Dldvml-vJM :.;.;, i l£^ '^'^^'^^'.-^Y'^''^''-'^^ THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DANIEL O'CONNELL. BY WILLIAM FAGAN, ESQ., M.R VOL. I. 80ST0^f COLLEGE L.'pnAK'r CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. CORK : JOHN CBRIEN. SIMPKIN, MARSHAL, & CO., LONDON. T. LEMESURER, AND RICHARDSON & SON, DUBLIN. OLIVER & BOYD, EDINBURGH. 1847. V 0(f V.205472 (<^ -5 I TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND. Fellow-Countrymen, To you I dedicate this, my feeble effort to pourtray the Life and Times of the greatest man, that this, or any other coun- try, ever produced — O'Connell — he, who first burst asunder the manacles that had bound you for centuries in religious thral- dom ; and afterwards struggled^ with untir- ing assiduity, even to the latest moment of his existence, to restore your legislative independence, of which you were foully and fraudulently cheated. The first volume contains the history of his exertions for Catholic Emancipation; and you will find in it, many examples of the indomitable perseverance with which he toiled, and of the unceasing annoyances which his love IV of country entailed on him. The second volume will be a history of his exertions to obtain a repeal of the Act of Union. Though it was God's will that he should be summoned from this world, to receive an enduring reward for his services to reli- gion and his country, before he had accom- pUshed that great undertaking ; still, he did enough to teach you, fellow-countrymen, how it is yet to be achieved ; namely, by tlie force of public opinion— by the irre- sistible agency of moral force — by union, and by perseverance. The second volume will instruct you in the great lessons lie taught; and it is because it will do so, and at little cost to your pockets, that I have ventured, humbly, to address the work to you. , I have the honor to be, - . - i . Fellow-countrymen, Your futhful servant, , -,.,, ,, / _, WM. FAGAN. Feltrim, Couk, - • >"' L . , September 20, 1847. ' T-' ^'!:> . . PREFACE. This, the first volume of "The Life and Times of 0"CoNNELL," is now presented to the Public, with all its imperfections on its head. Of its kind, it is proba- bly the most rapidly written work that ever issued from the press. The history of its appearance in the CorJx, Southern Reporter, is shortly this. About a month before Mr. O'Connell's lamented deaths information reached the writer, which left no doubt on his mind that the career of the great patriot was rapidly draw- ing to a close. Indeed, it was an event to be looked for, every succeeding day. It was suggested to the writer, that he could not better occupy his mind, and remove his thoughts from painful recollections, than by preparing a short " Memoir" of the illustrious man. He availed himself of the suggestion, and set to work, preparing notes, and collecting the scattered materials in his possession. While "thus engaged, cheering news arrived from the Continent, respecting O'Connell's a2 VI health; and the strongest hopes were entertained of his recovery. This caused him to abandon the idea for the time — but, alas ! these hopes were like the last flicker of the expiring lamp; for a 'few posts brought the fatal news of his dissolution. The writer was thrown at once, without further notice, into an under- taking, the extent of which, and the amount of labour attending it, he had no conception of. He wrote under much disadvantage. His other pursuits in life, allowed him little time to employ in the laborious task ; and in the midst of the undertaking, came the election for the City of Cork, in which he, unexpectedly, had to play a prominent part. However, he has brought the first volume to a close, and is, already, far advanced in the second. The importance of the work — and the honor of linking his name, in the humblest form, with the Immortal Liberatoii, inspired him ; and as ho pro- gressed, he was cheered and encouraged by the kind approval of his friends. The anxiety, on the part of the public, to liave it in their possession in book form, as speedily as prac- ticable, induced the writer, to have it brouglit out, printed from the same type from which the newspaper impression was taken. This will allow it to be sold at the lowest rate a book of the size can be disposed of; and thus, it will be placed within the reach of even the humblest admirers of OConnell, within a few vu months after his death, and not long after the first page of it had been written. The second volume, terminating with the Liberator's funeral obsequies, will be ready for publication early in November. All the writer can pretend to, is honesty in recording facts, and anxiety to state his opinion without undue bias or partiality ; notwithstanding the veneration and friendship he felt for the great de- parted. Such as it is, he now consigns it to the judgment of the Public. TABLE OE CONTENDS. CHAPTER FIRST. Mr, O' Conn ell's family, his edxication — called to the bar — Ireland before 1782 — early Catholic agitation — his progress at the bar — Catholic agitation after the Union — Pitt's conduct — the Wliigs in jiower — supineness of the Catholics — professional anecdotes of O'Connell — his marriage — the progress of the Catholic cause — O'Connell first takes part in the agitation — Whig policy — Bar anecdotes, 60 CHAPTER SECOND. 1808—1816. Rotiospect of the system of governing Ireland — Richmond Administration — Catholic affau's — Protestants in favor of the Catholic claims — the question of Veto — Apathy of the Catholics — O'Connell's energy and zeal — the Catholic Committee — Government interference — New Catholic General Committee— Trial of Dr. Sheridan — Anecdote of O'Connell — ^jealousy of O'Connell amongst the Catholics — Mr. Kirwan's trial — Perceval's deaths — O'Connell advances in his profession — Anecdotes con- nected therewith — Trial of Magee, O'Connell's great speech — his castigation of the Attorney General, Sau- • RTN — Proceedings of the Catholic Board— English Ca- tholics — Grattan's Motion — Veto Clauses — Veto ques- tion in Cork — Dr. England — O'Connell's speech at the Fishamble Theatre, Dublin, in 1813 — his sentiments on Repeal — Dr. Dromgoole — Quarantotti — the Trimbleston petitioners — Catholic aristocracy — O'Connell acknow- ledged leader — Bar anecdotes of O'Connell — Duel with D'Esterre — the Prince Regent's hostility to the Catho- lics — the Rev. Mr. Hayes — Negociations at Rome — Lord Fingall's testimony to O'Connell's value to Ireland — Duel with Peel — conclusion, 219 CHAPTER THIRD. 1816—1827. Agrarian outrages — Trial of Eneas M'Donnell — the Veto again — anecdote of Sir William M'Mahon and O'Con- nell — Death of Queen Charlotte — progress of the Ca- tholic cause — Grattan's death in 1820 — opinions of the Limerick Corporation — O'Connell a candidate for the Recordership of Limerick — Bar anecdotes — conduct of the High Sheriff of the County of Dublin— Shiel's phil- lipic against O'Connell — George the Fourth's Visit to DubUn — ^The Marquess "Wellesley's arrival in Ireland — jealousy of O'Connell amongst his co-agitators — Catho- lic Clergy join the agitation — Saurin's letter to Norbury — the bottle insult on Lord Wellesley — New CathoUc Association — the Catholic Rent established — proceed- ings of the Catholic Association — the Hibernian Soci- ety — Controversial Meeting in Cork — Prosecution of Harding Tracy — arrest of O'Connell — Government pro- secution — -conduct of Plunkett — progress of the Catho- lic Association — O'Connell and Shiel— Catholic depu- tation to London in 1825 — Mr. Lawless — *'the Wings," — -forty-shilling freeholders — payment of the Catholic Clergy — O'Connell's evidence before the Lords' Com- mittee — Dr. Doyle's — the Deputation in London — O'Connell as Counsel before the House of Lords — ex- tinction of the Catholic Association — death of O'Con- nell's uncle — description of Darrynane— affair of honor with Mr. Leyne — quarrel with the press — declaration XI of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church of Ireland — the Waterford election in 1826 — Poor Laws — Provincial meetings — O'Connell at Darry- nane — death of the Duke of York — rencontre with Rcmy Shcchan, of the Evening Mail — prosecution of Sliiol — Canning Prime Minister — statistics of the esta- blished Church — Conclusion — Grattan's attack on O'Connell— duel with Magrath in 1810, 635 CHAPTER FOURTH. 1828—1829. The fourteen days' Meeting — simultaneous Meetings — Test and Corporation Act — Sub-letting Act — O'Con- nell's Church Wardens — discontent of the Catholics — ' conduct of Lord Anglesey — Clare election — Order of " Liberators — Liberal Clubs — Mr. Dawson's pilot balloon speech — exasperation in Ulster — Brunswick Clubs — Wellington's letter to Dr. Curtis — Lord Anglesey's celebrated letter to Dr. Curtis — official correspondence between Wellington and Anglesey — Catholic Relief Act — O'Connell demands seat in Parliament — Duel be- tween Lord Winchelsea and Wellington — second Clare election — duel between Mr. Steele and Smith O'Brien — Doneraile Conspiracy — O'Comiell and the Beresfords, . . 695 LIFE AND TIMES OI!' DANIEL O'CONNELL. Every circumstance, however minute, connected with the private history of individuals, who have risen into public distinction, and who have become illustrious by the prominent parts they may have acted during a transitory existence, demands the notice of the writer who under* takes the perilous duties of biographer. Mixed up and connected with the public history of ti. distinguished character, the reminiscences of private life and the scattered details of family anecdotes, throw an interest over the pages of a work, which, if confined to the story of political events, would be cold and uninterest* ing. From this feeling we intend, in this work, to checker the momentous and stirring circumstances of Mr, O'Connell's political career, with anecdotes and inci- dents in his private life, which will develope the character and throw before the world, the every-day feelings and the private virtues of this distinguished man. O'CoNNELL was so truly the founder of a new dynasty — he sprung out so completely from the class of society in which his family moved — he so placed himself in the high and commanding position in which astonished B 2 Ilf E AND TIMES OF millions were for years accustomed to view him, witFioivJ family influence to assist or cheer him an, and with aris- tocratic envy and power working against him — be was, as it were so alone in his generation,that itis scarcely neces- sary to inquire into the quarterings of liis family, or the antiquity of his line. Who would examine into the pe- digree of Grattan ? Who would ask for the genealogy of Canning ? Is the Dukedom of Wxllington less il- lustrious, because the herald cannot proclaim the antiqui- ty of its creation? Yet, with all, so singular is the constitu- tion of the human mind, that men who have moved from out the common circle of existence — whose useful and illus- trious career has been in a bold and eccentric orbit, are more prone than others to look back with complacency on a long line of respectable,yet undistinguished ancestry, who have done nothing at best, but move reputably through life, and have rarely illustrated their names by even passing public approbation. Lord Brougham, whose name, with all his backslidings, must live as long as the English language exists, or civilization endures — who had exercised.at one period, an influence over the history and manners of his country, rarely equalled— even he is proud that he sprung from an old and respectable family in Cumberland. Napoleon, the conqueror of the world, the Sovereign of millions, whose footstools were thrones, and whose courtiers were kings — was flat- tered at the heraldic research that connected him with some of the obscure nobility of Italy. So too, was it with the subject of this notice. O'Con- NELL— who, next to Napoleon, filled a greater space in the eyes of Europe than any man of modern days— was proud of his descent from an ancient line, and was grati- fied because his veins were warm with the blood of Ire- land's ancient Princes. His family is undoubtedly a very DANIEL CONNEL-L. 3 ancient race— they have been fixed time out of mind in tlie County of Kerry, where they had, in days longj past, sovereign authority as Tanists or old Irish rulers. — The foHowinj^ paragraph, which appeared some years ago in a Kerry newspaper, will be read with interest in reference to this subject : — •• It is true, that Dr. Smith makes no mention of this an- cient sept (the O'Connells) 4 the circumstance will cease to rxcite surprise, when we rfflcct upon the cursory notice which he takes of the Milesian -Clans, and the laboured details which he gives of the settlement apd adventures of Undertakers. — That wh'ch the Doctor calls a history of Kerry is a mere Cfood natured memoir of certaran English families, whom the inno- vating genius of Protestantism introduced into this county Elizabethians and Cromwellians glitter through his pages, but the ancient inheritors of the soil vanish in a sentence. — Brilliant is the pedigree which he paints of prosperous priest-hunters, and tratficcrs in Bills of discovery ; but how docs he dispose of the extruded victims of their rapa- city — the trampled and still fondly-remembered Catholic septs, once so famous in the annals of Kerry, and so re- spectable from the extent and antiquity of their posses- sions ? A well authenticated anecdote will serve to illus- trate the policy which evil times compelled him, * nothing loath,' to pursue. In the course of hU literaryperegrinations he was entertained for some days at Darrynane, by the grand- father of the great Agitator, during wnich time he learned from the eld gentleman and his son, the late excellent Mau- rice O'Connell, the patriarch of Iveragh, sev his uncle, DANIEL O CONNELL, 7 Maurice, by whom he was adopted, to I\Ir. . Harring- ton's school, in the great island of Cove, near Cork. — The father* of the writer was a school-fellow of his, and we have often heard him say, that O'Connell did not display any extraordinary precocity of intellect. He was, like Swift and Sheridan, and a thousand others who afterwards rose to eminence, but an ordinary scholar. At the age of sixteen he was sent to the Continent. Louvain was tlic College first intended to receive him. But there was some disappointment, and St. Omer and Douay have the honour of having finally educatedhim.lt was here, as Mr. John O'Connell reminds us, he formed a last- ing friendship with Christopher FagAn, afterwards Adjutant-General of the Indian army, who. like O'Con- nell, was adopted by an Uncle, the Chevalier, and, like him also, reached great eminence. He was a man of commanding talent and of strong popular predilections. He \\'as idolized by the Indian Army, His attachment to their interest it was, that induced him to give up the high command he held in India. Circumstances connected with this transaction do not, however, belong to this memoir. O'Connell and he were both in the same class, and both competitors for distinction. At St. Omer, O'Connell exhibited very great talent, and his future fame, we learn from his son's work, was distinctly foretold by the superior of that establishment. At the time to which we now refer, the means in Ireland of acquiring a liberal and extended education were de- nied to the Catholic. Beyond the first rudiments of elementary instruction— beyond reading, writing, and the mercantile branches of arithmetic, it was difficult for the proscribed class to pass. Dublin University with all its wealth, its patronage, and its preferments was for the 8 LIFE AND TIMES OP favoured religion. A. classical education was a difficult acquirement for the oppressed, degraded, and quiescent Catholic, Not many years before, no Catholic parent was allowed to be the guardian of his own child, and he dared not openly educate him in the religion of his forefathers. Hence the hedge-school system, and hence the very scanty education the great mass of even the better class of Catholics acquired. Any person ambi- tious of giving his children a refined and erudite education was forced to direct his views to foreign countries where his Faith was predominant, and where the rich stores of ancient learning could be opened to the anxious student. It was in these foreign seminaries that most of the Ca- tholic Priesthood of Ireland were educated, before the. establishment of Maynooth College ; for, nowhere in Ire- land was there a pi ace where the Youth of that persua- sion could, or were allowed to, acquire, with satisfaction, the education suited to the arduous and responsible station of a clergyman, and they were forced to seek in a foreign Country and under the protection too, in many cases, of a foreign enemy, those advantages that cruel and legal op- pression denied them at home. Whether O'Connell was originally intended for the , Church, we have not ascertained ; but his talents were of, too marked a character not to have induced his Uncle Maurice, the owner of Darryuane, to comply with the solicitation of General O'Connell, and send him to ac • quire a classical education in one of the far-famed semin- aries of the Netherlands, or, as it turned out, of France. O'Connell arrived in France at a very peculiar period ; when the political horizon there was dark, and clouds were gathering pregnant with momentous events. — America, with the assistance of France, had freed herself DANIEL CONNELL. 9 from the yoke of England. In her turn she had taught France the power of popular agitation, and exhib- ited to her eager eyes, a practical illustration of the lessons of Voltaire, and the Encyclopedists. An over- bearing aristocracy and a stale paid clergy had aroused the hostile feelings of an excitable people. At first, the ob- jects of the French Reformers were good, but in the end, as every one knows, a mighty and overwhelming catas- trophe was the result. O'Connell, at this precise period, loft his native land, where oppression in its most galling form existed. lie left it, because he, as a Catholic, was denied the full blessings of education near his home, and he went to a country, where he found hundreds of his countrymen, who were, like himself voluntary exiles in a foreign land, in order that they may at a future day, by their acquirements and cultivated talents, assist in the regeneration of Ireland. He went to France at a period, when the principles of freedom and the bold theories of popular rights were the themes of every poli- tical writer, and the subjects of general discussion. Cold indeed Avould have been his heart, and callous his feel- ings, did 1)0 not imbibe the first and early political prin- ciples of the French patriots, and cherish a desire of raising his countrymen from the debasing condition in which the prejudices and exactions of the English Go- vernment had placed them. The excesses of the French Revolution created feelings of disgust and horror in his, as they did in the mind of every humane and honest man. But the patriotism of Washington, the eloquence of MiRABEAU, the enthusiasm of Roland, and the theories of CoNDORCET must havc made an impression on his young mind. He became^ almost imperceptibly, a neo- phyte in the temple of libertj; yet he felt he was a slave— 10 LIFE AND TIMES OV that his countrymen were slaves, and he looked to Ire- land, as the future theatre of his exertions, where ho could labour in his vocation, in battling for the liberty of millions by an honourable, peaceable and constitutional agitation. It is true, that the revolting scenes of the Re- volution — as his son tells us, first suppressed those feel- ings, and " made him almost a Tory ;" but they were noon reproduced, Avhen he returned to Ireland. During his sojourn at St. Omer,the British Government found it expedient to repeal some portion of the Penal Laws, and in 1792 Catholics were allowed to become mem- bers of the bar. This relaxation on the partof Pitt, pro- bably suggested to the mind of O'Connell the idea of be- coming a barrister. All that was venerated for patriotism, all that was respected for talent in Ireland, then belonged to the bar — Grattan, Yelverton, Curran, &c., were Irish Barristers : and never in the history of any Country, were thert exhibited more exalted specimens of genius and eloquence than during the few years that elapsed between 1782 and the Union. Inspired by the burning eloquence and excited by the successful efforts of these great men, he aspired to the same profession. Am- bition prompted him, and conscious talent whispered, he would succeed. Accordingly, in some time after he quitted Franco, he entered himself as a student of Grays' Inn, London, where it was and is necessary (to use an observa- tion of his own) —that the student should eat a certain number of legs of mutton, to become a member of the Irish Bar. Here he became acquainted with young Irishmen of talent, who afterwards were distinguished mem- bers of his profession, and here it was, that his French accent, and a peculiar pronunciation of some words, which he always retained, were first remarked DANIEL O'CONNELL. 11 and commented on. The last syllable of the word Empire, to the astonishment of the punctilious students, ho pro- nounced as the French do, ** Empire." So also the word ** Charity" — and others having an affinity to their Frencli originals ; and yet, singular to say, that peculiar pro- nunciation gave a musical turn to his expressions, and an interest to his tones which, in after times, went far to in- crease the captivating effects of his eloquence. He was called to the Bar in Easter Term,1793. In 1821, speaking of himself, he said ho had served three apprenticeships to liis profession. That year will be memorable in the his- tory of his unfortunate country ; and though he could not with safety mix himself up with the political transactions of those times, there can be no doubt that he felt keenly liis own degradation as a Catholic barrister, as well as the oppressive thraldom of over three millions of his country- men. After the treaty of Limerick, which promised freedom cf conscience to all classes, had been openly and daringly ■violated, the Catholic population of Ireland sank into utter insignificance. They tamely acquiesced in the inflic- tion of the abominable Penal Code : they allowed their children to be torn from their protection : they saw without a struggle, the zealous and pious Priests of their religion either banished from the Country, or registered as convicts in their native land : they became actual serfs in their own land, without the privilege of owning a single acre of what were once the domains of their fore- fathers. Such was the condition of the Irish Catholics dur- ing the reigns of WILLIAM, ANNE, and the two first GEORGES. The penal laws, though enacted ostensibly against the Catholics, were intended actually for the Jacobites, and hence their unmitigated severity. Expe- 12 LirE AND TIMES OF diency did not, during that long period, arrest the despo- tic arm of the English Government. No speaking Agi- tator was then up and stirring— sounding the trumpet, loud and long, to liberty, telling to a quiescent and paralyzed people that in themselves rested the power of regeneration — and proclaiming aloud, "Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." In fact, the people in Ireland were, as we will shew, a mere nonentity, until O'Connell became their Champion, produced in them union and constitutional organiza- tion, and taught them the overwhelming pov/er of their concentrated energies ; even, and we will say fortunately for their country and for the principles of Freedom, when in 1745 all Scotland was up in favor of the Pretender — when the throne of the Hanovei'ian George was shaken by the enthusiasm and bravery of his adherents ; even then, not a single hand was raised in Ireland, not a single tongue uttered an exclamation in favor of the off- spring of the Monarch for whom the last generation, not long before, so madly risked "their lives, their proper- ties, and their sacred honor." The Catholics were con- sidered mere Helots in the country : Swift's Patriotism had no reference to them— Grattan's exertions, in 1782, were not intended for their benefit ; and even at a later period, when political clubs were forming in Dublin, where designs for Ireland's freedom, vague and Quixotic as they were, were cherished, but few Catholics were admitted into these associations. It was then not in- compatible with the prevailing notions of political libe- ralism to be opposed to Catholic Emancipation, and those who battled for Ireland's independence in 1782, were amongst the most virulent opposers of the eman- cipation of their countrymen. In fact, Catholicity DANIEL O'CONNELL, 13 was another name for abject servility: and we ought to cherish the memory of O'Connell, if for no other reason, from the feeling that he alone rescued us from the misery of our characteristic and political abasement. It is true, that so early as the year 1757, the Catholics bes:an to reflect on their degradation, and under the administration of the then Duke of Bed- ford, something like energy exhibited itself amongst them. It was then the first Catholic Committee was formed for the management of the Political concerns of the body on the principle of the delegation of later days : and yet so inert were the great mass of the Catholics of that period, that no more than seven persons could be brought together to consider the means of amending their political condition. Yet even in this small number, division and disunion had exhibited themselves : and that distrust which for years unhappily existed between the aristocratic and democratic portions of the Catholic community, and which so powerfully operated up to 1823, ill paralysing their efforts for freedom, began to shew it- self at the first establishment of a Catholic Committee. Consequently, its exertions were useless, and of short continuance c the power of popular uaion was not then appreciated, nor the advantages of agitation known. Up to 1774, the laws, to use the expression of a zealous Lord Chancellor of former days — ** did not presume a. *• Papist to exist in the kingdom, nor could they breathe *' without the command of Government." At that time the American Colonies were beginning to proclaim their wrongs, anol were struggling successfully against the arbitrary dictation of England. The British government, conscious they had no hold on the affections or, grati- tude of the people of Ireland, deemed it prudent to re. cognise the Irish Catholics as subjects, without at the H I-IFE AND TIMES OF same time admitting them to the slightest privileges Ufik der the laws. They were then for the first time permitted, forsooth, to swear allegiance to the Sovereign and becorao subjects of the Crown : and j^et even this paltry enactment, which was deemed an act of grace by the Helot Catholics of that day, was not passed without the positive demand of the English Government, so deeply prejudiced at that time were the Irish Parliament and the Protestant party against the great mass of the community. This act of condescension was passed from dread of American con- tagion^ jand without Catholic agitation. Thanks again to America, the horrors of the penal code were slightly re- laxed in 177S, when Catholics were allowed to bold property on leases for lives, or for 999 years — Thanks— eternal thanks, to the Patriot Volunteers at Dungannon in the year 1782 — the intolerant Par- liament of Ireland were forced still further to repeal those abominable enactments, and Catholics were allowed to purchase property in fee. This was all effected with- out Catholic Agitation ; the people were supine, debased, and cowed down by the operation of those laws,and by the unprincipled prejudices of their more favoured country- men : they had not yet made a combined exertion, peace- fully, and constitutionally, to free themselves from those most galling enactments. It was in reference to this period that the celebrated John Keogh thus spoke in 1806 — " A period when tho " (^Jatholics would scarce dare to look a Protestant in *' the face, and when they had not courage to walk up- " right and erect as other men, and were marked by tha '* caution and timidity of their gait and demeanour : and **when the meanest Protestant that crawled uu th«- •• streets considered himself a divinity compare4 with 9 "Catholic." DANIEL O'CONNELL. 15 ^ Vor the succeeding ten years we read scarcely any- l-hing of the Catholics or their affairs, except on one occasion, when their Committee, which appears to have been a permanently existing and quiescent body, t;arae forth on the part of the Catholics, with a denial of the statement, purporting to come from Lord Kenmare, that they were perfectly satisfied and contented with their political position, and with the advantages granted them in 1781, and that they sought no Further extension of them. This the Committee denied, and professed them- selves ready to take what would be granted them. But they knew not the advantages of agitation, and they slumbered, while the whole country was in excitement about National Independence and Parliamentary Reform — while the Dun- gannon Volunteers and the National Convention had de- monstrated the utility of manly and constitutional agita- tation. The Catholics of that day could not have felt their degradation ; nor could the Volunteers themselves have regarded their condition as derogatory to the great principles of freedom which they advocated : for Lord Charlemont and a vast number of those patriotic corJ)8 were opposed to granting further privileges to their Ca- tholic countrymen. In 1792, we again find the Catholic Committee emerging into something like notoriety, and assuming the attitude of men who ffelt their degra- dation ; but here the usual leaven of disunion crept in ; and because speeches were made and some as- sociations encouraged that had too much the appear- ance of liberality, during the prevalence of French doctrines and French example, the Catholic aristo- crats withdrew from the Committee and allowed the commonalty to shift for themselves. It is this conduct which Wolfe ToKe, Agent to the Catholic Committee, fio severely censures in his memoirs ; and in his strictures 16 LIFE AND TIMES OF he does not pass over the Catholic Hierarchy of Ireland. From the dissensions of thisCommittee sprung aComraittee of twenty-one, '* for the purpose of persevering in dutiful "and submissive applications to Parliament for a miti- ** gation of the Penal Laws." This Committee perse- vered with considerable decision and talfent during the years 1791-92-93, in presenting petitions to Parliament, in laying before the community statements of their grie- vances and their doctrines. Their first petition, which was extremely respectful in its language and humble in its demands, was rejected most contemptuously by the House of Commons. From that time, we find them exhibiting more gpirit and resolution than at any prior period, until the Relief Bill of 1793 passed ; but it appears from their own Resolutions, that their views were exceedingly limited. They resolved in 1792 — "That this Committee has been informed that reports have been circulated that the application of the Catholics for relief extends to un- limited and total emancipation," 8fc. Resolved. . That we therefore deem it necessary to de- clare that the whole of our late application, &c., i\c., as well as our intended petition, neither did nor docs con- tain any thing, or extends further either in substance or ;in principle than the four following objects : — (, 1...' Admission to the Profession and Practice of the Law. 2. ..Capacity to servo as County Magistrates. 3... A right to be summoned to serve ou Grand and Petty Juries. " , . ; , 4. ..The right of voting in counties only for Protestant mombera of Parliament, in such manner however, as that a Roman Catholic freeholder should not vote unless ho rented and cultivated a farm of twenty pounds per annum in addition to his forty shilling freehold, or else possessed 9. freehold to the amount of twenty pounds a year. BANIBL o'cONNEIiL. 17 Of this modest demand, they were paid in 1793 moro than thirty shillings in the pound, which was again obtain- ed from the fears of the English Government occasioned by the rapid spread of French contagion in Ireland, and the successful issue of French arms on the Continent. The Catholics did not do much for themselves ; the timid natives turned from Agitation, and the Irish reformers were not generally favourable to their views. Consider- ing, however, that they were destitute of the assistance of a free press, and knew not the value of unceasing dis- cussion, we must allowthey were active and useful. Early in 1793 they sent a long and Avell drawn up petition toKing George, with a deputation consisting of five gentlemen : namely, Sir T. French, Mr. Byrne, Mr. Keogh, Mr. Devereux, and Mr. Bellew.-— This Petition was gra- ciously received by his Majesty — and some fair prospects were held out by Ministers. Immediately after the pass- ing of the Relief Act of 1793, which gave the elective franchise — gave commissions in the Army, &c., &c., the Catholic Committee met, and amongst other proceedings, came to the following resolution:-* 'That by " the restoration of the Elective Franchise, the Catholics ■*' of Ireland are now enabled to speak individually, the '' language of free men; and as we no longer wish to be "" considered a distinct body of His Majesty's subjects, " we render up our trust to the people who sent us hi- " ther." The Enactment of the Convention Act prevented the meeting of Catholic Delegates as heretofore, and with the exception of an occasional meeting of the Catholics in Dublin, and in other parts of the kingdom, during the glorious administration of FiTzwiLLiAM,and after his un- generous recall, we rarely read of the proceedings of the Catholics in the prosecution of their rights, during these c 2 » 18 LIFE AND TIMES OF troubled and momentous times. The last time they peti- tioned the Parliament was in 1797, and after that year we read but seldom of their meetings and proceedings, until O'CoNNELL, the champion of their rights, and ultimately their Liberator, appeared amongst them. O'CoNNELL, from the nature of his education amongst a Catholic priesthood, had imbibed a strong partiality for the Bourbon family, and for those principles of loy- alty which the Catholic religion instils. Entertaining such opinions he, however, did not shut his eyes to his own degraded position as a Catholic, nor to the thraldom of his countrymen ; but he was completely protected by them from the dangerous theories he found afloat in Ire- land on his return from the temple. Though it has been the fashion to whisper undefined accusations against him, we are of opinion, after a careful investigation of the matter, that in 1798 and 1799 he was perfectly un- connected with the ardent spirits who then so enthusias- tically and fatally committed themselves in the great en- deavour of republicanizing Ireland. Not that O'Connell did not feel deeply the Avrongs and insults inflicted on his CQuntry, and freely give expression to his sentiments on the mis-government of Ireland, for of this there can be no doubt ; but his early education and experience in France had taught him to distrust results Avhich were sought to be obtained through blood, massacre, the over- « ... throw of property, and the total disorganization of es- tablished institutions. It is true that he was intimate with some of the actors, or rather well-wishers of the pontemplated revolution, and that he expressed himself freely on the utter disappointment which the recal of Lord F1TZW11.LIAM produced ; but he was in no way con- nected with the political transactions of 1798 — the year DANIF.L O'CONNELL. Iflf ho was called to the Bar — and we find that he belonged to the Lawyers'YeomanryCorps at that period. This circum- stance itis true affords no clue to his opinions. Duringthe reign of terror in those days, even the most peaceable and retiring tradesman was obliged to enrol himself a soldier, to secure himself from the dangerous imputation of being a King's enemy; and, undoubtedly, in the City of Dublin, O'CoNNELL, surrounded as he was by the enthusiastic spirits of the day. full of ardour as he was himself, could in no other way free himself from surveillance. No ; ►— it is by O'Connell's known character, by the principles that ever guided him, we must judge of his real senti- ments at that trying period. He ever abhorred physical force as an instrument for the redress of civil wrong, or the attainment of political rights ; and the sentiment he so often expressed in latter times — namely » " that ho would *' accept of no social amelioration at the cost of a single " drop of blood," was dictated by the same religious prin- ciples which guided him when he came from College, and when he first entered public life. This is not the place to discuss the soundness of this doctrine, or to pomt to the exceptions that would justify other maxims. We sini- ply refer to it here, as a proof of the constitutional and peaceful principles which actuated O'Connelt. during the ferment of 1 798. Indeed, itis well known to those who recollect Dublin at the time, that he not only held aloof from the revolutionists, from d hatred of their dhti- religious and physical-ft)rc6 principles, but wherever he had influence amongst young friends at the Bar^ and in society,he endfeavoured to dissipate the Wild notions which were then carrying them into the vortex. His viewsi how- ever, do not appear in other respects to have been much directed to political matters, for he was engaged Jealously in the pursuit of an arduous profession, in which he was from the commencement uniformly successful. 20 LIFE AND TIMES OF It is stated that his fees amounted to three hundred pounds the first year he was called to the bar, and that this dawning success continued increasina: up to the latest period of his professional practice, when, called on bj' his (jountry, he relinquished it. It is curious, that the first case in which he distinguished himself was at the Cork Assizes, and his last memorable display at the bar was in that City. The first was the case of a relative of his, Charles Connell, Esq., now of Clover-hill, near Cork. This gentleman had at the time just come of age, and having discovered that his Guardians had made leases of a portion of his property, to execute which they had no power, he brought an ejectment for non-title against th« lessees. During the record consequent on this procecd- inir, Harry Deane Grady, who was Counsel for the Defendant, used very harsh language towards ]Mr, Con- nell for the course he had adopted, Mr, Connell's spirit could not stand that insult ; and watching his op- portunity outside the Court, and regardless of the law- yer's, privilege, he horse-whipped INIr. Grady. The trans- action was brought under the notice of the Judge. Mr. O'Connell defended his friend in so masterly a manner that the young gentleman escaped, while the Counsellor's defence gave the first impulse to his professional advance- ment. The last trial from which he acquired great fame as a lawyer was, what is familiarly called " the Doner ailo conspiracy", in 1839. These celebrated proceedings will bo the subject of subsequent remark in their proper place. Though the Catholics as a body did not press forward their claims on Parliament after 1797 — as individuals some of them took a prominent part in opposing the Mi^ nisterial intrigues to promote the Union. O'Connell was amongst them. It is true that, owing to the promises DANIEL O'CONNELL. 21 of Pitt, -which were afterwards violated, and the pro- fessions of Grenville, which in some degree were sin- cere, the Irish Catholics were unfortunately quiescent during the agitation of that momentous question : and in expectation of receiving as an equivalent, unconditional Emancipation, abandoned their country, and allowed Pitt to perpetrate without opposition aAvholesale robbery ©n Ireland. O'Connell, however, true to his principles, and sincere in his love of fatherland, opposed with energy 5 as far as aCatholic Barrister could, theUnion. We find his name amontrst those of others of his profession, who were present at a meeting of the Bar, convened for the purpose of publicly denouncing the Union as a measure pregnant vith disastrous consequences to the country. His first speech on the subject was as lofty in its tone — as defiant, as full of force and reasoning, though limited in ex- tent, as any of his more famous efforts. After the Union, the Catholics relying on the pledges of Pitt, refrained from pressing their claims upon the Legislature. A reluctance to impede the political views of their supposed friends, always pi'evailed amongst the Managers of Catholic affairs in those days. ; They never looked at the justice of their claims, and the par- amount obligation which rested on them to persevere determinedly and unceasingly in seeking the restitution of their political as well as personal rights. They were deceived by Pitt. He cajoled them into his views respecting the Union, holding out the hope of complete Emancipation. He represented to them, that, however anxious he was for their elevation into political equalit}', without the agency of an imperial legislature he could ne- ver effect his object — that the Irish legislature was inim- ical to their claims, and even the most spirited and 22 LIFE AND TIMES OP patriotic amongst their countrymen were not favourable to Catholic Emancipation — that from an Irish parliament, corrupt and prejudiced as it was, the Catholics could expect nothing, and that it was therefore palpably their interest to acquiesce in the scheme of establishing an Imperial Legislature. Pitt also obtained the sanction of the Catholic Hierarchy, to allow the Crown some control oyer the appointment of the Catholic Prelates, as will appear by the following Resolution passed by them in 1799 — namely — "That, in the appointment of the Pre- **lates of the Roman Catholic religion to vacant sees "within the kingdom, such interference of Government " as may enable it to be satisfied with the loyalty of th« "person appointed, is just and ought to be agreed to." This is, it is true, a very vague resolution. But, un- questionably, it smacks strongly of the veto. Dr.DoYLE, in his evidence before the Lords* Committee in 1825, endeavoured to shew that it was merely an expression of willingness on the part of the Hierarchy, that the Crown should be satisfied of the loyalty of so influential a dig- nitary as a Catholic Prelate. But. surely, the Oath of Allegiance taken by a minister of God was, and ought to Tiave been considered, ample security. There could have been no interference on the part of the Crown with- out imminent danger to the Catholic religion ; and even O'CoNNELL himself, when, at a subsequent period, he tried to frame a safe provision of the kind, utterly failed. Whether Pitt was hypocritical and deceitful in his promi- ses regarding the Catholic Question, or really intended to carry throuh gthe Imperia Legislature the measure he pro- posed, it Is now difficult to ascertain with any certainty. We are inclined strongly to believe he was sincere : but thftt he was overruled by the unbending obstinacy of Gk.qbge theTHiRD., PiTy's e.\pression in reference to this DANIEL O'CONNELL. 23 subject was "Right is that which is independent ofcircuro- *' stances — expediency that which includes the considera- " tion of circumstances, and is wholly governed by them •' and dependent on them.'' — He denied ever having given a pledge : but admitted that, in his opinion, Eman- cipation could be more safely granted after than before the Union. Mr. Canning, who was his warm adherent, and seceded from the government with him, always maintained this view of the Case. He undoubtedly knew his opinions well, and always boasted that they corresponded intimately with his own. Lord Grenville also seceded from the Government with him, and was always to a certain extent a frlead to the Catholic claims. It is said, on the other hand, that Mr. Pitt, in 1801, gave up the Government ; not because he was disappointed in his promises to Ca- tholic Ireland not being realized, but because the Con- tinental war was disheartening : — and that he made the Catholic Question the honorable pretence for retirement. It is certainly rather singular, if he retired from the Go- rernment on so vital a measure of internal policy as the Emancipation of over three millions of British subjectis. that he should have so strongly supported the adminis- tration of Mr. Addington, who was pledged to the King never to countenance the admission of Catholic* into the Constitution, and that he should afterwards have returned to power, not to redeem his pledges, to which he boasted he still adhered, but with the distinct understand' ing that his Majesty's failing health was not to be ren- dered worse by the agitation of the obnoxious question. Pitt's resignation so immediately after the Union, viewed after his resumption of power in 1804, certainly looked as if he wished to avoid the imputation of dishonour, without at tbe same time relinquishing all hopes of gOYer»itt|^ 24 I-IFE AND TIMES OF at a future period. His retirement created great conster- nation amongst that section of tlio Catholic Body who consented to the Union at his solicitation. Tliey had been encouraged by him to entertain the most sanguin« hopes; and when they found him actively co-operating with their determined enemies, something like disgust at his supposed treachery pervaded Ireland. Yet, from whatever cause it proceeded — whether it was that the Catholics were influenced by the cajolery of Lord CoRNWALLTS, or by the fearful recollections of 1798, when even whispers of discontent were dangerous — whether influenced by the temporizingGovernment of Lord Habdwick, who, while he endeavoured by au appearance of impartiality to allay their fears, and mitigate the mi- series of their condition, openly professed the doctrine, that the Catholics from the nature of their dogmas, were unfit for civil liberty — whether it was from one or all these causes that the Catholics remained quiescent, it is difficult to sav ; but certain it is, that during the retirement of Pitt, they never pressed their claims on the attention of Parliament. The suspension of the Ilubeaa Corpus Act— the breaking out of Emmett's rebellion — the alarm then existing in the public mind of a foreign invasion, and au ever-enduring apathy on the part of the Catholic leaders, prevented any public effort from being made from 1803 to 1805, either in Dublin or elsewhere,in respect to their po- litical position. But, even at this early period of his life, and amidst the disasters of the time, O'Connkll was not idle. He was then, as he said himself, three-and-twen- ty years afterwards, actively engaged in the cause,as far BS the tardiness and apathy of others would permit him. On Mr. Pitt's recal to power, the spirits of the Catho- lic body again became buoyant with hope, for they could payer entirely divest themselves of the impression that he DANIEL O'CONNELL. 25 would not sacrifice his own fame by the non-redemption of his solemn pledge. But, as they were fully aAvare of the scruples of theSovercign respecting theCoronation Oath — of the implied understanding under which Pitt again ac- cepted office— of the prevailing influence of Mr. Adding- ToN, and of the jealousy which existed in the King's mind against Mr. Pitt, in consequence of his supposed pledge, the Catholics were unwilling to press their claims. They mot in Dublin towards the end of the year 1804, when, after some warm discussion, it was agreed again to defer the consideration of the subject ; and the meeting adjourn- ed until after the assembling of Parliament in January. They met in the private house of James RyaN ; their ' proceedings were not made public from dread of the Habeas Corpus Act, and the hostility to their claims of the then Government. At the adjourned meeting in Fe- ' brUary, 1805, it was attempted by the Aristocracy to prevent their petition being forwarded ; but being vigor- ously opposed by O'Connell, though then a young poli- tician, they were defeated. The King's Speech to both Houses was a cause of great disappointment.for thfe claim's of the Catholics were not even alluded to. They again, as we stated, assembled pursuant to adjournment, in Febru- ary, 1805, when they deputed Lord Fingall, Sir Thomas French, Sir Edward Bellew, Denis Scully, and R. f N. Ryan, to present to Mr. Pitt the petition to Par- ' liament then agreed to, with a request that he would take charge of it in the House of Commons. This, .. Mr. Pitt, after several interviews Avith the deputa*- tion and various negociations, refused, stating to them ; again, that he did not look upon their claims as a matter of right or justice, but that the granting of them, in his mind, was merely a measure of expediency ;— that into ' the consideration of expediency entered most intimately ' 26 LIFE AND TIMES OF tlie time of agitating the question ; — and that there were- vai-ious reasons which pressed upon him the absolute ne- cessity of deferring the discussion of this perplexing: subject. To the mortification and chagrin ofthedeputation^ he then positively refused to take charge of the Petition. This obliged Lord Fingall and his associates, under the instructions of the meeting from which their appointment eftianated, to intrust their cause to the advocacy of Mr. Foxin the Commons, and of Lord Grenville intheLords. On the 25th March, 1805, this, the first Catholic petition to the Imperial Legislature, w^as presented by these two distinguished statesmen, and introduced with but very few observations — its further consideration being deferred to the 9th May following. The petition is very long, and exceedingly well drawn up, considering the period in which it was written ; but there is none of that boldness of thought or feeling in it, or that enei-gy of expression which characterized some later productions of a similar kind. — It contains a recapitulation of the Oath of Allegi- ance which Catholics were permitted to take since 1774, and SQt^B forth a statement of the various grievances under which they laboured. It was signed by one hundred noblemen and gentlemen, and the seventieth name to it is Daniel O'CoNNELL. It would have been unbecoming at that time to seek the co-operation of the thousands and tens of thousands of the people. The consequence was, these Petitions were disregarded. It was not until O'Connell began to assume a prominent and commanding position amongst the Catholic Body, and had rallied the peo- ple about him, that a whole nation thundered for admis- sion at the gates of thp constitution, and ultimately burst them open. The first discussion on the Catholic claims was in May, 1805, and notwithstanding the wishes and efforts of the ultra Tories, the discussion was public. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 27 and not with closed doors as was recommended. Fox's speech was a masterpiece of philosophical reasoning and deduction — Pitt's was a hypocritical display, and turned a good deal on the distinction between natural right and expediency ; and in the course of his ob- servations, he hinted pretty broadly that the con- scientious George was unfavourable to the con- sideration of the question. Grattan had been returned for one of Lord Fitzwilliam's boroughs to this Parliament, for the purpose of advocating the Irish measure. His characteristic eloquence made an evident impression on the House, and at the commencement of his observations, his spirited and well-timed reply to Dr. DuiGENAN, was rapturously received. The motion for going intoCommitteeto consider the petition was,however, lost by a majority of 212 ; and it met the same fate in the Lords, notwithstanding the very powerful and eloquent appeal of Lord Grenville, who introduced the motion. After the return of the deputation from London, the old Catholic Committee was dissolved, and a new one ap- pointed; but so depressed werethej by their recent defeat, that they appear to have been inactive during the few rethaining months that intervened to the death -of Mr, Pitt. On his demise, Fox and the Whigs came in j but unfortunately the King's mind was unaltered, and though Mr. Fox expressed himself ready to advocate their claims at the risk of quitting his Majesty's service, he advised the Catholics to refrain from urging thera at that moment. Mr, Fox expressed his sentiments on this subject in his place in the House of Commons, 11th March, 1806, in the following words : — ' * I cannot hesi- "tate to state, that if any gentleman were to ask my ** advice as to the propriety of bringing forward the " Catholic claims at present, I should recommend him to " take into consideration the prospect of success, and the 28 LIFE AND TIMES OF f great probability of succeeding this year or the next, ■ ' and at the same time to bear in mind the issue of last *' year's discussion.'' |n his celebrated letter, dated in February, 1806, addressed to James Rvan — celebrated from the unauthorized character and suspicious nature of the correspondence on Mr. Ryan's part, which pro- duced so much discord and confusion amongst the Catholic body at that time — in this letter Mr . Fox says, * ' I strongly ;•' recommend suspending the petition for a time. If, ?' however, it should, notwithstanding our wishes, '• be presented, I will support it with all ray power; but *' the divisions of last year, and the opinions which have y, been industriously propagated in this country, make '** me despair of success, unless we could have active as- *' sistance from a quarter in which to look for passive •" acquiescence is probably more than we can reasonably ** expect. If we are beat, which we certainly shall be, •" and if the fall of oiir ministry should follow, which may *^ be the case, you run the risk of a ministry being form- '* ed on the avowed principle of defeating your claims, ** and thus you would put all hope further off than ever." The Catholics, acting on advice, coming from the high- minded and venerated advocate of their rights, and not wishing to embarrass his friendly Government, came, after a good deal of discussion and disunion, to the re- solution of putting off petitioning the legislature for that year. It is impossible, at this distance of time, and under the vastly different circumstances in which we live, to say whether, at that period, it was a judicious resolution. Judging from an experience, of which they could not, of course, have had the advantage, we should say, theyough. to have persevered in seeking constitutionally for their rights, without Veference to expediency ; for the subsequent history of Ireland has demonstrated that agitation — con- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 29 stant, unceasing agitation, was the only means of en- forcing English attention to their claims. Even at that ^arly period, O'Connell was amongst the very few who, taking an enlarged, and, as it were, a prophetic view of the question, was in favor of sessional petitions : but so great was the confidence of the Catholic body in Mr. Fox, and so ignorant were they of the advantages of per- petual application for their rights, that they too readily acquiesced in the wishes of Government. However much we may condemn that policy now, it is impossible to say that we would not, in 1806, have done likewise. At that period, the same self-created authority on the part of the Aristocratic few, and the same natural jealousy on the part of the great body of the Catholics, which broke up the old Committee in 1792 — which produced so much dissension at various subsequent periods before the Union, and which, as we shall see, was ill after years the cause of unceasing, vehement, and angry discussion — the same elements were in full and active operation in 1606,in producing disunion amongst the sections of the Catholic leaders. This, in a great measure, was caused by not giving publicity to their proceedings, and the necessity that then existed, in consequence of the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, of the leaders meeting in private houses, where, of course, no person could feel himself entitled to come without invitation. It was this limited Committee, presuming to act for five millions of Catholics, that naturally excited such angry jealousy. Tliis feel- ing was additionally excited by the notion which then became prevalent, that Mr. James Ryan, in whose house these meetings were held, and who was a self-elected and unauthorized secretary to the body, had actually com- promised with Mr. Fox the interests of the Catholic D2 •iO LIFE AND TIMES OF people of Ireland for his own private ends. The opinion arose from the nature of the correspondence, to which we have already referred, between Mr. Ryan and Mr. Fox ; and which originated in an application from Mr. Ryan for some post of consequence for himself ; — an application it appears he was induced to make to Mr. Fox solely in consequence of his connexion with the Catholic Body ; for his acquaintance with Fox commenced in 1805, when he formed one of the Catholic Deputation to London, and was continued under the impression that he was Se- cretary to the Catholic Committee. The discovery of this correspondence produced a violent ferment amongst the whole Catholic population. Several private meetings were as usual held on the subject, to which, it appears that none but Ryan's friends were invited, and which were evidently very partial assemblages, from the fact that Mr. Keogh, the acknowledged father of the Catho- lic body, had not been invited. The consequence was, a general meeting of the Catholics in Dublin, at which the following resolutions, after two days' debating, were car- ried : — '* Resolved — That the holding of meetings at any " private house for the general concerns of the Catholic •• Body, is unfavourable to the freedom of discussion, and " inadequate to the collection of public sentiment." " Resolved — That the last meeting at Marlborough- " street, (at Mr. Ryan's house), stands accused of be- " ing brought about by private invitation and partial " selection, at once degrading to the honourable course " of our proceedings, derogatory from the dignity, and " injurious to the interests of the Catholics of Ireland, " and that it is the right of the Catholics to inquire and '* determine, whether or how far they have been deluded " or betrayed." This was the last meeting of the Catholics this year. The anxiety to avoid embarrassing the administra- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 31 tion, and the opinions that were circulated of the illega- lity, under the Convention Act, of their meetings, com- bined to induce the Catholics to give up public meetings, after they had addressed the Duke of Bedford on his assuming the Government of Ireland. We take leave of this body by observing, that the individuals of whom it Avas composed, and who were thus engaged in presenting the address, were, as it will be seen, in after years by that act quaUfied to be members of a far more stirring organization— The Catholic Committee. O'CoNNELL does not appear to have been prominently mixed up with those proceedings. He undoubtedly felt as deeply as these who spoke at that meeting : but as yet he did not come forward conspicuously in the politi- cal arena. But we are fast approaching the period when he was destined to assume the leadership of the Catho- lics. We will from that epoch be enabled to trace the correct and statesmanlike views he took of the political condition of his Country, and the perseverance and ener- gy with which he pursued the darling object of his am- bition the freedom of his Countrymen — in the teeth of obloquy and abuse, and notwithstanding the hatred of his enemies and the desertion of his friends. In the meantime, and during the suspension of the Ca- tholic proceedings — we may revert to the private and professional career of O'Connell, after his return from the Temple in 1798. It appears that at the very commence- ment of his profession, he got rapidly into business. In the very first year, as wo have already stated, his fee- book exhibited a professional income of over i^300, and this continued every year increasing. His great business was in the Criminal Courts, where his unrivalled powers of cross-examination were brought 32 LIFE A.ND TIMES OF into constant play. It is universally admitted, that no lawyer ever possessed his peculiar tact in that depart- ment of the profession. He appeared, as it were, to have influence over the secret thoughts and feelings of the witness under examination. His forte was an intimate knowledge of the characters of his countrymen— of their habits and peculiarities— and this knowledge he brought to bear in his profession in a most happy and successful manner. His habit was always to commence his cross- examination with a matter apparently unconnected with the trial— and having succeeded in confounding and per- plexing the object of his wit and humour, he turned quickly to the matter elicited in the direct examination. He continued his cross-examination with keenness and sa- gacity, watching for a discrepancy in the evidence, and the moment he discovered that he had involved the wit- ness in a maze of contradictions, he turned to some other subject instantly, so as not to allow him to collect his scattered senses. He then returned to the attack, and succeeded in establishing in the minds both of Judge and Jury, doubts of the veracity of even a truth-telling wit- ness. Thus did ho often succeed in rescuing an unfortu- nate prisoner from the gallows, and the consequence was, he soon became on the Munster Circuit, the favour- ite lawyer in the Criminal Court. It was difficult for him, even at an advanced period of his professional career, to exhibit often those powers as an advocatG,which were afterwards so finely developed: for the silk gown that encased inferior merit gave a precedence to Protes- tant lawyers of even younger standing, and he rarely had an opportunity of addressing a Jury. This probably induced him to cultivate with more ardour a talent for cross-examination, which was unquestionably unrivalled, and which was displayed by him at a very early period. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 33 It exhibited itself very strongly in a trial on the Mun- ster Circuit, in which the question at issue was, the vali- dity of a will, by which property to some amount was de- vised, and which the plaintiflfs alleged Avas forged. The subscribing witnesses swore that the deceased signed the will, while life rvas in him — a common mode of expression among the humbler classes. The evidence was going strong in favor of the Will — at last O'Con- NELL undertook to cross-examine one of the witnesses, — He shrewdly observed that he Avas particular in swearing several times that *' life was in the testator, when the will was signed," and that he saw his hand sign it. " By virtue of your oath was he alive," said Mr. O'Connell. "By virtue of my oath, life was in him ;" and this, the wit- ness repeated several times. Now.continued O'Connkll, with great solemnity, and assuming an air of inspiration — *' I call on you, in presence of your Maker, before whom " you must one day be judged for the evidence you give " here to-day, I solemnly ask — and answer me at your *' peril — was it not a live fly that was in the dead man's " mouth, when his hand was placed on the Will ?" The witness fell instantaneously on his knees, and acknowledg- ed it was so, and that the fly was placed in the mouth of the deceased, to enable the witnesses to swear that life was in /u'm.Theintuitive quickness with which O'Connell conjec- tured the cause of the fellow's always swearing that "life was in hira," obtained for him the admiration of every one in Court, and very materially assisted in securing his pro- fessional success. His professional knowledge at this early period was very considerable, and shewed itself with dis- tinction whenever he had an opportunity of addressing the Bench, on any disputed point of law. In fact, from the very commencement, he had contracted a habit of ap- plication which he never altered— and his abhorrence of 34 LIPE AND TIMES OP dissipation and lato hours, together with a vigorous constitution, account for his prodigious endurance of fatigue. Though Mr, O'Connell's mind was constantly, even amidst the gaieties incident to his years, fixed upon his political condition and on his profession, still the gaieties in which in unmarried life he mingled, were not consistent with an assiduous pursuit either of politics or of the law; and therefore, independent of the domestic hap- piness it secured him, we think it most fortunate for himself and his country, that early in life he had formed att honourable and ardent attachment, which terminated in bis marriage in 1802. The object of his choice was, Maey, the daughter of a highly respectable physician in Tralee, Dr. O'Connell — and a cousin of his own. Ho married without the consent of his uncle, who thought, unless he got a large fortune, his nephew should devote himself alone to his profession. However, the old gen- tleman was soon reconciled to the marriage. Mrs. O'Connell was an exceedingly amiable strong-minded lady. Mr. O'Connell, it was said, was, during her life, guided very much by her advice. There was between them a strong enduring attachment. O'Con- nell, in the midst of all his cares, was ever cheerful at home, and enjoyed unalloyed happiness in his wife's society, and in that of their children ; and though from his professional cares he could not spare much time to mingle in the agreeable society for which Merrion Square house was remarkable ; still tbe moments he snatched from his study, and passed in the drawing room, were moments of exquisite gratification to the friends, young and old, of both sexes, who loved to listen to his rapid sallies of wit, his good-humoured hits, and playful anecdotes. It was at such moments he appeared DANIEL O'CONNELL. 35 in the interesting light that has been so often des^ cribed by strangers, nay, by political antagonists, who met him in society, or in the quiet of the domestic circle, either at Darrynane or Merrion Square. With a few select friends, to whom he could freely open his thoughts^ his conversation was truly enlivening and instructive. Ilis well stored and ready memory never failed him: and living as ho did amidst all themoststirring scenes of Ireland's his- tory, and mingling as he used to do with the bright spirits that threw a lustre round the Irish Bar, he always had a fund of most delightful anecdote at his disposal. The writer carries back his own memory, with painful interest^ to treats which he has enjoyed of this description, when the Liberator was in the hey-day of his glory, and buoyant with health and spirits, and when he who listened to him and imbibed rich stores of knowledge from his conversa- tion, was, too, a happier man. But such is life. It has its bright points and its shadows ; but the clouds preponde- rate. It is singular, however, except in the form of personal anecdote, that Mr. O'Connell was not fond of political after dinner discussion. He rather avoided them, for he disliked arguments and discussions at the festive board. Though Mr. O'Connell's children, particularly his daughters and daughters in-law, made every effort to smooth the loss ho in after life sustained by the death of Mrs. O'Con- nell, there is no question that the happy days of domes- tic enjoyment, were during her life, for he deeply res- pected and loved her. But we are anticipating. "We recur to the course of events. Fox died in Septem- ber, 180G. His death produced much and grievous dis- appointment in the minds of the Irish Catholics. He was a sincere and ardent friend of human freedom ; and was attached from feeling and principle to the political inte- 36 LIFE AND TIMES OP rests of Ireland. His noble disinterestedness in offering to advocate the Catholic claims, in the midst of the diificul- ties that surrounded him as the minister of an anti-eman^ cipation King, must have obtained tor him the gratitude of a generous and confiding people ; at the same time that they unwillingly acquiesced in his policy of, out of delicacy to the conscientious scruples of the Kino, postponing their claims to an indefinite period. During the whole of 1806, they, out of respect to him, did not urge forward their petition ; but when the object of their attachment and veneration had passed from the political strifes and disappointments of this life, the Catholics of Ireland had no longer any motives to further postpone the discussion of their claims. Accordingly, in the month of January, 1807, notwithstanding the efforts and earnest entreaties of the Whig Government, indications were exhibited, on the part of the Catholic Committee, of an intention to press their petition. They had several preliminary meetings on the subject. A deputation from the first meeting was appointed to wait upon the Irish Government, with the view of ascertaining, whether the present liberal administration intended to bring for- ward a measure for the relief of His Majesty's Catholic subjects during the approaching Session. At a subsequent meeting, this deputation detailed the particulars of these interviews with the Secretary, and Lord Chancellor Pon- soNBY. By these Ministers, though they were politely received, no hopes wore lioldout, that the Government in- tended to bring before Parliament any general measure for the benefit of the Irish Catholics. The Government, whatever may have been their privateand personal views, were absolutely coerced not to urge on the King the con- sideration of this, to him, most hateful Question. Thecon- secjuence was, the administration of its advocates served jDANIEL O CONNELL. Oi father to retard than to accelerate the measure of Emancipation. It is, now-a-days, by no means doubtful, •what course they ought to have adopted ; whether they ought to have accepted office on the condition of quies- cence on this subject, or whether it would not have been more befitting their dignity and characters, and more con- ducive to the interests of Catholic Ireland, to have retired from the Administration, rather than to have continued struggling against the feeling of antipathy in the King's mind to that great principle of civil and religious liberty, which was the basis of their own political creed. But, time nccomplished what their fore-sight ought to have anticipated; and in retiring from office a short time nfterwards, though it was in some degree satisfactory to reflect, that they lost political power from an adherence to their principles, yet it must have been painful to feel, that they were unceremoniously dismissed, instead of their having assumed a more dignified position, and thrown up the seals on the King's refusal to acquiesce in the leading object of their political career, namely, Catholic Emancipation. - The Irish Government not having held out hopes that the question would be ushered into parliament under the patronage of ministers, it was determined to assemble an Aggregate Meeting of the Catholics of Ireland; and accordingly, a Committee of twenty-one was, on the 24th January, appointed to prepare a petition to be sub- mitted to this public Aggregate Meeting. Edward Hay, Esq., was appointed Secretary. Another Com- mittee was named to communicate with the country districts on the subject. Nicholas Purcell O'Gorman and some other gentlemen were appointed to wait upon the different Catholic Noblemen and influential gentlemen in Dublin, with a request that they should attend the 38 ttFB ANT) TIMES OF Aggregate Meeting which was to take place at D'Abcy'* Hotel, in Earl-street, on the 7th February, 1807- At this meeting it was resolved to petition. The Committee named on the 24th January was confirmed, and twenty- one other gentlemen were named by the meeting, to co-operate with them in preparing the petition; making in all forty-two persons, .together with the Catholic Peers and Baronets. Thus, was it necessary, in those days, to introduce by Avholesale an admixture of aris- tocracy, to give a tone and character to their pro- ceedings. Thus was it necessary in the former history of the Irish Catholics, to have over fifty individuals appointed |o draw up petitions to the Legislature, for fho acquisition of a simple right: — a feat often since effected by the unassisted efforts of single in- dividuals. This arose from an unceasing jealousy and distrust amongst the Catholic Body, and from those ever vegetating seeds of division, that were sown from the earliest period of Catholic Politics, and which made it necessary, for their influential leaders to select persons of various shades of opinion — the daring and the timid in politics — the Vetoist and the Anti- Vetoist— to co-operate in the production of a Petition that would meet the approbation of all parties. At this time, O'Connell began to take a conspicuous part in Catholic affairs. In fact, it was impossible, even if his years and standing allowed, that ho could have done so before. In the first place, the Habeas Corpus- Act remained suspended, from 1804 until this year, 1807 ; and though the administration was favourable to freedom and toleration, it was by no means willing to see theCatholics meet for th^purpose of petitioning. On the eontrary.it was a DANIEL O'CONNELL. 3& iatod, principally by the eloquence of O'Connell. His ppeoch on this occasion is replete with that sound discre- tion and strong judgment— that masculine thought find those bursts of patriotic sentiment, which after- wards distinguished his more celebrated and maturer productions. In one part of it, in reply to the statement, that to forward the Petition would bo an injury to the em- pire, he asks, in a burst of characteristic eloquence: — '• What! was the tender of the service of Five millions "of subjects, an injurij to the empire? Was the total " devotion of their talents, their property, their persons " and their blood, an injury to the empire? Was en- "larging the pale of the Constitution, so as to embrace "myriads of her children, whoso loyalty and unshaken "fidelity had been solemnly acknowledged by the Legis- " laturo, an injury to the empire?" In the same speech ho enters ir.to an able argument to shew how ridiculous it wus to imagine that the Catholics were desirous of dis- turbing the Act of Settlement— an Act that, in truth, guaranteed their own property, quite as much as it did that of their Protestant countrymen. There are two passages in this able and eloquent- appeal, which we are anxious to copy, as they demonstrate how much his feel- ings, his political opinions, and his policy at that time coincided with Ids views and sentiments at a much later period. After dilating upon the feelings, the prejudices. and the character of the English people, he thus con- tinued—" They, (the English people) cannot be so "strangely mistaken. What remains to be done? '< Why, to call for and provoke, without the de- " lay of an hour, the discussion of the subject. Ex- "pediency as well as right, present policy and eternal "justice require our emancipation. Let us then discqss " the question. Let us demonstrate these truisms. Let p 3 42 LIFE AND TIMES OF •'us repeat, calmly but firmly repeat, our arguments, "Let us renew our Petitions, until bigotry and preju- " dice shall fade before the meek torch of reason and " truth. There is one, it may be called, adventitious " point of view, in which I would place the subject be- " fore the English nation. I tell them it was by our " Union with thera that Emancipation was delayed — " Had the Irish Parliament remained, our Protestant " countrymen, would long since have conceded what "remained to be granted. The Union interfered — " it swept away with rude violence, amidst the wreck "of the country, every opportunity of kindness and "liberality on the one hand — every occasion for grati- " tude and affection on the other. It was a measure in "this consequence most to be deplored; — but all its "consequences were deplorable — the devastation and "ruin of Ireland had been foretold of it ; — " Ne'er were phrophetlc sounds so full of woe." " Yet it had exceeded in calamities, not only the belief " of those who listened, but the fancy of those who pro- "dieted; it was a small but wretched consolation, that " no Catholic sat in tho Parliament that voted away the "country." " r.ord FiNGALL begged to suggest that tho Union had " no connexion with the subject before the meeting." iMr. O'CoNNELL would submit to any suggestion from " the chair ; but his feelings on that disastrous measure " had borne him aAvay.It was impossible i'or him to stand " over the grave of his country without shedding on it " a tear. However, the Union appeared to him to have " some connexion with the subject in debate. The " English people were not ignorant that Emancipation "was the promise of the Union — but this was an argu- " mont he would not use. Ho never would consent to DANIEL O CONNELt. 4,'? " the sale of his country ; — lio despised tho man who " would accept of any boon as its price." After alluding to the supposed obstacle stated to exist in a certain quarter, (meaning the King) — he continues — ''Away then " with all the objections to the presenting a petition ; " there should be no delay. Tho prisoner counts by " hours ; — he who would hug his chains even for a day, "may well seem not to merit freedom. And in truth, " cottld or would any thing bo more fatal to the Catholic •' Body, than that their proceedings, solemnly and delibcr- " atoly resolved upon, sliould be retarded by a species of " unnatural contempt. The present administration had "emancipated Negroes; and, I would say, they had "done their duty b\^ tho Catholics if, instead of enabling " his Majesty, by a Clause in the Mutiny Bill, to cxer- " cise his prerogative, by appointing from amongst us " Generals and Admirals, they should introduce a Clause " in the Slave Bill, to raise Catholics to the rank of Free- *' men. This is all I require — it cannot bo attained to " soon." This speech produced a very considerable sensation at tho meeting, and the result was, it was decided to for- ward the Petition. At a subsequent meeting, it was de- termined, after a warm and angry debate, to send it through Lord FiNGALt, toMr. Grattan for presentation, and not entrust it to delegates, as in 1805. To him then, as will be seen, must we trace the dismissal of the tem- porizing.! Whigs. The cause was advanced thereby. In the Cabinet, they never would have achieved the triumph of their own principles. As his Majesty's opposition, they did good service. They assisted the agitation, by making Catholic Emancipation their clievul de hataille iu Parliament ; and thu3,though then imperceptible toordi- 44 1-IFE AND TIMES OF nary minds,did O'Connell rightly judge, that in the long run, the bold, uncompromising policy was the best. O'Connei.l's speech on that occasion was, as we have said, remarkable for its eloquence. It was unprepared and forcible ; but we look in vain through it, and his other early displays, for that ready wit, that playful ridi- cule, that facility of introducing appropriate anecdotes, that buoyant humour with which he Hung out his well- timed and ready sallies, and that unsparing and success- ful sarcasm, for which, in his later career, his addresses were so remarkable. O'Connell's manner of delivery at this period, too, was different ; his person was not then so portly or commanding ; there was not that bold and dashing manner about him, which added so much to his delivery. But the seeds of right-thuiking and patri- otic feeling, were then implanted in his breast ; and they continued to vegetate and mature,, in the midst of difficulties and disappointment; until they ripened into those high and ennobling characteristics of his great mind, which are immortalized in the memory of his coun- try, and will make his name live " with his Land's lan- fiuage." The determined opposition of George the Tjiibi) to the claims of the Catholic Body, had generated a weak and vacillating policy in the AVhig Ministry, in consc' quonco of their endeavours to reconcile their principles and their professions towards Ireland, with a desire of preserving the Koyal confidence. Hence, their exertions to prevent the Catholics persevering in the prosecution of their claims— hence their promise to the leaders of that body, through their Irish Secretary, to extend tlio provisions of the Irish Act, of 1793, to England, and to open commissions in the Navy as well as in the Army, to JDANIEL O CONNELL. 46 that persunsion, without any limitation whatever as re- garded rank. All this was put forward in the hope that the Catholics would give over meeting, and relinquish their intention of petitioning. It may be that the Whigs did not mean those concessions as a compromise with tho Catholics, and they were very anxious to impress this upon them ; but, surely, it had something like the ap- pearance of an attempt to produce such an understand- ing, when the Irish Executive were in communication with tho Catholic Committee on the subject, and when their Secretary, Elliott, was actually obliged to send over for fresh instructions and information, to satisfy the following- inquiry on the part of the Catholics. — " Whether Catholics, under the contemplated Bill, might be General Officers." The consequence of this timid and compromising policy was speedily developed. Lord IIowiCK, afterwards Earl Grey, introduced, shortly after, the promised Bill, extenduig the provisions of the Irish Statute to England, and giving the Catholics fur- ther privileges ; confirming the communication made to the Catholic Committee, and dispensing altogether with religious tests. This gave rise to a lengthened and animated debate. The proposition was violently op- posed by Percival, as the leader of the Tory party ; but the Parliament was then favourable to the views of the Minister, and leave was given to bring in the Bill. It appears Lord Sidmouth, who was a member of the administration, and who had been, even in Pitt's time, the King's secret adviser against the Catholics, gave in the Cabinet, strenuous opposition to this project of his Colleagues ; but having been outvoted in his views — he resigned his office. This brought the subject again under the consideration of the Kiwu, und thruugb the iustrumen- 46 hlVE AND TIMES OT tality of one or two leading Prelates, the ministry were forced to relinquish the further extension of civil Rights to Catholics, and the total abolition of tests in the Ar- my. They confined themselves solely to the introduction of a Bill similar in extent and purpose to the Irish Act of 1793 — the King expressing his readiness to com- ply with the just expectations of his Irish Subjects, which the Act of Union created; but at the same time evincing his determination to adhere to the Test and ('orporation Acts. Such were the Newspaper ondits of that day ; and they were in no way contradicted either by Lord Grenville or Howick, in their subsequent expla- nations. This arrangement brought back Lord Sid- mouth to the Cabinet : yet matters in the Royal closet remained unsettled. The King continued determined not to extend to England even the limited privileges of the Act of 1793 ; and Ministers were forced to abandon it — to the great and manifest mortification of the Irish People. Then, the hostile prejudices of GEoacE the TniRD, were not to be conquered ; he was deter- mined cither to force from his Ministers a p/erf^e — aye, and a written one, too— never again to mention to him the hateful subject of Catholic Emancipation: — or, if they refused, to expel them from his Councils. In truth, his Majesty had already subjected them in the face of the Empire to many and serious humiliations. No adminis- tration can be strong, that has not the confidence of the Sovereign ; and the Ministry became subject, in conse- quence, to the ridicule, and ribald jests of the ultra party. But, certainly, nothing could equal the indignity of requiring from the responsible advisers of the Crown, a. written pledge never again, under any variation of cir- cumstances, or events, to suggest alteration in the ex.- iating Lavrsruffculiug the poliliual conditiouof five millions DANIEL O CONNELL. 4 / of People. In this light was it considered not only by the Ministers themselves, but even by some of the opposers of the Catholics. The Ministers determined to resist this unconstitutional proceeding ; and in the eleventh hour, they had the magnanimity to put on a bold demean- our. They refused the King's request ; and in order to give a more marked character to this novel State Drama, they retained the seals of office, until they received their dismissal for constitutional disobedience ! They were dismissed in April, and the Perceval and Liverpool administration — the sworn, bitter, and unceasing enemies of Catholic Ireland — were brought into power. The War- whoop of religious intolerance was sounded — the cries of "Church in Danger," and "No Popery," were sent round the country, and encouraged by the Perceval Go- vernment. Even then, (1807) in England, the movement made some progress ; but in Ireland, the season for reli- gious rancour had not yet set in. Declarations on the part of Protestants in favour of their Catholic country- men, were then in vogue ; and that bitter and unrelent- ing hostility, which so soon afterwards exhibited itself, was limited in its operation and its influence. "What good, therefore, did the Whigs effect by their time-serv- ing Policy, and their endeavours to repress an universal and l)urning desire for freedom amongst the Catholic Population of Ireland ? They eff"ectcd no good whatever ; but they produced this lamentable evil —they generated division amongst the Catholic Body. Their influence induced many well-intentioned patriots to deviate from that determined course of action, that steady pcrsever- ance,anduntiring demand, which after events proved to be the best and soundest policy. So unconscious were the Catholics at that, time of their moral strength — 60 ignorant were they of the value of unanimity and com- 48 LIFE AND TIMES Otf bined co-operation — so unwilling were thoy to confide in themselves, to trust tlieir succesa to their own organiza- tion, and to the development of their own moral powers, that they — aye, even the most influential amongst them, easily acquiesced in the suggestion of their Parliamentary advocates, not to press forward their claims, lest it may weaken the influence, and raise up a cry in England against the Ministi'v of their Whig friends. Even after the Whigs had been expelled, and while yet there were hopes that Parliament would not be dissolved, and that Parliamentary majorities would carry them back into power, this same policy was pursued. But the success of the " Church in danger" cry, settled that matter, and Parliament was dissolved. In the interim, Grattan's in-- fluence was exerted to prevent the Catholics from press- ing forward their claims in the teeth of an anti-Irish ad- ministration and the anti-Popery cry. Grattan's inter- ference was successful ; the Catholics withdrew their Pe- tition that year. We are unwilling to doubt the sound- ness of this policy, recommended as it was by the honesty of PoNsoNBY and the patriotism of G rattan, and supported as it was amongst the Catholics, by the untir- ing zeal of John Keogh, and by the judgment of O'Con- NELL. But it decidedly was very much reprehended by the ultra Emancipationists at that time ; and wo believe that not long after, it was pronounced impolitic, by even those who in April, 1807, were abettors of I\Ir. Grat- tan's views. Anonymous publications appeared in the Newspapers at that time, abusing Mr. Keogh for his po- litical tergiversation, as it was deemed ; and Mr. O'Cok- NELL came in for a share of animadversion, on account of the support he gave Mr. Keogh in his views on that oc- casion. Yet it appears that the Catholic meeting in April, 1807, at which Mr. Keogh proposed his resolution of •DXNIEL ©"'CONNELX. 49 postponement, was nearly unanimous in assenting to his proposition. This may be accounted for by reasons alto- gether distinct from the merits of the question itself — . The Whigs had been dx-i^en from office on account of advocating the Catholic claims, and at such a moment it would appear ungrateful in the Irish Catholics to reject tlieir advice and good offices. ** Let us not," said O'CoNNELL, on that occasion, "by rejecting the honest ** advice they have given us, aiford their adversaries an ^' opportunity of saying to them : — See your situation ? ** You have forfeited the favor and confidence of your *• Sovereign, And you expected to stand upon th6se of ■** the people for whom, you have sacrificed both ; but joii ■** have been disappointed in your expectations. They '• have seen you hurled from the Cabinet, for an adhe- ■*• rence to their cause ; they have consulted you, it is " true, but only for tfee purpose of rejecting your ad- '' vice wit^ every species of contempt. It is they wlio ^' have put you down indeed, and put you so far down, '' that you can never more recover." To avoid such iaunta and such imputations, was one motive for the una- nimous adoption of Mr. IvEocn's proposition. Guattan too, at that time was in high popularity, and he had ad- vised the discontinuance of Petitions ; that was another reason. Mr. Keogh, who introduced the proposition in a masterly and eloquent speech, possessed for many years the unbounded confidence of his Catholic Countrymen. — He had been the zealous promoter of every effort made from 1779, by the Catliolic body, to free themselves con- stitutionally from the galling thraldom of the penal laws. Through his instrumentality, in a great measure, was the Bar opened, in 1792, to Catholics.- The resolution suc- ceeded, because it was moved by " this venerable atul ve- ? 