IRELAND.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 675, 2 October 1852, Page 2

IRELAND.

Reports of continued emigration from" Old Ireland, 11 chiefly for America, can scarcely be said to come within the character of news, as we have found them repeated in almost the same terms in every arrival of intelligence for a long time. The only novelty that we observe in the last accounts is, that a larger proportion than heretofore of the Presbyterians of Ulster were swelling the tide, although, — still, as before, — the vast majority of the emigrants were from the South and West. Notwithstanding the diminution of the population, the agricultural prospects of the country presented some encouraging features. Crops promised well; and although in Mayo and ,a few other districts apprehensions of a reappearance of the potato-disease had at onetime been seriously entei'tained, the general breadth and luxuriance of the potato tillage was described as equalling, if not surpassing, anything seen in former years. The price of land had also materially risen in the Encumbered Estates Court. Thus we are informed, The most considerable sales that have yet taken placu in the Encumbered Estates Court have been recently effected. The gross sum realized amounts to .£466,040. Many of the lots produced from twenty to thirty years' purchase. The estate of Cargains, in the county of Roscommon, fetched the sum of X' 41,790, being about £35 an

acre, and equal to 52^ years' purchase on the present profit rent. To say that the market value of land has improved would give hut a very inadequate idea of the extraordinary advance \<\ Inch has taken place in the offers daily made, and the avidity with which purchasers seek to obtain well-circumstanced lots. The prices now ranging show how completely sacrificed were the great majority of the estates sold in this court during the first year and more of its operation. A most extensive and valuable salt mine had been discovered between Belfast and Oarrickfergus,— within a mile of the port of Carrickrergus, and immediately adjacent to the railway. The great "achievement of establishing ■communication between England and Ireland by submarine telegraph had been happily accomplished. The following interesting account of the successful completion of the work is taken from the Times of June 3 : —

Completion of the Submarine Telegraphs—A submarine telegraph between the coasts of England an<l Ireland is now an accomplished fiict, and an event pregnant with interest as regards the future welfare of this country. Yesterday morning, at four o'clock the Britannia steamer started from Holyhead with the telegraph cable on board, preceded by her Majesty's steamer Prospero, a vessel furnished by the Admiralty as a pilot to the expedition. The steamers proceeded at a low rate of speed, varying from four to six miles an hour, paying out the wire \\ ith the greatest care and precision as they receded from the English coast; and at length, after a passage of little more than sixteen hours, and without the occurrence of any contretemps, arrived at Howth Harbour amid the cheers of those who had assembled to witness their approach. The moment the Britannia had arrived at her destination, and communicated the fact to Holyhead that the Irish shore was reached, the final grand test was applied to the telegraphic cable by connecting the wire with one of the ships loaded guns, and passing the word, " Fire !" to Holyhead. The answer was the immediate discharge of the gun on board the Britannia. The hour was then just half-past 8 o'clock. The work had been performed in little more than 18 hours ! Messages were now rapidly interchanged, and a salute of the Britannia's guns fired from Holyhead. A letter had arrived in Dublin, directed to a gengleman who had left for Holyhead by the mid-day steamer, and whose presence was immediately required in London. A message was sent to seek him out. Within half an hour he was discovered, and he responded, " I am here." " You are wanted in London." " I shall start by the next train." Another hour and the cable was ashore, the connexion completed with the land wires, and the indicators at the Dublin terminus of the Drogheda R lilway, in Amiens-street, were conversing with those at the terminus of the Chester and Holyhead Railway, in Holyhead. The Britannia remained outside the harbour during the night, and it is expected that at an eaily hour to-morrow the connexion of the submarine wire with that aheady laid down upon the Howth line will be completed. When this has been done an unbroken line of electric communication will be established between London and Dublin, and from this fact arrangements will result, in a brief space of time, which will virtually — as respects the transmission of news — bring the metropolis of Ireland from four to six hours, the distance from Holyhead to Kingstown, nearer to London than it has heretofore been. Great interest was taken in the effort to procure the pardon of Smith OBrien and fas companions in exile, and several of the Conservative papers, amongst which the lHveninfl Mail was prominent, contemplated with favour the possibility that Lord Derby's Government might comply with the numerous requests to this effect poured in upon them. The emphatical denial, however, with which (as will be seen by a subjoined extract), the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland replied to by far the most influential appeal on the question, left little ground for hoping that the u exiles" would be liberated. We do not forget that we re- 1 cently copied into our own columns (al- ; though with an expression of doubt as to its credibility) a paragraph, professing to be extracted from the London Standard, to the effect that a free pardon had been granted to the Irish State Prisoners on condition of their not returning to the United Kingdom; and we perceive that the Hobart 2 own Guardian of the 18th ult. quotes the same paragraph with evident credence. But as the 25th of April was the date assigned to the statement, and as the interview with Lord Eglinlon took place on the 17th of May, we apprehend there can be no truth in the report. The following is from the limes' Dnblin Correspondence of May 18 : — Twelve o'clock yesterday was the hour appointed for receiving the deputation at the Vice-regal-lodge in the Park. It consisted of the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff of Clare, Very Rev. Dr. Spratt, Sir Colman O'Loghlen, Mr. Thomas H. JBarton,JMr. Arthur, Mr. Deasy, Q,.C, Dr. Gray, Mr. O'Ferrall, Mr. Ralph. His Excellency, attended by Captain Wombwell, and Lord Adolphus Vane, Aides-de-camp in waiting, received the deputation in the drawingroom. The Rirht Hon. the Lord Mayor having briefly explained their object, read the following

