29 DECEMBER 1860, Page 5

IRELAND.

From a communication of the Nation of Saturday it appears that the - members of the "National Petition Committee" intend shortly to pro- mulgate a regular plan of organization, prepared under the direction of a counsel learned in those legal subterfuges by which it is possible, as the late Mr. O'Connell used to say; to drive a coach and six through any Act of Parliament. Most of the Dublin journals raise a loud outcry about the rumour, originating with a London paper, that the present Government intend to propose the abolition of the Irish Viceroyalty.

Mr. Acheson Lyle, the Lieutenant of Londonderry, was accused, las week, of having not only prompted a clergyman of Derry to make an affidavit as to the danger of collision between Catholics and Protestants on the 18th instant, but suggested that the clergyman's preferment de- pended upon his compliance. Mr. Lyle writes to the Times to deny the imputation; he was asked to speak to the clergyman as to fears enter- tained respecting a collision, but be neither preferred a request nor sug- gested anything respecting preferment.

The Cork Constitution states that "important changes are rumoured as about being proposed in the administration of the Queen's Colleges, which, it is stated, will be brought under the consideration of Parliament during the ensuing session. It is understocd that one of the alterations involves the discontinuance of two of the Presidentships, the governing power over the three colleges being vested in one individual, to be President of the three Colleges and resident principally in Dublin. The local duties of the Presidents win, according to the plan suggested, be performed by the Vice- Presidents, and the money saved by the reduction in the number of Presi- dents will, it is stated, be expended in augmenting the salaries attached to several of the professional cha:rs, the inadequacy of the remuneration having been frequently a topic of well-grounded observation. It is believed to be also the intention to reduce the number of chairs in each college to twelve, inclusive of the Vice-Presidents, each of whom will be required to fill one of the professorial chairs in addition to discharging the duties of the Vice-Presidents. The above, of course, rests on no authoritative foundation, but it is understood that, so far as can be arranged, consistently with jus- tice to existing interests, the changes to be made will be in the direction in- dicated."

About eleven o'clock on Wednesday night, a drunken row took place a short distance from Londonderry, which resulted in the almost instant death of a young man named Bernard Hagan, from a gunshot wound... Six persons are in custody, awaiting examination at the inquest.