English Extracts. SUMMARY. (From the Home News, December 24.)

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 201, 3 May 1848, Page 2

English Extracts. SUMMARY. (From the Home News, December 24.)

Oh England! " Merry England," styled of yore! Where is thy mirth ? Thy jocund laughter where ? The sweat of labour on the brow of care Makes a mute an»wcr—driven from every dooi! The Maypole cheers the village gieen no more, Nor harvest-home, nor Christmas mummers rare. The tired mechanic at his lecture sighs. And of Did Learned, which, with all his lore, Has leisure to be wise? By the Author of Philip Yon Artevelde. The yfar 1847 is gliding quietly into the ocean of the past, and a new year is dawning upon us. A year, let vi hope, of as much bettrr augury compared to this which is still lingering, as the present was to the preceding year. Last year, Christmas starved us, cold and scarcity pinched the poor. The temoeraiure of tliig Christmas eve is that of autumn, and the proof, of plenty are lavishly exhibited. There is a better heart too, and a livelier hope in the people; and though commercial crisis, and the panic, and the fawine, and the fever, and influenza, have swept over us, the year up to its close has been a healthful one. There is now so little of political agitation that we may ailc with Punch, Where are the questions of a former day, The agitations of the latter years ? How hath the Vote by Ballot passed away ? Of Universal Suffrage now who hears> t Where are they to be found ? In the ocean of our troubles, With the wrecks of Railway bubbles ; 'in the Irish gulf profound, Drown'd, drown'd, drown'd! Where sleep the thunders of thy rising storm, Five-pointed Charter! Where, ah! where ait thou ? Whither is fled the Spirit of Reform ? Where is it all -the rumpus and the row 2 The hubbub hath been hush'd, And the struggle for organic Reformation by the Panic On the nation that hath rush'd, Crush'd, crush'tf, crush'd. On Monday, the 6th Dec, the dehate on the Coercion Bill commenced. Mr. Fagan mo^ed the adjournment of the debate, of which we then gave a brief report. It was Thursday, the yth, before the adjourned delate was usumed, and it continued till after midnight, when the second reading was earned by 296 to 10! Next day, Friday, the 10th, the bill went into committee ; and, on the first clause Mr. J. O'Connell rashly tested the itrength of the opposition by moving that the Lord-Lieutenant should h«ve power to proclaim only such districts as were formally reported to mm as being disturbed. After a short discussion the House was pressed to a division, and there appeared far the amendment four members ; against it 203. The

