IRELAND.

The accounts from Ireland continue to be of a more favourable cha- racter. Employment has become general; and the price of food is very decidedly lower. The cargo of one of four vessels laden with Indian cora was bought by the Cork Relief Committee at 141. 17s. 6d. a ton: the price during the previous week had been upwards of 161.

At a special meeting of tie Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland, on Tuesday, after a sharp discussion on poiuts of form, a committee was ap- pointed to 'consider and report upon the measures now in operation for the employment of the people, the improvement of the land, and the produc- tion of food. The Duke of Leinster presided, and Mr. O'Connell was present.

The annual meeting of the Royal Society for the Promotion and Im- provement of the Growth of Flax in Ireland was held at Belfast on Friday last week. The Marquis of Downahire, who presided, announced that the Queen and Prince .Albert had kindly consented to become joint patrons of the Society. His Lordship and Mr. M'Adam had waited on the Prince as a deputation : " they were than informed by his Royal Highness of her Majesty's gracious acceptance Of the specimens and the address forwarded by the Society, and of her appretiation of its objects and utility. And he was happy to say that Prince Albert, considering the many things which he had to think of and attend to, had shown.on intuitive knowledge of the cultivation of fax and the making of linen, which was quite astonishing:" A favourable report was presented to the meeting, and adopted.

Previously to the meeting, there was an exhibition of articles manufac- tured from flax, and of a newly-invented Belgian hand-power-loom, capable of producing goods of a far better quality at a much less expense.

" The destitute poor in the neighbourhood of Old Connaught, the re- sidence of the Right Honourable Lord Plunket," says the Freeman's fovea. nal, " are liberally supplied with bread, meat, and soup, three times a week, at his Lordship's expense- and it is the intention of the Ladies Plunket to purchase wheat and-blva-itground, for distribution to tho dis-

tressed. h has teen -who stated to us, that his Lordship had raised his labourers' wages, and that he gives them from 10s. to 12a. a week."

A meeting was held at Longford on the 7th instant, in the County Court-house, for the purpose of urging the Government "to establish food dep8ts throughout the country, with the view of pulling down the present famine price of provisions." Mr. Blackall occupied the chair; and a num- ber of Protestant and Roman Catholic clergymen were present. The fol- lowing resolutions were adopted-

" That the distress existing in this county at present is much increased by the difficulty of obtaining provisions by retail, even at market-prices; and that Go- vernment depOts, or stores placed by them in the hands of the various Relief Com- mittees, would be a benefit in bringing cheaper food nearer to the labourer's door. That whilst we propose the foregoing as a measure of partial relief, and one not open to the objection of-interfering with private trading, we cannot refrain from ex- pressing our opinion, that, with a starving population and an unsupplied home market, the Government are imperatively called upon to consider the wants of the people at large, in preference to the interests of the private traders. That some state provision should be made for widows and orphans, the infirm and des- titute, who have no means of earning a livelihood, nor any one to assist them— each persons being at present (owing to our workhouses being fall) entirely de- pendent on the precarious support of private charity, which has already been so heavily taxed in this country. That we consider that the hitherto peaceable and .exemplary conduct of the people of this country is deserving of the highest praise, and entitles them to all the consideration which the Government may find it possible to grant them."

A memorial to the Lord-Lieutenant, grounded on the foregoing resolu- tions, was adopted.

• Cork Workhouse being overcrowded, the Poor-law Commissioners have directed the Guardians to eject such of the inmates as do not belong to the union. The Guardians demur to executing such an instruction at such a time.

A very different account is given of a workhouse in the county of Mayo: although containing far less than its allotted number of paupers, it is likely to be closed in consequence of the scandalous conduct of rate-payers, who, although well able to pay, have not done so.

The flax-spinning mills of Belfast have begun to work "short time," on account of the depression in trade. This affects 10,850 workpeople, and will subtract 1,6201. from their collective earnings.

From the Galway Vindicator of the 7th instant it appears, that although upwards of three thousand persons were employed upon Government works, the County Surveyor, Mr. Clements, had been mobbed, and com- pelled to seek the protection of the police. The account proceeds—" Mr. William Clarke was very severely handled last week on the Salt 'hill Road, and had his eyes blackened; and on Wednesday last, Mr. Hossack, the overseer of the works at Fort Eyre, was likewise assailed; and which caused the works there to be suspended, throwing about eighty unfortunate per- sons out of employment."

