Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 26, 19 October 1888, Page 9

Dublin Notes.

(From the National papers.) TWEBDA.Y, Auguet 14 was a gala day in Kilkenny to welcome his Eminence Cardinal Moran, oq his visit to the diocese where he won so much popularity as a Bisoop. The remembrance of his recent proHouneement was in everyone's mind, and added not a little to the extraordinary enthusiasm with which he was greeted. Oj the following morning his Eminence wa9 presented with addresses from the Corporation and the rarious Young Men's Societies and Confraternities in the city. In reply, he expressed his gratification at the reception he b»d received, and astured them of the deep interest he oontinued to take in hit count tj'a welfare, though separated from her by io many thousand miles of sea. He dwdt on the prosperity of the Australian Colonies, and pointed out how much that prosperity wai due to th« possession of native legislatures, where wise and beneficial laws were enacted by the people for themselves. Coercion Bills tkere, he said, were unknown, and ha confidently looked forward to tha time when guch would coma to be in Ireland merely memories of a bateful pact. Lord Salisbury poured forth the vials of his wrath in the Lords on Friday, August 10, on the members of the House of Commons who had dared to criticise the composition of tha Commission whioh has been formed to obtain evidence for the Times, and to fish for evidence against the Irish Nationalists. •■ We have," said his lordship, " selected the most able and the most impartial of the judges." It would seem, therefore, that the Premier admits that some judges are more impartial than others. I {TrutK), hardly see, therefore, why he should complain that Liberals do not estimate this relative impartiality precisely as he does. He considers Mr. Justice Day more impartial in respect to Irish matters than other of his colleagues on the Bench, Why, therefore, should he impute it to us as a crime that we consider others to be more impartial than Mr. Justice Day ? This judge prostituted his ermine at Liverpool by indulging from toe Bench in Buch abuse of Irishmen that even the Tory papers piotested, and we have iton record that his colleague on the Belfast Commission. who necessarily wbs thrown much with him, regarded him as made out of the clay from which the worst of Spanish inquisitors were moulded. Which judges, lam curious to know, does Lord Salisbury consider leBS impartial. The Times is in a high state of trepi dation. How cruel, it blubbered on Monday, August 13, of Mr. Parnell to bnog aa action against " us " ; how wicked, too, to bring it in a Scotch Court, where the verdict is that of a majority, instead of in aa English Court, where " we " could not be foun 1 guilty without a unanimous verdict. It is, indeed, hard upon tbe Tuna. " We," we's old fiiend Mr. fcmith, and we's council the Attorney-General hive just force 1 a measure through the House of dmraona wh.ch will m a few days deprive Mr. Parnell of those costs and damages which are his right, if ne can show that the "letters" are forgerus. "We " thjutchi itself safe, aud poor " we ' now finds itself , by an aJroit flink movement of its victim, still (like any other cit zin who has not a FirsLord of the Treasury aud an Attorney-General to look after its interests) pecuniarily responsible for its libellous mare'e nest. On Tuesday the limes was even more funny than on Monday The Scotch action of Mr. Parnell, which on Monday snrpused the Times, surprised, according to that astoundimg journal, "all not wholly indifferent to public opinion in Grc it Britain." And why 1 Because it is of a piece with the Iri^h Nationalists' general medo of procedure towards Acts of Parliament " which they find inconvenient," it being the well-known course of these malignant wretchss to •'circumvent, cripple, or p^ralysi the operations of the law.' 1 Mr. Parnell'i action in Scotland has had one effect — it has stirred up the Times Protection Commissioners. It will now be a neck-and-neck race between the Commission and the Scotch court. All the better. The quicker the Commission works, the less likely will it be to fill its hands too full. But, let th^m work fast or slow, I (Truth) confess that I do not hope (or, for that matter, fear) much from the Commissioners. The buulea which has been cast upon them is a great deal too broad and too heavy for their backs. Tuey are, indeeJ, all three very excellent men, fjr whom personally and professionally I entertain the highest possible re p^ct. In any ordinary question between man and man, or Crown and alleged crsmina), I would trust their character and judgment implicitly. If the point submitted to them had been (as it most assuredly ought to have been) merely the authenticity or spunousness of the " Parnell letterp." I for my part, and I imagine Mr, Parnell, too. would have been quite content to abide their decision. This would bava been* single, small, and simple matter, which they could easily haie handled. But the questions actually submitted to them through the tyranny of the Tory and Liberal-Unionist majority and the clever " slip "' of Mr. Walter's •• old friend ") are neither few, nor small, nor simple. . Tbe Times and the Right felon. W. H. Smith have n«en making a handsome thing out of the sale of the mass of rubbish entitled •' Parnellism and Crime," which, indeed, would be more properly called '• Waltemm and " or " Smithism and slime"; but Walter'i purte is likely to be depleted to no small extent by the cost of Mr. Parnell's action in Scotland, as well ab those which will result from the proceedings of the Commission. Still the fame whici the Times acquired in connection with tha ullegel Paraell letters May easily be turned to commercial account by that enterprising journal. It will, perhaps, 6et up in front of its office a sign-board bearing such inscriptions as " Facsimile letters produced while you wait. Forgerl* executed with neatness and despatch. Charges modtrato," and no doubt it will not lack patronage. On Monday, August 27, two thousand Liberals called on Mr. Gladstone at Hawarden, and presented him with an illuminated address and a handsomely-designed rase. The right bon. gentleman, in reply, took occasion to refer to the charges against Mr. Parnell, and particularly to the letters alleged by the Times to have been written