otltet clai^e* weiPthen aprepd to, and on Saturday ne bill was lq.oitrd. On Monday, the 13th, Sir George Grey moved that the Bill for the Keppression of Crimes and Outrages in Ireland be read a third time; and, after a brief discussion, the bill was read a thud time by a majority of 173 to 14, and sent up to the Lords, who, the same night, on the motion of Lord Campbell, in thr absence of the Marquis of Lansdowne, read it a first time, snb sileniio. On Thursday, the iGth, the bill went tlirough committee without amendment, the slight discussion that occurred being one succession of laudation of the priests of Ireland, and a general demand that those who were accused of denouncing victims from the altar should be tried as accomplices, a demand which the accused priests themselves have since repeated through the press. On Friday night, the bill was read a third time and passed ; »nd on Monday last, the Royal assent was given, and the Coercion Bill became a lair. The most important results of the debates on the Coercion Bill were the divisions which it made evident among the Repeal party, and the expose by John O'Connell of his own absolute want of ability to maintain the position to which he has bucceeded, The lather's talent has not fallen with the father's leader, ship like an heir-loom upon him. He harangued tediously but never effectively, and he was continually betraying uneasiness at the impatience which the House could not but exhibit at his lengthened ipeeches and their little force. He was to have died upon the floor of the House rather than suffer a Coercion Bill to pats. He was reduced to four lupponers, and made his retreat v» ithout an effort —even a dying effort to avert it. The declarations of the majority of the lush Repeul members against their soi disant leader were pointed. Henry Grattan, Dillon, Browne, and Morgan John O'Connell, spoke and voted for the Bill to prevent Crime and Outrage, and evea John O'Connell at first promised not to oppoie it. The sensation in Ireland would have been very great had it not been mitigated by the common horror of the murders. The general opinion is at least in favour of prevention and protection* and a bill much more severe than that of sir George Grey's would have been submitted to. At Conciliation Hall on Monday last, after the return of the members from London, the only speakers were Mr. M. and Mr. J. O'Connell, and their efforts to revive the spirit of agitation and renew the inoniter meetings, were met by a contribution of less than £20. 'Ihe state of Ireland beneath her political distractions is still frightful. The crimes and outrages of a tew violent and wicked men may be put down by the strong arm of the law ; or at least the committal of such fearful offences may be lor a time suspended, but the itarvation of the people will be less easily prevented. The crops of green food which uxuriantly covered the earth have proved but a shortlived succedaneura for the long-continuing potato. The food is less wholesome, a greater quantity is required, and it becomes early in the winter liable to decay. There is still no employment for the ablebodied, and no adequate accommodation for the helpless ; the worst horrors of last year threaten a ipeedy renewal, and an alarm of approaching cholera adds to the fearfulneis of the prospect. The second subject of discussion was the Repsal of the Union. The debate was brought on by the hotheaded member for Nottingham, O'Connor, of course) against the wish of the majority of the repeal members, who amuied the House by somewhat violent attacks upon each other. The remedial mea■urei for Ireland are of course postponed. We believe the British Government, and we know the English people arc heartily intent on the introduction of measures which will, at least, aim at, if they do not reach, the root of the social evils which render Ireland a physical and moral plague spot. Justice calls aloud for the repeal of those measures which hare brought her to her present position; and common sense unitei with self-interest to prompt the attention of Parliament to the means of ameliorating the destructive system which converts the Imperial strength into weakness, and keeps sapping the very souices of the power and wealth of England. What prevents them ? The wrong-headed determination of the Irish members who will talk and demand and do nothing. Mr. Bright, in the debate on the Coercion Bill, very fairly put it to them,—Why had they no measures to introduce ? They confess that among themselves they could not agree upon remedial measures, and were content to lfly on ceitain resolutions, and yet they expect the English Government to frame measures to which they shall all agiee, or rather to which they may disagree, and talk, and talk again 1 Mr. Fagan, one of the new members, introduced a new system of reading a written speech ; and the exclamations of the House against the novelty were construed into insults to Ireland. The motion was disposed of after a comparatively short discussion by a majority of 255 to 23 against it.

Fatal Conflict tn Limerick between the Thugs and the Police. —'file Limerick Reporter gives the following particulars of the fight between a band of murderers aud the police: — '• On Friday night last, an armed party consisting of six or seven, paid a visit to several respectable farmers at Ballyguile, about three miles south of Ballingarry, and succeeded in extorting money from all but two of them, naiaed Noonan and Curtin, who said they had no money then, but that they would give them some the next night they called. Monday night was appointed, and the unfortunate victims were duly admonished to have the money or their coffins prepared. The farmers, however, to their credit, determined to have something else prepared for them. They sent information to the police, or at all events the pohce.having by some means or other heard of the attack, arranged to Ie in wait on the night appointed. There were eight, including Head Constable o'Sullivau, of the Feonagh station ; Serjeant Hamilton, of the Heathfield station ; and six sub-constables fiom the Castletown station. It would seem they weie watched, for it was not till four of them left Noonan's, aud went to Cur tin's, that the fellows, thinking all had gone, made their appearance. Three, however, remained behind, namely, Head Constable O' Sullivan, Setjeant Hamilton, and a man from the Castletown station* The leader of the gang having knocked at the door about one o'clock, and demanded the money, one of the domestics opened the door, and was in the act of handing him the money (for he would not come in) when Head Constable O'Sullivan rushed forward and seized him. A struggle ensued, and the fellow called upon his companions to come to the rescue. They fired upon the head constable, two slugs passed through his arm, and a bullet, grazing one of his ribi, was flattened against the interior wall of the house. The fire was returned by Sergeant Hamilton and the sub-constable, and with more deadly cifect, for one of the party was bhot dead, a bullet having passed through his eye, another through his forehead, and a third through his stomach. The other cowardly ruffians fled, leaving behind them then* dead companion aud their captured ringleader, whose name is Ryan, and who has been committed to gaol to take I his trial for the ottence. He lived within a quarter of a mile of the spot. The man who was shot also lived near, and was wall known to Noonan: He has left a j widow and four orphans to deplore his unfortunate j lend, An inquest vras held, on his body on Wednesday,

before John Cos, Esq., coroner, and a vmlict of justifiable homicide returned. The remnant of this armed party, from the reception the) met with at Noonan's, did not think it prudent to jmy their promised visit to Curt ins . This is the fou\th outrage that has beeu committed in this lonely district.''