The Evening Mail of Monday contains some statements serving to illas- trate the remarks of the Tinies relative to the savings-banks tables. It is well known that there has been a very large influx of silver into Ireland. Seieral milway contractors have been in the habit ,of transmitting periodi- cally sufficieut silver to make the weekly payments to their laboureri. And yet silver was never scarcer— "Notwithstanding the continued and regular disbursements alluded to above, fresh importations continue to be necessary; none of the money seeming to find its way hack to the payers. It is plain that it cannot be retained by the really poor labourer; and, we presume, the landlords will scarcely be accused of making tt the medium of their remittances to foreign parts. The necessary inference then must be, that it is absorbed and hoarded by the class of small farmers, into whose hands much of it is directly paid, either in their capacity of impostors upon alms-work or as the wages of overseerships in the same employment; or indi- rectly, as the price of provisions purchased by the really poor labourer. This is the same class in which is included depositors in savings-banks—that form of saving being, as the Times truly remarks, but another kind of hoarding. It is this class, also, which furnishes the brawlers and exciters of disturbance at Pre- eentanent Sessions, wider the influence of whose intimidation the monstrous cata- logue of grants for useless works has been compiled."

An Inspecting Officer of Relief Works in King's County describes the impositions attempted and practised on him in the shape of applications for alms-work by persons not in want.

Another Inspector tells the same tale, in writing to the Relief Committees of Carlow. "Complaints have been made to me already. that, although nt;mbers of people are anxiously seeking for employment on the roads, farmers and others cannot obtain labour even at increased prices." The same officer also intimates, that the cart-work required on those useless works is made the means of another variety of jobbing, in favour of those who have no claim to be recipients of public alms. He adds—" I have also heard it stated, that sufficient care has not been taken in employing the carts of the poorer description of labourers"; which are even better than more costly vehicles, from their lightness.

A gentleman, described as holding considerable property in Ballinasloe, sends the following statement to the papers. His case is by no means a solitary one.

"There are over 5001. due to me [for rent); and I cannot be certain of getting M. within a month. Even tenants who owe me the rent of 1845 decline passing their bins for the arrears. This would not annoy me so mach, but that I know well they are able to pay. Mark ! these are not the — people who are really not able to meet their demands, but the snug farmers on the— lands. • • * There are several public works in progress here, on which large numbers are employed; but the keeping these roads in repair will continue as a perpetual blister on the lend; and one-half of them are perfectly useless. Just fancy one of these new roads running parallel for miles with the mail-coach road,and made apparently for no better or more useful purpose than to shorten the distance to Baffinasloe by half a mile, for the accommodation of half a dozen families!"

The Earl of Desert has come forward in the columns of the Evening Mail to defend the Irish landlords against the censure implied in Lord John Itiissell's recent letter to the Duke of Leinster- " The 4I tlieulties to be encountered by all Irish proprietors at the present wigs; he observes, " cannot be understood or appretiated by any but those inti- mately invalided with the social condition of Ireland. To meet these diffi- toulties, the, are giving (at least a large portion of them) their incomes, their time, sod their abilities. Let us hope that the result of these endeavours may prove th...r reward—the only one, indeed, they seem likely to reap." (Does his Lou r ley I nvitt that they are ill-used because they are not to be peed for looking alit r their own property ?1

Mr. Smith O'Brien has written another letter to the editor of the Natio*, from which it appears that henceforward the physical force of " Young Ire- land" is to expend itself in a weekly effort to fill eight or ten columns of

that paper, with " short, terse, and well-considered" articles, each article in no case " to exceed two columns." He adopts with pleasure the title of

" the phalanx," bestowed by Mr. O'Connell; who, he adds, " will find that it is not easy to laugh down men who are heartily in earnest, and single. minded in purpose "—

" A misplaced sneer disfigures no face except that which wears it. He need not fear, however, that provocation will lead to reprisal. We shall endeavour to imi- tate his virtues, not his failings. Our duty to our country warns us to avoid the strife of personal controversy."