50 LIFE AND TIMES OF ncrated man, "to quote froraO'CoNNELL agam,on the same occasion — " who may be well styled the Parent of the '* Catholic claims to emancipation ; whoso voice was in " his youth, raised from the dust to which with the rest " of his communion he was levelled, by the black cloud '• of pojial statutes, and who now, in the full maturity of *' years, exercises the unabated vigour of his understand- " ing in the sume cause." The proposition being brought forward by so tried a patriot, was the principal reason for its unanimous adoption ; and we may observe, that even at this early pe- riod of his career, O'Connell's eloquence had great effect in producing concord on a matter of such doubtr ful policy. For his course, on this occasion, he got a few hard hits; and received from one writer the appcUar tionof "the over -changing and changeable Barrister" — the very quality which, ui>der his foreseeing and judicious management, was the great agent of his subsequent political success. Had Q'Connell obstinately persevered in any original course of policy, without any reference to changing circumstances and events, henever would have reached the eminence on vvhich he was ulti- mately placed, nor would he have sq effectually served his Country. O'Connell had the true greatness of mind requisite for high political undertakings. lie could shape his course according to the aspect or nature of events, and he never was encumbered with that little pride that would lead him to persevere in, or justify, a political error. "We shall by and by have to detail nu- merous instances of this characteristic — and in referenco to the very case which occasioned these remarks. We may, however, add, that he afterwards acknowledged the mistake then committed in not perseyering in the prose- cution of Catholic claims. toANlEt 0*CONNElL* ^1 There waS a remarkable passage in the speech delivered by O'CoNNELL on this occasion. In the course of his observations, he made use, for the first time, of that beau- tiful fi«j;ure, in reference to Mr. GRATfAN, which he afterwards so successfully applied to himself. He says, apeaking* of the advice for postponement, — " It has re« ** ceived the concurrence of him, who, to adopt his own " animated language, sat by the cradle of Irish Inde- " pendencc, though afterwards doomed to follow its '* hearse; and who, I will add, should the happy and '* blessed hour ever arrive, is alohe worthy of blowing the " trumpet of its resurrection." Over twenty ypars after* wArds, he improved upon this figure thus, in reference to himself: — "Grattan stood over the cradle of his Coun- " try, and followed her hearse. To me it has been *' givea — to sound the trumpet of her resurrection, and " proclaim to the world that she is not dead^ but sleepeth." The various incidental influences to which we have re- ferred, prevailed ; and the Catholics, in 1807, adopted the policy of silence, instead of the more bold and manly course of loud remonstrance, and petitioning unceasing* ly and fearlessly, on the broad principle of indestructible right and justice. During the year 1807. we hear nothing more,politically speaking,of the Catholics and theirclaims. In the meantime their inveterate enemies — Perceval and Liverpool — were neither conciliated by their moderation, nor less determined in their measures of Coercion for Ireland. Without any — thS slightest cause which could be discovered for these measures, except what may have existed in their own morbid imaginations, and without any excesses, except perhaps an occasional trivial disturbance in some distant county, totally unconnectfed with political feelings — those Ministers passed through 62 LIPE AND TIMES OF Parliament, Without giving a tittle of evidence as to their necessity, two most hostile enactments against the libera ties of Ireland. The measures were an Insurrection Act and an Arms' Bill. The English House of Commons of thatdayvotedaway the birthright of Irish subjects, with the same readiness that the Reformed Pacliament of 1833, passed a more despotic measure of Coercion, at the solicitation of the very Whigs who, in 1807, so strenuous- ly opposed the Perceval enactments. Such is the influ- ence of Political Power ; its votaries too often repudiate the favorite principles of an entire existence. . One of the most remarkable circumstances connected with the debate on' these measures, in 1807, was, the extraordinary and really unaccountable conduct of Gbattan. He voted for both measures, from the infa- tuated persuasion which took possession of his mind^ that there existed in Ireland a conspiracy in favour of French domination. For this he could give no authority, nor offer a particle of proof He believed the state- ments of a prejudiced Government, and he lent himself, unwittingly, to a fearful tyranny against his country. He indViced many honest and well-intentioned friends of Civil liberty to follow his example. This melancholy mistake of Grattan's lost him for a time his well-earned popu- larity. His conduct not only created deep surprise, but excited feelings of a very angry nature, which were not speedily removed. By these Statutes, were the Catho- lics recompensed for their tame forbearance; yet they exhibited no feelings of exasperation ; they observed an unbroken silence during the remainder of the year. •■'-''> O'CoNNELL, meanwhile, continued his practice at the Bar with increasing success ; and though a junior mcm-^ ber of the profession, and with all the disadvantages of a silk gown, he acquired even then high reputation fot DANIEL ,0'p0NNELl,. 6| jibUity, both as a criminal and canstitutJonal Laiivyer,9ii?l an expert Ni^i Prius Advocate. He continued still qn the Munster Circuit, where he bad to contend for notice and professional reputation, amongst such men as GopLD, PE^fNEFATHER, QuiNN, GrADY, ToWNSEND, KeLLEP, Waogett, &c., &c., most of whom had already acquired high characters for their professional skill and legal ac- quire^aents, and then deservedly monopolised all the bu- siness on the Circuit. O'Connell, however, quietly and silently got into notice ; but his transcendent powers as an advocate were neither developed nor known, for some years subsequent to 1807. With the members of the Munster Bar, O'Connell soon become deservedly and universally popular. There was a good natured friend- liness — a cordiality about him, that won upon his brother Barristers. Then, there was his broad Irish humour and playfulness, which never deserted him in the midst of the most toilsome trials. He, Keller, and a few others, sus- tained the credit of the Munster Bar, for readiness and wit, after it had lost the brilliant talents of Ccrran, and the rich honest humour of Eoan. In those days puns, as they are called, were more the fashion than at present. We are now too utilitarian for that indulgence, and the business at the bar is too heavy and too common- place, to encourage the amusement. A talent for pun- ning may be described as a readiness of apprehend- ng without eflfort and alpios^ intuitively, the agree- ments and disagreements between different ideas, and of giving expression with terseness and precision to the ■>; Y [,. ..1 r- •-,, ..,.., .,j. . , - ... . . , ^ .. . , J.., ,.< -If conception. O'Connell possessed this talent in an emi- nent degree ; j^nd, what is nearly allied to it, an extraor- dinary and rapid perception of the ridiculous. The re- rr^" '!.("' ■ ;.';:'" •. '■'• ♦'.■''' '" " ■!■•• f-,r -.....> ■- , ■■ . j.- tnmiscences which are alive in the memories of his friends F 2 Si ttFE AND TIMES Ot arefull of his ready sayings, and cutting ridicule. Indeed luucli, of the personal hostility which pursued him through life, was owing to the uncontrollable tendency of hi^ mind, to laugh at his adversaries, and bring out in strong relief, what all men have in a greater or less degree — the ridiculous characteristic. And, we may trace the enven- omed hatred shown by some parties after his death, to bitter resentment for some castigation inflicted on them ; or some laugh raised at their expense ; or some soubriquet invented on the instant by the Great Departed ; for, to quote his own words »—" When a fellow happened to " be a scoundrel, ho had a tolerably good tongue for ** describing him." The TVwes newspaper could never forgive the enduring nickname which will ever cling to it. While almost time lasts — it will be called the "Lady or the Strand" — as cutting a sarcasm as could be well pronounced. At the same time, we must say, whatever we may think of the cause which elicited it, that, as conveying an imputation on the general cha^ racter of that great Journal, it is by no means justified. Mr. O'CoNNELi, was very generous in his acts of friend- ship at the Bar. One af his rivals was M,v.^ — .; not that in early life he was able to compete with this able and elo- quent lawyer. His standing and his religion prevented that. But, unquestionably, if O'Connell could entertaJa such a feeling, he must have felt that Mr. -, was in his way.ltis proverbial that Barristers are,generally, the very worst witnesses. The eminent lawyer of whom we spo^ik, was examined inO'CoNNSLL's presence, on a trial of some importance. Hebrokedown. He got confused, forgot, and contradicted himself most egregiously. O'Connell could have destroyed him for ever. But he acted a noble and generous part; h9 rescued his brother barrister from a DANIEL o'cONNBLt. 8B i^umous dilemma. The latter, however, retired to his lodg- ings, in despair at what happened, andsecretlj? determined to throw up his profession. O'Connell went to him found him brooding over his disgrace, roused him, soothed him, reconciled him to himself, and ultimately overcame his determination. Arm ana arm both left the Barris- ter's lodgings, and returned to Court together. Witt this disposition, he could not f'ail to be liked generally by his brother Barristers ; and even his antagonists in poli- tics preserved, all through,an enduring friendship for him^ Mr. Waggett, the well-remerabered liecorder of Cork, was one of the latter. He was a Tory in politics ; but he was a high-minded, generous, noble-hearted man, full of talent, and as remarkable for high-toned, impassioned eloquence, as he was for eccentricities. He was a fellow- student of O'Connell's at the Temple. To have pre- served, through the storms of politics, the friendship of such a man, was a strong proof of those amiabilities in O'Connell's character, which we have endeavoured to pourtray. O'Connell did preserve his friendship to the last. Then, looking at later times, we will see how he stood with his juniors— with Perrin, O'Loughlin, Ben- nett, PiGOTT, &c. Could the histories of their private friendships be given to the world, none of them would exhibit so strong an attachment, for instance, as existed between O'Connell and Mr. Pigott, now the kind and able Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Of his manly kind- ness, firmness, and bold and unbending attitude towards the Bench, all his cotemporaries have vivid recollection, and some of them have profited by the examples he set. ,0f hii? triumphs, as an advocate, over hostile Judges, we may relate an instance that, perhaps, is not fami- liBir to the public. He and the present Baron Richards were engaged in an important Chancery case, in which ^0 Ll?B AND 'pl^Eg p? P'CoNSRLL was, of cpurs^, the ^epior Counsel. The presiding functionary had previously heard some argu- mentp, and had resolved, it appears, to hear no n^ore. ^or, wlion Mr. Richards stpod up in his turn to plead, h^ was stopped ?it the very outset by a declaration from th^ Chancellor, that he had made up his mind. Mr. RicH- ^9DS would have persevered, anjious as he was to pre- ftent to tho Court a vie^ of the casein which the Court did not rojjfard it, and desirous, in zeal for his client, tp suggest l('}?nl decisions, and points of importance, not pre- vious l_v adduced. But again he was checked by the Lord ChaiiCt'llnr, rather testily declaring, that it was quite useless ; that he had made up his mind, and would hear no further arguments from Mr. Richards. ** Well, then, my Lord," said O'Connell, standing up, " {is you have refused to hear my learned friend, you will be pleased to hoar me;" and he went on, not waiting for either assent or dissent, with an address that lasted until the Court rose, and that embraced arguments to which, notwith:,tanding the learned Chancellor's mental fore- closure, ho evidently listened with growing convictions. At the end perhaps of every five or ten minutes, when he h:)d e^^tablished one point, and was passing on to another, O'Connell regularly rung the changes with, ^^•' but. my Lord, had you been pleased to listen to my learned young frieiid,how much more forcibly would he not have demonstrated to your Lordship the cogency of this point which I am pressing on your attention." In words nearly to that effect, O'Connell wound up each of hia arguracats ; at once rebuking the Chancellor for his refii- sal; complimenting the junior Advocate, who had been improperly checked, and obtaining, meanwhile, a victory over the preconceived opinions of the Court. For, O'Connell did succeed. Oa the following morning, t h« DANIEL o'gONNELI/. 57 CJiaiicellor entered tte Court — and soorii after delivered his decision expressly in accordance with the legal arguments of O'Connell. We have heard that Baron Richards has rbore than once declared his obligations to O'Connell, for his conduct on that occasion. Ho could not, he has often said, forget the service he rendered him; nor avoid treasuring up in his own raind, the successful results of the ability, firmness, and perseverance he saw thus displayed. He himself was, in after life, one of the most uncompromising advo- cates at the Bar. He did, what is called, ** beard the bench," firmly, on some occasions — in one memorable instance, if We recollect rightly, during the Tithe agita- tion ; and we may probably trace back to this incident in his earlier professional life, the possession of that un- bending resolution, personal firmness, and legal self-re- liance, that either were the cause of his elevation to the judgment seat, or distinguished him from among his brethren, before he attained that well merited position. We have spoken already of Mr. O'Connell's ready wit, and his promptitude of reply. Of these qualities the records are innumerable. He never was at a loss for a, quick and telling rejoinder. Few with whom he came into collision, were a match for him in ready repartee.— There was only one of his cotemporaries who could boast of an equality. He lives still ; between him and O'Con- nell, when they met in the forensic arena, the contests were keen indeed. We speak of Mr. Holmes, the cele- hratedDublin Barrister, whoso recent anti-Union pamph^ let exemplifies both the mental yigor by which he waS! qualified to encounter O'Connell, and the personal An?, tipathy that; stimulated the poignancy of his assault.— - Between him and O'Connell, there almost invariably, oor curred a sharp interchange of sarcastic personalitjegj 58 tttB AND TIMES OP when they came into professional opposition. They were like two skilful swordsmen, and they fenced sometimes with foils, and sometimes without. Each was intellectu- ally armed with a keen, well-tempered blade ; each had first rate skill, quickness and vigor ; and, though no wounds absolutely fatal were inflicted, neither escaped without feeling the weapon of his antagonist. The papers of the day enable us to judge, if wo may use the expressions, how rivid were the flashes, and how bright the sparkling shower that ensued when their blades were crossed. These anecdotes will exemplify his professional and personal character, in various lights. Of his professional tact, we may perhaps be here permitted to relate one instance. In the course of his attendance at an Assizes in Cork, he was counsel in a case, in which his client was capitally charged, and was so little likely to escape, and was actually so guilty of the crime, that his Attorney considered the case utterly desperate. O'Con- NELL entered the court aware of the hopelessness of his client's cliances. He knew it was useless to attempt a defence in the ordinary way. There was evidence suffi* cient to ensure a conviction. At that time, it happened that the present Baron, then Sergeant, Lefroy presided, in the absence of one of the Judges, who had fallen ill. O'CoNNELL understood the sort of man he had on thb Bench. He opened the defence by putting to the first witness a number of the most illegal ques- tions. He, of course, knew they were illegal, and that objections would be raised. Sergeant Goold was the crown prosecutor, and he started up, and expressed his objections. The learned Baron declared his concurrence, and decided rather peremptorily that ho could not allow Mr. O'CoNNELL to proceed with his line of examination. *• Well, then, my Lord," said O'Connell, after a little DANIEL O'CONNELL. 69 expostulation, **a3 you refuse permitting^ me to defend my client, I leave his fate in your hands ;" and he flung his brief from him, adding, as he turned away, " the blood of that man, my Lord, will be on your head, if he is condemned." O'Connell then left the Court. In an half-hour afterwards, as he was walking on the flag-way outside, the Attorney for the dofence ran out to him, without his hat. *' "Well," said O'Con- nell, •' he is found guilty." " No, sir," answfred the solicitor, *' he has been acquitted." O'Con.vkll is said to have smiled meaningly on the occasion, as if he had anticipated the effect of the rwse ; for it was a ruse he had recourse to, in order to save thn unfortu- nate culprit's life. He knew that flinging the onus on a young, and a raw judge, could be the only chance for his client. The Judge did take up the care O CoNr NELL had ostensibly, in a pet, abandoned. The witnesses were successively cross-examined by the Jud^e himself. He conceived a prejudice in favour of the accused. Hq perhaps had a natural timidity of incurring the re; ponsU bility thrown on him by O'Connell. He charged the Jury in the prisoner's favour, and the conKKjuence was, the unexpected and clear acquittal of the prisoner. *•/ k7i€w," said O'Connell afterwards, " the only chance was to throw the responsibility on the Judge." This will exemplify O'Connell's tact. We may add, that the loss of life, which would then have followed a conviction, would not now attend a party convicted of the same crime. But, enough of this for the present. JUntil we reach another period of his history, we will, whenever an occasion presents itself, draw the reader's attention to his enduriijg reputation as a lawyer ; at the same time that our principal concern must, of necessity,be with hh political career ; for that, ^0 Life And tiiIes of it is admitted, embodies the most interesting portion of the history of Ireland. O'CoNNELL, during the vacations, was always in the habit of visiting his native hills ; where mountain exer- cise invigorated his frame, and the Atlantic wave " roll- ing over from the coast of Labrador," perpetually reminded him of the sad, political and social, con- dition of his own " Green Isle." It was during one of these periodical visits, in 1807> that he iirst publicly exhibited his oratorical powers, at a political meeting of his own County. It was on that fruitful subject. Tithes. O'CoNNELL was, as we have observed above, always re- markable for his readiness in reply. His earliest efforts ex- hibit no previous preparation ; his thoughts appear to have been generally elicited by something which occurred at the moment ; and though he may, and must have, at all times, well considered the^ subject on which he spoke, and on great occasions arranged his ideas; yet, he invariably trusted to the moment for his selection of words, and was prepared to take advantage of any incidental circumstance, while be kept steadily in view the main and leading topics which ho intended to develop. This ready faculty he exhibited at the meeting in Kerry, where he suc- ceeded in turning into complete and painful ridicule, the well-prepared address of one of the previous speakers, He so completely answered the statements and argu- ments of the upholders of the Tithe systeip, who spoke before him, that he produced a decisive impression ; and he and the Knight of Kerry carried triumphantly th from the office of Registrar of theCustom House iuDublin, value j1"'50O a year, for having excited feelings of animo- sity, in the Dublin Corporation, against the Catholics, by his extravagant slanders, and for having been instrumen- tal in inducing the adoption, by that body, of a petition toParliament against any further concessions to these re- ligioqists. Goveinjnent w^^ve, op that account,, afraid, that DANIEL o'oONJtELL. 63 if ho kept the office which he then held, the people would beliovehe acted under their authority. That this was the cause of his dismissal, was confirmed in 1808, by Mr. PoNSONBY, in his place in Parliament; who stated, that ** he heard the Government of that day did take the step *' of dismissing Mr. Giffard, because he had proceeded *' in a manner most offensive, against theCatholics of Ire- ** land, and in such a way as was calculated to keep alive ** all those religious discords and animosities, which un- *' happily were then too prevalent." The Duke of Bedford came over in 1806,as the Whig Lord Lieutenant. He, of course, was favourable to tho removal of Catholic disabilities : but he also pursued the more temporising policy. Division was not then the ob- ject of England: and ho too endeavoured to govern, with, out encouraging, too highly, the hopes of the Catholic population, or giving a triumph to either party. The Duke of Richmond, under the Perceval and Portland administration was, the first, since the Union, to commence the system of governing by a Party, ai^d FOR A Party. Up to 1831, during the continuance of the Tory domination, that system was studiously pursued n Irc'and. John Giffard was immediately appointed to •the office of Accountant-General to the Customs, and Dr. DuiGENAN, the violent enemy of the people of Ireland, was made a Privy Councillor. So abandoned was the prin- xiiple of this elevation considered, that the circumstance was brought before theHouso of Comraons,and occasioned a very animated debate, in which Sir John Newport and Mr. TiEBNEY, both distinguished themselves. Mr. Tierney's speech was an excellent specimen of his cutting sarcasm. The only excuse given by Government for this elevation of a man, whose political career was re- markable solely for his bitter, unrelenting, and untiring 6i LIFE AND TIMES OP hostility to his Catholic countrymen ; and who had the daring impudence to insult them, by stating, in the face of Parliament, that the four millions of Irish Catholics " were in theory rebels, and only wanted an opportunity to be traitors in practice," — the only excuse given by the Government for the appointment of such a man, was, that he was a judge of the Prerogative Court ! It was a paltry prevarication, in order to cover the deep designs of throwing, by degrees, the whole weight of power into the hands of the Protestant Ascendency ; and, like the reduction which took place in the grant to Maynooth, was an indication of the future system to be adopted in the Government of Ireland. It was daring this aspect of affairs in Ireland, and with the " No Popery" cry raging loudly in England, that, in the commencement of 1808, the Irish Catholics began to consider, silent submission opened to them no hope ; and, that they again bethought themselves of petitioning the Legislature. They met in January, 1808, in Dublin ; Lord FiNGALL, in the Chair. It was at that meeting agreed, that the petition, committed last year to the care of his Lordship, should be again presented, during the approaching Session. O'Connell, on this occasion, ex- Jiibited his usual good taste and judgment, in preventing a serious division on the particular mode of obtaining the sentiments of the Catholic Body respecting the Petition. There was evinced considerable dissatisfaction because the Public were not more fully consulted respecting the proceedings. Mr. O'Connor, of Ballynegare, made his debut at this meeting, by endeavouring to procure an ad- journment, in order to have a more general meeting of the Catholics at an early day. Mr. O'Connell's elo- quence succeeded in preventing a division, and Mr. O'Connor withdrew his motion. O'Connell, on this DANIEL O CONNBLL. 65 occasion, complained bitterly of the abusive insinuations to which he was subject, for the part he took at the period. He was taunted for being the *'Door-keeper," and guarding the entrance, in order to prevent those, whoso faces he did not recognise, coming to the different meetings, at which the prior proceedings were adopt- ed. We need scarcely say, that, as he did with respect to a thousand other misrepresentations, to which, through life, he was subject, he demonstrated the falsity of this. There can be no doubt that the people were not then suf- ficiently alive to the value of these proceedings : nor wera they allowed to take their legitimate share in the arrange, ments. This may be accounted for by the novelty of public meetings. In the instances alluded to by Mr. O'CoNNELL, the meetings were private— being solely composed of individuals consulted by Lord Fingall, res- pecting the Petition. The manner of presenting it to Parliament and the period to be selected, were left to his sole discretion. For the satisfaction alone of his mind, and the regulation of his conduct, were those private con- sultations held. This may explain, the cause of such assemblages being private; but, at the same tirae» it demonstrates the impolicy, in the original proceedings, of placing the judgments, as well as the interests of allintho keeping of any one individual, however distinguished, or however trust worthy. During this period the Protestants of Ireland began to exhibit a laudable and high-minded anxiety, to extend the blessings of the constitution to their Catholic fellow sub- jects. Perceval, in his rancorous animosity to the . people of Ireland, and, in his active zeal to second the prejudices of the Court Party, had given every encou- ragement to the "No Popery" cry in England. It com- menced in 1807> and was raging with unsubdued strength., a2 66 I-IPE AND TIMES OF when the Pratestants of Ireland came forward, at the commencement of the year 1808, with the view to coun- teract - the dangerous tendency of the sectarian frenzy, which, under the auspices of the Richmond administra- tion, was attempted to be also fanned into a flame in Ireland. The Protestants of Newry first set the good ex- ample, by publishing to the world, sentiments of the most liberal and enlightened description. This was followed by the celebrated Protestant declaration, signed by the most respectable and influential proprietors in Ireland ;— by the Marquis of Headfort. the Earl of Obmond and OssoBY, Earl of Meath, Earl of Bessbobough, Viscounts Dillon, Clifton, and over one hundred more of the landed proprietary of the country. The Protestants of Meath, Galway, Clare, Kerry, and some of them with their High Sheriff at their head, followed this noble example. All Ireland exhibited an unanimity of purpose, which opened some prospect of the settle- ment of the great question that agitated the whole em- pire.and, at that very momentous time,injured deeply the imperial interests. Napoleon was then the Sovereign Dictator of Europe, and the fate of England hung upon a thread. "Austria, has fallen," said Gbattan, at this time, speaking to the English House of Commons ; '* and ♦* Prussia is destroyed, and there is now no resource left * ' you, but to avail yourselves of the dangers that press •'against you. To meet them with effect, unanimity •'should be your object. There are now two islands *• matched against all mankind. Will you, in such a '* crisis, depend upon political opinions, and religious " schism to prop a falling world?" If prejudice had not blunted the intellect of our Rulers, conciliation and union assuredly ought to have been their policy. Yet, were they lamentably ignorant of the true interests of DANIEL O'CONNELL. 67 their country. They continued deaf to the constitu- tional and moderate demands of five millions of Br itish subjects. The Catholic petition, agreed to in Dublin, and adopted generally by the Catholics, over all Ireland, was, in the first instance,refused admission into the House of Commons, on the plea that some of the signatures were not genuine ; though written at the request of the individuals themselves ; and evenCANNiNo, who then pro- fessed himself friendly to, and was afterwards the most brilliant advocate of the cause, inclined to the rejection of the petition, on account of informality. It was, in con- sequence, returned to Ireland, and re-signed ; and was again presented by Mr. Grattan, on the 23rd May, 1808. He then gave notice that he would refer it to a Committee of the whole House on the 25th May. The petition is of extraordinary length, and puts forth, in very eloquent and glowing language, both the political sentiments, and the constitutional claims of the Catho- lics. The consideration of the Petition in Parliament opened a subject of controversy, which distracted Ire- land for many subsequent years, and served to di- vide the great body of the people from the Catholic Aris- tocracy. "We allude to the great question of the Royal VETO. Both Mr. Grattan and Lord Gbenville, in introducing their motions respecting the Catholic Peti- tion, to the respective Houses of Parliament, of which they were members, represented themselves as autho- rised by the heads of the Irish Catholic Church, on the part of the Catholics, to give to the King the power of annulling, if he pleased, the nomination to the Catholic Episcopacy, of any obnoxious individual. This was the great and remarkable feature in the Debate. It attracted the greatest attention in both Houses. However, on the ground of the unseasoiiableness of the time selected. 6$ tlFE AND TIMES t)P both motions were rejected bj large majorifics,in the two Houses; though the motions were merely to the etfect, that the subject of the Roman Catholic Petition be referred to a Committee of the House. So much for unauthorized concession. So much for the wisdom of an administra- tion, that would refuse a moderate demand, and thus conciliate towards the English Government, five mil- lions of people, at a time when England was all but conquered; when the prohibitive system was at full work against her ; and when Napoleon ruled in the ascen- dant over the entire Continent. But we have to thank the Tory Government for their injustice then ; the de- lay taught us the advantages of Agitation, by which we acquired larger rights a few years afterwards, with- out the blighting restrictions, in which, many of the influ- ential Catholics of that day were willing to acquiesce. As this is a subject that requires investigation, and in- quiry, we shall enter into it somewhat in detail. One of the most striking features in the Roman Ca- tholic religion, is, the unity of doctrine, and, almost, of discipline, which exists amongst all the members of that faith, no matter in what widely separated parts of the globe they may reside. The leading cause that for centu- ries has preserved this similarity of doctrine and discip- line, even in minute particulars, amongst men of different periods, and various countries and climes, is, that they have always looked upon the Pope as the visible head of their Church, [t consequently follows, that the Pope is the centre from whom emanate the entire government, and arraneements of the Catholic Church. Therefore it is, that the Bishops in every country hold their appointment directly from him. In Catholic countries, the Pope per- mitted, from motives of policy, the Governments of these countries to have some share of control in the appoint- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 69 ment of Bishops; under the feeling that such control, exercised by a Roman Catholic monarch, could not injure the spiritual interests of religion; but it was held of dangerous tendency, to permit a Protestant King to have any influence whatever, within his dominions,in the spiri- tual arrangements of the Catholic religion ; and, in our opinion, on good and sufficient grounds. In the first place, the security and purity of religious faith depend wpon the pastors appointed to teach religion to the people. The appointment of these pastors, the divine founder of Christianity confided to his apostles, and their successors; but, especially, to Peter, to whom he gave supreme authority. Any interference with these appointments, on the part of the Sovereign, was a direct infringement of the divine ordinance, and was sure,in consequence, to lead to the ruin of religion. See what was the state of the church, when every drunken or illiterate Noble was ena- bled to appoint to benefices, any creature he pleased, however vile and immoral. The whole fabric of Christiani- ty was then tottering, until Hildebrand arose, and by his inspired energy, and by the powers of a master mind, overthrew accumulated abuses, and saved religion from anarchy* and almost ruin. In the second place, there were, over and above all this, sufficient grounds for the Irish Catholics to spurn all interference, on the part of the English Government, with the spiritual rights and ordinances of their religion. From the earliest period of the reformation, the most barbarous— and failing therein, the most insidious attempts were, without intermission, made, to draw off the Irish people from then: allegiance to God. Even to the present moment, the spirit exists, though the practice is abated. No temporal advantage could justify the permission to Government, to interfere with the Catholic religion. It is to us incredible, how 70 LIFE AND TIMES OP the Irish hierarchy allowed themselves to be so carried away by the wily Pitt, in 1799, as to consent to give Government a veto in ecclesiastical appointments. It is, certainly, now-a-days difficult to judge of the feelings which then pervaded the Catholic community. There was then an intense anxiety for freedom. They felt the chain of slavery corroding their very souls ; and seeing that in other countries, a veto was given the Government of the country, they felt willing to make the same sacrifice, to obtain religious liberty. It was that feeling which made them tamely submit to the annihilation of their nation- ality. But God saved for them their religion. We have the utmost veneration for the Catholic Hierarchy of Ire- land, present and past, because of their untiring devotion to the people and to their religion. Therefore the sur- prise on our part is the greater, at their having, at any time or under any circumstances, consented to give up PRINCIPLES for temporal advantages. Nevertheless, what- ever were the motives of the bishops in 1799; and we have already, on the authority of Dr. Doyle, stated them, the Hierarchy, in 1808, nobly did their duty, and were nobly sustained by the people ; while the Catholic Aristocracy took an opposite course, and in their anxiety to enter Parliament, to become magistrates, and sheriffs, and corporators, they were willing to sacrifice their relision. This caused a division in the Catholic ranks, which was not removed for years, and accounts for the apathy that, up to 1823, oppressed the energies of the people. In the month of May, 1808, Lord Grenville, in a very long, tame, conciliator)* speech, brought forward the Ca- tholic question. In the course of his remarks, he stated, au- thoritatively, that theCatholics were ready to concede the Vbtp. The announcement caused an amazing sensation. l)ANiEL o'cONNELt. 71 liOrd FiNGALL and Br. Milner, the latter of whom was the recognized agent in London, of the Irish Catholic Pre- lates, were known to have been in constant communication with Lord Guenville, and to have led him to make this annoijncomcnt. Of this we are certain, that Lord Fin- OALL was a votoist. But Dr. Milneu sternly denied his par^'cipation in the negociation, though some years after, he and Mr. O'Connell had some controversy on tho subject. However, the Hierarchy and people took alarm ; and in October 1808, the Bishops agreed to a series of resolutions, condemnatory of any arrangement, having in contemplation the slightest interference with the religion over which they were called by God to preside, O'Con- nell went with the Bishops and the People. We shall have occasion often to draw attention to the power- ful aid he afforded the cause of religion in this dis- pute. His assistance was, indeed, necessary. — All the Parliamentary friends of Ireland, including Guat- TAN, were in favor of the Veto. So Avere the Irish Catholic Aristocracy, and a large portion of the Mercantile class. It required a man of his dauntless and uncompro- mising character to stem the tide of opinion, which had nigh overwhelmed the religion of his country. It is un- doubtedly true, that Dr. Milner, in his communications with the Government, signified the willingness of the Catholic Hierarchy to grant the Crown a negative on the appointment of those selected to be recommended to the Pope for the mitre : but he uniformly denied that this negative was to be enforced as often as these noninations were made — for, as he argued, this would be placing al- together, though indirectly, the nomination of the Catholic Prelates in the Crown. The Bishops affirmed that all they ever meant to yield, either in 1799, or in May, 1808, was permission to the Government to inquire into tb« loyalty i'l LIFE A>rD TiatES OF of the persons selected for elevation to the episcopacy— and, if disloyalty could not be established, then no nega- tive interference was to be allowed. It was an unmeaning, useless privilege, as we have already had occasion to state; for the oath of allegiance taken by such men as compose the Catholic Hierarchy, was quite sufficient guarantee, under every circumstance, of thoir undeviating loyalty. However, whatever was intended by the Bishops, or to whatsoever extent they were ready to go, this is certain, that the people and clergy would not listen to any such negociation ; and in September 1808, as we have stated, the Hierarchy joined them, and firmly, uncompromisingly, repudiated all tampering with the discipline of their Church. During the years 1809, 1810, there existed mach apathy amongst the Irish Catholics. During these years they have left behind, even in the columns of the Dublin Evening Post, scarcely a record of their proceedings — There was much difference of opinion amongst them, as to the prudence, or the honor, of petitioning a Parliament that had so repeatedly rejected their prayers for re- dress. It was known, as we have so often repeated, that George the Third entertained a holy horror of a Catholic debate. His " conscience" was opposed to the justiceof their demands. Canning, though an avowed friend of their cause, opposed Mr. Grattan's motion, professedly because of the inveterate objection to such discussion, on the part of the King, his master. During these divisions, and this apathy, Mr. O'Connell always taught one uniform doctrine — namely — to agitate, agi- tate, AGITATE ; and while, both in Dublin and in the provinces, the people slept in their chains, the restless, untiring agitator was crying out— Petition, Petition, DANIEL O'^ONNELL. 73 Petition. But we will shortly se e how the Government endeavoured to deprive Catholic Ireland of even that poor privilege. The year 1810 was made remarkable by the resolu- tions of the Dublin Corporation, headed by Willis and GiFFARD, father of the Editor of the Standard, in favor of a Repeal of the Union ; and also by an aggregate meet- ing, presided over by the High Sheriff of Dublin, at which — being duly convened for that purpose — similar resolu- tions were adopted. At this meeting Mr. O'Connell made a very powerful and convincing speech, during A^hich he declared, that he would consent to have the Penal Code against Catholics re-enacted, provided the Union wepe repealed. But it is unnecessary now to dwell longer on this all absorbing subject, as we shall have occasion hereafter to discuss it at full length. The Regency of the Prince of Walks, afterwards George the Fourth, commenced in 1811 ; and though, judging from his early associations, and his friendly pro- mises, the Catholics were led to hope for a change of po- licy towards them, they soon discovered their mistake, and found that the change was, in truth, from bad to worse. For the first time, since the abolition of the Penal Laws, the system of coercion was tried against them. In 1793, the Convention Act was framed, to put down the Dungannon Convention, the delegates of Reformers, and the various Clubs and Committees, representing larr ger bodies, whose object was Separation, It was never directed against the Catholics, as a body of reli- gionists. But in 1793, there did exist in Dublin, a Board of Catholic delegates, whose object was, to obtain by petition their civil rights. These delegates, of course, separated on the passing of the Convention Act. The Act ordained that no body, or committee, or board CQixit H 74 LIFE AND TIMES OP posed of delegates elected from other bodies, could law- fully meet under pretence of petitioning ; and if they did meet, such assembly should be dispersed by the Magis- trates. It was equally unlawful, under this act, to elect delegates, or give notice of such election. In 1809, the Catholic Committee was first formed. It was composed of the delegates who had been, in 1806, appointed to address the Duke of Bedford, from several parishes in Dublin — of the survivors of the dele- gates of 1793, and of the Catholic nobility. The object of this Committee was to petition Parliament. The Irish Government of that day alleged they were from the commencement awaro that this Committee, through its mode of formation, existed in violation of the Convention Act; but as it strictly confined itself, during the year 1809, and the greater part of 1810, to petitioning Parliament, the Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Richmond, did not deem it requisite to inter- fere. Towards the close of the year 1810, matters, they asserted, assumed a different aspect. Violent speeches were delivered in the Committee, Instead of confining themselves to petitions, the Committee opened new ground and became a Committee of Grievances. It is remarka- ble, that what principally induced the Government to commence active hostilities against the Catholics — a course of policy, which, by stimulating the slumbering energies of the nation, first gave that impulse to the movement that eventuated in Emancipation— was a report on the Penal Code, extending to over 300 folios, drawn up by O'Con- NELL ; and another from the same pen, on the treatment of Catholic soldiers. Thus, in the midst of his profes- sional labours, did he find time, early in his political career, for those elaborate researches, and those masterly rcDorts, for which his after life was distinguished, While DANIEL O'CONNELL. V5 WO read of the speeches of Clinch, Hussey, Keogh, Lib* WELL, and O'GoRMAN; names no longer known to fame, O'CoNNELL was, unobserved, laying up abundant stores of political knowledge, and training his mind to that untiring energy, which afterwards performed such marvels for Ireland. Matters were in the state we have described, as regarded the feelings of the Government, when early, in the year 1811 — we believe in February— Mr. Hay, the Secretary of the Catholic Committee, published a letter, in conformity with a resolution adopted, addressed to the Catholics of Ireland, calling on every County to elect delegates to prepare petitions to Parliament, and to meet in Dublin ; seas to form a "General Committee of the Ca- tholics OF Ireland." This letter, in some time after- wards, produced a circular from Wbllesley Pole, then Chifif Secretary, to all the Magistrates of the country, set- ting forth the provisions of the Convention Act, and call- ing upon them to disperse assemblies, constituted under the meaning of that act ; and to hold parties offending against it, to bail for trial. On the 27th February, immediately after the publica- tion of this circular, the proceedings of the Catholic Committee were interrupted by the appearance of Alder- man Darley, the Police Magistrate, who, by direction of the Chief Secretary, called upon the meeting to dis- perse; it being, under the Convention Act, an illegal as- semblage. Lord French was in the Chair, and refused to quit it, until gently removed, by way of arrest, by the Magistrate. This course was adopted to give Lord French an opportunity of seeking his redress for a false arrest, by an action at law. These proceedings led to a correspondence, and to interviews with the Chief Secre- tary. They produced a strong sensation throughout the 76 LIFE AND TIMES OF country ; and they were the subject of several animated debates in both Houses of Parliament. They were consi- dered, too, by the Parliamentary friends of the Catholics, grossly unconstitutional, and wholly uncalled for. Even the Ministers but faintly defended the conduct of the Irish Government. They were ashamed of it. They foresaw how effectually it fanned the flame of discontent in Ireland. But it was a lucky policy for us, for it roused the lethargic Catholic into action. The Committee was by no means broken up by the Act of the Irish Executive, nor did it confine itself simply to petitions. It addressed the Crown for the removal of the Duke of Richmond^, and his hopeful Secretary. - In those days there was no continuous actfon on the part of the Catholics ; and though there were Catho- lic meetings, in different parts of the country, to elect de- legates, we lose sight of the CouiiuiLtee until late in the summer of 1811, when we find an aggreeatft mpeting of Catholics assembled— Lord Fingall in the Chair, By them it was resolved to persevere, notwithstandhig tho threats of the Government; and delegates were appointed to draw up the petition of the Catholics of Ireland^ The determination, however,, of Government, to suppress thq Committee, was then developed, in spite of all the re- monstrances, and motions in Parliament. On the second of August, the Lord Lieutenant issued a proclamatiou against it, as being contrary in its constitution to tho Convention Act; and on the 12th August, on a warrant from Chief Justice Downes, some of the leading delct gates were arrested and held to bail ; some for being de^ legates, and others for being electors. They were obliged to give large bail; otherwise they would have been com- mitted to prison by the Chief Justice. Their names were DANIEL O'CONNELL. 77 Taaffe, of the Banking House of Lord French & Co. ; KiRWAN, a respectable merchant, and three more gen- tlemen, whose names it is of no importance to mention. A warrant was also issued against Dr. SheiIidan, and though he was not then arrested, we must include him in the number of six, selected to try the question. These trials came on in the November term following. In the mean time, Dr. Butler, the eminent English Conveyancer, and Sir Samuel Romilly, both gave it as their opinion, that these arrests were illegal, and that the Committee never violated the Convention Act. These proceedings created a most extraordinary sensation throughout Ire- land. Meetings were held in every county. In some of them— in Kerry, for instance, attempts were made to dis- perse them, but they persevered and elected their dele- gates, to meet in Dublin, and frame a petition to Parlia- ment. On the 19th October, the New Catholic Commit- tee, composed of over 150 delegates from all parts of Ireland— ten from each County — and of the working de- legates of 1793, &c., assembled in Dublin, Lord Fingall in the Chair. At the close of the proceedings, Mr. Hare, the Police Magistrate, entered for the purpose of dispersing the meeting ; but the business of the day be- ing concluded, and the Chair vacated, he departed without any step, further than intimating, personally, to Lord Fingall, the object of his visit. On the 2lst November, the State Trial of Dr. Sheri- dan, one of the Traversers, commenced. The whole question turned upon the meaning of the words in the Convention Act — under pretence of petitioning. The Crown Counsel and Chief Justice maintained that pre- tence meant purpose ; and that, therefore, the meeting H 2 78 I-IFE AND TIMES OF of delegates for the purpose of petitioning Parliamenf, was illegal. The Counsel for the Traverser maintained, that if delegates, met for the bona fide purpose of peti- tioning, and not foi* some other purpose, under pretence of petitioning ; then the meeting was legal. Common sense and an intelligent Jury declared for the latter view of the law, and amidst the shouts of a crowded Court, Dr. Sheridan was acquitted. Not content with this, the parties arrested, afterwards brought their action for false arrest against Judge Downes. But in this they failed, to the great injury of the cause. The result of the whole was, tliat the General Co?,imittek was dis- solved, and the Catholic Board was formed without any delegation. This was done at an Aggregate Meet- ing, held on the 26th December, 1811. Mr. O'Connell distinguished himself, during these Trials, by his fearless and manly castigation of the At- torney General, for daring to charge treason against the Committee. He told him before the Bench of Justice, that the charge was " false and groundless." In taking leave of the General Committee formed by delegation, we cannot omit stating, that the Catholics of Ireland have always looked back with feelings of grati- tude to the leading members of that body, who so man- fully withstood the attacks of the Government. Nothing can bo imagined more urnvorthy than the Duke of Richmond's conduct. Taking advantage of the phra- seology of an Act of Parliament, passed for the sole pur- pose of putting down treasonable associations, he hoped, \>y the assistance of Chief Justice Downes, who read " pre- tence" to moan " purpose," and '* delegation" to mean "representation," to crush the Catholic body. But the spirit of their leaders not only defeated the attempt, but turned to advantage for Ireland, what was intended DANIEL O'CONNELL. 79 for its destruction. At this time of day, we cannot un- derstand the full value of those services, nor of this manly conduct, without bearing in mind the intense bigotry which was then spreading itself over the country. Ascen- dency was beginning to tremble on its throne : and it set on foot every description of machinery, to deter the cuuiious, to alarm the timid, and to purchase the cor- rupt. Plots were concocted. The resources of the Cas- tle were set in operation to stifle the public voice, and to lure away from our course the most influential of our friends. At such a time, to be honest, steadfast, firm, and unshrinking, was deserving of the highest praise, and to that the Catholic Committee were entitled. We think that Mr. O'Connell began to take, in 1812, a more prominent part than heretofore in Catholic affairs, and had been long before the acknowledged and elected Leader. He was always active and at his post. He was almost invariably the writer of resolutions and reports adopted by the Committee. He never spared his labours, and while Finlay, and Hussey, and O'Gorman, wero prominent in debate ; O'Connell was doing for the Ca- tholics of Ireland the substantial service of embodying, in written language, not only his own, but the national sentiment. But he, from this time forward, took a more conspicuous part in Catholic politics, to the manifest advantage of the cause. While struggling for his country's religious freedom, O'Connell was not neglectful of his profession. He was rapidly advancing to eminence ; and though wearing butastuff gown, because he was a Catholic, the suitors in all the Courts, whether of equity or common law, soon dis- covered that he had, amongst his silk-robed competitors, few equals. His power of application, and his wonderful economy of time, enabled him to accomplish what no 80 LIFE AND TIMES OF Other man could have attempted. At the time he was occupied, one would imagine, exclusively with Catholic grievances — he was receiving from lynx-eyed attornies, some four or five thousand a year, for doing their busi- ness much better than it could bo done by any of the dull, prosy, black -lettered, silk-gowns men. How did he achieve this ? Read that striking and admirable sketch of him, written some years later than 1812,in the New Monthly Magazine, and you will understand how it was done. He rose at four every morning, lighted his own fire, spent nearly one hour alone in his study, over his law papers, before the rest of the world thought of stirring— des- patched all cases on which his opinion was required — made himself up for law arguments in the Court — wrote oft' resolutions and reports for the Catholic Committee, or Board, or Association, according as the progress of the Catholic cause advanced. He was then ready to at- tend the Courts of Law at their earliest sitting — to tri- umph over numerous competitors, and often coerce into justice the unwilling Judge. Again, in some hours after, he would appear with his budget of grievances, and his ready speech and sound advice, at the Catholic Meetings. Intense application and economy of time did this for him, and were, in some degree, the source of his eminent success. We know that the future character of men can be ea- sily detected even in infant life. Their disposition and idiosyncracies never alter. Those, particularly parents, who watch the budding of infancy, and afterwards mark the character of the man, can detect the peculiarities of the child in those of the adult. But it is seldom given to the boy to anticipate, from an inward impulse, his own future career. Yet we believe that most children begin to think of the future, and sensibly too, much sooner than is generally DANIEL O'CONNELL. 81 supposed. The only distinction between one child and another in this respect is, that one enunciates his inward thoughts without reserve, the other is ashamed to express his ambitious speculations. Children think like men, and men like children, in more cases than is imagined. Why do we introduce this topic here ? Because O'Connell's unbounded popularity at this period of his life, reminds us of an anecdote of his younger days, which strongly illustrates the physiologic;il theory, we have ven- tured to put forward. O'Connell became illustrious, and he distinctly, while yet a child, out of a brown study, as it is vulgarly called — but in truth after much studied reflection — foretold that subsequent renown. The writer . has learned the anecdote from an nnthpntic source — from a much-respected lady, a relative ofO'CoNNELL's, who still lives— who passed many of her younger days with the Liberator's family, and was by when he made use of the expression to which we allude. One evening, soqiej friends enjoying the after dinner hospitality of his father's house, at Carhen, were discussing, in that remote dis-» trict, the events of the day. Even those hills had re- sounded with the echo of Gbattan's fame ; his pa,triotism aud eloquence were well known to the gentlemen as- sembled on that occasion. They were discussing the ser-' vices he had rendered Ireland ; and making comparisons between him and Flood on the one hand, and him and Charlemont on the other. Ckablemont, though the leader of the Volunteers, was not popular with the Ca- tholics, for he was opposed to their restoration to civil rights. The discussion was long and protracted. Grat- TAN's supporters ultimately triumphed. During this social debate, the future Liberator, then about nine or ten years old, was observed in a fit of abstraction, in one 82 LIFE AND TIMES OF of those large old Elizabethan chairs which, in those days, ornamented the sitting-rooms of country residences. He remained lolling back in the chair during the greater portion of the evening, musing to himself, and sometimes •'thinking aloud,'' apparently unconscious of any one's presence. He wore, what was by no means his wont, a grave countenance, and, when addressed, he would an- swer with a monosyllable, and then relapse into a silence he never before was accustomed to observe. He was at last roused from this reverie by his relative — the respec- tablelady from whom the anecdote has come to us. " Da- niel," said his relative, "what are you doing? — what are •' you thinking of?" *' Why, let me tell you," he replied, turning from the window and addressing her, *' I am •• thinking that I'll make a stir in the world yet." This anecdote is not only current among some of his connex- ions, but can, we understand, be abundantly confirmed, and by living testimony. The thought was evidently suggested to his mind, by the glories of Grattan, that were rung during the evening, in his ears. It developes the noble ambition that fired his 6oul, and accounts for the prognostic which some of his relatives, in their en- thusiasm, thought was inspiration. Though in 1812, he had attained a high degree of po- pularity, and was even then by the people, endearingly and familiarly called "the Counsellor," he had not yet stepped out far beyond the other Agitators, who were then distinguished; but whS, in truth, were in every way far his inferiors in intellect and wisdom. We may name amongst them Sheil ; but he was then very young. In 1811, when he made that great speech, which it is said attracted the notice of Government so pointedly, to the proceedings of the Catholic Committee, Sheil was but eighteen years old. O'Connell's mind was not, in DANIEL O'CONNELL. 83 all likelihood, sufficiently attuned to the small discussions in fashion in those days, in the Committee, to take a more prominent part in them. Besides, there was an enormous amount of jealousy existing amongst the Ca- tholic Leaders, and they were not willing to allow the genius of the man to outstep the routine suited to their tamer and less expanded intellects. There was an aris- tocratic feeling about them, little in unison with the libe- ralizing tendency of O'Connell's mind. As an instance of this prevailing jealousy ,we may allude to an occurrence which, in January, 1812, took place in the City of Cork. Mr. O'CoNNELL, as we have stated, had made himself very conspicuous during the trial of Dr. Sheridan, by his manly demeanour towards the Attorney-General — Independence like his was so new in aCatholic,that it gave general satisfaction throughout Ireland. To give expres- sion to this universal feeling.ENEAsM'DoNNELL moved at a great aggregate meeting of Catholics, held in Cork, '• that the thanks of the Catholics of the County and City " of Cork are most eminently due, and most gratefully " given, to the independent and indefatigable advocate '♦ of Irish rights — Daniel O'Connell, Esq.— as well "for the brilliant exertions he has uniformly made in *' support and advancement of the Catholic cause ; as for ' ' the undaunted and patriotic spirit with which he has '• defended, at all times and in all places, the Catholic '• character against its calumniators, high and low." Will it be believed, that though every one admitted the justice of this compliment, the resolution was not pressed for adoption, lest it might create jealousy at a time when union was so necessary ? Such was the paltry feeling pervading the Catholic leaders. We may thus account for O'Connell's holding himself in the background; and biding the time, when his gigantic mind would have 81 LIFE AND TIMES OP unrestrained action, in the struge^le for Catholic freedom, and the rights of Ireland. We have already stated that Dr. Sheridan was ac- quitted, by a Dublin Jury, of the charge for which he was tried under the Convention Act. Mr. Kirwan was tried, in 1812, for the same offence, and found guilty 1 Such is trial by Jury. The distinction, as far as we can see, in the two cases, was very trivial. The accused were both tried for assisting in the election of Delegates, at a meeting of the Dublin Parishes, in July, 1811 ; in confor- mity with the resolution adopted early in that month, at an aggregate meeting of the Catholics of Dublin, Lord FiNOALL in the chair. The resolution was to this effect: — That the new Catholic Committee, appoint- ed to prepare the Petition to Parliament, should be composed of the surviving delegates of 1793, of the Catholic noblemen, and their eldest sons, and of ten delegates from each County and City in Ireland. In conformity with this resolution, the Dublin Parishes first proceeded to elect their delegates. At the meeting for that purpose. Dr. Sheridan was in the chair ; but he was not at the Aggregate Meeting. Mr. Kirwan was elected as a delegate, and he also attended the Aggregate Meeting, where the resolution was adopted. This was the only difference in these cases. The same evidence was given by the same informers ; one Jury was impartially selected, but how the other was formed history does not say. Dr. Sheridan was acquitted ; Mr. Kirwan was found guilty 1 and the verdict in the latter case put an end to the system of delegation. Of what use was it to maintain that "pretence," did not mean "purpose"— that "delegation" was not synonimous with "representation" — that the Convention Act was not intended to stifle the sentiments constitutionally expressed by the Catholics of DANIEL O'CONNELL, 85 Ireland — if a Dublin jurj could be empannellcd to find, either way ? It was useless to contest the point ; and the Catholics thenceforward contented themselves Avith the unwieldy machinery of Aj^gregate Meetings, got up with difficulty, and forgotten when they separated. It is true, the Catholic Board existed ; but it did little more than vote thanks to the friends of liberty, in Parliament, and give them public dinners as testimonies of gratitude. ^ggr^ga,te Meetings then became the fashion, and at these assemblages Mr. O'Connei.l pre-eminently distin- guished himself. The Catholics in the different counties waited the time of his half-yearly visits, during the Mun- ster Circuit; and, accordingly, we find, in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, the future Liberator ascending rapidly into po- pular estimation. But his great speech this year(1812)was at the aggregate meeting in Dublin, at which the cele- brated iL'itchery resolutions, to which we shall soon have occasion to refer, were adopted. It was a powerful display of argument, and impassioned eloquence; and, it established firmly his already high character as an orator and a patriot. We have already observed that the State Trials, under the Convention Act, gave an immense impulse to the Catholic cause. The fact was proved in a remarkable manner by the unceasing debates in Parliament, arising- out of those trials, and having for their subject the poli- tical state of Ireland. In one of these debates, Mr. Canning betrayed to the world the unhappy position in which he was placed, by serving with a Ministry hostile to Catholic Fmancipation, and unflinchingly opposed to his own views. He was afterwards taunted with this by Lord Brougham, and deservedly. In the debate to which we allude, he made a powerful speech in far.mr of the Catholic claims; and yet sullied his character ;nul dis- i S6 LIF£ AND TIMES OF honoured his noble intellect, by supporting the Irish Gc- vernment in their despotic persecution of the Catholio Leaders. It was a prostitution of mind, incomprehensible at the present day to honourable men. The most roraarkable event, connected with the Catho- lic cause, which occurred in 1812, was the death, by mur- der, 'of its arch enemy, Mr. Perceval. His removal produced for a time, a change in political affairs. Mr. Canning, conscious of the duplex charact-cr his connexion with Mr. Perceval gave him, refused after his death to unite with a ministry sternly opposed to Emancipation. — Lord Wellesley was then commissioned to form an administration on a broad basis, combining men of all parties, but all pledged to entertain the Catholic claims. Ho invited Lord Liverpool to join the piebald ministry he proposed to form. But he and his friends refused to unite, under any circumstances, with Lord Wellesley — making, however, no objection to the condition respecting the Catholic claims. Lords Grey and Grenville, and their friends, were also invited. They were given no opportu- nity of judging who were to be their colleagues. They v/ere simply told, if they chose to make part of the admi- nistration, FIVE places in the Cabinet out of the thirteen, were reserved for them and their friends. In this arrangement the seeds of speedy disso- lution were so uj)puront, that the negociation was broken off. Ultimately, the Government of Lord Liverpool v.as re- constituted, to the inexpressible disappointment . of tho Irish nation. Mr. Canning, freed from the shackles that pinioned a great intellect, brought forward, in some lime after, a motion pledging the House of Commons to take into its early consideration, with a view to their adjustment, thp DANIEL O'CONNELL. 87 Catholic claims. His motion, after a brilliant speech from him, was carried by a majority of 129. A similar motion made in the Lords, was only lost by a majority of Onr. Parliament was soon after dissolved; and ira- mense efforts were made by the Catholic party at the ensuing elections. The contests having been decided, Mr. Lawless brought forward a motion in the Catholic Board, censuring those Catholics who had betrayed their cause by voting for the enemies of Ireland, The motion was opposed by O'Connell, expressly because the terips iji which it was couched were too vague and general. He demanded that the parties should be named. Hq alluded to some calumny respecting himself, and connected with his friend Mr. Lalor, who was stated to be pne of those who, as a Catholic, had so acted. But of this hereafter. We shall have to notice it \vhenthe proper time and placo arrive. One of the most remarkable of Mr. O'Connell's speeches was that which he delivered in [812, in Limericlc, in favpr of abolishing Corporate thraldom in that city. It is re- markable that it was through this very qupstion, Spring Rice afterwards found his way tp the House of Commons, where he remained until the discussion on the Repeal of the Union prepared for him a seat in the upper House, where he now sits with the style and title of Lord MoifTEAGLEof Brandon. Mr. O'Connell still continued steadily advancing in his profession. We find him a leading counsel in sotne of the most important causes, both in the Law and Equity Courts, where he displayed in various ways, the trai^' ficendant abilities, and the various attributes with which he was endowed. We cannot feel surprise that the pa- tience of a man, so thoroughly master of his profession 8^ LIFE AND TIMES OF as O'CoNNELL, now and tlien gave way before the inex- perience or stupidity of some, with whom,^ as a lawyer, he came in contact. He had often to struggle with the dicta of Judges, whose decisions he knew, and contended, were incorrect ; but whose obstinacy he was unable to subdue. In a case, tried at the Cork Assizes, before one of the present Judges, then for the first time presiding during Circuit, a point arose touching the legality of cer- tain evidence, which O'Connej l argued was clearly ad- missible. He sustained his own view very fully, reason- ing with the closeness and force, and quoting precedents with that facility for which he was distinguished. But it was all in vain. The Court ruled against him, and the trial proceeded. It was one of no ordinary length, and at the close of the day the proceedings were not com- pleted. On the foUowing morning, when the case was about to be resumed, the Judge addressed himself to O'CoNNELL, and, alluding to his own decision of the pre- vious day, he told him, that he had reconsidered the point, and was then of opinion the evidence should not have been rejected. He had, doubtless, during the previ- ous evening, informed himself on the point in question, by a reference to written authorities, or been set right after consultation with his " learned brother." He there- fore invited O'Connell to reproduce the evidence ten- dered and refused the day before. Another might have thanked him obsequiously for his condescension ; but O'CoNNiiLL's impatience broke out. " Good God, my Lord," said he, " if your Lordship had known as much law yesterday morning as you do this, what an idle sacra- fice of time and trouble would you not have saved me, and an injury andinjustico to my client." "Crier," added he, in a tone of indignation, " call up the witness." The reprimand was felt acutely ; but his Lordship re- bANlEL o'cONNI^Lt. 89 hiained absolutely silent. There arc lawyer? living who witnessed this ebullition. - - In our days there is scarce an instance of a Judge entertaining personal antipathy against a practising Bar- rister, or suffering feelings of a private nature to mark his demeanour on the Bench. All due courtesy prevails between the Bench and Bar ; the proprieties are studi- ously, and, indeed spontaneously, observed. Little, in fact, can now occur to disturb the friendly, though formal, relations subsisting between both orders. The modern exception is, the slightly acrid, and really amus- ing squabble, in which Baron Lefroy, on the one hand, and Mr. Bennett, of the Munster Circuit, were rather recently engaged. This, however, only proves the rule. But, in O'Connell's day, there were political elements at work, that frequently operated on the judgment seat, and manifested their influence in the demeanour of its oc cjiipants. The Judges themselves came in for a share of his animadversions, when he (Jeemed their judicial, or other conduct, deserved public censure : and when ho pleaded as an advocate before them, their natural resent- ment betrayed itself. Singular to say, his practice was never injuriously affected by his boldness outside. Other men have suffered yitally from the political or personal hostility of Judges : Cdrr^n was one pf them* But, O'CoNNELL beat down the most formidable hatred, and cpmpelled, by the sheer force of legal and intellectual power, th? bitterest and most obstinate personal rancour to give way. To use an ejcpressive, though a vulgar phrase, he .badgered pompous, despotic, and hostile Judges until they ultimately yielded. He could not be awed. If they were haughty, he ivas proud. If they were malovoleDt, he was cuttingly sarcastic. It so hap- I 2 90 I-IFE AND XlMKS OF pened that ho was by at an argument in one of the Courts of Dublin, in the course of which a young Kerry Attorney was called upon by the opposing Counsel, either to ad- mit a statement as evidence, or to hand in some document he could legally detain. O'Connell was not specially en- gaged. The discussion, we believe, arose on a new trial motion — the issue to go down to the Assizes. He did not interfere, imtil the demand was made on the Attorney; but he then stood up and told him to make no admission. He was about to resume his seat, when the Judge, Baron M'Cleland, said, with a peculiar emphasis, " Mr. O'Con- nell, have you a brief in this case." " No, my Lord," replied O'Connell, " I have not ; but I will have one, when the case goes down to the Assizes." *' When /," rejoined the Judge, throwing himself back with an air of lofty scorn, " was at the bar, it was not wy habit to anticipate briefs." " When ijou were at the bar," retorted O'Connell," /never chose t/ow for a mo- del J and now that you are on the bench, I shall not sub- mit to your dictation." Leaving his Lordship to digest the retort, he took the Attorney by the arm, and walked him out of Court. In this way he dealt with hostile Judges. It has often formed matter of astonishment to those who were acquainted with the multiplicity of his legal business, how he had leisure to master even the bearings of the numerous cases in which ho was retained. His natural sagacity was unrivalled, and ho had the faculty of discerning, at a glance, where lay the strength of his own case, or the weak points of an antagonist's. His guiding principle was, never to prove too much. When he had made good his footing — there he stood. He never ventured on ground of a deceptive nature; nor confused the Court or Jury with too much evidence. He was sa- ftANlEL o'cONNEti. 91 tisfied when he vvas safe, and being so, he fenced himself round with rapidity, but with discernment. He discovered instantly whore he had a right to stop : and even though not "made up," in particular cases, an expression — a moment's knowledge of what was going on, was enough to open up to him not only the course ho should pursue, but the peculiar points to which it was necessary he should address himself. O'Connell's position at tho Bar was strongly cxem* plifiedabout this period— 1812 — by the lead he took in an affair between the Benchers of the King's Inn and th6 Bar, arising out of a letter published by Mr. Moore, thd ]3arrister, and connected with a trial in which he was in- terested. The letter, addressed to the members of thd Bar, appeared in the Evening Post, and reflected severely on the Judge who presided at the trial. Though Mr. Moore, when called upon, made an apology, expressing regret for its publication, the Benchers, not satisfied with that amc?ic?e, passed a severe censure on him, and, very unreasonably, required he should sign an apology, acknowledging that he acted a part unbecoming a Barrister, The Bar took up the quarrel, and O'Con- NELL led the way, Plunkett and other eminent men took a part ; and the meeting adopted resolutions, pro- posed by O'CoNNEr.L, condemning the course pursued by the Benchers, Against the unjust exercise of power, in or out of Courts, O'Connrll always struggled: he was the opponent of oppression in whatever form ; and, re- gardless of the subsequent hostility of the Bench, he act- ed fearlessly as the occasion required. Witness his well- known, severe, and bitter philippic against Lord Chan- cellor Manners, at the very time that his professional advaucomcnt in Chancery practice depended on, at least, the Cliancellor's neutrality. He knew his own powers,and 92 LIFE ANP TIMES Ot they gave him strength and courage. In this very o^se of I^orcJ M4NNERs,a\veIl known anecdote illustrates thi§ ob- servation. Hi? wqU merited att^cjc on the Chc(,Dcellor,^^ a bad politician, was the subject of generii] discussjon.-r- Plow was he to get over it; ? What chance now of briefs had he in the Court of Chancery ? What Attorney would employ him there ? He was^ however, pmployed in a very important case, a short time aft^r. All the counsel at his side were heard except himself. 'rhoCh^n- ^ellor declared he would hear no more pn eithQ^ side, ancj ^Btiqiated that his mind wa? made up against 0'C!onn^ll'8 cU«?nt. 0'CoNNEi.L, howevQr, requested an opportunity to plaqe §ome arguments befor^ his JiOrdship, yvhicli he tf usted vyould present^ thq matter in ano|,her light. With some difl^culty Xhq Chancellor consented to hear him the i^9;ct day. But it was, in the opinion of his client, ^ for- lorn hope. The Chancellor's mind was madp up. Wliat chance had the Agitator, after his late speech, of prevail- ing with him? What a pity he did not give up politics. Thus the matter was discussed by the disconsolate suitor and his Attorney. O'Connell vyas heard the next day. At first, the Chancellor scarcely deigned to notice him ; then he began to take notes ; then he listened attentively — earnestly; and altered convictions evidently grew upon hinji. O'CoNNELL continued the whole day^ and complet- ed a most powerful argument. The next day judgement was pronounced in his favour. Ho compelled the hostile Chancellor to change his opinions, by the force of his reasoning and his superior knowledge of law. No triumph could well be more signal than O'Connell's in this case. In fact, no lawyer ever surpassed him in the clearness with which he put the points of his argument, or the irresisti- ble cogency with which he urged them. We may here be permitted to give an anecdote or two, to exemplify further his great rapidity of conception, his DANIEL O CONNELL. 93 knowledge of laM^ and the tact witli which he made even his broad humour tell for his client's advantage. In a case, at a Cork Assizes, in which he was Counsel on the same side, with many of the most eminent men who attended Circuit, he was absent in one Court, while some points of great importance were un- dergoing discussion in the other. His fellow barristers w^ero able lawyers; but they were severely pressed by the opposing Counsel, and an unfavourable issue Avas threatened. The Judge was about to declare a verdict ; Counsel were in the last extremity ; and their only hope rested on O'Connell. He had been sent for, once or twice ; but he was then addressing a Jury in behalf of a prisoner on trial for his life. He was disengaged in the nick of time ; his learned and able friends were in the last stage of despair, when he entered the Record Court, in that apparently indifferent and inatten- tive manner he assumed, jesting, as he passed in, with individuals he knew. He could not, we believe, have previously known much, if anything, of the case he was hastily called to argue ; but he caught, as ho proceeded to his seat, the upshot of what Counsel was driving at. Drawing the cord of his ample bag, he extracted quickly from its depths the particular brief he wanted, and glancing through a sheet or two, in the most superficial manner, he rose to address the Court. In a few brief sentences he cleared away the difficulties by which his fellow Counsel were embarrassed. In a few more he turned the tables on the opposite party j and in one of the shortest speeches he, or ^ny other lawyer, Avjis ever known to make in a case of similar importance, he banished all idea of a nonsuit from the Judge's mind, and succeeded in winning him over decisively in favour of his client, He disposed summarily of the main diffi- 94 LfFB AND TIMES OP culty. He extricatQd his learned brethrtjn from tl^e slough ; and informing the Court thjit tho ren^aind^x- of tho argument would bq carried ox\ by one or either of the Junior Barrister Si he consigned liis brief to its former place— closed his b^g, and, returned to the Court whence he was summoned. Th^ case was won. **He,"said our in- formant, *• found the a,blo men with whom, ho acted, sprawling like a parcel of children, and it was he only who set them on their legs." The incident is but ano- tt)or illustration of his commanding powers as a lawyer, j),nd the facility and readiness with which he could apply tjie acquisition^ of a practical, sagac'ous, and eitraord|- n^ry intellect. But what en(;l^a^ed him to his brother ba,rristers, a^ >^ell as to the public, was his rich and racy hymour. Wo will be permitted to repeat an expression of his, many years agq, at a Cork Assizes, that still creates a laugh, vyhen recollected by those who heard him, and saw how it was applied, He was employed in an action of da- mages, for diverting- a stream from its regular channel, or diverting so much of it as inflicted injury on some party who previously benefited by its abundance. The injury was offered by a nobleman ; and his attorney, on whose advice thfl proceeding was adopted, was a man of corpulent proportions, with a face bearing the ruddy glow of rude health, but, flushed in a crowded court, as- suming, momentarily, a colour likethat imparted by intom- porancG. He really was a most temperate man. O'Con- NELL dwelt, of course, on the damage his client had sus- tained by the unjust usurpation. The stream should have been permitted to follow its old and natural course. — There wap neither law nor justice in turning it aside from hia client's fields. He had a right to all its copiousness, and the other party should have allowed him the full en- DANIEL O CONNELL. ^§ jojment. In place of that, the latter mohopolized the ■water—he diminished it. It became every day small by degrees, and beautifully less. " There is ftot, now," he said, " Gentlemen of the Jury, a tenth of th(i ordinary quantity. The stream is running dry -and so low/>is it, and so little of it is there, that" continued h(i turning to the rubicund Attorney,and naming him, "there isn't enough in it to make grog for Fog arty." A roar of laughter followed, and it was not stopped by the increased ro.sincss and embarrassment of the gentleman who be- came the victim of the learned Advocate's too humerous allusion. The tact in this sally was, in endeavouring to create an impression on the Jury, that his poor client was sacrificed by the harsh conduct of a grog-drinking Attor- ney, and thus create a prejudice against the plaintiiBf's case. The allusion was not justified by fact ; for the gentleman was, as we have said, remarkably temperate. But lawyers are allowed a latitude in dealing with facts. Thus did O'CoNNELL gain the hearts of Irish Juries ; knd thus did he, indulging his own natural humour, on the public platform, gain the affections, while he commanded tho obedience, of his countrymen. tie knew all the avenues to their hearts: but his own heart, that thrilled so sympathetically in unison \Vi th theit-s, h hoW, 'aids, <>old find stilled for 6ver. In the beginning of 18T3, O'Connell distinguished himselfas alawyerby areittarkable legal argument in the cause of M'Ghee, a minor. The a][iplicatibn was, that the minor and ward in Chancery, who ^as a Catholic, should have a Catholic guardian. The argument waslortg, elaborate, £tnd technical. We menti(iti the matter merely because the case made much noise at the time. It wa§ heard before John P. Curran, as Master of the Rolls. The application was refused, and a Protestalit GuardiAn ap-' pointed. 96 LIFE AND TIMES OF The case, however, which this year raised O'Con- nell's fame as an advocate, to a point beyond which it could not further ascend, was the case of the King at the Prosecution of the Duke of Richmond, against Magee, the Proprietor, Printer, and Publisher of the Dublin Evening Post ; for a libel written on the occasion of the Duke's retirement from the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland, The alleged libel was contained in an article of the or- dinary kind ; but reviewing and censuring severely his ad- ministration, and comparing it with the rule of the very worst of his predecessors. It was an article not more Tiolent in its tone, than some of the strictures written at the time of Lord DEGREY's,or theMarquess of Anglesey 's departure, in our day ; and yet the most vindictive pro- secution was instituted against Magee. The result was, he was sentenced to Two i'ears' imprisonment, a fine of ifi'500,and ordered to find securities in a large amount, to keep the peace for seven years after. But "we anticipate. Mr. O'Connfll's speech to the Jury in this case, was one of the most magnificent ever delivered in aCourt of Justice, With the exception of Lord Erskine's celebrated libel speech, it has no equal in the annals of forensic eloquence. There was this great distinction between these two really superhiunan efforts : — Lord Erskine spoke for a verdict : O'Connell, as well as his client, knew there was no chance whatever of an acquittal, from the packed Jury he addressed. Accordingly, his speech was a noble, bold, masterly, political, and historica' harangue ; together with being one of the severest philippics ever delivered — directed against the unfortu- nate Attorney-General, Saurin. It is une(iuallcd. It has become even a matter of tradition tliat this speech of O'Connell's was his greatest effort. When itis recollect- ed that it took two days in its delivery, and that it hats DANIEL O'CONNELL. 97 been published at full length, the reader will at oncd SCO, that even an outline of it neither could nor need be given here. O'Connell's object cleai'ly was, to seize an opportunity of chastising the Richmond Administration, for all its misdeeds in the Government of Ireland. Taking lip paragraph after paragraph of the article in question, he discussed them on the principle that truth was no libel. The publication was, in a great degree, a comparison be- tween the Duke of Richmond and his predecessors — such as Strafford — who crushed the Irish people by misgo- vernment. Mr. O'Connell examined, step by step, the truth of each statement; — proceeding to shew the fair,le- gitimate nature of the remarks so written on the conduct ofa public man. In doing so, he held up to the empire the character of Richmond. The sarcastic and cutting de- nunciations in this speech, have been seldom equalled. Mr. Saurin, the Attorney-General, too, came in for his share. He had called Magee a Jacobin. This gave O'Connell an opportunity of shewing up Saurtn's po- litical tergiversations, and he exposed them. He read out, in open Court, passages from that Lawyer's celebrated speech inl800,denouncing the Union — passages which,we Avill find, he often subsequently quoted during the Repeal Agitation. His address has been called, with force and truth, his great Demosthenic effort. When speaking of the French Revolution, and of the characteristic insolence of the French nation — turning to Saurin, and alluding to his Gallic descent — he exclaimed: — " Yes, my Lords, *' they are insolent, even when transplanted, and to the '* third and fourth generation." Nothing could be severer than the sarcasm thus conveyed. We have said that O'Connell did not expect mercy at the hands of the Jury ; and, accordingly, he was unsparing and merciless to them. He lashed their bigotry and low prejudices, until K. 98 LIFE AND TIMES OF they absolutely writhed under the infliction. He exacted, for his client, vengeance for the issue he was prepared to anticipate. Of course, as both foresaw, the Jury re- turned an adverse verdict ; but the speech delivered on the occasion was a thunderstroke to intolerance. It caused a lasting and universal sensation throughout the country. Magee published it in a pamphlet, and adopted its senti- ments. What was the consequence ? — It will scarcely be credited in these days, that when he was brought up next terra, for judgment, the Attorney-General filed an affidavit, charging on the traverser, the ani- madversions directed by Counsel against himself, and the Duke of Richmond, during the trial, and setting them forth as an aggravation of the original offence. The affidavit was acted on by the Judges, and the aggravation recognized in measuring the degree of punishment. The position was a painful one for INIr. O'CoNNELL. True, Magee, by specially publishing his speech, and adopting his sentiments, laid himself open in poipt of law, to an attack, to which ho could not have been subject on account of the speech itself. The aftair, then, was of Maoee's own seeking; Mr. O'Con- NELL was not involved in it; still, it was painful to him that his client should suffer for the observations he ad- dressed in his defence to the jury, and he gave utterance to the feeling. The Attorney General, in making his application to the Court, took the opportunity of retali- ating bitterly on O'Connell. As may be well imagin- ed by those who knew the Liberator's proud, fearless, and determined character, the invective was not allowed to pass unanswered. The first sentence ho uttered in reply was indicative of scorn, and of conscious superiority. He commenced thus: — " I am sure, my Lords, that every gentleman present will sympathize in the cm- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 99 otions 1 now experience I ahi sure no gentlc" man can avoid feeling the deepest interest, in a Situation in which it is extremely difficult to check the strongest resentment, but quite impossible to give that resentment utterance in the severity of language suited to its cause and provocation. Yet, even here, do I yield in nothing to the Attorney-General; I deny, in the strong- est terras, his unfounded and absurd claim to superiority. I am his equal, at least, in birth ; his equal in fortune ; his equal, certainly, in education ; and, as to talent, I should not add that, but there is little Vanity in claiming an equality. And thus meeting him on the firm footing of undoubted equality, I do rejoice, my Lords — I do most sincerely rejoice, that the Attorney-General has pru- dently treasured up his resentment since July last, and ventured to address me in this court in the unhandsome language he has used — because my profound respect for this high tribunal, and my veneration for this Temple of the Law, enable me here to overcome the infirmity of my nature, and to listen, with patience, to an attack which, had it been made elsewhere, Would have met me- rited chastisement." "Justice Daly — Eh, what is that you say ?" *• Justice Osborne — (with much apparent emotion) — I at once declare, that 1 will not sit here to listen to such a speech as I have seen reported. Take care of what you say. Sir." "Mr. O'CoNNELL — My Lord, what I say is, that I Am delighted at the prudence of the Attorney- General, in hav- ing made that foul assault upon me here, and not else- where; because my profound respect for the Bench over- comes now those feelings, which, elsewhere, would lead me to do what I should regret — to break the peace in chastising him." 100 LIFE A>fD TIMES OF "Justice Da'LY— Chastising ! the Attorney General! If a Criminal Information were applied for on that word, we should be bound to grant it." •' Mr. O'CoNNELL — I meant, my Lords,that elsewhere, thus assailed, I should be carried away by my feelings, to do that which I should regret — to go beyond the law — inflict corporal punishment for that offence, which I am here ready.outof consideration for the Court,to pardon." "JusticeOsBORNE— I will take the opinion of the Court whether you shall not be committed." *' Chief Justice — If you pursue that line of language, we must call upon some other of the Counsel at the same side to proceed." "JusticeDAY — Now,Mr.O'Connell,do not you perceive, that whilst you talk of suppressing those feelings, you are actually indulging them ? The Attorney General could not mean you offence in the line of argument he pursued, to enhance the punishment, in every way, of your client. It is unnecessary for you to throw off, or to repel, asper- sions that are not made on you." " Mr. O'CoNNELL — My Lord.I thank j/oa— I sincerely thank you. It relieves my mind from a load of imputa- tion, when I hear sucli high authority as that of your Lordship, kindly declaring that it did not apply to me. And yet, my Lord, what did the Attorney General mean.whenhe called a Question, a Senseless, a Shameless Question ? What did he mean, when he — my Lord — talked of low and vulgar mind ? What did ho mean, when ho imputed to the advocate a participation in the crimeof the client ? This he distinctly charged me with. All I require from the Court is the same liberty to reply, with which the Attorney General was indulged in attack. All I ask is, to be suffered to answer and repel the calumnies with Avhich I have been assailed." DANIEL O'CONNELL. 