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ATROCIOUS OUTRAGE IN IRELAND.

THOSE disturbances which are unhappily of so frequent occurrence in the south of Ireland, arrived in the winter of 1821 at a pitch of atrocity which has seldom been equalled and never surpassed even by the most uncivilized nations. The following accounts of a most barbarous action are taken from the Irish newspapers of the period: their details sicken the heart and chill the blood with hor

ror:

CLONMEL, NOVEMBER 21.-We can scarcely recollect an incident of

such dreadful atrocity since the burning of Scullabogne, in, the last Irish rebelliou, as that which occurred on Monday night, at "The Seven Acres," a farm so called, near Thorny-bridge, when about seventeenmen, women, and children, found the dwelling-house in flames around them. Shea, the owner, appears to have been the first to burst out on his assailants, and was instantly shot, and thrown back into the flames; another making a similar attempt, shared the same fate; and before the murderers de

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parted, every soul in the house was burned to death! This is the pith and marrow, so far as we can learn it from an eye-witness of the ruins, who has called out Mr. Thomson, the coroner, to hold an inquest on the bodies. The conflagration, which continued till a late hour yesterday morning, was seen in various directions, at a late hour yesterday morning, was seen in various directions, at a long distance; and one gentleman, asking a countryman whom he met on the road, two or three miles from the place, what could occasion such a fire, was answered with perfect sang froid, Nothing, I suppose, but satisfaction thy are taking for the poor people that were turned out of their houses t'other day." We acknowledge, without shame, that in the moment of this diabolical excess of savage ferocity being reported to us, we did not see what help language can afford, not to aggravate, but to paint the horror of such a sanguinary glut upon a number so large, and of whom so many, even in the eyes of these savages, must have been entirely free of any possible participation in Shea's assertion of his property-five or six are represented to us as children of the tenderest years! three, or, as some say four, were friends joining him for his protection, all the rest were servants; and all-all mingled in one indiscriminate slaughter, of the most dreadful character, because the owner of the land thought himself entitled to use the property that he paid for, and refused submission to the legislation of midnight assassins.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. KILKENNY, Nov. 24.-Between twelve and one o'clock on Monday night the house and offices of Mr. Edward Shea, a wealthy farmer at Gartnapish, about a mile from Nine Mile-House, on the Fethard side of Slievenaman, in the county of Tipperary, and on the estate of Roger Cashin, Esq. of Waterford, was beset and set on fire, while the doors, &c. were securely guarded to prevent escape from the flames, by which Shea, his wife, six children, his nephew,

four labouring men, three servant women, and a poor pedlar, who had sought lodging there on the fatal night, were burnt to death!!! One of Shea's daughters was a remarkably handsome and lovely girl, and one of the murdered females was in the ninth month of her pregnancy!! Shea was a land-jobber. The spectacle of the murdered group was the most revolting ever beheld, particularly the body of the pregnant woman. It could be ascertained, however, that they had been dressed, from which it is conjectured that they had given battle to the assailants, as Shea was known to have arms, and that when the house was in flames they had entertained some hopes of being able to effect their escape from the devouring element.

(From "The Clonmel Advertiser " of Saturday se'nnight):

A more horrible enormity was never perpetrated by monsters in the human shape! The whole of the inhabitants of a house, sixteen persons, male and female (one of the latter Mrs. Shea, in the most advanced state of pregnancy), burnt alive, of whom not one escaped to tell the mournful tale! In order to effect their diabolical purpose, it is probable the monsters set fire to the thatch in several places at once; and that the inmates, taken by surprise, in rushing towards the door, created

fatal confusion, which retarded their progress till the roof fell in, and overwhelmed them-for the remains of eleven or twelve of thein were found near to the door, inside. The master of the house was one of these; he was distinguished by being lame of a leg, and having lost a tooth in front of his mouth; he was found reclining with part of his bowels protruded from the belly, where many suppose a ball to have entered; and near one of his hands lay the barrel of a blunderbuss he was supposed to have been carrying. Close by him, and by the door, lay a man with the key of the door in one hand, and a a gun barrel near the other. It was a most unfortunate circumstance there was

but one door to the house, or some of the people might have escaped; and that they seemed to depend upon their arms and their strength in a thatched building. It is mentioned they had ten stand of arms within: this is very probable, as we saw the barrel of a large iron blunderbuss, the barrel of a fowling-piece, five shorter gun-barrels, one pistol-barrel, and three locks of arms, carried away from the ruins by the police stationed at Fethard. From the position in which Mr. Edward Shea (the proprietor of the house) was found, as above related, it is supposed he was in the act of drawing the bolt from the door when he met his death. A child, about two years old, was found placed in a pail of water, where it remained untouched from the fire, save only what floated above water. At each side of the door there was a loop-hole for small arms, about three inches in diameter, which commanded the entrance; these, however, did not appear to have been used, as the glass remained entire in one of them on Wednesday, and the other was but little broken. It does not appear that Williams or Dillon saw any of the monsters engaged in this havoc, as they came in the direction of the smoke; but we understand that six men were seen about the fire, by persons observing from near three quarters of a mile distant; and it is also mentioned, that so late as eight o'clock in the morning, a fellow who remained sleeping in the straw in the haggard, adjoining the scene of the conflagration, rose up and ran off, on being observed by some women who came to view the ruins.