by him. Mr. Gladstone laid stress on the fact tbat these document! constitute tba main issue tbat has to be tried, and expressed a bop* that the Commission would immediately inquire into their aitheaticiiy. The speaker added that Mr. Parnell canaot stand on an eqnal footing with the Times before the forthcoming Commission. "it is properly observed," continued the right bon. gentleman, " that this inquiry may extend over years. How is Mr. Pdruel) to defend himself ? He is to defend himself by counsel. The most eminent counsel in the country will b« employed against him. Such a suit would mean personal ruin for the defendant. Tba Times, on the contrary, rap resents a mine of anormous wealth, and can well «fford to defray its own expenses." The right hon. gentlemauconclnded an admirable ■peeca with « keen criticism of Dr. Ban's conduct at the late prooeedings at the Mandevilla iuqueat, bis remarks having been greeted throughout with the warmest applause. Nothing bo much proves the earnestness aid sincerity with which the English Liberals have espoused the Irish caise as tha spontaneous and unsolicited formation of the English Parnell Defence Fund. It is not only a clear proof of the sympathy entertained by tht leaders of the great Liberal party for the Irish people and thair representatives, but it also shows what the popular Liberal opinion ia England is of the Times allegation 8. The idea of starting the fund was adopted *t the meeting of the Gladstonian members of the Liberal Reform Club, when the following resolution was proposed by Mr. Crossfield, and adopted unanimously :—": — " That in tha opinion of this meeting it is desirable to form a Parnell Defence Fund to assist Mr. Parnell and bis colleagues in defraying the heavy expenses which must be incurred m connection with the accusations of the Time* newspaper." Mr. H. VV. Meade-King presided, and a committee was formed, which comprises some well-known and influential names, amongst them Messrs. Holt, Mnspratt, Evans, Lovell, and E. N. Rusaell. the editor of the Daily Post. With such a start, backed as it is by the whole Liberal party, the underttkina; cannot fail to be a tuccesj and a great encouragement to Mr. Parnell and his party, as well as to the whole Irish race, both at home and abroad. Mr. William O'Brien was accorded on Tuesday August 21, an enthusiastic reception at the hands of the Barrow-in-Furnes6 Liberal Asiociatioa. Five thousand people assembled on theoicasion todohimbefittiuK honours. On the walls in the interior ( i" the building where the demoustratiDii took placo were scrolls bearing the signiticmt legends, ■ Remember Mitebektown " and ll Our Watchword is Equal Rightu and Equal Laws." A resolution tendering a hearty welorae to Mr. O'Bneu having been passed unanimously, that gentleman said lie would deliver 10 the people of Ireland the message of friendship aud good-will that bad just been spoken from English hearts, tiefernng 60 the Times allegations. Mr. O'Brien said : " We are prepare 1 to accept the baule on th jse charges, and to lis^ht to thedeatu. We accept the is^u 3 . We will stand or fall by it; but let lheie be no mistake. The Tunes and its confederates will have to stand ox- fall by it also. Either ttuse charges are true — and if they are, let us be huuted remorselessly from public life, aye trom lite altogether ; or tlse they are faUe If they prove to be as foul a conspiracy as ever was concocted for the rum of mend reputation and for the destruction of a nation's cause, th«n I hope for the honour and the f *ir fame ef England that the failure of those charges will be visited with eternal infamy, not only for the Time* newspaper, but for the Tory Ministry, and for their Liberal-Uuionut allies also. ' Mr. O'Brieu h&Ting dwelt at some length on Jialfour's treaiinent of Irish political pri-onurs aad the cruel evicti jus how going on threaghout Ih2 countr\, expressed a wisn that the day would sjoii come when coeiciomsts aad exterminators would ha\e no more pjwer in the land. TbehoD. gentleman's speech was chiractdneed with all his wonted fmvour and enthusiasm, and evoked the stormy cheeis of his English aadieuce. Mr. Greenwood, editor of the at. Jame&s Gazette, one of the bitterest enemies of IreUad on tlm English Tory Press, has lo*t his organ voice. He has resigned bis editorship ' under stress of the strongest compulsion. 1 ' Hia bitter Toryism has cost the provider of the Vehicle for its exploitation ninety thousand pounds, it is a»id. Tht Saturday Reciero is also on the fall. A consjling fact for Irishmen. Cromweihanism does not pay. Now that Mr. Balfouns again about to become for same months 1 time monarch of all he surveys, in the unfortunate country which groans uader his misrule, a saarp eye mu->t bs k pt upon him aod his subordinates-. We know pietty well what sou of men he and his toils are. After the Mitcheistown massacre, the scandalous Dillon sentence, the " one-man not" (or which Mr. X >che revenged himself upon a personal enemy, the astounding and impudent evidence •f Dr. Barr in the MandeviLe aud Ridley inquests, and. la9tly. the O'Kelly kidnap and conviction, it is no longer passible for anybody to doubt that recklessness, cruelty, cowardica, and above all, meanness and subterfuge, are the B*lfourean arts of government. I (Truth ) shall be curious to observe in what fresh places these amiable qualities brtak out during the recess, and will promise to "spot" tiem as they arise. The evidence at the inque3tson the deatk of D.\ Ridley disc'oje3 a state ot things in Tullamore prison, wbich one could hardly have imagined ould exist even in a Siberian political prison. Tnis unfortuna'e Dr. Ridley admitted again and again that the health of Mr. O'Brien, M.P., Mr. Lane, M.P., and others was suffaring, owing to the severity of the treatment to which they were subjected. Re secretly supphel them with food, and be imploied them to forgive him, because, if he were to ace fairly aud honestly as a medical man, his bread would be taken away from him by his supeiiors. As Mr. Mandeville was not a Member of Parhameut, he seems to have had scant sympathy for him, and looked on while he wa» being done to death. Rather than stand a cross-examination, and to have his weakness publicly disclosed, ha killed himself. He was not a hero, but, compared with Dr. Barr, the members of the Prison Board, and the members of the Irish Executive, he was an angel of light. Parliament has been no sooner adjourned, »nd, thereby the chief maans of the exposure of Irish grievances and wrongs cut than the Eviction War begins with vigour and unrelenting fury. would, indeed, deem as if it were arranged to commence on the tame