101 " Justice Daly — You shall have the same liberty that ho had ; but the Court did not understand him to have made any personal attack upon you." ** Justice Osborne — We did not understand that the Attorney- General meant you, when he talked of a partici- pator in the crime of your client." "Attorney-General — I did not, my Lords. I certain- ly did not mean the gentleman. To state that I did, would be to misrepresent my meaning, which had nothing to do with him." '* Mr. O'CoNNELL — Well, my Lords, be it so. I rejoice, however, that this charge is thus publicly disavowed; and disavowed in the presence of those who heard his words originally — and who have heard me repel any attack made upon me, I rejoice to find, that your Lordships have interposed your opinion, that no personal attack has been made upon me, and thus have rendered unne- cessary any further comment on what had flowed from the Attorney General." Here was, at the very commencement, a triumph ; but the most successful and galling rejoinder to the Attorney- General was, the peroration of this celebrated speech. We cannot refuse ourselves the gratification of giving it at full length. We find it reported in the following words : — '* I conclude, by conjuring the Court not to make this a precedent, that may serve to palliate the acts of future, and perhaps, bad times. I admit — I freely admit, the Utopian perfection of the present period : we have every thing in the best possible state. I admit the perfection of the Bench ; I concede that there cannot be better times, and that we have the best of all possible Prosecutors ; I am one of those who allow, that the things that be, could not be better. But there have been, heretofore, K 2 102 LIFE AND TIMES OF bad times, and bad times may cooio again ; there have been partial, corrupt, intemperate, ignorant, and profli- gate Judges ; the Bench has been disgraced by a Bilk- nap, a Tressilian, a Jeffries, a Scroggs, and an AUey- bown. For the present, there is no danger ; but, at some future period, such men may rise again ; and if they do, see what an advantage they will derive from the precedent of this day, should it receive your Lordships* sanction. At such a period it will not be difficult to find a suitable Attorney General : — Some creature, narrow-minded, mean, calumnious, of inverate bigotry, and dastard dis- position, who shall prosecute with virulence and malig- nity, and delight in punishmeut. Such a man will, with prudent care of himself, receive merited and contemp- tuous retort. He will safely treasure up his resentment for four months. His virulence will, for a season, be .checked by his prudence ; until at some safe opportunity, it will explode by the force of the fermentation of its own putrefaction, and throw forth its filthy and dis- gusting stores, to blacken those whom he would not ven- ture directly to attack. Such a man will, with shameless falsehood, bring sweeping charges against the popula- tion of the land — and afterwards meanly retract and deny them. Without a particle of manliness or manhood, ho will talk of bluster, and bravado, and courage, and he will talk of those falsely, and Avhere a reply would not be permitted. If such times rise, my Lords, the advo- cate of the accused will be sure not to meet what T should meet from your Lordships this day, were I so attacked — he will not meet sympathy, and equal liberty of speech. No, my Lords, the advocate of the accused will then be interrupted, and threatened by the Bench, lest he should wipe off, in the disgrace of his adversary, the foul and DANIEL O C0NNE1.L. 103 false calumnies that have been poured upon him ! The advocate then will not be listened to with the patience and impartiality with which, in case of a similar attack, your Lordships would listen to me. The then Attorney- General may indulge the bigotted virulence and dastard malignity of an ancient and irritated female, whose feel- ings evaporate in words ; and such Judges as I have de- scribed, Avill give him all the protection he requires j and although at present such a dereliction of every decency which belongs to Gentlemen, would not be per- mitted, and would rouse your indignation ; yet, in such bad times as I have described, the foul and dastard as- sailant would be sure in Court, and beyond it, to receive the full protection of the Bench, whilst the object of his attack could be certain of meethig imprisonment and fine, were he to attempt to reply suitably. My Lords, you who would act so differently — you who feel with me the atrocity of such a proceeding — you, my Lords, will not sanction the attempt that has been made this day, to convert the speech of Counsel against the Client, lest by doing so, you should afford materials for the success of any future Attorney General,such as I have endeavoured to trace to you. Before I sit down, I have only to add, that I know the reply of the Solicitor-General will, as usual, be replete with great talent ; but, I also know, it will be conducted with the propriety of a gentleman ; for he is a gentleman, and an Irish gentleman — but great as his talents are, they cannot, upon the present argu- ment, injure my Client. "With respect to his colleague, the Attorney General, I have only to say, that whatever related to him in my Speech, at the Trial, was impera- tively called for by his conduct there. As to him, I have no apology to make. With respect to him, I should repeat my former assertions. — "With respect to him, I retract 10 i XIFE AND- TIMES OF nothing. I repent nothing. I never will make him any concessions. I do now, as I did then, despise, and treat with perfect contempt, every false calumny that malignity could invent, or dastard atrocity utter, whilst it con- sidered itself in safety." A severer, a more masterly or fearless denunciation, executed with wonderful tact and coolness, was never delivered in presence of, and against, the ermined mag- nates of the land. Howerer, poor Magee was punished for it, as we have already stated, by two years imprison- ment in Kilmainham. The year 1813, was remarkable for greater energy in the Catholic Board. The meetinefs wore more frequent, and the speeches of a bolder character. Mv. O'Connell took a constant and leading part in its proceedings, and, as usual, was the framer of most of its reports, resolu- tions, &c. The whole labour of the Catholic cause was then on the shoulders of O'Connell — the ''natural leaders" had retired. Perpetual agitation was not their forte. Mr.KEOGH, of Mount St. Jerome,after being for over thirty years the acknowledged Catholic Mentor, was put aside, when it was found that his policy was quiescence. After the angry discussions in 1810, on the subject of petition or no petition, he gradually retired from the arena. In those days, as in ours, if a man was not al- lowed his own way, he retired, as the phrase is, " in dis- gust." In good truth, however, Keogh had reason to complain, after his long services, against the injustice exhi- bited towards him, because of his quiescent jjolicy. Ho considered "petitioning" a useless, nay, a "dishonoura- ble course." Was it not a natural conclusion to arrive at, after the manner the Catholic claims were periodically disposed of? Was it generous to have assailed him for entertaining an honest opinion, though it diifercd from that of the majority of the Catholic body? O'Cqn- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 105 NELL behaved nobly to the aged patriot, though he dissented from him ; whilst he tried, at the same time, to smooth differences and allaj-^ discontent. He ever venerated the name of John Keogii. The famous letter of " Catholicus Ipse," which appeared in the Free- man's Journal of the day, against the latter, was full of bitter invective, and personalities, and contained charges which he successfully repudiated. To this hour it has not been discovered with certainty, who wrote that letter. Strong suspicion rested on an out and out, and rather un- manageable patriot of the period, Dr. Dromgoole. We perceive, in the transactions of those days, an anxiety on his part to differ from Mr. Keogh, and oppose resolu- tions prnposed by him, the then leader ; but we think there is internal evidence of his not being the writer of that anonymous and much talked of publication. It was '* CathoUcus Ipse,'' who called O'Connell *' the change- able and ever changing barrister." Now, Dr. Drom- GooLE and " the Counsellor" were great friends, and thought alike on " the policy of progress." Both of them were thorough going " Romans." There must have been a good understanding between thorn ; and though O'Connell did, for the sake of union, give for a time his adhesion to the policy of delay, to the annoyance of Dr. Dromgoole, still, we scarcely think the Doctor, who was an honest man, would have attacked him for it anonymously. O'Connell himself attributed the letter to some Orangeman, who was desirous of creating dis- union in the Catholic ranks. However, be that as it may — for the question is now scarcely worth discussing — cer- tain it is, that the hitherto indefatigable Keogh, had re- tired under the circumstance we have mentioned. The " rough work" was then put upon O'Connell ; and he used often afterwards say, that but for his perseve- 106 LIFE AND TIMES 01' ranee in getting up meetings, and the assistance he re- ceived from the Dublin Coal-porters, in keeping the Orange boys of the University in order, he never would have wox'ked up the agitation to the height it reached, or have carried Emancipation. For hours together used he linger on Carlisle Bridge, waiting, in that great thoroughfare, to meet members of the Catholic body, and send them down to the Exchange Rooms, when the meet- ings were at last held in that now celebrated edifice. The circumstances that led to his taking the building are not a little curious. The Catholic meetings were very fre- quently disturbed by the intrusion of the College boys, wlio used attend in large numbers, and in a body, for the purpose of interrupting the proceedings. The Coal- porters on the Dublin Quays, offered to " take charge" of these young fellows ; and threatened, if allowed, to fling them into the Liffey.if they continued their miscon- duct. The Exchange Rooms, on Burgh Quay, happened at this very time to be advertised for lotting. O'CoN- NELL took them on lease, in his own name, and ho then sent word to the young Collegians, that as the meetings in future would be held near the river, they had better remain away ; otherwise the Coal-porters might be dis- posed to carry their threats of a ducking into execution. This hint had the desired effect; the turbulent alumni of Trinity never afterwards disturbed the proceedings O'CoNNELL used to say, half in joke, half in earnest, that but for the Dublin Coal porters, Emancipation would never have been carried. It is a fact, that on the strength of their services, they always claimed a prominent posi- tion in all political processions, and their claim was inva- riably admitted. The Catholics of England and the Protestants in that country, who were favourable to Emancipation, began in DANIEL o'cONNELTi. 107 1813, to meet and resolve. The times were propitious to these demonstrations. There was a decided majority in the House of Commons, in favour of some concession to the Catholics. Mr. Grattan carried, by a majority of FonxY, his motion for the introduction of a bill of Emancipation ; and — so anxious was the House to consi- der the Catholic question, with a view to its settlement — that when Sir John Hippesley opposed the second reading, with amotion for first settling the veto question, his motion was lost by a majority of forty -eight ; though it was well known that Parliament was desirous of obtaining these securities, which it was considered a Royal veto on the appointment of Catholic Bishops, would give. ]\Ir. Grattan's bill was read a second time. — The first enacting clause in it gave Catholics a right of admission to Parliament. Mr. Canning gave notice of a series ot clauses, to be inserted in Committee, in refer- ence to the future appointment of Catholic Bishops. It was proposed in these clauses, that every Parish Priest should take an oath, that he would not vote for any per- son to be Bishop, whose loyalty he had cause to doubt — that a Board of Commissioners, consisting, like the pre- sent Charitable Bequests Board, of two Catholic Bishops a Catholiclayman, and two Protestants, being members of the Government, should be created ; that before the name of any person elected to the Episcopacy, should be forwarded for approval to Rome, it should be first sub- mitted to the Board; and if the person elected was dis- approved of, another election should take place. There does not appear to have been any limit to this veto ; though Dr. Milner, who was mixed up in these trans- actions, asserted that all hp consented to, as agent of the Irish Prelates, was, a Imited veto. We deeply regret that the truly venerable Prelate, Doctor Troy, was 108 LIFE AND TIMES OF di'agged into the negociations connected with this sub- ject. But, giving- the matter unprejudiced conside- ration, we have come to the conclusion, that he was innocently entangled in them. It appears that Lord Castlereagh had first drawn up veto clauses, appoint- ing an entirely Protestant Board, to determine on the eligibility of those elected to the Catholic Episcopacy. — These clauses were sent over to Dr.TRov.by Lord Don- ouGHMORE, andjin returning them, the Archbishop pointed out the effects of such provisions, and said something about the necessity of its being a purely Catholic Board . This was in a private letter. Lord DoNOUGHMORE,who was most anxious to settle the great question on which his fame rested, went to Mr. Canning. By his inter- terference, the suggestion of Doctor Troy was adopt- ed in the new clauses ; and a correspondence was opened between Canning and the Archbishop. The correspon- dence proves, beyond a doubt, Dr. Troy's disapproval, in toto, of the objectionable clauses ; though an attempt was made in the Catholic Board, by Mr. Edward Bel- lew, to fasten on that excellent Prelate, a loose observa- tion in a private letter, as a deliberate sanction to a mix- ed commission for the regulation of the Catholic Church. The truth is, the anxiety for Emancipation amongst the upper classes, was so intense, that they were highly in- dignant, a mere question oj discipUnef as they called it, should impede a settlement. There were not then many practical Catholics amongst that class. To O'CoNNELL everlasting credit is due for the truly unself- ish course he then pursued. Grant a veto to Government, and Emancipation was certain. . In the high position he then held at the Bar, he must have received at once a silk gown, and promotion, if he looked for it. Indeed, his DANIEL O'CONNELL. KH) exclusion from the inner bar,injured seriously those who enjoyed that privilege; because where it was necessary to have the benefit of his advocacy, a King's Counsel could not be employed. O'CoNNELL threw all these considerations aside, and amidst much opposition, and personal rancour, adopted the side of the Clergy and People. He even went so far as to move, in the Catholic Board, that no project of Emancipation should be considered, until it had first met the approbation of the Bishops. This mo- tion, however, he had to withdraw. But, with or without these clauses,GRATTAN's Bill was not destined to pass. In Committee, the Speaker, Mr. Manners Sutton, moved that the first clause, which admitted Catholics into Parliament, should be excluded. His motion was carried ; and, of course, there was at once an end of the Bill. This disappointment, at a stage so near the goal of freedom, produced great excitement and agitation amongst the Catholics of Ireland. The Gentry were all in favor of the Bill, with the obnoxious clauses. The Clergy and the People spurned civil fi;ee- dom, if purchased at the expense of their religion. In no pa'-t of Ireland were the two parties so violent and determined in opposition to each other as in Cork- There was in that City, as in other parts of Ireland, a local Catholic Board ; and it consisted of the Catholic Aristocracy and Merchants of the City and neighbour- hood. Its proceedings were neither open to the public nor the press. The people were not admitted, and the Board, as a matter of course, was very genteel and very unpopular. After the defeat of Grattan's Bill, the Board, following the example of the rest of Ireland, called an Aggregate Meeting. The meeting was held at the Lancasterian Schools, and, as might have been expected,' I. 110 LIFE AND TIMES 03? was attended by the people in great crowds. As a good place was valuable, every one went early, except the " nobs,,*' that is, the Board, who, of course, as they were to bje the prominent actors in the scene, thought there was no danger of seats not being carefully provided for them. But neither their personal conve- nience, nor their judgment, was consulted. The popular- party carried a series of important resolutions. In one of them, they refused to accept any but unconditional Emancipation — they spurned the veto ; ia another they voted thanks to O'Connell ; in another to the Bishops and to Dr. Milner. The number of the reso- lutions was seventeen. O'Connell atte nded, and was the moving spirit of the day. The Exclusive Catholic Board, at whose instance the meeting was convened, finding that they could not stem the tide of opinion, which set in against their vetoistical views, adjourned to a building on the opposite side of the road-way, and were a,bout to hold a meeting of their own, when O'Conneld eame in upon them, followed by the people, and soon put an end to their proceedings. They were over in an in- stant'. The gentlemen, annoyed that the people should dare have a voice in the matter, then adjourned to " the Bush" tavern, and drew up a Protest against the proceedings and resolutions of the aggregate meeting,, as being highly injurious to the Catholic cause. The parties, many of whom are still living, by whom the re- solutions were adopted, incurred in consequence a par- ticular designation ; they were known long after by the title of " Protesters." Not content with their foolish Protest, they held another meeting, over which Alexander O'Driscoll, Esq., of Clover Hill, presided, and at which it was* resolved : — '• That adopting the wise principle of the ConstitUi- '> tion, by which Property is made the Standard of bAl^lEL O'CONNELL. Ill ''^ Opinion, we found it impossible, at the late Aggre- • * gate Meeting, amidst the tumult of the lowest popu- ^' lace, ignorant of necessity, and misled by design, to *' ascertain the sense of the Catholics of this City and *' County." ll^othing Can beftet* iilnstrate the stale of s6ciety in Ire- land in those days, than these abstird proceedings. Mr. O'CoNNELii threw himself, heat-t and soul, into the ranlcs of the people, and the " Protesters" wetc fairly extift- guishcd. How was it possible for persons, resolving in the spirit of the above resolution, to obtain freedom ? — Who will assert they even deserved it ? It was this ri- diculous superciliousness on the part of the Catholic gentry, that, for years and years, retarded tlie cause, and it was not until O'Connell, spurning their timidity, ^nd scorning their pride, boldly rode the whirlwind, and directed the storm, that moral and religious liberty was at last achieved. O'Connell's propensity to arraign, in no measured language, those of a distinguished rank who differed 'from him, "has often been charged against him as a -crime. But, as he himself tersely expressed it, in conver- sation with a valued friend of ours — it was not irritation, it WAS calculation, that made him adopt that style of ani- madversion. He lived at a time when 'Catholics could be almost known by their sycophantic demeanour, and by their tameness under every species ©f obloquy and insult. It was necessary that they should learn to retaliate ; and if roughly assailed, to raise their heads, look their enemies in the face, and proclaim fearlessly and boldly their indignation. It was necessary to show them the ex- ample ; and Lord Fingall, the old Catholic leader, on his death bed declared, that he at last saw how mistaken he Was about O'Conijell; and that "his rough work" 112 LIFE AND TIMES OF '*had mainly assisted in winning for them religious ♦• freedom." O'Connell's invariably urbane conduct in Parliaraent,notwithstanding the provocations ho enduredr proved beyond a question, that it was not *• irritation," that made him employ, occasionally. the weapons of attack he used. To the Catholic " PROTESTEns" he was not indulgent. Their conduct was scarcely excusable ; and it was difficult to avoid expressing his opinion of them in the "rough work" fashion he sometimes adopted. The principal mover in the whole of this democratic insurrection against aristocratic pretension in Cork, was the celebrated Dr. England. He was a man of great powers of mind, amazing intellectual energy ; possessing,. too, a masculine eloquence, and a stern, unflinching de- termination, well suited to a popular leader. He had all the qualities that contribute to the influence, and are ne- cessary to the office, of an agitator. No literary labour was too great for him ; no opposition was too powerful. He was, from the first, a decided anti-Vetoist. Indeed, we may affirm, he was the guiding genius of the anti- QuARANTOTTi movement. He was, at the time we write of,^ Editor of the Cork Mercantile Chronicle, an honest, well-conducted paper; the downfall of which is a lasting stigma on the patriotism of the South. He worked up the movement against the local Catholic Board ; and at last forced the members to publish their proceedings. Why was it Ireland afterwards lost the services of that distin- guished man ? Why was his lot ultimately cast in a foreign land — in the Southern States of Republican Ame- rica, where his genius burned out, amidst a race of unci- vilized slave-owners ? He sacrificed himself to the ser- vice of religion ; but would he not have rendered it more service as a Prelate, in his native land, co-operating with such able and exalted men as Doctor Doyle, in improv- DANIEL o'cONNtJLL. 113 ing the condition of the people, and making Catholicity respected even by its enemies ? The endowments of a mind like his, were partly lost in the semi-barbarous sphere of Charleston, and those Southern States of America, of which he became Bishop. The boundless regions of the Far West, presented opportunities foo few for the exercise of those accomplishments and gifts, with which he was enriched. Religion might be propa- gated by intellectually inferior agencies. Amongst the busj, money-loving, pre-occupied, and scattered sojour- ners in those wild, half- settled territories, one mind, however masculine and energetic, could accomplish little. His profound learning — his theological acquirements fell upon a barren soil — though, as the result has proved, from their intrinsic vigour, they took root and flou- rished. It is, primarily, the poor Irishman, who car- ries with him into these regions the religious feel- ings and traditions of his forefathers — who is, as it were, religious by instinct, and who clings, with a tena- city of purpose almost incredible, to the minutest obser- vances of his faith — it is, primarily, at least, by instru- ments such as he, that Christianity is destined to be spread over the boundless regions of the Western World. Ireland is the nursery of CatiioHcity. Her very poverty and misfortunes, that oblige her people to emi- grate, are, after all,a glorious ordinance of Providence.for the purpose of propagating, by ordinary means, the bless- ings of true Religion. It is to Ireland, that as teachers of religion, as the instructors of humbler missionaries, such men as Dr. England should be assigned. It was, therefore, always a source of deep regret, in after days, that circumstances, we believe of a private nature, sug- gested his appointment to the Episcopacy in America He who broke down the veto spirit in Cork, would have L 2 114 LIFE AND TIMES O^ rendered invaluable services in the various subsequent struggles for civil liberty, and social and political amelio- ration. For his was a master mind ; and it was on such a stage, as society in Ireland afforded, that his noble and various attributes would have found material and room for action. It was the prevailing opinion of that day» that Dr, England was the author of the celebrated letter which, under the signature of "One of the Populace," was pub- lished in the Dublin Evening Post, and for which an action was brought against the unfortunateJoHN Magee, by one of the "Protesters," Mr. Copinger. The action was tried in Cork, and is to this day memorable in that City, from the cutting sarcasms against the "Property — the Standard of Opinion" gentlemen, uttered by Magee'» Counsel, in one of the most tolling speeches ever pro- nounced in a court of justice. The writer was a boy at the time,but he well recollects being at the trial ; and ho has now in his mind's eye, Harry Deane Grady, amidst the profoundest silence, giving expression to those biting sentences that are, even to this day,, repeated by the des- cendants of that generation. The year J 813, was the first in which Provincial Sub- scriptions, in aid of the Catholic Board, were set o» foot. This year is also remarkable for a powerful ve- toistic address of Mr. Shiel's, at the Board, in re- ply to Mr. O'CoNN ell's motion for consulting the Bishop^j in reference to any future measure of Emancipation. . Among the many celebrated speeches, delivered by O'CoNNELL, during his long public career, none appear to ui more full of wisdom, foresight, and consistent adhe- rence to the principles of moral force, which he always advocated, as one to which we wish specially to refer. He »ras now attaining high and general popularity; and, DANIEL O'CONNELL. 115 as in proportion as he ascended, he was maligned, it can be very well understood that in 1813, he was well abused, both by Vetoistg,on the one hand, and Orangeists, on the other. lie had, however, recompense in the love and veneration of the people ; and never was it more strongly evinced than at the Aggregate Meeting held in the Fishshamble Theatre, Dublin, in June of the year 1813. His speech on that occasion is so remarkable, in rofcronco to the future, that wo must afford the reader an opportunity, to some extent, of appreciating it, by in- serting the following extract : — '• Let me," he said, " let me return you the thanks of my heart for the kindness with which you have this day received me. I am proud of the kindness of my country- men — it is the only reward I would accept, as it is the only one I seek — but it is a rich recomponce — it consoles and compensates mo for the .slanders and malignity of those who are my enemies, only because they are your oppressors I Nay, in their enmity, too, I feel comfort and delight. I rejoice to have earned their hostility, and I shall deem most lightly of myself, if the hour ever arrives, Avhenthemen who enrich themselves in the de- gradation and slaver}' of Ireland, do treat me with favor, or even with neutrality. I complain not of their calum- nies ; I exult in them. I have lashed the bigot and tho tyrant — I have exposed the infamy of those hypocritical pretenders to sanctity ; who, in the name of God, plun- der and oppress Ireland— the men who discount their consciences, and obtain money by their pretensions to piety— men whom I need not name, because you know them by my description. Those men calumniate me — when it is quite safe to do it — in my absence ; but I exult in deserving their hatred. I rejoice at their exer- tions, which only prove, that I have, in some degree. 116 LIFE AND TIMES OP revenged my country on them — I court their hostility — all I deprecate is their forbearance or favour. Yet your enemies say, and let them say, that I wish for a separa- tion between England and Ireland 1 The charge is false; it is, to use a modern quotation — "as false as hell;" and the men who originated, and those who in- culcate it, know its falsehood. There lives not a man less desirous of a separation between the two Countries ; there lives not a man more deeply convinced that the connexion between them, established on the basis of one King- and separate Parliaments, would be of the ut- most value to the happiness of both countries, and the liberties of the civilized world. Next, your enemies accuse me of a desire for the independence of Ireland. I admit the charge, and let them make the most of it. I have seen Ireland a Kingdom — I reproach myself with having lived to behold her a Province. Yes ; I confess it ; I will be ever quite candid on this subject. I have AN ULTERIOR OBJECT ; it is the Repeal of the Union, and the restoration to Old Ireland of her Independence. I am told that it is indiscreet to avow this intention. It may be so : but in Public Affairs discretion amounts to dissimulation ; and if to repeal the Union be the first service, as it clearly is, that can be rendered to Ireland, I, for one. most readily offer to postpone our Emancipa- tion, in order to promote the cause of our country. Let me not be mistaken. It is true, I desire the restoration of our Parliament. I would sacrifice my existence to restore to Ireland her independent Legisla- ture. But I do not desire to restore such a Parlia- ment as she had before. No ; the act of Restoration ne- cessarily implies a Reformation, which would for ever abolish the ridiculous, but most criminal traffic in Representation. The New Irish Legislature would, of DANIBL O'CONNELL. 117 eourse.be purged of the close boroughs. The right to no- minate toParliaraent should be no longer matter of traffic, or family arrangements. It should nnt be, as it is at pre- 8ent,private property,somuch so that I could name to you a borough in which a seat in Parliament is vested by re- gular registered marriage settlement — I could tell you the date and number of the registry in which the owner of the land and a country gentleman, are Trustees to raise money upon it, for the benefit of tho younger cliildren of a Baronet. This traffic— the odious and disgusting traffic, should be abolished for ever. Desiring, as I do, the Repeal of the Union, I rejoice to see our enemies promote that object. Yes, they promote its success by their very hostility to Ireland— they delay the liberties of the Ca- tholics, but they compensate us most amply, because they advance the restoration of Ireland. By leaving one cause of agitation, they have created, and they will em- body, and give shape and form to a Public Mind and Public Spirit. Ireland lay in torpor, till roused by the call for Religious Liberty. She would, 1 fear, and am convinced, relapse into apathy, if Liberty of Conscience were soon conceded. Let them delay Emancipation but yet a little while, and they will find that they have roused the sleeping Lion of Ireland to awaking activity, which will not permit any further slumber, till Ireland is herself again — a Nation. They may still, perhaps, admi- nister the narcotic of Religious Freedom, which may reestablish political lethargy ; but let them suffer our discussions to continue ; let them allow our agitators to increase ; let the love of country, and even the desire of notoriety, be permitted to excite fresh agitators ; and above all, let the popular mind become accustomed to the consideration of public subjects, and to the vehemence of political contest — and they know nothing of humat^ 118 n^E AlfD TIMES Ot* nature, who imagine they can, with a breath, still the tempest that they shall have thus excited, or be able to quiet a people, whom they shall have roused to a sense of their wrongs, and a knowledge of their strength and importance. I repeat it, without the hazard of contra- diction ;— the delay of Emancipation I hear with joy ; because in that delay is the only prospect of attain* ing my great, my ultimate object, the Legislative Inde- pendence of my native land. I have wandered from my subject, but I have not forsaken your cause. The very calumnies of your enemies and mine, lead us to the discussion of topics, which it is for their interest to bury, if they can, in eternal oblivion. The manner I shall re- fute their slanders is, by endeavouring to serve you. I cannot do that better than by tendering you my humble- but my earnest and honest advice. Emissaries are abroad —Agents have been employed — abundance of money, and great encouragement are held out to those who may se- duce you from your allegiaQce."He then goes on to say — *'If you allowed yourselves to be seduced, you would have no friends — no supporters. We, who now join you In bearing down upon your oppres^orso—we, who expose the hypocrites that cover their bigotry in the stolen gar- ments of religion — we, who are ready to run every dan- ger, to sustain every calumny, and every loss and every personal inconvenience in your cause, so long as you conduct that cause within the limits of the Constitution — we, in whom you confide, would, and must be found, If you violate the law, in the ranks of your enemies,and in arms. For myself.I will tell you honestly, that if the far tal day ever arrives, you will find me arrayed against you," Every succeeding year presented the Catholic cause under a new aspect ; and as Mr. O'Connell's life, day ftfter day, w^s bepoming ipore intimately iotwrned in itj DANIEL O CONNELL. 119 we are but writing his biography, when describing the yarious shiftings of Catholic affairs. In the history of the struggle for religious freedom, 1814 was a year marked by events of interest, and yet it was one of com- parative inaction. Division had crept into the ranks of the Catholic party Dr.DROMGooLE had made an intempe- rate and rather sectarian speech, which gave offence to Fin- lay and others, who were Protestant emancipators, and it alarmed fastidious and timid Catholics. Mr.O'CoNNELL, too, had repudiated, for the Catholics of Ireland, all inten- tion of allowing their question to be the watch-word of party, and threw off all allegiance to the old Whigs. Hecar- ried, in the Catholic Board, after a most masterly oration, a series of suggestions to their Parliamentary friends ; the first and principal of which was, that without parti- cularizing any religious sect, the gates of the Constitution should be thrown open to all — a high and liberal senti- ment, but deviating too much from the beaten track to please their Parliamentary supporters. Lord Donough- MORE, and even Mr. Grattan, in their correspondence with the Catholic loaders in Ireland, assumed rather a dictatorial tone. They could not well understand how those whose existence was not long before scarcely re. Cognized by law, could presume to prescribe terms on which they would consent to receive Emancipation. The Catholics were completely split into vetoists and anti-vetoists. Most of the vetoists had seceded from the Catholic Board ; but still within the Board, there was much division, produced chiefly by Dr. Dromgoole's speech. It was in reference to this effusion that O'Con- NtfLL, in 1832, uttered the following observations in Par* liamcnt : — . "I have lived a life of somewhat public exhibition, in the course of which, I have never concealed my opinions.' ■ 120 lilPB AND TIMES OP Indeed, I may be said to have thought aloud, and in the hearing of every body. I have been now twenty-fivo years before the public, and I defy any of the hon. gentle- men around me to quote one single expression, or one single sentiment, uttered by me, at variance with respect for the religious opinions of every Christian. — Indeed there was much uttered in the house that night about the introduction of religion into politics, which 1 will not characterise, but which, if uttered out of this house, I would call cant and hypocrisy. For the twenty- five years, during which the people of Ireland had been struggling for religious liberty, under the influence of various feelings, and, perhaps, subject to much intem- perance and great excitement; he defied them to point out a single sentiment ever uttered, even in their most un- guarded moments., with the single exception of an ex- pression once uttered by a single individual. Dr. Dudvi- GooLE. With that single exception, I defy them to point out any other instance, in which any member of the Ca- tholic body had spoken with bigotry of the Protestant religion ; and during that time they were pretty constant readers of the newspapers, and if any such expression had been used, they would be very happy to have it in their power to quote it against us. This was the only occasion, and how did the Catholic body act ? They called a meeting the next day, and the single expression' of that individual was followed by an unanimous vote of censure." ^ , . All those matters disinclined the Parliamentary friends of the Catholics to move on their petition to the Legis-. ture. Their disinclination was ten-fold increased by the arrival of Qdabantotti's celebrated rescript. Ho was Prefect of the Propaganda during the imprisonment of Pope Pius the Seventh, and held full authority from him. DANIEL O'CONNELL 121 This Rescript had reference to the " Canning Clauses,' in the Catholic Bill of the previous year. It highly ap- proved of them, and called on Dr. Poynter, Vicar Apos- tolic of London, to exert his influence to have them ac- cepted, and submitted to in England and Ireland. This Rescript produced a prodigious sensation in Ireland. The Clergy, throughout the country, assembled and protested against it. They denied, first, the authority of Quaran- TOTTi ; and, even admitting his authority as the Pope's Vicar, they denied his Holiness had any power, with- out the consent of the Irish Hierarchy, to change the discipline of the Irish Church. The English Bishops were Vicars of the Pope ; for the English Church was missionary. The Irish was not a missionary, — it was an independent Church, and was protected by the same rights under the Canon Law, as any other Church, — as the Gallic, the Spanish, or Portuguese. Such w-as the course of reasoning the Irish Clergy adopted. But the Prelates were more cautious ; and instead of, expressing an opinion, they sent a deputation to Rome, consisting of Dr. Murray, then Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin, of Dr. MiLNER, and some others. All were, however, determined, at all hazards, not to allow authority over their religion to the English Government. In the mean time, no step was taken in Parliament, in favour of the Catholics. Napoleon had abdicated, and was confined at Elba. There was nothing now to dread. Our English Rulers could afford to despise our demands. Lord DoNOUGHMORE was even inclined to quarrel with his old friends ; and in a letter to the Catholic Board he said they assumed to be a representative body, notwithstand- ing their repeated and solemn disavowals. This was like holding out encouragement to the Government to M 122 tIFE AND TIMES OF suppress the Board. Whether acting- on the hint, of from itself, the Government, some months after, issued a proclamation suppressing- the Board, as a body existing in violation of the Convention Act. The Catholic Board was simply a committee appointed at an aggregate meet- ing- in Dublin, to prepal'e, from time to timcj petitions to . Parliament. If its constitution was illegal, then almost every deputed body, formed in Ireland, is acting against the statute ; for the law remains unaltereu. However* be that as it may, the Board wo.s suppressed by procla- mation. The result was gratifyiilg. The Catholics \ycve not cowed : an immense aggregate meeting was Convened in Dublin; and a long series of resolutions, in self- defence, and condemnatory of this despotic act of Govern- ment, was passed. The proclamation V/as sjJefedily neu^ trali/.ed by the legal dexterity of O'Connell. He issued circulars in his own name to the leading Catholics, to meet him in their individual capacity at No. 4, Capel Street. Lord Fingall and Sir Ei>. Bkli.kay declined to attend— alleging that, pending the negociations with Homo, they thouglit all agitation should bo suspended. Is'^evertheiess, the meeting was held, and a determination come to, to meet regularly at stated periods. The fol- lowing sketch from tlie able and amusing " Reminisccnstja of a Silent Agitator," in the Irish Muntlihj Matjtuiitf, is so faithful to truth, 1,Vith rGsj)ect to the transactions o*." the period, that we are induced to g'.ve it iiii>ert:oii ; — '' The time at length came when the m^.turihg strength of the second order grew so obnoxious to tim fastidious tastes of the Corinthians, that a secession from the de- mocratic conventions was resolved on, and the Catholic aristocracy formed itself into a Prietorian band, under the title of Seceders. Their Secretary was Le Chevalier DAKIEL O'CONXELL. 123 "cIoIM'Cauthy, brother to the Count of the same name," who derives his patent of nobility, like the knights who were slain by the Princess Rusty Fusty, in O'Keeffe's faroe, from the "Holy Roman Empire;" and their hall of assembly was the drawinoj-room in the mansion of a no- bleman (Lord TuiMnLESTON)— a most appropriate place for the means and ends they possessed and entertained. Circulars were directed to those belonging to the Catho- lic body, who were considered entitled to the private cntrc of Lord TniMnLESTON's saloon; and some meetings Avere held by those political exclusivcs, where speeches were delivered and resolutions passed, without subjecting the eloquent deciaimers to those occasional interruptions, which, in mixed assemblies, are rudely offered, expressive of applause. Too polite to be personal in their allusions to the political opponents of the cause, they were also too refined in their selection of language, to be either spirit- ed or independent in their sentiments ; and when they touched upon the feeling of the civil degradation which they were enduring, it was calculated more to excite compassion for their privations^ than applause for the indignant sense of wrong they should have displayed. The proceedings of the Seceders would have passed away like, any other drawing-room amusements, com- mencing vrith politics and ending with a promenade; were it not, that they took upon themselves to act for the peo- ple, and to assume a sort of<3ictation in their cause. This was not to be endured, and at their next meeting,the un- invited O'CoNNELL was resolved to appear/' '* in their own halls I'll brave them." The Seceders appointed a committee to prepare an a::ldress to the Prince Regent, and also agreed on a peti- tion to parliament, in the spring of the year 1814; all which transactions emanated from Lord Trijlbleston'^ 124 LIFE AND TIMES OF drawing room. At the latter end of March, a circular was issued by Le Chevalier de M'Carthy, their Secre- tary of State, to those who woro supposed to sanction the secession, inviting them to attend, for the purpose of "hearing the report of tho committee, appointed to prepare the address to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and to receive a communication from the Earl of DoNouGHMORE." The Chevalier also requested that you would "be so good as to mention this, with my compU' ments, to those of your acquaintance who have signed the petition adopted on the 23d February. All those who still adhered to the Catholic Board (the model of the Associa- tion) were passed over, and the Seceders imagined, that as the meeting was to take place in the mansion of a nobleman, that no tribune of the people would dare to intrude upon their privacy, or present himself at tho portals uninvited. Wrapped in all the confidence of security from such a visitation, the members of this Aulic Council assembled to deliberate upon their snail- pace progress, and to prepare their forces for their in- offensive warfare. In the midst of their proceedings, a loud knock at the hall-door startled the slumbering echoes in Trimbleston-house, and attracted the attention of its drawing-room convention. The noble President looked embarrassed — " the hectic of a moment passed over his cheek, but did not tarry." The knock was both loud and long, and terminated in a climax of sound : a general presentiment seemed to pervade the assembly, that there was but one person, who would have the audacity to demand admittance in that manner. The Chevalier, more courageous than tho rest, rose from his place at the ta- ble, and went to reconnoitre from a position on the stair- case, and returned with a hurried step to his seat, whis- pering to those who were immediately around him, some- "DANIEL O'COKNELL. 125 thing; which did not seem to relieve their suspense. The t^hovalier had scarcely taken his pen into his hand, when the door opened and O'Connell advanced to the table. It would require a lengthened report te -convey an idea of the debate which ensued ; or perhaps the pencil of a Hogarth, could best desoribctbc e'tfect«f the scene — the expression of impatience and vej^eiion wifiich lowered 'upon the brov/s of his auditors, contrasted 'U'ith the look of scornful rebuke which he cast upon them, one and all — the haughty tone with which ho interrogated them, why thov dared to take upon themselves to act for the Ca- tholic people of Ireland, and to exclude from their meet- ing;s those belonging to that people who ^vere iheir supe- riors in every attribute ? Dismayed and humiliated, the ^cceders never after ventured to assemble ; and whether his Royal Highness received the contemplated address, or whether the Earl of DonougtiHiore's epistle was re- •plied to, are "matters I have not been able to ascertain. As a body, theyAvere as effectually dissolved ts the Coun- cil of Five Hundred was ; with this difterence, that mo- ral influence alone completed in the one case, what the direction of military force achieved in the other. The •next i^tepthe Seceders took waste secede from a scces- 'sion, and as the Irish watchman once said, to a nocturnal "disttirbor, " disperse yourself,^' each retired, within the glittering shell of his title or his opulence, and like snails, left no memorial, but the slime of their prODoedings, to record them." The Catholic aristofcfaby tidVv retired Trcfrn all connex- ion with their fellow slaves, and maintained a sulky si- lence upon political affairs. However, their inertness did not extend itself beyond their circle ; and during the fol- lowing summer, meetings were held in various parts of -the country, at which they received several severe ad- •nionitions for their pretensions and pusillanirait;;,', M 2 126 LIFE AND TIMES OP la the meantime, letters were received from Rome, stating, that the deputation of Bishops was received in a most flattering manner by Pius, who had returned to his capital, that the Octogenerian Quarantotti was disqualified, and his rescript disavowed. This caused great satisfaction in Ireland. But the news was not al- together confirmed ; on the contrary, a rumour was soon after set afloat, that the Pope was strongly inclined to consider favourably the Veto Clauses of the last Catholic Relief Bill. Whilst the matter was in abeyance, Dr. PoYNTER went off suddenly to Rome, on the part of the English Catholic Board, and in opposition to Dr. Milker, the Vicar Apostolic of the midland district, who was acting in co-operation with the Irish Prelates. We shall see shortly how far the rumour was well founded. We have arrived at the period of Lord Whitworth's Government, of which Peel was the Chief Secretary His Lordship was not content with issuing a Proclama- tion to crush the popular Spirit in Ireland, which was rapidly strengthening and extending. Prosecution of the Press was another means adopted, and the unfortunate Magees were again the objects of attack- The Catho- lics of Kilkenny, after the trial of John MAGEE,in which O'Connell so distinguished himself,met, in the month of February, 1844, Major Bryan in tlie Chair ; and pass- ed a series of ill-considered and injudicious resolutions, the publication of which, in legal construction, was un- doubtedly libellous. The resolutions were first published in the Correspondent, a (jiovernment Journal ; and in two days after, were copied into the Dublin Evening PoU. The Government passed by the Correspondent, and prosecuted the Dublin Evening Post ! ! So impartial was justice in Ireland in those days. The result was, that poor Magee, who then lingered in a jail, was fined DANIEL O'CONNELL. 127 ^1,000, and sentenced to imprisonment for six months, after the term of two years, under his former sentence, would expire. But this was not all — Mr. O'Connell made a speech in the Catholic Board, descriptive of the orgies of the *' Orange Boven." The speech was re- ported in the Evening Poit, but evidently not with ac- curacy. James Magee, then Proprietor of the Post, was prosecuted for it. Mr. O'Connell offered at the trial to hand in, from the short-hand notes of a brother barrister, a true report, verified on his and the Repor- ter's oath, as a true and literal report of what he said ; and in that shape admit himself the author of the pub- lication, provided Magee was relieved from the respon- sibility. This was refused, tmless Mr. O'Connell would consent to stand, without any reservation, in the Traverser's stead. The proposition was of course re- jected. He was ready to abide the consequence of his own expressed language. Nothing could be more ho- nourable — nothing more could be expected. But the proposition was refused, and the ignoble course taken, of fastening on the victimized and persecuted Journalist Magee did all he could, previous to the trial, to trans- fer the onus to O'Connell, who was satisfied to accept it, provided he had himself furnished the speech, of which — being then in the habit of doing so — he was not certain; or, if he did not, provided the Reporter who did furnish it to the paper, would swear to its correctness. The speech was taken by a professional Reporter, but he would not vouch on oath for its accuracy. At a subse- quent period, this same Magee brought an action, and recovered damages against Purcell O'Gorman, for a speech of his delivered in Derry, which he supplied himself. Magee was attacked for it, as a libellous pro-, duction, and a verdict was had against him ; where- 128 I-^FE AND TIMES OF upon, he turned round upon O'Gorman, and recovered the full damages. This shews how dangerous it is, in troubled times, to report one's own speeches. The only matter of novelty in the meetings of the Catholic Board, this year, was the temporary ap- pearance on the political stage of l^lr. Phillips, the well known orator. The Husseys and Finlays, and Clinches-, and all that class had moved off, and were Ycplaced by barristers of more modern date. O'Connell alone held his position^ and improved it. While acquiring unequalled practice in his profession, he never forgot the claims of his country. His famous speech this year, in the Provinces, was at tlie great Aggregate Meeting in Cork, dtif-ing- the August Assizes. In Cork he was always at home. It was his stronghold. There he had many admirers up to the latest hour of his life ; and there his gay, buoyant spirit used to roam abroad freely and familiarly, communing, year after yeaw, with his )nany tried friends in that locality. O'Connell was now the acknowledged Leader of the Irish people. He had no competitor in thfcir affections. '*' The Counsellor '" was the exclusive object of their at*- tachment. Lord Fingall, and most of the old aristocra- tic leaders, had seceded froia their councils ; few of them who remainccl. were crotnhetty and vetoistic. O'Connell was moderate and well-judging in his aet3--yetdetermin- 'ed and uncomprOTuising in the discharge of his duty to Ireland. He professed not the antic-uateei bigotry of honest Br. Buomgoole'-; neither did he follow the place- hunting syiitem of SHElLjwho maintained boldly, in 1815, that eligibility to place and office v/as the real and natu- ral object of the Catholics in seeking Emancipation — omitting to take into acco'unt, that the consciousness of re- ligious freedom and civil equality,was worth all the places DANIEL O'CONNELL. 129 at tlio disposal of the Crown. The hopes of Ireland be- gan, then, to rest exclusively onO'CoNNELL ; and, where- ver he went, he was sure to be followed by crowds of enthusiastic friends, cheering hira on his way. This was particularly observable towards the close of 1815 ; and in the different Assize towns he visited during Circuit — The Catholic body that year voted him a piece of plate, value one thousand guineas ; and the gratitude of the whole, Nation began, henceforward, gradually to unfold itself. A sentence or two from Counsellor Finlay's character of O'Connell, written about this time, will show the estimation in which he was held by those who knew him intimately and well. " He is social and sober, polite and unceremonious, candid and sincere, proud with the haughty, meek with the humble. His frown rebukes arrogance into inferiority, and his smile lifts humility to his own level. His virtues cannot be indifferent to you. They should be the objects of your care, for they have been agents of your interests." No testimony could be higher ; and the man by whom it was written, was as well qualified to form a true and accurate estimate of the Liberator's qualities and worth, as he was incapable of unmanly adulation. O'Connell continued, ardently, his professional pur- suits, and on Circuit was engaged in almost every case of any importance. His brief-bag was a ponderous affair to carry ; but bearing the weight with ease, his portly form could be seen cleaving its way through those crowds, congregated round the Assizie Courts, to whom ho was an object of intense curiosity. Wherever the "Coun- sellor" appeared, there would the anxious groups collect, to cheer him and observe him as he passed on, leant on by some Assize friend or brother Barrister. To hear him cross-examining a witness was always a treat eagerly 130 LIFE AND TIMES OF souuld have done 130, his punist\ment; wd,s eertaih ', for in those days there wore none but Corporation juries*, and the fact that lloYLE was hostile to the municipal clique, was quite enough for these worthy administrators of justice. It happened, on the occasion of a crowded b^ftefit, that Boyle and one of the Sheriffs were coming out of the pit of the Theatre, at the same i^-omoAt. A sudden crush drove the scribe against the Sheriff, and the concussion was so great, that the latter had two of his ribs broken. — There coidd bo no doubt, that the t/holc was Accidental ; but it was too lucky not to take an advantage of. Mr. 'Joyle was prosecuted for assault. O'Connell was re- ■rained for his defence. The trial came on. The ^ury \vas a Corporation Jury. The evidence was extremely flight ; but it was an understood thing that on amj evi- 'dence, or no evidence, the Jury would convict Boyle. ^>Ir. O'Connell ('who V/as personally inimical to the Cor- ■poration) scarcely cross-examined any witnesses and call- ed none in defence.— He proceeded to reply. After •some hyperbolical compliments on the *' well-known "mpartiality, independence, and justice of a Cork jury," 132 LIFE AND TIMES 01? he proceeded to address them thus : — ** I had no notion that the case is what it is ; therefore, I call no witness. As I have received a brief, and its accompaniment — a fee, I must address you. I am not in the vein for making a speech ; so, gentlemen, I shall tell you a story. Some years ago, I went specially, to Clonrael Assizes, and accidentally witnessed a trial which I never shall forget. A wretched man, a native of that county, was charged with the murder of his neighbour. — It seemed that an ancient feud existed between them. They had met at a fair and exchanged blows ; again, that evening, they met at low pot-house, and the bodily in- terference of friends, alone prevented a fight between them. The prisoner was heard to vow vengeance against his rival. The wretched victim left the house, followed soon after by the prisoner, and was found the next day on the road — murdered, and his face so beaten in by a stone, that he could only be identified by his dress. The facts were running strong against the prisoner, — in fact, it was the strongest case of circumstantial evidence I ever met with. As a matter of form — for of his guilt, there was no doubt — the prisoner was called on for his defence. He called, to the surprise of evei'y one — the murdered man. And the murdered man came forward. It seemed that another man had been murdered ; that the identification by dress, was vague; for all the peasantry of Tippcrary wear the same description of clothes — that the presumed victim had got a hint that he would be arrested under the Whiteboy Act — had fled — and had only returned, with a noble and Irish feeling of justice, when he found that his ancient foe was in jeopar- dy, on his account. The case was clear — the prisoner was innocent. The Judge told the jury that it was unne- cessary to charge them. They requested permission to DJLNIEL O'CONNELL, 133 retire. They returned in about two hours, when the foreman, with a long face, handed in the verdict * Guilty' Every one was astonished. 'Good God!' said the Judge, * of what is he guilty V Not of murder, surely ?* — ' No, my lord, ' said the foreman ; ' but if he did not murder that man, sure he stole my grey mare three years ago !' The Cork jurors laughed heartily at this anecdote, and ere their mirth had time to cool, O'Connell continued, with marked emphasis, " So, gentlemen of the jury, if Mr. Boyle did not wilfully assault the Sheriff, he has libelled the Corporation — find him guilty by all means 1" The application was so severe, that the jury, shamed into justice, instantly acquitted Mr. Boyle." Another excellent anecdote illustrates his great tact and coolness. We find it in the Journal of Belles Leitres, under the well known initials of "J. R.," and dated ** Cork." It runs thus — " It is stated in an article, in the Edinburgh Review, that Lord Brougham was in- tended to lead a libel case ; but immediately before the trial, it was discovered that the other Counsel — a mere special pleader — was his senior, and the mistake proved irremediable. It was thus, I may remark, that the super- session of Sir Arthur Wellesley, after the battle of Vemiera, in 1808, by two senior, but far less competent ofiicers, arrested the course,and blighted the fruits of that victory. On an occurrence, however, in this city, not dis- similar to that of Lord Brougham, Mr. O'Connell, with instant happiness of thought, applied the remedy which had evaded the learned Peer's sagacity. Engaged in a case, the success of which mainly depended on his ex- amination of the most material witness ; a department of the profession in which he had no superior; he found to his surprise, on entering the court, that his destined station and consequent task were occupied by another ; the client having, without communication, and wholly 134 l-IFE AND TIMES OF unconscious of the etiquette of the bar, or its conse- quences, in this instance, to himself, privately retained an old friend, of more moral than intellectual merit, but Mr. O'Connell's senior. The law-agent, Mr. Dbnham Franklin, of Cork, my informant of all the particulars, naturally dissatisfied with this act of his employer, and fearful of the issue in such hands, was about to abandon the cause; when Mr. O'Connell, chiding him for his despondency, directed him to ascertain the name of a gaping clown, whom his searching eye had espied in the crowd. The individual was immediately called up, and to his astonishment, presented as first evidence, by the instructed attorney, for examination to the intrusive counsel; but was dismissed, as totally incapable of a pertinent answer. Thus, however, the desired end was attained ; and the leader, on his part being accomplished, stood no longer in the way of Mr. O'Connell, who succeeded him, and failed not to achieve the expected result." As an instance of Mr. O'Connell's determination to perform to the utmost his duty to his clients, and place its performance beyond all other considerations ; we may relate a trifling anecdote connected with his circuit labours about this time. He was engaged in a record of great interest in Cork, The direct evidence of a very particular friend of his, told strongly against liis client, and made a decided impression on the Jury. He was cross- examined by O'Connell, with his usual humour, but with great severity. When the former came to address the Jury, his remarks were still more personal and se- rore. He dealt rigorously with the evidence of his friend, who some time before had loft the Court. In a short time after, the trial concluded, the son of the latter, who remained until the trial had terminated, having occa- sion to see his father, on some matter of buainesa ;. DANIEL o'cONNELIi. • 136 found him, to his astonishment, walking arm-in- arm with O'CoNNELL, who had just come out ,.of Court. The son kept in the back ground, until O'Con- NELL went away, and he then told his father how pointed and unjustifiable was '* the Counsellor's" attack. The father smiled with great good humour, *' Oh ! that's no- thing—wliat else was he feed for — why should he spare me, if his duty to his client required it? We should taken© notice of it." Such was the father's magnanimous reply ; and so well did his dearest and most intimate friends know 0'CoNNK|.L*s unbending professional fidelity. The question of the Veto was discussed with intense virulence in 1815 ; and it is not difficult to see, that if the Pope had followed up, in the same direction, the Re- script of QuARANTOTTi — that Catholic Unity wouldhave been in great danger. But, happily, God averted frpm Ireland that evil. The Catholic Committee occasionally met at the com» menoement of the year, at Lord Fingall's House ; where, on these occasions, cake and wine were regularly provid- ed for the members. O'Connell, to the annoyance, 6f many of his admirers, attended these meetings ; but he was decidedly Adverse to non-publicity, and took always the popular view of matters in discussion. Lord Fingall had become unpopular, because of his known adhesion to the Veto ; y^t, the people respected him, and were de- lighted, when he once more joined the agitation, however confined its sphere. An Aggregate Meeting having been agreed upon, Mr. Sheil was appointed to draw up the petition. Lord Fingall was anxious that Counsellor Belle w, brother of Sir Edward .Bellew, and well known afterwards as the Castle pensioner, should draw the petition. Mr. O'Gorman also declared his intention of framing one. But, at a. subsequent meeting of the Com- 136 LIFE AND TIMES OF mittee, Mr. Sheil's draft was alone produced for discus- sion. Mr. Bellbw's was printed in one of the Newspa- pers, and O'Qorman's was not heard of. At the Aggre- gate Meeting, held in pursuance of the plan of action thus adopted, Lord Fingall refused to preside j and again seceded from the Catholic body, because the Resolution called for unqualified Emancipation. It was at this meet- ing, Mr, O'Connell established, on a solid basis, his Lead- ership, and rendered the question of unqualified Emancipa- tion triumphant. We have already stated, that when O'Connell found Government were determined to strain the Convention Act to the utmost, and not permit the existence of any delegated committee, for the management of Catholic aflfairs ; he issued circulars to a number of gentlemen to meet him, as individuals, in Capel-Street. From that circular arose the Catholic Association. It was at one of the early meetings of this body, that Mr. O'Connell called the municipal functionaries of Dublin, *' a beggarly Corporation." He had become exceedingly obnoxious to the Orange party; particularly after his attack on Saurin. He was, we need not say, an object of intense hatred, within the precincts of the Castle. To get rid of such a man, would be an invaluable service. The '* in- sult" he had put on the immaculate and wealthy Corpora- tion, offered too inviting an opportunity to be passed over. A champion of Ascendency appeared in the person of Captain D'Esterre. The whole of this painful episode in the life of our illustrious countryman, deserve^ to be given to the reader, the more particularly, as we know: it was a transaction that preyed much on his mind in his last days. We, therefore, adopt the account of the transaction, literatim, from the newspaper pubKcatioas of the day ; adding, at the termination, a, few particula.rs u.pt generally knowii:.— r DANIEL O CONNELL. ' X37 " We regret much we are forced to record one of those occurrences, which prove how much the feelings of false honour predominate over the dictates of reason and the maxims of morality. If we devote more space to the re- cital, than such a subject would appear to deserve, it is because we cannot ayoid looking upon the aggression to have been made by an intolerant party, for the purpose of endeavouring to terrify into silence, those who would be sufficiently able and honest to expose the oppressors of their country, or the false hretliren who would betray her for their own private emolument ; and because we are aware of the anxiety to read the particulars of a trans- action in which O'CoNNELL was implicated." "Mr. O'CoNNELL applied the words "Beggarly Corporation" to the Aldermen and Common Council of Dublin, in a discussion at Capel-street, on the 22nd of January, 1815. Certainly, expressions infinitely more con- temptuous were applied to this body, from time immemorial. They were stated, generally speaking, to comprise neither the Mercantile Interest of Dublin, nor a tithe thereof. They were described as Bankrupts in reputation and in fortune — as a convocation of Policemeni Jobbers, and Place-hunters. Every epithet expressive of derision, every term, by which scorn could be indicated, had been applied to them, from the moment Mr. Giffard raised his bold front in that assembly. It is not now the question, whe» ther this treatment of the "second Corporation in the Empire," was justifiable or not. They may have been the reverse of all that has been sung or said to their pre- judice — they may have possessed the wealth, talent, and integrity, not only of the City, but of the Kingdom ; Mr, Giffard may have been a Wiiitbread, in eloquence -and honesty, and Saint Macauley, another Wilder- FORCE, notwithstanding his support of the White Slave Trade— Alderman Alexander, the Bank of England N 2 138 lirE AND TIMES OV personified, and Alderman Reed, the intellect of the India! House — but certain it is, the Corporation had always been described as very contemptible. Mr. O'Connell, therefore, said nothing new nor rare» when he called it a "Beggarly Corporation." They had been listenmg td the charge for forty years, and never thought of re- butting it by the valorous ordeal of the Duello." "On the 22nd January, the offensive words were uttered. Mr. D'Esterre's friends took time, until the 25th, to consider whether it would be advisable to take personal notice of them. Three days elapsed. A victim, perhaps, was wanting — a man with more courage than prudence. Be this, however, as it may, Mr.D'EsxERRE.on the 25th^ wrote for an explanation. He received such an answer as a prudent man and a bold man should give. What, then, did Mr. D'Esterre's friends do ? TMd they advise Mr. D'Esterre to send a Message ? did they act as honourable men ? as men wishing to vindicate the reputa- tion of their friend for courage, or for common sense ?** " What did these men, and the Political Convocation with whom they acted on this great occasion-— what did they do? They advised Mr. D'Esterre to send another letter, after Mr. O'Connell had expressly declined any further epistolary intercourse. This was a plump defiance flung in Mr. D'Esterre's teeth by Mr. O'Connell. Ho wrote a scolding letter, which was returned with expres- sions of contempt and insult by Mr. James O'Connell. Thus his friends subjected Mr. D'Estkrre to a second insult, more grievous than the first. In this emergency, with a double insult upon him, they advised him to carry a horse whip, and to offer personal violence to Mr. O'Connell." "On the 1st of Feb., nearly eleven days after the insult ivas received, and eight days after explanation was de- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 139 manded and refused, this misled gentleman was advised to send a message.** "The deadly hostility, with which the Councils of Into- lerance had encoulitered the Catholic Petitioners, threat-, enfed to produce a corresponding but tremfendous reaction. Individuals were proscribed by the scurrility of the Cas- tle Press} and with cowardly baseness pointed out, as ob- jects of sanguinary aggression. *ro this soui^ce, every observant person ascribes the Duel. Sotiie time before, Mr. D'EsTERRE, announcing himself as a candidate for the ofiice of City Sheriff— his friends in the Corporation had remarked instances of Castle favour bestowed upon men, whose sole merit consisted in an opposition, or show of opposition, to Counsellor O'Connell orhis friends. — This experience probably suggested the idea of promot- ing Mr. D'Esterre's Civic objects, by a repetition of the practice. The experiment, however, proved fatal in the present instance." " Mr. D'EsTERRE was unfortunately advised to select Mr. O'Connell as hisAdversary. Accordingly, onThurs- day, the 26th of January, he addressed a Letter to Mr. O'Connell, in the following words:— " Sir — Carrick's Paper of the 23d inst., in its Report of the Debates of a Meeting of the Catholic Gentlemen, on the subject of a Petition, states, that you applied the appellation of Beggarly, to the Corporation of this City, calling it a beggarly Corporation ; and, therefore, as a member of that body, and feeling how painful such is, I beg leave to inquire, whether you really used or expiessed yourself in such language. * * I feel the more justified in calling on you on this oc- casion, as such language was not warranted or provoked by any thing on the part of the Corporation ; neither was it consistent with the subject of your Debate, or the de- portment of the other Catholic gentlemen, who were pre- 140 I-IFB AND TIMES OF sent ; and, though I view it so inconsistent in every res- pect, I am in hopes, the Editor is under error, and not you. " I have further to request your reply in the course of the e,Yeniag — and remain, Sir, your obedient Servant, ♦« J. N. D'ESTERRE, " 11, Bachelor's-Walk, 26th Jan., 1815. • ** To Counsellor O'Connell, Merrion- square." ** Mr. O'Connell replied as follows : — " Sir— In reply to your letter of yesterday,' and with- out either admitting or disclaiming the expression respec- ting the Corporation of Dublin, in the print to which you allude, I deem it right to inform you, that, from the ca- 1 mnious manner in which the Religion and Character ,of the Catholics of Ireland are treated in that body, no terms attributed to me, however reproachful, can exceed the contemptuous feelings I entertain for that body in its cor- porate capacity — although, doubtless, it contains many valuable persons, whose conduct, aslndividuals, (I la- ment) must necessarily be confounded in the acts of the general body. '•I have only to add, that tiiis Letter must close our Correspondence on this subject. I am, Sjc, &c. " DANIEL O'CONNELL. " Merrion-square, January 27, 1814. " To J.N. D'EsTERRE, Esq., 11, Bachelors' Walk." Mr. D'Ehteree Avas advised to persist in the corres- pondence, and addressed another Letter, (but directed in a different handwriting,) to ]\Xr. O'Connell. It was returned to him by Mr, James O'Connell, inclosed in a letter couched in the following terras : ** Sir — From the tenor of your letter of yesterday, my brother did not expect that your next communication would have been made in writing/. Jle, directed ni3 to DA.NIEL O'CONNELL. 141 Open his letters in his absence: your last letter, bearinpf a different address from the former one, was opened to me ; but upon perceiving the name subscribed, I have declined to read it ; and by his directions, T return it to you inclosed, and unread — I am. Sir, your obedient ser- rant, "JAMES O'CONNELL. " Merrion Square, Friday Evening. " To J. N. D'EsTERRB, Esq,, 11, Bachelors'-walk." "Things remained in this position until Sunday follow- ing. On that day Mr. James O'Connell received a note from Mr. D'Esterre, containing disrespectful ob- servations on himself and his brother. Immediately on the receipt of it, he sent his friend, Captain O'Mullane, to Mr. D'Esterre, to say, that after he adjusted his affair with his brother, he would bring him to an account for his conduct to himself peculiarly. Captain O'Mul- lane at the same time intimated that Counsellor O'Con- nell was astonished at his not hearing, in what he con- ceived the proper way, from Mr. D'Esterre. Nothing further happened on Sunday ; and on Monday morning, Mr. LiDWELL, who remained in Dublin several days, to be the friend of Mr. O'Connell, though some members of his family were seriously indisposed, left town fo home, despairing of any issue being put to the contro- versy. Monday passed on, and on Tuesday considerable sensation was created by a rumour that Mr. D'Esterre was advised to go to the Four Courts, to offer Mr. O'Connell personal violence. Neither of the parties came in contact ; but it seems that Mr. D'Esterre was met on one of the quays by Mr. Richard O'Gorman, who remonstrated with him, by stating that he conceived he was pursuing a very unusual sort of conduct. *' You conceive," said ho "that you received an offence from H2 riFB AND TIMJiS OP Mr. O'CoNNELL — if so, your course is to demand satis- faction. This, I understand, you have not as yet done ; but if you are now resolved to do so, I undertake, on for- feiture of having- a riddle made of my body, to have Mr. O'CoNNELL on his ground in half an hour." This oc- curred about 3 o'clock, but no challenge followed. At four it was understood that Mr. D'Esterre was on the streets, and Mr. O'Connell paraded about with one or two friends, but did not come across his antagonist — A multitude soon collected about him, and he used se- veral expedients to avoid them. He wont into Tut- hill's, in Dawson Street, at one time, and came out through the stable yard. Still, however, a crowd pressed on, among whom there could not be less than five hundred gentlemen of respectability ; all of whom seemed carried away with a singular enthusiasm in favour of " the Man of the People," Mr. O'Connell, then, had no other resource left, than to take re- fuge in a house in Exchequer Street. In a short time, however, he was assailed by the most formidable interruption which he had yet encountered. Judge Day en- tered in his magisterial capacity, to put him under arrest. The Honorable Justice said, he would be satisfied if he had the guarantee of Mr. O'Connell's honor, that he would proceed no further in the business. ** It is not my duty, Mr. Justice," said Mr. O'Connell, '* to be the aggressor — I will, therefore pledge ray honor that I will not be the aggressor — further, however, I must tell you, that human consideration will not induce me to go." The Honorable Judge then rotired.and Mr. O'Connell shortly after repaired to Merrion-square. In the meantime, it was observed that Mr. D'Esterre was in a shop iu Grafton-street, surrounded b> a number of friends. Tuesday, then, ended without a challenge." DANIEL o'cONNELt,. 143 •'On Wednesday morning, however, Sir E. Stanley, as the friend of Mr. D'Esterue, waited upon Mr. O'Con- NELL, with the hostile message so long expected (Sir Edward was one of the Duke of Richmond's City Knights, Wine Merchant to the Castle, and raade Bar- rack-Master to the City of Dublin, at a salary of j^800 a year, by the Duke.) — The message was accepted; the necessary measures were arranged between Sir Edward and Major Macnamara, of the Co. Clare, son-in-law of Judge FiNucANE, eldest son of Francis Macnamara, ofDoolen, Esq., an officer of consummate bravery and polished manners. The hour ajtpointed was 3 o'clock on Wednesday ; the place, Bishop's -court Demesne, Lord Ponsonbt's seat.in the co. Kildare, 13 miles distant from town. It was agreed by the seconds^ that the distance should be ten paces ; and that each party should hare a case of pistols, to fire according to his judgment. They fired nearly at the same instant." ** Mr. D'Esterre's bullet fell short ; but he received that of Counsellor O'Connell, in the thick part of the thigh, which occasioned his immediate fall, and termin- ated the encounter. Surgeons Macklin and Peele were in attendance ; and notwithstanding the universal opinion of Mr. D'Esterre's being killed, the skill of those eminent gentlemen had so far restored their patient, as that hopes were entertained of his recovery. Nothing could be more correct or honorable than the conduct of the parties upon the ground; Mr. O'Connell displayed all the gentleness of heart, so peculiarly belonging to his character ; and his particular request to his Medical Friend, before taking his ground, was this — " Should " any fatality happen, to my opponent, I entreat you to " consider him as your patient— treat him- with all th^- '^ care vou would devote to mo." 144 LirB AND TIMES OF "When it had been agreed by the Seconds that the op- ponents were to take their ground with a case of pistols each, to use as they thought proper ; Sir Edward Stanlej, Mr. D'Esterre's friend, addressed Major Macnamara, Mr. O'Connell's friend, as follows :"— ••Sir Edward — Well, Sir, when each has discharged his case of pistols, I hope the affair will be considered as ter- minated, and that we leave the ground." "Major Macnamara — Sir, you may, of course, take your friend from the ground, when you please. You, Sir, are the challenger, and you may retire from the ground whenever you think proper ; but I shall not enter into any such condition as you propose. However, it is pro- bable there may be no occasion to discharge the whole of a case of pistols." ♦• The opponents took their ground, and the first shot terminated the affair as already stated." " The Surgical report of Thursday noon was, that the state of Mr. D'Estkrre was of a doubtful nature. Tho ball had " traversed the thigh," and after penetrating about the depth of an inch, passed round to the rere, and lodged in tho most fleshy part, from which it could not be extracted without agony and serious danger. All along the road, as the parties returned from the ground, the people loudly, expressed their joy at Mr.O'CoNNELL's safety." " On Thursday night, it was ascertained that Mr. D'EsTERRE was shot through the body, and that the ball had probably passed through the bladder. The Surgeons declared that if it turned out that such was the case, Mr.D'EsTERRE could not recover." The Papers of the day go on to say : — •• Sunday, 5th February, 1815. " Mr.D'EsTERRE unfortunately died on Friday, and his remains were interred in St. Mary's Church, at an early DANIEL O'CONNELL. 145 hour. His friends expressed a wish to bury the unhappy circumstances of his case in oblivion, and an official letter was forwarded by them to Mr. O'Connell to that effect, and assuring him that they had not the least dis- position to resort to any further proceedings. It appears that the deceased was in very distressed circumstances : the executors of a Mr. Boles Reeves, an Attorney, issued an execution against the property of the deceased on Saturday evening, for a very large sum. The en- forcement of the writ was attended with some circum- stances of a very awkward nature. Mr. O'CoNNELL had not gone abroad since Wednesday — his characteristically generous and benevolent feelings had been very deeply affected ; but his manly forbearance and well-regulated courage, were the subjects of general approval." Another paper writes: — ' * The fatal result of the duel is well known — Mr. D'EsTERRE is dead, and it is impossible not to deplore the fate of the unfortunate man who has fallen a victim to his own infatuation, or to the impetuosity of his tem- per, or to the malignant advice of men, with cruel hearts, but without the courage which distinguished the mis- guided deceased gentleman." ., *• The Duel must be considered as a party quarrel. It is impossible to view it in any other light ; because Mr. D'EsTERRE could not allege,that he hadreceived any per- sonal insult, and because ho could not substantiate the opinion, on which alone he grounded his right to chal- lenge Mr. O'CoNNELL. Mr. O'Connell called the Cor- poration of Dublin, a beggarly contemptible Corporation, and Mr. D'Esterre, though he demanded satisfaction for the words uttered against that body, could not prove that the allegation was false— Mr. D'Esterre could not prove that the Corporation, according to the import of o 116 LIFE AND TIMES Of the words, in a general application, was not a beggarly Corporation; and, therefore, the duel must be considered as an effort to immolate a Catholic, in order to maintain, by the sacrifice of Catholic blood, a proposition in defence of the character of the City, which every person knew to be false." "No man," remarked a Dublin Paper, writing on thi$ affair with D'Esterbe, "made more personal enemies than O'CoNNELL. His intrepid denunciation of every bigot, of every persecutor, of every ferocious Orangeman, and of every trafficker in the liberties of the people, has raised him a host of enemies. He is hated by the venal wretches who oppose Catholic Emancipation, and who are the ene- mies of Irish prosperity. They hate him ; but henceforth they must endure something Averse than the stings of ha- tred. They will fear the man they hate, and they will ex- hibit all the characteristics of that state to which nature assigned them. They will resemble trembling slaves The Duel, fortunately for the safety of the life of a man, 60 dear to Ireland, as Mr. O'Connell is, has established two facts. It has proved that Mr. O'Connell possesses in a pre eminent degree, a cool intrepidity which no dan- ger, however frightful to others, can affect. lie will, therefore,be henceforth known, as a man who will be ready to fight on a moment's notice. But the result of the Duel establishes another fact, on account of which he will be also known as a man, who adds all the scientific precision of a marksman, shooting for his amusement. Henceforth, his right hand will be considered as guided in such cases by the Angel of Death, and any champion for the ideal dignity of the Corporation, or any nominal vindicator of any imaginary insult, Avill think, before he shall send a challenge to Mr. O'Connell, whether he ought not, in 1)AN1EL O'CONNELL. 147 anticipation of his fate, to exclaim witli the Sybil, in the Roman Poet"— Facilis descensus Averni ! *'We deprecate,however, such a procedure; and we ex- hort tho different parties, who may think themselves ag- grieved by the freedom of public discussion, to resoft td tho proper tribunals, which will afford redress and vindi- eato character. But, abtDve ail things, Wo ex- hort Mr. O'CoNTNELL never again to take notice of such a call, but to appeal to the laws of his country, against any attempt to take away his life; whether the attempt bo the result of a Quixotic irregularity of mind ; or of some* thing worse than the influence of a heated imagination. "Mr.D'EstERRE solemnly declared on the ground,that he had no hostility to Catholics. Such a declaration was superfluous; because public opinion on the subject would be guided more by his acts than his professions. Let him be tried by a reference to his conduct I Who were his as- sociates? — Who were his political companions? — The tree is known by the fruit : and Mr.D'EsTKRRE's words can be easily bromght to the test, **Mr. D'EsTERRB expired, without a groan. Early in the morning, having passed a very bad night, he exhibit- ed the most alarming symptoms, and Surgeons Macklin and Peele despaired of his recovery. Mr. Crampton was called in, and at nine o'clock in the morning, the}- pronounced the woundto be mortal. Until that moment* his wife had not been apprized of his situation, being ab- sent from the house, and kept in ignorance of the trans- action. It was now, however, deemed necessary to send for her. The meeting may be imagined.-— Not a tear ^scape^i her. She remained unmoved and insensible. He was perfectly aware of his dis- solution, and with that coolness and fortitude which 148 LIFE AND TIMES OP lie SO uniformly displayed, endeavoured to urge her to composure. He next called for a clergyman, and having^ received the sacrament, and occupied an hour in ardent devotion, turned his attention on worldly affairs. His re- lations, who surrounded him, having informed him that it had been insinuated in some of the Papers, he bad been urged to the business by a party, ho desired that Sir Edward Stanley should be called to him, and in tho prosenco of all his relations and friends, embraced him in the most ardent manner ; stated that he was sorry io find that his humane interference had been so unfairly represented ; assured his wife and family that the entire correspondence had taken place without his consulting any individual in the world ; that Sir E. Stanley was not acquainted with any circumstance, till he (Mr. D'Esterre) was called on by Mr. James O'Connell ; and that all the solicitations of Sir Edward Stanley, or the whole world, Avould not have induced him to have abandoned the cause which he had espoused. He then thanked Sir Edward for his exertions for him, and he laid his head upon the pillow, and in less than half an hour breathed his last." In some respects, the accounts we have given from the papers, differ from the version communicated to us, as tho statement of one who bad been present during the wholft transaction. For instance, the papers say that the par- ties did not meet in the streets. Tho circumstances de- tailed to us, do not justify that statement. It appears, that after tho correspondence between the parties, Mr. O'Connell was attending his professional duties at the Four Courts,and was in tho act of addressing tho Judges, in some case or other, when his brother came in, and in- timated to him that Mr. D'Esterre was on the quay op- posite the Courts, with a whip in his hand, waiting to DANIEL O'CONNELL. 149 meet hiin. Mr. O'Connell requested his brother to wait, until he had concluded his observations, and he then asked him where D'Esterre was, in order that he might proceed in that direction, Haviog been in- formed, he left the Court, and meeting D'Esterre, the latter lifted his Vvhip and shook it over Mr. O'Connell's head. A collision was about to •ensue, when the bye- standere iaterferofl, and Mr. D'Esterre was forced into a shop, in order to avoid the indignation of the crowd. It has been stated, among the many accounts connected with this memorable transaction, that there was living near Ennis, County of Clare, a gentleman named M'Namara, whether he was a Major in the army or not has not been positively asserted, but the story goes that such were his rank and profession. It is said, he was a member of the Moriesque family, in that county, and that Mr, O'Connell, in writing to his friend Major M'Namara, of DooLBN, addressed his letter to "En- nis," where M'Namara, of Moriesque, received it. DooLEN is far away from that town, on the coast, and near the county of Gal way ; Moriesque is nearEnnis.The letter having been opened by M'Namara of Moriesque, and the absence from home of his namesake, for whom it was intended, discovered by him, he is stated fo have exclaimed, that O'Connell should not want a friend ^ and it is added, that he actually set off to Dublin, and was much disappointed, when he found Major M'Namara, of Doolen, at his post before him. He was remarkable for his intrepidity and skill in affairs of ho- nor, and hence he had acquired the soubriquet of " Fire Ball." Another version of the story, and a simpler one, is, that there were two Major M*NAMARA's,and that O'Con- kell's letter, intended for one, being misdirected, reach- 2 150 LIFE AND TIMES OF ed the other ; who, at once seeing the mistake,and think' ing there was no time to remedy it, volunteered to be O'Gonnell's friend, and posting off to Dublin, acted in that capacity. We have made every inquiry into both these state- ments, and can discover no foundation for either. No- thing of the kind, we believe, occurred. The present Member for Clare, was the party, to whom,and no other, the letter was addressed, and by whom it was receivedv He was previously an intimate personal friend of O'Gon- nell's, and possessed great experience in affairs of honor. Major M'Namara, of Doolen, having been com- missioned by O'CoNNELL, proceeded to Sir Edward Stanley to arrange the meeting. By him, it was pro- posed that the mode of fighting should be after the fol- lowing fashion. He suggested, that both should be hand- ed a brace of pistols ; reserve their shots until the signal, and then fire when they pleased ; advancing or re- tiring after each shot, as they thought proper. Major M'Namara would not assent to this mode of fight- ing, without first consulting Mr. O'Connell and his friends. O'Connell, at once directed him to accept the terms. Major M'Namara then, returned to Sir Edward Stanley, and finally arranged the meetiog. The parties proceeded to take their ground, and were handed a brace of pistols each. The signal was given. Both reserved their fire or some moments. Mr. D'Es- TEUUE first changed his position, moving a pace towards the left hand, and then stepped towards Mr. O'Con- nelj.. Hi^ object wa,s,to induce him to fire, more oriels at random. He lifted his pistol, as if about to fire. Mr. O'Connell iusti^ntly presented, pulled the trigger, and the unfortunate man fell. In close attendftnee on O'Connell, at the ground, wer« DANIEL CONNELL 16 1 Major M'Namara, Nicholas Purcell O'Gorman, and Richard Nugent Bennett, as seconds and friends ; for all may be said to have acted in the double capacity ; a» they stood round him, while preliminaries were in course of arrangement, to prevent his being •' marked in,'' as the phrase is. D'Esterre, at the same time, stood, apparent- ly with cool indifference, twirling his right leg round a cane he held in his hand, until the moment came when both principals were called on to confront each other Such was the anxiety of O'Connell's personal friends, as to the result of the duel, that a Catholic Priest, Fa- ther O'Mullane, an estimable Clergyman from the Diocese of Derry, posted out to the place of meeting, without apprising any one of his intention, and station- ed himself in a neighbouring cottage, for the purpose of being at hand, to render spiritual assistance to O'Con- nell, in the event of his being wounded. This good Priest afterwards died in the West Indies. It was reported in Dublin, that Mr. O'Connell was shot ; and a party of Dragoons were despatched from Dublin, for the protection of Mr. D'Esterre. On their way, the Officer by whom they were commanded, met, on its return, the carriage containing Mr. O'Connell and his brother. The OflScer called on the postillions to stop ; whereupon Mr. James O'Connell pulled down the win- dow. The OflScer addressing him> asked if they had been present at the duel, to which he replied in the affir- mative. The Officer then said, " Is it true Mr. O'Con- nell has been shot?" Mr. James O'Connell replied, " No; the reverse is the fact ; Mr.D'EsTERRE has unfor- tunately fallen." The announcement had a visible effect upon the military; they were not prepared for the intel- ligence ; and something like consternation was exhibited. The carriage was allowed to proceed ; the military p arty being evidently not aware who were its occupants. 152 LIFE AND TIMES OF When Mr. D'Esterre fell, the spectators could not re- frain giving expression to their excited feelings; thej actually shouted, and a young Collegian who was present, and who is now an excellent exemplary Protestant Clergy- man, was so carried away by the general feeling, as to fling up his hat in the air, and shout " Huzza for O'Con- NELL ! I" Very different was the conduct of the three occupants of O'Connell's carriage. They displayed no exultation. The moment D'Esterre fell, they went off; and though the place of meeting was near Naas, they were close to Dublin before a single word was exchanged between them. At last O'Connell broke the silence, jaying, *' I fear he is dead, he fell so suddenly. Where do you think he was hit?" "In the head, I think," said his medical friend. '* That cannot be — I aimed low : the ball must have entered near the thigh." This will be considered a remarkable observation,when it is recollected where, as was subsequently found, the wound was inflicted. It shows the perfect coolness and humanity of O'Connell. Being one of the surest shots that ever fired a pistol, he could have hit his antagonist where he pleased. But his object was, merely, in self-defence, to wound him in no mortal part ; and he aimed low with that intention. The excitement in Dublin, when the result was known, cannot be described ; and, indeed, is scarcely to be cre- dited by those who were not then in the Metropolis. Over seven hundred gentlemen left their cards at Mr. O'Con- nell's the day after the occurrence. Great commiseration was felt forD'EsTERRE's family,butitwas considered, that he himself lost his life foolishly. He was not called on to be the Corporate Champion, We may add, that he was an Officer in the Navy, and an eccentric character. He, at one time played off rather a serious joke upon his friends, who resided near Cork. He wrote to them from DANIEL O'CONNELL, Ifyl) abroad, that he was sentenced to be hanged for niuLiiiy, and implored of them to use every interest to save him Lord Shannon interested himself in the affair, and th(> greatest trouble was taken to obtain a pardon. But it turned out to be a hoax practised by D'Esterre, when under the influence of the Jolly God. Knowing his. cha- racter, many even of opposite politics, notwithstanding the party spirit that then prevailed, regretted the issu» the unfortunate gentleman provoked. When the carriage reached O'Connell's residence in Merrion Square, he requested his brother to go imme- diately to Dr. Murray, the Catholic Coadjutor Arch- bishop, to communicate to his Lordship the melancholy result, and say how deeply he deplored the occurrence. " Heaven be praised," exclaimed his Lordship; think- ing for the moment only of the Liderator's escape, •• Ireland is safe ;" so highly and prophetically did he even then regard the life and future services of O'Con- NELL. On his return from Dr. Murray's, Mr. James O'Connell was requested by his brother to retain Mr. Richard Pennefather, now Baron Pennefatber, to defend him in case of need. The precaution was, how- ever, unnecessary, as will appear from the subjoined let- ter, which, the day after the death of D'Esterre, Mr. O'Connell received from Sir Edward Stanley, the friend of the deceased : " Royal Barracks, 4th Feb. 1815. " Sir, — Lest your professional avocations should be interrupted by an apprehension of any proceeding being in contemplation, in consequence of the late inelancholj event, I have the honour to inform you, that there is not the most distant intention of any prosecution whatever,on 154 LIFE AND TIMES OP the part of the family or friends of the late Mr. D'Es- TERRE. " I have the honor to be, Sir, *• Your most obedient humble servant, ** Edward Stanley. •• Daniel O'Connell, Esq., Merrion-square."