whenoe you came , and be thence drawn on a hurdle to the place of exeoution , and that each ef you be there hanged by the seek nntil yoa be dead , and that afterwards the head of eaoh of yea shall be severed from his body , and the body of eaoh divided into four quarters , to be disposed of as her Majesty Bhall think fit , aifd may the Almighty God have mercy upon your souls ....-.,- : . ¦ , ¦ His lordship , who raised np his hands to Heaven as he pronounced the last words of the sentence , left the bench immediately , followed by the Lord Chief Justice Blackburne and Mr Justice Moore .

      The Governor of the gaol and his assistant removed the prisoners , who bewed to the court as they retired down the steps of the dock , and shook hands with their friends . There was a dead silence in court for a short time j then the noise of conversation became louder and louder , and at last the persons who . perhaps had wept at the address of-Mr Meagher fergot their Borrow , and testified thei existence of very different feelings by laughter , whioh sounded harshly and gratingly on the ear after the solemn words it had so recently listened to . ¦ -. ¦ : On the return ofthe judges , in about half an hour , The Solioitor General said , that in consequence of the lengthened sitting ofthe commission , and the

      painful and onerous duties which had been imposed on all concerned in it , and from the protraoted atteadanoe ef the jurors , on mature consideration it was not his intention to ask the court to prooeed with any further trials at the present sitting ! but he would request their lordships to adjourn the proceedings at the commission to Tuesday , December 6 th . , ILord Chief J ustice Blackburne : —Then let the court be adjourned to Tuesday , December 6 th . The jadges then retired , and in a » few minutes the court , which had been the busy scene of suoh memorable events , and for upwards of a month thronged by an anxious audience , was left te the guardianship ofthe old woman who keeps it clean , and sweeps away the oobweb 3 from its windows and ceiling .

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      Disastrous Fiood 3 ihthb Vallbt ofthb Swub and Citt of Canterburt . —The late heavy rains have caused the Valley ofthe Stow , from Ashford to Ram $ gate , to be flooded , occasioning great loss and damage to the inhabitants . Ob Friday , the 21 st , about noon , the inhabitants of the west-endjof Canterbury were alarmed by a ory of the water is ming , ' and almost before they could get their goods removed up stairs , the lower roonw were inundated ; Near the ancient weBt gate tue water poured over into a new street called [ St Peter ' a Place , consisting of nsat oottages , and continued to rise for twelve hour ? , the only mode of approach beingjby carts and boatsthencoavenienceandsuffering to the pcor inhabitants being very great , as few of them were provided with any stook of food or fuel . Carts were employed all

      nay in removing the poor people and their furniture , and sundry oasuaHies occurred . The flood 'haB not been known to rise to such a height for the l&Bt seventy years . The water in the Stour' in the city w raised about eight feet , consequently immersing all the lower parts of the town ; The greatest blama is attached , to the owners of the mill streams below tbecitj , whioh were dammed up , As the mayor and corporation are oonBervators of the sewers , the public will look to them for redress . The depreciaturn of property u very great , aa most of these small houses will beoome untenanted ; Great blame ia attributed to the authorities for not ruling the height ofthe mill dams . The valley of the Stour for forty ' miles was flooded frara hill to hill , presenting the an . pearanoe of a . vast navigable river far exceeding the Thames or Medway . The South-Eaatern Rafi »«

      bridge at Chatham fell on Friday night with the . goods up-train , Beveral trucks falling into the stream . All the bridgea on the line ought to be carefully surveyed , as the floods have doubtleBB via tho found ati ° ns . Monday morning , 23 rd . — lh » flOi ) dBin Canterbury have Bubaided , but the marshes are all under water , and present the appearance of a vast lake , Bird 3 ob k FnATHEB .-Prinoe Metternioh and ms son , Prince Riohard Metternicb , and Baron Huegel , have become members of the Brighton Conservative Club .

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      —^ - Srilaffir . BPECIAL COMMISSION . The commission for the city and eounty of Dublin was opened on Saturday by Justices Torrana and Crampton . When the grand jarora were sworn , Mr Justice Torrens addressed them . ' His lordship alluded to the proceedings at the last commission in the cases of O'Doherty , Duff / , and Williams , against whom the grand jury had found true bills-for feloniously publishing seditious -libels in the Nation and Tribune newspapers . With these oases , of course , the present grand jury would ' have nothing to do ; but as the law officers of the Crown were engaged at the special commission in Clonmel , hVcould not ' state whether or not any new matter of importance would be sent before them by the Attorney General on his return to town . There was a case to which he felt it his duty to allude—one whioh arose OHt of the late unfortunate political excitement whioh had disturbed the peace and endangered the prosperity of tke country—he meant the oharge against Mich . Moran , John Moran , and John M'Cormick , for stabbing a polios-constable while in the execution of his duty , u they ; ( the grand jury ) were satisfied with the evidence that would be offered in support of the charge , they would find true bills . After some further remarks , his lordship concluded , and the grand jurors retired to consider the indiotments sent before them .