day the evictions that were attempted at th« close of lant week,ending AngUßt 18. In County Wexford scenes were enacted which were described as baffling all powers of description, and htruggles between the people and the fores of the Crown took place which would be a diKgißce to a civilised Governm< nt, and which eudeci m a victory for tbe oppn ssed, who were about to b- m >rally robbed in accord a ice wub the "just lawn "oi the presen incipuble T ry Government. Even their dependant efficul — trieii le preset) ta ive aud a rvan' who was carrying out theirordersand their Viunted " justice," acknowled ged that he was participating in catryiug out proceedings that were cruel and harsh, unfair and unjust. Mr.Coosidine, k.M., acknowledged before ihe brutal scene commenced that the offer made by the tenants to their landlord, Mr. Byrne, on his estate at Coolroe, near Burkeotown, in the County Wexfoid, was " fair " and what "the landl ,rd ough to accept." Yet he was houud to c*rry out the " law, ' and he expressed hie regret aa<i dislike at having to do so. The result was only too creditable to the first tenant attacked, who defended his just rights and property with a courage and determination worthy of emulation.

The Irish Tory Press is unanimous in calling for the condign punishment of Mr. W. Redmond, M.P., for having cheered the brave inmates of the little garrison at Coolroe for their bravery and daring. Of course the usual cant about the upholding of the law is indulged in, while the conduct of the landlord, Mr. Byrne, or Clanncarde 11., as he is now called in the district, is not as much as alluded to, nor the extraordinary opinion expressed by the Removable Magistrate upon his refusal to come to terms. Indeed, the Daily Express professes ignorance regardingthelandlord'sposi'ion, though, not being acacquaiuted wLh the particulars of the landlord's demands, it " assume," with a certain amont of impudence, that "the tenants indebtedness was very considerable extending over a long period of years," and this on the head of the " clerical advocate " of the teuants' cause having proff> red " two years' rent for three, and one for tie remainder at Giiffhh's valuation, without costs, if the eviction were abandoned." These are the terms whkh the resident magisirate, who evidently did know something about the mat:er, thought " lair." This organ, which describes those who witnessed the eviction as a " mob," moreover f iils to see the victory gained by the mm ites of the house, since after surrendeiing, they were handcuffed and marched off! The Mail regards the occurrence as " a most uupleasant one," and naively suggests that such an iucident should be " the last of tne kind during the recess," and advocates " ample measure* " being adopt d to prevent tbe recurrence of what will form " the principal suoject on Home Rule platforms for some time to come."

Mr. J. J. O'Kelly, M.P., was sentenced on Saturday, August 11, by the Coercion Court, presided over by Removables Henn and Smyth, to four months' imprisonment for a conspiracy, the proof of the existence of which was about as shaky as the law by which the case was tried. During the proceedings it was shown how the police dogged the footsteps of this Irish member when he was engaged in a perfectly legal and constitutional right of visiting his constituents. We venture to assert that such conduct on tbe part of the servants of the public towards their masters dare not for one instant bo indulged in in England, and th.it if it were for a moment practised by the Tory Government their existence in power would be of a very short though, perhaps, lively duration. Another remarkable mstauce was the plea, upheld oy the Removables, that the bouks containing the evidence upon which the prosecution was b<sed were privileged. Privileges, forsooth, seem now to be a "right divine " of Balfour = and his minions, while every vestige ot the people's privileges have vanished under this modern Cromwellikin's barbarous Coercion Act. That, however. Constable Madden'a notes were held to be "privileged "' and not permitted by the counsel for the Crown to be inspected by the uninitiated, is not so very surprising when we reflect upon the tests made on previous occasions upon some, no doubt, very Bimilar precious documents with a result that was anything but cousoling to their authors.