* To this Mr. O'Connell returned the following reply : " Merrion-Square, 5th Feb., 1815. *' Sib, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday ; and I beg of you to accept my sincere thanks for your very polite and considerato attention. " It is to me a mournful consolation, to meet such ge- nerous sentiments from those who must be afflicted at the late imhappy event. But, believe me, my regret at that event is most sincere and unaffected ; and, if I know my own heart, I can with the strictest truth assert, that no person can feel for the loss society has sustained in tha death of Mr. D'Esterre, with more deep and lasting sorrow than I do. •* Allow mo again to thank you, Sir, for the courtesy of your letter — a courtesy quite consistent with the gentle- manly demeanour of your entire conduct in this melan- choly transaction. '* I have the honour to be, Sir, •' Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) *' Daniel O'Connell. '* Sir Edward Stanley." Thus terminated an affair which made afterwards so deep an impression on O'Connell's mind, and influence in so decisive a manner his future career. It created alast- ing and universal sensation; and the details, at this day, DANIEL O'CONNELL. 15^ will be read with the deepest interest. It is a fact known to many, that O'Connell offered to secure a handsome annual provision for Mr. D'Esterre's Widow. Indeed, his words were—'* to share his income with her." But the offer was refused. He acted, however, subsequently, in the noblest manner, to a daughter of Mr. D'Esterre's •—a roost accomplished lady, whose circumstances were not aflSuent. She was allowed by him an annuity, to the day of his death—and to her mother he was over ready to afford any kindness in his power. A short time pre- vious to an Assizes at Cork, having been specially re- tained togo another circuit, pressing letters were written to him, in order to induce him to come down to Cork Some important cases were to be tried there, and his professional assistance was earnt'stly required. He de- clined attending ; but receiving a letter from the late Rev. T. England, P. P., Passage, stating that the plaintiff in one of those cases, was the Widow of Mr. D'Esterre, and that to her and her children a favoura- ble result was of the last importance ; he threw up his special briefs, his large retaining fees, and, proceeding to Cork, acted on her behalf, and succeeded in obtaining a ?erdict. An anecdote of the late Sir Michael O'Loghlin, connected with this fatal transaction, will be read with interest. It is a singular circumstance, that Sir Mi- chael O'LoGHLiN owed his great, though justly merited, success, in a great degree to O'Connell's retirement from the profession. His briefs were speedily given to his friend and junior ; and a way, too, was opened for him, as a Catholic, to reach professional dignity, of which his political position deprived O'Connell. At the time of the duel, term was going on,andO'LoGHLiN was engaged in a ease in the King's Bench with O'Connell, It 156 LIFE AND TIMES OP Tvas a cause of great importance. '* When it came on," says the writer in the Metropolitan Magazine, from which we extract it. "the Court echoed a dozen times to the cry •* call Daniel O'Connell, Esq.;" Daniel was not forth- coming. O'LoGHLiN then informed theCourt.that his senior counsel happened to be engaged in a very unfortunate cir- cumstance, which prevented his appearance there on that day. He then applied for a postponement, because of his senior's absence, and his own inability to argue so impor- tant a cause ; but the Bench was peremptory— deaf as adders to the repeated remonstrances of the junior : he was desired to begin. And fortunate for him was the judicial inflexibility ! He now beheld the first streak of light in the opening of the cloud — all depended on the ability with which he was to conduct that case. Op- posed to him were some of the ablest lawyers at the Bar. Opposed to them was a beardless youth, unnoticed and unknown — a Troilus encountering Achilles 1 Such were the disheartening odds . But he quickly gathered up his energies — looked for a moment or two on some notes on the back of his brief, and commenced. His modesty, and extremely juvenile appearance, operated strongly on the Court ; they listened to hiui Avith marked attention, and cheered his progress with nods of appro- bation.Hehad,however,morethan youth and modesty tore- commend him to their favour. He astonished Bench and Bar alike,by his clear and prompt exposition ofintricate facts; di- vesting the statement of all surplus matter, and putting pro- minently for ward such facts only as were important — by the masterly skill with whichhe connected them, by strong and seai'ching principles of law, which he skillfully applied to them — and by the process of reasoning, orderly and logi- cal, with which he wove out the whole tissue of brilliant argument of two hours' duration. Such an unexpected DANIEL O CONNELL. 157 exhibition of power surprised the court; and they compli- meated him in terras as flattering as they were merited. The Tribonians of the inner bar, caught a Tartar instead of a calf, as they fondly anticipated. Even Mr. Cooper, unpursed the edge of his right eye, which always had a most fascinating tendency to winking, and looked serious a moment.— The case occupied the court* for several conse- cutive days, and he fought alone. Mr. O'Connell was too much occupied with the distracting consequences of that fatal fray, to devote any time to briefs. The reply devolved on Mr. O'Loughlin, and it far surpassed his first effort in power and learning. The "native hue was brushed away,"and with increased confidence he acquired increased strength. He had now weighed anchor—'* the «hip was cleared, the harbour cleared, "and he was fairly afloat. We may add, in dismissing this transaction, that Mr. D'EsTERRE, after he left the Navy, was a provision mer- chant atid contractor, lived on Bachelors'-walk, Dublin, and on the way to the Four Courts, it was necessary to pass his house. For years after the fatal encounter, it was observed, that whenever O'Connell passed the house, he always lifted his hat, but not in a manner to attract public observation ; and his lips were seen to move, as if in silent prayer. This continued for several years. Mr. O'Connell soon after resumed his political la- bours, resolved that the Catholic cause should not rest in abeyance. He had no notion of permitting his vene- ration for Grattan to overrule the duty he owed to his country. Grattan was opposed to pressing forward the Calholic claims, in Parliament, until the " securities" were obtained—O'CoNNELL determined they should be prosecuted. Grattan was therefore passed over, and the Catholic petition consigned to the hands of Sir Hen- 158 MFE AND TIMES OP RY Parnell. There can te no question,that the Prince Regbnt's known reluctance to have even their claims dis- cussed, operated materially against the Catholics, and accounts, in some degree, for the apathy by which their best friends were then distinguished. It was the current rumour of the day, that the Regent was influenced by a noble female, if v^e recollect rightly, it was the Mar- chioness of ' in his dogged hostility to the Catholic claims. The Regent's great characteristics were self-indulgence, selfishness, and love of ease. He cared very little for public matters, except so far as they interfered with his own comforts, or clashed with his prejudices. Those who surrounded him, as courtiers, M'ere deadly foes of the Catholics. We are sorry to add, that the ladies of the Court — those who then conde- scended to enter the precincts of Windsor and Carlton- HousE, were most violent in their prejudices. What ease ootild the pious Regent have, if he went against the current, and even hinted at doing justice to the Irish Catholics? This feeling was for years known to the Catholic Leaders, to exist in the Regent's breast ; how- ever inconsistent its retention may be with the m'cU- known intimacy between him and the great Catholic advocate, Lord Donoughmore ; and however inconsis- tent, too, with his professions on the occasion of his visit, us King, to Dublin. It was, however, the knowledge of this antipathy, that induced, in 1813, the Catholic Body to pass the Resolutions to which we have already alluded — known afterwards as the witchery Uesolntions ; because in one of them it was plainly asserted that theRECENT's hostility arose from the " witchery" under the influence of which he lived. This hostility, undoubtedly, had its effects on the spirits of the Boman Catholics. They were easily depressed. They had not then sufiicicnt detcrmina^ tion and perseverance to bear up boldly against difficulties. DAl^IEL o'cONNELli 159 In the meantime, the Veto controversy went on with increasing virulence. The popular party were seriously alarmed, lest the Pope should yield to the demands of the English Catholic Board, whose views were pressed on the Roman Court by Dr. Poynter. It was said, too, that his Holiness was so anxious to get possession of the Pontine marshes, hitherto held by Murat, that he was willing to give Castlereagh the Veto, as an equivalent; and ru- mours went the round of the papers, of certain negocia- tions with his Lordship, while at the Congress of Vienna. When Dr. Murray returned from Rome — where, as has been- already stated, he and other Irish prelates went, in company with Dr.. Milner, to protect, by their pre- sence, the Irish Church from the undue interference with his Holiness of the Catholic aristocracy — a deputation from the Catholic body waited on his Grace, to ascertain the result of his mission. Though no precise information could be obtained, the interview left a favorable impres- sion on the deputation, and a "conviction grew up in the public mind, that the danger of a Veto was averted. The hopes of the People and Clergy rose in consequence. A remonstrance against any concession by the Court of Rome to the English Government, however, was, towards the close of the year, addressed by the Catholic Associa- tion to the Pope. This celebrated document was com- mitted to the charge of a deputation, to which the Rev. Mr. Hayes, a Dominican friar, was appointed secretary. The deputation did not set out, and the Rev. Gentleman alone proceeded with the remonstrance to Rome; where, assuming the habit of his order, as the Court dress, ho had an audience of his Holiness, and presented the docu- ment. He was graciously received. The result of these uegociations was, that, though the return of Napoleon from Elba,and his subsequent successes.obligedhis Holi- 16^0 itFE AND TIMES 0*' ^Ess again to quit Rome, the Pope was determined that nothing should be done to displease the Irish Hierarchy, however anxious he was to testify his gratitude to theEng- lish Government. Leaving the negociations going on at Rome, for the^ present, let us revert to the history of the Catholic cause in Ireland. Great excitement prevailed throughout tho three Provinces, and in Dublin, on the Veto question. Meetings were convened in various quarters. One was held in Cork, and was made remarkable both by Mr. O'Con- kell's presence and his powerful address tO' the peo- ple. The speech was a brilliant anti-Vetoist one. — After tracing the history of the enactment and repeal of the penal laws, he then adverted to a recent charge, de- livered by Judge Day, which was a political disquisition ouianating from the Bench. It was a violent attack on the Catholic Association, denouncing it as an illegal body* It was precisely the same kind of thing as tho celebrated charge of Baron Smith in 1834, and which O'CoNNELL himself brought under the consideration of Parliament. It is singular that the defence set up on that occasion, for Baron Smith, was, that he had but followed the example of Judge Day, who, though a friend of the Catholics, thus attacked their Association, O'Connell, in 1815, had no power to impeach in Parliament tho conduct of a Judge ; but at the Cork meeting, to which we allude, he did not spare his Lordship. Though there were many private reasons, for his passing over remark* coming from that quarter, he was unmerciful in hia lace- ration of the learned functionary. O'Connell's method of thus dealing with the great, has been often blamed even by his friends. It is said, that both his father and his uncle Maurice, of Derrynaue, used their influence Avith him». to abandon the system of DANIEL O'CONNELL. 161 attack, he was so fond of adopting. He resolutely refused^ though the refusal might have cost him an inheritance ; for his Uncle was not bound to make him his heir, and his leaning was, to the conciliatory policy. 0*Con- NELL knew better what was necessary for the cause of the trodden-down Catholic, which he so enthusiastically advo- cated. We have already spoken of this '* rough work" policy of his, and alluded to the well-ascertained opinion of Lord FiNGALL, expressed in his last moments. The circumstance so fully vindicates O'ConnelLjOU a subject on which he has been more violently abused than on any other, that we cannot defer giving it here.though it pro- perly belongs to the year 1836. In the year 1836 Lord Fingall died. Amore estimable human being never represented our nature. Everything that constituted honor, virtue, love of country was his. A very short time before his death, he requested one of the most influential members of the Catholic body, to call on IMr. P. V. Fitzpatrick, the intimate bosom friend of O'CoNNELL — one who through life adhered to him with an affection and attachment creditable to both. This gentleman called as directed, and opened the conversation by saying : "Lord Fingall is surprised that you have not recently called to see him,'' Mr. Fitzpatrick explained, " that the only reason for it wa?, that he was apprehensive his visits might be unpleasant after the exclusion of Lord Fingall's son from the representation of Meath,and that he was not aware his Lordship had any wish to see him. " He is," said the gentleman referred to, "most anxious to see you, and has asked me to intimate his wish to you. " " Then," said Mr. Fitzpatrick, " I shall at once call on him." He did so. Having announced his name, at his lordship's residence, Mr. Fitzpatrick was shewn into the library, where his Lordship was reclming on an easj p 2 162 LIFE AND TIMES OF «bair. His frame seemed much attenuated, but his intef' leet was in its full power and brightness. After some in- troductory and commonplace remarks, he said, " Mr. FiTZPATRicK, I have been for some time thinking whom I should pitch upon to discharge my conscience of a heavy debt, and I have fixed upon you as the most ap- propriate person, because you not only know me and Mr. O'CoNNELL, but you knew us all who were connec- ted wiih Catholic politics for years, and well. You know, too, that I went forward to an extent that caused me to be sometimes snubbed by those of ray own order, in that body ; but, notwithstanding, I, like them, was crimi- nally cowardly. We never understood that we had a na- tion behind us — O'Connell alone comprehended that properly, and he used his knowledge fitly. It was by him the gates of the Constitution were broken open for us ; we owe everything to his rough work, and, to effect further services for Ireland, there must be more of it. I never understood this properly, until they made me a Peer of Parliament ; and I feel myself bound to make the avowal under the circumstances in Avhich you now see me, preparatory to my passing into another world. You will communicate this to O'Connell, and my most ear- nest wish that he will receive the avowal, as an atone- ment for my not having always supported him, as I now feel he should have been supported." At that time, the Clergy of tho second order, took a decided stand against tho Veto.aud shewed a disposition, in case of necessity, of opposing even the Hierarchy, should their views take an opposite direction. This con- duct was the subject of remark, in a sermon delivered by a revered and venerable regular, now resident in Cork.— • The sermon produced a great sensation at the period, and, of course, was tho subject of much comment at both sides DANIEL O'CONNELL. 163 of praise at one — of censure at the other. This re- spected Clergyman was then a first-rate preacher. To this 3 ay, the talent continues ; though his advanced age does not admit of its frequent use, Mr. O'Conmell adopted, of course, the side of the Clergy, and very sharply took the Reverend Friar to task. When we re- collect that this Clergyman was as much anti-Vetoist as Mr. O'CoNNBLL, and that his observations applied to a matter of Church discipline, it is plain it was a sub- ject, that ought, for the sake of union, have been avoid- ed at a Catholic meeting. But the feelings of both par- ties were so excited in these days, that it is now diflficult to criticise, with justice, their acts, or appreciate their motives. The most memorable Meeting held this year, 1815, was the Aggregate Meeting in Dublin, on the 27th of August, where O'Connell made the celebrated Speech, in which he taunted Mr. Peel with dastardly conduct, in saying of him in Parliament, "what he dared not utter elsewhere — This defiance led to another affair of honor ; the narra« tive of which, taken from the publications of the day, will bring the eventful history of our Great Countryman to the end of 1815. "Dublin was a good deal agitated in September, 1815, by a variety of reports, respecting an affair of honour, subsisting between Mr. O'Connell and Mr. Peel. *' It appears that the charge made by Mr. Peel on Mr. O'Connell was, that he had said, in the course of a speech, that he, Mr. Peel, ** would not dare, in the pre- sence, or in any place, where he was liable to personal account, use a single expression derogatory to his inte- grity or his honour/' The passage was in the following words : — *• All I shall say of hum, (Mr. Peel,) by way of pa- 164 LIFE AND TIMES OF renthesis, is, that I am told he has in my absence, and in a place where ho was protected from any account, grossly traduced me. I said, at the last Meeting^, in pre- sence of the note takers of the police, who are paid by him,that he was too prudent to attack me in my presence. I see the same police informers here now, and I authorise them, carefully to report these my words — that Mr. Peel would not dare, in my presence, or in any place,where he was liable to personal account, use a single expression derogatory to ray integrity or my honour." The whole transaction was communicated to the public in the following memorandum, addressed "to the editor of the DUBLIN corhespondent. "Sin— As I feel anxious that an early statement of a re- pent transaction, in which I have borne a part, should be before the public, 1 enclose a memorandum, to which I have to beg you will give insertion in your paper. "I am, sir, your obedient and humble servant, " Charles Saxton. " Dublin, September 1, 1815. "Memorandum — ThatonThursday,the31stofAugurifc, I called on Mr. O'Connell, and informed him, that Mr. Peel had urfderstood, he had expressed a wish at a pub- lic meeting, on Tuesday last, that some communication should be made as from himtoMr.PEEL.whowas desirous of learning the purport and terms of that communication, and that I had waited on hira from Mr. Peel, for the purpose of obtaining them. " To that application, after ascertaining that what ho should say would not subject him to any consequencos, wither of law or parliamentary privilege, Mr. O'Connell stated the expressions used by him on the occasion refer- red to, in terms so substantially the same as the Report DANIEL O CONNELL. 165 of his Speech, at the public meetingbefore mentioned,that I was induced to take the Paper from ray pocket, and read from it that passage which related to Mr. Peel ; remarking to him its similarity with what he had just stated. To this remark he assented, admitting that it was what he had said. On that I observed to him, that, as it was clear his speech alludod to something that had fallen from Mr. Peel, in Parliament, I was empowered by Mr. Peel, to say to him, that there was nothing he had ever said, or that he had seen reported as said by him, with respect to Mr. O'Connell, that he did not unequivocally avow, and for which he would not hold himself responsible. As Mr, O'Connell did not offer anything directly in answer to this communication, but was proceeding to comment on Mr. Peel's conduct on this occasion, as handsome and gentlemanlike, which he subsequently repeated, with the desire that his opinion to that effect, might be conveyed to Mr. Peel. I took occasion to say, that I presumed Mr. Peel might expect to hear from him, in consequence of the communication he had just received. His answer was, that it certainly was his feeling, that a communication from him to Mr. Peel ought to follow, but that he must advise with hig friends ; for that, indeed, the nature of the communication with which I was charged, seemed to make this course ne- cessary. To this observation I replied, that,putting toge- ther the expressions he had then acknowledged, and the com- munication then made from Mr. Peel, the conclusion was easily drawn. On parting, it was settled, that whatever communication Mr, O'Connell should have to make, in consequence of what had passed, I might expect to re- ceive at the house of Mr. Otley. Mr. Lidwill having called there in my absence, and leaving word where he was to be met with, I went to his hotel, as soon as I re- 166 LIFE AND TIMES OP ceived notice of his visit ; and on being introduced to him, began the conversation by acquainting him, that I had called, having heard that he had some communication to make to me from Mr. O'Connell ; in consequence of a communication I had made to the latter by Mr. Peel's desire— the particulars of which I began to state, in the terms I had conveyed them to Mr. O'Connell, and had proceeded so far as to repeat the words in which Mr. Peel avowed whatever expressions had been used by him in Parliament, when I was interrupted by Mr. Lidwill, desiring, in the first instance, to communicate to Mr. O'Connell (who he subsequently said had placed himself in his hands) what had passed between him and myself. That morning he had called on me, and not from a conviction, that any communication from Mr. O'Connell to Mr. Peel was necessary, but least ray conversation with Mr. 0'CoNNELL,should have led me to jexpeet the hostile message, which it was Mr. Lid will's opinion that Mr. O'Connell was not called upon by the circumstances to make — and Mr. Lidwill followed up his own reasoning on the matter, which I do not consider it necessary to relate; as it did not go in the least degree to remove the conclusion, that Mr. Peel was to expect the communication from Mr. O'Connell. ** Charles Saxton. *' Dublin, Sept. 1, 1815." In reply to this memorandum, of Sir Charles Sax- ton's, Mr. O'Connell publishedthe following statement ; *' TO THE proprietor OF THE FREEMAn's JOURNAL. " Merrion Square, 5th Sept. 1815." " Sir — The very novel and extraordinary course pur- sued by Mr. Peel and Sir CHARLi;s Saxton having Daniel o'conneIL. 167 terminated in a Newspaper publication, I beg of you to publish for me the enclosed letter, which I received from my friend Mr. Lidwill. *' The dexterity of my adversary, in publishing on Sa. turday evening, has given him what I suppose he estimates highly— one day's talking at me. This paltry trick he resorts to ; and yet he declares that "he feels anxious for nn early statement of a transaction" which occurred two days before I ! 1 "Tho conversation between Sir Charles Saxton and nic,is very inaccurately stated by that gcHtleman. I will only notice two particulars : First, his omitting to men- tion that on my expressing my own opinion, on the fitness of my sending to Mr. PEfeL. I added, " any friend would disappoint my hopes and wishes, who should advise me not to call on Mr. Peel ;" and secondly,his inserting the last reply which he has attributed to himself— no^ one word of which did he utter in my presence. " For the rest, I leave the case to the Irish public. I have disavowed nothing; I have retracted nothing ; I have refused the gentlemen nothing. I have only to re- |:ret that they have ultimately preferred a paper war. "lam, Sir, " Your obedient and humble servant^ " Daniel O'Oonnell." *• Saturday, September 2nd, 1815. "Kearns's Hotel, Kildare-street. " My Dear O'Connell— The statement relative to your affair with Mr. Peel, made by Sir Charles Sax- ton, in which he says so little and suppresses so much, of what passed between himself and me on that subject, renders it necessary that I should communicate to you, in regular order, the whole of what occurred between us. 168 LIFE AND TIMES OP on both tlie days he waited on me here ; leaving you at liberty to make what use you please of the information. When the public shall be informed that he spent 20 mi- nutes with me on Thursday, and 42 minutes on Friday, (the visit of which day, and the object of it, he stu- diously conceals) in discussing the transactions which caused both interviews, and shall contrast it with the lit- tle he reports of what must have passed in such a space of time, it will naturally draw a conclusion, difterent from the object he had in view, in making that state- ment. *' After hearing from you Sir Charles Saxton's com- munication from Mr. Peel, and resisting the view you took on the subject, I went to Mr. Otley's, where upt finding Sir Charles, I mentioned to Mr.OTLEV, I came for the purpose of letting Sir Charles know (had he been there,) that I did not conceive any thing which had pass- ed between you and him on that day, altered the relativo position in which you and Mr. Peel heretofore stood, or rendered it in any way necessary that you should make through me any hostile communication to Mr. Peel; but that if Sir Charles should wish to see me on the sub- ject, I would wait at home until six o'clock, leaving hiu^ my address. He came to me nearly at that hour, and was proceeding to detail what passed between you and himself, until I interrupted him by mentioning what I said, as above, to Mr, Otley, and giving it as my fixed opinion, that it was not you who should commence any hostile proceeding. " He then resumed his narrative of what passed be- tween himself and you, and added, that you thought dif- ferently from me on the subject ; for though you said you would act under the control of your friends, yet, that any friend who would advise you not to send to Mr DANIEL O'CONNELL. 169 Peel, would be,in your opinion, much mistaken,and disap- point your wishes, or words to that effect. This was the only point in which your report and Sir Charles Saxton's, of your interview in the morning, did not ex- actly agree ; but this, and some observations on his part, tending to alter my opinion, compelled me to assign the reasons which determined me to decide for you as I had done. I then told him, that the asperity of the language you had used respecting Mr. Peel, while under the impression of receiving ill treatment from him, had been so grossly offensive, that I still considered you to be the aggressor-^that the English language did not admit of an expression more galling and debasing, than to say of any man, he would not dare to do, in the presence of another, what he did in his absence — that it was a broad and unqualified charge of cowardice, which a denial, or even an offer to prove unfounded, was not sufficient to repel — that though it may tend, in some respect, to setup the individual so abused, yet it did not go to punish the insult ; — that this impression was so strongly fixed on my mind, that I told you, that if you persisted in wishing to send a hostile communication to Mr. Peel, I must decline any further interference on your part ; for that it would be an unjustifiable prodigality of your own life, and a wanton aggression on that of another, •'After some little pause. Sir Charles Saxton asked me if I knew what were the observations of Mr. Peel in Parliament, of which you complained ? I candidly ac- knowledged I had not seen any report which could justify your charge on him ; but that you had mentioned to me, he had said, in quoting some passage of a speeech of yours, that in quoting you, it was not an ordinary indivi- dual, but one who could lead the Catholics of Ireland to his own purposes ; and broadly insinuating that these pur- 170 LIFE AND TIMES OF poses were dishonest Sir Chaules instantly replied, **Mr. Peel never said any such thing, or anything which justified personality to him ;" — that he got every report he could, and that no one bore any such feature ; thathe vvould avow every one he saw, or any thing he had said. I agreed with him, as far as thosQ I had seen, and mentioned my regret at the observations which you had made res- pecting Mr. Peel. He then -apologized for trespassing so long on my time ; and as he was going, I again repeated, to avoid any misconception, as I then observed, my opi- nion, that it was not from you any hostile proceeding should come, for the reasons 1 before stated. Thus ended the business of Thursday. ** On Friday, I waited at home till one o'clock, thinking it probable tha,t on consideration he might judge it ne- cessary to come to me again. Between that hour and half after two, he called twice, and the last time he left the note I herewith enclose — (SeeNo. I.) — In consequence of my acquainting him I was then at my hotel, ho imme- diately came there. I must here observe, that at the moment I sent to inform him I was at home, I also wrote a note to you, (which I suppose you have) desiring that the horses might be in waiting ; as I would appoint an immediate hour, and the nearest field in the county Kil- dare to the town of Celbridge, for the meeting, which I conceived SirCnARLEs was coming to require— (SeeNos. 2 and 3.) You may judge my surprise, when, on his en- tering my room, I saw him hold out some papers which he said he wished to show me, as containing the substance of what passed between us on the day preceding. Before he read two paragraphs of the first paper,! observed I could not agree with him. He attempted to alter my view. He did not succeed, I offered to meet him with my notes. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 171 Hold to agree on a mutual statement if we could. He de- clined it. He told me, while a Itering, he intended to publish, but briefly. I answered, I could neither agree to the correctness of a partial publication, nor admit the correctness of such part as he had read. He then said, for the first time, that when I told him the day be- fore, that I did not judge the communication he, Sir C!nARi>KS, had made to you, rendered a call on Mr. Peel necessary, on your part, he considered his mission as at an end, and that everything I said afterwards was rea- soning. I told him I could not agree with him, for there was no other subject common between us, and that I considered he was even then on that mission. He asked, were not there some things said by me, which I would not wish to have published? I replied not ; for every word which I had used would only more strongly prove how firm my conviction was, that it was not from j/ou any thing hostile should proceed. Then rising to depart, he said, I have shewn you this paper. I answered, I will not admit what I have seen of it to be correct ; and I shall make my observations on whatever you publish, and add those reasons I have given for the opinion I enter- tain. He then left me about four o'clock. While he was altering what he had brought with him, I wrote out the paragraph, in which 1 mentioned my opinion, that you would not be justified by anything which had passed, in calling on Mr. Peel ; he said it was substantially cor- rect, and I must say, it was nearly what he has published on that head. •* This is the substance of what passed; committed to paper on each day, as soon as Sir Charles Saxton had left me. You know how tenacious my memory is, and liow perfectly this agrees with what t related to you after 172 LIFE AND TIMES OF each interview. If I delivered a message under these circumstances, to what reproaches would I have exposed myself I Should I do so, because his friend had said, he would avow a report, which would prove you had been unjustifiably severe on Mr. Peel ? Did he say he would avow any thing which was either insulting to, or untrue of you ? Did he tell you, you were either a calumniator or a liar ? No, he simply said, he would avow any paper which he himself had seen, or anything which he himself had said ; neither producing the one nor re-assertiug the other. Did his simply denying your reflection on his want of spirit was neither just nor well-founded, inflict any punishment on you for so mortifying an insult ? Reason by analogy. If a man teljs me I am a liar, in a certain assertion, will my denying it, and even adducing circum- stances to prove I was correct, set me right under such ^ charge ? I will thereby shew I did not deserve the im- putation ; but must not I, to ease my own feelings, and satisfy the public opinion, seek other reparation for my wounded honour ? " If I had delivered a message, and was called on to state the grounds for it ; would it be deemed a sufficient excuse, that Mr. Peel had said he was responsible for what he had said, or what he had seen reported of him to have been said, without knowing, or his avowing what that was, or that either was off'ensive ? No, there was but one plain and obvious course to be pursued by me. That was (in case you had been approached in a differ- ent manner,) to call on you either to produce some docu- ment to justify your asperity, or if you could not do so, to advise you to admit you had acted under an erroneous impression, and to express your regret. ** I am not inclined to doubt the courage of any man ; if I was, the character of Mr. Peel in that way, would DANIEL O'CONNELL. 173 not be raised in ray estimation, by his conduct on the pre- sent occasion. Labouring under a charge which he has given ample evidence he deeply feels, he might have led you to the field ; but in place of that, he has compelled you to follow him to the Printing Office. In a transac- tion, in which I know I was not only accountable to the Public, but eventually might be awfully responsible to my Maker, I acted with the most mature deliberation.— Whether I am as competent to form as just a conclusion on such a subject as Sir Charles Saxton, our Country- men must judge. But whatever that judgment mugt be, I should be unjust, if I did not take the entire responsi- bility on myself, for I acted throughout without once res- pecting your feeling on the occasion, "Your's, &c. ** Geo. Lidwill, " Dan. O'Connell, Esq. Merrion-square.' (No. I.) Sir Charles Saxton did himself the honour of call- ing on Mr. LiDwiLL this morning, for the purpose of asking a few minutes conversation with him on the subject of their conference of yesterday ; but unfortunately find- ing him from home, is under the necessity of troubling him with this note, to request he may be informed, as soon as Mr. Lidwill returns to his hotel, by a lino ad- dressed to him, at Mr. Otley's, No, 4, in Ely-place, where Sir Chas. Saxton will remain inexpoctation of Mr. JjIDwill's answer. "4, Ely-place, September 1, 1815. " George Lidwill, Esq. " Kearns's Hotel, Kildare street." ci 2 174 LIFE AND TIMES OP ■ (No. II.) *• My Dear O'Connell, "Sir Charles Saxton called on me twice while I was absent from this. The last time he left a note, to say when he would hear I was at home, he would again call on me. I expect him every moment, and therefore write this to you.to have horses ready, as I will appoint the first field adjoining Celbridge, in the County Kildare, and an immediate hour for meeting.which I must naturally think he is now coming to require. Your's. Friday, G. L. *• Daniel O'Connell, Esq." (No. III.) *' My Dear Friend, *'Do just as you please ; I only think the County of Kil- dare OUGHT tobe the place — I care not where there — eve- rything will be ready expeditiously. My family would bo less alarmed, if we postpone it till morning ; but do just as you please. I will remain here. ^Your's. D. O'Connell. Harcourt-street — Friday. *' To G. Lidwill, Esq." In reply to this, the following publication appeared from Sir Charles Saxton : — "TO the editor of the patriot. dublin, sept. 5, 1815. " Sir, " For the sole purpose of vindicating the accuracy of ray statement, inserted in The Patriot of Monday last, and in consideration of the period which must elapse be- fore I could make known the following particulars, in the DANIEL O'CONNELL. 175 ordinary course, I have to request you will give them an early insertion in your paper. " Mr. Dickenson, who waited onMrLiDWiLL, at my request, obtained an interview with him early this morn- ing, and received from him the admissions annexed to the requisitions, which are contained in the following paper, subscribed by Mr. Dickenson. " Sir Charles Saxton requires, "Firstly— His admission that after he had delivered the sentence contained in my report: viz., "that he came from Mr. O'Connell," &c., and ending, "Mr. O'Con- NELL was not called upon by the circumstances to make." Whatever conversation passed between us, was prefaced with an observation from me — "that, as between our- selves, I might then be permitted to remark to him," &c. (my remarks going to my view of the turn the affair in question had taken.) " To this requisition Mr. Lidwill replied: "Although I do not remember to have heard this expres- sion on Thursday from Sir Charles Saxton, I believe it to have been then the impression on his mind, that he was speaking from himself, and not from Mr. Peel. "Secondly — That in using the term, "suppresses so much," and again, ** studiously conceals," Mr. Lidwill does not mean to impute intentional misrepresentation. " Reply — I did not intend to charge Sir Charles Sax- ton with misrepresentation, in using those words. " Thirdly — That, as well in the relation, which in my first interview with Mr. Lidwill, I gave him of what had passed between me and Mr, O'Connell, as in the written statement I read to Mr. Lidwill on the following day, he more than once repeated, that there was no disagree- ment between Mr. O'Connell's statement and mine, ex- cept in the very passage which I subsequently erased, and 176 LIFE AND TIMES OP for the insertion of which Mr, O'Connell has since con- tended: viz. — "That he tliought the office of a friend would be ill discharged by any one who should dissuade him from a hostile step." "Reply — I admit this in substance, but there may have been some variation in the words of the quoted passage. This is admitted in ray statement. " Fourthly — That the jihrase I assert to have been used by me : viz., " putting together the expressions Mr. O'Connell had then acknowledged, and the communica- tion then made to him from Mr. Peel> the conclusion was essily drawn," made part of my statements to Mr. Lid- will, both oral and written; and that in my second in- terview with him (on Friday), when stating the variance between my account and Mr. O'Connell's, although he informed me that he bad noticed that variance fas it ap- peared to him to be), to Mr. O'Connell, he did not give me to understand, that Mr. O'Connell himself had made any objection either to my accuracy in this respect, nor in respect of the passage last above quoted. " Reply — I do not recollect these words; but Sir Charles Saxton expressed himself to me as having more strongly intimated to Mr. O'Connell his expectation of a communication to Mr, Peel : and finding a variance between Mr. O'Connell's report and Sir Charles Sax. ton's statement to me, of what had passed between them (SirCHARLEsSAXTON and Mr.D, O'Connell), except that Mr. O'CoNNElL had not mentioned to me his remark, in respect of his being dissuaded by any friend : of course I did not, at ray second interview, or at any other time, give Sir Charles Saxton or Mr. O'Connell to under- stand that any variance existed between their statements, " Fifthly — That the mention of Mr. Lidwill's regret at the observations uttered by Mr, O'Connell, preceded DANIEL O'CONNELL. 177 any question of mine, or any conversation respecting the import of the words attributed to Mr. Peel ; and that on hearing them from Mr. Lidwill, my observation was, that " I did not know ; but that I did not believe thoy were ever used by Mr. Peel ; and that I had search- ed for them as far as lay in my power"— but that the words " personal hostility'' were never introduced by me. "Reply — I adqoit that I frequently expressed my regret, but at what periods T cannot say ; and that Sir Charles Saxton's remarksjconcerning the use of the words attri- buted to Mr. Peel, was his own answer to my quotation of the supposed words. The words ** personal hostility" were never used, but personality was. "Sixthly— That his objections to my written statement were not offered until I had finished reading that part which recited my conversation with Mr. O'Connell ; and that Mr. Lidwill's objection then was, that the pa- ragraph referring to words used by Mr. Lidwill, viz., " that Mr. O'Connell did not feel himself called upon to take any step in consequence of Mr. Peel's communi- cation," should have been, as it is now printed, viz., •• that he, (Mr. Lidwill) did not think Mr. O'Connell called upon by the circumstances to send any hostile mes- sage. ** Reply— I refuse to agree to this. "Seventhly —That it was not until I insisted that it was unnecessary for me to insert Mr. Lidwill's reasoning on the subject, that he declared he could not admit any part of the proposed statement, "Reply— I admit that it was after Sir Charles Saxton said that it was unnecessary for him to insert my reason- ing, that I declared I could not admit any part of the proposed statement. (Signed) J. P. Dickenson. 178 LIPE AND TIMES OF From the sixth Article, Mr. Lidtvill dissented ; and also required that the declaration subjoined hereto,should be considered preliminary to any publication of his ad- missions, viz. : — I make this explanation, in answer to Sir C. Saxton's minute, under the stipulation, that my declaration — '* That I entered more freely into an explanation, because *' I was in custody of the Magistrate, and my arms tied *' up — therefore I could not be supposed to be under any •* influence on earth, but a sense of what was right" — shall accompany any publication or statement made of my eplanation. lam. Sir, your obedient servant, Charles Saxton. In the meantime, Mr. Peel acted his part. In Mr, O'Connell's published letter of the 3rd of September, there was, in the Chief Secretary's opinion, an insult offered him; and, accordingly, on the. next day, Monday, at half-past six o'clock in the evening, Colonel Browk called on Mr. O'Connell, and delivered to him the fol- lowing letter : — '• Dublin Castle, September 4, 1815, One o'clock. '* Sir— Having seen in a Newspaper of this evening, a letter bearing your signature, connected with a commu- nication which I have recently made to you, imputing to me a •' paltry trick," and concluding with the expression of your regret that I had " ultimately preferred a paper war." I have to require that you will appoint a friend, VKho may make, with Colonel Brown, the bearer of this letter, such arrangements as the case requires, '• I am, Sir, &c., &c., &c., ** RoRERT Pek:^. " Daniel O'Connell, Esq." DANIEL O'CONNELL. 179 At the present day, when the war of politics is carried on after a different fashion, it will appear strange that one in Mr. Peel's position, in the Irigh Government, should have deemed it consistent with his public duty to challenge to deadly combat, any one who would dare arraign his conduct as a public man. Now a days, public men are considered public property ; and, if in the exer- cise of one's right, as a citizen of the state, you criticise, however severely, the acts of a public servant, it does not follow that murder, under the pretence of honor, is to bo the possible result on either side. But in those days it was different. Duelling was in vogue — the moral responsibility attaching to the act was disregarded ; and, independently of this, there is every reason to suspect that the Government did not look upon it as foreign from the public duty of a subordinate official, to endeavour thus to encounter and to damage, either in character or person, the man who, of all others, was to them an un- ceasing perplexity. We do not say that either the Go- vernment or the Corporation, in this year, 1815, desired to rid themselves of their tormentor ; but we are quite satisfied they were in hopes so to disparage him, accord- ing to the received notions of society,as to reqder his ani- madversions innocuous, and to diminish his utility as a popular leader. Mr. O'Connell never forgot the prin- ciples of religion, which early education had implanted in his breast. In the heyday of youth, he may have neglected the full practice of those strict rules of a Christian life, enjoined by the religion he professed ; but its maxims he never ceased to reverence and remember. This was well known ; and hence, more than once, previously, at- tempts were made by those seeking to rise into eminence at his expense, to goad him into a criminal infraction of Catholic ordinances. These paltry efforts, though they 180 LIFE AND TIMES OF may interest, as anecdotes connected with the history of so great a man, deserve scarcely notice in this Me- moir. It was such a motive that originated the painful tragedy in which D'Esterbe was victimized, and which, to the last moment of our illustrious Countryman's life, preyed on his mind and oppressed his spirits. To put down the obnoxious Agitator, was an achievement worth the trial. Peel had a career of ambition before him. He was undoubtedly a man of known personal courage. We have read and heard repeated anecdotes of his per- sonal courage, and of his sensitiveness as a public man. He sent the celebrated Dr. Maginn — we have heard the learned Doctor tell the story— a hostile message, because of his severe strictures on him in the Standard, in 1829, on account of his political tergiversation on the Catholic question. On that occasion, the modern Johnson sent Peel word, that until he had his family provided for, he deemed it imprudent of him to accept the honour of being shot at by a King's Minister, To forward his ambitious views, a rencontre of the kind with O'Connell was just the thing. In later days, a rancorous diatribe against him, made one man a Judge — and a speech in reply to the Irish Repealer, made another a Chancellor of the Exche- quer, and ultimately sent him to the House of Lords. Thus, it may be, that Peel took notice of O'Connell's speech at the Aggregate Meeting, and of bis letter of the fourth of September, which we have transcribed. Public opinion would not now tolerate such exhibitions on the part of public men. It is said that Lord Liverpool, when the transaction came under his notice, sent a despatch to thelrishGovernment, reprobating it in the strongest terms, and alleging it to be nothing more or less than a religious and political conflict, and not a private affair of honour. That being his conviction, he condemned it. DANIEL O'CONNELL. ISl But, to return. It was determined by Mr. O'Connell, after the receipt of Mr. Peel's letter, that Mr. Lidwill should forthwith wait on Colonel Brown. But, it so happened that Mr. Lidwill was out of town. This was a perplexing circumstance. Mr. O'Connell sent ano- ther friend to inform Colonel Brown of the cause of de- lay, and to state that he should hear from him in the morning. In the mean time. Mrs. O'Connell, whose Tigilanco was quickened by the late rencontre with D'EsTERRF, had her apprehensions excited, by observ- ing a strange visitor come to Merrion Square, while the family were at dinner, and that visitor an Officer con- nected with the Castle. She had already seen the News- paper correspondence, arising from the transaction with Mr. Peel. Her fears were roused, and she felt, as an attached wife would, alarmed for her husband's safety. She sent off privately an intimation to the Sheriff, w'lo arrived, and arrested O'Connell. It is said, however, that, from another quarter, besides Mrs. O'Connell, this functionary received a hint of what was going on. At seven o'clock on the morning of the 5th September, Colonel Brown, having received no communication, wrote to Mr. O'Connell on the subject of the delay, and Mr. O'Connell immediately sent the following note in reply : " Mr. O'Connell presents his compliments to Colonel Brown, and with the utmost concern begs to inform him that the delay to which his letter alludes has been caused by a circumstance of the most painful nature — his having been put under an arrest by the Sheriff ; which is still aggravated, in his feelings, from having been done at the instance of Mrs. O'Connell, who, agitated by the publi- cations in the Newspapers, sent privately, and after he had gone to bed, to the Sheriff. 182 LIFE AND TIMES OP " Mr. O'CoNNELL -vvill, the first possible raoraent, send a friend to Colonel Brown, to make such arrangements as the present state of things renders necessary. •• Merrion-square, 5th September, 8 o'clock." At two o'clock that day, Richard Newton Bennett called upon Colonel Brown, on the part of O'Connell, who, placed under arrest, had been with the Chief Jus- tice, and had been detained with him to that hour. Mr. Bennett was a particular friend of O'Connell's, and was nearly of the same standing with him at the Bar He was a liberal Protestant, and was, in after years, appointed Chief Justice ofTobago. Mr.LiDWiLL, having been bound over by a Magistrate, O'Connell sent oflF an express to the County of Kildare, for his friend Mr. Ben- nett, It reached him at midnight, and he at once posted off to Dublin. At the interview between him and Colonel Brown, the following written agreement was drawn up and signed : — "Mr, Bennett waited on Colonel Brown, from Mr. O'Connell, to answer the call from Mr. Peel ; and stated, that inasmuch as he (Mr. O'Connell) is pre- vented by his recognizance, just entered into, from giving him a meeting within the reach of it (the United King- dom,) that he is ready to give such a meeting at the most convenient part of Europe ; that Mr. O'Connell is now ready to go, but will make the time of meeting convenient to Mr. Peel, at any reasonable distance. *• Col. Brown, being fully authorized by Mr. Peel, ac- cepts the arrangement for the meeting of the parties, as suggested. by, Mr. Bknnett. " And proposes that Ostend should bo the place of rendezvous ; ait which place, the parties, as they arrive, should leave their address at the Post Office. " Col. Brown suggests, that as it is impossible to fix a DANIEL CONNELL. 183 tlay for meeting, when the seas are to be crossed, that it be left to the discretion of the parties to use all convenient speed in reaching Ostend. "Col. Brown suggests, that llie parties should engage, and bind themselves to keep this arrangement in secrecy, as much a3 possible, consistent with their convenience. " If either party should find it convenient to delay the journey for two or three days, it is at their option, giving notice. "Ostend is named as a place of rendezvous; but, oa the arrival of the parties, they may fix any place on the Continent more convenient. "S.Brown. ■"R. N. Bennett, "Dublin. Sept. 5, lSi5." In the evening of the 5th, Mr. Bennett informed Colonel Brown, that ho had found more delay necessary in leaving Ireland, than he had at first expected ; and added, that he would write to Colonel Brown on the subject. On the next day, Sept. 6, Colonel Brown having early in the morning intimated to Mr. Bennett, Mr. Peel's intention of leaving Ireland that very night, addressed the following note to him : — "Colonel Brown presents his compliments to Mr. Bennett, not having received the letter which he had expected from Mr. Bennett, he has only now to enquire if Mr. Bennett has anything further to communicate to Colonel Brown, before he leaves Ireland, and to say that he feels assured, that their arrangements are so fully understood that a misunderstanding is not possible. • " 20, Stephen's-green, 6th Sept. 3 o'clock." After this note had been dispatched, the following letter was received from Mr. Bennett, and the subjoined answer returned by Colonel Brown. 184 LIFE AND TIMES OS* •' Sir — I received from you this morning an intimatiort that Mr. Peel intended sailing for England this night. I beg to remark that the right of appointing the time was originally vested in me exclusively ; and I did not conceive that there would have been any difficulty in my adding a few days to the time at first proposed, for my personal accommodation, when I had conceded to you the fixing of the time, as it now stands, in courtesy to Mr. Peel's public situation. This, silrely, was not unreason- able on my part ; having had no idea, on leaving tny country house, that the business would not have termi- nated here yesterday. But being disappointed in this hope^ it now only remains for me to apprise you, thatMr.O'CoN- NELL will leave town to-morrow morning, for the South of Ireland, and will embark at Cork or Waterford> and use all convenient speed in proceeding to the Continent ; if ai vessel can be had, and the weather answers, he intends to go all the way by sea. He prefers going by the South, from reasons suggested by the circumstances in which he now stands ; all mainly tending to insure the certainty of the intended meeting ; and for the same reason, he elects, to proceed by water, to trusting himself in England, where the oflficiousneas of ill-judging friends might obstruct him. " It is my wish to change the rendezvous to Calais, in order to accelerate the meeting, and as more consistent with the original intention, i.e. appointing the most conve- nient part of the Continent, (which I consider the nearest) and Ostend being fixed upon under an erroneous impress sion. I have &o. " Har court, Sept. 6. "R. N. Bennett. *' P. S.— I am just leaving town. My address in the country is, Newberry, Edenderry ; where I shall be happy to receive any further communication you may deem DANIEL O'CONNELL. 185 necessary ; and shall be happy to co-operate with you in rendering the details of this unpleasant business as little burthensorae as possible to yourself." To this, Colonel Brown returned the following, re- ply ••— " Dublin, 6th Sept., 1815. '' " Sir — At three o'Clock this day, my servant left a note at your house inHarcourt street, since w^hich hour, I have received your letter, dated two o'Clock. ** Upon its contents I must observe, that Osteud was fixed upon by us to be the place of rendezvous, upon va- rious grounds, most of them suggested by yourself, which made it appear to us the most eligible place ; Calais and Hamburgh having both been under our consideration. — I shall therefore proceed with Mr. Peel to Ostend, in fulfilment of the agreement. *' I presume I am to consider your letter as notice of the intended delay of your journey, as specified in our agreement. " I cannot pass by your desire to render the details as little burthensome as possible, without acknowledgments; and with this view, I mention, that should any communi- cation occur to you as necessary to be made, previous to your leaving Ireland, it may be addressed to me. No. 20, Stephen's green, and it will be forwarded. ** To obviate as far as possible, all obstructions to arrival at Ostend, we leave this to-night. *' I scarce need remind you of our agreement, that though Ostend is named as the place of rendezvous ; " on the arrival of the parties, they may fix any place on the Continent more convenient." " I have the honour to be, sir, -.i'l '•"Your obedient servant, : "S. Brown."; , B 2 186 LIFE AND TIMES OP III return, Colonel Brown received the following from Mr. Bennett. " Sir — I had the honour of your letter of the 6th inst. by the post of yesterday, and hasten to reply to the only part of it that appears to me material to notice until we meet, viz. — " Whether you are to consider my letter as notice of the intended delay of Mr.O'CoNNELL's journey." I do not entirely aqree with some of your impressions on the transactions between us. With respect to that part to which I allude, I have to say, that 1 told you I required a few days to prepare myself, having come to Dublin un- prepared logo further, and I proposed to specify that time; but as you declined to enlarge our agreement, and as Dublin is not the place of embarkation, whatever time, the agreement allows, will be taken by Mr. O'Connell in the South, exclusive of the time occupied in travelling. On his arrival at Cork, if a vessel can be procured direct for the place of rendezvous, immediately, or in a few days, he will embark ; but if not, he will proceed to Waterford, and if a vessel can be got there, for that place, he intends to go by it. If any considerable delay be likely to arise from such conveyance, he proposes to go in the packet to Bristol, avoiding a journey through England at all, or as little as possible, for reasons before stated. Mr. O'Con- nell is to write to me promptly, on ascertaining whether it be probable that he can proceed to Cork by sea. If the opportunity be immediate, he will go on without mo, and I will follow, without a moment's delay, as well as I can. I am hero nearer to Cork or Waterford than Dublin. As there is uncertainty, whenever seas are to be passed, and especially in a long voyage, in order to save you and Mr. Peel inconvenience, I beg to suggest, that it would be better not to pass to the Continent.until you are apprised whether a vessel can be had direct to Ostend from Cork, DANIEL O CONNELL. 187 or Waterford ; as I shall not be here to receive an answer. I am at present at a loss how to convey this intelligence to you, as a letter to your house in Dublin, the only ad- dress you have favoured rae with, would be too tedious, I shall, however, try to discover some way of doing so if possible. Under the circumstances I have stated, I will lose no time in relieving you and your friend from the suspense which circumstances create in this unpleasant affair. *' I have the honor to be, Sir, '* Your obedient servant, •• R. N, Bennett," In the mean time, Mr. Lid will returned to Dublin,and in reply to Sir Charles Saxton's letter of the 4th, ad- dressed to the People of Ireland the following letter. Independently of the personal nature of this document, the sentiments he utters show how intensely interested the whole Nation was in this " affair of honor," and how correct was the view taken of it by Lord Liverpool :— " TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND. '* Sir Charles Saxton again precedes me in publica- tion. That, which I have read in The Correspondent of lastnight,suprises me not a little.for these reasons : " First, That he should resort to any publication at all, under the circumstances in which he and I now stand mutually pledged. " Secondly, That we should have published, as ex- planations given, those which, were only admitted would be given by me,undera condition which his friend refused to comply with, and which he was told by me, if he quitted my apartment without complying with, the whole was at an end. •' Thirdly, Sir Charles, in his publication, has com- plied with the very condition demanded by me, and ob- 1$8 LIFE AND TIMES OP jected to by his friend ; namely, tliat the admission re- quired of me, which I rejected, should be inserted, toge- ther with my rejection of it, in any statement to be pub- lished. His friend had offered to withdraw this proposal, and thea to take the other explanations, an 1 was satis- fied that I could give them. '^ For these reasons, his publication has surprised me. " Now, a word as to the explanations, " First — That I admitted my belief of an impression upon my mind, ** that in the instance referred to, ho was speaking from himself, and not from Mr. Peel." " This I could not have doubted ; not only because he subsequently said so, but because he took the trouble to impress such a belief upon ray mind by an extraordinary species of argument ; namely, by distinguishing his per- sonal from his representative capacity, and observing tha t he could hear some of my arguments in the former capa- city, though not in the latter. To the validity of this distinction, I did object. " Secondly, The English language will not admit the expressions of ' suppressing and concealing,' under any circumstances, to be ' misrepresentation ;' but certainly not in the instance before us, relative to Sir Charles Saxton ; for he admits, in his own statement, that a great deal was said by me, which he calls ' reasoning ;' and forbore to relate; because it did not go to remove the impression then upon his mind. This does not appear to be 'misrepresentation,' though certainly a material * suppression.' " The third explanation is exactly what is stated by myself, in my Letter of last Saturday, to Mr.O'CoNNELL. " The fourth is as stated. '* The fifth, • That I expressed my regret at obser- vations originally made by Mr. O'Connell, relative i)ANil3L o'cONNELJJ. l80 li) Mr. PfiEL.' This will be deemed most natural, when it is recollected, that it being my object to provOj that the first hostile message should come from Mr. Peel, it was my argument to make Mri O'Connell appear as much in the wrong originally, as my sense of his error' would admit } and I have already stated, in my lettefr to Mr. O'Connell, that I did express that regret; " As to the latter part of that explanation, relative to the remark made by Sir C. Saxton, as to words at-* tributed to Mr. Peeii» I must donsider the remark to have been Sir Charles's own; inasmuch as Mr.E^ERL (Jouldnoi have foreseen what answer I could make to SirCnABtES^S question. , , ., , *' * Personality' was the terra which I asserted, in my letter to Mr. O'Connell, to have been used by Sii* Charles — and to the use of that tetta, by him, t ad» hered in my explanation. •' The sixth admission required, was the only one which, in my opinion, militated against any part of the atatement in my letter to Mr. O'Connell j and I rejected it at once— -and demanded that it should be inserted as having been required by hlra, and rejected by me ; and thus prove to the public that I would be as firm in refVis-. ing what I ought to resist, as willing to explain what I ought to explain. " Sir C, Saxton's friend refused to consent to this de- mand ; but said that he would withdraw it, as if it had not been proposed, and let the explanation, No. 7> stand in its stead, as in No. 6, " The seventh explanation is as stated. ♦• Whilst Sir Charles Saxton was altering his notes to meet my objection, and whilst I was transcribing that passage which he said was substantially correct, as re- 190 tll^B ANt> TIMES OP ported in my letter to Mr. 0*Connell, and which I ad- mitted was correctly published by him, Sir Charles ob* served, that his publication would be brief; for that he would not publish my reasoning. I then rose and said, that J would not consent to a partial report, or agree to the correctness of his notes, as read to me ; inasmuch as J did not then knovs'- whether he would publish that of mine, whidh he said was substantially coi*rect, or that of his own, which he read to me before he began to alter. *' Guarding against any possible future event, I wished to give you every information relative to this part of my conduct, which has been prematurely brought before you by Sir 0» SAxtoN» I boldly call upon the people of Ire* land to compare these explanations, as given by him» with the statements contained in my letter to Mr, O'Con- NBLL ; to look at the declaration which- I stipulated should accompany any publication of those explanationi, and then to decide whether my honour is or is not im» sullied. "I go to the Continent in your quarrel, for I havo none of my own, ; "I go under the heart-rending circumstances of being obliged to put to the test the fortitude of a dearly be- loved and affectionate child, in a delicate state of health, and whose only surviving parent I am; by confiding to her the truth, to save her from the torture of doubt — but I go on behalf of a country, in which I have drawn my first breath — I go for a people, the more endeared to me by their misfortunes ; and for a cause,to which my last words shall bear evidence of my fidelity. " I feel no uneasiness for my character in my absence. Wherever I may be present, your's shall never be tar- nished in my person, " Sept. 7, 1815." " George Lidwill. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 191 In the above counter-statement, Mr. Lidwill alludes to the engagement, to meet and fight Sir Charles Sax- ton on tlio Continent. The day appointed was early in the following month of October. The duel took place ; but, as will bo seen, without disastrous consequences. On the night previous to the date of this letter, Mr. Peel sailed for England, on his way to the continent. Now, it is rather remarkable that the Sheriff of Dublin had not arrested him as he did Mr. O'Connell. The latter, however, was bound over by the Chief Justice — the other either escaped the authorities, or was^ design- edly allowed go free. Was that fair ? Was it not a concocted plan to give the Government, through their Chief Secretary, a triumph ; by affording one every ad- vantage to establish a fighting name, after the method of Lord Castlereagh ; while every effort was made to em- barrass the other ? Was it consistent with Lord Liver- pool's alleged disapprobation ? It is absurd to deny that they could, and ought have been put on an equality. Mr. Peel, though the English Government of course were informed of all that occurred, and aware of his having come over from Ireland, and for what purpose — was permitted, without the least molestation, to pass through England, without the slightest attempt at dis- guise on his part, or detention on others. He arrived at Dover, on the 13th September. He roust, therefore, have been at least six days in England. Where was he domi- ciled during the time ? Did be conceal himself? Did not, in point of fact, the Ministers see him in London, and know his place of residence? It is not to be credited that they were ignorant of it; and a conviction of the fact will impress itself upon us, if we bear in mind the exer- tions made, atid the espionage set on foot, to secure the 192 LIFE AND TIMES OP person of O'Connell. It, at all events, looks suspicious. On the 13th September, Mr. Peel stopped at Dover, at the most frequented hotel in England ; and his arrival there was announced in the Sun, a Ministerial paper, and the object of his journey set forth. On the 15th, he reached Ostend, and in the Post Office there, the following note was left for Mr. Bennett: — " Colonel Brown has the honour to acquaint Mr. Bennett, that having determined to wait his arrival at a short distance from Ostend, in preference to waiting in the town. Colonel Brown has directed a person to call twice a day at the Post Office for letters; and Colonel Brown will not fail to pay immediate attention to any note from Mr. Bennett Ostend, I5th Sept." On the 22d Sept. Col. Brown received the following letter by post; — "Argyll-street, Sept. 18, 1815. •' Sir — Mr. O'Connell and I have arrived here, after some delay on the way. We are getting passports for Holland and France, which we expect this evening, and shall leave this to-night, or early in the morning, and pro- ceed without delay. I^earning from the papers that you are at Ostend, I direct this there." On the 23d Sept. Col. Brown received the following note from Mr, Bennett: — "Mr, Bennett has the honour to acknowledge the re- ceipt of Col. Brown's note of the 15th inst., left at the Post Office. Mr. Bennett hastens to inform Col. Brown that he arrived here last evening (after the Post Office had closed) leaving Mr. O'Connell in the custody of the Bow-street Officers, in London. Mr.BENNKTT will meet Col. Brown at any house he may appoint this day. Col. Brown will please to make his appointment by a note left at the bar of the hotel. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 193 "" Ostend, 23d Sept., 1815, Hotel Cour Imperiale." At three o'clock Mr.BENNEXT met Col.BROWN,and de- livered to him the following note: — " Ostend, 23d Sept., 1815. "Mr.BENNETT acquaints Col. Brown, that under the circumstances in which Mr. O'Connell now stands, as communicated this morning, it is not his intention to pro- ceed to the Continent. On the part of Mr. O'Connell, Mr. B. has nothing to communicate to Col. Brown, in addition to what is contained in his note of this morning, save that he thought it his duty to make this communi- cation in person. Let us now return, and trace Mr. 0*Connell*s move- ments. He proceeded at once to Cork, and we read, in the Cork Journals of the day, of his arrival there, and of his departure for Kerrj. Not the slightest suspicion was entertained of his going on the Continent, to meet Mr. Peel. In the meantime, the Police in England were set at work, to ascertain and report to Govern- ment, the names of parties arriving from Ireland, in the Packets. It is affirmed that '* the names of Mr. " O'Connell and of Mr. Lid will, were respectively '* noted, and their descriptions taken, by oflJcers station- **ed for the purpose, at Milford Haven and Holyhead." It is further said, that no sooner did Mr. LidwelI and Mr. O'Connell make their appearance in England, than the r6ads and coasts were beset with Policemen. ''.No * ' less than one hundred were despatched to the different *' ports opposite the coast of the Continent. Some were ""despatched to Calais, where they actually broke into ** a gentleman's room, in search of Mr. O'Connell. ** Eight Policemen were sent down to Ramsgat6, and placed under the direction of Mr. Burton, a resident Magistrate of that town, who assisted them with the 8 194 I^IPB AND TIMES OF local Police ; and the greatest vigilance was exercised, by day and night.to prevent the possibillity of the escape of Mr. LiDwiLL and Mr. O'Connell. Special letters were sent from the Home Department, to all the Mayors and other Officers of the outposts, of England, to stop Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Lidwill, and their friends ; very particular descriptions of their features and persons ac- companied those Letters. Both were described, as large sized, athletic, strong built men, with open countenances and frank manners. Their complexions, statures, visages, sizes, usual dress, were all minutely detailed." After such precautions, on the part of the Government, which were altogether neglected as regarded Mr. Peel, it was scarcely possible for Mr. O'Connell to have escaped. Is it reasonable to suppose that anxiety for O'Connell's safety instigated all this vigilance ? Was it on his account English officials were so active ? He was arrested in London, in the act of entering his car- riage, en route to Dover. The following we take from «ne of the Dublin liberal papers, of the day. It gives rather a graphic, and, in our opinion, a faithful history •f his arrest. " On Tuesday morning, the I9thinstant, at the early hour of four o'clock, Mr. O'Connell was arrested, when stepping into his chaiso for Dover. An i mmense mob of Police Constables rushed into the private hotel, (Holyland's, in the Strand.) All the lower apart- ments were soon filled ; their joy was ferociously cla- morous— orie would have almost imagined that another Buonaparte had been captured. •* They openly boasted, that this great prize would yield them fifty guineas each. For such was the promise of Sir Robert Peel. Crowds of the Londoners were about-T-all eager to see the fame4 ** Irishipau ;" and oj^ DANIEL O'CONNELL. 196 Thursday last, Mr. O'Connell had become an object of as great curiosity and interest to the gaping citizens, as ever the Allied Monarchs, the " Bluchers, "or the Wel- lingtons, had been in their day. ''To make matters still moresure, Mr.O'CoNNELL was conveyed in a coach to the Police Magistrates at Bow- atreet, escorted by /orf?/ picked Constables. '* Ho was there bound over to keep the Peace, to- Tvards Mr. Peel and Sir Charles Saxton ; and not to leave England for the purpose of fighting either of them, &c., &c. ** No man in his senses will believe that the Police Ma- gistrates could not as easily have secured Mr. Peel or §ir C. SaxTon, Avho were perfectly well known in every town and city through which they passed, as thfey ar-- rested Mr. Lidwill and Mr. O'Connell, who wfere ut- ter strangers, and endeavouring to conceal themselves. — It would be most miserable afiPectation of want of penetra- tion, to appear to doubt for a moment that these strange circumstances were not the result of a regularly organ- ized plan to tarnish the honour of one party, and exhibit the others as men of most ardent courage- We cannot forget, that a similar system was twice practiced in this city towards Mr. O'Connell. When the unfortunate Mr. D'EsTERRE sought the life of Mr. O'Connell, he paraded our streets at noon day, told every one he met, of his intention to offer insult and outrage to Mr. O'Con- nell ; yet he was suffered to pass unattended to and un- restrained ; while Counsellor O'Connell was not only bound over by a Judge of the land,but his house was be- set by Police OflScers. Again, in the present instance, Mr. Lidwill and Mr. O'Connell are arrested, while Mr. Peel and Sir Charles Saxton live at their ease in town, and then go on board the public packet, without 196 I-IFB AND T1MB8 OF any restraint or interruption from the Police. The con- stated that orders had been issued to officers of all the western ports, to transmit lists of the names of the passengers on board the packets from Ireland, to the Office of the Se- cretary for the Foreign Department. He added, that the object of this regulation was, to prevent the possible escape of Mr. Lid will or Mr. O'Connell ; that they were watched at every stage since their arrival, and or- ders sent down to all the ports on the coast, opposita France and Holland, to pi event their embarkation.'' " Mr. Lidwill, however, succeeded, as he supposed in avoiding a discovery, and concealed himself from tho moment of his arrival, until his arrest in London, being about fifteen or sixteen hours. His retreat was disco- vered by p, Bow- street officer, who, having made out Mr. Prittie, followed him closely, and traced him to the apartments of Mr. Lidwill, Mr. Lidwill being put under arrest on Sunday, remained in custody until Monday, when he was brought before Lord Ellenbo- ROUGH, Chief Justice of the King's Bench in England, when he was bound over, under a penalty of three thou- sand pounds, not to leave the kingdom for the purpose of fighting a duel with Mr. Peel or Sir Charles Saxtodj, until the first day of next Term. What the ultimat** control is, to which Lord Ellenborough looks forward, we cannot say ; particularly as the entire of the proceed- ing, on the part of his Lordship, seems altogether of no- Tel character, and must raise a legal question for consi- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 20S deration. We apprehend it will be very difficult to find out any precedent for such a proceeding." "Mr.O'i-'oNNELL.having been informed of the arrest of Mr. LiDwiLi.,, changed his lodgings, and used every means to avoid detection. It was necessary, however,to obtain passports from the Dutch Ambassador ; and ac- cordingly, the friends of IV' r. O'Connell proceeded for that purpose to the house of his Excellency, but could not sec him during that day, although they remained there from an early hour. Several of tho Officers from Bow- street, and the other Police offices, were at that time dis- patched to the different hotels, and their vicinity, in search of Mr. O'Connell, while others were stationed at the different roads, to prevent his escape. At a lat© hour in the night, the friends of idr. O'Connell suc- ceeded in obtaining the passports from the Dutch Am. bassador, without which they could not travel to Ostend, or In any other part of tho dominions of tho King of tho Netherlands. Arrangements were then made for depar- ture before light; Mr. O'Connell was to have taken the route to Brighton, and his friends to have proceeded by Calais ; but the Officers continued on the watch, and suc^ ceeded in arresting Mr. O'Connell, as he was in the act of starting, about four o'clock in the mornitig. He was then surrounded by an immense crowd of Policemen, who seemed to consider that they had made as great a prize as if they had taken the Emperor Napoieon, When in the plentitude of his greatness. Messengers were imme- diately dispatched to the members of the Ministry, and other persons of high distinction, to inform them of the arrest, a-nd an express messenger was ordered to proceed to this City, to communicate tho intelligence to the Irish Government. Will any man in his senses believe, that the Police Officers who watched the movements of Mr. LiDwiLL and Mr. O'Connell, with such vigilance and 204 LIFE AND TIMES OF success, from the period of their arrival on British ground, could not have secured Mr. Peel or Sir Charles Sax- ton, also, if inclined to do so ? No, certainly ; it would be a libel on the most efficient Police in the world, to suppose them so incapable and inadequate. Here again, then, the little plan breaks out. They let Peel and Saxton escape, and arrest Lidwill and O'CoNNELL. Can it be supposed that Mr.GREGORY,or his under-doers have been so negligent of the interests of the Government, as not to have transmitted immediate ac- •counts of the proceeding of the Chief Secretary at every stage, and on every change ? No man will believe them capa- h\e of such remissness, when it is known that every little riot or disturbance between the most insignificant individu- als is regularly communicated to the Noble Secretary for the Home Department. For what were the express com- munications revived with an increased alertness, un- known at any former period ? Did the Under Secreta« ries communicate the disorganized State of the Vico-Re- gal Government ? If they did not, they were most cul- pably deficient in the discharge of their duties j and if they did, it is plain that Mr. Peel could havo beon ar- rested with as much facility as Mr. O'Connell, But even admitting, M'hat we do not suppose, that those pub- lic officers neglected their duties, still the Government Prints supplied the deficiency by immediately announcing the departure of the Secretary and his friend. The truth of the case is best ascertained by again referring to the facts : — Mr. Peel sent his Message on Monday ; Mr. O'Connell was arrested on the night of that day ; the meeting at Ostend was fixed upon on Tuesday;. Mr. Peel sailed on Thursday in the Packet ; the account of his sailing must have reached London by the ordinary M ail on Sunday morning, and by the Express on Satur-< day, Welljhe proceeds to Dover onWednesday ; that^ist FIVE DATS AFTBR tho account of his sailing from Ireland must have reached London, and yet he pursues his course without any interruption ; and immediately after his d*- partarej the activity of the Police is resumed^ Nay, at the very time that he arrives at Dover, on his route t6 Calais, an officer is in waiting at MiJford, to announce to the London Police the arrival of Mr; O'Connell in the extreme point of Wales. Thus, Mr. Peel, the Chief Secretary for Ireland — the Atlas of the Ministry of this part of the United Kingdom — passes undisguised and tin- observed, and uninterrupted, within seventy mil6S of London ; while Mr. O'Coknell, the Irish Agitator, the Popish Demagogue, the first object of Ministerial ddtes- tationmthis part of the United Kingdom, or perhaps in any part of it, becomes all at once a favourite of their regards — the preservation of his life is esteemed a matter of such value, that he is not allowed to put his foot upoii British ground, until his name is entered in a book by a sp6c!iit officer sent down for that purpose, and transmitted to th6 capital from the extremity of tho island, nearly thi-ei^ hundred miles distant from London, and full four tinted the distance of that city to Dover, where Mr. Peel wa$ at the same time passing his leisure hours without any' ' apprehensions of arrest or interruption," *' Here we will let this curious case rest for the prew sent, referring again to the extract already given froin ' The Sun, the principal official organ of Mr. Peel's party, which plainly and distinctly informs us, that Mr* O'CoN* Nell's arrest was owing to * the vigilance of tho- Government,* and that the real object was to * preserve* the life of Mr* Peel. This disclosure of tho secret will- not, wo fear, increase the friendly dispositions of thfr party: towards their editorial representative. It is, ^ow* - 206 l-IPB AND TIMES OF ever a most interesting and important avowal, and must defeat every effort of the menial press to misrepresent the history of this transaction. The People of Ireland must see, that their Representatives and Champions have not shrunk from the maintenance of their honourable character. It is true, they did not descend to any puerile exhibitions of valorous ardour — they acted with the samt? temper and ease, as they would have manifested in a ren- contre with any other individuals." *• They had not, at first, any reason to expect that the* Chief Justice of En<>;land would have exercised towards them an authority and control such as they had never before heard of ; but when it was ascertained to have been resolved to arrest them, they used every means ta avoid the interruption, an effort which must ever prove nugatory in such a country as England, when the Police Officers are seriously disposed to make good the capture of auv individual. Their gallant opponents have thus recdved all the benefits they could have expected to flow from their untimely and indecorous publications ; but we must reserve our observations on this head for another occasion." " Mr. Prittik and Counsellor Bennett had left London to proceed to Calais, to notify the interruptions which prevented the attendance of Mr. Lidwill and Mr. O'CoNNELL. This measure of etiquette was certainly due to Colonel Browne and Mr. Dickinson." It may bo necessary to observe, that Mr. Lidwill was on his way to give Sir Charles Saxton a meeting. Sir Charles' friend was Mr. Dickinson. It is not neces- sary, now-a-days, for us to observe, how totally incredi- ble is the statement, that Peel was practising at pistol- firing at Calais, while waiting until the day of the ap- pointed meeting arrived. Such conduct would have been toANIEL o'CONNELL. 207 \anwDrthy of any man, much less of a man of such honor- able bearing, in private life, as Peel has throughout his career proved himself to be. r Mr. O'CoNNELL returned to Dublin. It was folly td pursue the affair farther. Not only was he bound iii a large pecuniary penalty, not to do so, either in the iThited Kingdoms, or on the Continent — but he was dis* tinctly told by Justice Le Blanc — "If, after he haa entered into his recognizances, any meeting should tako place, and prove fatal, the survivor and his friend would be pursued by all the British force and influence on thil 'Continent, and, when arrested, brought to trial at thipi Old Bailey, and if convicted, most certainly be executed within forty-eight hours.", We h^vQ only to regret, fliat one of his strong rriind and religioits tendencies had not risen then superior to thepre- vailing opinion, respecting duelling, and refused, as a public man, to be made, after so barbarous a fashion, ac- countable for his public actions. Happily for the country, the transactions of this year aided his own high moral- feeling, in overcoming^stablished prejudice ; andthrougl^. good report, and bad — amidst sneers and taunts, he steadily refused giving ** satisfaction," by committing murder, for any language in which, in the impulse of the moment, and in the heat of debate, he has so often in- dulged. In the use of language which has galled and in-, jured, O'CoNNELL was sometimes carried away by momen- tary feeling. The recollection of the language, and of the injury passed off with the occasion. And afterwards^ he has been astonished at the coolness of those he con* sidered friends ; and, when informed, bitterly regretted the cauRo. Where a iian has an absorbing thought — an engrossing pursuit, and that, the attainment of his coun- 20tJ IdFJ! ANP TIMES OP try's freedom at all hazards, and at any personal sacri' ' fice, it is difficult, nay, unfair, to judge of him as you would of ordinary men. Fortunately for Ireland, reli. gioa ;$tepped, in and took him beyond the coosequences ^f those personal $ittacks,to i/vhich his positipdi pf nfices^ *ity, would hftve rendered him liable, TTp^jinijjotolpsfitJiis particular portion of P'CoMJCtj;.'* J^iBtory, without stating our conviction, thati in this trai\8- fiotion, Mr. Pf:£L acted as a man of personal courage jto^ determination. It is puerile, nay more, it is unjust, to 40i?y him the possession of these qualities. 3ut we do Upt so readily jicquit him of a desire to pick a quarrel with O'CoNNBLL, nor the Government of an anxiety to disparage the high reputation of their great opponent. It is, however, right to say, that, at a later period of his career, Mr. O'ConneI/L informed Mr. Peel, through Mr. Bennett, that he did him wrong, in the observations ho made at the public meeting, and that he regretted them ; in fact, that he was wrong, and Peel right. This he repeated again, in public, many years after. Mr. LiDwiLL, it will be recollected, was under an engagement to fight Sir Charles Saxton, on the Con- tinent. He was arrested with Mr. O'Connell in Lon-- don, and returned with him to Dublin. However, the arrest did not prevent his fulfilling his engagement ; and he repaired to Calais, and received Sir Charles Saxton's fire, declining to return it, in consequence ot the injunction of Justice Lb Blang. In Mr. Lid- will's letter ' of the 7th September, he made a statement, which gave offence to Mr. Peel, In con- sequence he gave bis friend Colonel Brownb, a letter ad- dressed to Mr. Lid WILL, to be delivered after his aflPair with Sir Charles Saxton had terminated ; demaading sMi^factioQ. But when hit} friend Colonel Bbownb pts- DANIEL O'CONNELL. J26§ certained that Mr. Lidwell had not returned Sir Charles Saxton's fire, and his motive for not doing so, he at once withdrew the letter, stating that under the circumstances, he should consider it as criminal as mur- der, to fire on one who would not return it. Thus ter- minated an affair half-political, half-personal, which oc- cupied the public mind in Ireland for four months, and engrossed during that time the deepest attention. We have seen thatMr.O'CoNNELL was, in thefirst place, arrested in Dublin, at the instance of IMrs. O'Connell.— Mr. LiDWiLL, it is also said, was informed against by his t)wn daughter. These facts were, of course, the subject of remark, and drew forth, from the ready pen of the ac-^ complished Bushe, afterwards Chiiif Justice of the King's Bench, the epigram suggested by the fourth Command- ment — " Our heroes, not relishing slaughter, Improve on the Jewish command ; T/i(?^honour— the wife and the daughter. That their days may be long in the land." ' ■ It has often been insinuated against O'Connell, that he was privy to the information which led to his arrest. Now, we can positively state, that there was no founda- tion whatever for that insinuation. While he remained in London, j'nco^'., he stopped at the house of a Capt. Rav craft, a friend of his ; who, feeling that his life was too va- luable to Ireland to be risked, gave private information, whichled to his arrest. Capt. I? aycraft heldahigh military appointment in Chelsea Hospital, and was married to a lady from Macroora, connected with a respectable family residing near Killarney. He repeated afterwards, and most solemnly assured the friend from whom the fact comes to the writer — that O'Connell knew nothing of his intention to give the information, which led subsequently to his arrest. This testimony is unim- T 2 ZIQ lilFB 4»P TIMBS OF peachal?Ie> and suffjpientlv disposes of the calumny.