IRELAND.
The Clare Assizes were opened on Tuesday ; the principal trial of in- terest being that of the soldiers of the Thirty-first Regiment for the murder of several persons engaged in a riot near Six Mile Bridge, at the last general election. Mr. Justice Perrin charged the Grand Jury ; lay- ing down the law relating to the individual responsibilities of the soldiers.. The Grand Jury then retired to hear the evidence and go through the voluminous depositions. After a long sitting, they ignored the bill pre- ferred against the soldiers.
Mr. Pierce Mahony, long and well known as an active agent on the Liberal side of Irish polities, and latterly Clerk of the Crown for the Court of Queen's Bench, died of paralysis of the brain, on Saturday. last Government has ordered a thorough investigation into the loss of the Queen Victoria steamer. Captain Walker, RN., has been sent to Dublin by- the Board of Trade to hold the inquiry. The inquest was resumed on Monday; when the assistant-keeper of the Bailey Lighthouse was examined. It did not appear that the lights had. burned low, or that the glasses had been obscured by snow ; but the witness admitted that the rule that the lights should not be kit untended had been neglected, he having gone to bed before the head-keeper took charge of the lamps. Frosty weather, by congealing the oil, would diminish the brilliancy of the flame.
On Tuesday, Gregory, the principal light-keeper, was examined. He de- posed that when he was aroused by the screams from the wreck, he found that the lights were burning well, and the windows were not obscured by fallen snow. Thomas Davis, first mate of the vessel, stated that he appointed a man to keep a look-out at the bow of the ship. Witness himself die- covered the land while he was walking on the bridge. Be ordered the en- gines to be reversed, but there was not time to prevent the vessel's striking the rock. After she struck, Davis ordered the engineer to go on ahead, in order to discover what damage had been done before backing into deep water. Repeatedly the third mate reported that little water was coming in ; then the master had the engines reversed, with the intention of rounding a peak and beaching the steamer on the sands' "and thus save both life and property." The ship was backed off the rock, and steered towards the beach ; but she sank before she could be got ashore. Attempts were made to lower two boats ; both of which failed by the crowding of the excited ipezple, who let go the stern-tackles improperly, and the boats were swamped. Davis went down with the ship ; but soon'he got above water, and tried to save the master and the stewardess ; then he lost recollection, 'till he was picked up by the boat of the Roscommon.
In cross-examination, Davis said he had done all he could. The inquiry- closed with the following verdict-
" We find that John Reardon junior came by his death by drowning, be being at the time a passenger on board the Queen Victoria steamer, bound from Liverpool to Dublin, which said steam-ship was wrecked on the morning of the 15th February, , off Howth; and that his death was occasioned by the culpable neglect of Captain Church and Thomas Davis in not slackening speed in a snow-storm, which obscured all lights, and they knowing they were approaching land."'
The Coroner committed Davis for "manslaughter," but took -moderate- bail.
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