IRELAND.
In the county Clare, about ten miles from the city of Limerick, on the left of the road leading from thence to Ennis, lies an estate of 600 acres, named Ralahine, belonging to Mr. Vandeleur. The soil is tole- rably deep and productive, overlying limestone. Mr. Vandeleur re- sides on the land, and has employed on it between sixty and seventy people all the year round at the rate of 8d. per day. About one-third of this number are women ; there are no children employed yet, but the greater part of the labourers are young and strong, between eighteen and thirty. Some live in single cottages of long standing; the remain- der are boarded and lodged under Mr. Vandeleur's inspection, in large but comfortable rooms, newly-built for the purpose, which admit of many economical dispositions of fuel, cookery, attendance and arrange- ments, which obviate the necessity of the young labourer marrying merely that he may have some one to cook and bring him his meals. The routine of crops and the general style of cultivation is good as far as they extend; but sixty or seventy men and women cannot be expected to till 600 acres properly, even with the aid of improved ploughs, carts, a thrashing-mill, &c. However, much has been already accomplished in providing comfortably for so many; and Mr. Vandeleur, though desirous to have the entire land fully worked, and as much of the produce as possible manufactured on the spot, to provide profitable in-door occu- pation during bad weather, prefers proceeding wisely and slow, taking experience and success for his guides in the extension of his views. His ultimate object is to give the peasantry an opportunity of elevating themselves to comfort and independence by their own exertions, and (if they please) obtaining a permanent interest in the land which they till. The working plan is this. %They have well-arranged committees of cultivation amongst themselves, who not only examine the localities and determine what is best to be grown upon each, but do the work themselves. The motives to this are effectually given by Mr. Vande- leur's liberal and sagacious arrangements. An exact account is kept of ' all the expenditure and produce. The labourers are credited to -the full with all they can bring to the barn or the market for Mr. Vandeleur ; and debited with their wages for present support, with the rent of the 600 acres (about on an average 25s. per acre) with the' county-rates thereon, and with the interest of Mr. Vandeleur's stock and capital provided for their use. If they can produce a surplus on these neces- sary expenses, they are by agreement fully entitled to it ; and may, if they think fit, become the purchasers of the land, at a fixed rate, or, Laving acquired stock of their own, remain its perpetual lessees. In its :,resent early stage, this undertaking can only be considered an experi- ment. It is, however, a most interesting one to the philanthropist, in the present state of the empire, when the oldest institutions are crum- bling away before novel necessity and the growing spirit of reform in all at ings. - Times. On Thursday night, last week, about eight o'clock, the police party from Cimnigar heard the crackling of flames, and distinctly Saw a blaze spring from a little hamlet at one hundred yards distance. They hurried to the scene of conflagration, and forced the door open, but the cloud of smoke and flame which burst forth, drove them back. In a second attempt, they fortunately succeeded in rescuing Darby Leary, the pro- prietor, and his eldest son and daughter, who were nearly insensible. The flames now seized the whole tenement, and, dreadful to say, Leary's wife and her infant children (twins) perished in the conflagra- tion. After a lapse of about fifteen minutes, the police were enabled, amidst the burning ruins, to reach the bed of the mother, where they found her a corpse, lying on her face and hands, and her infants, dead, under her, as if in a last fond, but hopeless effort to preserve them from destruction. The fire was occasioned by a candle catching some flax, that was hanging in the roof of the cottage.--Linzerich Chronicle.
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