ENGLAND.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3687, 19 October 1880, Page 2

ENGLAND.

The Press in this country is still pouring a pitiless hail of criticism upon New Zealand'and her affairs. Indeed, in all matters non-political, the English Press seem to testify with almost the harmony of an orchestra. The Times strikes the key-note, and first the London, and then the Provincial papers follow suit, and that the Times has a " down " upon New Zealand, has been too plainly e?ident for a long time., In the Daily News, there was an article the other day, affirming that New Zealand securities can no longer be regarded as first-class. The Economist lately severely animadverted upon the New Zealand Government for fostering, by relief works, the absurdly high rate .of wages clamored for by the working classes in the colony, by creating work for the " unemployed," while, on the diggings and in other parts of New Zealand laboring men were earning 8s and l'2s per day, and intimate that English investors could not be safe in sending money to New Zealand to be spent in this way. On the 2nd Mr Thomas P. O'Connor, Home Bale member for Gal way, introduced a resolution in the Commons looking to the suppression of the House of Lords on the ground that the people of the country had lost confidence in that body. He was seconded by Mr Labouchore. The Marquis of Hartington humourously deprecated the rising of a great constitutional question at half past three in the morning. The House divided on the question, which resulted 13 ayes to 17 noes. The minority consisted of five Irish members and Messrs Bradlaugh, Briggs, Broadhurst, Ashton, W. Diike, Sir Wilfred? Lawson, Labouchere, Charles McLaren, and Whalley. A public meeting was held in Hyde Park, on Sinday, 16th, at which Mr O'Connor denounced the House of Lords as "the most disgraceful and oppressive assembly existing." [' Parliament was'prorogued; on ithe 7th tillJNovember. The two points touched on in the Queen's speech were that the concert of Europe has been steadily maintained, in regard nto\ the Eastern question, and the resumption of hostilities in Afghanistan. < The Times says the prorogation was not too soon, considering Foster's attack on the .Home of Lords, the motions of Parnell, Dillon, and T. P. O'Connor, to say nothing of Callan's •escapade. ' . A return has been made to the House of Commons' showing the number of persons who have been imprisoned or fined for non-compliance with the Vaccination Acts, the length of imprisonment in each case, the number of times any person has been imprisoned, being more than once, and the number and amount of fines paid by any person who has been fined more than once) The return was made np to March last. In England 87 persons hare been imprisoned and 3,888 fined; in Wales no one has been imprisoned, but 41 fined! Of the imprisonments, 14 were for one month, or for above 14 days; 73 were for 14 days or for a less peridd. In three caries only has the same person been imprisoned twice, and no one persbn more than twice. In numerous eases, however, fines have been repeatedly imposed on the same person, one in Lancashire has been fined 21 times!-* : -'.<<d -,- v.«.*.;;<\-: I ■;■:,.•;!■'? %> - ;-f a m iTßmum&jvnyy.z The following are 1 copies of threaiening letters sent to Lord Oranmoi'e and Bripwne: —" Tipperary 1" Man.—Take notice Lord Oranmore of this letter, though little you may think of it. Y#u have raised your -—^ grange tongue again^^t this will be your last. Once more ybu: are trying to injure; Irish' tenants; but beware. By nightr aria fiy' day ym 1 W be/ 1 watched ■ntil that. Orange 1 tongue of yours "shall be given to the dogs, what you are only fit for. You know this day twelve months there won't be a landlord left in Ireland, but all will be; shot, and you thick-headed Orange,,bastard wiU ; be th^ifirat. V You know thai youV«rea : Prote*tant Gillian, so beware; go where you may your ■——— Orange face will be known. Don't think this is only a threatening letter—it will come to pass. You know what every informer gets, so shall you. There are 15,000 Irishmen thirsting for your blood, which they soon will nave. And now remember there is one who will have the first shot at ,you. y Rory ,of the. Mil], Remember Lord Leitriun < A.. Befian. Down with Orangemen." One of the letters contained the words—" One who hopes to be your murderer.—God save Ireland. Down with tha Queen;" and another—" Look at the fate of Boyd and Leitrim; but neither was a patch on you. You will receive a ball when you least expect it. I will not waste time in giving ! M Change' Protestattt doW further notice." This letter, which was the last, had the sketch of a gun, skull and bones, and coffin underneath. AN ALLEGED FENIAN PLOT. The Cork Constitution publishes the following account of a projected Feniai raid upon a cavalry garrison and a powder-mill:—"The publio will be astonished to leatti'thatwithin the last few days the Fenian brotherhood in these parts conceived the, for them, gigantic project of attacking the cavalry garrison it Ballincolig, and' also robbing the powder-mills at the same place. The ittack was admirably planned, and would in all probability have been put into jxeoution before; now but; for the fact that ill the sworn band* of desperadoes were lot faithful to one another or true to the sause they had espoused, as is invari^ ihly the"; case in organisations of. the* tM, f composed as they^are of the^most irortbless members, of society. t iras a Judas in the; company who was rery glad to part with the information so >bfained for a conpfdeMtioh. This 'was ictpally done; the Gdvernmentwasap>rised of the intended raid,, instructions rere at qnce, forwarded to;/the' loc^J ailitary and police f authorities, preautions were taken,, and plans adopted or giving! the attacking ;3»rty avjvery rarm reception. The object of the attack n barracks was the robbery of arms, nd the ammunition was of course to be aken from the powder-mills in sufficient uantities to afford the ' rebels' an ample upply for the approaching winter camaign. A robbery of this nature could, ot-be successfully accomplished with-' ut the aid of accomplices, and these -■ere forthcoming. We hare been given > understand that' men occupying ositionsof trust at the powder mills also 11 responsible positions in the Fenian rotherhood; that, in fact, one aoeh mplpyed is no less a personage than 'a ivisional head centre'; and it ii. ea#y i nough to imagine what valuable aid such ' ii individual could render in suoh an ndertaking. Some years ago it was

necessary to have powder mills guarded at night by military sentries. The practice has been recently discontinued, for what reason we have been unable to Ascertain, and this circumstance favored the most daring project of the marauders. The intention was to have gained access to the mills, to have cars on the road to bring away the stolen ammunition to Cork. Once this was accomplished, all who could be spared of the party were to march on the barracks, surprise and over* 'power the sentries, and, with the afiistance of their accomplices, take possession of the arms and such other military stores ju they should consider likely to serve their purpose. Unfortunately for them, as we baTesaidbdfore, there was a traitor in the camp who betrayed the brethren. The Government got timely waraing~the military were apprised of the intended attack, and they took'the precaution of storing in " a strong room " all the arms and ammunition not required for immediate use; and the sentries were doubled, the military were under arms all night, and ready at a moment's notice to fal| upon their assailants."