The first demonstration of what is likely to turn out an annual series occurred at Ballyneety on Sunday in commemoration of the great hero Sarsfield. Though for the past two hundred years the demonstrations held in honour oil the great Irishman, of whose memory Irishmen all the world over are only too pr md, have been few and far between, the fact was due to neither want ot enthusiasm nor Bpathy, but more to the fact that no representative body had come forward to inaugurate a demnnstration until tbe Sarsfi«ld Branch of the National League did 60 recently, we are ghd to say and the result is % great success. At eleven o'clock on Sunday a pro-, cession of about 2 000 persons was iormed outside *he Sarsfielti Branch of the National League, aud, with binds playing, marched through the town of Limerick, visiting all ita old histoi ie partq, taking in the Treaty Stone at Thomond Gate and the Sarsfield Statue in Cathedral -pi ace. Then a journey in waggunet'.es and carriages was undertaken to Ballyneety, sixteen miles distant from L?menck Along the w'aole route the greatest enthusiasm was displayed, and the countryfolk at diff. rent stages joined in the procession. A meetiDg was held on tbe famous Sarsfiuld Rjck. which overlooks the spot where the great Irish soldier blew into atoms the siege train of King William, and where ttn y bivouacked the night before descending on Limerick in the morning. The ilayoi ul' Limenck, as well as Mr. Pinucane, M.P., and other speakers addressed the meeting, which pas-ed off quietly and was iv every way a success, in spite of the interference of the police who insisted on beiDg present with a Government reporter.

The hidley inquest has ended in the only way possible. The unfortunate, good-natuied,and weak-minded young man was '• driven to it." The sentence of all mankind (out of Primrose habitations) is " Woe to them who drove him." Many men Lave, in one way or another, been done to death by Mr. Baliour ; but in no instance is his responsibility co direct and crushing as m these two Tullamore cases. He deliberately sent the brazen-faced stick-at-nothing Banto force the hand of Dr. llidley, who maintained, so long as he dated, poor fellow, that to the best of his judgment Mr. Mandoville was unlit for punishment, and by this infamous coercion, and through fear of the inevitable exposure of trust betrayed and weak-minded

wrong-doing, he drove the wretched Ridley to suicide. Balfour is the homicide ; Balfour is the criminal. Of course, Barr is a criminal too (and a most offensive one) ; but we can afford (provided of course, that he ia not set up for hie at the expense of the taxpayer) to toreetthe inconceivably odious (but immeasurably little) Barr lUrwtt) coutesg ai f >is moment that I do not remember the names oi th, ruffi.ns who smothered thr bib sia the Tower. It is enough tor me t . know that huncn-backad ttic iard was at the bottom of the business.

It is, of coarse, especially shocking that perfectly honest and lnnoc <; D t— nay, m^t worthy and estimaolo— men, like Mr. O'Briea Mr. Dillon. Mr. Hooper, Mr Lai a and Mr. Mandeville, should be tortured and put to deith (as the case may be, and tin* strength of their constitutions may determine) in prison. But I(TrutK) owu that I am not altogether comfortable at tbe thought that even genuine criminals— men who really have done wrong and deserve punishment —should have their lives taken or their constitutions wrecked at the whim and pleasure of gaol governors or prison boards, or under tbe mere routine tortures of our prison system. Take the plank-bed, for instance. Here ia Dr. Moorhead's definition of the plank-bed • — An instrument of torture about 6 feet long, 2 feet wide, with an incline plane of 8 inches on the highest point, and about 4 inches on the lowest. The effect of the plank-bed ia to deprive the victim of sleep. It is the most monstrous instrument of torture " ever devised by the perverted ingenuity of man." I don't know the inventor's name, but I should not be in the least surprised if it turned out to be Barr 'or " Balfour." I do not think it could have been '• Chamberlain for lam sure I could never have forgotten " Chamberlain." We pride ourselves, in theie humanitarian dayt?, on having got rid of racks and thumbscrews. But, for my part, if I we.c in gaol, I should infinitely preter an occasional rack or thumbscr. w (say once a week or three times a month) and quiet nights, to the present plaa of no " torture " and no sleep. t Tu Al^ rmicjg re P° rtß are once more current regarding the condition ol Mr. John Dillon's health, which is by no means regarded as satisfactory. It appears that since his incarceration he has lost considerably in weight and has become visibly weaker. His eyes are much suaken and the continued rainy weather has a very depressing and injurious effect on his system. It is feared that a further prolongation of his imprisonment will have a fatal effect. Does Mr. Balfour wish in his malice to add another name to the martyrologv roll o! Ireland ? The thought of the shortening of John Dillon's days by his cowardly gaoler is one which the Iribh people will not stand. It is to be hoped that the full truth concerning his health may soon, be definitely ascertained, and measures taken to ensure that his life shall be safe even in his enemy's hands.