      Constable Byrne , who was stabbed in George ' sstreet , last July , by the three Confederates about to be tried for that offence , appeared in the courthouse in Green-street , on crutches . It is more than trobable he will never recover the use of his limbs . He has been superannuated on fall pay— £ 43 a-year . The Lord Lieutenant presented him with a gratuity of £ 50 ; and a private subscription , some time on foot for him , amounts to between £ 200 and £ 300 . Mb O'BBiEir . —The whole body of the Catholic oiergy of the diocese of Ologher have signed an address praying for clemency to Mr S . O'Brien . The other Roman Catholio dioceses will adopt a similar method oi moving the mercy of the exeoutive . The established oiergy of Limerick have adopted a me ' morial for the same object . The inhabitants ef Clonmel have held a publio meeting for the purpose , and the quarter sesauma jury of Cavan have added their prayer for the same purpose . Lord Farnh ' am has signed the memorial on behalf of Mr O'Brfen . Clearances . —Tenant evictions in the south proceed with a most determined , regularity . Not a journal is published in which we do not read of one or more of those proceedings , whioh , however legally authorised , and even though socially their ultimate effect may be good , produce much present hardship . On Saturday several houses were levelled in the immediate vicinity of Limerick , and preparatory notices have been served on several tenants of Lord Clare in the west of that county . All these levellinga are effected in the presence of the police and military . Emplotmknt for ihe Poor . — The Board of Works , anxious to promote employment in the Ban-. don union , where bo much ia suffered by the poor arising from the want of it , and also laudably desirous to encourage habits of industry and energy in the fishermen on the coast , have made a grant of £ 550 towards the construction of a pier at Burre , in that union , on condition that the sum of £ 275 be subscribed in the district , and a like sum levied on the division . It is to be hoped that this advance will not be lost for want of promptitude or a little . generous liberality on the Dart of the DroDrietors .

      DISTRESS AMONGST IHE HAND-LOOM WEAVERS . A numerous meeting of delegates from the handloom weavers of Antrim and Down has been held in Belfast . ' The objeot of the meeting ( says the Banner of Ulster ) was to endeavour to have comrau « nioated through the press a general statement of the grievances to whioh the hand-loom weaver ' s of the north are exposed , and thereby to enlist the sympathy and co-operation of the enlightened publio on behalf of such legal and constitutional measures eS might be deemed necessary to avert further threafened evils upon the trado . ' The different speakers dwelt upon the enormous reduction of wages for weaving , especially by one extensive house , bo that it beoame impossible for the weavers to exist upon the scanty pittance now allowed ; Resolutions were adopted , declaring the grievances of the whole class of h&nd-loom weavers . * The Lord Lieutenant left Dublin on Friday for England . The principal object of hiB lordship ' s visit is for the purrose of reoeiving from her Majesty the vacant ribbon , and being installed a Knight of the Garter . Mr Mitohel . —The Limkriok Chronicle states that it is generally rumoured , by a letter from one of the 42 nd , that Mr Mitchel has died at Bermuda . It ia stated that the government have it in oontemplation to augment , at an early date , the constabulary force in Ireland to 30 , 00 of all ranks . ; Tuis formidable body are to be employed , in adiition to present Constabulary duties , in all descriptions of service for which the regular military are now required ; and the whole or greater part of the latter force will be withdrawn from this country unleas upon extraordmary occasions . The increased force will be placed upon a new footing , and comprise cavalry , infantry ( inoludiBg a rifle corps ) , and horse and foot artillery .

      - s of . The Sbnibncb on the Irish Prisoners Comi moibd . —It has been " resolved to spare the lives of t the convioted Irish prisonera . This announcement , t though really important , and calculated to raise b some very grave questions , will be . reoeived aa a i matter ot course by the public , bo entirely haa it \ been anticipated , frem the date of the rebellion a . itself , not to say earlier . —Times . y IHE BPBCIAL COMMISSION . q According to the Clonmki , Chronicle , the entire a cost of the witnesses in the recent state prosecutions ? S K < ft ? y ??! Paid by the orown » amounts to it A . 1 , 500 . Dobbin , the informer , was paid £ 17 , in-• f < cludmg all his expenses up to yeiterday .

