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CSO/RP/1825/1351

Letter from Sir Edward Smith Lees, secretary, General Post Office, Dublin, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, enclosing a copy letter from Michael Smith, [deputy] post master, Post Office, Donaghadee, County Down, reporting on the wreck of the mail steam packet ship ‘Dasher’. States he chartered a small vessel or smack belonging to Mr Gillespie at the cost of three guineas to convey the two mails waiting at Donaghadee across the channel, and gave instructions to collect the two consignment of mail now due. Observes news of the demise of the ‘Dasher’ was confirmed by Lieutenant Smitten of the steam packet ‘Arrow’: it is stated ‘the cordage of the Dasher having got entangled with the Paddles going into Portpatrick [Scotland] the vessel struck against the Rock seven or eight times’ which caused extensive structural damage. He adds in a postscript that a woman, one of two people injured while jumping off the stricken vessel to the rock, had her leg ‘amputated and she died very shortly after’.

6 Oct 1825-7 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1352

Letter from Chamberlen William Walker, [secretary, Board of Education, Dublin], Cheltenham, England, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, expressing a degree of discomfort over a recent communication from the Chief Secretary requesting a meeting on the 30th of October. Indicates the letter in question should have been directed for the attention of William J McCausland, solicitor [board of education], who was to act in his stead while he attended a conference of the commissioners of the board of first fruits. He affirms having called in person at Dublin Castle to explain his intended leave from duties but discovered the Chief Secretary was unavailable due to an accident. Claims he has been constantly at his post for the past 13 years, and to have received in person all government communications. Asks to be informed if his presence is required at home or if he may remains beyond the 22nd of October, when the commissioners are expected to reassemble and will address the subject of diocesan schools.

5 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1353

Petition of John Greene, Ennis, County Clare, to Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle, seeking permission to continue to operate his small hardware stall in the town of Ennis without a licence. Complains the local distributor of stamps, John Morony, has threatened to ‘seize his small stock’ if he insists on selling without an official permit. He claims his stock is too small to justify payment of a licence fee and fears being ‘reduced to Beggary’ as he cannot do manual labour for reasons of his poor health. Cites an act of Parliament of 1816 which he states gives permission to former army personnel to work in any part of the Empire without having to hold a licence. Also remarks he has accumulated 20 years experience in a military capacity, but was discharged due to ill health and weakness in 1815.

24 Sep 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1354

Letter from Major Thomas Powell, Corkagh, Rathcoole, County Dublin, inspector general of the Leinster constabulary, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, reporting on the case of Thomas Austin, late police sub constable of Ballinakill, Queen’s County [County Laois; Leix], who was lately dismissed from the police. Explains Austin was reported as ‘being drunk and his conduct highly disgraceful’ by Mr Wray, his chief constable, while on peace preservation duties in the town of Mountmellick. Yet, he observes, the offender has an excellent past record in the establishment and requests to have the Lord Lieutenant’s instructions as to his final destiny. With annotation on base from Goulburn, indicating if this was Austin’s first offence the government has ‘no objection to his being retained as a Constable’, 4 October 1825. Encloses a memorial from Austin, Ballinakill, to Powell, requesting pardon on account of his recent breach of duty while at Mountmellick. Emphasises his previous good conduct and recalls winning the approval and recommendation of Frederick Trench, magistrate of Haywood, during the formation of the constabulary force, 5 September 1825. Also encloses a character references from Reverend Edward Moore, Church of Ireland curate of Ballinakill, expressing his confidence in Austin as a policeman and individual. Observes ‘many years ago his father from conviction conformed to the Established Church’, 26 September 1825. Also character references from Mr Foot, chief constable of Abbeyleix, and from John Howard of Ballinakill, 21; 24 September 1825. Also a memorial from Austin to Goulburn, pleading for restoration to the constabulary on grounds the issue complained of was his ‘first’ act of indiscretion. He alludes to his part in the trial of 6 constables at the sessions of Maryborough [Portlaoise] in spring 1824, who were charged with the murder of Richard MacDonald; observes having given a favourable defence to his colleagues he subsequently became ’obnoxious to the country people’ and his life was put in danger, 26 September 1825. Also encloses a letter from Reverend Moore to Powell, extolling Austin as ‘a sober & well conducted man’; countersigned overleaf by James Horan and Frederick Trench, magistrates, 2; 3 September 1825.

