OUR IRIISH LETTER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIV, Issue 35, 24 December 1886, Page 21

OUR IRIISH LETTER.

(From our own Correspondent.) Dublin, October 28th. The event of the week is the " relief of Deny." Mr: Lewis, who misrepresented that historic city since the general election, surrendered in a manner which leaves the performances of Colonel Lundy, two hundred years ago, quite in the shade. The gallant Colonel made his escape under cover of a labourer's smock at the dead of night, history tells us. Mr. Lewis accomplished his flight in a much more shameful method. When unmarked before the world he took shelter behind the legal quibble of pleading guilty, and so saved himself from the dock. The detected briber fled to London, and his advocate, Sergt. O'Brien, took upon himself to claim the mercy of the court for his client. These courts are extremely merciful to delinquents of Mr, Lewis's kidney. No man in Ireland is more noted for luinchiag out high moral seutiments than the presiding Judge, Mr. Justice O'Brien, when he has a hungry peasant before him in the dock, but given a transgressor with a broadcloth coat on his back, and yoa have Mr. Justice O'Brien in a totally different iuood. He dismissed the case of the criminal runaway in a few smooth technical words — the double guilt of perjury and bribery has no power to move the oascienca of a piou3 Castle Cawtholic like the Judge. However, the great fact remains that Derry, the Maiden City, is ours at last, and Justin McCarthy returns to Parliament once more, brings up the Irish Party to eighty six. The Belfast Commission hai closid, Hamlet has been enacted, with the part of Hamlet left out. All sorts and conditionsof men were up for examination before this c jmmis3ion, but the moving spirit of the riots, Lord Randolph Churchill, did not appear. Sir;ly the iro-iy of f,ite seldom went further than to have Lord Km ly oppoint a commission to enquire into the results of his own evil pranks! Of course the evidence went to prove waat people knew already, that black is black, — or rather oraag ;is orange— and white, white. The riots were commenced and continued to prejudice tie miads »f igaonnt British voters against Home liule. Nobody expjets anything from a R^yal Commission, so that although the Orangemen were condemne i out of th''ir own mouths, we don't believe any undue curbing is likely to gall their fiery spirits, at least during the present Govern mental regiinc. Week after week the landlords are c«mingdowo with reductions, which they swore, last month, the Nitional L"ague would never extract from them. It is only fair, however, to remark th.it it is fear, and not love, which has changed their attitude. Even Clanrickarde the notorious has been pierced by the stings of public loathing and contempt. But the letter in which be tries to exculpate himself is singularly worthy of the vnter, and not a bad means of insight to the feelings which g jvei a his class. The Marquis excuses himself for not affording any reductions up to the prts u nt, because he was so busy evicting those who did not pay hst year ! When he has those wret 'bes safely in gaol, he will look oat for worthy cases. In the meantime, he is feeding his passion for exterminating in town as in country. Loughrea belongs to him; the To.vu Commissioners complained about the sanitary condition of some dozen houses there, whereupon he turned his crowbar brigade against the houses/and levelled them to the ground. The appointment of Father Eugene Sheehy, the first of our patriot priests imprisoned as a suspect, to the pastoral eh irge of the important parish of Bruree and Rockhill, has caused universal pleasure thiouglmut Ireland. To-day, thw granting of decrees to the students took place in the Royal Univeisity. The audience was uncommonly large, and, moreovtr, uncommonly inteiesiing, inasmuch as the people took every pains to show Lord CastlereaL'h, who was present in hiscapicity of Viceroy, what were their political opinions. The Lieutenant is a small man mentally and b>lilv, and his insignificance is rather accentuated by the d.uulvism which he affects. To-day, he looked the perfect type of a young milder, the hair of his sleek little head parted own ihe middle, a tall white collar propping his chin, a glass screwed over his eve, a general rdr of boredom pervading each look and movem nt. His a ;" mr.ee was the signal for a perfect storm of hisses and cheers Lord Kmly, the Chancellor, pro-e i thr >ugh an hour's platitude^, and vi conclusion alluded to the honour his Excellency did them in being present. "'No honour; no honour "" — • was promptly called back by a number of voices. Cas'lereagh, however, must have rather a large shaie of go.>d temper, for on getting up to speak be was greeted with cheers for " Home Rule, our own again," cheers for the "' Abordeens," cheers for " Mr. Glidstoue.'. He suited his words to the occasion, and delivered himself of some laboured sentences in Lord Aberdeen's favour. Even the antics of a lively young under-graduate, who ventured on an imitation of a cock's crow did not distuib him. Luckily the Vicetoy did not bring foith as a cure for our grievances a plan for which he is getting credit just now— that of importing Qui eu Victoria next spring. He has already brought over to us Fred Archer, the famous jockey, and a host of blacklegs and sporting characters with si ing ejekney names. Still we aie not happy. The loyai and pious circles of Dublin society have been shaken I to the centre by the discovery of Keatinge, their ex-Je3uit, in his j tru'i colour^. The means by which this clever swindler imposed upon the ciedulous were alnio-t marvellous. Fashionab'e crowds fought to hear him the mist select pulpits in Dublin \ve:e at his service, giave and ieverend divines accepted his h> lp m their ministries, and believed his most absurd stoiies. He convinced them th it the Pope himself pursued him in disguise in order to assassin .t > him, that a child of his had been poisoned by L'atho'io agent«. ete.,etc. Keatinge took flight when suspected, but was arrested at Liv'erp joI, and brought back; heie yesterday. On Friday, 22nd inst., the rupils of the Young Ireland Society celebrated the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Divis in a deeply interesting way. A coucert was given, consisting exclusively ef selections from Davis's works. After this, an eloquent address on hia life and writings was delivered by J, G, Taylor, 8.8. The speaker dwelt

forcibly on the noble ideals Davis kept before him, and exhorted tboie present to take the lesson of his life to heart. The annual prizes were distributed by Mils O'Leary, the sister of the President, John O'Leary. U.K.