— It is a curious fact, that 0'Co^fNELL knew not the person flf Ps;Ei4, for nearly a year after the transaction we h§ye aboy^ ^-eporded. O'Connell had, in the following ypar, to appear before the English Court of King's Bench, pf which Lord Ellenborough was Chief Justice, to have his recognizances discharged. While in Lon- don, business of a private nature, with the Knight of Kerry, took him into the House of Commons. He was accompanied by a friend, and as they were passing out of the lobby,near the spot where Perceval was shot, a gen- tleman in a blue coat passed them in a hurry, and brushed against O'Connell. Both turned round, and for the first time he saw his political opponent ; for the party he ihus encountered was no other than Mr. Peel. The next day, O'Connell attended in theKing's Bench, before Lord Ellenborough, to have his recognizances dischar- ged, and was accompanied by a number of friend8,among whom were, Mr. Silvertop, Mr. Blood, Mr. Finner- Tir, &c. Ho was at onco the observed of all observers, and when the case of the King v. O'Connell was called on, every eye in Court was fixed on him. His Counsel stood up to make the necessary motion, but either from nervousness or some other cause, he did it so awkwardly, that O'Connell stepped forward himself, and with hi9 hat in hand, applied in the usual way to have his recog- liizances. discharged. The Chief Justice merely nod- ded bis assent ; and after an Interchange of bows, with- 9,M> ^ word more having passed, Mr, O'Connell left th^ Court. Before passing on from 1815, we may mention a f^pt, illustrative of O'Connell '9 anxiety to coijciliate, in ^ye^^y reasonable way, the Regent. Xu a preliminary m^iVfit^ of the Committee of the Association, bt© pyopoi- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 211 ed an address to his Royal Highness, of congratulation on the victory of Waterloo. The motion was opposed and debated for several days. The leader of the opposition was Mr. Stephen Coppin- GCB,a gentleman connected with the County of Cork, who took a mostprominentpart in political agitation, for twenty jeara before Emancipation. He, with many other re- spectable Catholics, dissented from O'Connell's propo- sition. Ho argued, that it was not fitting for the Catho- lics of Ireland to express any sentiment of gratification at the overthrow of the French Array. On the day be- fore the general meeting, at which the address was to be proposed, O'Connell was told, that many of his friends would deem it their duty to oppose him, if he brought it forward, *' Then," said he, throwing down the draft of the address he held in his hand, "if nobody else will propose it, George Lid will will." The next day, at the meeting, Nicholas Maiion, at tho suggestion of O'Con- nell, did propose the address. It was warmly opposed. The principal speakers were, Mr. Coppinger, and Mr. Finn (afterwards M. P. for Kilkenny). O'Connell, see- ing the feeling of the meeting, did not speak at all; and, eventually, Mahon was obliged to withdraw it. At a subsequent aggregate meeting, however, in Cork, a. similar address was agreed to. A petition to Parlia- ment, and a series of resolutions were adopted at the same meeting : and as the Earl of Liverpool, then Prime Minister, was erroneously supposed to be inclin- ed to entertain the Catholic claims, in consequence of his having shortly before used this observation, in the •ourse of debate, that ** if the Catholics of Ireland were " emancipated at all, they ought to be emaricipated un- conditionally," Mr. Coppinger, who was about pro- f«eding to London, though opposed to the principle of 212 I^IFE AND TIMES OP the address, took charge of it. He had an interview with Lord Liverpool, who promised to present the address to the Regent; though it was not, exactly, within his province, as Prime Minister. However, the interyiew Avas fortunate, for it gave Mr. Coppingeb, who was a deter- mined anti-Vetoist, an opportunity of explaining to him the sentiments of the Catholic body, on the all-absorbing question of the veto. Let us, before we conclude this portion of the Memoir, glance back at the transactions wo have narrated, and, viewing them with an impartial eye, endeavour to draw from them a lesson and a moral, and extract fromthem,as it were, the philosophy of O'Connell's history, up to 1815. Fixity of principle was, clearly, a grand feature of O'Connell's character. While he yielded to circum.. stances on points of detail, and made expediency an in- strument for achieving his objects, he never swerved from the glorious principles of his life— namely, the en- largement of human freedom — the disenthralment of conscience from the bonds of intolerance— and, lastly, the legislative independence of his country. We have seen how, in early youth, the instinct of his nature was developed, when he heard of Grattan's deeds. FoUovv- :ing him into manhood we find him regulating his prin- ciples of political agitation, by the maxims of his religious faith, and already teaching the glorious doctrine,of which he, afterwards, became the Apostle — that all political ameliorations can, by perseverance, be obtained without •violence or civil convulsion. While ho imbibed a love of liberty, by studying the history of the North American colonies, he, at the same time, was taught, in the ecclesi- astical establishment where he was educated, during the worst portions of the French Revolution, that no liberty could be lasting, or worth obtaining, which was pur- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 214 chased by the crimes of civil strife, and by the blood of his fellow-men. Tracing him further on, in his career, we find him repudiating the physical -force do(J- trines of Tone, of O'Connor, of Fitzgerald ; and yet boldly denouncing Castlereagh's measure of the Union; and, after it was carried, perseveringly proclaim* ing it as a measure destructive of the national prosperity, and not only preferring its repeal to Emancipation, but going further still, and expressing a willingness, as a Catholic, to endure the enactments of the penal code, provided they were accompanied by a Repeal of theUnion. This fixity of purpose remained with him, during life ; though we will, as we advance in his historj, observe him adopting the policy of quiescence, for a period, in order to try an experiment on the justice of England. The wisdom of that policy, we shall have occasion, im- partially, to discuss. Turning our view to the struggle for Civil and Religious Liberty — we see how proudly, and without compromise, he assorted, for himself and his fellow Catholics, the right of perfect equality without condition or restriction. We see, how, single-handed, he battled against a virulent ascendency faction; and with- out hesitation, assailed them with the weapons they were to fond of employing against the more shrinking Catho- lics, who submitted to the infliction, until he breasted the assailants^and retaliated, as if he loved the strife in which their virulence involved him. The only one, of all the then Leaders, who assumed anything like a daring front, was Dromooole. But he had no prudence in his as- saults. He has been justly called the Catholic Duignan, because of his ultra religious zeal; yet, than Dr. Dron- goole there never lived an honester Irishman. His great " oriflaromQ speech," of which many editions were pub' lished.was an lnstance,both of his honesty and his intole* 2H LIFE AND TIMES 0^ ranee. It was considered, at the time, highly injudicious } though it will ever attest the intensity of his religious ar- dour and of his patriotism too. It is not easy to convey an idea, just now, of the excitement it produced among the as- cendency party, of whose insolent rule he was so power- ful an opponent. In this speech, his manly boldness and his indiscretion, were brought into more prominence than on any previous occasion, and it was proclaimed as a great discovery, that he had at length, fairly let the "cat out of the bag" in reference to the ulterior aims of the Catho- lic body. That mighty discovery was founded on the following passage in his speech : — " The claims of the Catholics are advancing, and Pro- testantism shall fall, like every other novelty, and noth; ing but the memory of its mischief shall remain." ^ ^ Dromgoole, honest, steadfast as he was. was not the man to wrestle effectually with the malignity of the ruling faction. O'Connell extinguished his tormentors. A sneer r-a nickname — a sarcasm from him well directed, often crushed them for ever. Dhohigooi.e vvas not ei^ual tu such a task. On the other hand, Keogu was too much of the old school. He had done good service in his time, when the object of the Catholics was, sim- ply, relief from penal enactments. He did not under- stand the policy of endeavouring to gain admission, by thundering at the door of the Constitution. Towards the close of his public career, he became jealous of the influenco, which the young and rising members of the Ca- tholic body, principally O'Connell, and Scully, and men of that class, were acquiring. He regarded himself, more than ever, the great leader, and, in fact, the Meh* tor of the Catholic party. His wish appeared to be, that he should continue to be publicly recognised as the DANIEL O'CONNELL. 215 " Lord principal," and the mode he adopted t6 etisure that, was by many, deemed an extremely vicious one. He would wait, until the younger men had developed their, intentions and views, and, if they were for petitioning, he was for "dignified silence." There occurred about tjiis time, a remarkable event which brought to a close the , political career of Keogh. A day or two after the first, or second letter of '• Catholicus Ipse," to which we liave already referred, appeared, Keogh attended a Catholic meeting at the Riding School, now Dyceb's Horse Repository, Stephen's Green. He was then ad- vanced ill life, and was assisted on the table into an arm chair. He commenced by a severe attack on his anony~ mous assailant, and then went on to propound his views, as to the course to be pursued. He was for " dignified silence." He was, we have said, leader of the great body of the Catholics, and had a most respectable number of followers among the upper classes of the party. His principal and most influential supporter was, Sylvester' CosTiGAN, an eminent Distiller in Dublin, a man of pecu- liarly strong intellect and decided honesty. He was liniv; formly a supporter of Keggh's, as against the rising party ; and, by his adhesion, gave considerable weight to to the opinions of his avowed leader. After Keogh had spoken, Mr. Peter Finnerty, a most remarks- able man in his day, presented himself to the meet- ing, and delivered as able, effective, and telling a speech as ever was enunciated in any popular as sem-. bly. Ho took precisely an opposite view to Keogh. He insisted, that if the Catholics wanted to press forward their claims, or had the natural, tho'not very charitable tendency to avenge themselves on their enemies, they should continuously and uncompromisingly " press their petitions," and he ended almost every passage of his: 21d^ LIPE AND TIMES OF speech, by a repetition of the words quoted, as con- tradistinguished from Keogh's advice of '* dignified silence.'' The effect of this speech on the meeting -was electrical. The active policy is always more accep- table to the tastes and ideas of a popular assembly than the passive, and he was enthusiastically cheered throughout. At the conclusion of his address, when be resumed his scat, Mr. Costigan rose and said'— •* A delusion has passed away from my eyes — I feel that 1 was totally mistaken, and, by my still venerated le^^^Vf eatirely misled. Mr. Finnebty has satisfied me, thatii the course, which he recommends, must be conti- nuously, and in theinost vigorous manner, pursued by the Catholio body. I now adopt that recommendation, and aia obliged to abandon for ever my friend Keogh, as far as the principle he recommends this day is concerned." Thenpeforward Keogh saw that his star.as a Catholic, leader, had set, that his personal influence was destroyed;, and he withdrew fiom all active participation in public affairs. Scully, though a sensible man, and a good speaker, was not made of the stuff to wrestle successfully with the powers then in the ascendant. Neither was Fin- LAY, nor- Clinch, nor Hussey, nor O'Gobman, nor M'DoNNELL ; and it is scarcely necessary, at this stage of the Memoir, to say, the Catholic Aristocracy were not suited to the times. O'Connell had peculiar qualifica- tions. He had the boldness to resent insult — he had the power of language to chastise insolence, and make himself' feared; yet, withal, he had great prudence and foresight in his plans of action. In later times we will, in the impar- tial discharge of our impcrattye duty, have to disapprove of languagie directed against friends of the people,because they happened to differ honestly from him; but in the early « DANIEL O'CONNELL. 217 struggles there were wisdom and ** calculation" in the " rough work" system he adopted, and for which he has been so unsparingly condemned. Again, mark how wisely he united the clergy and the people, at the sacrifice of personal interest, in the struggles for the preservation, in- tact, of the faith and discipline of the Catholic Church. In politics, then, O'Connell's history, up to 1815, shews the value of principle combined with discretion. To pre- serve union, he would often yield in matters of detail, and thus subject himself to idle taunts. To make the Catholics feared as well as tolerated, he would as often fling himself into the contest against their antagonists, with the utmost determination and fervour, and thus earn for himself the acrimony of a vindictive faction. But his principles he fearlessly carried out in the midst of taunts, and in spite of the bitterest invective. At the Bar,however,his spirit was conciliatory. His wit and humour won for him the intimacy of his political antagonists, and his effective eloquence and ready tact soon gave him,as we have seen, a high position in that distinguished profession. Of his mental capacity, in early life, for the sphere in which he moved, we adopt here the description of a Scotchman, who wrote of him in 1835, almost in the very terms the writer himself has more than once used, in des- cribing the intellectual and oratorical powers of his illus- trious countryman ; — ** Although we had read much about O'Connell, wo had entirely misconceived the style and character of his eloquence. We expected a stentorian voice, a man- ner untutored, coarse, stormy, and denouncing. Instead of this, we found a thorough-bred speaker, who seems to have studied the art of elocution with great care. His ■voice is soft, but of great compass, and better fitted, we should say, to persuade than terrify. His person is tall 218 JblFE AND TIMES OP and somewhat corpulent, and his round full face give* an impression of jolly good humour. His general manner is easy, yet the ease speaks of early study ; his action striking, but seldom overcharged. The charm of his oratory, however, lies in its flexibility. He knows how to touch every chord with the hand of a master ; he is gay and grave, sarcastic, humorous, pathetic, and indig- nant by turns ; and his voice and gesture always adapt themselves most happily to the hue of his thoughts. The matter of his speeches seems perfectly unstudied, as if it were the spontaneous produce of his feelings at the instant. There are,however, no traces of pre-arrangement; no high- wrought passages, smelling of the lamp, and forced in for effect. Ho passes from one key to another, from the calm to the vehement, from humorous sketches tobursts of passion, the auditor hardly knows howjyet the transition seems al- ways natural. Our impression was, before we saw him, and is still, that his speeches are all, in substance, extempora- neous effusions. He satisfies himself with thinking before- hand over the subject on which ho is to spcak;but ho trusts entirely to the moment of delivery, for the succession of to- pics, and for arrangement and expression. Orators of this kind seldom or never say exactly what they intended. They commit mistakes, which better preparation would have prevented; but they strike out felicities of thought and language which previous study could not have reached ; and their good things have that unpremeditated air, which is in itself a mighty charm. Upon the topics with which he is familiar, and they embrace a pretty wide range, O'CoNNELL is absolutely and inexhaustibly stored ; and hence, we believe,he could take dinners and make speeches every day for a month to come, without appearing to re- peat himself. His language is generally careless and familiar, but full of naive and happy turns, and at times DANIEL CONNELL. 219 it is abrupt, forcible, and boldly figurative. Nature and art, in short,have made him an orator of a very high rank; his eloquence is essentially Irish, stronger in its passi( i than its logic, and better suited to the Forum than the Senate. He is not great as a statesman, and still less as a philosopher; but as an agitator — as a speaker to wield at will the passions of a mixed multitude — he is without a rival in Europe. Hia faults and deficiencies are those of his countrymen ; and they have perhaps contributed to gain him that wonderful ascendency over their minds, which is without a parallel in modern times. It was said of Voltaire that his genius was a power in Europe ; and it may be said with as much truth, that O'Connell'6 in- fluence is a power in the British empire." The history, then, of O'Connell, up to 1815, demon- strates that tame subserviency gains nothing ;— that, without the people's aid, no political grievance will ever be redressed; that half measures are sure to be discom. fited ; that a bold bearing, and an unshrinking assertion of right, without compromise, are the oiily means of sue- ceeding in Politics ; and, finally, that to be the Leader OF MILLIONS OF FELLOW-MEN, ONE MUST BE ENDOWED WITH O'CoNNELL's indefatigable industry, HIS PER- 8EVERENCE, HIS MORAL COURAGE, HIS UNBENDING, PROUD TEMPERAMENT, HIS GREAT GENIUS, HIS COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF LAW, HIS TACT, JUDGEMENT, DISCRETION, SOUND SENSE—HIS HONESTY, AND HIS PRINCIPLES. 220 LIFE AND TIMES OF CHAPTER III. 1816—1827. While O'CoNNELL was struggling for civil and religi- ous liberty through the channel of the Constitution, his progress was materially impeded by the agrarian out- rages which were incessantly committed by the peasan-r try. The enemies of Ireland uniformly took advantage of these predial disturbances, in order to refuse the Ca- tholic, religious equality with his Protestant fellow-sub- ject ; and to Ireland political equality with the sister country. Every fact was strained, every incident dis- torted, in order to prove a connection between the fair and legitimate agitation, of which O'Connell was the head, and the horrifying crimes which tyranny and op- pression superinduced in various Counties in the south, particularly in Tipperary. In 1816, as in former and in subsequent years, that County was disorganized. With' out the hazard of contradiction, the assertion may now be made, that O'Connell and the other Catholic Agitators neither created nor promoted the disturbances. The causes may be shortly stated. First, with reference to predial outrages generally ; next, locally, with respect to Tipperary. Two social grievances had, from a remote period in Irish history, been sources of contention between the Protestant aristocracy, or portions of it, and the Ca- tholic people. The first was, the TiTHK impost,a never fail- ing cause of bloodshed and crime for over a century, until 1838, when the law directed the incomes of the Clergy to be levied in a different manner. The second was, the socialre- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 221 lations of landlord and tenant — relations sure to continue the fruitful source of misery and outrage, until the te- nants* rights are more distinctly recognised by the le- gislature. Why the Tithe system should cause this state of things, it is not necessarjr now to set forth at length, as we shall have occasion, when speaking of the great Tithe struggle that commenced in 1832, to dwell upon it with some fullness. Here we may simply state, that the laws which enabled the Tithe-proctor to enforce payment, were most unjust and arbitrary. They ground down the industrious poor man, and the more industrious he was, the more they oppressed him, and incited to outrage. Cultivation, by which the poor man lived, was taxed heavily ; pasture, the condition in which the rich Protetsant proprietor held his land, was suffered to es- cape. This was particularly the case in the most dis- turbed portions of Tipperary, where a vast extent of pas- ture lands was always held by the landlords ; and where there was often not enough left for tillage to feed the people. The description of this exaction, even from the eloquent lips of Grattan, fell short of the reality. Tithes, then, were one unceasing cause of outrage and crime. Again, the proprietors of the soil did not possess the confidence, or the affections of the people. Tradition told the hard-worked occupier, that his ancestors were once the owners of the land on which he was but a toil- ing serf — that his landlord became possessed of these rich acres by wars, forfeiture, and bloodshed. Though suppressed, these thoughts were brooded over by the peasantry. On the other hand, the landlord was dis- trustful; he felt as if he were in an enemy's country, and that he should protect himself. He kept himself aloof, in his garrisoned residence, from his dependents or te- nantry, who were aliens from him in religion and country. V 2 222 I»IF£ AND TIMES OF He did more. He was a legislator, and both Houses of Parliament were composed of the same class. He got laws passed for his purposes, and for the easier and more effectual subjugation of a stubb orn and sturdy race. The native Irish, who, from their earliest history, had learned to venerate the old Irish tenure, could never endure the feudal system of property, which the English proprietors forced upon them. Feudalism was repulsive to their notions of freedom ; and they have never, to this day, cheerfully submitted to its laws. Hence it was, that, from the remotest period, there was an enduring struggle between the proprietor and the occupier; the one endea- vouring to get what he could, and the other to pay as little as he could ; — the one acting from an impression that he was deceived by his tenant—the other determined, without hesitation, to deceive as much as practicable. When the Catholic people first sought with energy for their civil rights, religious rancour was added to the other causes of estrangement. The Protestant landlords then began to fear, that their religious ascendency was in danger ; and the People, who, from the sweat of their brows, sustained them in affluence.and the Priesthood too, were the objects of their unceasing hatred. When the wars of Napoleon were over, and the prices of agricultural produce, which were sustained thereby, fell to a low rate, the Landlords became distressed ; they were involved by an expenditure which they wore unable to curtail. Their properties be- came embarrassed ; and, instead of reducing their runts to a level with the reduced rates of produce, they were, to keep themselves above water, obliged to exact "rack- rents" from the peasantry. It became to the latter a life of oppression, difficult to endure; still, taking the popula- tion as a whole, they did endure it. Religion, and the advice of their Clergy sustained them in their trials. But there wore amongst them the violent andill-disposed,who DANIEL O'CONNBLL. 228 had no religious principle. A few Clergymen, scattered throughout the country, could not, adequately and effec- tively instil the Christian principles the Catholic Priest- hood teach, into the minds of all ; and there were no other means of education ; for the Government in those days with held the boon, and refused in that respect to assist reli- gion. The evil disposed perpetrated deeds of blood, and tarnished the character of a patient and enduring people. In Tippcrary, contention had long prevailed. It was in that county, the great struggles between the Anglo-Irish aud the Irish ^Chieftains, and, afterwards, between the rival Chiefs of the Anglo -Irish race, were, for centuries, carried on. Many descendants of the Anglo-Irish race were amongst the peasantry ; and we are told, on high authority, that it was even a more pugnacious race than the Celtic, The restless spirit, at all events, survives amongst the peasantry of the county. Then, the Land- lords of one district being large graziers, who gave the people but little land to cultivate, were always at war with an increasing and a half-fed population. These lo- cally and generally, were the causes of the agrarian dis- turbances, which, for a series of years, afflicted Ireland,^ and which were attempted to be remedied by Insurrection Acts, Peace preservation Acts, Special Commissions, and Martial Laws ; each in turn, and each without effect. In the years 1815-16, the country districts were in this manner disturbed. In Tipperary, abominable murders had been committed, particularly the murder of a gentleman named Baker, who was described by the Attorney Gene« ral,SAURiN,as '* a Gentleman whose conduct and character "would do honour to any society; a Gentleman, who, "from long and intimate acquaintance, he could say, ** was an ornament to his country, for humanity, gentle- "ness and kindness ; a man, charitable arid benevolent, •* tho generous supporter of the poor, the liberal patron 224: LIFE AND TIMES OF "of his tenantry, the honest Friend, the liberal Magis- "trate, the affectionate Husband and most tender " Parent. He fell a martyr to his uncompromising in- ** tegrity ; murdered by a band of fiend like conspirators, "and by his death was cDmpleted, the overheaped mea- " sure of their hellish iniquity." His supposed mur- derers, being taken up, became amenable, and a Special Commission was resolved upon, to try them, and others, on similar charges. When this determination was pro- mulgated, the Dublin Chronicle, a violent Catholic and Nationalist Paper, denounced the Commission, proclaim- ingthe innocence of the persons incarcerated for Baker's murder — impugning, impliedly, the integrity of the Judges and prosecutors, and endeavouring to in- fluence the decisions of ithe Juries, though in language moderate and guarded in its tone ; language, which, at the present day, would not be noticed by any Govern- ment, Whig, or Tory ; or, if noticed, would not bo con- demned by an impartial Jury. The Proprietor of the Dublin Chronicle was, at the time, Eneas M'Donnell — then a most active Irish agitator. He had been pre- viously Editor of the Cork Mercantile Chronicle, and in that capacity, and as a Barrister of some note, played a conspicuous, and, in our opinion, an honest part in Catholic Politics. He was a determined anti-Vetoist ; and nearly the first to censure Dr. Milner, when he thought ho had damaged the Catholic cause : —censure which, however, he afterwards withdrew, when ho found himself in error. He maintained, with ability, the Fran- ciscan Friar, Mr. Hayes, when he was so mercilessly attacked for his self-election as Secretary to a deputa- tion to Rome, whither, as tho deputation never intended to go, he,from the first, purposed to proceed alone. Wo men- tion this circumstance here, to shew the then peculiar DANIEL O'CONNELL. 225 Catholic views of Mr. Eneas M'Donnell. The article to which we refer, was written on the 11th of January 1816 ; and the Commission sat on the fifteenth. — At that Commission, Lord Norbury, with whom was Baron GEOBaE,referred in his charge to the Grand Jury, to certain Newspaper publications, intended to intimidate them from the honest, fearless discharge of their duty. Mr. Eneas M'DoNNELLwas arrested ; and at the very next term, the Attorney General urged to have his trial take place, during the ensuing sitting. Here, O'CoNNELL, who was leading Counsel for Mr. M'DoN- KELL, triumphed in a law argument over his great anta- gonist. He applied for a traverse in prox, to tho next term. The Attorney General resisted the ap- plication, and a long technical argument ensued. The Judges took imtil the following day to consider the argu- ments, and the result was, that the law was found to be with O'Connell, and the trial was accordingly postpone- ed to the next term. It came on in the month of April. We may mention here, that O'Connell, before he de- manded the postponement as a right, asked it as a favour from the Attorney General, which he peremptorily refused, stating that he would show no indulgence to Mr, M'DoNNELL. The application annoyed Mr.M'DoNNELL, and he distinctly denied, in the Chronicle, expressing a wish on his part, to receive any favour from the Crown. When the trial came on, the Attorney General ad- dressed the Jury in a violent tirade against Mr. M'Don- NELL. He thus spoke of the paper of which that Gen- tleman was the Proprietor : — •* Gentlemen, it is a matter of congratulation, that th© amended way af thinking m the minds of many, have res- cued from the Press of Ireland that odious licentiousness, with which it had been tainted by this faction, and re- 226 LIFE AND TIMES OP trieved its honest character, all but this vile paper, tho Dublin Chronicle. The Press of Ireland, 1 am happy to say, has completely purged itself from this odious and base connection, and it has felt its errors. The Proprie- tors have wisely taken a chaste course, and given every assurance that they have rescued themselves from this dark confederacy — have discovered the motives and de- signs of that infamous faction, and no longer will be paa- give dupes, and suffering victims, to their wicked and art- ful schemes. This, my Lords and Gentlemen of the Jury, is the last effort of expiring Jacobinism, in this country; and after this last and necessary exertion, in which I call upon you to give me every constitutional and virtuous co- operation, I trust in God I shall have done for the rest of my life in prosecuting such libellers, which my duty, the corruption of the times, and an honest feeling for the peace and safety of thatsocietyjof which I am a member, imperatively demanded at my hands." O'CoNNELL made, under the circumstances, a very able defence ; but it was by no means a brilliant effort. We cannot detect much of his usual warmth of manner in it. He evidently did not like the subject. He was a decided enemy to agrarian disturbance. He was desirous to punish and put it down ; and an article which even 1*6- motely tended to cover or extenuate such misdeeds, could have but little of his sanction or sympathy. But h© exerted his energies to the utmost, as a lawyer. The result was, a verdict of Guilty .with a favourable recommenda- tion from the Jury. Judge Day, however, in passing sen- tence, broadly asserted that the libel in question encou- raged assassination. His words were — *' You, Sir, have ventured to question the purity of the administration of justice, and that too at a time when every friend to peace and good order, every upright man, and every honest DANIEL O'CONNELL. 227 Irishman, felt anxious for the success of that Special Commission, which you thought fit to defame and scan- dalize by this vile and infamous publication ; seeking thereby to degrade the officers entrusted with the dis- pensation of justice — to hold them up to scorn, contempt, and ridicule — to excite in the minds of the Jurors a con- viction, that they were to be deceived by false and de- ceitful charges from the Bench, and exaggerated speeches from the Crown Counsel, on purpose to encourage disaffection and assassination." Mr. M'DoNNELL very resolutely stopped his Lordship, and thus addressed him : — '* I must interrupt your Lord- ship, There is not a particle of evidence to support your imputations. It is painful to be compelled to inter- rupt the Court — but if my life wore to hang upon the word, I would tell you, as I now do, that your imputa- tion is utterly unfounded. Yes, my Lords, you have charged me with encouraging assassination; I repeat it, if ray life were the forfeit, I would pronounce that charge wholly unfounded. I mean no disrespect ; but must add, that I am, at the least, as incapable of enter* taining such a disposition, as the individual who has im- puted it to me." This manly interruption did not, perhaps, increase the amount of punishment ; but a sentence was pronounced, of imprisonment for six months and a fine of One Hun- dred Pounds. In the mean time.whilethe peasantry of Tipperary were indulging in the '* wild justice of revenge," and a News- paper Proprietor remaining in jail, with the serious, and, we must add, most unjustifiable imputation on his cha- racter,of having given them encouragement, O'Connell was struggling, within the limits of constitutional agitation, against the intrigues going on to damage the national 228 I-IFB AND TIMES OP religion. We now turn to the consideration of those in- trigues; for with them O'Connell's history, at this period, is intimately wound up. If we survey the political transactions of our country, from 1815 to 1823, when the great and regularly organ- ized Catholic Association was established, we will find no green spot on which to rest the weary ; eye all was desert and dreariness. The veto had blighted our ripening hopes. It produced an abundant harvest of disunion, and nothing more. At first, there were rancour and ill-feel- ing. These were succeeded by apathy and the total abandonment of the Catholic cause. "The "Na- tional leaders," as they called themselves, deserted their posts. The VETO section, who kept the field, were ex- ceedingly jealous of O'CoNNELL, and always thwarted him. The Parliamentary friends of the Catholics became in- different, and their exertions relaxed. The veto, and nothing but the veto, was the order of the day. The Holy See was Indecisive. The Prefect of the Propagan- da, Cardinal Lilla, had addressed a rescript to Dr. PoYNTER, in which he set forth the oath of allegiance, which the Clergy should swear to the crown of England. He directed.in the event of Emancipation passing,that the appointments to the dignity of Bishop, should be submitted for approval to the Crown, before being transmitted to Rome for canonical sanction. This was, in point of fact, giving the King of England,a veto. The people — the second order of the clergy, and a ma- jority of the Hierarchy were, however, steady for inde- pendent domestic nomination. Every thing bid fair for a disruption with theCourt of Rome, if Gonsalvi persist- ed in hisEnglish policy.In the midst of the storm, O'Con- NELL was a firm anti-Vetoist, and, as such, earned the hostility of the English Catholics, e«-»iasse, and of the soi- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 289 'disant Catholic aristocrats in this country. He adopted a fixed principle, in his agitation for Catholic Emancipa- tion ; it was universal in its application; it comprised Hindoos, Mahometans, Methodists, Dissenters oi all kinds ; it was the noble principle of universal tolf- ration, irrespective of creed or sect. It was this princi- ple that, in the beginning of the year 1816, made him protest against the persecutions going on in France, by Louis le desire, against the Protestants of that country. O'Connell's popularity was, year after year, increas- ing. His favorite maxim of "being always in the right," stood him in good stead> in these his early days of agita- tion, and gave him a marvellous advantage over his com- petitors. In his profession, too, he was mounting rapidly ; and in this year we find him engaged in some heavy and important causes ; particularly the celebrated one which went to enlarge the corporate franchises of the people of Limerick, and establish their independence of a miser- able junta, by whom they were over-ridden. The Catholic Association of the day, which was esta- blished to avoid the penalties for (Jelegation, under the Convention Act, as interpreted by the Judges, met but seldom, and effected little good. It got itself in debt ; a great portion of which, we believe, O'Connell paid. — At all events, the existence of the debt tended, with other more serious causes, to the disruption, or, rather, decay of this Association. Aggregate meetings were given up, or, at least, they but seldom assembled.— One very important meeting was convened in Dublin, in 1816, at which Mr, O'Connell made one of his brilliant and argumentative harangues. But there remains of it only a meagre report. In those days, there were, in Ireland, no professional stenographers; and the orators had to re. port their own speeches; but the system of prosecuting th» 230 LIFE AND TIMES OP Press was so constant,thatthe practice becamemorerare, particularly when experience taught the speakers, that no reliance could be placed on the newspaper proprietors of the time, and that, to save themselves, they were ready to give up the author. Hence, the reports of all the Catholic meetings, were jejeune and unsatisfacto- ry. Knowing what O'Connell's povvers were, in la ter times, when the rigidity of age was on him, we can well conceive what elasticity, humour, and impassioned energy he displayed, when, in the buoyancy of early manhood, ho fought for equality with his fellow men. The absence of ample reports is to bo regretted ; but it is not to be won- dered at. It is the demand that creates the supply of talents and mental acquirements, as it does of any article. Until O'Connell arose, there was no de- mand for professional reporting in Ireland. It was ho established amongst us the noble profession, now known as " The Press." But for him, men of talent, in that calling, would, like other literary men, havo emigrated to other lands — or have never emerged from obscurity, in their own. Ho gave them ample occupation. The intellect of the country is now stirring and educated; and the occupation will not cease, though the illustrious man who called the profession, in this land, into being, has ceased, too soon, to tax its capabilities and employ its powers. Mr. O'Connell, if for nothing else, would deserve ho. nor for his persevering resistance to the Veto. There • was no man in Ireland, from his position, so interested, as we have previously observed, in Emancipation on any terms, as he was. The very moment it was granted, it would have given him a silk gown ; and, as he said him- self, was sure to increase his income, at least over one THOUSAND A-VEAi:. It was w^ithin his grasp, did he but DANIEL O'CONNELL. 231 yield what Dr. Troy, Lord Trimbleston, Lord Fin- gal, Mr. Sheil, and a host of other leading men were willing to give, let, to his eternal honor, he stood firm— and he conquered. In this year, 1816 — he wrote a most se- vere condemnation of the course adopted by Dr. Troy and Dr. Murray ; but, particularly, the first, in conse- quence of their conduct respecting the ** Securities." — It was addressed to Mr. IIay, the Secretary of the Ca- tholics; and was, to Mr. O'Connell's great annoyance, afterwards published in 1822, long after all the feeling which produced the letter had subsided. Nothing could be so full of regret and apology, for having written it, than was the letter which Mr. O'Connell published when lie saw, to his great surprise, this production in print. In acknowledging an error, when committed, or regretting a wrong, when done, he had no equal amongst the bust- ling agitators by whom he was surrounded. It was a trait of his character, and a generous and manly one. In 1836, writing in reply to the calumnies against the Catho- lics, uttered at Exeter Hall, by the Rev. Mr. M'Ghee, of " forgery" notoriety, we find Mr, O'Connell thus giv- ing his reminiscences of Catholic afi"airs during the period to which we allude : — He said : — "That the Irish Catholics were in that, and the subse- quent year, 1817,engaged in abittercontroversy,increasing each day to intensity, upon the subject of allowing the Crown what was called the ** Veto ;" that is, the indi- rect but efficacious power of nominating the Catholic Bi- shops in Ireland. ** That this plan had at one time been directly, and in terras, favoured by the Catholic prelates ; and in 1817 there were some of them who were believed still to favour it,as they certainly discountenanced the opposition of the laity to that measure. 232 LIFE AND TIMES OF " That almost all the nobility, and many of the moi'e wealthy classes of the gentry and mercantile men, were desirous of obtainingEmancipation even upon the terma of making that concession to the Crown. **^ That this plan was countenanced at the Court of Rome, as was manifested by Cardinal Gonsalvi's cele- brated rescript ; and it was known that the Hanoverian Charge d'Affairs at Rome, as I recollect, the Baron Omi'- TEDA, employed for that purpose by the British Ministry, had every prospect of success. •^* That the Catholic laity were totally repugnant to allo'v the Crown any power to nominate the Catholic bishops of Ireland. We steadily opposed the Court of Home, as well as the inclination shown by our own pre- lates. We resolutely resisted the wishes of our nobility,, and of so many of our merchants, backed as they were by the almost universal voice of the Catholics of Eng- land ; and we firmly, loudly, and emphatically declared, that we woxild not accept of Emancipation upon terms so derogatory to public liberty ^ as the power of nominating the bishops of another Church inust be — if vested in the Crown ; that is, in the minister of the day.^' For this Ave deserve the thanks of every lover of constitutional freedom — and, for my own part, I do believe that the Reform Bill would never have been carried if we had yielded that addi- tional influence to the Ministers of the Crown. Those who recollect how much the Iriih Members contributed to carrying that Bill vvill probably accede to the truth of my opinion. •' Ours was not a barren opposition. We — the Ca- tholic laity — actually sent a special envoy or messenger to Rome, to remonstrate with the Pope, and to announce to him our doterminjition to prefer political inferiority, or oven persecution, rather than submit to the *' Veto," DANIEL O'CONNELL. 333 **Tbat our envoy, the Rev. Mr. Hayes, a Francis- can Friar, liaviugf made our remonstranceknown to the I'oi'E, and having persevered with more obstinacy than was deemed proper, was ignominiously dismissed from Rome, and from the Papal territories, and sent home un- der circumstances of disgrace, without having been able to advance in any way the cause we espoused. ** That tho vETOisTS amongst our body, were much encouraged by these circumstances, whilst, on the other hand, the anti-vetoists were not a little exasperated ; but at the same time i endered only the more determined and resolute never to yield to the Crown the power of nomination of our prelates. " That thus violent dissensions prevailed amongst us — animosities arose in the Catholic body— ambitious, sel- fish and other bad motives were mutually attributed;and, in short, all tho weakness, as well as all the folly, of internal division was exhibited." Grattan was, in 1816, beginning to fall in popular es- teem. He was absolutely crotchetty with reference to the Veto. Nothing could alter his views jnothing could induce him to change his mode of action. He brought forward the question when he liked, and how he liked. Ho would submit to no dictation. Not so, Lord Bonoughmore. He abandoned his own views ; and seeing his countrymen determined in their resistance to the "securities", he joined them. But all this division had a damaging effect on the Catholic question, and we, accordingly, find that, this year, Mr. Grattan's motion was lost by a majority of thirty-two. The evil of this controversary became so apparent, that, in 1817, an attempt was made to bring about an union in Catholic Councils. A meeting was held for that purpose, but it produced no permanent good. The feeling in the V 2 234 LIFE AND TIMES OF country was strong against what were called the *' Tbim- BLKSTON Petitioners ;" that is, those who poncurred with his Lordship in seeking qualified Emancipation ; and as on that point there was an irreconcileable difference, there remained no hopes of perfect union. Mr. O'Con- NELL, at a Catholic Meeting in Dublin, on the 28th Fe- bruary, made a powerful speech in favour of withdraw- ing the Catholic petition from Giiattan, and entrust- ing it to Sir Henuy Parnell, who was a strong anti- yetoist. It was a brilliant effort ; for he was proud of the genius and political triumphs of his great country- man ; but, borrowing his own language, he said of him, that he Avas a tree too old to be transplanted; that he pined and put forth little fruit in English soil. However, once more, the veteran patriot was entrusted with the advocacy of the national cause ; for there was an unwillingness on the part of the Irish people to be separated from him. But his motion was lost by a ma- jority of twenty-four ; and in the House of Lords a defeat more signal awaited a motion of similar form and character. In the interval. Mr. O'Connell was swiftly reaching his position at the Munster Bar. He was fast becoming the leader of it. in spite of his civil disabilities. He had GooLD and Grady to contend against, flippant or fluent men, but mere pigmies compared to him. As a Criminal Lawyer, he had no equal. With Juries he was quite at home. No matter what their complexion, or of what class thejwere composed, whether special, record, or criminal, he possessed an unrivalled power over them, and from his repeated success, it would seem that his influence was unprecedented. On all subjects he was au fait ! ready at any moment to seize an opportunity with judg- ment and tact. With a quick memory, andextensive legal DANIEL O'CONNELL. 235 and general knowledge, he was enabled, in the twinkling of an eye, to take advantage for his client, of every pas- sing incident. This talent we shall bye and bye have oc- casion to illustrate. In cross-examination, too, as we have already said, he had no equal. He always proceeded in criminal cases, while examining a witness, as if under the impression that his client was guilty. He dexterously passed by for a time the main points, and took the wit- ness into extraneous matters, until he found him stum- bling and perplexed. Then he would venture, inadvert- ently, as it were, to come to the point at issue, and thus often raised, in the minds of the Jury, misgivings of the witness's veracity, and saved human life, though it might be the life of one, who, if the punishment of death be morally justifiable, deserved the forfeiture. An anecdote connected with his circuit life, in those days,raay be here inserted, as illustrative of his character and feelings of self-respect. The late Sir William M'Mahon, Master of the Rolls, was a man of very humble origin. His father was state- trumpeter; but, became afterwards possessed of consider- able wealth, and v/as enabled to educate his son to tho bar. For a long time after he had been called, he was held rather cheap by the gentry of the profession — the aristo- cratic barristers — in consequence of the humble position of his family. O'Connell, however, made it a point, seeing the manner in which M'Mahon was treated, to bo parti- cularly kind and attentive to him, at a time when it was of great value to M'Mahon that such kindness and con- sideration should be shown him ; and for this he was ever after grateful. However, in course of time, his brother attained the office of Privy Purse to George tho 4lh. Then the practice of the bar "gen- try" altered towards M'Mahon, for they began- to 23(5 LIFE AND TIMES OS think that the man whoso brother held so high an ap- pointment near the person of the King, was not exactly the man to make an enemy. Accordingly, the change was marked, and with some of them it \>as one from su- perciliousness to servility. JMany who before would slight him, were now his adulators, and of tliis class was the late Master • One day while on Circuit in Limerick, M'Mahon came into the bar n;om, after hav- ing had a very long walk in heavy rain, and through mud- dy streets ; he took ofi" his shoes outdido the door and put on slippers. saw the shoiis saturated with wet, and he brought them into the room, and put them to dry inside the fender. O'Oonnell happened to come into the room soon after, and saw them there. Ho asked, "whose shoes are these?" replied, "they're M'Mahon'jj ; I just put them there to air." 0'Conni:ll (M'Mahon being present) lified each of them on the point of his toe, and kicked them to the door, saying, *' , you should have been compelled to carry out- these nuisances: placing them at the rire-placc, under our noses, is a great outrage.'' made no reply. — M'Mahon briefly baid, '* O'Connell, you are right." The Rev. Mr. Hayes who was, us we stated before. Secretary to the Deputation appointed to carry to Home the Remonstrance of the lri;}h Catholics, against the veto, was this year ignominiously, and, in our opinion, most undeservedly ordered to quit Rome. The Rov. gentleman proceeded aloae,a3 we already mentioned, in iho discharge of his mission ; for the per.sons appointed de- clined to accompany him. He was by several subsequent resolutions of the Catholics recogni/.ed as their accredited agent. lie was, however, too zealoua for the English Catholic rosiJents, and their p.itron, Gonsaiai. Wi* must, however,stato our opinion, that he was too pressing in his importunities, and too unguarded and violent in DAXIEL O'CONNELL. 237 his language and demeanour, particularly towards His Holiness. Indeed, it was his demeanour at an inter- view with the Pope, that caused his removal by force from Rome. His HoLiNEss,in a letter to the Irish Catho- lics, in the year 1818, stated that his conduct was insup- portable, and that under all the' circumstances he treated him with leniency, by merely dismissing him, instead of consigning him to the Castle of St. Angelo. After Mr. Hayes returned to Ireland a most flagitious libel was published against him, in England. He necessarily brought an action against the vender of the libel, not the publisher, and of course, without having an opportunity of going into merits of his case, he failed. This was at the time a cause of much regret, both for the sake of re- ligion and of the cause of Catholicity. In consequence of the conduct of the members of the old Catholic Board, and the cncreasing apprehension that tlie Pope would yield to the intrigues going on in his Capital, the Irish Bishops deemed it advisable to express their sentiments individually by letters in the public papers. Dr. CoppiNGER, Bishop of Clojne and Ross, was foremost in his opposition to the "securities"— that is,to the Veto. It was, we believe, at a meeting of the Clergy of his Dio- ccse, that the plan of domestic nomination by Deans and Chapters, by means of their universal establishment in Ireland, was suggested, in the hope of averting the anti- cipated blow from Parliament. We cannot help thinking that the mode of election now in force is preferable to the limited one then proposed. The selection by Parish Priests, to be sanctioned afterwards by the Bishops of the Province, is an admirable mode of arriving at a just decision. The social and political history of Ireland during the year 1818, presents two salient points. The first, fever 238 LIFE AND TIMES OP and famine to a fearful extent ; the second, a growing anxiety for Reform, and a wish to place in abeyance the special claims of sect, in order to join with the English people in remodelling the Parliament, in the expectation *hat under a just system of representation, the rights of conscience would bo respected. The Catholics gave u\i meeting for the furtherance of their own cause. England was in a fearful state ; she was on the brink of a revolu- tion. It was evident that things could not continue much longer as they were. To revolutionary principles wsa superadded great and unexampled distress, and there was a dogged determination about the people that boded a formidable issue. The Irish kept aloof from all this. Still, they were sanguine friends of Reform, and anx- ious for its constitutional success. Mr. O'Connell was amongst the foremost to join the Reform agitation. — Early in 1818, there was a constitutional meeting, for Reform, in Dublin, at which he made a most brilliant speech — a faint outline of which is alone preserved. For the three years succeedingl818,the popular mind was iidl of the idea of organic changes, and the Catholics becamu very unwilling to petition Parliament at all, on their own special question; while, on the other hand, in consequence of the unsettled state of the times, their Parliamentary friends, including Lord Donoughmore, thought it utterly futile to introduce into either House, theproject of Catho- lic Emancipation. Mr. O'CoNNELL.in pursuance of thepolicy thusadopted, carried a resolution, on the 4th May 1818, in the Catholic Board, against petitioning. In accordance with its tenor, the only separate demonstrations made during theyear, by the Catholics, were— a public Dinner to the Board, at which O'CoNNEij. presided withhis usual unrivalled tact; and a meeting of the Board to receive thePopii's answer to DANIEL O CONNELL. 239 their second remonstrance, having reference to the treat- ment experienced by the Rev. Mr. Hayes. "We have already alluded to this document, which v/as the first direct communication the Catholic Laity ever received from Rome. ]\Ir. Hayes made a most humble submission to His HoLTNKss, and expressed his deep sorrow at having given the Holy Father cause for displeasure. This gen- tleman was in great pecuniary embarrassments, arising from debts he contracted in the Catholic service, during his [residence at Uome ; and yet, though Mr. O'Connell and Dr. England exerted themselves, the one in Dublin, the other in Cork, to obtain subscriptions, the sura raised was exceedingly paltry, and by no means equal to meet the responsibilities he incurred. He appears to us, look- ing back from this distance of time, to have been an ill- treated man, erring, if at all, from disinterested zeal, and at least deserving the recompense denied him. TheCatholic cause was slightly advanced by the death, during the year, of old Queen Charlotte. She was a bitter enemy of Catholics. The Cabinet Avas now pretty equally divided on the question of their claims. It is said, there was in the Ministry but a ma- jority of ONE against the Catholics. Peel, too, had loft Ireland, and was succeeded by Mr. Grant, after- wards Lord GLENELG,a decided advocate of their claims. The Protestants in Belfast showed, by a public meeting in favor of Emancipation, an example to their fellow religionists throughout the country. On the whole, there was, as it were, an heliacal rising on the poli- tical horizon, which filled men's minds with hope, and indi- cated the approaching blaze of religious freedom. Mr. O'Connell particularly distinguished himself a* one period of the year, by the lead ho took in getting 240 LIFE AND TIMES OP up a public dinner to Thomas Moore, on the occasion of his visit to Dublin. O'Connell, in returning tbanks on behalf of the managers of the entertainment, of whom he was the principal, delivered a truly eloquent speech. His was only surpassed by the chaste and classic address of the distinguished guest. The writer of this Mkmoik recollects with pride, that but though then arrived at the age of seventeen, he made a similar effort to entertain the illustrious Bard in Cork. He failed, however, owing to the bigotry and prejudice which then prevailed against the Irish Anacreon, the playful writer of "Tom Littles' " Lyrics — poems which he then bitterly re- pented having ever written or given to the world. The year 1819, is remarkable for being the first in which O'CoNNELL commenced to publish his famous annual letters to the Catholics of Ireland, It was the only mode he had of arousing their attention. There were then no public meetings ; and even if there were, there were no Reporters to transmit on the wings of the press, to the extremities of the land, his eloquent and lionest counsel. He chose to write his sentiments, and so address, awaken, and inspire the people. Eneas M'Don- NELL who, as we have seen, was in those days a fiery patriot, and a steadfast anti-Vetoist, adopted the same mode. But O'Connell had a greater power of convey- ing his views in striking language, intelligible to the humblest intellect, than any other man of his own era, with the exception, perhaps, of Coduett, and we might also say — Ensor. This faculty O'Connell greatly improved, as ho advanced on the road of agitation. The spirits of the Catholics revived this year. The Protestants were beginning to show for their cause some sympathy. The Chief Secretary was a tried friend. bANlEL 0*CONNELL, 241 The Lord Lieutenant, Earl Talbot, was neutral or quiescent. Under such circumstances the greatest meeting of Catholics ever hitherto held in Ireland, assem- bled in Dublin. Lord Fingall came back to his old fellow-labourers, and was enthusiastically received.-— O'CoNNELL delivered a striking and masterly oration.— Its main purport was, to thank the Protestants for their sympathy and assistance.particularly Thomas M'Kenny, then Lord Mayor of Dublin. It was determined once again to petition. The question was, in due course, in- troduced by Sir Henry Parnell, in the House of Com- mons; but the motion for going into Committee to con- sider it, was lost by a majority of two. A similar fate at- tended Lord Grey's bill for the relief of Catholics. — It was thrown out in the Upper House by a majority of fifty-nine. In the course of the year, another great Ag- gregate Meeting of the Catholic body was convened; but without the attendance of the Aristocracy. They were still holding aloof. They were evidently jealous of O'Con- NELL. But he and the people were become independent of them. They could stand alone, and were beginning to walk upright. O'Connell was Ireland's chosen leader. The ** natural leaders" were annoyed at his supremacy ; but there was no remedy for it ; it was his right and destiny. His speech, at this Aggregate Meet- ing, showed how much he deserved the pre-eminence he enjoyed. The celebrated ''witchery" resolutions of 1812,in which the Catholics of Ireland charged the Prince Regent with being influenced in his hostility to their cause, by the fascinations of the Marchioness of , were revived at one period of this year, and created a new sensation, on account of Mr. Hay, the Secretary of the Catholic Board, haying stated,in his anxiety to excuse the Catholics, that w 242; UFE AND TIMES OF these resolutions were framed by his Majesty's Opposi- tion, and sent over to Ireland by Mr. Ponsonby to bo adopted. Mr. O'Connell was indignant at such an im- putation on the late Mr, Ponsonby's honor, and utterly denied its truth. The transaction, we believe, formed the foundation for that warm friendship which existed between him and the Besborough family. While Ireland was thus quietly pressing forward in tho constitutional struggle,, England was in a state of utter anarchy.- The constitution was suspended — executions for treasons became numerous. Hunt, and Ogden, and TmsTLEWooD were the physical force men of that day. Where are their labours now ? Or what good did theif effect ? O'Connell published, before the year closed, a seconcf Letter to tho Catholics of Ireland, in which he spuke in the highest terms of Mr. GRANT,the Chief Secretary, and enlarged on the services done the Catholic cause by tho Protestant party. These letters attracted universal atten- tion. They were remarkable for their force and modera- tion, and they influenced beneficially the minds of men. Catholic affairs, however, continued throughout 1820 in a very prostrate conditign. To illustratethis,we maymention a circumstance connected with an aggregate Meeting held early in the year, under the presidency of Dr. Troy, in Lif-. fey-street Chapel, Dublin,for the purpose of congratulating the I^ingon hissucessiontotheThrone. It was there resolv- ed that copies of tho Address should bo loft for signa- ture at the d'ffereat Roman Catholic Chapels. It is a proof of the singular apathy of the Catholic body, with regard to the progress of their own agitation, that at this meeting, Mr« Nichqlas Mahon, \x\ referring to the mode of haying the Address to the King signed, said, ♦ ' He hoped it- would npl; meet the fate of th«( Catholic iDiNIEL O^CONNELL. ^H Y)etitibn, for which, although several months hadolap* «ed since it was framed, a sufficient number of signatures «ould not yet be procured." Such was the feeling of indiff'erence with which O'Conneli. had to contend. Grattan died this year. He left behind him an impe- rishable fame. He had no equal. In Parliament, hj left aone to be his successor in the affections of the Irish peo- ple. Previous to his death he ran somewhat courier to iheir opinions, on a subject to them of deep interest. But still they love.l him, and remembered gratefully his for- mer services. Besides, the influence of Grattan in Ca^ tholic affairs was very considerable in Parliament. Sir Henry Parnell felt and acknowledged this, and in con- sequence declined taking the Question of Emancipation out of his hands. Plunkett, who, in truth, did become bis successor, was a man of transcendant powers as an orator. As a rcasoner he had no rival. But he was of a cold, marble-like disposition, and the gloomy sterness of this features indicated that he had no warm sympathies with his kind. ]\Ioreover, he had lost his popularity by his cele- brated advocacy ofCASTLEREAGH's Six Acts, and because of his justification of the wanton and merciless conduct of the Government. Mr. O'Connell wished the affairs of the Irish Catholics to be transferred to another's keep- ing. BtiouGUAM was then a public favoiite, and he wa» spoken of. Plunkett however continued the manager of th6ir affairs, in the House of Commons, audit is no more than common justice to say, that he did his part well, eloquently and zealously. He was, nevertheless, a strong Advocate for '' the securities." At this period, however,of our history, the talents of even Plunkett were of no real value. The Catholic Question was absolutely aban- doned. There were neither petitioas presented, nor mo- tions made in favor of Emancipation. Every one felt \t svas hopeless. Parliamentary Reform was the favorite 2ii LIFE AND TIMES Of pursuit in both Countries, and in England there "was su- peradded a strong revolutionary feeling, which disheart- ened the friends of popular freedom, and made its enemies more stern and unrelenting. True, a Deputation from aa Aggregate Meeting of Catholics was introduced by JLord Kenmarb, at the Levee, and tbey presented to Georgia the Fourth the address emanating from the Meeting. His Majesty was then exceedingly unpopular in England, His conduct to the Queen had well nigh produced a social convulsion, and he was very glad of the prospect of some portion of public favour, even amongst the Catholics whom he secretly detested. This heartless Sovereign therefore received the Deputa- tion moat graciously, conversed familiarly with them> as they were introduced by Lord Kenmare, each by same. But so for the present the humbug terminated, A reception apparently cordial, and some courteeQ» expressions were the whole result. Mr. O'Connell's popularity continued to encrease progressively. Whenever he appeared in the Provinces, he was enthusiastically received. Indeed, the accounts' of the Newspapers of those days give us no notion of the intensity of the people's affection for the ** Counsellor." But, happily, we witnessed and can remember the popular joy ; we recollect the happiness that beamed in every countenance, and the blessings which were poured on him as he passed with his loaded brief-bag from his lodgings to the Court, and the buz of delight amongst the waiting crowd, while he moved on. It was this year he offered himself to the req^enerated Freemen of Limerick, as a candidate for the Recordership. Through the exer- tions of Spring Rice, the corporate independence of that City was established, and privileges asserted which O'Connell was probably anxious to secure. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 245 The contest which had been long going on between the Citizens of Limerick and the Corporation, terminated in 1820, by the triumph of the former. The Corporation affirmed a right to admit whom they pleased to the Freedom of the C^ty, whether resident or not; and, be- ing Freemen, that they were entitled to vote. As the Corporation had the power of making honorary Freemen, without limitation as to residence or number, the whole power of returning Members of Parliament rested with them ; in other words, Limerick was a close borough un- der the patronage of the Gort family. The Citizens main- tained that, under the statute of Charles IL, and the new rule consequent thereon, all merchants, and traders, resident in the City, and all apprentices of Freemen, and the eldest sons and the sons-in-law of Freemen, were en- titled to the franchise. This question was tried in the person of Thomas Spring Rice, Esq., now Lord Mont- CAOLE, Colonel Vereker, afterwards Lord Gort, was the Corporation candidate, and of course was returned the Member — the citizens claiming their freedom, not being admitted, and non-residents being held as entitled to vote. Mr. Spring Rice petitioned aginst the return. The Committee of the House of Commons, after investi- gating the matter, delivered in the following report:: — ** It appeared to the Committee that the merits of the Petition did depend in part upon the Right of Election, and that, therefore, the Committee required the Counsel for each party to deliver to the Clerk of the Committee, statements in writing of the Right of Election for which they respectively contended. " That in consequence thereof the Counsel for the Petitioner delivered in a statement as follows : — ** That the Right of Election is in the Freeholders of lb© said County, and in such Freemen thereof as had W 2 246 LIFE AND TIMES OF served apprenticeships in the said city, or as were resi- dent at the time of their respective adnaissions to the freedom thereof. " That the eldest sons of Freemen, and persons mar- rying the daughters of Freemen, and persons who have served regular apprenticeships, within the same city, to Freemen thereof, are of right entitled to the Freedom of the said City, and to vote at Elections therein. *' That all Merchants, Traders, Artificers, Artizans, Seamen, or otherwise, skilled or exercised in any mys- tery, craft, or trade, or in the working or making any manufacture or in the art of navigation, residing, inha- biting, and exercising their trade, mystery, or craft, within the said city, are of right entitled under the sta-' tutes and rules relating to the said city, to the Freedom thereof, and to vote at Elections for the same, during such their residence therein. ♦ ' That no persons, howsoever in any respect entitled, except such as have been residing and continually inha- biting within the said city, at the time of their admission to the Freedom thereof.or have been apprentices therein, to vote at Elections for the said City. " That the Counsel for the sitting Member delivered in a statement, as follows : " That the right of Voting is vested in the Free- •* holders of the City and County of the City of Lime- ** rick, and in all the Freemen of the Corporation of ♦' Limerick." •• That upon the statement delivered in by the Counsel for the Petitioner, Thomas Spring Rice, Esq., the said Committee have determined, that the right of Elec- tion, as set forth in the said Statement, is not the Right of Election for the said City and County of the City. •'That upon the Statement delivered in by the Coun- DANIEL O'CONNELL. _ 247 sel for the sitting Member,the Hon. John PRfiNDERGAST Vereker, the said Committee have determined, that the Right of Election as set forth in the said Statement is not the Right of Election for the said City and County of the City. ** That the Committee have determined, that the Right of Election for the City and County of the City of Limerick, is in the Freeholders of the said County, and in such Freemen of the said City as had starved apprentice- ships, or were resident therein at the time of their admis- sion to their respective Freedoms. *• That no person can be admitted a Freeman of the said City, who has not served an apprenticeship therein^ or who is not resident therein at the time of his admiiS' tion. •• That subject to the foregoing limitation, the Sons of Freemen, the Sons-in-law of Freemen, and persons having served seven years apprenticeship to Freemen of the said City, are entitled to the Freedom of the said City, and to vote at Elections for the same. •* That Persons admitted to the Freedom of the said City, by virtue of an Act passed in the 14th and 15th years of the Reign of his late Majesty, King Charles II. intituled, *An Act for encouraging Protestant Stran- gers and others, to inhabit and plant in the Kingdom of Ireland,' or by virtue of the new rules of the said City, arc entitled to vote at Elections therein during their fa- mily's constant residence,}and their own residence, for the most part therein, and no longer. * * That the Committee have determined, that the Ho- nourable John Pbenueroast Vereker is not duly elect- ed a Citizen to serve in this present Parliament for the said City and County of the City. ** That Thomas Spring Rice, Esq. was duly elected, 248 LIFB AND TIMES 0» and ought to have been returned a Citizen to serve in this present Parliament for the said City and County of th» City. •' That the Petition did not appear to the Committee to be frivolous or vexatious. ' ' That the opposition to the Petition did not appear to the Committee to be frivolous or vexatious." 'i Deputy Clerk of the Crown ordered to attend to- morrow to amend the return. "House informed that Henry D'Esterre, the lle- corder of Limerick, being called before Committee as a Witness, was guilty of gross prevarication; and. there- fore they had committed him to the custody of the Ser- jeant at Arms attending this House. '• Ordered, That H. D'Esterre, Esq., be, for his said offence, committed ii Prisoner to his Majesty's Gaol of Newgate ; and that Mr. Speaker do issue his War- rants accordingly. " House, informed, that the Committee had come to the following Resolution : *' Resolved, ' That during the investigation before the said Committee various acts of the Corporation of Limerick, as stated in the Petition, were brought to light, which renders it necessary for the said Committee to request the House will order the Minutes of evidence to be printed.' '* Minutes of the Proceedings of the Committee order- ed to bo laid belore the House." This report, dated the third July, was taken into con- sideration on the tenth of the same month, by the House of Commons, and their wish was expressed, that Mr. Henry D'Esterre, the Recorder — a brother of the un- fortunate gentleman who fell in the duel with Mr. O'Con- }4ELL — should no longer fill the office of Recorder. That DANIEL O'CONNELL, 249 office was one of annual appointment, or rather the right of appointment was exercised by, and was vested in, the Council of the Corporation, The appointment was made every September, and it was suggested that nothing should be done in the matter until the next election. As the Lord Lieutenant had a veto on the election, thefife was danger of Mr. D'Esterre being re-appointed. Oii the fourteenth of July, Mr. O'Connell, under the im- pression, from the report of the Committee, that D'Esterre would immediately retire, addressed the '•Mayor, Sheriffs, and Citizens of the City of Limerick,'* the following letter : — " Merrion-square. ** Gentlemen. — I beg leave respectfully to announce my intention to offer myself at the next vacancy as a can. didate for the oflSce of Recorder of your ancient and loya Corporation. ** To maintain the privileges and franchises of that Corporation, to identify the Common Council with the re- sident citizens according to right and ancient usage, to administer justice without delay and at the smallest pos- sible expense, and to exercise all the functions of the oflSce of Recorder with the most pure impartiality ; such are the duties of the office to iwhich 1 aspire. To dis- charge these duties diligently and conscientiously (if I shall be elected to that office) is my fixed and unalter- able determination. *' To make an individual canvass appears to me incon. sistent with that feeling of delicacy which ought to be- long to the Judicial character. I do not desire that any man should vote for me, unless he is in his conscience convinced I am competent, in professional skill and ex-, perience, and above all, that I should act as your Re- corder with perfect impartiality and disinterestedness. i50 LIFE AND TIMES Oi* i hove the honour to be. Gentlemen, *' Your most obedient Servant, '• Daniel O'Connell." the letter must have been written to trj the right of the Citizens to elect to that olTice, in the same manner as Spring Rice did with respect to the Representation.-;— However, whother such was positively the case we haye not been able to discover. At all events, no such elec- tion took place, and we hear no more of O'Connell in the transaction. Mr. Henry D'Esteure was discharged from Newgate, on his petition, after receiving a most se- Tjre reprimand from the Speaker, for his pervarication before the Committee, which was doubly reprehensible in one of his profession and slation. Notwithstanding this, Mr. D'EsTERRE, in September following, was reappoin- ted by the Council, and his name sent up for the appro- bation of the Lord Lieutenant. His Excellency's sanction was withheld, on the earnest memorial of the citizens, setting forth al^the circun\stances. Mr. Care^t Smith was nominated to the office, and he hold it until the Irish Municipal Reform Act came into operation. It is singular that the recollection of O'Connell having so offered himself as a candidate for this office, has faded from the memory of some of the oldest and most influential citizens of Limprick— rso little impression did the matter make. Because perhaps all knew how little was O'Con- NELL's chance of success, and with wl)at little 8orloi;snes« he sought to assume or to retain the position. O'Connell continued day after day to advance In his profession. He was now, as far as the law allowed, at the head of the Munster bar. He was employed in every case. Without reference to innocence or guilt, an imr pression prevailed amongst the people, that if the prisoner J^ad the benefit of O'Connell 's advocacy, he was almost DANIEL O'CONNELL, ^^l certain to escape ; on the other hand, if he could not have his assistance, that the case was hopeless. Indeed, there are so many anecdotes told of wonderful escapes' through his instrumentality, that it is no matter of •urprisesuch an opinion should have got amongst the people. The following anecdote, tbo' the occurrence took- place some years later than the period of which we now. write, will demonstrate his success— He and Mr. Dk- voNsiiER Jackson were employed at a Cork Assizes to. defend a process-server who was on his trial for perjury. This man was in the employment of some Attorney who gave him a law notice to serve on a person it was rather difficult to catch. It was necessary that he should be served, otherwise the suit at law would fall to the ground. The proceedings Avere against a person named Wilson.' who, being somewhat of a lawyer, or in other terras, fond of litigation, knew perfectly well,that all that was neces- sary to secure the defeat of the process against him was,' to put out of the way the individual who had to be served! Accordingly, he took a house for him in one of the back lanes of Blackpool, in the City of Cork, and had him se- creted there for the requisite time. The proceedings.howc- ver, went on, for the process-server swore to his having served the party on a certain day on the same farm, near- Cork. ^ He was really secreted at Blackpool at the very time. Informations were accordingly lodged against the process-server, and he was put upon his trial. O'CoNNELL and Jackson were feed by the At- torney to defend him. The person who was put out of the way soknowingly.was a man with a short leg and of small stature. He sv^ore at the trial of the process- server, to being in Blackpool on the day the notice was deposed to have been served elsewhere on him. He was cross-examined by O'CoNNELL, who asked, amongst^ 252 LIFE AND TIMES 01? other questions, whether it was not possible that Mr. Wilson, who was so very clever, and knew the law so intimately, might not have put a person on the farm, resembling the lame witness, so as to entrap the process-server, the prisoner at the Bar. Here the cross- examination "was interrupted by Serjeant Lefroy, who was then presiding as Judge—** That is not,'' said his Lordship to Mr. O'Connell, **a legal question. It can't be put." ** What, my Lord, ami, at my time of life to be told that any question I put to a witness, while defending a client, is not relevant or legal ?'' exclaimed Mr. O'Connell, flinging down his brief with great violence, amidst the profound silence of the Court. **You may take your bill of exceptions," replied the Judge. ** Then, my Lord, I will," replied O'Connell, and he immediately sat down. Mr, Jackson pressed him very strongly to go on. O'Connell perempto- rily refused. He saw instantaneously the advantage the interruption of the Judge gave him, and he knew the prisoner had no chance otherwise of escape. He kept his advantage by refusing to continue the examination. He sent in his bill of exceptions— They wore argued be- fore the Twelve Judges, and in one fortnight after, the prisoner who was found guilty and sentenced to bo trans- ported, was discharged from custody. Our informant himself saw him a few days afterwards pursuing his vocation as a process-server. This anecdote illustrates O'Oonnbll's professional adroitness, judgment,and pro< found knowledge of the )aw of evidence. Another anecdote equally applicable, as an illustration of his dexterity in compassing an unfortunate culprit's acquittal, may be here narrated. He was employed in defending a prisoner who was tried for a murder committed in the Ticinity of Cork. The principal witness swore DA.NIEL O'CONNELL. 2fiS strongly against the prisoner ; — one corroborative cir- cumstance was, that the prisoner's hat was found near thia place whore the murder took place. The witness swore positively the hat produced was the one found, and that it belonged to the prisoner, whose name was James. "By virtue of your oath are you positive that this is ** the same hat ?" "Yes." "Did you examine it carefully ^' before you swore in your informations that it was the " prisoner's?" "Yes." "Now,let me sec,"saidO'CoNNEi,L, and he took up the hat and began carefully to examine the inside. He the i spelled aloud the name James — slowly, thus : — "J — A — M— E — s.'' ,*' Now do you mean "those words were in the hat when yoU found it?" "I do". *• Did you see them there ?" "I did." " This is the same hat ?" "It is." "Now, my lord,"said O'Connell holding up the hat to the Bench, " there is an end to the case — *' there is no name whatever inscribed in the hat." The result was instant acquittal. In February 1820, a case was submitted to O'Connell for his opinion on the point, whether a Catholic was capable of holding the office of sub- Sheriff, or whether its assumption was prohibited under penalties. He gave his opinion that no penalty did attach for so acting, and that a Catholic was capable of holding the office. After referring to several of the Penal Statutes bearing on the question, he used the following expressive sente> ce ; — < " Tho truth is, that this abominable code was dictated by a very violent, but muddy spirit of bigotry. Its enact- mentJt were, in very many instances, very slovenly ; and there exist not a few instances in which the Legislature, in its contemptuous hatred of Catholics, took for granted that they were incapable of employment, altho' no such incapacity really existed." 254 LIFE AND TIMES OF Of 0'CoNNELL,though for years their great Agitator, there still existed amongst the Catholic body an unmean- ing jealousy. This was, in 1820, exemplitied at a great public dinner given in Cork to Dr. England. At tho dinner, at which it was intended by the managing Com- mittee to have proposed the toasts of " Queen Caro- line." " The Revolutions of Spain, Naples, Portugal, &c.," the health of O'Connell was not included in the list, though he and Dr. England were alike Champions in the great cause of religious freedom. This shews the petty feel- ing existing in those days towirds many who served their country honestly and well. The two t:)asts we have mentioned were expunged at the request of some of the Bishops, who attended on the occasion, and during the evening, O'Connell's health was given only incidentally by one of the company. Mr. O'CoNNiiLL exhibited, this year,his love of justice and fair play, in the teeth of popular prejudice and excite- ment. Colonel Devemeux, who Iiad raised a force in Ireland for BoLiYAu's army in South America, and sold commis- sions therein, proceeded to tho scone of action. When the force arrived at the island of Margaritta, it was fo ; His, Lordship, then said, he would yield to conipul- 'sion only, and he was accordingly forcit)ly removed frotn the Chair. The Oflicer, in flie meantime, half drew his sword, but returned it again to its place. • • The meeting thus dispersed, again assembled in a few 'minutes at a house in the neighbourhood, when Lord "Cloncurrv was called to the chair, an address proposed and carried by acclamntion, and a Committee appointed to prepare a memorial to the Lord Lieutenant, praying for redress for the unconstitutional and illegal outrage •committed by the SiiERirr. The crowds then, though in a state of much excitement, quietly dispersed. A meeting of the Committee was subsequently held, on the fourth of January, at the Corn ['exchange — Arch. Hamilton Rowan in the Chair. 0'Connet,l moved that measures be there adopted to procure redress. In the coTirse of his speech, of which however only a very imperfect report is given, ho used the following words — *' The meeting on Saturday was too peaceable to afford any pretence, oven in Ireland, to tale system of cajolery. It took for the time with the people. Nothing could exceed their enthusiasm ; and O'Connell, the re- presentative of their sentiments — joined in a proposal to build an Irish Palace for his Majesty, by public sub- scription. The formation of a "Loyal Georgian Club" was suggested by hira also, and when his Majesty was leav- ing Ireland, the future Liberator presented him with a laurel crown, amidst the cheers and acclamations of the people. His public entry was the most magnificent spec- tacle ever witnessed in Ireland— and his departure was equally imposing. All that Ireland got in return was aletter from Lord Sidmouth, recommending conciliation — pro- DANIEL O^CONNELL. 267 jnlsing nothittg", and having all the characteristics of a vague mockery. The Orangemen soon forgot their professions. Sir Abraham Bradley King was as violent as ever, and the bitterness of party spirit became worse from the effort at repression during the King's visit. The whole affair ended in deep disappointment. The beautiful and truthful picture drawn of the visit by Shiel, in 1828, will give the reader a better notion of the prevailing feeling than any description from the pen of an ordinary writer. Speaking of Giiorge the Fourth, in moving an address to his Majesty, from the "Catho- lics of Ireland, he asks — " Do you remember (yon cannot fail to do bo) the glorious spectacle which was presented upon hi^ arrival amongst us ? I do not believe, that in the annals of romantic loyalty, and in all the records of wild cbivalric allegiance, an example could be found of more high and unanimous entlmsiasm than was displayed by the universal masses of an ardent and devoted popula- tion, which hailed the entrance of King George the Fourth, into this great metropolis. If most of you had not witnessed that extraordinary scene, I might attempt to describe it ; but the reality is too deeply and indelibly imprinted in your recollections to admit of any successful delineation — and you could not fail to feel that any pic- ture, no matter how richly tinted, must be greatly below the dignity and grandeur of that important na- tional event. I will not therefore attempt to paint what is inlaid in such fresh colours in the memories of every one of you. I will not tell you in what a noble triumph of peace, in what an ovation of concord, the Sovereign of the empire, of which Ireland constitutes so large a department, entered this great city. I will not recall to jou the array of myriads who were assembled to greet 268 LIFli AND TIMES OF him, and wlio, witli uplifted eyes and hands, and with voices into which their hearts were thrown, sent up tlieir invocations for his welfare ; — I will not tell you how George the Fourth looked and must have felt upon that lofty and almost sublime occasion. If I made such an at- tempt you would stop and chide me — you would say, that I fell far beneath the glory and magnificence of the scene which I should endeavour to present to you. It is enough, therefore, that I should make a simple mention of this singular exhibition of national eii' thusiasm, in order to bring it back in all its vividness to your minds. It is stated that the " deepest" impression" was made upon his Majesty — How is it possible that he should behold such demonstrations of affection and of fidelity, without a profound ap- preciation of the qualities of the people from which these noble feelings derived their origin ? How was it possible that he should witness what he beheld on his .arrival — but above all, how could he behold what took place on his departure, without a profound and thrilling emotion ? He stood upon the shore — he was surrounded by his people — he heard their prayers for his happiness offered up from hearts as honest as ever sent an orison to Heaven — he saw the tears that flowed down many a manly cheek, and he beheld many a brawny arm stretch- ed out to him in an affectionate farewell. He ascended the ship that was to waft him from the island, in which the traces of his footsteps ought to have been left in mea- sures of benevolence behind. The winds filled the sails —the vessel went slowly and majestically through the ocean. He stood upon the deck, and thence looked back towards Ireland, and saw the hills by which he was en- <2ompassed, crowded to the tops by hundreds of thou- sands, Avho sent their benedictions along with him. Is DANIEL O*C0NNELL, 26§ it possible that at such a moment his heart should not have melted and dissolved within him ? Did not the tears of a generous sensibility rush into his eyes, and, as the shouts of his people came from the receding shores across the waters, did he not exclaim — ** I will do some- thing for Ireland-" But, I forget myself. I am hur- ried away by the emotions which the recollection of thoso striking scenes cannot fail to awaken in the bosom of every one of us. I should resume a more sober and be- fitting tone of speech and of sentiment— and yet even now, I cannot avoid relapsing for a moment into the feel- ings which had swept me beyond the limits of temperate discussion, and exclaiming, "what, after all, has he done for Ireland ?" But I return. His Majesty proceeds to say that he hopes " that every cause of irritation will be avoided and discountenanced." Alas! what imperfect views his Majesty must have taken of the real sources of the calamities of this country 1 How little he knew of the real character of the faction, which has so long trampled upon Ireland, when he conceived that his mere behest could have the effect of subduing the spirit of inso- lent domination, by which that ferocious confederacy, as long as they are sustained by the law, never can cease to be influenced 1 What took place almost immediately after his Majesty's departure ? He left us his advice, and g§tve us nothing else. How did the Orangemen of Ireland fulfil it ? At their civic banquets, the watch- word of Ascendancy was almost instantly proclaimed.— The banners of Ireland's shame were unfurled in a still more ostentatious and offensive publicity. The Sovereign himself was insulted in the person of his Representative, and justice, when called in to avenge the affront, appear- ed dressed in Orange ribbons. The spirit of faction got possession of the public tribunals of the country ; mora Y 2 ■ 270 LIFE AND TIMES OF vehement hatreds, and more relentless detestations, en- sued, than had ever before taken place, and the contend- ing parties wanted but a pretence to rush in a sanguinary conflict upon each other." O'CoNNELL was for years, after theKiNG's departure, sub- ject to constant and slanderous animadversion, for the part he took dui'ing his Majesty's sojourn. An anonymous attack made on him in the Courier newspaper, under the head " O'Connell's Inconsistencies," appears to have given him peculiar annoyance. Inthis publication,the writ- er, speaking of the Royal visit, says — " On that occasion, when his Majesty's expedition to Ireland was accom- panied with very little English popularity, in consequence of the recent trial of Queen Caroline, Mr. O'Oonnell's conduct excited something raoro than surprise, even amongst his warmest admirers. He procured a meeting to be held at the Exchange; proposed a palace should be built for George the Fourth; promised that a million should be raised for that purpose ; pledged himself to give one thousand pounds a year from his own income to- wards that object ; escorted his Majesty to Kingstown ; followed him (literally) into the sea. in order to present him with a crown of laurel ; knelt in the water; forgot his promises; never dreamed of the palace; and, not long after the Royal departure, inveighed against his Majesty in language which we cannot venture to transcribe^ To each statement in this paragraph, O'ConneiiL re- plied separately thus : — ^^ He procured a meeting to he held at the Exchanye" — quite untrue. The meeting was held at the nomination of the Lord Mayor. It was piocured by a requisition, signed by nearly thirty Noblemen and Protestant Bishops. The Duke of Leinster, tho Earl of Ennis- jiiLLEN, Lord Fabnham, Dr. Trench, the Protestant DANIEL O'CONNELL. '271 Archbishoi) of Tuam, &c., &c., -were the leading requi- sitionists. My name was, as it ouj^ht to be, low, very low, down in the requisition. It is, therefore, as much at variance with the truth as any thing can be, to say that I " procured" that meeting. " He proposed a Palace should be built for George the Fourth" — quite untrue. The proposal respecting the palace was moved by Lord Carbery, seconded by Colo- nel CurFE. There were three plans for a national testi- monial submitted to the meeting. The one was for a column, the second a palace, the third a bridge. I sup- ported the second during the debate ; but it is not true that the proposal was mine. It was, as I have said', proposed by Lord Carbery, with whom I am very slight- ly acquainted — seconded by Colonel Cuffe, a gentleman; 1 believe, I never saw before that day or since, and never spoke to in ray life. See, then, how false it is to make me the procurer of the meeting, and the proposer of the palace. " He promised that a million should be raised for this purpose" — again a pure invention. I never made any such promise. "//e plcdgcdhimselffo give one thousand pounds a year from his oivn income for that purpose" — totally untrue. I did, indeed, make a pledge to give an annual sum out of my income, but it v^as an annual sum of twenty guineas — £22 15s. of the then Irish currency — and no more! The vile accuser turns 20 guineas a year into only £1000 a year ! — that is all. *' He escorted his Majesty to Kingstown" — quite untrue. I did not escort his Majesty at all that day. He was in the morning in the county Wicklow. I rode with some gentlemen to Kingstown, and there remained until the King's arrival. I did not see him at all, until his arri- val at Kingstown. 273 tlFE AND TIMES OF *• He followed him {literally) into the sea, in order to pre^nt him with a laurel crown." This is so circumstan- tially false, that it must be called literally a lie. I did not follow the King at all; nor did I go nearer the water, when presenting the laurel crown, than about twenty paces. "He knelt in the water'* — totally untrue. I presented the crown to the King in a tent, the nearest part of which to the water was at least twenty paces from the water's edge. I presented it at the end of the tent farthest from the water, in as dry a place as ever King stood upon. I, of course, knelt on one knee in presenting the crown ; but so far is it from being true that I was guilty of any unbecoming servility, that I did not even kiss the hand which the King held out to me for that purpose. *' He forgot his promises' — quite untrue. I made no promises, save that of paying twenty guineas a year as my mite towards building a palace ; and so far was 1 from forgetting that promise, that I was one of the very^ very few who attended the committee after the King's de- parture. There were plenty to attend whilst he was here j but the moment he was gone, there was no getting the subscribers to meet — there was no getting those who put down their names to pay their subscriptions. Nay, I per- severed until after all hope was extinct ; nor did I aban- don the plan of a palace until we found it impossible to procure from one of the then Judges the sum of thirty guineas, which he had affixed to his name while the King was here. I then, and not till then, gave up the palace in despair, and left the bridge -builders to complete their plan; hav- ing first paid in my own subscription. The bridge has since been built. There is, therefore, nothing more un- true than tbe assertion that I forgot any promise of mine or declined to fulfil it. DANIEL o'cONNELtii 273 " lie, not long after the Royal departure, inveighed against his Majesty in language which we cannot venture to transcribe.'