MEMORIAL. To his Excellency the Earl of Eglinton and Winton, Lord-Lieutenant- General and General Governor of Ireland. May it please your Excellency, — We the undersigned, respectfully approach your Excellency, as the representative of her Majesty the Queen in Ireland, to intreat the Royal clemency on behalf of William Smith OBrien and his companions in penal exile. We beg respectfully to represent to your Excellency that the state' of the country at this time would justify the exercise of the Royal clemency towards them. We, therefore, humbly pray your Excellency to present our prayer to Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, recommend it to her Government, and sustain it with your Excellency's powerful support. And your memorialists will ever pray. His Lordship observed that to the memorial were attached the signature of 9 peers, 25 baronets, 40 members of Parliament, 15 Roman Catholic bishops, 75 Roman Catholic clergymen, ; and 300 justices of the peace ; and he believed, if it were necessary, signatures to an unlimited amount could have been obtained. Men of all creeds and parties in Ireland entertained the opinion that those unhappy and misguided men had already suffered sufficient punishment for the crimes which they have committed to satisfy the demand of justice and afford warning to others, and that the present condition of the country would justify Her Majesty's present advisers in recommending an extension of the Royal clemency in their favour. Such an exercise of the Royal prerogative would be a most gracious act, and most grateful to the feelings of the people of Ireland ; and as every act of his Excellency since he came among them had been such as to win their respect and affec- | tion, they were anxious that he should have the merit of making a recommendation which would give him an additional claim upon their gratitude \ And esteem,

His Lordship then handed the memorial to his Excellency, who returned the following answer :— My Lord and Gentlemen, — I am ready to make full allowance for the deep interest taken in the subject of the memoiial which you presented to me by many to whose v\ ishes and opinions I am anxious to pay attention, and for the sympathy felt for men whose criminal conduct may, in some degree, have been influenced by vanity or enthusiasm; but I have a duty to perform towards my Sovereign and my country, to which all considerations must give way. The total failure of the designs to excite* a general insurrection in Ireland has piobaoly veiled the heinousness of the guilt of those by whom they were projected ; and I have no doubt that many who now advocate their pardon would shrink from them with abhorrence had not the civil strife and bloodshed which they meditated been prevented by the defensive measures of the government and the general loyalty of her Majesty's subjects Although convicted of high treason, the lives of Mr. Smith OBrien and his associates were spared by the exercise of the Royal prerogative ; and they, as well as the persons who incurred the penalty of transportation for their treasonable practices, have been treated with unusual indulgence in the place of their exile. Even the measures of restraint rendered necessary by their own conduct have been of short duration. It is, however, to be regretted that these acts of lenity halve not been attended with the effects that might reasonably have bei-n expected, but that, on the contrary,* repeated attempts to escape have taken place — in one case with success ; and that none of the persons, in whose behalf my ! interference is solicited, have expressed contrition for their crimes, or manifested any sense of gratitude or loyalty to the gracious Sovereign whom they have so grievously offended, and to whose elemenej'' some of them are indebted for their lives. Under these circumstances I do not consider myself justified in recommending the prayer of the memorial to Her Majesty's favourable consideration. His Excellency having handed his reply to the the Lord Mayor, the deputation withdrew. The Freeman s Journal was highly indignant at the language of Lord Eglinton, particularly at his observations on the " heinousness of the guilt" of the subjects of the appeal. " Could not Lord Eglinton," the writer asks, — Have refused the prayer without insulting his captives by talking or them as men would talk of banditti? "Heinous crimes" nnd "honourable men shrinking from them Avkh abhorrence," are not the phra.seb we expected fro in a man of Lord Eglinton's repute when talking of gentlemen whose honour is as untainted as his own, and ! whose personal friendships extend into every circle, from the highest to the lowest. But if a chivalrous sense of what is due to fallen men had no weight ax ith the Viceroy and his advisers, regard for the position of the memorialists ought to have made him adopt another tone and other phraseology. Perhaps never did men commit a greater blunder than has the Irish Executive on this occasion. An opportunity was given them of doing a gracious act in a graceful manner. That opportunity they flung away with the folly of children and the petulence of piudes. The notorious Mr. Birch, proprietor of the (now defunct) World newspaper, had been sentenced to twelve months imprisonment for libci on Mrs. French, a widow i lady of spotless reputation ; against whose character, however, Birch Lad published a series of foul imputations, — incited by no other motive, ifc was believed, than because she was the daughter of Mr. Brewster, Q. C, who had, on the celebrated trial (in the action brought by Birch against the Irish Government for additional payment on account of " services" rendered to Lord Clarendon's administration in his journal)— dealt very severely with Birch's conduct andprinciples. Mr. Justice Crampton, in passing- sentence, characterised the libel as " the most pbominable, the most malignant, and the most diabolical he had ever read in the course of his life." Preparations for the Irish Elections were in progress with more than ordinary excitement, the '• Catholic Defence Association" on the one hand, and the Orange Societies on the other, being actively in the field. There could be no doubt that party feeling would run very high in some constituencies, — especially with such fuel as the renewed discussion of the Mayuooth Edowment question would abundantly supply.