English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 596, 21 July 1858, Page 4

English and Foreign.

IRELAND. ALLEGED DISTRESS IN DONEGAL. It will be perceived ■ from: the following authentic documents that the alleged distress in county of Donegal, turns out fortunately to have been pure fiction. . At a meeting of the Board of Guardians of the Dunfanaghy Union, held at the workhouse, on luesday, the 16th day of February, it was resolved— .

" That having seen with regret-and astonish ment in the newspapers, an .appeal, signed by ton Roman Catholic clergymen, -setting forth a dreadful state of destitution at present existing in this Union, we consider ourselves called on as guardians of the poor, both from pur local knowledge and on inquiry, to say such statement is wholly false and without foundation, and we think we are borne out in this assertion by the fact of having only twenty two paupers in the Workhouse from the entire Union ; and, as this Appeal has been published for the pnrpose of raising money, we request the Poor Law Com missiouers will direct Mr. Hamilton, the Inspector, to inquire into the state of this Union and if found as we confidently affirm it will, that the people are better off this season than they have been since the famine year, we hope the Commissioners will contradict the statment made as it is alike offensive to the people and unjust towards the Guardians."

Signed by Order Patrick Coll, Clerk of the Union. Poor Law Commission Office, «• m, r, -D^i Castle, Ist March, 1858. Sir—The Commissioners for Administering the Laws lor the Relief of the Poor in Ireland desire to inform the Guardians of Dunfanaghy Union in reference to their Resolution of the 16th February last that the Commissioners have now received Mr. Hamilton's Report of the result ot the Inquiry which he was directed by the Commissioners to makeinto the state ofthe Gweedore and Cloughaneely Districts, together with the evidence which he took on oath in the course of that Inquhy. Mr. Hamilton examined*various witnesses who were conversant with the state of the District including- Four Elected Guardians of the Union, the Master of the Workhouse, the Relieviu» Officer, the Collector of Poor Rates, the Head Constable of Police of Crossroads, the Head Constable sf Police at Gweedore, Mr. Cruice, SubInspector of Constabulary of Dunfanaghy District, and Ma. Anderson, the County Inspector for Donegal. Mr. Hamilton also personally visited and inspected the dwellings of a great number of the poorest resident in those parts of the Gweedore District which were pointed out to him as containing the worst circumstanced part of the population. The Commissioners are glad to be enabled to inform the Guardians that their Resolution denying the truth of certain published statments alleging that Distress exists in the Gweedore and Cloughaneely Districts, is fully borne out by Mr. Hamilton's Report and the evidence accompanj'ing it. ' ', ■ The Commissioners will forward in due course, a Copy of the Minutes of Evidence for the information ofthe Gnardians; but they.think it important to lose no time in stating, that all the evidence concurs in repesenting- the condition of the Peasantry in Gweedore and Cloughaneely a■> far better at present then at any time- since t!ie period of the famine; and that uo apprehension whatever exists in the locality of any person suffering from want of the. common necessaries of lie. On the contrary, it appears that, notwithstanding the severe tax lately levied on the District, the Rents and the ordinary Taxes have been punctually and exactly paid, and that a greater abundance of Provisions was never observed about the dwellings of the inhabitants at this period of the year; and, that there is a remarkable absence, not only of applications for Public Relief and Private Charity, but even of applications for employment; and finally, that the District is in a,good sanitary state, the amount of disease, according to the Medical Officer'sßeport, being much less than in former years at this season. - By Order, &c, <fee., . m « r» ,B-Banks, Chief Clerk. To the Clerk, Dunfanaghy Union.

( Ike leish Element in the British Aemt.—The ' Banner of Ulster* says :—" Ih appears that a considerable portion of the stock-in-trade" of some Irish papers consists in the idea that the majority of the British army is composed of true born Milesians and faithful Eomanists. This fancy is prominently thrust tor ward whenever a return of killed and wounded is published after an engagement, and that with the object of putting in a claim for Ireland for a larger share than her sister countries to Patriotic, Indian, and other public funds, towards which Catholic Ireland contributes so sparingly and ungraciously. There is no dqubt that a due proportion of Irishmenhave the glory of fighting Britain's battles, and the misfortune of getting knocked on the head, in common with Englishmen and Scotchmen; but every military statist knows, from returns of indubitable authenticity, that the number of natives of Ireland in all branches of the military service, is no more than 366 to 1000. We have in Belfast garrison, at this moment portions of no fewer than four regiments—the 40fch, 58th, and 65th foot, and the Forfarshire and Kincardineshire militiaamounting in all to upwards of 1000 rank and file. Of this whole force, not more, we are assured, that one-fifth of the privates are Irish. In two of the depots the proportion is still less, and in the third it falls below one-tenth of the strength." -. "

Noeway.—According to telegrams from xiamburg and Berlin, Christiana, the capital of Norway, was the theatre of a terrible'conflagrationon the night between"the 13th* and 14th of March. Three quarters of the city are reported to have fallen a prey to the flames; among other buildings the Bank, the Exchange, and other public offices are a heap of ashes. The money and papers of the Bank were saved. The loss is estimated at 10,0p0,000f.