2 Sep 1825-4 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1355

Letter from Lieutenant Colonel A Wedderburn, governor, Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, seeking a disengagement of troops deployed for the protection of the mail coach between Littleton and Cashel, in County Tipperary. Refers to the opinion of Lieutenant General Sir George Murray, staff commander and master of the Royal Hospital, on the ‘severity’ of the duty and states the security of the mail would be best served by the ‘employment of soldiers for the purpose’, 26 October 1825. Encloses copy letter from Major General Sir Charles W Doyle, commander of the south west district of Ireland, Limerick, County Limerick, to Wedderburn, expressing his view that the duties made reference to in connection with the protection of the mail coach should be brought to an end, 24 October 1825. Encloses copy letter from Captain Richardson, 86th regiment of foot, Cashel, to Doyle, commenting upon the duties expected of the military escort. Explains the escort, a sergeant and 6 men, make a 3 mile journey from barracks in Cashel at 9 o’clock in the evening to meet the mail coach coming from Dublin; they are obliged to remain at the meeting point until the coach arrives, which is usually 3 am. Also comments upon a past attack on the coach at a turnpike gate near the police station at Grange, noting as yet, those responsible have not been apprehended. A more effective mode of protection for the mails, he suggests, would be to embark two soldiers at Littleton who would stay on board until mail delivery is made, and return later to barracks, 22 October 1825.

22 Oct 1825-26 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1356

Letter from Thomas Coleman, tidewaiter, Belfast, County Antrim, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, reporting on the seizure of a subscriptions ledger for the collection of Catholic [Association] Rent in the parish of Lisburn, County Down [enclosed]. He states the item was confiscated from a ‘Papist who attended a Dance’ beside the town of Lisburn and later handed to Benjamin Ashenhurst, former district master of the Orange association in Belfast. Claims the ledger was passed to him by Ashenhurst and he now conveys it to government so they know ‘the enemies of Church and State is busy Employed to overturn our Glorious Constitution’. Expresses particular distaste for the character of those who subscribe funds to the association, in particular Dissenters or members of the Presbyterian denomination, whom he describes as ‘Vile Rebels to their God and Country’. Encloses printed Catholic Rent book for Lisburn, with handwritten information [in blank sections on front cover] revealing the distributor's name is Henry Mulholland of Bridge Street, Lisburn, and the parish collector is Thomas Walsh. Less than 1½ pages in book are complete: these comprise individual lines of written text stating the subscriber’s name and financial contributions per month [also brief calculations on final sheets]. A couple of supporters are identified in the body of the ledger as ‘Presbyterian’.

3 Oct 1825-25 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1357

Letter from James George Stopford, 3rd Earl of Courtown, to the Chief Secretary’s Office, Dublin Castle, drawing attention to a memorial to government for further grant or loan assistance towards the new harbour of Courtown, and seeking a response. He also makes reference to some recent news received by post about events in the parish of Reverend Doyle, rector of Tullow in County Carlow. He remarks a couple of persons of the Roman Catholic denomination have refuted the ‘errors of the Romish Church & embraced the faith of the Reform’d Church’. Observes they are determined to follow the dogma and practices of the Established Church despite strong local opposition.

16 Sep 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1358

Letter from Major Benjamin Blake Woodward, commissioner of the Lord Lieutenant’s school fund, 41 Leeson Street, Dublin, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, proposing that funds remaining in hand due to unclaimed grants be utilised for the benefit of outstanding applications [for school building projects] which have went unsatisfied due to the withdrawal of the fund. As an example, he refers to the application of Reverend PP Magee for a grant to enlarge a school building out of the Lord Lieutenant’s school fund; states the commissioners regarded his application as ‘irresistible’ but were not empowered to issue financial assistance on account of the fund being closed. Also copy letter from Goulburn to Woodward, stating the Lord Lieutenant’s approval of proposals to use money accumulated from unclaimed grants for the purpose of assisting those who previously met with disappointment due to the termination of the fund.

19 Oct 1825-26 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1359

Letter from Thomas Popham Luscombe, deputy commissary general, commissary general's office, Dublin, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, stressing his inability to comply with a request from the secretary of the Bank of Ireland to deliver a consignment of new silver to the town of Belfast, County Antrim, and to remove from that quarter a quantity of old silver bank tokens. Indicates the reason he cannot offer assistance at this time is due to his preoccupation with work of a similar kind in the south and west of Ireland. Encloses copy letter from Thomas Williams, secretary of the Bank of Ireland, Dublin, to Luscombe, requesting that the commissariat department forward a ‘few thousand’ pounds of new silver to Belfast and that an appropriate number of wagons be despatched to take away the £30,000 in old silver that has been collected.

22 Oct 1825

1825

CSO/RP/1825/1360

Letter from John Armstrong, chief constable of Drogheda, Drogheda, County Louth, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, referring to an enclosed memorial [not present] requesting settlement of the ‘small amount annexed thereto’ for performance of official duties in Dublin and in counties Meath, Louth and Armagh.

14 Oct 1825

1825