interpose between you and your lawless purposes, assuming, as you did, to dictate laws to the King's subjects. You are found with an army of insurgents, arms are found on the field of battle, and such transgressions shall not go unpunished. You are bound together by blasphemous oaths, which, if you had consulted your priest or clergyman, he would tell you were not binding. There is no man whose mind is so stultified, but must know that such oaths are not binding. Justice, though slow, is certain-guilt cannot escape. Let me conjure you to prepare for that transition which you are about to undergo, for the grave is already opening for you. You shall have the attendance of a clergyman of your own persuasion. In a few hours you will pass from time to eternity. You will stand before that unerring Judge, who searches the hearts of the children of men. With respect to you, this world is past and gone.-(Here Halloran begged his Lordship to grant them a long day.) The limited time for the execution of the sentence is marked out by the law, and I cannot alter it; that sentence is, that you, Michael Halloran, and you, Michael Fitzgerald, be taken from the place where you now stand, to the place from whence you came, and that on Thursday next, the 20th of December, you be each brought to the common place of execution, and there be hanged by the neck until dead, and that your bodies be afterwards given to the surgeons for dissection; and may the Almighty God, of his infinite goodness, have mercy on your souls!" Halloran said, "The Lord have mercy on us!" Fitzgerald remained silent. Previous to their being led out from the dock, Halloran shook hands mournfully with Moran, who was acquitted.

TIMOTHY SHEA, FOR SEVERAL

OFFENCES.

Limerick, Dec. 19.

Timothy Shea was indicted, under the Whiteboy Act, for that he, on the 9th of October last, did, with several others, feloniously and forcibly steal and carry away a mare, value ten pounds, the property of John Walsh, at Moneygay. A second count char ged him, under the same act, for perpetrating the deed in the night time, and before six o'clock in the morning; and a third, that he forcibly compelled the owner to deliver the animal up to him. In a second indictment, he was charged with feloniously stealing a saddle, the property of Michael Scanlan; and, in a third indictment, he was charged with stealing a mare, the property of Jeremiah O'Connor. All these indictments were framed under the Whiteboy Act.

John Rahilly was the first witness examined.-Is a serjeant of the police stationed in this part of the country; knows prisoner well, and now identifies him; was on duty on the 9th day of October last, having been desired by Lieutenant Percy, the commandant of the police, to scour the country, and to meet him at Drumculla, at a particular hour. Witness proceeded to execute his orders, and while riding along with his party, met prisoner galloping at a most furious rate; witness stopped him, seizing his horse by the bridle, and asked him where he was going. He said he was " riding for his life;" and desired witness to go on, and he would "see a sight." He desired witness, for God's sake, to let him go, but a pistol being observed in his breast, it was taken from him, and he was desired not to attempt to stir from the spot, or he would be immediately shot. Prisoner immediately said, "He

Cross-examined by Mr Howley.Has heard of horses being found on the road; does not recollect the colour of the mare, but can swear she was the animal claimed by Walsh. There was a saddle on the mare.

James Shepherd, policeman, sworn. -Was out with Rahilly, the preceding witness; saw the mare taken by the police and brought to Mr Sheaby's stables, where she was claimed in the morning by Mr Walsh. This was the same animal taken from the prisoner; he could not be mistaken, as she was lame; was present when she was demanded from Mr Percy.

Cross-examined.-Moonlight was not clear; witness could not swear to the saddle.

John Walsh, examined by the Solicitor-General.-Found the mare men. tioned in the indictment, at Newcastle; she was only one night out of his possession; had seen her at night-fall the evening preceding.

Michael Scanlan sworn.-A saddle was forcibly taken from him by a party in October last. Does not know how many people were at his door, as he only half opened it, when he gave it up. He found it with the police at Newcastle on the Saturday following. He gave it through fear.

John Purcell, servant to Mr Percy, was sworn.-Saw Scanlan claim the saddle, which was on the little black mare, taken from the prisoner.

the police at Newcastle; was for some time in the army; was out on duty on the night of the 9th of October last; came upon a body of men, consisting of eighty or one hundred; witness called out to his party "to be quick," and desired the marauders to "halt and surrender ;" ten or twelve had by this time passed ahead, flying "hither and thither;" two men were on every horse; fired among them, and afterwards found arms, &c. The ten or twelve men above-mentioned took the road on which witness was sure Serjeant Rahilly was; the moon rose about 28 minutes past four in the af

ternoon.

Here the case for the Crown closed.

DEFENCE.

Serjeant Rahilly re-examined.-Prisoner, when taken, said he was sent out by Father Rochford to search for arms taken from Mr Stevelly.

James Rochford, parish priest of Moneygay, has successfully exerted himself for the recovery and delivery of arms; directed Shea, the prisoner, to make search for them; after he was bailed by the magistrate on account of this charge, prisoner gave up a sword to Mr Massey. He had formerly procured three guns, two swords, a bayonet, and a pistol; considered prisoner an honest, industrious, regular man. When he was taken he was on the direct road to Mr Stevelly's.

Cross-examined.-Has heard that Mr Stevelly got back all the arms taken from him; of course the pistol found on Shea could not have belonged to that gentleman; witness did not employ prisoner to recover a mare or a saddle.

