present season at the English Opera House. The plot is founded on the
following horrible occurrence, which actually took place in Ireland in
the year 1813, and which we extract from the columns of an Irish paper
of the same date. The narrative is powerfully worked up in _The
Nowlans_, in the second series of the _O'Hara Tales_, and Mr. Banim is
the author both of the novel and the drama:--

"The speech of George Smith, William Smith, and James Smith, who were
lately executed at Longford for the murder of James Reilly, a pedlar,
near Lanes-borough, has been published. It gives the following
description of the inhuman crime for which they suffered:

"The discovery of this murder, as decreed by the Almighty, was made by
Margaret Armstrong, the wife of Sergeant Armstrong, of the 27th regiment
of foot, on the recruiting service in Athlone. She was going to her
husband, when she was overtaken by this dealing man. He asked her how
far she was going--she answered to Athlone, to her husband, and said as
it was getting late, and being scarce of money, she would make good her
way that night. He then replied, 'my poor woman, let not that hurry you,
I am going to Athlone myself, and there is a lodging at the next cross
at which I mean to stop, be advised, and go no farther to-night, and I
will pay your expenses.' When they came to the house, he asked for a bed
for himself and another for the woman, and called for supper; when that
was over, he paid the bill, and taking out his pocket-book, he counted
150_l._ which he gave in charge to George Smith, and retired to bed; the
woman likewise went to her's, the family sat up till twelve; after
which, when the man was fast asleep and all was silent, we, (the three
Smiths) went into the room where the man lay; we dragged him out of bed,
and cut his throat from ear to ear; we saved his blood in a pewter dish,
and put the body into a flaxseed barrel, among feathers, in which we