* — This, indeed, would establish me guilty of an inconsistency; but it does no such thing. Why? because it is totally false. On the contrary, the fact is, that t was reproached for years, and years after the King's de- parture from Ireland, with being in the habit of speaking too favourably of the King. I was taunted with my com- placency, not only in prose, but even " immortal verse." But the fact is, before Emancipation, abuse of George the Fourth would have been such bad policy, that the enemies of religious liberty would gladly avail themselves of any such abuse to render the King more desperate in his opposition." He then goes on, in conclusion, to say J— . " The part of my political career which required most tact and judgment was the management of the Catholic body preparatory to and during the visit of George IV. in Ireland. If I have any merit for the success of thfi Catholic cause, it is principally to be found in the mode in which I neutralized the most untoward events, and converted the most sinister appearances and circumstan- ces into the utmost extent of practical usefulness to the cause of which I was the manager. It was the most cri- tical moment of my political life, and that in which I had the good fortune to bo most successful. '• George the Fourth came to Ireland with the most ample prospects of national benefit. He came, he assured ua, as the father of all his people — to reconcile all his people to each other — to establish the liberty and pros- perity of all the Irish. Nor did his actions, whilst in Ire- land, belie his declarations. For the first time for two centuries, Mere the Catholics received by the Executive 274 I-IFE AND TIMES OF on terms of perfect equality with the Protestants. The Catholic Prelates were received by the King, in their ec- clesiastical costume, with their golden crosses and chains. It was the first official recognition of their spiritual dig- nity as Prelates. To the Earl of Fingall, as headof tho Catholic laity, the ribbon of tho Order of St. Patrick was given at an installation at which the King himself pre- sided. The rest of the Catholic laity were received and cherished precisely as the Protestants were ; and, to crown all, the celebrated Sidmouth letter was issued, full of present kindness and gratitude to the Catholics, and of future hope and expectation of perfect concilia- tion — a conciliation which every body knew could never be effected without legal and perfect equalization of poli- tical rights. ** How little can any person removed from the scene appreciate the difiBculties I had to encounter, and the management which was necessary to prevent the Catho- lics from marring, or being accused of marring, these bright prospects ! How much of just resentment was it necessary to suppress ! How much of But I promised you to be as brief as possible. I will therefore abstain from following up this topic : yet I am entitled to this fact — that no part of my political life obtained — I will say deservedly — so much of the gratitude and confi- dence of my countrymen, as the mode in which I was enabled to convert tho King's visit to Ireland from being a source of weakness and discomfiture to the Catholics, into a future claim for practical relief and political equalization." We cannot concur in O'Connell's policj on the occa- sion of George the Fourth's visit, and at the same time approve of his determination in 1845, when it was sup- posed her Majesty, Queen Victoria, was about to come DANIEL O'CONNELL. 276 to Ireland, to raise in her ears the national shout for Repeal. The circumstances in which O'Connell was placed at both periods were certainly somewhat diflferent; but if the latter tactics were good in 1845, in order to impress on the Sovereign what were the sentiments of the people, they were equally advisable in 1821. The proposed conciliation was a visionary scheme. What chance was there of conciliating men who, a few- days before, dressed up the Statue of William in party colours, in order to offend the very people, to whom, nevertheless, with mean hypocrisy, professions of friend- liness were made by the heads of the party, for a tem- porary object ? What a failure would it have been if the Catholic Body had not then swelled the page- ant? What chance would the Lord Mayor, Abra- ham Bradley King, have had of a Baronetcy if the SoTEREiGN were not put in good humour by the accla- mations and the welcome of the great multitude ? The Corporate Authorities had an object in affecting concilia- tion for the time, but the moment the King quitted Ire- land, the mask fell off, and the old offensive features were again revealed. O'Connell, on the other hand, was perfectly sincere in making the experiment. In doing so he was not, at first, seconded by the Catholic Body. He was not supported and encompassed by the Catholics at the Great Corn Exchange Meeting, and it was only by the active exercise of his superior tact, that he at last succeeded in inducing his friends to join with him in the Conciliation dinner, given preparatory to the King's arrival. However, after a time, as we have said, the whole affair passed away from the general recollection, leaving nothing behind to mark the event but a magnificent dining room to the rere of the Mansion House, built ex- 276 LIFE AND TIMES OF pressly to entertain his Majesty — and an obelisk at the place of embarkation at Kingstown. The grand procession down Sackville-street, the smiles of the Soyekeign, the enthusiasm of the people, the splendour of the equipages, the deputations from all parts of Ireland, the crowds of visitors before and during the period, and the gaieties lor which it was distinguished — all are now fast passing fropi the memory of the present generation ; and the visit will only bo recorded in history as an illustration of the too easy confidence which the Irish people are willing to bestow, and the too ready forgetfulness of promises for which their rulers are notorious. Speaking, in 1823, at an Aggregate Meeting of the Catholics, O'Connell thus describes the transactions to which wo have been referring. He said : — "His JMajestv was the first Monarch that ever shewed a friendly feeling towards poor Ireland, and when he came among us, his regal court presented Catholics and Protestants, as they should ever be, united; that period is fraught with recollections not easy to forget. I recollect the Catholics met on the 10th of July, 1821, to consider the best means of receiving the King, and evincing towards his royal person our loyalty and attachment ; loyalty — aye loyalty 1 forCatholics know nothing of exclusive loyalty, as far as they are concerned. We were in consultation, when a Mr. B. Wadden ap- peared and informed us, that there was a disposition on the part of the Corporation to unite with us, and shortly afterwards an Alderman arrived to confirm the news. We were surprised — we that had never received anything from the Corporation but contumely ; that Corporation whose only delights were annually dressing their stone Statue of the Dutchman, who had some years since gain- ed a victory over our fathers, and trampled upon their rights. What would insulted men have done? Why, spurned their otfer. Was iuch our conduct ?~oh, no! DANIEL o'cONNEtt. &V7 We received the bearer of this news with four cheers', and rejoiced to find that we could at last be united with •our Protestant Brethren. Two days after, the Statue was dressed. We remonstrated, and there was something about promises for the future ; there were many amongst us who did not believe those promises — I must own that I was one who put no faith in them, though T pretended I •did. Well, I got into the den — '" Daniel in the Lion's Den*^* — aye, into the midst of the Corporation. Some who had more candour than I possessed at that period,, did not attend th'^ dinner. Whose name was at tlie Isot- tom of this resolution ? Abraham Bbadley Kino. He was then only an Esquire. This resolution got him his Baronetcy — his surtout was off then. Who could de- pend upon their credit ? What dependence could be placed in them, who turned sweet into sour? The reso- lution is the charter of Sir A. B. King's Baronetcy. (Here Mr. O'Connell read a letter from Lord Sidmouth to Sir A. B. King, congratulating him upon his Baron- etcy.) This letter congratulates the Baronet upon his lay- ing the foundation of what has never yet taken place — con- ciliation ; and, since that period, he hasproclaimed his apos- *acy . I defy that base press — the Orange press, that press that never tells falsehood as if by accident, and cannoftell truth, by design. I dare that press to state where the Catho- lics have violated their promises in speech or action. No, they cannot. We have observed our promises, from the treaties of Limerick to the treaty with the Corporation ; the violation has always proceeded from our enemies." How could he have expected any other conduct ? Indeed, he often expressed the same sentiments afterwards in pri- vate, nearly in the language of the foregoing ex- tract. He merely pretended to believe that theCorpora- tion and the Orange party were sincere. He could clear- ly see into their designs. The Corporation had an object 27e' HFB IXD TIMES OF to carry, and they thought it wise to affect conciliation- But how could any rational person place reliance on their professions? How could the scene at theGi'eat Protest- ant Meeting at the Rotunda, in 1819,be so speedily effaced from the memory of a Catholic Leader of 1821? The Lord Mayor, Thomas M'Kenny, chivalrously and honorably complied with the celebrated requisition signed by over two hundred Protestant noblemen and gentlemen of Dub- lin, and presided at a public meeting, at the Rotunda, of Protestants to petition in favour of Catholic Emancipation. At that meeting, there were over four thousand persons present. Such, in 1819, was the viru- lence of party feeling, that a large section of the Corpo- ration, headed by Alderman Archer and Master Ellis, forced their way into the meeting, accompanied by a body of police partisans, and endeavoured to interrupt the pro- ceedings. Had it not been for the determination of the Lord Mayor, who then stood alone as a liberal Corpo- rator, there might have been loss of life. Seeing the position in which they were likely to be involved by their violent and outrageous conduct, these corporate intruders retired, followed by their bludgeon-men, and the great meeting passed off triumphantly. Was it from a body who had so acted but two years before, that any real oonciliation was to be expected ? And yet O'Connell, that nothing should be wanting on his side, made the experiment. Ho went to tho groat conciliation dinner. He continued tho experiment from time to time, after the King left Ireland, and after a trial of over five years, he had to abandon the attempt. Happily, however.the times are now materially altered. Irishmen are already com- ing together for tho common good — for their mutual defence— their common country. The Irish Council now formed in Dublin promises well, and provided it avoids ftANlRL O CONNELL. 6r9 Iho rock on which the * 'Irish Party" lately went to pieces i— namely, exclusive attention to Landlord interests — we have some hope that what in 1821 was a vain experiment; will in 1847, prove the forerunner of peace, happiness, and prosperity for Ireland. The arrival of the Marquess of Wellkslev, in 1822, as Lord Lieutenant, invigorated the Catholics and cheered them on. By his appointment, as O'Connell ■vvell expressed it, "Saurin ceased to be Chief Governor bf Ireland." That alone was a blessing. The Marquess of WELLEsi.Et came to Ireland " to administer the J»Wo, not to alter them f he came to govern not through ^ party, but for the whole people. The law officers of the Cro^n were no longer to be, de facto, the Irish Go- vcrnAient ;; and bright hopes were excited, to be, however, afterwards defeated by an underhand and counteracting influence which still maintained itself <5vithin the precincts of the Castle. Meetings to address his ExcEfiLENCT Were held throughout the Kingdom- The most confident hopes were entertained by the peo- ple. O'Connell participated in this feeling, and in his annual Letter called on the Catliolies to petition. He thought the time was at length propitious. The King's late visit, the known liberal sentiments of Lord Welles- ley — the altered feelings of a large section of Protestants — his fondly cherished hope of continued cordiality — all induced him to think that the chances of success were great. In his anxiety to give the experiment a fair trial, and to secure large concessions for his Countrymen, he went 60 far as to propose to Lord Plunkett, a plan of ** securities" of his own formation. This plan gave the Government the power of objecting to any person elected to the episcopal office, on the score of disloyalty. The objection was to be inquired into by two Catholic Bi- shops — evidence on both sides was to be received, and if 280 LIFE AND TIMES 0^ the objection was found valid, the party elected was to be put aside, and a new election entered on. If, on the other hand, the objection was overruled, consecration was to take place, on receiving from Rome the canonical institution. The Clergy were also to be prevented from corresponding with Rome, on politics, or receiving any let- ters thence, on such subjects, without submitting them on receipt to Government. Thus, however guarded the plan, did O'CoNNELL propose Siveto, which,nevertheless,PLUN' KETT refused to accept, though well disposed to limit the proposed power of objecting on the part of the Crown, No one afterwards could be more rejoiced at this rejec- tion than O'CoNNELL himself. He felt constrained to offer a compromise ; he was heartily glad of the refusaL Amongst the Catholic party there still existed great jealousy. The personalities in which O'Connell, for a purpose, found it necessary to indulge, and th& strength of his language were complained of ; the un- bounded influence he possessed over the people annoyed those who considered themselves as well entitled to obe- dience and control. For some years longer ho was for these reasons thwarted, and subjected to great per- sonal hostility. We must do him the justice to say, that though he would at all hazards throw off, when the op- portunity offered, a joke, or a sarcasm, he nursed no re- sentment ; he forgot injuries, and never intended to wound deeply when his ridicule was most caustic. At an Aggregate Meeting of Catholics, this year, at which Sir Thomas Esmonde presided, an instance of the pre- vailing jealousy was exhibited towards him. Though speaking in his accustomed strain of eloquence, he was repeatedly interrupted. It was on this occasion that he told the meeting he was twenty-one years at the Bar, and that it was seventeen years since he first took part DANIEL 0*CONNELL. , 281 in Catholic affairs ; and yet notwithstanding the title so acquired to the respect of those who heard him. he was addressed at the meeting by a Mr. O'Connor, the author, we believe, of the " History of the Irish brigade," in a strain of which this sentence is a sample : " Does Mr. *' O'CoxNELL mean to occupy the time of the meeting with " such ridiculous nonsense ?" Such were the petty annoy- ances to which, during the Catholic Agitation, he was constantly subjected. Yet he persevered, for the sake of union; though he could have retaliated with sting- ing effect, he generally spared his assailants, and seldom expressed, for he harljourcd no deep, nor, indeed, any lasting resentment. It should be always borne in mind, that the Government of the day used every species of stratagem to sow dissension amongst the Catholic body. We may mention here an authentic anecdote in proof of their system of silent management, to draw off active and intelligent Catholics from effective co-operation with O'CoNNELL, orto encour ige them in their opposition to his views by making them pensioners of the Crown. In proof of this we may observe, that among those in the Catholic body, who were accustomed to opposeO'CoN- NELL and his policy, at the several Boards, Committees and Associations, were some men, who though personally estimable, yet being direct pensioners of the Crown, im- peded his progress, and were often perfectly intractable. -Among them were Thomas M'Kenna, father of Mr. M'Kenna, who at present holds an appointment in Dublin Castle ; Mr, BELLEw.who got an increase of pen- sion according as he assisted in supporting the veto and opposing the Bishops ; Mr. Lynch, and many others. The three whose names are given, were Barristers of con- siderable ability, and it must be admitted of honourable and patriotic principles. It however happened that they never got credit for honesty of purpose, no matter what J5 2 282 LTPE AND TIMES OP course they adopted. One day Mr. Lynch said to O'CoNNELL, " Well, 'tis very odd ; you know me very '* well ; you know me to be incapable of an unworthy or *' corrupt action ; and yet I get no credit for honesty or •* sincerity in anything I say or do in respect to those po- " litical matters ; I suppose because I have k pension ** from the Crown. Now, the fact is, I married it, so '* that I could not have earned it." *' But," replied " O'CoNNELL, "'twas not as large when you married it "as it has grown since." "That's quite true," '* said Lynch; " I'll tell you, how that happened. I met " Sackville Hamilton, a Privy Counsellor, one day, *• and he said to me—* I find your wife's name is on the " concordatum list, and you have the advantage of the ** emolument ; would you wish to have it increased? I " naturally said I would ; so it was increased very consi- " derably. That is the way I hold my pension."'— " Well," said O'Connell, *' I will never again have the " same opinion of Sack. Hamilton while I live ; for "although we were the antipodes of each other in poli- " tics, we have been on very fi"itndiy terms with each " other; we often walked together and chatted very fami- " liarly, and even passing the Castle gate, which would ** afford a man an opportunity for a good natured sugges- " tion such as you received, it never struck him to say to ' ' me, ' O'Connell would you like to have your name on " the concordatum list ?' " Tho general question of Emancipation was not brought forward this year. Plunkett was opposed to a move- ment of the kind. Tho time, in his opinion, was unfavor- able. The Whiteboy system prevailed to an alarming extent — particularly in the Counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick. In England, too, matters were by no moans encouraging — Orangeism was advancing in Ireland with DANIEL O'CONNELL. 283 rapid strides. Every thing tended to confirm him in the opinion, that he should remain quiet on the Catholic ques- tion. Mr. Canning, however, brought in the bill to ad- mit Catholic Peers to sit in Parliament. He made a most masterly speech, on a deeply interesting historical subject, which afforded his genius and eloquence free scope, and his intellectual flight was extended, elevated, and sustain- ed. He carried the first reading by a majority of Five, and the second by a majority of Twelvk. Such, even on so limited a measure as CANNrNo's, was the falling off from his glorious majority of 129, in the year 1812 — In the Lords, the Bill was thrown out by a majority of Forty Two. After this division in the Lords, O'Connell at last succeeded in bringing the Clergy into the agita- tion. During the early stages of Catholic agitation few,if any, Catholic Clerg} men, took an active part in politics. Indeed, from the disinclination of the Hierarchy in those davs to clerical interference in such pursuits, it may be saivl that the Clergy kept systematically and constantly aloof. The period, however, had arrived, when that potent pow- er was called into action. When the news of the defeat in the House of Lords arrived in Dublin, it gave rise to the utmost vexation and disappointment, and a special meeting of tlu Catholic Committee Avas summoned, to take the subject into consideration. Up to that defeat there were only two Priests in Dublin who interfered in any way in political matters, namely, the Rev. Mr. O'MuLLANE (already mentioned in connxtion with the D'EsTfitiRE affair) and the Rev. Mr. L'EsTRANdE, of Clarendon. street Chapel. In the Provinces there were few, if any, to originate or take an active share in politi- cal transactions. After a long and warm discussion in the Committee, respecting various plans of action, and an 284 LIFE AND TIMES 09 opposition of a vexatious kind to O'Connell's views, ho rose, and said, in an impassioned tone, " Gentlemen, we " have a power that has never yet been called into the ♦' field, one that must coerce them to do us justice, and '♦• that is, the Priesthood of Ireland. In combining them *• w^ith us, we bring to our aid learning, virtue, and *' influence, not belonging to any other class. — " Without them we cannot succeed. To succeed we *• MUST have them with us, and from this day forward." As was very frequently the case on similar occasions, this proposition of O'Connell's was strongly combatted in the Committee — the majority were against it; they strenuously opposed the project of introducing the Cler- gy; they insisted that it was a thing not for a moment to be conceived. O'Connell, however, was immoveable ; he insisted on the policy as well as the propriety of his proposition as regarded the body itself; he contended that there was no reason why they should not be consi- dered Citizens, and allowed to exercise their rights of Ci- tizenship ; he asserted that they were the natural protec- tors of the people, and the only persons who could make the people really and thoroughly sensible of the state of political serfdom in which they were immersed. Even- tually, though not without much difficulty and perseve- rance, he succeeded. The Clergy wore brought into the agitation, with what result it would bo superfluous to say. Thus, through O'Connell's instrumentality, was first effected an union of the Irish Catholic Clergy with the people in political agitation — an union that probably would never have been so thoroughly consummated but for England's perversity in withholding Catholic Emancipa- tion ; and thus has she raised against her an enduring combination, in which every element of national sentiment and national organization is permanently centered. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 286 It was this year that Saurin's celebrated letter to Lord NoRBURY came to light. It was picked up on the Quay near the Four Courts, and handed to Mr. Pur- CKLL O'GoRMAN. The letter was addressed to his Lord- ship while on circuit. Mr. SAURiNsent him an extract from a letter he received from Lord Rosse, suggesting that Lord NoRBURT, while on circuit, should in his chamber endeavour to influence the country gentlemen, who may visit him, to enter into a hostile agitation against the Catholic claims. The letter praised Jebb, afterwards a Judge, as a man of the " right sort," a phrase that ob- tained general currency, and is still quoted to signify a peculiar class of politicians. The whole style of the do- cument demonstrated the nefarious agency at work with- in the Castle walls, and on the Bench of Justice. It was a God-send to the leaders, advocates, and the friends of Catholics at the time, and O'Connell was not the man to neglect using it. The dressing of the Statue of King William was pre- vented this year. O'Connell addressed a public letter to Lord Wellesley, on the day previous to the usual an- niversary, and announced that his Excellency's popula- rity and fame as Chief Governor of Ireland, depended on the steps which, in reference to the insulting custom, he would adopt. Whether the letter suggested the order to prevent the annual exhibition of party virulence.it is not easy to decide. It is sufficient to know that the order was issued. But what was the consequence ? A vin- dictive display of the bitter hostility felt by the low Orangemen of Dublin. They attempted to be revenged. They met his Excellency at the Theatre — received him with every species of insult, during the performance, and from the gallery a bottle was hurled at his head. This malevolent act produced a great sensation, and a prose- 186 tl^E AND tIMtS Of cution was instituted. The Orangemen pretended to turn the matter into a joke. The Grand Jury threw out the bills, and forced the Attorney-General, Plunkett, to file ear 'O^cio informations — an unwise proceeding, and, after the decision of a Grand Jury, an unconstitutional one. The whole affair ultimately came to nothing. It became a bottle of smoke. It was a mistake on the part both of Lord Wellesley and of Plunkett to in- stitute those proceedings. But the Insult had the effect of warmly eliciting the feeling of the people in favor of the Viceroy/ ; for meetings to address him were held throughout Ireland during the early part of 1823. Lord Wellesley was then popular. He had the reputation, from his enlightened and able administration in India, of being the wisest Statesman of the day, besides being a man of the very highest acquirements. Unfortunately, however, he was not in reality the Governor of Ireland, The Chief Secretary, the Law Officers, and the Chancellor were the real rulers of the country. These again in their turn were guided by officials imbued with the deepest prejudices against the people. When the names are mentioned of Goulburn, as Chief Secretary, of Gregory, as Under Secretary, and of Lord Man- ners, as Chancellor, some idea is conveyed of the diflS- culty of conducting the Government of Ireland with ordinary impartiality. The first step was taken, however, in 1823, towards the settlement of the Tithe system. Goulburn's Composition Act was then passed, and though it was a defective measure — the Tithe compositions not being compulsory — still, for 1823, it was a great step in advance, and established grounds for future legislation. It had the advantage, moreover, of encouraging agriculture, wherever the Act came into operation, for the Tithes being compounded, there wan DANIEL O'CONMELL. 187 no longer an object in keeping land in pasture for the purpose of escaping the impost. It had, in this respect, a beneficial influence. The measure was undoubtedly suggested by the disturbances in Munster in 1822, However, Lord Wellesley and Goulburn merited and received the full credit of the enactment. The system of State prosecutions and proclamations against the popular party had not yet developed itself,and therefore the beginning of 1823, when hisExcELLENCY re- ceived so many addresses from all parts of Ireland, was the period of his greatest popularity, during his first government. , The year 1823 will be memorable in history, as the era when the New Catholic Association was founded. It was by that body Catholic Emancipation was achieved ; and the history of its proceedings up to 1829, will form a deeply interesting portion ot this Memoir, intimately en- twined as they are with O'Connell's career. On the tenth of May, at an Aggregate Meeting, it was finally proposed and carried, that a New Catholic Associa- tion should be formed. At a previous meeting of Ca- tholic gentlemen, at Dempsey's, in Sackville-street, Sir Edward Bellew, in the Chair, the proposition was first propounded by 'Connell. As this was the most import- ant movement yet undertaken, we give a portion of his speech, in moving his resolution, the more particularly, as it describes graphically the apathetic state of the Catholic body at the time. He said — " He had two resolutions to submit to the considera- tion of the meeting. It was the purpose of one, to pro- pose the formation of a society, which should undertake the management of Catholic affairs. The other was in- tended to define the line of conduct to be pursued by the persons composing the Association. The formation of a 28S LIFE AND TIliES 0^ society, that would take under their Combined directUA the affairs of the Catholics, was, he thought, at this time; {absolutely necessary, in order to save the very agitation. bf tne question from expiring. For the acts of this so- ciety, the Catholics at large would not be accountable. — *rhe society, on their parts, would be accountable only foi* their own actions. They would neither have, or assumcj any delegated authority whatever. To enter into any Reasoning to demonstrate the utility of this society was, he hoped, superfluous. If the Catholics could ever be charged with intemperance, it was ^^ hen the Board exist- ed — and yet, in the most licentious days of that body, (if the phrase licentious could be properly applied) the peo- ple obtained a large majority in the House of Commons, and were repulsed by a minority of only one in the House of Lords. How different the case stood now. They were, through their own neglect, exposed to the multi- plied attacks of calumny and persecution. Newspaper after newspaper was established, for the purpose of reite- rating slanders — naked, unqualified falsehoods. A new Orange Journal had absolutely out-Heroded Herod in its vocation. It were to say nothing, to say that it continually asserted the most gross and abandoned lies; but even in no one single instance had it by any accident been betrayed into the assertion of truth. One gentle- man, who had gained some honour among the faction for his ingenuity in tho distortion of facts, had, while in London, circulated a report, that the procession at tho chairing of Colonel White, was preceded by a car full of priests bearing a crucifix I This appeared in tho London Journals ; a statement that could bo contradicted by 150,000 persons. All this was met on the part of tho Ca- tholics, by, he would call, a sinful apathy and silence. There was one thing, however, to be guarded against in DANIEL O'CONNELL. ftB9 forming the proposed Association. This was, doing anything that would lay it open to the power of the Attorney Ge- neral, little as it was to be feared that Mr. Plunkett would in this instance follow the example of his prcdeces* sor in oHico ; but it was the duty of the Catholics to avoid giving thoir enemies, as well as those of Mr. Plun* KETT, room for charging him with a dereliction of duty. Formed with a wise and discreet observance of these precautions, the society would be enabled to hold up their vilifiers to the just reprobation of all rational and good men, and to give weight and stability to whatever steps the Catholics at large might think it prudent to pursue for the recovery of their rights.^' Mr. Shiel seconded these resolutions. He and O'CoNNELL had been reconciled some time previously. They met, it was said, at the house of a mutual friend,m the county of Wicklow, and there arranged the plan . of renewed agitation. In conformity with these arrange* mentSjMr. SHiEL,at the meeting at Dempsey's, co-oper- ated earnestly with O'Connell. He said that from the contrast drawn between their situation, when the Catholic Board was acting, and now, when they had no regular system of management, he thought all might concur in anticipating great benefits, as the result of the establish- ment of the proposed Association. It would, if not en* tirely, at least in a great measure, serve to pilot the body from that fatal rock on which their affairs had been nearly wrecked — ho meant want of unanimity. If the ques« tion were viewed in all points, this must be the conclu- sion of every unprejudiced person — The body had lat- terly tried the experiment of silence ; the result had been almost oblivion to their cause ; their affairs now called, for extra exertions, or they could not be resucitated | they must be brought continually before the public ; the 2 a 24)0 lIFi: AND TIMES 01' people of England must continually hear the voice of six- sevenths of the population of the country calling for their just rights and privileges. Accordingly, at an aggre- gate meeting at Townsend-street Chapel, the following resolutions were adopted— '* Moved by Mr. Hugh O'Connor, seconded by Mr, Galway :— '* Resolved — That it be earnestly recommended to such individuals as feel an interest in the success of the Catholic cause, forthwith to form an Association in Dublin, under such regulations as they may deem neces- sary, and to consider and prepare such measures as may be most useful, to obviate the calumnies of our enemies, and assist the efforts of our friends. " That such persons shall not take or assume any re- presentation, or delegated authority whatsoever. '.' Moved by Nicholas Mauon, Esq., seconded by Mr. Shiel : — " Resolved — That a Meeting be held on Monday next, at Half-past Three in the afternoon, to form the above-mentioned Association, at Dempsey's in Sackville- Street." In pusuance of this resolution, a meeting of the Ca- tholic gentlemen was held on the 12th of May, at Demp- sey's, City of Dublin Tavern, Sackville-street, for the purpose of forming an Association of Catholic gentlemen, for the regulation and management of Catholic affairs, " At four o'clock, Lord Killeen was called to the chair. " His Lordship, having taken the Chair, said, that be- fore entering into the business for which they had met, he could not avoid expressing his surprise, that the draft of the address to his Majesty, which was to be submitted to the Committee for revision, had been published in one of t>ANlEL O'CONNKLL. 291 llie Newspapers ; it w.xs his decided opinion that it should not have appeared in print. "■ Mr. O'GoRMAN stated, that he did not give a copy of it to any person; that the address was not correct, and that even if it had been, it would not be etiquotte to pub- lish it, until after presentation. *' After some further discussion on this subject, in •which several gentlemen participated, it was moved and carried, that an A.ssociation of Catholic gentlemen should be formed, and that an annual subscription of one guinea should constitute a member. " It was then resolved, that the Association should be named "The Catholic Association." " It was moved and carried, that Mr. Nicholas Mahon should be requested to act as Treasurer. ^'Mr. O'CoNNELL stated that Mr. Coyme, of Capcl Street, could accommodate the Association with apart- ments to hold their Meetings in. " It was the understanding of the meeting, that those apartments should be taken at a rent of £30 or ^40 per annum. " Mr. O'CoNNELL moved that an adjourned meeting should be held at Mr. Coyne's, No. 4, Capel Street." The names of the gentlemen who wished to become Subscribers to, and Members of the Association, w^re then taken down by Mr. O'Connell, who acted as Treasurer for the time being — The names amounted to forty-seven. Thus was formed the nucleus ofthe great political body that was afterwards destined,by the aid ofthe Catholic Rent, to organize so formidable an agitation as to shake the Empire to its centre, and to extort Justice from the most powerful and active opponents. At first, but few attended the meetings. Seldom enough to form the 292 LIFK AND TIMES Of quorum of ten, assembled ; and various stories are told of O'Connell's expedients to get in the required number. He enlisted every person he met ; and on one occasion, v/hen he wished to proceed at once to business, when only six individuals were present, he went lookini^ for the requisite number, and {ictually forced some young students of Maynooth, whom he found in Coyne's, the bookseller's, to enter the political arena, at least as listeners — while he spoke to them of " Happy homes and altars free." The meetings were held weekly, except when Assizes were in progress- — for of what value could a public assemblage be without O'Connell? Shiel continued to join in the proceedings. He was present at the third meeting of the New Catuolic Association, determined no longer to (>ppose, but to co-operato with, his illustri ous countryman. There was also a Catholic Associa- tion formed in England, — so that every thing tended to cheer and stimulate the unemancipated people. O'Con- HELL was still, high as the position was which he had already attained, advancing in proi'esbional eminence. In 1B23, he was employed on circuit in every case. In his own circuit ho stood without a rival. The people were everywhere most anxious to testify their affection for him; and in Calway— in Tralec — and other provincial towns, wo find him receiving public enter- tainments and other testimonials of national gratitude and regard. It was this year, that the following amusing inci- dent, which we transcribe ^vom th^ licpcul Catechism, was said to have occurred. Mr. Coui.burn, while Secretary for Ireland, visit- ed Kiliarney, when Mr. O'Connell (then on cir- cuit) happened to be there. Both stopped at Finn's Hotel, and chanced to get bed-rooms opening oif the l»ANtEL O'CONNELL. 293 ^ame corridor. Mr. O'Connell's early habits made hiui be up at cock-crow. Finding the hall door locked, and so being hindered from walking outside, he commenced walking up and down the corridor. To pass the time, he repeated aloud some of Moore's poetry, and had just uttered the lines — •' We tread the land that bore us, The green flag flutters o'er us, The friends we've tried are by our side" — At this moment GouLnuRN popped his night-capped head out, to see what was the matter. Mr. O'Connell instant- ly pointed his finger at hun, and finished the verse — *' And the foe we hate before us !" In went Goulburn's head again in the greatest hurry. The year 1824, appears to us the most remarkable year in the history of Ireland; not so much from the stirring events by which it was distinguished— for in that respect there are other years of our painful btory no loss remarkable — as from the consequences which a new and effective engine of agitation, then for the first time created, ultimately produced in Ireland. It was in 1824, the " Catholic Rent" was set on foot, and to it we may well attribute the subsequent triumph of Civil and Religious liberty. It was well said, we think, by Mr. O'Connell, about this period—" That the Catholic *' cause received permanent injury from the silence and " neglect of the Catholics themselves." They were never united; the whole history of their proceedings, of late years, was but a catalogue of bickerings and divi- sions. The Aristocracy— their "natural leaders"— de- sorted them ; their Parliamentary friends were lukewarm, and a listless apathy had succeeded their own personal ' squabbles. The Veto battle was followed by forgetful- ncss of the cause itself; and you wade through volumes 2 A 2 29'i LIFE AND TlMKi OF of the public journals of the time, without meeting with a single incident which would indicate any reviving energy amongst those victims of religious despotism — tho Irish Catholics. IIow can we otherwise account for the state in wliich the Catholic Question was suffered to remain? To all appearance, it was a hopeless pursuit. And yet justice, and right, and argument, tho law of God, the dictates of conscience, the maxims of our com- mon Christianity, nay, even the national interests of Eng- land, were all for Catholic Emancipation. The question had very influential friends in both Houses of Parliament y and, occasionally, a majority in the House of Commons. The enlightened throughout the world were for it. Why was it thrown aside? Why was George the Third, or George the Fourth able to impede its progress? Why was a Ministry, equally divided on the subject, suffered to exist? Why was a kind of Cameleon Government — sometimes green, sometimes orange — allowed to admi- nister the affairs of Ireland? ^Vhy was an Orange Chief Secuetauy porniittod to dictate his will to a liberal Lord Lieutenant? Why? Because tho Catholics were dividtd, wore apathetic ; nay, many of them, paradoxical as it may appear, were anti-Catholic, and hugged the chains that bound them. O'CoNNELL changed all this, as if by the wand of an en- chanter. The moment he organised the Catholic Rent — the moment he made every shilling, received by tho Association, represent a man — the moment the voice of millions spoke through the weekly contributions to its Treasury — the moment the public opinion of Ireland be- came concentrated in the Association, the days of reli- gious intolerance, and Protestant Ascendency wero numbered, and the triumph of conscience secured. This was done in 1824, and, therefore, we look upon that year as the one of U'Connell's crowning gloi'y. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 296 There had been on former occasions attempts made to collect subseriptions,but they failed, from various causes; and even the debts incurred were not liquidated with satisfactioii by the public- There was, however, much this year to stimulate the exertions of the Catholics. It Was peculiarly a jear of religious bigotry. Mr. North, a Barrister, who acquired considerable fame in his pro- fession, went into Parliament, and his maiden speech there was a gross attack on the Catholic Clergy, for their " neglect of the education of the people." This caused deep indignation ; and a great portion of the year was occupied in successfully rebutting the calumnious allega- tion. It was also an anti-Tithe year, and a year of Orange virulence, and of fanatical exhibitions. All this stimulated and aroused the clergy and people to exertion, O'CoNNELL was as wise witli reference to the period when he originated the Catholic Rent, as he was in its organization. On the details of this most interesting subject we must dwell a little longer. A Committe© of the Association was appointed to draw up a report as to the best means of raising an annual fund, to carry on vigorously and oflfcctually the agitation for a redress of grievances. That report, which was of con- siderable length, was, at a subsequent meeting,brought up for adoption. It was an elaborate and eloquent document, embracing a variety of topics connected with the agita- tion. After dwelling in detail upon them, it then unfold- ed the financial plan. The plan was, simply, to set at work an organised system of collection throughout Ire- land, by means of which the whole Catholic population, amounting to Seven Millions, might be enabled by a small annual sum to testify their confidence in the central Asso- ciation, The sum recommended was, one farthing a week ; that is, a penny a month, a shilling a year. Sup- 29G LIFE AND TIMES OF posipg one quarter of tho population, consisting of the adult male portion, paid this small subscription, it would amount to £87,500 a year. It was, therefore, not un- reasonable to calculate that by a well arranged organi- zation, fifty thousand pounds a year would be collected. The successful operation of this plan is due to O'Con- NELL, and the Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland ; but it is only justice, to give the credit of the first and ear- liest suggestion of asimilar plan, to the father of the pre- sent Lord Kenmaee, who, in a letter to the Right Rev. Dr.MoYLAN, Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork, and imme- diate predecessor of the late estimable Diocesan, the Right Rev. Dr. Murphy, laid down a plan of a corresponding character. "We are indebted to the late respected Pastor of Passage, the Rev.Mr.ENcLAND, for, in his life of the cele- brated Arthur O'Leary, introducing to the public this document, that especially suggested the great scheme to O'Connell's mind. Any one in the slightest degree in- strumental in giving existence to what ultimately ob- tained Emancipation, deserves the gratitude of his country. But to proceed. The Report, after some differ- encea and discussion, was adopted. The collection of the "Catholic Rent" was organised; and before the close of 1824, it reached from £600 to £900 per week. The alarm which this created amongst the As- cendency faction, cannot bo sufficiently described. A storm of invective was raised against O'Connell, and against his "Popish Parliament" — the Catholic Associa- tion. " Revolution," " Rebellion," " Anarchy," were words in every bigot's mouth. The strong arm of the law must be raised to smite so dangerous an oi*iianiza- tion. It was utterly hopeless to calculate much longer on the continuance of a prescriptive Ascendency, w'iile Caniel o'connell. 297 such unreasonable projects were permitted to mature,— Orangeland was in violent commotion. The ranks of Orangeism increased witli the excitement. Its oaths of hostility — virulent hostility, to the Catholics, were taken by men of large property, magistrates, and military men. The rancour and bitterness that pre- vailed were unprecedented. The Nation was divided into two strong parties, each pitted against the other — each ready to engage in mortal combat. The Protestants of England of course participated in this alarm, or pre- tended alarm; and as far as the Legislature was concern- ed, the Catholic question appeared farther off than ever from the goal. But the Catholics had pnly to rely on. themselves, and their great Leader. Under him thej became united as one man, and to him and them, and not to their parlinmcntary patrons, is due the success that crowned the cause. The Catholic Association became forthwith the Representative of the People. It was rooted in their affections, and soon spread its influence over the land. O'CoNNET.L became more than ever " the best abused man in Europe." It wes not " the mere spray of mitigated billingsgate" with which ho was then assailed. Every viper in the land was now hissing at his name ; but in proportion as they attacked him, was he cheered on, and encouraged by a grateful and a warm-hearted peo- ple. The struggle had now set in. Ireland became " con- stitutionally insurgent," as its political condition was aptly termed. Bad laws and an evil system of Government were arraigned without fear or mercy ; and the attack was boldly and nobly justified before a Committee of Parliament, by Dr. Doyle, the illustrious J. K. L. — John, Bishop of Kildare end Leighlin. Justice was pre- ferable, he said, to law ; and though individuals were not justified in acting in opposition to laAv, according to their 298 LIFE AND TIMES OF notions of Justice, still, where the obnoxious law was a plain and manifest despotism or wrong, then it was al- lowable by every moral principle to encourage a people to agitate for its repeal; nay, to offer it " passive resist- ance." Without this rule of conduct, the British Con- stitution would have been long since swamped. Every act of the Stuarts which was successfully resisted, Avas sustained by an existing law — whether statute or Judge- made; and no system of passive obedience enforced by those misguided rulers, was more detestable than that resisted in Ireland ; namely, that however unjust the infliction, however unendurable the tyranny, it was to be tamely submitted to, because it was law 1 This doctrjno Pr. Doyle fearlessly repudiated in the face of Parliament. It was the Tithe agitation then growing into a violent storm, that produced the angry and hostile examination of Dr. Do\:le. It was then that great man pro- claimed " THAT IN Ireland the hatred of Tithes *' should be as lasting as the love of Justice." The collective wisdom of the day did not understand how a Popish Prelate could presume to propagate and en- courage a doctrine so contrary to law and precedent. But he did maintain it with the eloquence, dignity, firm- ness and force of argument by which his writings were distinguished and adorned. TheCatholic Association no longer confined itself mere- ly to petitioning for Emancipation. In the prevailing tem~ per of society, this by itself, would have been an use- less pursuit. Its objects were numerous ; its views comprehensive ; the multiform grievances by which the Country was afflicted, came under its cognizance. Every positive abuse was subject to its scrutiny. Orange do- miiiation was resisted ; the Evangelical mania was ex- posed ; the Tithe system denounced ; the insolence of ro^ DANIBL O'CONNELL. 299 ligioiis Ascendency,tbe evils of Land-Jobbing held up to re- probation. Such were some of the objects of this mighty confederation. It was charged with ** usurping the functions of Government ;'' its members were told that, as there should be but one repository of power in the Commonwealth, they should be put down. One side looked mortified, sour and surly ; the other was trium- phant and in good humour. Such was the general aspect of affairs in 1824. O'Connell's star was in the ascen- dant. Throughout the length and breadth of the land, his name was in every man's mouth ; and amongst the Catholic millions, blessings were invoked on htm, in un- ceasing prayer. He now felt his power almost supreme, based as it was on the affections of the people. This gave an elasticity and force to his eloquence, which added much to its other attractions. His words were things. He could afford to play with his opponents, and the im- portant and singular triumphs he achieved by a stroke of humour, or a piquant anecdote, were numerous and marked. His aptitude of illustration by anecdote, drawn up from his memory at the moment, was unequalled. This was constantly exemplified. We are reminded of it here by a discussion in the Association, between him and PuRCELL O'GoRMAN, on some trivial matter of detail, connected with the publication of the Report for the es- tablishment of the Catholic rent, against which O'Gor- MAN objected. Mr. O'C onnell said that the objection brought to his recollection a Society in London called " Odd Fellows" — amongst whom a discussion arose as to the appointment of a Treasurer. One of the members observed on the folly of naming a Treasurer until they had treasure. This suggestion betrayed so much com- mon sense, that the Society considered the man disentitled to the rank of an Odd Fellow\ They gave him a sound 300 "LITU AND TIME!* Ol' drubbing for showing any sense. It was to such a So- ciety Mr. O'GoRMAN should belong ; he would be at home among thera. This little sally produced the effect a laboured argument might have failed to accomplish, and there was an end of Mr. O'Gorman's objection. Ano- ther remark, which the perusal of Mr. O'Connell's speeches, this year, suggests, and which has often before occurred to us, -when listening to his thrilling language, and most musical intonations, is the calm, consecutive, smoothly-flowing manner in which he followed up to its completion, however lengthened, a metaphor or simile. It was one of the most remarkable characteristics of his eloquence, and many beautiful and striking examples of it occur in his addresses in 1824. In that year there was a considerable amount of agrariaa outrage in the Southern and Western Counties of Ireland, particularly inLimerick. Land-jobbing and Land-exactions, together with Tithes, were the main cause. These out- trages Mr. O'Connell denounced in a forcible manner, at a great Catholic meeting in the City of Limerick. He spoke then, as he was always accustomed to do, ou that painful subject, with the utmost abhorrence against the murderous crimes committed.and with thrilling denun- ciation of the criminals, whose acts then as at all times re- tarded the cause of Ireland. However much he has been maligned and libelled during a long career of politi- cal strife, no one could presume to deny, that his utmost efforts were not exerted to make peace, and order, and morality, the foundation of every struggle for redress. He had an irrepressible horror of secret associations. The basis of his agitation was publicity. His every act was patent. This was the instrument and secret of his primary success ; for where justice is alone looked for, public opinion is the wisest and most effective advocate. DANIEL O'CONNBLL. 301 The Citizens of Cork were always attached to O'Con- NELL. They had early taken their stand with vigour and determination against the Veto, and they were grateful to him for his powerful resistJlnce to that dan- gerous restriction. Self-interest, as a Barrister, and his position in society, were seductive temptations to join the ranks of the Catholic Aristocracy, who were desirous of making terms with the Government to obtain political power. But ho was steadfast to his religion and his country. The Cork people were with him in his opposi- tion to any compromise, and this was the foundation of their subsequent and unceasing attachment. In 1824, they gave him their first public entertainment. His re- ception then, and on a previous occasion, when the Ca- tholics met in the month of April, showed in an unrais- takeable manner how much he had won their confidence and affections. The dinner was in a style of great splen- dour, creditable to his entertainers, and honourable to him. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm of his reception on that occasion. Independently of his past services, and of his late <»xcrtions in the Catholic Association, there were other peculiarly exciting causes this year to light up the popular enthusiasm. As we have said already, party feeling never before ran so high. The growing wealth, influence and power of the Catholics, acting on the jealous, domineering spirit of Orangeisqi, produced this exacerbation on the side of the Ascendency party. O'CoNNELL was engaged in extracting its fangs, and its resistance caused the most violent contentions. The KiL- DAUE Street SociETY,too, was usingevery effort to cor- rupt the religious principles of the poor. Prosely tism be- came so much in vogue, that the Catholic Clergy were left no alternative but to resist by every means the 2 B 302 LIFE AND TIMES OP insidious attempts of tlio society. For this thoy were charged with endeavouring, for their own purpose, to keep the people in a state of ignorance. The statement pro- duced a controversy that added much to the politico- reUgious excitement then existing. Again, the Protest- ant Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Magee, had counte- naced and justified the prohibition of the Catholic burial service in the Church-yards of Dublin. This produced deep exasperation in the minds of the people. The Arch- bishop asserted that the law gave no option to his Clergy ; because it enacted that no Ritual but the Protestant could be read over the dead in these burial grounds. The sub- ject being brought under the notice of Parliament by Sir John Newport, the Government introduced a bill allow- ing the Catholic service to be celebrated, on obtaining from the Protestant Incumbent previous permission. The ex- asperation was only aggravated by the bill. Mr. O'Con- NEi^Lgavoit as his opinion, that thelaw sanctioned an in- justice and an insult which, could not before be legally in- flicted. As he stated it, in a long and elaborate expo- sition — the common law clearly never prohibited the reading of the Catholic Ritual in Churchyards ; for it was in Catholic times these unwritten laws obtained ex- istence; and he asserted, as a lawyer, that no piohibition was enacted by any statute law. The new act, there- fore, under pretence of remedying an evil, only added in- sult to injury. It was.we believe, arising out of this contro- versy, that tlie Rev. Mr, Matiiew, the pi-csunt great Apostle of Temperance, took the Botanic Gardens, near Cork, for a Roman Catholic Cemetery, which has since become the place of interment for citizens of every rank and station. This and controversies of a similar nature, adding to the spirit of party which was then abroad, spread in- DANIEL O'CONKEIVL. 303 urensod enthusiasm among the people, with regard to O'CoNNEi.L, by whom so prominent a part was taken in the conflict. Another circumstance, which in the course of the year occurred in Cork, gave peculiar energy to the attachment felt towards their Leader by the citizens and people. The Hibernian Society, established originally for the simple purpose of promoting education — became, after a while, deeply imbued with a passion for prosely- tism.The fact being ascertaiued.it was at once determined to expose and curb its designs. There were then travelling through Ireland, deputed by the Evangelicals of England, to convert the '* benighted Irish," two per- sonages of rather remarkable characteristics. One was a fashionable young aristocrat — an enthusiastic scion of nobility, the Honourable Mr. Noel, who afterwards became sick of the adventure. His confrere was a Navy Captain, a Scotchman — Mr. Gordon, afterwards Lord Roden's nominee for the Borough of Dundalk. In their perambulations they visited Cork, in September, 1824. The Hibernian Society received them, and determined to hold a meeting to hear these eloquent lay- propagators of the word. The Catholics were equally anxious to attend. The meeting took place, and there were two adjournments ; so intense was the curiosity and interest excited by the discussion. The speakers were, Noel, Gordon, and the celebrated Mr. Pope, on one side ; Bric, Shiel, O'Connell and the Rev. Mn Falvey, P.p., of Glanmire on the other. These names alone are quite sufficient to convey to the reader an idea of the interesting nature of a discussion, conducted and maintained by men of so much celebrity. When O'Con- nell entered the assembly the first day, Capt. Gordon was addressing the meeting. He was in the act of communi- cating, in his peculiar Scotch dialect, the marvellous in- 304 LIPB AND TIJIES OF formation, *' that the object of the Hibernian Societt '•by distributing the Beeble, was to make the female " peesantry'' of Ireland moral men. O'Connell, while pushing his way to a seat, shouted out with a triumphant laugh, " Female peasantry \ moral men \ Oh I that would never happen but in Ireland !" Of course a roar of laughter followed ; and the Captain was, for a time at least, thrown off his centre. O'Connell, undertook to reply specially to Mr. Pope, who was deeply read in the Fathers, and professed to prove the truth of his religious opinions from those ancient doctors of the- Christian Faith. He was a strenuous advocate for tho circulation of the Bible, without note or comment. H* seemed on that occasion to be an admirer of the great Apgustine, Probably, because the Jansenist schism, in Pascal's time, was founded upon some distorted pas- sages in his writings. Mr. O'Connell astonished every one by his familiar knowledge and ready use of Scriptural passages, and his acquaintance with the writings of the Fathers. It was surmised, and said, that he was well briefed by his Clerical friends, before he went to the meeting. This, in some measure, was probably quite true ; but, undoubtedly ,neither Milner's "End of Con- troversy," nor a volume of texts would have enabled him to meet, with such telling effect, the arguments of so well prepared a controversialist as the Rev. Mr. Pope — O'Connell's own previous reading, and a well-stored and ready memory, enabled him to encounter triiunphantly his clerical antagonist. In one branch of his subject, no- thing could be more powerful than his reply. He turned his own favorite Father, Augustine, against Mr.PopE's argijment in support of internal evidence, in the Bible, of divine revelation, " I would not," says St. Augustine,. ** believe the Bible itself, without the authority of the BANIEL O'CONNELL. 305 Church." This short quotation had an electric effect on tlio meeting, and assisted him greatly in overthrowing all Mr. Pope's arguments against Catholic doctrine. We look in vain through Shiel's speech, for the bril- liancy and point which characterized his party and poli- tical orations. The controversy was an appropriate field for eloquence ; but he was not at home there. It was not suited to his genius, nor was his knowledge of the sub- ject matter under discussion sufficiently profound to enable him to mould the subject to his own genius, as he would a political topic. His bright sabre and his fiery spirit al- ways won for him triumphs in a party melee; but he wanted the heavy artillery, which deep reading furnishes, to bo as distinguished as,from his talents, he deserved.in the war of polemics. It may be that his fine and pointed sen- tences — his antitheses — his epigrams — his keen hits were not taken by the reporter ; it may be that he did not report his own speech. If so, wo can account for our disappoint- ment with his speech on this occasion — for no reporter in those days — nay, even at the present, could take correctly the finished. elaborated sentences of this accomplished rhe- torician. JMr.BRic's was a better, as it was a far longer, speech, though ho was much below Shiel, as an orator. Bric was a fluent, common-sense, and very popular speaker. Though a young man whose career terminated prematurely, his memory is to this moment revered by the Irish people. O'Connell was affectionately attach-- ed to him. On this occasion he made himself up for the discussion, and was eminently successful. The most bril- liant of the speeches was, however, that of the Rev. Mr. Falvey, at present the gifted and much respected Pas- tor of Glanraire Parish, near Cork. The meeting at the time created universal attention. But no conclusion was arrived at, and it was in due course forgotten. 2 n 2 50? irFB A-Rt/ TIMES OT Ttese are the circumstauces peculiar to 1824, and to the city of Cork, which account for the enthusiastic man- ner in which O'Connell was received. Mr. Shiel, too^ had become a favorite. His errors on the Veto were forgiven. Nothing but his striking eloquence was now dwelt on. About this period, he, too, was entertained by the Citizens of Cork — in consideration of his recent Co-operation with O'CoNNELL. In fact, the whole com- munity was in a ferment, and every thing andpersont ministering to the excitement, was received with ardour and gratification. Mr. O'CoNNELL was also entertained in Dublin, Wa- terford, and Kilkenny. In the latter town he experienced the same reception to which he was subsequently accus- tomed in all the great towns of Ireland. The Trades, with flags and banners, went out to meet him j and, like the Roman Conquerors of old, a gorgeous procession was formed to do him honor. In short, day after day, he was accumulating that veneration and loyalty which after- wards entitled him to the appellation of the Uncrowned- Monarch OF Ireland. It is worthy of notice that, throughout the whole of this struggle for Religious Li- berty, he always stated that to Parliamentary Reform, in the first instance, and then to the Repeal of the Union, he was entirely devoted ; because the one would produce Emancipation, and the other National Regeneration. — This was in substance the language he used at the Cork dinner in 1824 ; and proves, beyond question, that state- ment false which asserted the existence of an understand- ing, that all agitation should cease after Emancipation was granted* Indeed, he never ceased to proclaim that the only measure for achieving Ireland's regeneration, was the Repeal of the Legislative Union* Mr, O'Connell was, from a very early period of his career, subject to the grossest and most calumnious at- * DANIEL O'CONNELL. 307 tacks. Calumny seemed almost the atmosphere in which he lived. He was himself vehement, and at times unmeasured in his language, In fact he had a total disregard of per- sons, when a public question was at issue, or when they came publicly into collision with himself. One with such a temperament, and so determined as a public man to hew his way thro' every impediment, could not escape retaliation. Accordingly, early in his political life, he became "the best abused man in Europe." In 1824, two attempts were made, one to affect his popularity, the other his integrity. The Orange party was this year very virulent. The extraor- dinary agitation he had set on foot, through the agency of the Catholic Association, and by means of the Catho- lic Rent, exposed him more than ever to the attacks of the Orange Press. The Dublin Correspondent, which was conducted by Tom Townsend, a Barrister, who was some years previously Editor of the Cork Mercantile Chronicle, was one of his bitterest antagonists. This Paper came out.in the year 1824, with a statement which it was supposed would crush O'Connell for ever, by depriving him altogether of his popularity. O'Connell, in 1815, made a speech at an aggregate meeting in Tra- lee. In the course of his observations he spoke of Napo- leon's fame, as erected more securely and permanently on his civil code, than on his victories in the field. He, while describing the administration of the laws in France, previous to the enactment of this code, drew a picture of the state of justice in Ireland. By inuendo, every time ho mentioned France, he adverted to Ireland. Ho compared Judge Day, crouching beneath Castle in- fluence.to a goose trying to get under a gate-way. Mr. O'Connell sent to the office of the Mercantile Chroni- cle, a copy of his speech. At that time Mr. Halt was no longer the registered proprietor. He had fallen into embarrassed circumstances, and Mr. England, after- 308 LIFE AND TIMES OF wards Bishop of Charleston, became the proprietor, tor the benefit of Haly's widow and family. But his name was not registered as proprietor, and when the Attor- ney -Genekal determined to prosecute, the only person in bis power was the registered printer, Mr. Harding Tracy, who, though a foreman printer of the Mercan- tile Chronicle, was of strong Tory connexions. The very day after the speech was published, it was spoken of as likely to attract the attention of the Attorney General, Mr.SAURiN, and directions were given by Mr. England to destroy the manuscript. Every sheet was carefully destroyed but one. One of the printers in the establishment had been employed in printing cards for some person, and when he completed the order, he took one of the sheets of the manuscript to fold the cards in, and sent the parcel to the person for whom tbe cards were prepared. This sheet, the printer, who is at present a most respectable trades- man in Cork.Mr.HiGGiNs, afterwards got back, but it was torn and illegible. It was therefore not possible that any evidence could be given against Mr. O'Connell. — Harding Tracy was prosecuted, convicted, and sen- tenced to two years imprisonment. Part of this sentence was afterwards remitted ; he remained in Gaol from May to December, 1816. Mr. O'Connell paid the costs of the trial, and during his imprisonment, Tracy was paid his wages at the Mercantile Chronicle office, by direction of Mr. O'Connell. His son, who was an apprentice there, had his wages raised. Mr. Eneas M'Donnell was then confined in Newgate, for the libel published in the Dublin Chronicle, against the Tipperary Spe- cial Commission. Mr. O'Connell did not wish Saurin should know that he was doing any thing for Tracy, otherwise the full imprisonment might have been inflicted. There were hopes also that he would bo afterwards employed on the Correspondent, if the impros- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 309 sion existed that he vra.s badly treafed by O'Connell. For Harding Tracy's own sake, O'Connell concealed what he did for him. He sent him a bed, and he arranged with Mr. M'DoNNELL that he should dine with him in prison. Mr. M'Donnell got some cases of type into the jail, and Tracy was employed by him as compositor for the Dublin Chronicle. On the whole, during his impri- sonment, he received over four pounds a week. Yet, will it bo believed, that in 1824, after Tracy's death, seven years after his imprisonment, and after having fre- quently received sums of money from O'Connell, the virulence of faction induced the Correspondent — on which paper Tracy was employed after his imprisonment, as was also his son, George Tracy — to come out with a charge against Mr. O'Connell, of having allowed the poor man to pine in jail, and to lie on straw — of letting his family starve — and of refusing him, when he came out of prison, all assistance; though Tracy had it in his power, it was confidently as- serted, by the possession of some sheets of the ma- nuscript, to have implicated O'Connell and cleared himself. George Tracy, the son, stimulated by the party, endeavoured to establish this case against O'Con- nell, but without effect. It was an utter failure ; and, as respects the manuscript, we have Mr. Higgins's authority to say it was all destroyed. Stilt the charge was reiterated with the utmost bitterness. Such was the rancour with which O'Connell was pursued — such the foundation for the malevolent attacks to which ho was systematically subjected. Harding TRACY,onhis return to Cork after- wards, when catechised by his brother Printers on the subject, admitted that he had nothing to complain of at the hands of Mr. O'Connell. This he expressed at Mr. Haly's own dinner table. 310 LIFE AND TIMES OF At the death of Dr. England, thei-e was published in New York, a brief biography of that celebrated Prelate. The following is the version which the writer of that sketch gives of the transaction of which we have furnished the correct version. " At another time, the mighty *' Agitator," who, in these latter days, has been permitted to combat like Joshua, successfully in the plain, while his consecrated ally could only lift his hands in prayer, as he looked on from the sacred mount to which God had called him, went into the office, during the absence of the editor, and wrote a scorching article. A judicial inquiry was instantly commenced. The only person in the office who could identify O'Connell's hand-writing was a Protes- tant journeyman who had set up the piece, but who was " true as steel" to the secrets of the establishment The law rendered the editor liable, in default of proof of the actual author; but, by a most providential circum- stance, the official ccrtilicato of editorship, which was a necessary link in the chain of proof against him, had been cancelled that very day, by the officer of the crown, for some supposed defect ; and, while another was being- prepared, the paper was uncertified, through the act of the government itself, and Mr. England escaped. But the poor journeyman fared not so well. He was commit- ted to prison, and for many months his family were sup- ported by the liberals, till at last some unsuspected loun- ger about the courts, happening to overhear that the man was only detained for the purpose of annoying the Catho- lics, and wasting their scanty means, they ventured to " stop the supplies," and their faithful agent was forth- with set at liberty." The next instance was a charge, that ho held in his ands, unaccounted for, a sum of over six hundred DANIEL O'CONNKLL. 311 pounds sterling, belonging to the old Association, while there were pecuniary claims pressing on Mr. Hay, the late Secretary of the Catholic Body, which were not dis- charged, and debts due of other parties — to Mr. Hugh FiTzpATRiCK, for instance, the father of that estimable Irishman, O'Connell's bosom friend, P. V. Fitzpa- TRiCK.His answer to this charge shows how accura,tely the accounts were kept. The balance stated by Mr. Hay, asin his hands.waspaid off by checks on French & Go's. Bank, and every payment carefully vouched. This was always O'Connell's practice;andit enabled him successful- ly to repel all the base attacks made on his honor and inte- grity. In truth, it was idle to endeavour ,by such attacks,to wound his fame. He never was a money- worshipper. Fast as it flowed into him, it went from him just as ra- pidly, not for his own wants and luxuries, but to assist and servo others. Every one who knows the history of his private life, has heard of his entanglement in the affairs of a respectable shopkeeper in a neighbouring county. He became involved in them to the amount of several thousand pounds, some years before the period of which we now write, and all solely to oblige a friend for whom he felt a special partiality. So blind and un-" limited was his confidence in this friend, that to assist him in business, he used leave with him blank accept- ances. These were filled at his discretion, and a number of them, embracing several thousand pounds, found their way into the possession of a gentle- man belonging to the Society of Friends, who re- sided in Dublin. This gentleman behaved in a no- ble manner to O'Connell. It appears that exclusive of the amount of his acceptances, held by the party spo- ken of, others had been passed for goods to English ma- nufacturers. When the goods came over to Dublin,this 312 LIFE AND TIMES OF gentleman laid a detainer on thein, for Mr. O'Connell, and thu3 enabled him to get out of his engagements with the English houses, without heavy loss. The Dublin House did more. They held over his acceptances in their hands, consented to receive £6,000, and to take the remainder by instalments. Mr. O'Connell was then entirely dependent on his professional income. It is said that the Dublin Corporation offered these gentlemen, to whom he was thus indebted. ^24,000 for their claim. This, we should think, is an idle and unfounded story, based on the known hatred of that body for our Illustrious Countryman. We mention these circumstances, to show that money never was an object of consideration with hira; and his subsequent history, even to his deat.h,proves that however ample his income, the numerous public claims on him, ever kept his purse light indeed. It deserves to be told that.during the whole period,he had to struggle against the pecuniary difficulties in which this too generous confidence involved him, his equanimity was unruffled. His professional avocations, and his political £^gitation were not for a moment suspended or neglected; and to this day, with the exception of a (qw friends, and the residents near the scene of this transaction, none know that such a visitation troubled him during his career. It may be opportune here to state,that O'Connell was remarkable at the bar for his knowledge of accounts — and of book-keeping — a knowledge in which tho profes- sion are generally deficient. He could unravel the most complicated accounts, and many a witness who attempted to mystify mercantile dealings, has been detected and ex- posed by the acuteness and perfect mastery of the matter possessed by O'Connell, In the meantime, the Catholic Association advanced in public estimation. Meetings were held throughout tho DANIEL O' CORNELL. 813 Country to organise the Catholic Rent. Collectors were appointocl in every parish, who enthusiastically devoted themselves to the sacred cause. The money began to be funded, and there was every appearance of a formida- ble resistance to injustice. The Association was charged with organizing a system cf disaffection throughout Ire- land. Mr. Brownlow, afterwards, in 1825, so famed for his political conversion, brought the subject before the House of Commons, and denounced the Association as a formidable instrument of revolution and insurrection. On the other hand, the Association was not idle. It pe- titioned for the disarming of the Northern Orangemen, who were using the weapons the laws allowed them, for murderous purposes — for shooting unoffending Catho- lics. The distinction, in this respect, between the treat- ment of the Catholic people, and the Orangemen, exem- plified the celebrated saying of Lord Redesdalk, that " there was in Ireland one law for the rich and another " for the poor." Insurrection and Whiteboy and Curfew laws were the curatives for their complaints; while the turbulent worshippers of the ** glorious and immortal" William, were allowed to go at large at all times, and when fully armed and burning with vengeance against their Catholic neighbours. Thus was Ireland governed. It was then that the fastidious Peel declared, " that in ** truth he began to nauseate at Irish affairs." But the Catholics persevered. Their petition was entrusted to the great Reformer, Sir Francis Burdett. Cobbett, too, lent at this time his powerful pen in sustentation of their cause. The Marquis of Wellesley, throwing off . the shackles, in which Orange Goulburn, his Chief Secretary, would confine him, determined as far as the law allowed him, to give office to the Catholics. The present Insolvent Commissioner, Mr, 2 c 314 Lii^ AND HfU'Eaf or Farrell, was the first Catholic Assistant Barrister ap- pointed in Ireland,- Thus, as far as the Lord Lieuxk- NANT was concernedr a liberal spirit reigned in Dublin Castle. But, unhappily for Ireland, there was a power be- hind the vice-throne greater than the Viceroy. Goul- BURN was Lord of the ascendant. It was at his instance, that O'CoNNELL, towards the close of the year, was ar- rested by Alderman' Darlby. But we shall dwell more at length on that subject when we enter on 1825. AYc have simply to remark here, that Mr. O'Coknell, not- withstanding the excitement which his arrest created,, would not permit the Association to make the slightest remark on the subject — so anxious was he to show his deference, in his own person, to the laws of his country. The reader has, doubtlessy often Heard of Mr. O'Con- NEiiL's Uncle, Maurice O'Connell. From him he in- herited, in 1825, Darrynane Abbey, and an income of at least £4,000 a-year ; the tenure of a part of which,HAR- Top's property, has terminated with his life. This gentle- man was known in Kerry by the name of "Hunting Cap," on account of his always appearing with that part of the sportsman's costume. He was an exceedingly clever man, and from the period of bis coming of age, to within a few years of his death, was always invited on the Grand Jury of his County. But age and total blindness obliged him, to give up public ooQupations. He was never mar- ried, and, as a matter of course, became peculiar in Bomo of his habits, lie was most kind and hospitable to Uie hum- bler classes. No matter from what quarter the wayfarer, be he farmer, dealer, or labourer, approached the mansion at Darrynane, he met a hearty Irish welcome, and wa& permitted to prolong his sojourn to a period limited only by his own sense of propriety. No question was permit- ted to be put to him by any of the domestics, as to the DANIEL OfcONNELL. gl^ timo of his arrival, or the probable day of his departure* The epithet of '• Hunting Cap," had its origin in the re- luctance evinced by tlic wearer to pay a tax imposed, atone period of our history, on beaver hats 4 to avoid which he T)etook himself to the Velvet Cap, which is thus indis^ solubly -Connected with his name and memory. We in- troduce his name now to our readers, because of a very remarkable letter which.at the close of 1824, ho wrote,or rather dictated, to the Catholic Association. He was then in his ninety -sixth year, and quite blind. But the strong intellect and wisdom, exhibited in that letter, were Very striking. He sent in bis subscription as a member, and called on the body to persevere steadily, fearlessly, but with moderation.; and he pledged his word —it was a prophecy—that they must succeed. We shall introduce here a letter, written by the Libe- rator, in which he makes reference to the one emanating from his Uncle. Jt embodies some personal characterise tics that, described by him, ;must be considered truthful ^nd interesting:. ^'to the editor of the souitherk reporter. •* Darrynane Abbey, J>fovember 19, 1839. " Sir,— You have taken from a Kerry Newspaper, and published a letter of Mr.HENRY Arthur Herbert, res- pecting a statement made by me at the late meeting in Killarney. That letter does, on the face of it, contain, Ido think, about as much presumptuous absurdity as could well be stuffed together in so small a space. •• To make this plain, I will just state the facts. ^ '♦ At the meeting in question,! was tracing the atroci- tics of the Irish Orange faction in former days. I speci- fied amongst others, the law which had been passed, in violation of the Treaty of 'Limeriok, and by which, if a Catholic purchased an estate, paying the price, any Pro- 31G LIFU AND TIMES OP testant could, by law, take away the estate froiu the Ca- tholic, and leave him at the total loss of both the estate and of his purchase money. " Mr. Henry Arthur Herbert does not venture to deny, that this was the state of the Law when I was born, and for some years after ; although he had a deep inter- est in denying it,if he could, as he belongs to the political jparty who would re-enact that law, if they had the power; although lie, individually, might oppose its re-enactment. '* To illustrate the mischief of that law. I stated what I had repeatedly heard from my uncle, the late Mr. Mau- rice O'CoNNELL, of Darrynane. It was precisely this — that when th^ estate of " Tomies on the Lake," was offered for sale, he agreed to purchase it, and had the pur- chase money ready ; and that thereupon the ancestor of the present Mr. Herbert, sent him a communication to this effect, — that if he (.my uncle), became the purchaser, he, Mr. Herbert, would immediately file a bill of dis- covery (that was the technical name of I he mode of legal plunder) against my uncle, and deprive him of the estate. So that my uncle would have in that case lost his money and his land. On this communication, my uncle, of course, withdrew from the purchase. Mr. Herbert afterwards became the buyer of the estate,at a sum considerably less than my uncle was to have given for it. " Such was the statement which my uncle frcv^uently made. )t was with him a common illustration of the working of the iniquitous Penal Laws. Such was the statement I made at Killarney upon his authority. If born at the time of the transaction, I was quite too young to have known any of the facts of my own know- ledge. I therefore took them and told them on his autho- rity. That authority no man \vho knew ray revered uncle would or could doubt. 'RANIEL o'cONNELIy. "317 "•* He diefl in his 96th year, in 1825. He carried with him to the age of close «pon a century, all the clearness of a powerful intellect ^ and what is still more rare — all the tenderness of a most affectionate heart. In the year before he diod he wrote a splendid letter to the Catholic Association, in which he distinctly alluded to this very transaction. ^* He was a man of the most singular accuracy of in- tellect, and of the highest order of integrity. In Kerry, every body knows that he was a Magistrate and Deputy- Governor ©f the County, so soon as Catholics could hold the Commission— that he was a Grand Juror from the same period until, in his eighty-sixth year^ he ceased to attend the Assizes — that he Avas a man esteemed by eve- ry one who knew him. Why should such a man invent what in that ease would have been a gross calumny ? He had no object to gain by it. He entertained no resentment to the individual — he only blamed the law.— On the con- trary, he said that Mr. Herbert had behaved fairly to him, in cautioning him before hand. Others would have allowed him to purchase, and then have taken the property without any price, as the law would have then enabled them to do. He entertained no hostility, what- soever, to Mr. Herbert or his family. On the contrary, this young gentleman's grandfather stood several contests for the representation of Kerry ; my uncle supported him in every one of these contests, and was always on the most friendly terms with the Herbert family. Mr. O'CoNNELL then proceeds to comment on the mjit- ter in dispute between him and Mr^ Herbert, and con- <;ludes x — *' I have the honor to be, ^' Your faithful servant, ^* Daniel O'Connell,'' -2 c 2 318 LIFE AND TIMES OP Towards the close of 1824, a warm discussion arose among' the Catholics, upon the measures to be adopted for obtaining Emancipation. At a meeting of the Asso- ciation it was contended that " a sense of justice would soon work it out in England." " Let it be recollected," said O'CoNNELL in this discussion, "that nations have no *' sense of justice;" and the English, if possible, less than any. We have an example of that, which defies all compari- son. The English Catholics have been powerless for centu- ries, tho' loyal even to slavishness. They have nothing of a mob character about them. As far as their numbers go, they represent as much wealth, station, and intellectual cul- tivation as England can boast of. They are interwoven, by reason of their station, with the highest non -Catho- lic families of the country ; and yet, with all these ad- vantages, they are so incapable of exacting justice for themselves, that the highest among them, the Duke of Norfolk., Premier Duke of England, cannot be a Magis- trate. The Irish Catholics are, on the contrary, luckily for themselves, millions ; and thus rendered too formida- ble to be trifled with. A sop is occasionally thrown to them for the purpose of mitigating their hostility, and notwithstanding the allegation, and possibly the belief, that we are not only tumultuary but disloyal, the adverse party has felt itself compelled to grant us many of those privileges that are withheld from our brethren of England, whose condition otherwise stands in such con- trast witli ours." Thus, on the maxim laid down by Sau- RiN, that agitation was the necessary price paid for liberty, did O'Connell always act in the conduct of Ca- tholic affairs ; fo i' he felt that policy was necessary to wrest justice from a reluctant Parliament. We mentioned that the year 1824 must bo held ever memorable, because of the results that flowed from the DANIEL O'CONNELL. - 3JQ proceedings of that year. The organization of the Ca- tholic Rent won Emancipation, and may ultimately prove to have been the precursor of Legislative Independence But of this hereafter. The year 1825, with the events of which we have now to deal, offers incidents of even more thrilling and absorbing interest. The preceding year closed with the arrest of Mr. O'Connell, in his own house, for language said to have been uttered by him in one of his speeches-one which he denied to have do- livered, as it appeared in the newspaper, on the evidence of whose Reporter the prosecution was instituted. In- stead of an intimation from the Magistrates that such in- formations were tendered, and a request that he would attend in the Police Court, to face his accuser, the infor- mations were taken in his absence. He was refused a copy of them; the sanctuary of his home was violated, and he was put under arrest in the midst of his family. This occurred in 1824. The next year opened with the proceedings before the Grand Jury. He was prosecuted for an "hypothesis ;-for saying that "if Ireland were driven mad by persecution, she would find, like South America, another Bolivau." Even this hy^ pothesis was not correctly put ; and no accurate evidence of the words he used could be adduced. The Reporters of the different newspapers, with the exception of one who, reported for Saunders' Neivs Letter, and on whose report the prosecution was founded, acted nobly They refused to give any information whatever. They said they were not sent to these meetings to become informers ; and no threats, no legal terrors, nor other appliances, would induce them to deviate from the path of honor. In those days, the witnesses were sworn in open court, and some amusing incidents occurred on this occasion. One anecdote we cannot omit. Mr. 320 LIFE AND TIMES OF O'CoNNELL, full of professional business, came into Court. T be anxious public, by whom it was crowded to inconvenieDce,naturally supposed that he was there about his own case. During the swearing of one of the witnesses against him, and who to the amusement of the Court •was about to tender his evidence ou the table, instead of before theGrand Jury. Mr.O'CoNNELL rose; a buzz of in- terest went through the crowd; then all was, in a moment, silent. The '' Counsellor'' simply made an unimportant motion for sorae obscure client, which was readily granted; and the learned gentleman sat dow'i, to the mingled dis- appoiatmeat and wonder of the excited crowd. However, they were,after along suspense, relieved from all anxiety. In sending the bills to the Grand Jury, the Judge told them " That before they found them, they should be " satisfied the words were uttered, and if uttered, by ''whom, and Avith what intent." A witness was sent before the Grand Jury to sustain the indictment, but his evidence was a miserable failure ; the recollection of which, brings to mind proceedings of a similar char- acter, mixed up with state prosecutions against O'Con- NELL in latter times, and with the same convenient instruments. The witness was a Reporter on Saunders' News Letter. On being called into the Grand Jury Room, to prove the expressions — having been closely questioned, he was driven to admit that he was " os/ee/)" when the alleged seditious passage was uttered by 0*CoNNELL ; and on being awakened by a blow given on the table, he asked the person near hira, "what caused the noise," and from what that person told hira, he made his report accordingly for Saimders\ as if he had heard it himself. Upon this admission, the Foreman sent him out of the room, not considering him entitled to credit. Such was the foundation for the first Govern- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 321 _ mont prosecution against O'Connell — tlio first official assault on the Catholic agitation, ihe Grand Jury, on a division of eight to fifteen, threw out the Bills ; and Mr, O'CoNNELT, returned to his homo, amidst the enthusiastic shouting of the people. The conduct of Plunkett, on this occasion, de- serves to be reprobated. He had no justification for taking this step. O'Connell's language, even if cor- rectly roportcd, afforded no just grounds for prosecution, on the part of a Constitutional Attorney-General. Who doubts that if a people are oppressed, and the laws of the land tyrannically abrogated, that they may resist the oppressors. The existence of this right is the bulwark of the Constitution. Its exercise drove the Stuarts from the throne of England, and gave the reigning family the sceptre of this empire. Yet O'Connell's hypothesis didnot go so far as this — neither was it one half so spicy and energetic as that used by Plunkett himself during the discussions on the Union, "if," he said, "there were " English connexion on the one hand, and Irish freedom " on the other, I would fling the connexion to the " winds, and hug the independence of my country.'' — Yet this was the man, the eloquent and powerful advo- cate of Catholic rights, who ventured on the dangerous experiment of prosecuting O'Connell on a hypothesis. Why did he do this ? Some of the English papers hinted that the object was to prevent O'Connell going over with a Catholic deputation, to be heard at the bar of the House of Commons, in favour of Catholic Emancipa- tion. That is not a probable conjecture. For as subsequent events will prove, Plunkett could have had no such feeling. No, the abortive prosecution originated in the unhappy policy that was then beginning to guide a divided Cabinet, and even to this day spoils the best 322 LIFE AND TIMES OF intentions of the Government in Ireland — the policy of ** gi?iag a triumph to neither party." That policy was a change for the better, but it was puerile and weak. The Orangemen were prosecuted, and they became deadly foes of the Irish Govornnient. Some of the lead- ing mea in Parliament joined their ranks and took their secret oaths. It was necessary to try, with them, con- ciliation ; to assail friends, in order to pacify enomios; and to show extra impartiality, by discountenancing the Ca- tholic Association, and prosecuting its Leader. Thus we must construe the policy of Plunkett. It was, as it deserved to be, an utter and entire failure. Equally ri- diculous as the Bottle Prosecution, it was far more inju- rious to his fame. To show the interest wliich this pro- ceeding at the time excited, we extract from some of the London Journals of the day, their remarks upon these unprecedented proceedings against O'Connell. '* A very silly measure says the Morning Chronicle, has been resorted to in Dublin — the arrest of Mr. O'Connell, for an expression in a speech at a meeting of the Catholic Association. Mr. O'Connell is too skilful a Lawyer to hazard any expressions that would bring him in contact with the law. The following pas- sage, in a report of his speech in Sounders* News Let' tcr, is said to be the foundation of this proceeding: — • Nations have,' he remarked, ** been driven mad by oppression — he hoped that Ireland would never be driven to resort to the system pursued by the Greeks and South Americans to obtain their rights ; he trusted in God they would never be so driven. He hoped Ireland would be restored to her rights ; but, if that day should arrive— if she were driven mad by persecution, he wished that a new Bolivar may be found— may arise — that the spirit of the Greeks, and of the South Americans, may atiiraate the people of Ireland.