Baron M'Clelland summed up the evidence at considerable length. The theft from Walsh was the only one which required the consideration of the Jury; the others not being completely supported by proof. The horse

taken from that person might have been for the purpose of midnight marauding, to be turned adrift into the country, after its services were not required; but, under the Whiteboy Act, this was a capital offence. The learned Baron then recapitulated the evidence, and commented on the expressions made use of by the prisoner, such as "running for his life," &c. If prisoner had been decoyed into crime, and afterwards repented it, he should have gone before a magistrate, and confessed it on his oath. One fact, however, was certain; the prisoner was found on the mare in the most suspicious circumstances, and the Jury owed it as a duty to themselves and their country, to find the prisoner guilty, if they, in their consciences, thought the facts mentioned in the indictment were borne out by the evidence.

The Jury found a verdict of Guilty on the first indictment, (that for carrying away the horse belonging to Walsh)-Not Guilty on the other indictment. The conviction under the first, however, subjects the prisoner to the penalty of death.

VARIOUS.

Daniel Martin, indicted under the Whiteboy Act, for appearing in arms, demanding arms, &c.-Found Guilty. Thomas Henchy, for beating with a stick, and mortally wounding James Buckley-Not Guilty.

Martin Grady and John Grady, for feloniously taking a sword from Edward Morgan, and using menaces to induce Morgan to deliver said sword. Guilty.

Francis Shaughnessy, for assaulting Edward Sandwith, and robbing him of a gun, within the liberties of the city of Limerick.-Guilty.

James Walsh, for disturbing divine service in the Catholic chapel belong

ing to Mr Cleery. Delayed till other accomplices can be brought forward. A weapon of a frightful nature had been found in the house of one of the persons accused.

John Ward, Patrick Lee, Morgan Craven, and eight others, were found guilty of a riot, and assaulting a witness for giving evidence at the last assizes.-Sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment.

ADJOURNMENT.

On the 21st of December, the Solicitor-General prayed their Lordships to adjourn the Commission for the county of Limerick to Saturday, January 12. "That period would not interfere with Term, or any other public concern; but even so, all other considerations should be put aside. Government were determined upon keeping a permanent Court of Justice until the peace of the county should be restored. As fast as crimes shall be committed, an active police will apprehend the offenders, who shall be brought without delay to the Bar of Justice. They may go on and commit more murders-they may aunihilate the present ministers of the law, and magistrate after magistrate, but others will be got to supply their place in succession. The laws will neither slumber nor rest till all shall be made complete. No man who commits a crime shall wait till next assizes for trial. On the 12th of January, if fresh crimes shall be committed, fresh trials shall be ready for the perpetrators. The Commission is framed for that purpose. If the proceedings under it are not found adequate, then other measures will be resorted to for restoring tranquillity and character to the county.

"He had come only a few days since to the county; he found it disgraced by the acts of a lawless banditti; but

if it has been sunk in character by the guilty, it has been raised by all those who assisted in the administration of the law; by the neighbouring gentry. He never, in his visits through the country, met more exemplary conduct than the gentlemen of the county ma. nifested on this occasion; they came from their homes in the midst of fire and sword, to that jury-box, which was to be found full of the first gentlemen in the county, who had not allowed themselves to be kept hack by pleasure or sport. That duty those gentlemen discharged with temperance and without intimidation, and he could not but admire the acquittals, and the distinctions they made in the different cases which had come before them. Every one who saw their conduct, must feel happy to live under and enjoy the benefits resulting from the constitution. Every gentleman connected with this county deserved the greatest thanks. He did not feel it necessary to advert to the excellent conduct of the police, which was manifest to every person; neither was it agreeable to him to speak of any gentleman in his presence-but he felt it to be his duty to return thanks to one magistrate particularly, (he alluded to Mr Vokes,) who had distinguished himself in aiding the justice of the country.

"There was another topic he would advert to, which must afford great satisfaction to those who were around him, namely, that the unhappy men who had left this world, and fell victims to the offended laws of their country, manifested at the last hour, a contrite and devout deportment, and made a penitent confession of their guilt. He could not expect a better temper than that which has resulted already from this Commission; and he should say, that great praise was due to the respectable clergymen who attended

these unhappy men, in discharge of their sacred functions, for the excellent frame of mind which they had brought them to at their last hour. When all these things were taken into consideration, he felt there was no reason to despair of good effects for the restoration of the peace and tranquillity of the country. It was impossible at the beginning of this week to form an opinion of what might be the result. Certainly there was an evident change for the better; but if, unfortunately, these crimes should again recur, or an attempt should be made to put down the law, they must either do so, or the law must put them down. Fortnight after fortnight this Commission would be held-troops after troops should be poured in amongst them, if necessary, to crush their evil proceedings, and to enforce the execution of justice. He trusted in God that the misfortunes of this week would be impressed upon the minds of the lower orders; and he hoped and trusted that it would be communicated to them by those who were conversant in their language, and that they would impress upon their minds what they had heard and what they had seen. He would address himself to the young about him, and ask them what was the progress made by the banditti within the last fifteen years? Did they not by their conduct act in open defiance to their own experience? Let them but ask their fathers and grandfathers what was the result in their days of these illegal associations. First, the appearance of the Whiteboys in the year 1776-after them, another banditti called the Rightboys-there was the Peep-o'-day-boys-the Shanavests and Caravats. He would pass over the great insurrection of 1798, that of the rebellion, and speak only of the banditti; and let any one tell him did they ever end their mad career but at that bar,