ALARMING STATE OF AFFAIRS IN IRELAND. [From Bell's Weekly Messenger, January 10.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 713, 2 June 1852, Page 3

ALARMING STATE OF AFFAIRS IN IRELAND. [From Bell's Weekly Messenger, January 10.]

Another meeting of magistrates has been held in the province of Ulster, now rendered as notorious for its agrarian crimes as the southern counties, which have Tipperary for their centre were a few years back. Almcst every' post brings some account of human blood being f shed, houses maliciously burned— or other- atrocities

peculiai to the system of Ribhonism which has so long plagued tins land. The meeting was private ; but it is stated that it adopted an address to the Lord Lieutenant, suggesting further police arrangements, the levy of the tax for extra police as a distinct one, to be collected monthly, and certain modifications in the jury system, together with more stringent legislation for the' suppression of crime. We have a report of another murderous assault — indeed, there are grounds for apprehending, it may turn out a murder — which was committed near Armagh, on the night of the Ist. The sufferer is an industrious farmer, and his offence against the ribbon code will doubtless appear a strange cause for the cruel punishment which has been inflicted upon him. It appears that some days ago this man paid his rent in due course. He was summoned to a meeting of bis fellow-tenantry to memorialise their landlord for a further reduction in the rents. This meeting was attended by a Roman Catholic curate, who proposed a series of resolutions, which the unfortunate man above alluded to opposed, but, as might be expected, the propositions of the priest were adopted. What was the result' of the poor fellow's refusal to join in what he conceived to be an unreasonable course ? On Thursday night he was set upon by seven miscreants, who beat him, as they supposed to death. Three of his ribs were separated from the spine, and so serious are his wounds that the medical men in attendance on him consider his life in imminent peril. The neighbourhood of Dundalk will suffer by the recent infamous deeds of the Ribbon conspirators. Mr. Fortescue, of Ravensdale, is about to discharge a large number of the workpeople in his employment, and quit the district in which a conspiracy was entered into to assassinate him. Mr. Fortescue is the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Ormond. The following particulars of another barbarous murder are from the Leitrim Journal : — 11 Shortly after night bad set in on the evening of Wednesday last three men entered the dwel-ling-house of a poor man named John Curran, residing at Corduff, and having placed him on his knees, one of them discharged the contents of a loaded gun through his heart, leaving him a lifeless corpse on his own floor ! They quietly departed, and although there were two of the deceased man's daughters present at the time, one of whom was a married woman, neither of them as much as raised the cry of murder, or endeavored by any means to obstruct the escape of the assassins. On Friday Alexander Percy, Esq., held an inquest on the body of deceased, and a number of witnesses were e>amined, but nothing transpired to throw light on the matter. The verdict was to the effect that the deceased John Curran came by his death at the lime and place mentioned, from the effect of a gunshot wound inflicted on him by some person or persons unknown." The Limerick Chronicle of Wednesday has a long list of outrages perpetrated within the preceding four days. " The constabulary at Dundalk, we have just been informed, having on Tuesday night, in consequence of private information, arrested a man named Hamill, living at Corteel, near Dundalk, on examining his residence fouud the gold watch taken from Mr. Eastwood at the time the murderous attack was made upon him. It was in a trunk, sewn up in an old stocking, and having still attached to it the piece of the broken chain guard vhich we mentioned as 4 missing. When the key of the trunk was aske.i for by the police, we are told that Hamill alleged 'it was lost ; ' .and the police thereon forced the trunk open, and speedily came upon the secreted criminatory .article."