* I^ANIEL O'COTJXELL. 323 •• That in a country ruled ov6r by a King, who owes his title to a Dutchman, who irtvaded it with a powerful army, which enabled an oppressed peopJe to expel their feigning Monarchy it should be deemed seditious to de- clare, that, if oppression ever justified a recurrence to forcer he hoped a suitable leader might not be wanting, is what we are utterly unable to appfehend. Why good God, what is the burden of Mr. Locke's famous book on 'Government, which was long the manual of the Hanovkr family, btit that nations may rise against their rulers whenever they are oppressed ? We all know what this means ; that those who rise, but do not succeed, are be- headed, hanged, and shot \ while those who do succeed have an indisputable title. Mr. O'Connell, in express- ing this conditional wish, only followed the example of every popular orator irv the country, since the days when the passive obedience and non-resistance doctrines were first condemned by authority. *'It is curious enough that a passage of this nature should have been selected for prosecution, while no notice whatever has been taken of the downright pro- vocation to an act of rebellion by Sir Harcourt Lees. In a passage from a letter of the Baronet, inserted in the Chrcnicle of yesterday, it is said — ^ ' La the event of the Irish Government not being permitted by the infatuated and ignorant Cabal of his Majes- ty's Cabinet (who have degraded the British Empire, and nearly lost Ireland by their temporising policy) to adopt such immediate measures for the preservation of this country as the exigency of the times requires, I will, at every risk, take the responsibility on myself of pro- tecting this Island for my venerated Sovereign j and I will instantly recommend to the Protestants of Ulster to form a great military Confederation, should this despica- 324 LIFE AND TIMES OF ble Cabinet system be persevered in two months lunger, I will consider it to be my duty, as your acknowledged Pro- tector, to pass in review the entire Protestant force of Ul- ster early in INIarch ; by which period I shall arrange such a military organization for the Province,as shall render it a matter of perfect indifference to me, whether INIr, Geo. Canning and the Popish Grkna'illes choose to protect U3 or to join the Priests.' " This is the most audacious threat ever held out to any Government. Who, before, in this or any other coun- try, ever dared to tell the Government, if you do not change your course I will organize a military force to do what you refuse to do ? Yet this is all taken in good part, whilo a sentiment of Mr, O'Connejx, against which no valid objection can ba urged, U soiectod for prosecution I — ** The Government havobcea hard pushed when tlioy resorted to such a pitiful measure, which will produce u very different eflPect from that which its contrivers calcu- lated on. The Catholics know better than to afford any handle for the violent steps on which the souls of tbe Orangemen are bent. If blood is to be shed, they will remain passive ; because open resistance on their part would at this time be unavailing. Never was there less of violence than at this time in Ireland, and all the efforts of the Orange Faction to involve them have completely failed." , "We have given," observes the London Glohe and Tra- veller, *' from the Dublin Papers, rocoivcd this utiorning, further accounts of the proceedings taken against Mr. O'CoNNELL. Saunders* News Letter has collected the different versions, given by the Dublin Papers, of the words on which it is understood that the proceedings against Mr. O'CoNtNELL are founded. We s&y understood ; for though Mr. O'Connell has been held to bail, he has not DANIEL O'CONNELL. JJg been favoured with a copy of the informations. Ther6 seems the greater reason for this backwardness, fis m Attorney-General has held him to bail first, and set the Magistrates to collect evidence afterwards. '•According to any of the versions in the Dublin Pa- pers, the corpus delicti that can be established against Mr. O'CoNNELL is very trifling. His wish for a BoLi- VAR was certainly hypothetical. Sir Harcourt Lees might as well be prosecuted for his letter. If your throats are cut any night, (says Sir IIarcourt Lees to , his Orange friends) make the best of your way to the nearest military station. If we are driven mad by oppression, says Mr. O'Connell, I hope we shall act as becomes reasonable men. " The Courier very properly calls this " a daring insinuation." Wo should therefore recommend a prosecu- tion for insinuation. The Jurors of our Lord the Kino. on their oaths, might present that Daniel O'Connell. being an insinuating person, and wishing to insinuate hiraselfinto the good graces of a certain meeting, &c.. had spoken certain insinuating words— to wit, &c There would be more sense in this, than in a prosecution for sedition. " It is curious, however, to think that the person who prosecutes is Mr. Plunkett, than whom no one is more open to recrimination on the score of hypothetical vio- lenco. Our readers, and Mr. Plumkett himself, per- haps, as his memory may not be stronger than his discre- tion, will be surprised when they see the following passage from the Irish Attorney-General's speeches. Mr. Plunkett, in the House of Commons, on the 23d of January, 1799, speaking of the project of the Union— amea- sure which ^ve all know afterwards passed— used the following words :_'« For ray own part, I shall resist it 2d 326 T'lFK ANU TIjMES 01- " to the last gasp of my existence, and loitU the lust diup ♦* of my blood ; and when I feel the hour of my dissolution " approaching, I will, like the father of Hannibal, take " my children to the altar, and swear them to eternal " hostility against the invaders of their country's free- " dom." Again, on the 15th of May, 1791, he says— " I warn the Ministers of this country against persever- • ' ing in their present system ; let them not proceed to " offer further violence to the settled principles, or to " shake the settled loyalty of the country. Let them not " persist in the wicked and desperate doctrine, which '* places British connexion in contradiction to Irish pru- '' dence. I revere them both. For myself I have no " hesitation in saying, that if the wanton ambition of a " Minister should assault the freedom of Ireland, and " compel me to the alternative between it and British " connexion, I would fliny tliat connexion to the winds, " and I would clasp the independence of my country to " my heart." " So much for this prosecution of iFs,and insinuations. " There is something to be said of the form of the pro- ceeding. Mr. O'CoNNELL is to be prosecuted by Mr. Pldnkett before the Dublin Commission. Has not jNIr. Plunkett himself declared, that at that Commission justice is not to be obtained in any case in which the feel- ings of the Orange party are concerned ?" " It will be perceived by our extracts from the Dublin papers," says iheMorniny Herald, "that IMr.O'CoNNELL has been held to bail for seditious words, alleged to have been spoken by him at the Catholic Association on last Thursday week. There is something singular in the re- presentation given of this affair. The Irish Government is represented as instituting proceedings upon a news- paper report of liis speech. Now, even supposing the DANIKL O'CONNELT- 327 Roporter was examined, and pledged himself to the sub- stantial fidelity of the report, yet it would be unsafe to found an indictment upon it. In the first place, the newspaper was evidently hostile and disingenuous ; in the next place, the obnoxious passage is a piece of the merest rhodomontade ; in the third place, the obnoxious version is solitary in this paper. " INIr. O'CoNNRLT. is an able as well as practised law- yer, and he knows what stuff Irish juries are made of. Is it possible ho could have spoken any thing like this ? The only strong ;w7"»ra^cee circumstance against him is the personal and public character of the Irish Attorney- General. Would Mr. Plunkett commit himself and the Government upon idle and insufficient grounds ? It is well known, however, that Mr. Plunkett is, and has been for some time, harrassed and teased by men of weak beads and heated brains, who think imbecile and uncalled- for violence is vigour. If he has yielded to such, he has committed a fatal error. A suggestion has been thrown out, that Mr. O'Connell will be prevented from com- ing upon his intended mission to the Catholic Associa- tions of England, by the necessity of attending to be tried early in January, at the Dublin Sessions. But this is a petty manoeuvre, which Mr.PLUNKETx would reject with disdain." " It was with some surprise," observes the British Press, " that we found the Irish Journals announce the prosecution of Mr. O'Connell, upon a charge of uttering seditious words in a late speech at the Catholic Associa- tion. Whether true policy required this measure of hos- tility on the part of the Attorney-General, we must be permitted to doubt. It appears to us, no crisis ever less invited the making any experiment upon the temper ■of a nation, than does that of Ireland at the present moment-" 328 LIFE AND TIMES OP *• T\ie hatchings of the Cabinet," says The Times, "on the affairs of Ireland, which we hinted at not many days Skgo^ have thus early burst into life. O'Connell has \)^en arrested, and held to bail, for " seditious words I" as the Dublin newspapers of Tuesday and Wed- nesday last inform us. And what are the seditious words ?— that " If the Irish should ever, which he trust- " pd would not happen ; but if the Irish should ever be *' driven mad by persecution — why then he hoped some *' n^w Bolivar might befound,and that the spirit of the " Greeks apd of the South Americans might animate *• the people of Ireland." — And this is sedition ! And for this hypothetical effusion, an extempore speaker in a p\iblic assembly, under what is called a free constitution, is tp be attacked by t;he King'? Attorney General, and prosecuted as if his design wag to overthrow the State I We have read the imputed words thrice over ; we see nothing in their fair meaning which an honest man may not adopt to the letter. If O'Connell be seditious for expressing his hope that, should Ireland be driven mad by persecy,tiQ7i^ sjie ipay find a patriot to deliver her, then we q,re his fellows in sedition ; for we have the same specific Jjope for Ireland, if she be persecuted — for England, if she be oppressed — for all mankind, in every region of the world, and in every age of the remotest posterity. It is the native prayer of all Englishmen, that oppression, where it does exist, may be opposed pnd paniahed. So fftr as politics went, it was the religion of our fore- fathers.— r What is Bolivar but the Washington of the nineteenth century ? What was William III., in prin- ciple, but the Bolivar of the seventeeth century ? Resistance to lawless power was the characteristic glpry of them all. Do the law officers of the Crown in Ireland dream of getting any but an Orange jury to DANIEL O'CONNELL, 329 'oonvict a British subject for words like those ascribed to Mr. O'CoNNELL ? Mr. Plunkett, indeed, knows of what materials such juries are composed, and so far his confidence may not have been rashly placed in them. But, good Heaven ! will he descend so low as to make ,th€ authors of his own wrongs, his instrument of vengeance against others ? The words reported are, as we havp said, what no virtuous and intelligent jury can convict upon ; they are such as no man who has read the history of the British Constitution, or who is animated by its- spirit and principles, need disavow ; the measure, there- fore, is at once harsh, imbecile, and only not odious, be- cause ridiculous. If this be the commencement of a system of energy — a specimen of the spirit which pre- sided over the late Ministerial incubations ; if this be the first chick that breaks the egg-shell, what, in the name of wonder, will be the rest of the brood?" "We cannot better convey to the reader an idea of the excitement which this prosecution created, than by giving at length an eloquent speech of Shiel's at the Associa- tion, on the 8th of January, 1825. It is the more deserv- ing of introduction, because it happens to be, though short, one of the most brilliant speeches delivered during the year by that accomplished orator. He rose to move a series of resolutions, in reference to the prosecution. The first resolution was to this effect : — " That the pro- secution of Mr. O'CoNNELL had excited the amazement of the whole English public, and was calculated to awaken a stronger feeling than one of mere astonishment in the minds of the people of Ireland." In moving the resolution he thus expressed himself: — *'I congratulate Mr. O'Connell upon his victory, and Mr. Plunkett on his defeat. His success would have been disastrous to the country, and to liimself. The 2 D 2 330 LIFE AND TIMES OF blood of every honest raan would have boiled at it. As it is, however, regret is intermingled with the sentiment of displeasure. We lament that Mr. Plunkett should have put his enemies to elect, whether they would make a martyr of Mr, O'Connell, or u victim of himself. We do not forget the bonds of political cordiality which united ' Mr. Plunkett to the Roman Catholic body. We feel as if we had snatched a poinard from the grasp of an an- tagonist;: and beholding in his face the lineaments of an early friend, instead of turning back the dagger upon his bosom, exclaim, in the accents of mingled reproach and sorrow, *' is it thus that you requite us ?" God forbid that we should indulge in the language of contumelious triumph, at the failure of a measure which carried its retribution with itself. The weapon which was pointed at us with so deadly a levol, has burst in Mr. Plunkett's hands. I hope it has not shattered them. But it is fitting that we should abstain from every ungenerous vaunt. We are not drunk with an absurd and delu-ious joy. In these political Satur- nalia, we do not by any means forget the ignominy of our condition. We are still the underlings of Orange domination. We do not raise our arms in the attitude of triumph, for our fettors are still upon us. Thoy would weigh us down and draw us to the earth. But we owe it at the same time, to the abstract dignity of truth, to record our condemnation more of the measure than of the man. Good God ! what motive could have suggested this extravagant proceeding ? When Mr. Plunkett read the words attributed to Mr O'Conneli- did he ask himself " What is the provocation given to this raan ? — Who is he, and what ami? Who is his Majesty's Attorney -General, the Right Honorable WiLLIADI OoNYNGHABI PlUNKETT ?" I knOVV UOt whc- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 331 ther he administered that personal interrogatory to him- self ; but if he did, this should have been the answer. " I raised myself from a comparatively humble state, by the force of my own talents, to the first eminence in the State. In my profession, I am "without an equal. In Parliament, I once had no superior. When out of office,! kindled the popular passions — I was fierce and virulent, and vituperative — at last I have won the object of my life. I am A.ttorney-General for Ireland, I possess great wealth, great powers, great dignity, and great patronage. If I had been a Roman Catholic, in- stead of being an enfranchised Presbyterian, what should I have been ?" I can tell him. He would have carried " up and down a discontented and repin- ing spirit ;" ho would have felt like a man with large limbs, who could not stand erect — his vast faculties would have been ** cribbed and cabined in ;" and how would he have borne his political humilia- tion ? Look at him, and say, how would that lofty forehead have borne the brand of Popery ? How would that high demeanour have worn the stoop of the slave ? Would he have been tame and abject, and servile and sycophantic ? No 1 he would have been the chief demst- gogue ; the most angry, tumultuous and virulent tribune of the people — he would have superadded the honest gall of his own nature to the bitterness of political resent- ment — he would have given utterance to ardent feelings in burning words, and in all the form of passion, he would have gnawed the chain from which he could not break ; and is this the man who prosecutes for words ? If, (to use a vulgar phrase), the tables were turned ; if Mr. O'Con- NELL were Attorney-General, and Mr Plunkett were the great leader of the people ; if Anthony were Brutus, and Brutus Anthony, how would the pub lie mind have 332 LIFE AND TIMES OP been inflamed ; what exciting matter would have been flung amongst the people? "What lava would have been poured out ! " The very stones would rise in mutiny." Would to Heaven, that not only Mr. Plunkett, but every other Protestant who deplores our imprudence, in the spirit of a fastidious patronage, would adopt the sim- ple test of nature, and make our case bis own ; and he would confess, that if similarly situated, he would give vent to his emotions in phrases as exasperated, and par- ticipate in the feelings which agitate the great and dis- franchised community, to which it would be his misfor- tune to belong. There is no man of ordinary can- dour who will not rather intimate his wonder at the mo- deration than his surprise at the imputed violence of Mr. O'CoNNELL. With fortune, rank, and abilities of the first class, enjoying pre-eminence in his profession, and the confidence of his country, he is shut out from honours accessible to persons whom nature intended to place infinitely behind, and whom their religion has ad- vanced before him. If he were to adopt, or if his coun- try, at his suggestion, were to assume the tone which is prescribed to us, the people of England would not be- lieve that we laboured under any substantial grievances. — " I do not believe you," said a celebrated advocate of antiquity to a Citizen who stated to him a case of enor- mous wrong — ** I do not believe you." '* Not believe me I" " No 1" " What 1 not believe me. I tell you that my antagonist met mo in the public way, seized me by the throat, flung me to the earth, and " " Hold," exclaimed Demosthenes, '* your eye is on fire — your lips begin to quiver — your cheek is flushed Avith passion — your hand is clenched— I believe you now When you first addressed me,you were too calm, too cold, too measured ; but now you speak, you look like one DANIEL O'CONNELL. 333 wlio had sustained a wrong." And are we to speak and act like men who had sustained no wrong ? We, six millions of — what shall I say ? — Citizens. No 1 but men who have been flagitiously spoliated of the rights and privileges of British subjects ; who are thrown into the mire, cast into utter degradation, and covered with dis- grace and shame ; upon whom scorn is vented and con- tumely disgorged; we, who are the victims of legisla- tive plunder ; vvho have been robbed, with worse than Punic perfidy, of privileges which our ancestors had ])urohased with their blood ; which were secured by the faith of treaties and consecrated with all the solemnities of a great national compact ? Shall we speak like men who had sustained no wrongs ? We are upon our knees ; but even in kneeling, an attitude of dignity should be maintained. Shall we ask for the rights of freemen in the language of slaves? May common sense, common feeling, common honour — may every generous princi- ple implanted in our nature ; may that God — I do not take his name in vain — may that Power who endowed us with high aspirations, and filled the heart of man with honorable emotion, who made the love of freedoni an in- stinctive wish and unconquerable appetite, may the great author of our being, the creator of the human heart-^ may God forbid it," Mr. O'CoNNELL, in speaking after the resolutions were adopted, was exceedingly moderate and conciliatory in his tone. There was no denunciation of the Govern- ment. There was rather a simple expression of regret, that they took so unwise a step as prosecuting him for language which was alleged to be "imconstitutional," though not "illegal." Indeed, the whole of this speech is remarkable for its conciliatory tendency. It shows, first, how readily he could place in the back ground his 334 LIFE AND TIMES OF feelings of "personal wrong — though no one ever ftilt that wrong more keenly — for the sake of his country ; and it shows, secondly, he had some reasons to anticipate, during the approaching session of Parliament, that the Catholic cause would triumph; and that, probably, this very prosecution was intended to win over the moderate anti-Catholic party, by exhibiting the determination of the Irish Government, though favorable to Emancipation, to discountenance all attempts of carrying it by any other means than the calm deliberations of Parliament. This is mere conjecture ; but, unquestionably, O'Con- Nell's speech, on this occasion, affords ample justifica- tion for giving it expression. Or, probably, this concili- atory tone might have arisen from his gratification with the decision a Protestant Grand Jury had come to in his case, indicating so strong a contrast between the bigotry of 1812, and the growing enlightenment of 1825— as far as regarded the general mass of the Protestant commu- nity, not of course including the Orange faction. On this part of the subject, he thus remai-ks in his speech on the prosecution — "Oh! that Government would have the wisdom to avail themselves of this opportunity of effecting concilia- tion between all parties, of establishing a permanent and indissoluble union between Catholic and Protestant ! — Oh ! that they would say to the Catholics of Ireland, " see, your Protestant countrymen have done justice to an active member of your body ; we Avill do you justice. Let Catholics and Protestants embrace in unity and mutual forbearance. Let us commence what would, indeed, be a new era for Ireland. Let everything before the 20th of December be forgotten, and let the act of jus- tice of your Protestant countrymen be the first date in your remembrance." DANIEL O'CONNELL. 336 This CJovernmont prosecution leads us to a matter of a somewhat similar nature, which occurred about the same time. We allude to the contemplated prosecution, recommended by O'Connell, of the Courier Newspa- per. It was for a series of gross libels on Maynooth College, and the prosecution was to be carried on at the expense of the Association. It is impossible to condemn too strongly the gross and scandalous — the profligate diatribes of that Journal against the much abused esta- blishment of INIaynooth, Yet, it must be confessed that, looking at the transaction at this distance of time, and when a more enlightened feeling regarding the Press prevails, people will, doubtless, altogether disapprove of the step then recommended by O'Connell- Prosecu- tion never effected any good, when even levelled against that drawback of free institutions — a licentious press. Mr. O'Connell soon learned how injudicious were his steps in this particular ; and when it became the fashion, post after post, to publish the most scandalous calumnies against himself, he passed them by as the " idle wind," and they were soon forgotten. Contempt is the most effectual remedy against such publications. Forbear no- ticing them, and they die ; prosecute them, and they live, flourish, and circulate. There was, in 1825, the greater reason for despising such attacks, from the circumstance that nine- tenths of the Press of England were then in favour of the Ca- tholic cause, and that,throughout the country, a far more enlightened spirit was growing up with respect to Ire- land. Witness the petition adopted even in Bristol, the ancient hot-bed of intolerance, in favour of Ca- tholic Emancipation ; witness the improved state of the public mind, amongst at least the middle classes in England ; witness the numerous conversions from the 336 XIFE AND TIMES OF ranks of political enemies in 'Parliament. In such a po- sition of our affairs, it were unworthy of us to stoop to a collision with a single newspaper, however virulent and foul the calumnies it disseminated. The Catholic Association was then in a most com- manding position. It had ten thousand pounds invested in the funds. Its receipts had swelled to a thousand a week ; nay, to twelve hundred. It took cognizance of every grievance, political and social, which afflicted the country. Every man who was offered injury, received from it protection. The utmost interest was taken in its pro- ceedings. It was emphatically the representative of Ire- land ; it almost resembled a native Parliament. Lords ClaNricarde, Fitzwilliam, FiNGALL. Cloncurry, GoRMANSTOWN, and a host of other Peers became mem- bers of it. Notwithstanding the existence of the Insur- rection Act, which was ever an incentive to disturbance, the Association kept the country tranquil, and secured to the laws the obedience of the People. Of this assem- bly, so powerful, so much feared, and so soon destined to be put down by statute law, in order that another and more formidable organization should be established in its stead, Mr. O'Connell and Mr. Shiel were the twin leaders. When we use the word " twin," we do not mean thereby to imply an equality in the power and genius of both, Shiel was, unquestionably, for the practical purposes of the country, the inferior man. He possessed a more brilliant genius ; but he had not so correct an understanding, nor a heart so thoroughly pa- triotic. We cannot so readily forget his advocacy of the Veto. It was a selfish advocacy ; for ho proclaimed that his object, in seeking Emancipation, was more the attainment of power, station, and official place, tlian the triumph of a great and enduring principle. But,putting DANIEL O'CONNELL. 337 that asido, after his re-union with O'Connell, in 1823, when, at the house of a mutual friend in the County of "Wicklow, it was by them determined to raise again the standard of agitation— after that re-union, he fought steadily, honestly, and gloriously, the great fight for liberty , side by side with his great compeer. For the purposes of the times, we don't think it possible, that any speeches could be delivered, capable of producing such effects as his. The Irish, even the uneducated classes, are fond of brilliant imagery, and sparkling antithetical declamation. In both, Shiel has no equal, and never had, Grattan had his terseness and point, without his electric bril- liancy ; CuRRAN was more figurative, and more diffuse ; Canning more graceful and classical ; Sheridan more fervid and elaborate ; and Brougham more scorching and sarcastic ; but for impassioned oratory, neither of them came near him. True it is, Shiel used to prepare his speeches — we mean, write them out, and commit them to memory. He made no secret of this practice ; and felt no hesitation in giving his written orations to the Newspaper Reporters, before they were pronounced. It is said of him, that in committing them to memory, he in- variably worked up his feelings to the same pitch of ex- citement that he subsequently exhibited, when delivering them in public. He is a truly impassioned speaker. At first, before he warms to the subject, his sharp voice is piercing, amounting almost to ashriek, and sounds grating- ly on the ear ; but as he advances, you no longer heed the shrill intonation ; you cannot wait to observe his awkward delivery; — you are carried away, nolens volens, and you are soon entranced by a magical vehemence that, however critical you may wish to be, paralyses altoge- ther your disposition to analyze. O'Connell, on the other hand, could never prepare, and never dreamt 2b 338 LIFE AND TIMES OF of delivering, an elaborate speecli. He always thoufilit aloud ; he was full of his subject, and armed at all points. Shiel could make one great display, on one subject, due notice being afforded. O'Connell would make a dozen of them, Avithout a moment's previous inti- mation. Hence, as a practical Agitator, he had no equal. He was far beyond Shiel in the essential qualities. His good sense.his honesty^and the confidence the people reposed in him, placed him beyond all competition — Besides, in real natural eloquence, he had few equals. His noble person, contrasted with Shiel's diminutive form, was greatly in his favor. His delivery was dignified and Avinning ; his voice was, perhaps, the most musical and flexible, in its intonations, that ever proceeded from the lips of an orator. It Avas astonishing with what ease he made himself heard in the most crowded assemblies. Even in the open air, so distinct and musical Avas his ut- terance, so clear his intonations, that his accents and his ■words reached the remotest portion of multitudinous assemblages. The writei* of this Memoir recollects Avell, during the Monster Meetings of 1843, when the minor orators were in vain straining their lungs, in hopes of being heard by the eager multitudes who were pressing forward to catch even a stray word of the sentiments they uttered, O'Connell Avas enabled, without any exertion whatever, to send his voice to the most distant outlyers in the vast crowd around him. Hence, in a degree, his unrivalled mastery over the multitudes attract- ed by his presence. But it was his readiness at a mo- ment ; his rich and racy humour ; his wit and facility of extempore expression, that placed him at the head of all popular orators of his or any other age. An ex tempore speech has always ten times more effect on an au- dience than a written and prepared oration, Hence, not DANlKTi O'CONNTJLL. SSD Svitlistaiuliiig Shkil's incomparable brilliancy, he never could make on his hearers the same enduring impression his co-agitator invariably imprinted on their hearts. O'CoNNELL often said, that he never attempted to speak Avith preparation, that he did not fail. The vi^riter once witnessed an illustration of the fact. O'Connell, latterly, was losing his memory; and he had to take down on paper the heads of his subject. This was in some degree a preparation ; it was an arrangement of the subject necessary and advisable for ordinary orators, or for set discourses. But O'Connell was always in the habit of thinking aloud, and this formal arrangement chained down his thoughts. The writer sat next,or near him,at the great Limerick Provincial Dinner of 1844. On that occasion he used notes ; and his speech was a fail- ure compared to those he had previously delivered. Such were the two men who now determined to grap- ple with the power of the Anti-Catholic faction in Eng- land and Ireland, and wrest Emancipation from their tenacious grasp. In their different ways, they worked the agitation well and triumphantly. In this state of Catholic affairs — with hope on one side, and alarm and no-Popery feeling on the other, the Catho- lic Deputation proceeded to London, Their object was two-fold ; to be heard by their own Counsel against the suppression of theAssociation — that is.byO'CoNNELL and SHiEL,at the bar of the House of Commons ; and to elicit sympathy with the cause, and gain the friendship of as many of the English Aristocracy and popular Leaders as they could propitiate. As the results of the Deputa- tion are the most important event of 1825, we shall dwell upon the subject at some length. The Deputation were to consist of Archbishops, Bishops, Clergymen, Barris- ters, Merchants, Bankers, Traders of all kinds — in fine, 3-iO LIFE AND TIMES OF every profession was adraitteti except " Literary men,"^ aad every idle Catholic Irisliman in London, if coming Avithin tliese descriptions, was permitted to enrol himself as one' of the Deputation. Tn this respect, there was no order, no exclusiveness. *' Literary men" were excluded. Why, cannot well bo ascertained; but the fact is worthy of note, as it will be found in the sequel, that this unac- countable exclusion, led to grave and unpleasant disputes,^ seriously damaging to the Catholic cause. Before we accompany the movements of this important deputation in London, and express our own sentiments on what oc- curred after its arrival, we cannot avoid, though it is a Barrative of some length, giving in extenso, a most graphic description of the journey and joerso?i?i!e/ of the Deputation, from a number of the New Monthly Maga- zine of that year. It will be read with no small interest. We are unable to curtail a line of it. It was written either by Shiel or Curran, and commences thus : "The Roman ^Catholic Association having resolved to petition tho House of Commons against the Bill which was in progress for their suppression, requested Mr. O'CoNNELL and Mr. Sheil to attend tho bar of the House, and prayed that those gentlemen should be heard as Counsel on behalf of the body in whose proceedings they had taken 50 active a participation. They appeared to undertake the office with reluctance. It involved a great personal sacrifice upon the part of Mr.O'CoNNELL; and independently of any immediate loss in his profession, Mr. Shiel. could not fail to perceive that it must prejudice him in some degree as a barrister, to turn aside from the beaten track of his profession, in the pursuit of a brilliant but somewhat illusory object. It was, however, next to impossible to disobey the injunction of a whole people — they accepted of this honorable trust, At the same DANtEL O^CONNELt. S4I time, that counsel were appointed, it was dotermined that other gentlemen should attend the debates of the House of Commons, in the character of deputies, and should constitute a sort of embassy to the English people. The plan of its constitution was a little fantastic. Any person who deemed it either pleasurable or expedient to attach himself to this delegation. Tvas declared to be a member, and, in consequence, a number of individuals enrolled themselves as volunteers in the national service. "I united myself to these political missionaries, not from any hope that I should succeed in detaching Lord Eldon from the Church, or banishing the fear of Ox- ford from the eyes of Mr. Peel ; but from a natural curiosity to observe the scenes of interest and novelty, into which, from my representative character,! thought it not improbable that I should be introduced. I set o^'ut in quest of political adventure, and determined to commit to a sort of journal, whatever should strike mo to be deserving of note. Upon my return to Ireland, I sent to certain of my friends some extracts from the diary which I had kept, in conformity with this resolution. They told me that I had heard and seen much of what was not destitute of interest, and. at their suggestion. I have wrought the observations, which were looselv thrown together, into a more regular shape, although "they will. . I fear, carry with them an evidence of the haste and heedlessness with which they were originally set down " The party of deputies, to which I had annexed my. self, travelled in a barouche, belonging to Mr. O'Con- NELL, of which he was kind enough to offer us the use. I fancy that we mado rather a singular i-.ppearance. for the eyes of every passenger were fixed upon us as wo passed ; and at Coventry, a spot sacred to curiosity, the mistress of the inn where we stopped to change horses, 2 E 2 312 LIFE AND 'tntEB OT asked me with a mixture of inquisitiveness and wonder, and after many apologies for the liberty she took in put- ting the interrogatory, " who the gentlemen were?" to which I neither made specific reply,nor accorded full expla- nation. Mr.O'CoNNELL.as usual, attracted the larger por- tion of the public gaze.He was seated on the box of the ba- rouche, with a lai'ge cloak folded about him, which seemed to be a revival of the famous Irish mantle j though, far be it from m© to insinuate, that it was ever dedicated to some of the purposes to which, it is sug- gested by Spencer, that the national garment was de- voted. His tall and ample figure, enveloped in th* trappings that fell widely round him, and his open and manly physiognomy, rendered him a very conspicuous ob- ject, from the elevated station he occupied. Wherever we stopped, he called with an earnest and sonorous tone for a newspaper, being naturally solicitous to learn whe- ther he should be heard at the bar of the House ; and in invoking " mine host," for the Parliamentary debates, he employed a cadence and gesture which carried along with them the unequivocal intimations of his country. — Nothing deserving of mention occurred, imtil v/e had reached Wolverhampton. We arrived at that town about eight o'clock in the raorning, with keener appe- tites than befitted the season of abstinence, during which we were condemned to travel. The table was strewed with a tantalizing profusion of the choicest fare. Every eye "was fixed upon an unhallowed round of beef, ■which seemed to have been deposited in the centre of the breakfast-room, with a view to "lead us into temp- tation." But Mr. O'CoNNELL exclaimed, ''recollect that you are within sacred precincts. Tlie conqueror of Stur- ges,aml the terror of the Vetoists," meaning Dr.MiLNER, " has made Wolverhampton holy r" DANIEL O'CONNELL. 343 " This admonition saved us on the verge of the preci- pice ; we thought we beheld the pastoral staff of the famous Doctor raised up between us and the forbidden feast, and turned slowly and reluctantly from its unavail- ing contemplation, to the lentcn mediocrity of dry toast and creamless tea. We had finished our repast, when it was suggested that we ought to pay Dr. Milner a visit before we proceeded on our journey. This proposition was adopted with alacrity, and we went forth in a body in quest of the energetic divine. We experienced some little difficulty in discovering his abode, and received most evangelical looks and ambiguous answers to our in- quiries. A damsel of thirty, with a physiognomy which was at once comely and demure, replied to us at first with a mixture of affected ignorance and ostentatious dis- dain — until Sir Thomas Esmonde, who is "a marvellous proper" man in every sense of the word, whether it be taken in its physical or moral meaning, addressed the fair votary of Wesley with a sort of chuck-under-the-chin manner (as Leigh Hunt would call it) ; and bringing a more benign and feminine smile upon a face which had been over-spiritualised by some potent teacher of the word, induced the mitigated Methodist to reply, " If you had asked me for the Popish Priest, instead of the Ca- tholic Bishop, I should have told you that he lived yon- der," pointing to a large but desolate-looking mansion before us. We proceeded according to her directions, to Doctor RIilner's residence. It had an ample, but dreary front. The windows were dingy, and covered with cob- webs, and the grass before the door seemed to illustrate the Irish imprecation. It is separated from the streetby a high railing of rusty metal, at which we rang several times without receiving any response. It was suggested to us, that if we tried the kitchen door, we should pro- 344 I-IFE AND TIMES OF bably get in. We accordingly turnucl into a lane leading to the postern gate, which was opened by an old and feeble, but very venerable gentleman, in whom I slowly recognised the active and vigorous Prelate, whom I had seen some years ago, in the hottest onset of the Veto warfare in Ireland. His figure had nothing of the Becket port which formerly belonged to it. A gentle languor sat upon a face which I had seen full of fire and expression — his eye was almost hid under the relaxed and dropping eyelid, and his voice was querulous, undecided, and weak. He did not recollect Mr. O'Connell, and appeared at a loss to conjecture our purpose. ' We have come to pay you a visit, ray Lord,' said Mr. O'Connell. The interpellation was pregnant with our religion.— " my Lord," uttered with a vernacular richness of into- nation, gave him an assurance that we were come from " the Island of Saints," and on the right road to Heaven. He asked us, with easy urbanity, to walk in. We found that he had been sitting at the kitchen-fire, with a small cup of chocolate, and a little bread, which made up his simple and apostolic breakfast. There was an English neatness and brightness in every thing about us, which was not out of keeping with the cold but po- lished civility of our reception. The Doctor was, for a little while, somewhat hallucinated, and still seemed to wonder at our coming. There was an awkward pause. — At length Mr. O'Connell put him " au fait." He told him who ho was, and that he and his colleagues were go- ing to London to plead the cause of their holy religion. — The name of the ** Counsellor" did not give the Doctor as electric a shock as I had expected — he merely said, that we did him very great honor, and wished us every success. He requested us to walk up stairs, and welcomed us with much courtesy, but little warmth. Time had DANIEL O'CONNELL. 345 been busy with him. His faculties were not much im- paired, but his emotions were gone. His ideas ran clearly enough, but his blood had ceased to flow. We sat down in his library. The conversation hung fire. The inflam- niablematerial of which his mind was originally composed, were damped by age. O'Connell primed him two or three times, and yet he did not for a long time fairly go off. I resolved to try an expedient, by way of experi- ment upon episcopal nature, and being well aware of his feuds with Mr. Charles Butleu, the great Lawyer and profound theologian of Lincoln's Inn, asked him, with much innocence of manner, though I confess with some malice of intent, '* whether he had lately heard from his old friend, Charles Butler?" The name was talismanic — the resurrection of the Doctor's passions was instantaneous and complete. His face became bright, his form quickened and alert, and his eye was lighted up with true scholastic ecstasy. He seemed ready to enter once more into the rugged field of controversy, in which he had won so many laurels', and to be at once prepared to *• fight his battles o'er again." To do him justice, he said nothing of his ancient antagonist in polemics, which a Bishop and a Divine ought not to say ; he, on the con- trary, mentioned that a reconciliation had taken place. I could, however, perceive that the junction of their minds was not perfectly smooth, — and" saw the marks of the cement which had "soldered up the rift." The odium iheohgicum had been neutralized by an infusion of Chris- tianity, but some traces of its original acidity could not fail to remain. He spoke of Mr. Butler as a man of groat learning and talents ; and I ought to mention par- enthetically, that I afterwards heard the latter express himself of Doctor Milner, as a person of vast erudition, and who reflected honor,by the purity of his life and the 34G LIFE AND TIMES OP extent of his endowments, upon the body to which lie belonged. The impulse given to his mind by the men- tion of his achievements in controversy, extended itself to other topics. Cobbett had done, Doctor Milner said, service to Ireland, and to its religion, by ad- dressing himself to the common sense of the English people, and trying to purge them of their misconcep' tions respecting the belief of the great majority of the Christian world. The Doctor spoke with a great deal of energy of the contests which had been car- ried on between the clergy and itinerant missionaries of the Bible Society in Ireland, and congratulated Mr. O'CoNNELL and Mr. Shiel on their exertions in Cork ; from which the systematic counteraction of the new apos- tles had originated. Mr. O'CoNNELL expressed his obli- gations on this occasion to Dr.RIiLNER's celebrated, and let me add, admirable work which has been so felicitously entitled" The End of Religious Controversy." " Oh 1" said the Doctor, •' I am growing old, or I should write a supplement to that book," After some desultory con- versation, we took our leave. Dr. Milner, who had been roused into his former energy, thanked us with sim- ple and unaffected cordiality for our visit. He conducted us to the gate before liis mansion, in which, I should observe, neither luxury nor want appears, with his white head uncovered, and with the venerable grace of age and piety, bade us fai'evvell. "Wo proceeded onour journey. No incident occurred de- serving of mention, unless a change in our feelings deserves the name. The moment we entered England, I perceived that the sense of our own national importance had sustained some diminution ; and that, however slowly or reluctantly we acknowledged it ourselves, the contemplation of the opulence which surrounded us, and in which we saw the DANIEL O'CONNELL. 347 results and evitlenccs of British power and greatness, impressed upon every one of us tlio consciousness of our provincial inferiority, and the conviction that it is only from an intimate alliance witli Great Britain, or rather a complete amalgamation with her immense dominions, that any permanent prosperity can be I'easonably ex- pected to be derived. In the sudden transition from the scenes of misery and sorrow, to which we are habituated in Ireland, to the splendid spectacles of English wealth and civilization, the humiliating contrast between the two islands presses itself upon every ordinary observer. It is at all times remarkable. Compared to her proud and pampered sister, clothed, as she is, in purple and in gold, Ireland with all her natural endowments, at best appears but a squalid and emaciated beauty. I have never failed to be struck and pained by this unfortunate disparity ; but upon the present occasion, the objects of our mission and the peculiarly national capacity in which we were placed, in relation to England, naturally drew our medi- tation to the surpassing glory of the people, of whom we had come to solicit redress. An occasional visit to Eng- land has a very salutary effect. It operates as a com- plete sedative to the ardour of the political passions. It should be prescribed as a part of the antiphlogistic re- gimen. The persons who take an active part in the im- passioned deliberations of the Irish people, are apt to be carried away by the strength of the popular feeling, which they contribute to create — Having heated the public into an ardent mass of emotion, they are themselves under the in- fluence of its intensity. This result is natural and just ; but among the consequences (most of which are bene- ficial) which have increased the habitual excitation, and to which the Catholics have reasonably attributed much of (heir inchoate success, they have forgotten the effect 348 LIFE AND TIMES OF upon themselves, and have omitted to observe in their own minds a disposition to exaggerate the magnitude of the means by which their ends are to be accomplished. In declaiming upon the immense population of Ireland, they insensibly put out of account the power of that nation from Avhom relief is demanded, and who are grown old in the habit of dominion, which of all habits it is most difficult to resign. "A man like Mr. O'Connell, who, by the force of his natural eloquence, produces a great emotion in the midst of an enthusiastic assembly of ardent and high- blooded men ; who is hailed by the community, of which he is a leading member, as their chief and champion ; who is greeted with popular benedictions as he passes, whose name resounds in every alley, and "stands ru- bric" on every wall, can with difficulty resist the intoxi- cating influence of so many exciting causes, and becomes a sort of political opium-eater, who must be torn from these seductive indulgences, in order to reduce him to perfect soundness and soberness of thought. His Deputa- tion toEngland produced an almost immediate effect upon him. As Ave advanced, the din of popular assemblies be- came more faint ; the voice of the multitude was scarcely heard in the distance, and at last it died away. He seemed half English at Shrewsbury, and was nearly Sax- onized when we entered the murky magnificence of Warwickshire. As we surveyed the volcanic region of manufactures, and saw a thousand Etnas vomiting their internal fires, the recollections of Etna passed away from his mind, and the smoky glories of Skipton and Wolver- hampton took possession of his soul. The feeling which attended our progress through England was not a little increased by our approach to its huge meti'opolis. The waste of wealth around us, the procession of ponderous DAMEL O'CONNELL. 349 vehicles that choked the public roads, the rapid and continuous sweep of carriages, tlie succession of luxu- rious and brilliant towns, the crowd of splendid villas, Avhich CowpER had assimilated to tho beads upon the neck of an Asiatic Queen, and the vast and bituminous vapor which crowns the vast city with an G\ erlasting cloud, intimated our approach to the modern Babylon, Upon an ordinary occasion I should not, I believe, have experienced any strong sensation on enter- ing London. What is commonly called "coming up to town," is not a very sublime or moving incident. I ho- nestly confess that I have upon a fine morning stood upon Westminster Bridge, upon my return from the bril- liant inanities of Vauxhall, and looked upon London Avith a very drowsy sympathy in the immediate enthusi- asm which breathes through Wordsworth's admirable sonnet. But upon the occasion which I am describing, it needed little of the spii'it of political romance to re- ceive a deep and stirring impulse, as we advanced to the great metropolis of the British empire, and heard the rolling of the great tide — the murmurs, if I may say, of the vast sea of wealth before us. The power of En- gland was at this time presented to us in a more distinct .and definite shape, and we were more immediately led, as we entered London, to compare the two countries. — This, we exclained, is London ; and the recollection of our own Eblana was manifest in the sigh with which the truism was spoken; yet the reflection upon our inferi- ority was not unaccompanied by the consolatory antici- pation that the time was not far distant, when we should participate in all the advantages of a real consu- mated junction of the two countries, when the impedi- ments to our nation's prosperity should bo removed, and Ireland should receive the ample overflowings of that deep current of opulence, which we saw almost bursting 2 r 350 LIFE AND TIMES OF through its golden channels in the streets of the great metropolis. " Immediately after our arrival, we were informed by the agent of the Roman Catholic Association in London, Mr. Eneas M'Donnell, who, in the discharge of the duties confided to him, has evinced great talents, judg- ment, and discretion, that Sir F. Bubdett was desirous to see us as soon as possible. We accordingly proceeded to his house in St. James's Place, where we found the member for Westminster living in all the blaze of aris- tocracy. I had often heard Sir Francis Burdett in popular assemblies, and had been greatly struck with his simple, easy, and unsophisticated eloquence ;— I was ex- tremely anxious to gain a nearer access to a person of so much celebrity, and to have an opportunity of observing the character and intellectual habits of a man who had given so much of its movements to the public mind. He was sitting in his study when we were introduced by Mr. M'Donnell. He received us without any of that hauteur which I have heard attributed to him, and for which his constitutional quiescence of manner is sometimes mis- taken. We, who have the hot Celtic blood in our veins, and deal in hyperbole upon occasions which are not cal- culated to call up much emotion, are naturally surprised at what we conceive to be a want of ardour upon themes and incidents in which our feelings are deeply and fervent- ly engaged. During my short residence in London, I constantly felt among the persons of high political influ- ence, whom we approached, a calmness, which I should have taken for the stateliness of authority in individuals, but that I found it was much more national than personal, and was, in a great degree, an universal property of the political world. There was a great deal of simple dignity, which was entirely free from affectation, in the address DANIRL O'CONNEIX. 351 oF Sir Francis Burdett. Having requested us to sit, which we did in a large circle — his first remark indeed was, that we were more numerous than he had expected; he came with an instantaneous directness to the point, and after a few words of course upon the honour con- ferred upon him by being entrusted with the Catholic question, entreated us with some strenuousness to substi- tute Mr. Plunkett in his place; he protested his readi- ness to take any part in the debate which should be assigned him; but stated, that there was no man so capable, and certainly none more anxious than the At- torney-General for the promotion of our cause. But for the plain and honest manner in which this exhortation was given, I should have suspected that he was merely performing a part — but I have no doubt of the sin- cerity with which the recommendation was given. *• He dwelt at length upon the great qualifications of Mr. Plunkett as a Parliamentary speaker, and pressed us to waive all sort of form with respect to himself, and put him at once aside for an abler advocate, "We told him that it was out of our power to rescind the decision of an Aggregate Meeting. This he seemed to feel, and said that he should endeavour to discharge the trust as efficiently as he was able. His heart, he said, was in the question — he knew that there could not be peace in Ire- land until it was adjusted ; and for the country he pro- fessed great attachment. He loved the people of Ire- land, and it was truly melancholy to see so noble a race deprived of the power of turning their great natural endowments to any useful account. These observations, which an Irishman would have delivered with great em- phasis, were made by Sir Francis Burdett almost without a change of tone or look. He made no effort at strong expression. Every thing was said with great 352 LIFE ANB TIMES OP gentleness, perspicuity, and candour, I thought, liow- ever, that he strangely hesitated for common words. — His language was as plain as his dress, which was ex- tremely simple, and indicated the favourite pursuit of a man who is " mad at a fox-chase, wise at a debate." I watched his face while he spoke. His eyes are small and bright, but have no flash or splendour — They are illumi- nated by a serene and tranquil spirit ; his forehead is high and finely arched, but narrow and contracted ; and although his face is lengthy, its features are minutely and delicately chiselled oft'. His mouth is extremely small, and carries much suavity about it. I should have guessed hira at once to be a man of rank, but should ne- ver have guessed his spirit to be a transmigration of Caius Gracchus. I should never have guessed that he was the man whose breath hath raised so many waves upon the public mind, and aroused the storm which made the vessel creak. I saw no shadow of '• the tower of Julius" in his pure and ruddy colour, and should never have conjectured that he had inhaled the evaporations of its stagnant moat At tho same time, I should ob- serve, that if there were no evidences of a daring or ad- venturous spirit about this champion of the people, there are in his demeanour and bearing many indications of calm resolve and imperturbable determination. I was a good deal more occupied in watching this celebrated person than in observing my companions. Yet I at once perceived that wo were too numerous and gregarious a body for a council of state, and was glad to perceive Mr. 0'Con» NELL take a decided, and what Avas considered by some, a dictatorial tone among us. I saw that unless some one- individual assumed tho authority of speaking and acting for the rest, we should, in all likelihood, be involved in those petty squabbles and miserable contentions of which Buonaparte speaks, as characteristic of the Iribh Do- DANIEL o'cONNELli. 353 pttlies, who were sent to Paris to negociate a revolution. I was much pleased to find that Mr. O'Connell gave, even in this early communication, strong proofs of that wise, temperate, and conciliatory spirit, by which his conduct in London was distinguished ; and by the mani- festation of which he conferred incalculable service on his country. "After this interview with Sir Francis Burdett, the chief object of which, upon his part, was to sound our disposition to confide the conduct of our cause to the Irish Attorney General, we proceeded to the House of Commons for the purpose of attending the debate upon the petition to be heard by counsel at the bar. We had already been informed by Sir Francis Burdett, that it was very unlikely the House would accede to the petition, and that Ministers had collected their force to oppose it. For the result we were, therefore, prepared ; but we were extremely anxious to hear a discussion in which Mr. Brougham was expected to display his great powers, and in which the general demerits of the Catholic Associa- tion would, in all probability, bo brought by Ministers under review. The Speaker had the goodness to direct that the Catholic Deputies should be allowed to sit under the gallery during the discussions which appertained im- mediately to the object of their mission ; and we were, in consequence, accommodated with places upon this 'van- tage ground ; from which I had an opportunity of observing the orators of the night. We formed a conside- rable array in the house, and attracted universal obser- vation. Tn the front of our body was Mr. O'Connell* upon whom every eye was fixed. He affected a perfect carelessness of manner; but it was easy to perceive that he was full of restlessness and inquietude under an icy surface. I saw the current eddying beneath. Next him was Mr. O'Gorman, who carried a most official look, as 2 F 2 254: LIFE AND TIMES OP Secretary to the Catholics of all Ireland, ami seoniod to realize the beau ideal of Irish seH-possession. I should observe, by the way, that Mr. O'Gobman was of great use in London, in subduing that spirit of disputation among the dejiuties, to which Irishmen are habitually prone; and which it required the perfect good humour and excellent disposition of the learned functionary to as- suage. The house began to fill about eight o'clock. The aspect of the members was not in general very imposing. Few were in full dress, and there was little in thegeneral demeanour of the representatives of the people, which was calculated to raise them in my reverence. This ab- sense, or rather studious neglect, of ceremony is, perhaps, befitting an assembly of the ''citizens and burgesses in Parliament assembled." I remarked that some of the Members were distinguished for their spirit of locomotion. The description of " the Falmouth — the heavy Falmouth coach," given by a jocular Secretary of State, had pre- pared me to expect in a Noble Lord a more sedentary habit of body ; but he displayed a perfect incapacity to staying still, and he was perpetually traversing the House, as if he wished by the levity of his trip, and the jaunti- ness of his movements, to furnish a practical refutation of Ministerial merriment. After some matters of form had been disposed of, Mr. Brougham rose to move on behalf of the Association, that counsel should be heard at the bar of the House. I had seen Air. Brougham several years before, and immediately observed a great improvement in his accomplishments as a public speaker. Nature has not, perhaps, been very favourable to this very eminent man, in his merely physical confi'^uration. His person is tall, but not compact or well put together. There is a looseness of limb about him, which takes away from that stability of attitude which indicates DANIEL O'CONNET.L. 366 fixoduoss of mind. His cliest is narrow — he wants that breadth which gives Plunkett an Atlantean massivoncss of form, mentioned by Milton as the pro- perty of a great statesman. The countenance of Mr. Brougham wants symmetry and refinement. His features are strong but rather wide. He has a Caledo- nian prominence of bone. His complexion indicates his intellectual habits, and is " sicklied o'er by the pale cast of thought." It seems smoked by the midnight lamp. His eyes are deeply sunk, but full at once of intensity and meditation. His voice is good — it is clear, articu- late, and has sufficient melody and depth. He has the power of raising it to a very high key, without har shness or discord ; and when he becomes impassioned, he is nei- ther hoarse nor shrill. Such is the outward man ; and if he has defects, they are not so numerous or so glaring as those over which the greatest orator of antiqxiity obtained a victory. In his ideal picture of a public speaker. Homer represents the most accomplished artificer of words as a person with few if any personal attractions. The characteristics of Brougham's oratory are vigour and passion. Ho alternates with great felicity. He possesses in a high degree the art of easy transition from impetuosity to demonstration. His blood does not become so over-heated, as to render it a matter of diffi- culty for him to return to the tone and language of fami- liar discourse — the prevalent tone and language of the House of Commons. A man who cannot rise beyond it, will never make a great figure ; but whoever cannot ha- bitually employ it will be accounted a declaimer, and will fall out of Parliamentary favour. Mr. Brougham's ges- ture is at once senatorial. and forensic. Houses his arms like an orator, and his hands like a lawyer. He employs great sweep of action, and describes segments of circles 356 LIFE AND TIMES OF in his impassioned movements ; here he forgets his foren- sic habitudes ; but when he is either sneering or sophis- ticating, he closes his hands together with a somewhat pragmatical air, or uniting the points of his fore fingers, and lifting them to a level with his chair, embodies in his attitude the minute spirit of Nisi Prius. If he did this and nothing else, he would hold no higher place than the eternal Mr. Wetherall in the house. But what, taken apart, may appear an imperfection, brings out the nobler attiibutes of his mind, and by the contrast which it presents, raises his better faculties into relief. Of the variety, nay vastness of his acquirements, it is unneces- sary to say anything; he is a kind of ambulatox'y Ency- clopsedia, and brings his learning to bear upon every topic on which he speaks. His diction is highly enriched; or, if I may so say, embossed with figures executed after the pure classic model ; yet there are not perhaps any isolated passages which are calculated to keep a permanent resi- dence in the recollection of his hearers. He does not venture, like Plunkett, into the loftiest regions of elo- quence; he does not wing his flight among those tower- ing elevations which are, perhaps, as barren as they are high; but he holds on with steady continuity, in a very exalted course, and never goes out of sight. His bursts of honest vehemence, and indignant moral reprobation, are very line. He furnished, upon the night I heard him, an admirable exemplification of this commanding power. I allude to his reply to Mr. Peel, upon the charges made against Hamilton Rowan. **The Secretary for the Home Department is said to have delivered upon this occasion one of the best speeches which he ever pronounced in Parliament. I own that he greatly surpassed ray expectations. I was prepared, from the perusal of his speeches, and the character which DANIEL O'CONNELL. 357 1 heard of him, for a display of frigid ingenuity, delivered with a dapper neatness and an ironical conceit. 1 heard the late Mr. Curran say, " that Peel was a mere offi- cial Jack-an-apes," and had built my conceptions of him upon a phrase which, valueless as it may appear, remain- ed in ray memory. But I was disabused ofthis erroneous impression, by his phillippic against the Association. I do not mean to say that Mr. Peel has not a good deal of elaborate self-sufficiency. lie is perpetually indulging in encomiums upon his own manliness and candour — and certainly there is much frankness in his voice and bearing — but any man who observes the expedients with which he endeavours to effect his escape from the grasp of some powerful opponent, will be convinced that there is a good deal of lubricity about him. He constantly advances arguments, of the fallacy of which he cannot fail to be conscious, and which would be a burlesque, if they were not uttered from the Treasury Bench. Asa speaker, he should not be placed near Mr. Brougham, or Mr. Can- ning, or Plunkett ; although he rises far beyond that mediocrity to which in Ireland we are in the habit of condemning him. His language is not powerful — but it is perfectly clear, and uniformly correct. I observed, indeed, that his sentences were much more compact and unbroken, and their several parts better linked together, than those of Mr. Brougham ; but the one evolves his thoughts in a lengthened and winduig chain'; while the othcr.having' a duo fear of the parenthetical before his eyes, presents an obvious idea in a brief and simple form, and never ventures to frame nny massive or extended series of phrase. His gesture is, generally speaking, exceedingly appropriate ; and if 1 found any fault with it, I should censure it for its minute adhe- rence to grace- His hands arc remarkably white and 358 LIFE AND TIMES OP well formed, and are exhibited with an ostentatious eai-e. He stands erect, and, to use a technical expression, em- ployed by French dancers, '* aplomb," This firmness of attitude gives him that appearance of determination which is wanting perhaps in Mr. Brougham. I do not like his physiognomy as an orator. He has a handsome face, but it is suffused with a smileof sleek self-complacency, which it is impossible to witness without distaste. He has also a trick of closing his eyes, which may arise from their weakness, but which has something mental in its ex- pression ; and, however innocent he may be of all offen- sive purpose, is indicative of superciliousness and con- tempt. I doubt not he found it of use in Ireland among the menials of authority, and acquired this habit at the Castle. In one, the best passage in his speech, and I be- lieve the best he ever uttered, he divested himself of those defects. Upon the moral propriety of his attack upon Hamilton Rowan, it is unnecessary to say anything. The misfortunes of that excellent gentleman ought not to have been pressed into the service. After every political con- vulsion, a Lethe should be permitted to flow upon the public mind ; and a sin of 30 years standing, ought not only to be pardoned but forgotten. Mr. Peel, however, could not resist the temptation of dragging upon the stage a man, whose white hair should hide every imperfection upon his head. Laying aside all consideration of the generosity evinced by Mr. Peel in the selection of the topic, it must be acknowledged that he pronounced his invective with great and very successful force. He be- came heated with victory, and, cheered as he was repeat- edly by his multitudinous partisans, he turned suddenly towards the part of the house where the Deputies were seated, and, looking triumphantly at Mr. O'Connell, with whom he forgot for a moment that he had been once DANIEL O'CONNELL. 369 involved in a personal quarrel, shook his hand with scornful exultation, and asked whether the House required any better evidence than the address of the Associa- tion to "an attainted traitor." The phrase was well uttered, and the effect, as a piece of oratory, was great and powerful. But for the want of moral dignity,! should say that it was very finely executed. We hung down our heads for a moment, and quailed, under the consciousness of defeat. But it was only temporary. Mr. Brougham was supplied with various facts of great importance, on the instant, and inflicted upon Mr. Peel a terrible retri- bution. His reply to the Minister was, I understand, as effective as his celebrated retort upon theQu^EN's letter. . He showed that the Government had extended to Mr. Rowan conspicuous marks of favor, and reproached Mr. Peel with his want of nobleness, in opening a wound which had been so long closed, and in turning the disas- ters of an honourable man into a rhetorical resource. He . got hold of the good feeling of the House. The virtuous emotions, and those high instincts which even the spirit of party cannot entirely suppress, were at once marshal- led upon his side. Conscious of his advantage,he rushed upon bis antagonist, and hurled him to the ground. He ■displayed upon this occasion the noblest qualities of his ., eloquence — fierce sarcasm, indignant remonstrance, exalt- ed sentiment, and glowing elocution. He brought his erudition to his aid, and illustrated his defence by a quo- tation from Cicero, in which the Roman extenuates the faults of those who were engaged on Pompey's side. The passage was exceedingly apposite, but was delivered perhaps with too dolorous and lacrymatory a note. A ^ man should scarcely weep over a quotation. But alto- gether the reply was magnificent, and made the Minister bite the dust. With this comfortable reflection we left the House. 360 LIFE AND TIMES 01' "It is not, of course, my intention to detail every cir- cumstance of an interesting kind whicli occurred in tlie course of this political excursion. From a crowd of ma- terials, I select what is most deserving of mention. I should not omit the mention of a dinner given to the de- puties by Mr. Brougham. He invited us to his house upon the Saturday after our arrival, and gave the Irish embassy a very splendid entertainment. Some of the first men in England were of the party. There were four Dukes at table. I had never witnessed an assem- blage of so much rank, and surveyed with intense curio- sity the distinguished host and his illustrious guests. It is unnecessary to observe, that Mr. Brougham went through the routine of convivial form with dignified faci- lity and grace. It was to his mind that I directed my chief attention, with a view to compare him in his hours of relaxation, with the men of eminence with whom I had conversed in my own country. The first circumstance that struck me, was the entire absence of eflfort, and the indiff'erence about display. I perceived that he stretched his faculties out, after the exhaustation of professional and parliamentary labour, in a careless listlessness ; and, if I may so say, threw his mind upon a couch. Curran, Grattan, and Bushe, were the best talkers I had ever witnessed. The first, and I heard a person make the same remark in London, was certainly the most eloquent man whose conversation I ever had an opportunity of en- joying. But his serious reflection bore the character of harangue ; and his wit, with all its brilliancy, verged a little upon farce. He was so fond indeed of introducing dialogue into his stories, that at tithes his conversation assumed the aspect of dramatic exhibition. There was, perhaps, too much tension of the intellect in those master- pieces of mirth and pathos, in which he appeared to be under the alternate influence of Momus and of Apollo. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 361 " The conversation of Mr. Grattan was not of an after. dinner cast. You should have walked with him among the woods of Tinnahinch, and listened to his re- collections of a better day, by the sound of the lulling and romantic waters of those enchanting groves, in which, it is said, he studied the art of elocution in his youth, and through which he delighted to wander in thd illuminated sunset of his glorious age. It was necessary that his faculties should be thrown into a swing, before they could come into full play. He poured out fine senti. ments in glittering epigrams. His mind became antithe- tical from continued habit ; but it was necessary that it should be thrown into excitement to bring it into action. It was in sketches of character that he excelled ; but you should give him time and leisure for the completion of his miniature. Bushe But I am deviating from my theme. To return to Mr. Brougham ; he is, perhaps, more negligent and heedless of what he says, than any of those eminent persons to whom I have alluded, and flings his opinions into phrase, without caring into what shape they may be moulded. I remember to have read an arti~ cle in the Edinburgh Review, upon Curran's life, that eminent men in England never make any effort to shme in conversation ; and I saw an illustration of the remarks at Mr. Brougham's table. He did not tell a story—ex- cept indeed, that he mentioned a practical joke which had been played upon Joseph H^ume, who takes things " au pic de la lettre," by passing some strange uncouth person upon him as Mr. O'Connell. The latter sat between the Dukes of Devonshire and Leinster. It was the place of honor, and the learned gentleman filled it without airs or aflfectation. In all his intercourgQ with the great in London, I remarked that he comported him- self in a manner perfectly becoming his character and 2 o ' 362 lilFE AND TIMES OF station in his own country. I was glad that, unlike Sir Pertinax. "he could stand straight in the presence of a great man."— The attention of the company was very much fixed upon him. But he spoke little. I remember Mr. Moore telling me an anecdote of Mrs. Siddons, which is not unillustrative of the scene. A large party were invited to meet her. — She remained silent, as is her wont, and disappointed the expectations of the whole company, who watched for every byllable that should escape her lips. At length, however, being asked if she would take some Burton ale, she replied with sepulchral intonation, that "she liked ale vastly." To this inte- resting remark, the display of her intellectual powers was confined. I do not think that Mr. O'Connell upon this occasion gave utterance to any more profound or sagacious observation. Nearly opposite to him sat Sir F. Buedett and Mr. Lambton. The latter seemed to me to watch Mr. O'Connell with a very unremitting vigilance. — He hardly spoke himself. — His air is foreign — he is full of intelligence, and looks like a picture by Murillo, of a young Spanish Jesuit who has just completed his noviciate. At the other end of the table sat the celebrated Mr. Scarlet, Avho is, at English Nisi Prins^facile princeps. I thought I could perceive the wile of a lawyer in his watchful and searching eye-r- . " He is a great observer, and he looks Quite through the thoughts of men." — His smile, too, was perhaps a little like that of Cas- sius. He said little — altogether there was not as much alertness in the dialogue as in the champaigno. The Duke of Sussex seemed to me the only person who exhibited much hilarity of spirit. There is a good deal of buoy- ancy in the temperament of his Royal Highness. He speaks with great correctness and fluency ; is perfectly DANIEL O'CONNELL. 363 kind and affable, and laughs with all his heart at his friend's jokes as well as at his own. If the Duke of Sussex were our Lord Lieutenant, as t hope he yet may be, he would put us into good humour with each other in a month. I would substitute Oberon's whistle for Alecto's horn. I should like to hear the honest and cordial laugh of the Duke of Sussex at an aggregate levee of Catholics and Protestants at the Castle. I should like to hear the echoes of St. Patrick's-hall, taking up the royal mirth in a long and loud reverberation. What might, peradventure, be an excess of vivacity in a gentle- man, would be condescending pleasanti'y in a Prince. "I understood at Mr. Brougham's that it was intended to give a public dinner to the Catholic deputies, at which the leading advocates of Emancipation were to be pre- sent. Much preparation was made for this festival of liberality ; but it was afterwards conceived that it would be more judicious upon the part of the friends of religioiis liberty, not to provoke their antagonists into a re-action, which it was thought likely might be produced. The idea was abandoned; but, in order to give the deputies an opportunity of expressing their sentiments in public, tho British Catholics held a general meeting at the Freema- son's -Hall. The Duke of Norfolk was in the Chair. — The assembly was not as numerous as I had expected — it was in a great measure composed of Irish. Many per- sons were deterred from attending by the title of the meeting, which seemed to confine it to Roman Catholics- In consequence of the impression that Protestants were not entitled to assist in these proceedings, few of the Par- liamentary supporters of Emancipation attended. Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, who sat next to the Chairman, was almost the only English Protestant of distinction whom I observed at the meeting. I believe, however, that an 364 LIFB AND TIMES OF anxiety to hear Mr. O'Connell, induced a great number of the literary men attached to the periodical and daily press to attend. Mr. O'Connell appeared to me ex- tremely solicitous about the impression which he should produce, and prepared and arranged his topics with un- usual care. In public meetings in Ireland, he is so confident in his powers, that he gives himself little trouble in the selection of his materials, and generally trusts to his erao. tions for his harangues. He is on that account occa- sionally desultory and irregular. But there is no man more capable of lucid exposition, when he previously de- liberates upon the order in which he should array the topics upon which he intends to dwell. He undertook on this occasion, the very laborious task of tracing the pro- gress of the penal code, and epitomised in some measure the history of his country. For the first hour he was, perhaps, a little encumbered with small details ; but when he advanced into the general consideration of the grievances under which the great body of the people are doomed to labour — when he painted the insolence of the dominant faction — when he showed the effect of the penal code brought to his own door — he seized with an absolute dominion upon the sympathies of his acclaiming auditors, and poured the full tide of his own emotions into their hearts. I did not greatly heed the results of Mr. O'Connell'b oratory upon the great bulk of his au- dience. Many a big drop compounded of heat and patriotism-^of tears and of perspiration; stood upon the rude and honest faces that were east in true Hibernian mould, and were raised towards the glory of Ireland, with a mixed expression of wonder and love. I was far more anxious to detect the feeling produced upon the literary and English portion of the audience. It was most favorable. Mr. Charles Butler, near whom I DANim, O'CONNELL. 365 Ivappcnetl to sit, and •whom I should be disposed to account a severe but excellent critic, was greatly struck — He several times expressed his admiration of the powers of the speaker. The applause of such a man is worth a " whole theatre of others." — Mr. Coke, also, whose judgment is, I understand, held in very great estimation, and who has witnessed thtj noblest displays of parliamentary eloquence, intimated an equally high opinion. Immediately under Mr. O'Connell there was an array, and a very formidable one, of the dele- gates from the press. Thcj appeared to me to survey Mr. O'Connell with a good deal of supercilious distaste at the opening of his speech; and although some amongst them persevered to the last in their intimations of national disrelish, and shrugged their shoulders at '* Irish elo- quence," the majority surrendered their prejudices to their good feeling, and ultimately concurred in the loud plaudits with which Mr. O'Connell concluded his ora- tion. It occupied nearly three hours and a half. Mr. O'Hanlon succeeded Mr. O'Connell. He spoke well, but the auditory were exhausted and began to break up. Less attention was paid to Mr. O'Hanlon than he would have received at a more opportune moment. The excita- tion produced by Mr. O'Connell, the lateness of the hour, and the recollections of dinner, were potent impediments to rhetorical effect. Mr. SniEL rose under similar dis- advantages. He cast that sort of look about him, which I have witnessed in an actor, when he surveys an empty house. The echo produced by the diminution of the crowd drowned his voice ; which being naturally of a harsh quality, requires great management, and in order to produce an oratorical impression, must e kept under the control of art. Mr. Shiel came disheartened, and lost his command over 2 G 2 366 LIFE AND TIMES or his throat. He grew loud and indistinct. He also fell into the mistake of laying aside his habitual cast of expression and of thought, and in place of endeavouring to excite the feelings of his auditory, wearied them with a laborious detail of uninteresting facts. He failed to produce any considerable impression, excepting at the close of his speech, in which, after dwelling upon the great actions which were achieved by the Catholic ances- tors of some of the eminent men around him, he intro- duced Joan of Arc prophesying to Talbot the oblitera- tion of his illustrious name, and the exclusipn of his pos- terity from the councils of his country. ••I should not omit to mention the speech delivered by Lord Stourton at this meeting. It was easy to collect from his manner that he was not in the habit of address- ing a large assembly, but the sentiments to which he gave utterance, were high and manly, and becoming a British Nobleman who had been spoliated of his rights. His Iano"uage was not only elegant and refined, but adorned with imagery of an original cast, derived from those sci- ences with which his Lordship is said to be familiar. *' Some of the deputies dined with him after the meet- ing. They were sumptuously entertained. I had now become more habituated to the display of patrician mag- nificence in England, and saw the exhibition of its splen- dour without surprise. Yet I confess that at Norfolk- house, where the Duke did Mr. O'Connell, Lord Kil- LEEN, and others of our deputation, the honor to invite them, and in compliment to our cause, brought togelher an assemblage of men of the highest rank and genius in England, I was dazzled with the splendour and gor- geousness of an entertainment to which I had seen no parallel. Norfolk-house is one of the finest in London The interior, which is in the style prevalent about eighty DANlEIi O'CONNELL. 367 years ago in England, realises the notions which one forms of a palace, tt was indeed occupied at one time by some members of the Royal family ; the Duke of Nor- folk told us that the late King was born in the room in which we dined. We passed through a series of magni- ficent apartments, rich M-ith crimson and fretted with gold. There was no glare of excessive light in this vast and seemingly endless mansion ; and the massive lamps which were suspended from the embossed and gilded ceilings, diffused a shadowed illumination, and left the distance in the dusk. The transition to the great chamber where the company was assembled, and which was glowing with light, presented a brilliant and im- posing contrast. Here we found the Duke of Nor- folk surrounded by persons of high distinction.— Amongst the corapdny were the Dukes of Sussex and Devonshire, and Leinster, Lord Grey, Lord Fitz- wiLLiAM, Lord Shrewsbury, Lord Donoughmore, Lord Stourton, Lord Clifford, Lord Nugent, Lord Arun- del, Sir Francis Burdett, Mr. Butler, Mr. Aber- CROMBiE, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Denman and other persons of eminence and fame — The Duke of Norfolk came forward to meet us, and gave us a cordial and cheerful welcome — This amiable Nobleman is distinguished by the kindness of his manners, which bespeak an excellent and unassuming spirit ; and through all the political in- tercourse we had with him upon the great question in which he feels so deep an interest, manifested a shrewd sound sense, and a high and intense anxiety for the success of the great cause of religious liberty, from which very beneficial effects have already ensued. He has been very instrumental in effecting a junction between the En- glish and Irish Roman Catholics— and has thus conferred a great service upon both. We were received by him with the most gracious and unaffected urbanity. I was 368 LIFE AND TIMES OP Struck with the perfect freedom from authoritativeness which characterised most of the eminent men who were placed about me. There is among the petty aristocracy of Ireland, infinitely more arrogance of port and look, than I observed amongst the first men of the British Em- pire. Certain of our Colonial aristocracy are far more bloated and full blown with a notion of their own impor- tance. The reason is obvious. The former rest in se- curity upon their unquestionable right to respect. Their dignity fits them like an accustomed garment. But men who are raised but to a small elevation, on which they hold a dubious footing, feel it necessary to impress their consequence upon others, by an assumption of authority which is always offensive, and generally absurd. Lord FiTZ WILLIAM was the person with whom I was disposed to be most pleased. This venerable Nobleman carries with a grey head a young and fresh heart. He may be called the Old Adam of the political world, and England might well exclaim to her faithful servaut,inthe language of Orlando, " Oh, good old man, how well in thee appears, The constant services of the antique world ! Thou art not for the fashion of these times, When none will sweat but for promotion." It is impossible to look upon this amiable and dignified patrician of the olden stamp, without a feeling ofaftection- ate admiration for his pure and distinguished patriotism and the warm love of his country, which lives (if 1 may so say), under the ashes of age, and requires but to be stirred, to emit the^flashes of its former fire. The natu- ral apathy incidental to his time of life, appears habitu- all to prevail over him ; but speak to him of the great interests of the empire— speak to him of that measure which at an earlier period he was delegated by his Sove- reign to complete— speak to him of Ireland — and through DANIEL O'CONNELL. 369 the dimness that loads his eye, a sudden illumination will break forth. For Ireland he entertains a kind of pater- nal tenderness. He reverted with a Nestorian pridef to the period of his own government ; and mentioned that ho had preserved the address which he had received from the Roman Catholic body, as amongst the best memo- rials of his political life. That he might live to see the Emancipation of the Irish people, seemed to be the wish nearest to his heart. It does one good — it is useful in a moral point of view, to approach such a person as Lord FiTZWiLLiAM, and to feel that there is in public men such a thing as a pure and disinterested anxiety for the be- nefit of mankind, and that the vows of all politicians are not, whatever we may be disposed to think, " as false as dicers' oaths." In describing the impression produced upon me by Lord Fitzwilliam, I have mentioned the result of ray observation at Mr, Ponsokby's, where the deputies afterwards met him, as well as at Norfolk house. Lord Grey also dined at Mr. Ponsonby's, where I had a better opportunity of noting him. He is somewhat silent and reserved. It is the fashion among Tories to ac- count him contemptuous and haughty ; but I cannot coincide with them. He has, indeed, a lofty bearing, but it is not at all artificial. It is the aristocracy of virtu j as well as rank. There is something uncompromising, and even perhaps stern as well as inflexible in his aspect. — Tall, erecf, and collected in himself, he carries the evi- dences of moral and intellectual ascendancy impressed upon him, and looks as if he knew himself to be, in the proudest sense which the poet has attached to the char- acter, not only a great but an honest man. And why should he not look exactly what he is ? Why should he not wrap himself in the consciousness of his political in- tegrity, and seem to say, " tnea virtute involvo," while so many others, who were once the companions of his jour- 370 LIFE AND TIMES OF ney, and who turned aside into a more luxuriant road, in taking a retrospect, as the close of life is drawing near, of the mazy course which they have trod, behold it winding through a rich and champaigne country, and occasionally deviating into low but not unproductive declivities ? This eminent man, in looking back from the point of moral elevation on which he stands, will trace his path in one direct and unbroken line — through a loffy region which has been barren of all but fame, and from which no allurement of ease, or of promotion, could ever in- duce him to depart. Lord Grey has a touch of sadness upon him, vkhich would look dissatisfaction to a place- man's eye ; but there is nothing really morose or atrabi- lious in his expression. He has found that sorrow can unbar the palaces of the great, as well as unlatch the cottages of the lowly. His dear friend and near ally is gone — his party is almost broken. He has survived the doath, and. let me add, the virtue of many illustrious men, and looks like the lonely column of the fabric which he sustained so nobly, and which has fallen at last around him. It is not wonderful that he should seem to stand in solitary loftiness, and that melancholy should have given a solemn tinge to his mind." To the matters touched on In this lively and interest- ing sketch, it is not in our power to add anything. In- deed, addition were perfectly superfluous. It was on the 4th February, Mr. Lawless moved the Catholic Association, that O'Connell and Shiel should both proceed to London, as Counsel to be heard on be- half of their countrymen, at the bar of the House of Commons. The resolution was carried, and thus origi- nated the subsequent deputation. In London, as the reader has been told, the deputation were feted by the Catholic Nobility, and by the great Whig party. All were vieing to do them honor. In the circle in which DANIEL O'CONNELL. 