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      With respect to the men who . refused to give ' evi- H denoe agaioBt Mr O'Brien , the judges hare ruled 1 that John O'Donnell , a farmer ofthe bstter class 1 and Riohard Shea , a half-famished 'lad of about 1 eighteen years eld , are to be imprisoned for one vear I from the 1 st of October , and -fined £ 10 , and in de ' I fault of paying such fine that they be farther im . I prisoned for a period of three months .. Edmund I Egan , the other man who refused to give evidence I is in for trial , true bills for high treason having been I found against him . ;•

      TRIAL BT JCRT . ' " The . fol l owing "letter iras reoeived by Southooto ' Manseruh , Esq ., of Grenane , the foreman of the iur ? onMrOIBrien ' strial : — - Sir , —I reoeived Intelligence that yen were a Fora of ; : the grand jury on the tryal of W . S . O'Brien , and thaft you returned to a veraiot of gallty on the nooble and hlgh-mlndea man . But by the great name of God I swear , If he be executed aooordln to his aentenge , that yru may be sure ef a fate similar to hU ; and also your aumanly > aYage—or brother be sure of his fate . Agate I tell you be prepared to meet the cruals ded that ever w » s Inflated oa any humane bein , If Mr O'Brien ba hunj or Iraniported . For by the Lord of Heaven mi earth , they hand that rote thii will Bend you and yonr brother soul to the sohorohin flames of perdition . Signed by your unrevenged enemy To Mr Manser , Genane .

      THE INHDKIN SENTEKOES OP TOE « IB 18 H M 4 IT 0 BS . 'THE DOBLIH CMUtaSlOH—C . 8 . DUFFZ . —BEPO 1 TED DEiTH OP JOHK MITCHEt , —TUE LOBD MEDIBNiUl ' S VISIT TO LONDON . ( From our own Correspondent . ) DuHId , Oot . 24 th , 1848 . ' •^ Lfii the hangman new fca only permitted to do his duty to earn hU own portion of the blond wages , and all will be satisfactorily over . Bren if the Whigs should grant the lives of their victims to-morrow , it will be only oausa they mu « t do It , jastas the ravenous jackal hesitates to lop the blood of the strioken . dowa vio : lm whilst bis master the lisa growls within bit view . Were it n « t that the vile wretches tremble before tbe voice of the people , the pulleys of the Clonmel gallows would ] J soon be heard iiqueeling , and the blood of the noblest and bravest of men that Europe ever gave birth to , would be food for tbe carrion crows of the GualUe * before tomorrow ' s san . down . . n m

      Thomas Francis tfeagher , Terence Ballew M'Manufr . ^ ' tod P . O'Daaohoe , received sentenoe of BUTCHERY yesterday . The death ot the s ««» s » ln or oommon mur . derw waa 'too good' for gallant Irishmen . The doom of the mad deg was not enragh far Irish gentlementhey , matt .-be chopped inte mince-meat , and their flesh ' flang to ihe ravens and foseB of the hilli— ' ifmhletU pleasure of htr Majesty . ' Oh I will the sun ever aet upon the last day of Ireland ' s wrongs , and of the power of Ireland ' s oppressors 1 Well , now , won't the Whigs rast in peace , when Ire . ¦ land a best and bravest are iquelchsd' for ever , and the « is not a murmur of opposition in the land i Is not that a comfort ? By the time that famine and fever—aided by the oaol » raoil 848— have done their part It will be easy to count the Celtic oraniums , which may be left In Ireland . ' y

      The Irish papers will give you a fine , though gloomy piotureof the doting scene of tbe Clonmel Commission Do any think the prisoners got a fair trial ? Not ten men in Ireland would venture to lay they did ! Itwas remarked at the late Dablin Commission that Judges Fennefather and Figot psrformed their daty ia a Christian and gentlemanly tpirit . The conduct of Blackburne and Doherty , at Oloamel , was worths of the worat days ef Jeffrey , or our own' bloody lord Nftibury . Thtre are many here who think that 'the law will

      take itt course , ' and the convicts be hanged . I do not oredlt this , however . It Is remarkable how the minda of people here change every hour . A few days ago and a maa would lnour the danger of a broken nose If he would doubt of Mr Mcagher ' a acquittal 1 Now our folk will have it that the sentenoes will be immediately cir . tied into EXECUTION ! They will not . Pobllo opinion is too stroBg for mercy ; and yet I think it would ho more merciful for the publie to remain silent , and let hravt men die at once rather then send them away to a penal settlement .