We commend to all Nationalists the movement of protest that is being started in connection with the prolonged imprisonment of lorn Moroney. Whatever Bhadow of an excuse originally existed for bis imprisonment has long since disappeared. His continued incarceration can achieve nothing ; and if punishment ia meant he has been sufficiently punished. We can discover no other reason for its continuance than the vindictiveness of a Tory judge who has carried his partisan temper to the Bench. Until now his revenge on a man wh® has defied successfully the attempts of this partisan to help the landlords in their extortions, has been accomplishing itself in darkness and silence for two long years. If the scandal is to continue any longer let the gaze of the public be concentrated on it. Judge Boyd may attempt to brazen it out ; but the public feeling evoked will in tbe long run prove too etrong for him. The coercionists will learn, too, that not even the weakest that suffers in this fight will he forgotten. We heartily applaud the Dublin branches of the National League for their appreciation of the Limarick man's unbreakable spirit.

A truly Homeric battle of birds is reported to the Frankfurter Zcitunrj by an eye-witness, in a letter from Sophia. Early on Thursday morning (he says) we saw an unusually large number of eagles, probably about two hundred, taking their flight towa-dsthe moantains of the Jintra. A crowd of persons watched the spectacle, and the crowd greatly increased a few hours later, when a number of storks, not fewer than 300, flew straight towards the regiment of c igles, evidently bent on war, In an instant, eagles and storkß were mingled in deadly affray. It was a fearful combat, Every now and then a wounded or dead bird, stork or caqle, fell to the ground. The battle lasted for nearly an hour, when the two armies, apparently weary of fight, flew off in opposite directions Upon a rough reckoning it was estimated that at least a third of the combatants fell in ike severe struggle. The prefect sent some men up into the mountains to count the dead eagles and storks. The people are quite eager to , know which of the two armies was victorious. Probably, as in many wars of unfeathered bipeds, the advantage lay on neither Bide. If anything were needed to aid a touch of inter* at to the pathetic story of the Prince Imperial's death in Zululand, it is furnished in the statement recently made public by Messrs. Dent, the watchmakers. In 1878 a gold watch bearing the monogram "N " was made by their firm for the Empress Eugrnie for presentation to the young Prioco. This week the battered back of the watch, still bearing the monogram, was brought to their establishment by Messrs. Weill and Harburg, who informed them that six years ago it had been bought by a client of theirs at Kimberley from a Zulu. The diamondli -Ids attract native workers from every tribe in South Africa ; and so in the fullness of time it came about that the broken remnant of the watch torn from the poor slain Prince in that obscure Zululand donga where he met his death has found its way to its original maker*, from whom, probably, it will pass to the Empress. Perhaps the Zulu who sold the back-plate was himself a participator in that strangely improbable yet, as it turned out, possible drama of death in which the imperial hope of France fell so untimely. Nothing is impossible in history. Who twenty years since could have dared to foretell that the great-nephew of the great Napoleon would within the year fall before the assegais of a barbarous tribe in the interior of Africa I—St, James's Gazette,