The weekly Repeal meeting in Conciliation Hall took place as usual on Monday. The Lord Mayor presided. Several speeches having been made, apparently for the purpose of killing time, Mr. John Augustus O'Neill called upon the Young Irelanders to return to the fold of the As- sociation, and to abandon a policy which amounted to a caution to the Go- vernment never to grant Repeal. The Young Icelanders were pledged to " moral force," under the Rotunda pledge of the 30th May 1845, until the obtaining of Repeal; and the Government consequently had their recog- nizances until it was granted, and of course would not grant a measure which would give any body of men an opportunity of drawing the sword.

Mr. O'Connell was unable to enter into the present prospects of Repeal, the state of the country, or to reply to the Cork Repealets, on account of the illness of his clerk. As to Young Ireland, the term " phalanx " had originated with the Nation— He did not care what the young gentlemen called themselves—whether ayoung phalanx, or an old phalanx, or a noblephalanx: they might adopt the latter name if they pleased; they themselves [the Conciliation Hall Repealers1 were still satisfied with being called Old Irelanders. There was then a noble phalanx on one side, and the Repeal Association on the other. Mr. O'Brien, the head of this noble phalanx, said he (Mr. O'Connell) was ugly; but, unfortunately, he could not help it, and he thought it was rather harsh to abuse him for what he could not help: however, he was satisfied with the reflection, that some of the Young beholders were no great beauties themselves--("Hear, hear!" and laughter)—and he wondered would any of them ever live to stand before an Irish audience to ask if they had struggled for their country for half a century? This noble "physical force phalanx" were employed in doing nothing for Ireland. Why, he would ask, did they not form an association for themselves? • He would tell the reason why. It was because they were afraid, with all their professions, and thought it safer to fight with types and printers' devils, than to resort to the sword, which they lauded so much: they were, as they said, a literary phalanx, with no brigadier-general; at least, who was to fill that post he did not know. It was to be a literary violence they were to employ; they were to use their quills as pikes, and their pencils as bayonets: Bach was the Young Irelanders' courage!

Rent, 881.

At their recent meeting in Dublin, the Roman Catholic Prelates resolved to petition for such alterations in the Charitable Bequests Act "as will render it acceptable to the Bishops, the clergy, and the people of Ireland."

As a party of Whiteboys, about twelve in number, were out armed the other bight, near Bathkeale, demanding arms at various houses, four policeman ap- peared in sight; the depredators fled; the constables pursued; the Whitebays fired, and a running fight began. Two of .the fugitives were wounded; one of these, and another man, were eventually captured in a haggard; the rest making off. The prisoners proved to be a blacksmith and a farmer's son. One has a:- tempted to destroy himself in Rathkeale Bridewell, by cutting his thrLat with a piece of window-glass.

A countryman, having sold a cow at the fair of Ballaghaderreen, was murdered on returning to his own house, near Clogheen, at night; a number of miscreants having followed him home and killed him by nearly cutting his head off with a hatchet, for the sake of the money he had received. While committing the murder, they bound the victim's wife m the garden.

An inquest has been held at Skibbereen, on the body of the man M‘Kennedy, who was alleged to have died of starvation, although at the time them were a fortnight's wages owing to him from the Government. This is the substance of the evidence given by the Reverend R. B. Townsend, Vicar of Abbey Stewry- " He and his family, five in number, had half a weight (about 11j pounds) of small potatoes, from Sunday morning to Wednesday evening. On that evening his wife procured lid. or 2d. worth of meal, and a neighbour gave her a head of cabbage. He went to work on the starving meal on Thursday morning. On the day of his death, Saturday the 24th October, the steward, a very kind-hearted man of the name of Donovan, gave him a piece of bread; and in the act of putting it to his mouth he sank and died The two physicians swore that such an in- stance of starvation they never before met with. He was so attenuated from want of food, that all the fatty substance of the system was totally absorbed and gone. Nothing in the stomach and intestines but a piece of raw undigested cabbage- stalk; which was produced, and the remnants of some other raw vegetable mat- ter." A verdict was returned, " That the said Denis M'Kennedy, on tic 24th day. of October in the year aforesaid, at Cohere Road in the county aforesaid, died of starvation, owing to the gross negligence of the Board of Works."

A boat containing six persons was upset in the river near Waterford, on Friday week; and five of the party, all sailors, were drowned.

The wife of Dean French has perished, at Elphin, by a servant's administering a wrong medicine. The lady was unwell, and a draught and an embrocation were sent for her use: the domestic gave the embrocation instead of the draught, and death quickly ensued.