THE STATE OF IRELAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 195, 17 August 1881, Page 3

THE STATE OF IRELAND.

While the grass grows the prisons are being filled with Land Leaguers. We have an account before us of an expedition of 250 men of the 9th and 50th Regiments, with six officers, and ]50 police, starting on the inglorious mission of protecting bailiffs in the execution of eviction writs. Immediately signal fires were seen lit up on the hills, and the people gathered in large numbers The route of the soldiers lay across a river, and here they found the bridge destroyed. They managed however, to get to the other Bide, ODly to be assailed in a way that must have led to a massacre, had not a priest, at the risk of his life, rushed between the soldiers and the people, and induced the latter to retire. On their return march, the solders were again attacked by the infuriated mob, who were once more saved from themselves by the heroism of Eather O'Donnel, The writs could not be served, for nobody ventured to indicate the houses of the parties concerned, and the soldiers returned to .head-quarters. Meanwhile an old castle in the neighbourhood had been well provisioned and occupied, by a large body of men armed with scythes, forks, and a few guns. Here the soldiery were openly defied, and as an assault could only be followed by certain and probably considerable loss of life it was determined to invest the place and starve out the occupants. Altogether there are six flying columns of troops now employed preserving the peace in the disturbed districts, but notwithstanding this the attitude of the people grows daily more openly defiant. The Limerick Central Land Lfague, at a recent meeting, unanimously adopted tbe following :— " That we regard the arrest of Messrs Moran, Gilbertson, Collins, M'Carthy, and, above all, Father Sheeny, as a very conclusive proof that the Government intend to govern this country by a reign of terror, and are determined to suppress by brute force an agitation which has been declared by the best authority to be Constitutional." Mr Thomas Brennan, Secretary of the Irish Land League, has' been arrested in Dublin, and removed to Nass Gaol. The warrant charges him with inciting the people to violence and a breach of tbe law. It is said tbat two other members of the Land League Executive are to be arrested.