About two in the afternoon of Wednesday, the remains of the sixteen sufferers were taken in twelve coffins from the ruins-seven to Cloneen church-yard, four to that of Kilvemnon, and one to Grange. The sight was mournful in the extreme. Several clergymen attended with hat bands, as did several other gentlemen, farmers and others, all evidently im pressed as they should be on so melan choly an occasion.

Of the neighbouring magistrates, there attended on Wednesday at the place of this most alarming and inhuman enormity, Messrs. James G. Jacob, Wm. Barton, James Purefoy Poe, F. Despard, Richard Chadwick, and R. Cooke, of Kiltynane These gentlemen opened a subscription for offering rewards for the discovery and prosecution of the Gorgons concerned in the before recited infernal act, which was signed on the spot by numbers. The Magistrates then adjourned their meeting until esterday, at Cloneen, when there were there assembled Messrs. Robert Cooke, Benjamin Bennett Bradshaw, James Purefoy Poe, Wm. Barton, Francis Despard, Richard Chadwick, and Richard Millett. These gentlemen · had summoned nearly forty persons from the immediate vicinity of the scene of woe, many of whom had lost their nearest relatives or friends-and at five o'clock yesterday evening had not examined more than fifteen of them; so that we think the investigation may continue some days. There seemed to be no backwardness on the part of the people to give every assistance in their power to the enquiry; and many there are who would hazard life and limbs to bring the destroyers of their brothers, sisters, and of other relatives and friends, to the tribunal of justice. The Sheas are known for ages in this county-opulent, respectable, and esteemed; the Mullallys are connected with a determined and extensive body of men; one of the young women who perished on the occasion, and to whom we have before alluded, had four hundred pounds fortune, and was to have been married in a few days. The murderers of such as these will have many enemies -the nature of the deed could make no human being a friend-at least, no one worthy of the name.

We shall not again allude to the supposed cause of the direful wrath which produced this frightful catastrophe, so repulsive to every feeling of humanity; but it seems to be of a local nature, and independent of fore, ign infection. On the same night

that Mr. Edmond Shea's house was burnt, one of his brothers, living near Burnockstown, got a notice to quit his land; but we hear of no other instance of a like nature in this part of the country.

THR INQUEST.

On Wednesday last an Inquest was held at Tubber, in the parish of Cloneen, barony of Middlethird, county of Tipperary, before John Thompson, Esq. one of the Coroners for the said county, on view of the bodies of Edmond Shea, Mary Shea, Edmond Shea, jun, Mary Shea, jun, Nicholas Shea, jun, Wm. Shea, Margaret Shea, Michael Butler, Patrick Mullallv, Michael Mullally, Catherine Mullally, Mary Shea, Margaret Power, and the bodies of three men unknown.

A Jury having been sworn, the following evidence was adduced: Nicholas Shea, of Seven Acres, farmer, deposed, that he is brother of the deceased Edmond Shea; knows the bodies of Edmond Shea, Mary Shea, Edmond Shea. jun. Mary Shea, jun., Nicholas Shea, jun, William Shea, and Margaret Shea. Witness was called out of his bed on the morning of the 20th instant, by John ButTer, about one or two o'clock, who told him that his brother's house was on fire. When he arrived there, the house was on fire, and the roof had fallen in. Witness, about the hour of nine o'clock that morning, went to the door and saw the bodies of several persons lying on the floor, who had been burnt to death. Saw the bodies of sixteen persons taken out of the house that morning.

John Mulcahy, of Ballywalter, farmer, deposed, that he knows the bodies of Patrick Mullally, Michael Mullally, and Catherine Mullally; saw them lying dead at the house of the deceased Edmond Shea, on the morning of the 20th instant.

William Williams, of Gurtnapish, labourer, deposed, that on the night of Monday the 19th instant, he got up to look after a pig: saw Edmond Shea's house on fire; went towards the house, but was afraid to go on, in

consequence of hearing several shots fired about the house. A man of the name of Philip Dillon fired a shot towards Shea's house, which was returned by one or two shots from persons about the house on fire, who shouted, and desired Dillon to come on if he dared.

