"The parties accused of the murder of a process server and a captain of police, at the end of the preceding year, were brought to trial at the Kilkenny Assizes in March. But, after the assizes began, the Attorney-General found it necessary to delay the trials. He stated that there was such an extensive combination throughout the country to resist the payment of tithes, and to protect all who might be implicated, that the ends of justice could not be attained. A juror had objected to serve on the ground that, if he gave a verdict 'against the people,' his life and property would be in danger. The witnesses, too, were either under the same intimidation, or were, themselves, members of the illegal combinations.... "The Government at length seemed to think it time to try whether the law could not reach the tumultuary assemblies of the anti-tithe men and the ringleaders who collected them. The Vice-Lieutenant of the county of Kilkenny was dismissed from his office. A circular was addressed to the magistracy by the Irish Government, directing them to disperse all meetings collected in such numbers as to produce alarm and endanger the public peace, or distinguished by banners, inscriptions, or emblems which tended to disturbance, or throw contumely on the law. O'Connell denounced this circular as illegal, and expressed his hope that a reformed Parliament would not hesitate to receive an impeachment of the Irish Government founded upon it; but still he gave his advice that it should be obeyed. In consequence of these instructions, various large meetings were dispersed by the military, headed by a magistrate; but, where the meeting was strictly parochial, and quietly gone about, no opposition was offered to their petitioning against tithe and church cess. "At the same time, a number of those persons of the better class, who had played the principal part at meetings where a combined scheme of disobedience was preached up, were arrested and held to bail, on a charge of misdemeanour. Among them were two of O'Connell's familiars, the president and vice-president of the Trades' Political Union. The Grand Jury found true bills against them, on the 4th of August, for having conspired, 'unlawfully,' to oppose and resist the payment of tithes, and to frustrate the remedies provided by law for the recovery of tithes, and for soliciting and conspiring to procure the King's subjects to hold no intercourse with any persons who should pay tithes.