      On Saturday the Commission was opened in Dublin , for the trial of our various classes of offenders , including the Felons , 'C . Q . Duffy , O'Dogherty , Wil liams and others of lens Importance . Sinoe the attempted escspa of Mr Duffy from the careful tuntOlanot of the Newgate Argus , he has been reoe . ving a good deal of eelra atten . tlon , insomuoh that unless ba had the' invisible ring ' of the fairy , be could have no chanoe of a flitting . Indeed the most signal bad luck marked the coarse of the Con . federate chiefs , I was preient en the evening in Julj last when Duffy wbb conveyed from the Polic 9-offioe in Callege Street , to Newgate , and I pledge myself that had an attempt at rescue been made there would not have been the slightest difficulty In effecting it . It would , Indeed , have been a f moral and bloodless' rescue , for Ihe people

      numbered several thousands around the frail ' car in which the prisoner was horse along—all fall of hope and excitement , and ready for any task which might be set them . On the other hand the police—numbering perhaps about forty—hau no arms but their batont , and exhibited more rank cowardice than I ever before wit . netsed in men wearing the government livery . InfaoC they thookand trembled like aspens in the October blast and some o , f them were heard to implore the mob te ' ?« S them do their duty ! ' Had the : mob raised a hand Duffy would not have entered . Newgate that night , nor probably . wsuld he from that night to this . They were thirsting for the fray , and I believe Mr Duffy hlmielf had no objection to let it go on but Taps . D . M Ghea sat in the car beside him , and persuaded poor Duff y to qufllT the people's fury , and go quietly and loyally Into the dreary fastness of Newgate ! He took the advloo j

      —M'GUee subsequently escaped ( and I am glad of it ) , but the too . easily duped Duffy was left behind , ' and the 'bare of Newgate were not broken' for his deliverance , as his friends promised . He will now quit his native Und with the brand of a' oonviot felon' on his brow , and the memory of false friends and ruined hopes rankling ia his too-generous and confiding bosom . There is scarcely a deubt but that he will be coavioted . He is charged with high traaion , and will probably receive sentence of death . Should he be acquitted on that oharge , it 1 b reported that he will be indicted for a conspiracy to esoap ' e from prison ! I do not doubt this . Months ago I said that government would have revenge < n Dufffi It is he whom they look on as the first originator of the revola . tlonary school ; and no doubt , ( n his own way , C . G , Daffy did more injury to the Saxon in Ireland than any other maa since the days of Phellm O'Nell . or Red Huzh O'Docnell . ' s

      It is thought that the coaviots , if pardoned , will ba sent to Bermuda I Very likely , indeed , as that ' still vexed' Isle seems to have no graft for Irish traitors 5 It is well known that poor John Mitohel has never enjoyed a daj ' a good health in that island , and a report has got into the Irish papers—yesterday and te day—that one of the 42 nd Highlanders writing home , stated that Mitchel had just breathed his last ! This is not improbable , poor fellow ! The day he lefe Newgate prison anybod y wh loeked on his care-worn and pallid brow might well know that his very heart was breaking . ''

      The Lord-Lieutenant is gone to London . He bade his temporary adieu last Friday ;; the Lord Chancellor , the Archbiehop of Dublin , and Sir Edward Blakeney being sworn in Lards Justices to aot during hit absence . People are racking their . brains in , ah dlrectipnj , trying to discover his lordship ' s business in London at Bach a timo as this . Some say he is gone to represene the case of the convicts In Cionmel to the Qaeen , and Implore their pardon . The Lord-L \ eutehant need nib apply to Her Mojesty in suoh a case , as he himself has the full power to save or oondemn , and whatever may be the doom of the convicted rebels , his visit to England oennot be in connexion with them . Others ssy he waais » i out his ooanexion with ub altogether ; whilst more prc | tost that he is gono to ask the government some very pertinent questions as to how they mean to deal with the rapidly approaching famine . These , however , are only mere guesses ; but people here must be guessing , though It generally occurs ' . that their predictions , like tbe dreams of' Roty O'More , ' all' go by contraries .

      Untitled Article

      6 THE NORTHERN STAR . October 28 , 1848 . « pi »>^^ i »» iiMs « s'MiJMMSiiiiilaliilii Mfc ^^^ ^ p ^ iiiMiiiiiljiiiiiiii ^ M"Miiii » ^ ^^^* ^ MMWM *"'^^ I

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 28, 1848, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1494/page/6/