Philip Dillon, of Gurtnapish, farmer, deposed, that William Williams called him out of bed on the night between the 19th and 20th inst., who told him that Edmond Shea's house was on fire. He desired Williams to call some neighbours; he then advanced towards Shea's house, which was in a blaze, and fired a shot and called out, "Oh, you rascals!" which was returned by two shots, and he was desired to advance if he dare.' Heard several shots about Shea's house.

The Jury found that Edmond Shea, Mary Shea, Edmond Shea, jun., Mary Shea, jun., Nicholas Shea, jun., William Shea, Margaret Shea, Michael Butler, Patrick Mullally, Michael Mullally, Catherine Mullally, Mary Shea, Margaret Power, and three men (labourers) to us unknown, were wilfully and maliciously burned to death, by some persons, to us unknown, setting fire to the dwellinghouse of Edmond Shea, the deceased, ́ on the night between the 19th and 20th of November instant;"

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The Dublin Journal of Monday contains the following observations upon these deplorable events :—“ Although the murder of the Shea family proceeded from a particular cause, yet there is reason to believe that the system of combination is extending to Tipperary. In the parish of Sallahead; unlawful oaths have been administered. In the county of Waterford also some outrages have taken place. A tenant in Old Parish was distrained for rent, and a keeper stationed to secure the produce. The object of the deluded peasantry is evidently to abolish tithes and rents. In the disturbed districts, the system of intimidation is paramount, and carried to an extent almost incredible. As a striking instance of this fact, we

are assured that the burned remains of Jeremiah Scully were laying on the side of the road, and not one of his relations or friends would venture to remove, or any way interfere with them. This circumstance shows the tremendous influence of the banditti, who can thus overawe the strongest feelings of our nature. Some particulars have come to our knowledge respecting the late atrocity in the eastern part of the county of Tipperary, which, although they by no means palliate the infliction of so barbarous, an act of revenge, yet, as they tend in some degree to explain the causes of that contest, which now seems to be waging by the peasantry of that part of Munster, may not be unworthy of record. O'Gorman, the tenant to Shea, who is brother to the man savagely murdered, was not ejected for non-payment of rent, but for want of title. He had only an alleged written promise of a lease, and thereon built the cottages, and Inade other improvements; he was ejected by civil bill, before the assistant barrister, from the idea that this title in equity could not prevent the decree at sessions: the case was again tried at the assizes of Clonmel, and the late Shea, on being called by the tenant to prove his brother's handwriting, denied the validity of that document. The tenant being there by defeated, Shea was put in possession by his brother, who is himself only a lessee: having thus provoked the resentment of the peasantry, he and his unfortunate family seem to have fallen a sacrifice to the savage notions of retribution of these nocturnal legislators. It appears, there fore, that this action, however atrocious in itself, has no immediate connexion with the disturbances in Limerick. It is, alas! not without frequent parallels in the history of this unhappy country, and we fear is only one proof more of the depraved state of morals, not only among the poor peasantry, but even among those of higher station."

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A Proclamation of his Majesty's Privy Council was issued on Monday,

offering a large reward for the dis covery of the wretches.

Interesting Varieties.

DIGESTION IN FOWLS.-Not long since I observed in the papers some highly interesting particulars relative to the prevention of the mortality which generally prevails amongst fowls at sea. This desirable object was effected by furnishing the birds with particles of granité; and from the time that this was done, they became gradually healthful and fat; from which it evidently appears, that the cause of their previously falling off, arose entirely from the food having passed into the stomach without due trituration, the gizzard not pos-. sessing the power to effect that operation, without the aid of hard substances to serve as grinders to the food. On land, although birds can and do supply the gizzard with foreign aids of this description, by picking up small gravel, stones, &c. in such, quantities as instinct teaches them is necessary to assist the functions of that organ, still it must happen that when too great a portion of food is received by the fowl, especially if it be of a hard nature, that the gizzard is inadequate to the task of reducing it to a proper state for the operation of the gastric fluid, and thus the bird fails to derive the beneficial effects which it otherwise would do from its food.

Conceiving that this must often be the case with poultry, I resolved to try the effect of anticipating nature, in the mechanical process of trituration, and accordingly selected six fowls for the experiment, this year's birds, and fed them almost entirely on barley, previously triturated in a mortar; after a lapse of three weeks, one of them was killed, and upon dressing, the effects of the new regi men were obvious, the bird possessing the plumpness of a coop-fattened fowl, united with the firmness and peculiar flavour of a barn door

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