371 they moved, the feeling in their regard almost amounted to enthusiasm. O'Connell made a most favorable im- pression on all with whom he came in contact. His bland address — his retiring manners in society — his unaflFected eloquence — his conversational powers — and his fame, all combined to make him the observed of all observers. He soon came into communication with Sir Francis Bur- DETT, in reference to the object of his mission. It was speedily ascertained that he could not be heard at the bar of the House of Commons. It was also found that the slightest resistance could not be offered with effect, to the bill Goulburn introduced at the very commencement of the Ses- sion, to suppress the Association. It was doomed, inevi- tably, by a united Cabinet, and opposition was of no avail. Goulburn's bill went rapidly through both houses, and soon became law. But it gave rise to one of the most animated and luminous debates ever heard within the walls of Parliament. The great political leaders of both sides spoke on the occasion. Canning, Plunkett, Peel, at one side; — Tierney, Mackin- tosh, BuRDETT, and Brougham, on the other, put forth their great powers. But discussion was idle. The Association was obnoxious, and it was put down. We shall by and by refer to the provisions of this Algerine Act. The Association issued the following address to the people of Ireland — vindicating its own course, and offering them counsel and consolation. It is inserted here, principally because it vividly and truthfully pour- trays the services the Association rendered the country, during its brief existence : — " Catholic Countrymen — Your Association deem it a duty they owe to the Catholic Cause, to the Country, and to the Empire, to address a valedictory Appeal to 372 LIFE AND TIMES OP you ou the eve of their dissolutiou ; to you, because you have constituted the elements of their influence and strength — to the Country, inasmuch as they have, dui'ing the term of their existence, strenuously laboured for its tranquillity and freedom — and to the Empire, for the pur- pose of demonstrating their claims to equal rights and equal justice. ' * At no period since its establishment, has the Catho- lic Association employed the language of defiance, or adopted the ordinary topics of faction. Constituted for the one purpose, of endeavouring, by petition, to seek redress, through the constitutional channels, of the various grievances of which the Country has had such just cause to complain, they confined themselves to a dis- cussion of those grievances, and to a consideration of the means by which practical redress could be obtained That such topics are calculated to excite indignation, they do not deny ; and they would not be men, or Irishmen — they would not have represented your opinions or your feelings, if the tongue did not speak the language of the heart,and if they did not occasionally express themselves with a warmth commensurate to the grievous injuries they have had to endure. But at no time, they repeat, did they transgress the legitimate boundary of free dis- cussion ; at no time did they deviate into subjects uncon- nected with their wrongs and their claims ; and at no time, during the entire period of their existence, have they endeavoured to weaken your reliance upon the higher authorities of the State, or your just confidence in the Conservative and restoring powers of the Consti- tution. " They will not, in this, their last Address, depart from those principles of prudence and discretion, which your confidence and support embolden them in asserting, l&ANtEL O'CONNELL. 373 liave, up to this moment, governed their proceedings ; but they owe it as a deed of justice to themselves — they owe it in candour to the People of England — thoy OAve it to that Parliament from whom they seek redress — and. above all, to that gracious and beloved Sovereign, to whose royal assent they look for final disenthralment, to place before you a brief, but, they trust, an ample vindi- cation of their character and conduct. *' In obedience to those principles by which their pro- ceedings have been regulated from tlie commencement, they refrain from reminding you, even by a hasty outlino of the state of the country, when their labours began. — They need only say, that a rustic insurrection raged in the South of Ireland — that the North groaned under the no less terrible infliction of a blind and misguided confe- deracy — that the metropolis was the scene of faction and sedition — that theKing's Lieutenant was grossly insulted, and the King's Admonitory Letter treated with the most insolent contumely. These topics they do not em- ploy to awaken your resentments. They are histo- rical facts, stated merely with a view to justify the Catholics in associating. But, even then, they did not form an Association, until the House of Commons reject- ed, under very memorable circumstances the prayer of their Petition. *' Under these difficulties and discouragement, your Association began its labours. They had, on the one hand, to contend with a dominant and powerful Faction — in possession, many of them, of influence and station — leagued in defiance of the Constitution, and almost at open war with the Constitutional Authorities ; and, on the other hand, they had to use their influence with their more humble Countrymen, in the hopo of dissuading them from the lawless and criminal courses in which they 2 H 374 HITB AND TIMES OF had embarked. Nor was this all. It was indispensably necessary for the Caude, and for the Country, to collect and to array the conflicting, and often discordant opi- nions of the Catholic Body round the Association. Ex- perience had taught them how often their cause had been postponed — how often their hopes had been blasted by a disunion among themselves. It was also their duty to at- tach the Catholic Hierarchy and Priesthood to the Politi- cal Cause of our common country. ^' It is superfluous to affirm that all these objects have been achieved — all the Catholic Prelates, Peers, Clergy, and Gentry are Members — nay, active and eflScient Mem- bers of your Association. The most influential of the middle ranks of society belong to this Body. The mem- bers of the liberal professions, who are Catholic, are also enrolled among them ; and it is our boast and our pride that we numbered amongst us, the honest artizan,andthe humble peasant. '' If there were po record of the means by which this singular union wa^ effijcted, the future Historian would pause when it became his duty to narrate the fact — Fellow-countrymen, you know with what facility tliis great object was achieved. The Association appealed to the good sense and the natural feeling of the Country j they exhibited the grievances which we all endured — : they stated the persecutions to which the poor were sub- jected from the factions^— they required means from you to make their grievances knpwn — money to educate the poor, to protect the innocent, and to punish the wrong- doer. They established the principle of voluntary con- tributions — they callo^ on you for Catholic Rent. ** You have answered that call promptly, nobly, abun^ dantly. You haye given the Association the. means of extenfling the blessings of a Religious and Cathojio DINIEL o'cONNETiL. Z7i Education. You havo enabled tho Association to pro- tect the Poor — to expose and punish the petty Tyrant — to force tardy justice even from the Corporations — and to display to the Empire, to Europe, and to America, the true state of your hitherto unhappy Country. " Fellow-Countrymen ! mark the consequences. For the first time in our annals, the Catholics of Ireland ap- pear to the rest of the world an United Nation— and for the first time in our annals, not only the Legislature, but the People of England, dppear disposed to concede to you the principle of Unqualified Emancipation. •* It is not, surely, assuming too much to the Associa- tion to assert, that they have mainly contributed to bring your question to this auspicious result. Year after year, wd have Petitioned ; and year after year, have beeii dis- missed from the Bar of the Legislature. But the Ca- tholics were never before animated by one spirit, nor swayed, as it were, by a single impulse. For this rare and almost miraculous phenomenon, the Association may surely take credit to itself. '* It now becomes our duty to revert to a more pain- ful topic — a topic which, we confess, it would be difficult for us to treat with the temperance so necessary in all public documents, and so indispensable in this, our Fate- well Address — and one, you would not be disposed, wd are satisfied, under any other circunlstances than th?0 present, to endure with becoming patience and resigna- tion — we need not add, that we speak of our approach- ing suppression. * ' When it was intimated, tliat the measure which has now become a Law of the Land, was in contemplation, your Association adopted the most prompt and energetic course, with a view to avert the calamity. Petitions were framed, and forwarded to both branches of the Le- 376 LIFE AND TIMES OF gislature, and several of the most distinguished Member^ of our Body, became a voluntary deputation to promote the object. You inslantl)' answered yourselves the call v/hich was made upon you, and the tables of both Houses, were crowded with your Petitions. The discussions which ensued in Parliament must be fresh in your recollection. We need not express our gratitude to the opposers of tho Bill in this Address to you. You will yourselves perform this act of duty in your Aggregate Assemblies. It is enoughfor us to say, that theii' arguments remain to this moment unanswered, because they were unanswerable- Even the greatsupporterof the Bill himself acknowledged willingly, that the Association, which the measure sought to suppress, " was peaceable and loyal, not only in con- duct, but in intention." We do not desire a more lofty pai\egyric, and coming from one hostile to your claims^ you will yourselves place a suitable value on the enco- mium. *' Though justly irritated, this is not a time to indulga in irritable expressions. This Penal Bill has now become the law of the land, and it is our duty and yours to yield, if not a cheerful, a ready and unqualified obedience to its provisions, "We are now assembled for the last time — for the- last time the Catholic Association addresses their coun- trymen. It would be affectation to pretend that our ho- nest pride is not wounded by the necessity which imposes this task upon us. Y"ou will receive our parting admoni- tion with that manly regret, which the truly generous. know so well how to estimate, and with that confiding affection which we have so often experienced from you. You will do more, fellow-countrymen. You have,hitherto, in our manifold struggles, supported us — you have re- ceived those suggestions which you authorise us to make;, XIA-NIEL O'CONNELT.. 377 with docility. You will follow the last advice, which we trust it will be not necessary for us as Catholics, as a distinctive denomination of Irishmen, to offer. " The sorrow which we should experience on an occa- sion like the present.is much alleviated, if not altogether removed, by those circumstances with which you are all acquainted. Your Petition has been received with grace and favour by the House of Commons. It has not only been supported by those Senators who were friendly to the Association, and in whose masterly eloquence we can find the best defence, but by those also, many of them Members of his Majesty's Government, who were opposed to the Association, and who were the authors of the Penal Enactment against it. It is not for us, Fellow- countrymen, nor with deference, we assert it, for you, to question the sincerity of the latter. Nor will you be disposed to canvass, with too curious a criticism, the con- duct or the motives of individuals. It is sufficient for us to know that the House of Commons has recognised the principle of Emancipation— that they have given leave to bring in a Bill — that not only Members of the Opposition, but several of his Majesty's Ministers, are appointed to prepare this Bill — that the most distinguished and be- loved Member of the Association, Mr. O'Connell, has been allowed to draw up the rough draft of the mea- sure, and that there are decided manifestations, now that the mind of the people of England is with us, that the House of Lords will at length consent to restore freedom to Ireland, to render its connexion secure, and the Empire invincible. " This, then, is the position, Catholic Countrymen, in which we stand. It is only necessary to appeal to your good sense and your good feeling, and to the course which you should adopt in the present crisis. In any 2 H 2 378 LIFE AND TIMES Of event you would be patient ; and though justly discoii-' tented, none should with justice impeach your loyalty* At the present moment there is hope, such as never dawned upon our cause before. Let us not, by any im- patience, by any indulgence of temper, cloud the prospect, or impede the course which the Legislature is likely to adopt. Of the details of the Bill we cannot speak with any certainty; nor, if we could, are we called upon to do- so. Let its principle be once recognised by the Com- mons, and you may then express your opinions as to its provisions. But we implore you, as you value the liberty of your country, not to dissipate your moral influence by premature difference. You are indebted to your union for the strength Avhich your cause has obtained. Do not give a victory to your enemies by dissension now. But upon this point it is not necessary, we trust, to say more. '* It is not, we are sure, incumbent on us again to warn our humble Countrymen against any confederacy or Association whatever j because we are persuaded that the address which we made you at the beginning of th»? present year, has produced the effect we intended. Tho Country is now in a firm, and we trust, in a Hsting state of tranquillity. The success of our cause will depend, in a great degree, on the continuance of this state of things. You will listen to the admonitions of your beloved Cler- gy — you will follow their sage and pious advice — you will submit to their apidtual care — to their temporal au- thority, with which their virtues and devotion have in- vested them, wo cheerfully and confidently trust, for the continuance of that peace and order, without which, on your parts, your Association could not have effected so much. It is, however, necessary to tell you that, though dissolved by Law, the spirit of the Association still ex- ists. In every parish in the kingdom there are indivi- DANIEL o'cONKELt. SfS duals who belonged to the Association. Those' ndlv?- dnals Avill still be true to the principles upon which their union was founded. They ^vi\\ stand as sentinels over the interests of the poor man — they will defend him, if they can, from injury ; and, if they cannot, they will bring to punishment the aggressor, or expose to public odium the petty Tyrant. Be secure, therefore, Fellow- Countrymen — be satisfied that the vigilant guardianship is kept over your rights and your interests. " Your condition Avill, beyond a doubt, bo meliorated. The country is becoming prosperous — employment is be- coming more general — English Capital is about to be in- vested in our soil, our mines, and with a view to the pro- motion of our manufactures. It shall be our business, for you have enabled us to do so — and the law which has just passed does not prevent it — to afford your youth the means of Catholic Education. To the prosecution of this great object many of our Body have devoted themselves, and you may rest satisfied that the system will be carried into complete effect, when wo shall be enabled to conclude our previous arrangements. " Follow-Countrymen — Let this be our motto, obli- vion of injuries, attachment to the British Constitution, and unqualified loyalty to the King Farewell." In the mean time, O'Connell was in constant commu- nication with Sir Francis Buudett and Mr. Flunkett. In his anxiety to obtain religious freedom for Ireland, he forgot the late prosecution instituted by the Attorney-. Generai-.; and, to do Flunkett justice,he reciprocated the amicable feeling ; for in the debate on the Association Suppression Bill, he spoke in the highest terms of O'Con- nell, of his private virtues, and great profe^ssional ta- lents, in which he had no superior at the bar. In fact, considering that the eulogy came from the Irish Attob- 380 LIFE AND TIMES OP ney-General of Lord Liveupool, ample justice was rendered the Great Agitator, O'Connell did not rest satisfied with a single effort at personal reconcilia- tion. He did more ; he sent his friend, R. N. Bennett to Colonel Pbowne, to state that he felt he was in the wrong in the affair with Mr. Peel in 1815, in oflfering the first provocation, and that he wished to express his regret for it. This communication was made in writing. It is said Mr. Peel returned a noble and generous reply; such as, knowing him as we now do, we should expect from him. In his anxiety to conciliate, we, however, fear O'Con- nell allowed himself to be cajoled through Plunkett, who, we are convinced, was himself deceived, A Com- mittee was appointed by the House of Commons to frame a Catholic Relief Bill. Sir Francis Burdktt and Mr. Plunkett, who were on the Committee, requested Mr. O'Connell to frame the Bill, This flattered him, and lulled his suspicions. He was then told that it was useless to strive to pass any measure, without giving some security to the State against Catholic ascendency and disloyalty ! As the Veto was an abandoned pro- ject, they proposed that the Forty-shilling Freeholders should be done away with, and the Catholic Clergy paid — and that these two measures should be introduced as " Wings" to the Catholic Emancipation Bill. O'Con- nell entertained a very decided opinion that the Forty- shilling Leasehold Franchise was but an instrument in the hands of the Landlords, for preserving their political power ; and that these Freeholders, of whom there were one hundred thousand in Ireland, were ever slaves of the Landlords — that they Avere driven to the Hustings like so many sheep — and that absolute submis- sion to the will of their masters, was a condition of their DANIEL o'coNNELL. 38 1 tenures. He thought also that a Ten Pound Leasehold Franchise would introduce another and more independent and numerous class of voters. He had not then the ex-» perienoeof the general election of 1826,nor of the Water- ford and Louth Elections, where the Forty Shilling Free- holders behaved so well ; nor of the Carlow elections, after Emancipation and Reform ; when the Ten Pound voters were so cruelly oppressed, because of their scanty numbers. He forgot, also, that the land these humble nu>n received as Freeholders, was a great boon in its way -, and that it would be a severe injury to deprive the peo- ple of it in future, by withdrawing the inducement to give it. On the .subject of the Forty Shilling Freehold- ers, it is light to give his own explanation of th& reasons by which he wns influenced, as we find them in his speech. At. the great Dublin Banqnot. gi von to fbo City and County Members, in January, 1838, Mr, O'CoNNELL thus defends himself from the charges made against him regarding this transaction. *' I know there is a calumny against me, that I aban- doned the 40s. freeholders, on condition of obtaining Emancipation. Nothing can bo more abominably false. No one calumny of the many that are spread concerning mo, is more unfounded than that. In the year 1825, when the question of Catholic Emancipation was before the parliament, and Avhen, if it had been granted, we would have felt some gratitude in return, and not have con- i.idered it, as we did in 1829, a measure which they could not possibly refuse to grant, and which was wrung from them by an aroused and agitated people, deeply sensible of their wrongs ; at that time I did consent to the aboli- tion of thc40s. freeholders who held their lands at a rack- rent, or who were tenants in common ; but I never con- sented to the abolition of those who were similarly situ- ated to the 40s. freeholders of England. No, [ never 382 LIFE AND TIMKS OP did — I never would consent to such an injustice to ray country. On the contrary, in the year 1829, Avlien the Emancipation bill passed, previous to its passing, at a meeting in the Thatched-house tavern, I drew up a peti- tion which was unanimously adopted, calling upon the government to leave us the 40s. freeholders, and to with- hold Emancipation — for I did think that, at such a price, it would be too dear to purchase. We have it upon record, that Spring Rice, who took no active part in support of it, presented that petition to the House of Commons. It is there on record, a clear confutation of the foul false- hood that I abandoned the 403. freeholders." With respect to the other " Wing" — Mr. O'Connell, thought, if the Clergy were carefully protected from all State interference, that a provision for their main.. teuauco would be wise; because it would secure the ordination of a greater number of Clergymen. Now, it is manifest that in a poor country such as Ireland, the voluntary system cannot provide ministers of religion in sufficient number, to teach the Christian doctrines and Christian religion to eight millions of people. The labourer is worthy of his hire — those who preach the gospel must live by the gospel — are Scriptural maxims. How are a people of whom above 2,300,000 are in a state of destitution, of whom 4,000,000 were accustomed to live on the potato root — how are they to provide adequate religious instruction for their children and themselves? The State does not provide it through the National Schools — the miserable religious jealousy existing in these kingdoms, the desire not to give a triumph to either part3',has esta- blished a system of State education, which at least par- tially excludes religious instruction. How then are the people to be morally and religiously educated? How is the prime — the only object of existence to be attended DANIEL O'CONNELL. 383 td, if there be not a sufficiency of Clergymen ? The voluntary system will not suffice. It must be by some other arrangement, so defined that no possible interference with our religion can be the result. These were precisely Mr. O'Connell's views in 1825, and at many subsequent periods — and in defiance of much popular obloquy, he acted on them. There was, however, this difference be- tween O'Connell's opinions in 1825, as regards the pay- ment of the Clergy, and those he subsequently promul- gated. He would have given the State a control over the temporalities of the Catholic Church; whereas, he always afterwards, as we shall repeatedly see in this Memoir-— simply advocated the establishment of glebes, under the control of the Catholic Hierarchy, free and independent of the State — and not sufficiently productive to leave the clergyman entirely independent of his flock, but sufficiently ample to secure a larger number of dergy- men for the religious instruction of the people. In this latter view, we have ever concurred with him. Something must be done to give an impoverished people a sufficient ^ number of pastors for their religious consolation. The voluntary system, in its purest form^ does well for the Protestant Dissenters, who are few in numbers and- enormously wealthy. The Wesleyans, for instance, had no difficulty, a few years ago, in raising One Hun- dred Thousand Pounds, by voluntary subscription, for their religious purposes. But where the mass of the people, amounting to millions, in a state of destitu- tion, and of course in proportion as they are destitute, ' in greater need of religious aid and comfort, the volun- tary system, without any other resources, does not and cannot furnish a competent number of clergymen to meet the requirements of the multitude. If we believe sincerely that our salvation, is the '* one thing necessary," some S84 LIFE AND TIMES OF other mode should be devised to meet the exigeucy, pro- vided it can be accomplished without any state control or state interference of any kind or character whatever, remote or contingent. O'CoNNELL, in 1837i had a severe and angry contro- versy with Smith O'Brien. On the nature of that con- troversy, we will express an impartial opinion when we come to treat of it. But we may here observe, that one of the matters in dispute was the payment of the Clergy ; a, policy of which Mr. Smith O'Bihen was always an advocate. He on that occasion charged Mr. O'Connell with changing his mind about the State pension for the clergy. In reply, Mr. O'Connell thus writes, explana- tory of his views in 1825, and of the causes that led to his change of opinion. *' First — In the year 1825, I was strongly impressed with a conviction, and the entire of my evidence shows it; that Emancipation would terminate in Ireland, religious feuds and sectarian animosities. I thought the ascen- dency party would, when legal superiority was taken away, abandon all pretence to practical mastcrhood. I believed that in political equality would bo found the sources of christian charity and mutual benevolence, and thatit would ANyr,T, O'CONN'ELI,. SB? have to say upon the actual question before us — •whether there should be a state provision for the Catholic Clergy of Ireland. That question should resolve upon another one; namely, whether the Catholic Clergy would be thereby rendered more efficient. As a Catholic, that is my opinion ; and as a citizen of the state, it is a question equally fair for me to discuss. As such, I might take another view of it; but as a Catholic 1 do not hesitate one moment to say, that the Catholic Clergy would be essen- tially injured by a state provision. It is not vain boasting of mine to say of the Catholic clergy, many of whom I know and esteem, with a veneration mixed with affection — it is not vain boasting of their services to say, that a more efficient body of clergymen, is not to be found in any country in the world, than the Catholic Clergy of Ireland. A state provision would not increase their utility ; for, according to their numbers, that would be impossible. They are the poor man's only friend, the ignorant man's instructor, the guide to the child, the comforter of old age, the sole instructor of the death bed, the bed of sickness and of poverty, who meet the mephitic air of pestilence and disease with a heroism worthy of a martyr, and a piety dignified as that of a saint. I^hey frequent the cellars and the cabins where nothing but misery is seen ; they are the only persons who never forsake the wretched, and their attendance" is only rendered the more secure, the more marked the wretchedness of the afflicted poor. I remember, in the House of Commons, a passage of a speech delivered by Charles Grant ; where he spoke of the last visitation of the pestilential typhus, in which he described, with no less beauty of language than truth, a scene of wretched- ness in a cellar in the outlets of Dublin ; where there lay upon a bed of straw, saturated with the poison of disease, 388 LIFE AND TIMES OF four wretched victims, ready to expire from want as well as disease. There was one man, he said, amongst them, in full health and life, who had ventured into that scene of almost certain destruction ; who placed his ear close to the mouth of one of the dying inmates, so that it was impossible for him to escape the contagion of his fevered breath ; who held out to him the words of consolation, and who bade him hope that for the miseries of this life he would be rewarded in another and better world. Who was it visited at this moment? It was a Catholic priest. What could a state provision do for men of that kind.' It might make them worldly, selfish, ambitious, and proud ; and it might induce to come amongst them those who at present think that the profession of a Ca- tholic Priest is not sufficiently gentlemanly. It might bring speculators amongst them, who would disgrace re- ligion, and degrade it into a mercenary trade. It might have attractions for those youths, who no longer had the army or navy to resort to ; who would wish to sport their leisure on Sunday in polemical displays, and the re- mainder of the week, in fox-hunting or other amusements. If a state provision were given to the Catholic clergy, it would augment their numbers, but it would certainly diminish their functions and utility to the state. This is a decisive motive with me for opposing a state provision for the Catholic clergy. There is a temporary one at the present moment; for the Conservatives hold out that we want to lessen the temporalities of the church, not for the purpose of giving relief to the people, not for the purpose of extending education, which is another and a great object.but to hand it over to the people themselves. I would wish at this moment to give the lie direct to that assertion ; and the reason I acquiesced in having the mo- tion now brought forward was, that the calumny which DANIICT, o'uONNf'.LT,. 389 has gone abroad, might meet with, through this Asso- ciation, the most unqualified contradiction. Let me not be supposed to deny tliat there was a period in history in which the connexion of church and state was of great utility in the propagation of religion, the extension of civilization, thecultiTation of morality, and for the tran- quillity of the country — a period when that connexion had all these advantages, and one still more precious ; when the Church, though connected with the State, was the guardian of the liberties of the people. The great Thomas a Becket, to whom England has been indebted more than any other man, and whose name has been calumniated for the last 30O years, and which was all but adored for 300 years preceding— when the English people, in number exceeding 100,000, at one time thronged round his shrine at Canterbury, with a fervour unex- ampled in any country — was tlic advocate to whom Eng- land is indebted for upholding the Church, and stopping the tyranny of Henry II., who possessed such formidable strength. One of the first signatures to Magna Charta was that of the successor of Thomas a Becket, Ste- phen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The connexion between the Church and State then differed from the connexion between the Protestant Church and the Stafe at present, and any connexion that could be formed between the Catholic Church and the State. At that period thtj Church was superior, and had an interest in protecting the people against the State. The Reformation brought about a change, by which the Church was thus made slavish, not co-equal with the State, (Hear.) The result was, that since the Reformation, we never once found the Church on the side of liberty. Mr. O'Connell here adduced as an illustration of his position, Cardinal Ximenes, who put down the representative system of the 2 1 2 390 Lli'li AND TIMES OF Cortes in Spaia; but, in order to do so, first succeeded in enslaving the Ciiurch. As long as the Church had its liberty, it protected that of the people ; but when Cardi- nal XiMENES got theni a connexion between Church and State, the Church of Spain descended from its high office of protector of liberty, and became a portion of the servi- tude that followed. But, said Mr. O'Connell, we want not Protestant nor foreign examples, to instruct us in perceiving that a State provision would not be of service. I am almost old enough to recollect hearing the echo of the shout of liberty, made with a most powerful voice by the Dissenters of the North, who were amongst the first to assert the principle of religious liberty. Hi- therto, I have treated this subject merely as a Catholic, mixing little of political feeling with it ; but if I were a Protestanf, I would have just as strong an objection to the principle of a State provision for the Catholic Clergy. Whether Protestant or Catholic, I am equally fond of the democratic spirit of human liberty. 1 do not wish, therefore, that the state should have any pow- er over the Catholic Clergy ; I do not wish to see Ireland afflicted with such a curse or scourge, as making the Catholic Clergy subservient to the state, and having them act as guagers or policemen, would bring upon the country. It may be said they are in a comparative state of destitution, and that the Churches of the people having been long since destroyed, it is a severe burden on them tv» have to build their own places of worship, and not only support those who do, but also those who do not adminibter to their spiritual wants. I admit, with sor- row, the truth of the engagement ; but the Catholic cler- gymen are better supported, notwithstanding, than they would be if depending on a paltry sum from the govern- ment. It would take a million a year to give them any DANIKL O'CONNRLL. 391 thing like a decent provision— a sura not likely to be parted with by John Bull. It would have the effect of not only separating them from the people and their affections, but of throwing them into the hands of the government, and of encouraging that government to measures of harshness and severity. The government would be instigated to severe and harsh measures, even by the reflection that they had the Catholic clergy in pay. / have always had a favourite plan of my own on the subject. Insufficiently, as I know, are the wants of the people attended to, and deploring as I do the state of their houses of worship, yet I know the dif- ficulties that would necessarily occur from an increased num- ber of clergy at present. I think individual subscription would be found to be sufficient to procure in every parish in Ireland a glebe and house for the Catholic Clergy, not con- nected with the State, but belonging as of right to the Catholic Clergy ; and giving them a certificate of that right, with ivhich the Parish Priest could go to the Courts of Law and obtain a right of habere from the Sheriff to put him in possession. That is one of the speculations of my mind. A State provision for the Catholic Clergy therefore, as a politician, I condemn ; and if 1 was a Protestant, I should most emphatically condemn it also ; because it would compel me to contribute to the support of a clergy in whom I had no confidence, and from whom I derived no spiritual advantages. I would feel the injustice of the thingupon the same ground that I refuse to contribute to the support of the Protestant Clergy, and upon principle I shall ever bo the decided opponent of any scheme or plan, having for its object, the pensioning of the Catholic Clergy out of the funds of the State. This is my opinion as a Statesman — it is perfectly consistent with the prin- ciples which I have always advocated, and it is the more necessary when calumnies are abroad with respect to our 392 LIFE AND TIMES OF objects, that we should adopt the resolution before the chair. By pledging ourselves to that resolution, we show.that in calling for the appropriation of the surplus funds of the Established Church for the purpose of edu • cation, that we have no ulterior object in view, and we disclaim its application for the purpose which they in- sinuate. Under these circumstances, 1 second with plea- sure the motion of Mr. Lawless." Thus, on the question of the "Wings," he afterwards altered his sentiments witU reference to the payment of the Clergy, from an ordinary State Provision to the pur- chase of Glebes. Now with respect to the forty-shilling freeholders. In 1826, he acknowledged he was wrong in supposing they were serfs of the landlords. He estab- lished, as we will see, that year a fund for their protec- tion ; and their conduct at the Waterford election of 1826, when Villieiis Stuaut was the liberal candidate opposed to the Beresfouds, convinced him of the in- dependent spirit M'hich influenced them, and that they de- served the franchise. But in this matter he did not yield to clamour, or in apprehension of losing his popularity, for during the most angry period of the discussions incident on the " Wings," the only change he made in his opi- nions, was that he considered the two measures should be distinct and separate from the Act of Emancipation, and that the Catholics should look for freedom from all such adjuncts or conditions. Such being at the time,then, the views of O'Connull, he accepted the terms, without which he was told Eman- cipation could not be had, and tliereupon lie consented to draw the bill. He imparted his views to the Associa- tion. The communication produced an angry feeling in the House of Commons. The idea of the arch-enemy of Protestant Ascendency, having the drawing of such a DANir.L O'CONNELL, 893 bill, alarmed the anti-Catholic party, and Mr. Tierney was forced to contradict the statement that Mr. O'Con- NELL was so commissioned. It was true the Committee appointed by the House of Commons did not, as a body, dolet^ate their functions to him, but the leaders of the Committee— those appointed to draw the bill. to be after- wards discussed by the Committee, did confide that task to Mr. O'CONNET.L. In the meantime, Mr. Lawless— a great friend of George Ensor's, and a follower of Cobbett, sounded the tocsin, and went over to London at his own expense to carry out his views. His motto was no compromise. He proclaimed most unjustifiably that, for a silk gown, they were sold. He was backed by Cobbett. He en- deavoured to bring the matter before the Deputation for discussion. He was stopped in limine, by being informed that he was no member of the Deputation ; because h e came not within the description of persons who should compose the deputation. He was a "literary man," and, as such, excluded. It is impossible to justify this rule. There may have been sufficient reasons to exclude Mr. Lawless ; but they should have been stated more explicitly at first. He* it was who proposed the deputa- tion, and he had a legitimate claim to become a member of it. The writer was in London at the time, and knew Mr. Lawlkss intimately. He certainly appeared ambi- tious of courting popularity ; but he seemed to be an honest, enthusiastic, warm-hearted man, without much grasp of mind, or political foresight : but just the kind of being that would tell his thoughts without reserve, and fearlessly maintain his opinions. He did so with great perseverance in the matter of the ** Wings," and amidst much obloquy. The mass of the Irish Reformers and 394 LIFE AND TIMKS OF Catholics went with him, and after a time no mure was heard of the " Wings." To give tlio reader a complete notion of the controversy that ensued, Mr. O'Con- nell's letter on the subject, and Mr. Lawless's replj^ are here inserted : — " TO THE CHAIKMAN OF THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION\ " London, March 16. 1825. " Sir — I feel it my duty once more to address the Ca- tholic Association ; and, feeling that I do so for the last time, I cannot but experience some painful emotions, mi- tigated, however, by the present cheering aspect of our affairs, and subdued both in tone and temper by that du- tiful and willing submission which we have always paid to the law of the land. " But, while we submit cheerfully to the law, we do not, and cannot forget what we owe to ourselves and our country, as Irishmen, and as friends of constitutional liberty, and in both these capacities, ) think it quite right to express distinctly and explicitly the pleasure and the pride I feel at being a member of the Catholic Associa- tion, It will, during my entire life, be a comfort and con- solation to me, that I was an active member of that body; and, if any stone shall mark my name after this mortal coil is with me at an end, I fondly hope that it will re- cord as my best title to Irish gratitude — " He was a mem- ber of the Catholic Association of Ireland." **I cannot, and lam sure I do not desire to forget, that when the Association commenced, all Ireland was in a state of trouble and confusion. In the North, blood — Catholic blood, was shed by the Orange faction, and it was shed unrequited ; whilst, in several districts of that same North, the traitorous Ribbonman held, in the open day, his daring and almost rebellious processions. In the other districts of Ireland ; in no less, 1 think, than DANIEL o'fONNKLL. 395 eleven counties, the constitution was suspended ; trial by jury abrogated, and whilst crimes of the darkest dye, and murders of an assassin-like character multiplied, the odious, but, perhaps, then necessary Insurrection Act, swept the land of many a victim, and seemed to appeal to force alone, as the only instrument to extort a reluc- tant submission. Such was the state of Ireland when the Catholic Association was formed. I am not writinsf its history ; I am only tracing its results. Such was the state of Ireland when we began our labours ; and before many months had elapsed, and before ^'10 of the Catho- lic Rent was collected, the scenes of blood and slaughter ceased ; all was quiet and peace in the formerly dis- turbed districts. Harmony, which was supposed to be banished for ever from Ireland, returned — shall I say — at our voice ? The Irish peasant, when he found he coixld procure a hope of justice, ceased to seek revenge and many of the best and the wisest of our respected Protestant country menjoined us in seekingfor that,with- out wliicli permanent tranquillity, in Ireland, cannot be expected — an equalization of civil rights for all classes of faithful subjects. " Wo have, however, been suppressed ; we have been arrested in a career of great and general utility. But we have been arrested by the hand of the law — by the strong arm of the Legislature : and nothing can so com- pletely demonstrate the purity of our intentions, as the ready, ohrorful, and dutiful stibmission which we are all prepared to show to the law that is now about to dissolve our Associnfion, *' In ov\c thing wo certainly were in fault ; we did not take sufficimt pains to enlighten the people of England upon the details of onr views and wishes. Wo allowed a partizan and slinmeless press in Ireland to usurp a sway 396 LIFE A.ND TIMES OF over a portion of the English mind. Falsehoods, which were so gross and absurd to us in Ireland who know the facts, as to be treated with silent contempt, were re- ceived by Englishmen, who were ignorant of the unblushing baseness of the Orange writers, as admitted truths. An impression was thus made against us here, which alone is sufficient to account for our fall ; whilst it leaves untouched the purity of the motives of many, many persons who appeared to be our violent enemies. *' But, let these topics pass, and for ever— we submit to the law, and shall seek for redress by means only which the law will not merely sanction, but approve of. There remain many and abundant constitutional sources of relief — there remain many abundant and legal means of seeking for redress of our grievances. Besides, every thing confirms me in the full conviction that Emancipa- tion is at hand, and that this sessions will not pass over without laying the ground-woi'k of lasting harmony not only in Ireland but between the two countries. '' Emancipation is at hand, unless we retard or post- pone it by senseless calumnies or unreasonable apprehen- sions. The cause is now, in this country, taken under the guidance of good sense, good feelings, rational judg- nfient, ai>d most conciliatory disposition. Men of all parties in Pi^rliament, combine to arrange the details of Qur Emancipatid'h, in that spirit which the best friends of Ireland and of England have long wished to see put in option. There is in their true wisdom nothing of haste or interpperance. Evei'y detail of the great measure will be brought before the public deliberately ; and if there be any thing suggested which could alarm either Pro- testant or Catholic timidity, abundant ^me will be given tp canvass the merits of the proposed arrangement, and nothing vyill be concluded on without affording sufficient opportunity to oppose any thing worthy of opposition. DANIEL O'CONNELL. ^^>r "in the mean time. Mr. Lawless, who calls himself a Member of the Delegation, but is not so. as I percdre by the terms of the vote which appointed our Deputa. tion. Mr. Lawless has hastily appealed to the Public, without consultation with, or the concurrence of any other person. I do not now blame him. I wish merely to vin^ dicate myself, and to remove the misstatements which ap. pear m his Letter. " Mr. Lawless has.indeed.charged me with injustice, and with a dereliction of religious principle. He has* charged me with consenting to rob the poor, and disgrace the Catholic Church in Ireland. He has to these crimes attributed the most base of all possible motives-personal advantages to myself. '• A silk gown. " he says, is tcJ be my reward. '• To these accusations I plead not guilty. They are unfounded, totally unfounded. I fling the shield of my character between me and the base accusation-personal advantage I When have I sought it?_Buf„ pardon me, Sir, 1 cannot condescend to justify myself in detail. I will trespass on the Association merely to ^tate the real facts. They are these : •• In the first place, there is as yet nothing arrano-cd with respect to a provision for our Clergy, or with regard to any change in the elective franchise. It would have been wise to wait such an arrangement, before it were condemned in terras of harshness and reproach. •• Secondly-The Catholic delegation is no party what, soever to any such arrangement. We have not made any bargain or contract upon that subject, nor has any one of us made any such contract; nor is it at all necessary that WG should. If the Legislature thinks fit tolegislattf on these subjects, it will do so without deeming it wise or dignified to consult us, 2Jt 398 LIFE AND TIMES Of "Thirdly — AltViough a provision for our (. lergy is spo- ken of, it certainly has not been spoken of in any shape, which could excite the least alarm in the mind of the most scrupulous Catholic : and as to the principle of that measure, is there any one who imagines that the Catho- lic people of Ireland can bo finally admitted into the station of subjects, so as to constitute a portion of the universal British nation, without our Clergy having a natural and just claim on the state for a provision ? If there be, I confess 1 am not of that opinion. 1 own I think that our Clergy ought to receive a support from that State, which we, the Catholics, contribute to main- tain with our monies and our blood; and as to the de- tails of that provision, are they not safe in the hands of our excellent Prelates, subject as they also must be, to the inspection of all the people, Protestant and Catholic- of the empire, before they can be finally adopted, or made into a law ? "Fourthly — As to the change in the Elective Fran- chise; that is a matter of serious consideration, and must be weighed well before it is adopted. At present it is in embryo, and may never attain regular shape or form. There are, probably, known of it but tliKee things — that it is not intended to alter the qualification in Ireland when it is the same as it is in England, namely, when the person has the fee simple, or, in other words, a lease for ever, without being subject to rent ; that it is not intended to take away the franchise from any person now registered, during such registry ; that in all proba- bility, it will not be taken away from an}-^ now existing freeholder, during his present lease; that ten pounds will, ' at the highest, be the lowest qualification ; perhaps it will not exceed five pounds, " Is there in theiic suggestions anything to alarm the toANIBt. o'cONNEY.t. 399 timid? Can wc forget the report made to tlie Associs- tion hy the llev. Mr. Duggan, of several poor persons, who, to his knowledge, were compelled to swear to a freehold qualification, which they had not, under peril of having all their property sold for rent, and themselves expelled their farms ? The Rev. Mr. Duggan trans- mitted to the Association the names of the landlords who perpetrated this cruelty. Are we ignorant of how many such scenes exist in Ireland ? Are we insensible to the perjury thus generated? "But let me ask, will not the stimulus to make free- holders exist after Emancipation, as powerfully as at pre- sent? It certainly will ; and if it does exist, it is robbing the poor to make a law which shall compel any landlord who wishes, to make 40s freeholders, to make to each a lease for one life, at a rent which makes the qualifica- tion merely nominal, and puts the freeholder completely in the power of the landlord. Would it be robbing the poor, if the landlords, instead of a 40s. freehold, gave a freehold of £10 annual value? Let us recollect that landlords will, after the proposed measure, want £\0 freeholders as they now want 40s. freeholders. Th^y may. perhaps, not make so many of the one as of the ather : but every ^10 freeholder would be a comfortable person. Who will say that the 40s. freeholders are so ? " I must now conclude. I have not time to pursue the subject; but I have written enough to weary the Asso- ciation ; and also, T hope, enough to convince the Irish people that I am incapable of betraying their interests, or of being actuated by motives of a selfish or iriterestod nature. My judgment may be mistaken, but I will yield to no man in purity of motive, and in honest zeal for liberty and "the faith of my fathers." '• J close my last words to the Catholic Association iOO LIPH AND TIMK3 OP with the strong hope, thaf the spirit of conciliation which h93 sprung up in England, will be met by a corresponding glow of discreet, but, at the same time, generous confi- dence, and that, flinging away idle fears and old jealousies, we shall evince a cordial and lively disposition to make such an arrangement as shall be satisfactory to all parties, and shall demonstrate our unaffected desire to consolidate the strength and increase the security of tho empire. "I have the honor to be, your faithful servant, ••Daniel O'Connell." " to the editor of the belfast irishman. " Tavistock Hotel, London, March 13. " SiR-^I have read in an Irish Paper, which arrived in this city on Saturday last, a letter signed " Daniel O'Connell," of which, as one of the Deputation from Ireland, I feel it my duty to take this public notice. I cannot hesitate to say, that I regret much that my res- pected countryman should have given his opinion, even as SL private individual, on the merits of that new Parlia- mentary arrangement, which is sometimes denominated the Catholic Emancipation Bill But as O'Connell has thought proper to exercise his undoubted privilege of giving his own individual opinion of this Bill, with all its accompaniments, he will concede me the same right, when I write under the conviction that the measure he so much praises, is deserving the contempt and indignation of every man in the British Empire, inasmuch as it goes to delude and betray a generous people into the sanction of principles degrading to the character of the Catholics of Ireland — most injurious to the political and civil rights of the Irish peasantry, and destructive to th^ hopes of all those enlightened and valuable men, wha have BO lopg laboured to extend and enlarge the pollticj^ BANIEL O'CONNKLL. lOi |)ower of the people. It is quite true that Mr. O'Gon- NRLL is hacked in the opinion he has given by groat and distinguished names — by men who justly boast of the confidence of the Irish people — Mr. O'Connell is sup- ported in this opinion by the venerated name of Sir FuANcis BijRDETT ; and he is also supported by many members of the Deputation from Ireland. Opposed to such authorities, I may say I have little more than the justice of the cause I plead— that this is an armour in which I feel 1 am invulnerable. I confess I cannot account for my blindness in not being able to discover the splen- did excellencies of the arrangement which Mr. O'Con- nell so much peneg'yrizes — I can see nothing but defor- mity, where my friend finds beauty — I can see nothing but insincerity and delusion, where he finds candour and fair dealing I think that the present Parliamentary machinerj', so ingeniously put in play by Mr. Plunkett, is nothing more than improvement on the more candid hostility of the Bill of 1821, introduced by the same gen- tleman — the same effort to dishonor the Irish Catholic Clergy — the same effort to separate the people from their best and most faithful guardians— the same system of corrupt influence — the same dexterity to blast the prin- ciple of reform, and to add to tliat Parliamentary cor- ruption, on the aid of which Mr. Plunkett at this moment depends for the success of his schrme of Eman- cip.ation. You will say, no doubt, it \a very strange that, if it be true such are the leading features of this new parliamentary experiment, that O'Connell should be the first trumpeter of its peculiar claims on the respect and suppoit of the Irish nation ; I shall, therefore, proceed to call your aUention, and that of the people of England as well as Ireland, to the wivgs, as they are facetiously called, of this new bird from the cage of our 2 K 2 iO% tlFB ANt> TXME3 OF honest, sincere and able advocate, Mr. Plunkett i Of this learned gentleman, I hope I shall be found to speak with all the praise his peculiar excellencies de- serve. Sir Francis Burdett will pardon me, and so will Mr, O'CoNNELL, if I decline to admit the Bincerity of that Statesman, in the cause of the Emanci- pation of the Catholics of Ireland, who takes good qare that the Bill of Emancipation shall be accompanied and clogged with additions, which still insure its almost uni- versal unpopularity among the very people whom he pro- fesses to serve. So much for Mr. Plunkett's sincerity, of which Mr. O'Connell is as much satisfied as Mr, Plunkett was of that of Lord Castlkreagh. Both, it seems, are sincere and honest men j let the people of England and Ireland judge of Mr. Plunkett's since- rity by the character of the conditions on which Catho- lic Emancipation is about to be conceded. In the first place, there is a Board to be constituted, composed of Catholics — the appointment to be sanctioned by the Irish Government; whose duty, it is said, is to be limited to the exclusion of foreigners from the Catholic Prelacy of Ire^ land, and to the reporting to the Government the cha- racters of the persons seeking ecclesiastical promotion to the Catholic Church; to the registering of their places of birth ; and the communication of all such information as may best regulate the mind of the Government in the distribution of the annual stipend, of which I shall speak after. It seems that this Board, in the contemplation of Sir Francis Burdktt and Mr. O'Connell, and some of the friends on the Deputation, will be an innocent, harmless establishment, exercising a wholesome control over the appointment of the Catholic Clergy of Ireland. In this I difl'er from Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. O'Connell. 1 am of opinion, and in this opinion I be- DANIKL o'CONNntL. 401 lieve I will be joined by every independent Catholic iu Ireland, that th6 Board which I have described, will bo hereafter a source of perpetual intrigue — a species of ecclesiastical inquisition into the political as well as moral conduct of every Catholic Clergyman, and a power- ful instrument of corruption in the hands of an artful Minister. The constitution of such a Board is an insult to the Catholic Prelacy and Clergy of Ireland — an evi^ dence of the distrust entertained by Mr. Plunk ett oftho loyalty and fidelity of the very men be has panegyrized, uncalled for by the English people, and only suggested by those persons who are perfectly satisfied it may be a successful impediment to that Emancipation they affect to be anxious to promote. What is the next condition of this Emancipation measure of Mr. Plunkett ? Tho sacrifice of the political rights of the Irish peasantry, which the lamented Grattan, in 1793, considered to be the Magna Charta of the poor man in Indand and which the justly-celebrated Doctor Doyle con- sidered his best shield in the year 1825 — the poor man in Ireland, the 40s. freeholder, is to be robbed of his vote, toconciliate the Minister, who would not suffer Mr. O'CoNNELL to wear a silk gown, or Lord Killeen to take his seat in the House of Lords. The Irish peasan- try are to be robbed of their elective franchise, in order, says the sincere Mr. Plunkett, to promote the inde- pendence of the Catholics of Ireland, and Mr. O'CoN* NfiLL echoes the opinion ! What ! would the proposal be made, if the honesty of the Catholic 40s. elector, were not dreaded by those advocates of Catholic Emancipa- tion ? Would the Catholic 40s. freeholder be thus robbed of his power to elect, if Mr. Plunkett and his high Church friends, did not fear that Catholic Representatives from Ireland would be too numerous — that thd peopis 404 l-II'K AND TI.MK!* OF would be apt to vote for the men wlio most enjoyed their confidence ? And, therefore, says Mr. Plunkett, with his accustomed sincerity, " I will make Catholics eligible to places in Parliament ; but I will take good care that they shall have no electors !" Is this arrangement honest to the poor people of Ireland, who have increased and multiplied under the operation of the privileges they now enjoy, and whose numbers strike terror into some of tlie miserable legislators, whom Ireland sends to the Imperial Parliament ? Why, to be sure, Mr. Plunkett is sin- cere in making such a condition a sine qua non of this Emancipation Bill ; but why Sir Francis Burdett and O'CoNNELL, both honest Heformers, should treat the Irish Peasantry thus, is a riddle I cannot solve. It has been said that 40o. freeholders are brought to the hust- ings like so many cattle t,o the slaughter. I answer, that if even this were true to the extent stated, the necessity of so bringing them up. is in itselfa great political privi- lege to the Irish Catholic. But 1 deny the i'act. 1 assert that, even before Emancipation, the 403. freeholders have manifested a spirit and zeal in support of public freedom worthy of the best examples iu England. Who sustained CoLCLOUGH in Wexford, or White in Dublin ? The much insulted and calumniated 40s. freeholders. And if these splendid instances existed before Emancipation, 'what would bo their conduct if Emancipation pass, and competition be thrown open to those who command the hearts and affections of the Irish people? But is this the principle of the Reformer, to narrow the circle of the elective suffrage V Is this the example whichlreland united is to set to the people of England ? Is this the prac- tice of that broad and comprehensive theory so power- fully urged in Parliament for the last thirty years ? — And above all, is this the return which the poor per- DANIEL O'CONNELL. iOd secuted peasant of Ireland is to receive, for his uncon- querable fidelity to the religion and freedom of his native land ? What then can such an arrangement bo considered, but an act of High Treason to the Irish pea-^ santry — an act which will damn those who consent to it in the estimation of every man who wishes to preserve the public liberty ? For these reasons, I, for one, ob- ject to this condition ; and certain I am, there is not a man who wishes well to the tranquillity of Ireland, who would guard the Irish peasantry from the intrigues of Captain Rock, who will not join me in opposition to a measure which must drive the peasant from his present miserable cabin, to the more wretched shelter of the mountain ; his little garden and field being no longer worthy the protection or care of his ambitious Landlord. Were there no other wing than iiiis to the Emancipation Bill of Mr. Pr>UNKETT, it would be a wing of lead, which would never suffer it to rise — but there is another wing of exquisite workmanship. Ireland is to have a pensioned Clergy ; and yet I am told by Mr.O'CoNNEU. and others, that there is nothing at all of Veto or vetoistical arrangement sought for or desired ; nothing but the affectionate grati- tude of the Irish People ; — why, this is a credulity which I did not imagine our most credulous countrymen would be guilty of I Why are the Irish Clergymen to be pen- sioned ? Is no value to be given for the annual stipend ? Will not the eye of the Irish Government be allowed to take its dimensions of the physiognomy and character of the aspiring candidates for the Catholic Priesthood ? A Catholic Regium Donum ! Is the present Government so simple as to give the money for nothing ? for the mere gratitude of the Irish Priest ? — No, no ; let the Catholio Clergy of Ireland be pensioned — and the same result will follow to the Catholic Church of Ireland, which has fol- lowed to all other religious establishments similarly en* -iOi) LtfE AXD JlMKli ol-' dowed ; the people are alK'nated i'roia their l*astur.s, and the latter cease to perform tho duties oT their Ministry with their accustoraed zeal and industry— confidence will be destroyed, and the Catholic Priest of If eland will be hereafter going to the Castle to receive the annual wages for which the people have received no value.— Thus, one of the most exemplary, parental, and beloved order of men that ever adorned a country, will become the pensioners of the Castle of Dublin, and the ealers of the taxes of the British empire. How much then is it to be regretted that the Irish Catholic Advocate should come down from the high "and respected ground of unqualified and unconditional Emancipation ? This was the ground which raised the Irish nation in the opinion of the Kng- lish people? which created the feeling that was lately dis- played in the House of Commons, and which will ultimately accomplish the triumph of the cause ; a departure from that ground will cover its advocates wilhthe contem|)t of the English nation, and make it a party against the con- cession of those rights which they are now ready to sur- render. Admitting the purity of those who differ from me, I trust I may put in my claim to a similar feeling, when I oppose, to the best of my powers, a Parliamentary arrangement, which I conceive to be dishonourable to all parties, and cruel to the poor people of Ireland. I remain, your very humble servant, " John IjAwi.kss." O'CoNNELL was, meanwhile, making way with all parties in London Tho viavrs of ISJr. Duov/nlow, tho member for Armagh, were materially modified by O'CoNNELl/s celebrated examination belbre the Parlia- jnentary Committee. Deuuv Daavson came to him, and said that his examination had removed many prejudices from his mind. In fact, it bocarjie silentl^y the convicf DANIEL O'CONNELL. 407 tionof many, who before opposed the Catholic Question^ that it should be settled. Everything tended in that direetion. Afcctin^s were held in various quarters, for the purpose of hearing and seeing Mr. O'Connell. — The writer of this was present when he made his cele- brated speech at the meeting in the Free Mason's Ta- vern, described in the extract already given from the Neio Monthly Magazine, lie was four hours speaking. The anxiety to hear him baffles all description. In no part of Ireland could he have been more enthusiastically received. He delivered a truly magnificent oration. — Shiel spoke after him; but at a late hour in the even- ing, as previously stated. He spoke shortly, but not with his usual effect. Tact in speaking is as useful as any other quality ; and most necessary in seizing the exact time when the speech should be delivered. The period should neither be too early nor too late ; but at the mo- ment when the audience have entered fully into the spirit of the subject. O'Connell had this tact in parfection. He never came to a meeting until the opportune moment had nearly arrived. He invariably created a sensation when he appeared ; the flagging spirits of the crowd revived — their attention was resuscitated. Then was the instant he always managed to present himself. Mr. Sheil adopts the same plan in the House of Commons He seldom spoftks before or after ten o'clock ; if possible he selects that hour. At the meeting in the Freemason's Tavern, ho did not observe this rule ; and- having encun-- bered himself with statistical details, and chosen an in- opportune period of the day, his effort, comparatively, speaking, "was a failure. The debate on the Catholic Question came on in March, 1825. As usual, the debate was spirit-stirring. But Mr. Plunkktt surpassed all his former, efforts. He 408 LIF£ AND TIMES Ot f^h himself called upon to make an unusual display* tl« bad, during the debates for the suppression of the Asso- ciation, been taunted with having pledged himself never to hold office under any Government divided on the Catholic Question ; and yet, behold him, as Attorney- General, suppressing the expression of public opinion at the bidding of such a Government ! For this he had no other excuse than that he changed his opinion. Charges of this nature galled his proud spirit, and he resolved to right himself and vindicate his reputation. Hence the unri- valled display. His power of language, his close reasoning, and strength of expression, were never surpassed. Lan- guage flowed from him in a clear, deep, tranquil, but potent stream ; not a smile played on his lips, not a spark of enthusiasm appeared to burn in his soul. The complexion of his eloquence was, so to speak, dark and sepulchral, but it was marked with genius and intellect never yet surpassed. The Bill was carried on a first reading by a majority of Thirteen. It was during this time that both Mr. O'Connell and Dr. Doyle were examined before the Select Committee of the House of Lords. The most remarkable evidence ever giren before or since was that of Pr. Doyle. His elo- quence, th^ beauty and correctness of his language, hia varied information, the boldness of his views, the now light he tl^rew on many subjects connected with the eccle- siastical history 6f the Catholic Church in Ireland, its discipline and doctrines — all contributed to render this evidence the most valuable, striking, and important, on record. W^ feel that this Memoir Would be incomplete without it, and' together with Mr. O'Connell's luminous testimony — it shall be given in an Appendix. The exami- Vi^tion of both these distinguished men contains the very D.VXIKL O'CONNRLL. 409 best epitome extant of tlio political and ecclesiastical his- toij of the period. Mr. O'Connell was principally exa- mined by the Duke of Wellington. He astonished their Lordships ; though from him they were prepared to re- ceive more than ordinary information,by his minute know- ledge of (he various subjects on which he was examined. The Corporations —the Landlord system, the Franchise — -the Ca tholic claims — Orangeism- in fine, every possible topic connected with the state of Ireland, formed in turn a subject of inquiry, and with each he was found to pos- sess extensive, close and intimate acquaintance. Then, his lucid explanations—his quickness in reply— his ani- mation and eloquence— surprised their Lordships, and made a strong impression on them, and many adverse Members of the House of Commons, who were present while he underwent the ordeal. O'CoxVnell's evidence ne- cessarily attracted universal attention, and many were the opportunities afterwards laid hold of, to distort and turn it to his disadvantage,and con\ ict him of inconsisten- cy. The efforts wei-e not limited to mere misrepresentation. He was absolutely misquoted by the Bishop of Exeteb, on the authority of Lord Winchilsea, in ]\[arch, 1838, on the occasion of that Prelate's presenting a petition from the City of Cork, complaining that the Catholic Members violated their oaths. It was charged against them that though they swore to do nothing to injure the Church Establishment, they were doing every thing to subvert it. On that occasion the Bishop of Exeter mado use of tho following words : " Now. he would refer to a very important testimo- nial of no less a person than Mr. O'Connell, himself. The questions asked were, " Suppose a witness were to receive a carle blanche on the subject of Catholic Eman- cipation, and were required to fill up the extent of con- 2 L no LIFE AND TIMES OP cession with which the Roman Catholics would be satis- fied, how would he do so, and what would they require?" Mr. O'CoNNELL replied, he would require that the doors ef both Houses of Parliament should be thrown open to th^ Catholics, and that perso»s professing that re- ligion should be eligible to hold the situation of Judges, &c., from which they were excluded. In answer to other questions, Mr. O'Connell said he would recom- mend that no concessions whatever should be made to the Roman Catholics unless the Establishment in Ireland should be rendered inviolable. It was then said " The recommendation now given, and the opinions now ex- pressed by witness, appear to be at variance with his speeches in the Catholic Association, and elsewhere." — Mr. O'Connell replied '* that he did not hold himself bound by what he had said in that assembly or elsewhere, under particular circumstances — that many things had been spoken by him in the heat of debate, to which, in cooler moments, he would not give his sanction." On reading this statement, O'Connell immediately addressed the Earl of Winchelsea the following let- ter: — " 16, Pall-mall, London, March 5, 1838. " My Lord — I cannot bring myself one moment to douI)t that your lordship will receive this letter in the spirit of courtesy in which I write it, and that you will do me the justice, which I respectfully solicit from your lordship, precisely as you would desire to have a similar justice done to yourself under similar circumstances, should they be applicable to you. The grounds, my lord, upon which 1 ask this act of justice, are these : — The Lord Bishop of Exeter is reported by the newspapers, and in particular in the Morning Post and Morning Chro- nicle, to have quoted you, my lord, as his authority for BANIEti O^CONNELL. 411 attributing to me opinions and assertions, the exactitude ■of which I mean publicly to "deny ; but behig convinced either that the netVspapers misunderstood the Right Rev. Prolate, or that some person has rtiisihformcd yotir lord" ship, I solicit at yeur hands a reply to the two questions which I beg leave to address to you on the subject. I tliink I have a right, in point of justice, to such reply ; but I prefer seeking it as an ax;t of courtesy. The first question is, whether your lordship eVer quoted the ques- tions and answers specified by the Right Rov. Prelate, or 1 should rather say, alleged by the newspapers to have been specified by him ? The second question is, if the facts be answered affirmatively, upon what authority did you, my lord, quote them ? In order to save your lordship any trouble in searching for the matter which l>as given rise to those questions, I beg leave to enclose that portion of the Morning Post, of the 2d instant, which contains the supposed introductory words of the right Rev. Prelate, and the queries and replies of ihe introduction of which I complain. I think it my duty te add, that until I read the newspaper of the 2nd instant, I never heard of such questions and replies, that I re- member. It is right that I should add, that I am not in- quiring into anything that was said or done in the House of Lords. I appeal solely to the newspaper statements, and my inquiries are limited exclusively to the document set out in these newspapers, purporting to be an exami- nation I underwent. I solicit information merely as to whether that document was represented to your lordship as genuine ; and if so, by whom and in what manner. This is my object in writing to your lordship. Confiding to your courtesy for as speedy a reply as may suit your -il2 lillUi AND TfMKS Of porfoet ooiivuniunco, I have the honor tu be, m}- luril, youv very obedient, humbK> servant. •' Daniel O'Connell. '* The Earl of Winchklsea." This letter produced the following correspondence: — '* Eastwell-parh, March G, 1B38. *' Sir — I hasten to reply to your letter, which has just reached me. In answer to the first (juestion which you have put to me, " Whether I ever quoted the questions and answers lately specified by the Bishop of Exeter in the House of Lords ?" the extracts of which you have enclosed to me, I beg to inform you, that 1 certainly have upon different occasions, both in the House of Lords and elsewhere, publicly quoted them. In answer to your second question, '^' Upon what authority I quoted them ?" 1 have only to reply, that I read them in the House of Lords out of a newspaper, in which they had been in- serted ; stating at the same time, as they had received i\o contradiction from you, that I conceived them to be authentic. If in this conclusion 1 find myself mistaken, 1 have only to add, that 1 sliall be ready to acknowledge it. 1 cannot bring back to my recollection positively at what time, or in what paper, the quotations appeared ; but I think either in the Mornhuj Post or Neiv Times, and that they were founded on the evidence given by you,^ about the year 182r), on the subject of the Roman Ca- tholic Relief Bill. I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient humble servant, " WlNCHEI.SBA AND NoTTINGlIAlM. "Daniel O'Connell, Esq." " 16, Pall-mall, March 17, 1838. " Mv Luu]> — 1 am bound to acknowledge thankfully the promptitude and distinctness ol'the reply to my two SANIEL o'cONNELL. 413 questions. 1 owe it to myself, and I think I also owe it to you, my lord, to state that although I had no doubt that the pretended extract of my evidence, which you found in the newspapers mentioned by your lordship, was a mere fabrication by the writers of those newspapers, yet I have taken the trouble of reading over the entire of my evidence before both houses of parliament, and I can now solemnly pledge myself that the passage quoted by you is totally unfounded, and that no evidence of mine could warrant the publication of that passage as genuine. You have, therefore, I do assure you, my lord, been de- ceived by the newspaper you quote ; and perhaps you would permit me to say, that iny leaving the deception uncontradicted would be no proof of its truth ; as I have little inclination and less time to contradict the multitu- dinous false charges daily published in the newspapers against me. I readily offer your lordship to authenti- cate or to contradict any matter attributed to me of which yon should desire to make public use ; if you give yourself the trouble of a previous inquiry from me Again, my lord, thanking you for your satisfactory reply, I have the honour to be, my lord, your very obe- dient humble servant, "Daniel O'Connell. •• The Earl of Winchelsea." " 2, Hill Street, March 19, 1839. •' Sin — 1 was on the point of writing, when your letter reached mo, to inform you, after a considerable search, I have discovered that the extracts of the evidence report- ed to have been given by you before the Parliamentary Committee, in 1825, wore inserted in the Standard news- paper of the fifth of February, 1833, accompanying the leading article of that day. I have since carefully perused the evidence given by you before the Committees 2 L 2 -11 -J LIFE AND TIMES OF of both Houses in that year, and Iain bound injustice tt> you to state;, that the opinions attributed to you in tho extracts referred to, are not in any way borne out by the sentiments you then expressed. I have only to express my sincere regret that I have in any Avay been instru- mental in misrepresenting- any part of the evidence which you gave before the Committees in 1825. I shall be most ready to make you tho only reparation in my power, by placing you right before the public on this point, in any way most gratifying to your own feelings, either by- contradicting it in my place in the House of Lords, or by publishing the correspondence which has passed be- tween us. 1 have the honour to be, Sir, your most obe- dient servant, " WlNCHKLSEA AND NOTTINGHAM. ••' Daniel O'Connell, Esq." "16, Pall Mall, March 19, 1838. " My Lord — 1 am bound to say, and 1 say it cheer- fully, that nothing can bo moi'o candid or handsome than your Lordship's conduct on the subject of the fictitious extracts from my evidence in 1825. I therefore accept your offer of the publication of our correspondence on the sub- ject. I cannot conclude without once more tendering to your Lordship the expression of my thankfulness. I have the honour to bo, my Lord, your obedient humble servant, " DANIliL O'CONNHI.I,. " The Earl of Winciielsea." O'CoNNEi.L returned to Ireland, and in April attend- ed a great Aggregate Meeting, held in Dublin — Lord GoRMANSTOwN in the Chair. At that meeting, O'Con^ NELL made a long and able speech, in which he adverted DANIEL O COXNRT.L. 415 lo (Ii(M-ot'(^|)tioii he porsonftlly oxporlpncod from tl)o En TIME* OK hiuiself justified iu making some extracts from among the leading topics it embraced. The nature of the resolution referred to will be understood from what follows : — •' It was a resolution just, necessary, and called for at this particular moment. It was a resolution, to pass which he was of opinion, that every town in the country should assemble, in order to repel by the united voice of the entire nation, the calumny that had been cast upon the Roman Catholic Body by the first Minister of the Crown. The more exalted the rank of the individual who calum- niates, the more extended his influence ; and the greater his power in the administration of the country, the more anxious ought the Catholics be to repel accusations which they knew were unjust and unfounded. Can any thing be more unfounded than the assertion, that the Roman Catholics of Ireland owe merely a divided allegi- ance to their Sovereign — that they give part of that alle- giance to a foreign Prince, and present but the remainder to their King ? This accusation in itself so unjust, so in- terfered with the Catholic's oath of allegiance, so min- gled with their private pursuits, that he found it difficult to reason against it with temperance, or to combat it with moderation, "Was it necessary for him to go into a long discussion as to the distinction which exists between the spiritual authority of the Pope, and the influence which it is said he exerts in the temporal concerns of a State ? Need he tell the respectable assembly that surrounded him, that no such influence any where existed — that in France, iu Spain, in Austria, in no country without tho limits of his own small Principality, did the Pope claim any intcrfor- ouce in the temporal concerns of the State, and that if he did make such a claim, it would be indignantly simrned. DANirL O'CONNELL. 417 — AVas it lU'ccssnry for liim to say, that in this country not the slightest semblance of sucli an influence exists ? — If there were any person who disbelieved the assertion, he would refer Iiim to the evidence of that distinguished Prelate, that g^rcat luminary of the Catholic Church, Dr. Doyle ; — to that evidence which will be handed down to the latest posterity, as affording a specimen of the pure classic taste of the scholar, of the piety, racelmoss and erudition of the Prelate. In that evidence it is distinct- ly stated, on oath, that no such influence exists ; that if the Pope wore to claim any interference in the tem- poral concerns of this country, it would be boldly refused by the Catholics ; and if he made any demand which in the slightest degree encroached upon their sole and un- divided allegiance to their Sovereign, that such demand wouUl bo spurned with indignation by the Roman Ca- tholics. But it was unnecessary for him to go into ar- guments of this description— he would rely wholly upon the history and conduct of the Roman Catholics them- selves, to refute the calumny of Lord Liverpool. lie would beg of his Lordship to look back into the his- tory of this ill-treated country, and he would defy him to point out any period in that history which he could hold up as a proof of the allegations he had urged against the whole Catholic body ; he would take his Lordship over the wars of the Peninsula — he would show him Irish Catholics bleeding and conquering for their common country, and he vould ask the first minister whether it was there they exhibited any signs of a divi- ded allegiance. He would take him to the last, the most glorious, the most memorable victory obtained by Great Britain— -a victory which changed the state of things in those countries, and altered all the political systems of Europe ; he would take his Lordship to the field of ■its Lll'E AND TIMES OP Waterloo, and he would show hhn that biigadu chiefly composed of Irishmen, whose achievements a previous speaker has so justly and eloquently described — he would show his Lordship those brave fellows fighting by the side of Lord Anglesea, who has now deserted them ; and he would ask him was it there they exhibited any signs of a divided allegiance The fact is, he would not give Lord Liverpool credit for candour or sincerity on the occasion; he did not think his Lordship believed in the calumny which he cast upon the Catholics. He is too ex- perienced in the ministry of this country, too long at the head of aifairs, and too long watching over the conduct of the Roman Catholics, to believe the accusation. He had some motive, some deep design, for the manner he acted — he saw converts coming round every day to the cause of the Roman Catholics — he saw the intrepid Brownlow throwing off the shackles of early prejudice, freeing himself from the trammels of unmeaning bigotry, and boldly and openly proclaiming himself a convert to the justice of the Catholic cause. He saw that his conversion would bo the means of promoting a union of iVeling and opinion amongst all classes of L*ishmcn ; and true to his Lordship's prediction, such a union was created — he saw the Protestant, the Catholic, and Dis- senter, now equally anxious for the prosperity of their country, equally anxious for the tranquillity of this unhap- py land, equally anxious to see her manufactures flourish, and to see British Capital flowing in amongst them — His Lordship perceived, too, that it was the unani- mous opinion of the entire, that. Ireland could never be tranquilliscd, that prosperity could never smile upon her, unless the Roman Catholics were emancipa- ted. He saw this, and he was determined, if possible, to disturb that unanimity. His Lordship saw something DANIEL O'CONNELL. 419 more that annoyed him ; he saw that the Catholics now afforded no argument against themselves ; they were quiet, tranquil, and conciliating — they had given up to the laws of their country the child of their best affec* ttons ; they had resigned without a struggle, or without a murmur, the Catholic Association— that Association, that did more good for Ireland, during the short period of its existence, than was done for centuries before — But his Lordship saw something that annoyed him much more, for he would treat with contempt any expression of opinion at this side — he saw in England the full tide of public opinion running rapidly in fa- vor of Catholic Ireland ; the tide that ultimately car- ries everything before it, that bears down every op- position, and raises truth and freedom to its just ele- vation — he saw this tide running rapidly against him, and he was determined to use every exertion to avert it. He saw Englishmen of every class and persuasion conci- liated by the conduct of the Deputation, and convinced by the eloquence and arguments of O'Connell — throw- ing aside their prejudices, opening their eyes, looking into the history of this ill-fated country — exhibiting a determi- nation that she should no longer be as a dead body attached to aliving one;thatsbe should become an integral part of the British Empire, in fact as well as law ; and that both countries should for the future be of reciprocal advantage and utility to each other. How did Lord Li- verpool act on the occasion ? If he could judge by his actions of what passed in his Lordship's mind, he would conclude that he reasoned thus : — *' I am first Minister of the Crown — I have been so many years at the head of the Government — I have got credit from all for expe- rience — 1 have got credit from some for integrity — I will bring all my influence against this measure — the Catho- 420 LIFE AND TIMES OP lies now afford mo no arguments againijt Uiemsclves — the principles of civil and religious liberty arc gaining such rapid way, that I will not argue against their claims in open contradiction to those principles — I will take up some antiquated notion of the olden time, and fling it against them — I will tell the people of England that they ought not to admit the Catholics to an equal enjoyment of the Constitution'; for they do not givo uu undivided allegiance, as you do, to the Sovereign of these lloalms — they give to a foreign Prince part of that allegiance which is wholly and entirely due to their King." "Thus did Lord Liverpool endeavour to bring back Englishmen to their old prejudices ; but, thank God, he has not succeeded. So far was he (Mr. F.) from seeing any reason for despondency or despair, from the intem- perate speech of the first minister of the Crown, or even from the alarming declaration of the Heir Presumptive, that he saw every reason to hope, — every reason to con- gratulate the friends of civil and religious liberty; for that declaration would never have been pronounced, that speech would never have been uttered, did they not see that they would be overwhelmed in their oppcsition by the current of public opinion, which was running strongly against them, did they not endeavour to avert it by some new and more extraordinary means. They have suc- ceeded for the moment ; but ho trusted that ere long their opposition would be borne down by the full tide of opinion that was rising in favour of the Catholic claims. — The fact is, their cause was gaining rapid way. It was advancing swiftly and firmly ; it was no longer confined within the narrow limits of a mere Ca- tholic question ; it had now merged into a great national consideration. Let them look at the proceedings of the meeting of the fifty-six Protestant peers, who assembled DANIEL O'CONNELL. 42© at the Duke of Buckingham's — let them read their Re- solutions, which exhibit such a spirit of firmness and de- termination, in which, declaring themselves proprietors of land in Ireland, they stated their conviction that pro- perty here was not of half its just value ; and would be ultimately insecure unless the Catholics were emancipa- ted and Ireland tranquillised. Let them peruse those Resolutions, and he would ask did they not see cause for congratulation ? He hoped and trusted that their exam- ple would be followed by the rest of the great landed Proprietors, and thus would their cause be more than ever advanced. He was done ; he had not exhausted the subject^ — he found ideas pressing fast upon him, but he also found he was incapable of giving them expres- sion. He was unaccustomed to public speaking ; it was the first time he had addressed a public assembly, nor should he now have intruded himself upon their atten- tion, did he not conceive that it was the bounden duty of every Roman Catholic to come forward at this moment, and publicly declare how much he felt the degradation under which he laboured, and how anxious he was to throw off the chains which incumber him. He would sit down, congratulating the meeting on the unanimity which now prevails amongst the Roman Catholics of Cork, and expressing a wish that nothing would occur to disturb the harmony and concord which so happily exists." To return to the point from which we have diverged ; Canning, who was labouring under severe illness, spoke during the debate. The House divided, and the second reading was carried by a majority of 27. The " Wings" were then introduced in separate bills. Mr. Littleton introduced the one for the disfranchise- ment of the Forty Shilling Freeholders ; and amongst other arguments, such as we have already alluded to, in 2m 22 LIFE AKD TIMES OF favor of the measure, he stated, and with truth, that sa well at the time were the freeholders votes un- derstood to be the exclusive property of their Land- lords, that any one who canvassed them without permis- sion, violated the laws of honor, and had to give satis_ faction in mortal combat ! These were the " good old tioaes," praised by those who, discontented with the present, bestow on the past all their admiration. Mr. Brougham opposed and spoke with eloquence and ability against the Bill. The Duke of York's notorious speech, delivered about this time, was the subject of his bitter denunciation. It brought him imperceptibly to advert to t,he King's known hostility to the measux-e of Emancipa- tion. He was interrupted by Plunkett ; but the in- terruption only lighted up his eloquence more vividly, sharpened his sarcasm, and made the peroration of his speech, one of the best he ever delivered. The first reading of the Bill was passed by a majority of Forty- eight. The Resolution to pay the Catholic Clergy also passed the House of the Commons, by a majority of Forty- three. The Duke of York's speech, to which wo have alluded, was delivered on his presenting a petition against the Catholic claims ; the celebrated — " So help my God" speech, which was afterwards the subject of de- servedly so much bitter comment. He took that occasion to remark, ** that he had been for twenty-five years, ever "since the question had been agitated, advocating "the cause of Protestant Ascendency. * I have been "brought up,' said his Royal Highness, 'from my oar- " liest years, in these principles; and, from the time " when I begun to reason for myself, I have entertained " them from conviction — and, in every situation T may " be placed in, during my future life, I will maintain *' THEM, so HELl* ME GOD.' " DANIEL O'C'ONNI'ILL. ' 423 While these transactions were in progress, the Deputa- tion from Ireland was not idle. It carried to the foot of the Throne an address from the Catholics of Ireland.—^ The Deputation was received at the levee,for the purpose, and was most graciously received. It was O'Connell's second attempt to play the part of courtier. It was of no avail, for never was there a more virulent and hypocri- tical enemy of Emancipation than George the Fourth. The Catholic Relief Bill at last passed the Commons, and was taken up with great pomp and circumstance to the House of Lords. While it was pending, petitions poured into their Lordships' House against it, from the No-Popery party. Amongst them was one from the Rev. Thomas SiBTnoRPE,who, probably, was the same Divine who some years after became a Catholic, and again re- lapsed into Puseyism. The Catholic Bill was thrown out in the Lords, on the second reading,by a majority of Forty-eight. This produced an immense sensation throughout Ireland. Deep and bitter was the disappoint- ment — dark and ominous the exasperation. Meetings were held in every direction. The Duke of York's speech was every where denounced. The unconstitu* tional tendency of such a speech, from the Heir presump- tive, was apparent to every one. Mr. Charles Butler, the great English Lawyer, showed how false was the position he took up with respect to the Coronation Oath. The doctrines he laid down are now so fully understood, that it is unnecessary to dwell on them. Besides the Duke's speech, and the King's hostility, the desertion of Lord ANGLESEA,and his insulting speech, was another cause of agitation. He proclaimed his readi- ness to put down agitation under the feet of his Hussars, — he, who afterwards advised the people to agitate AGITATE— AGITATE ! I The threat was worthy of the man 4J4 Llt'U AND TIMliS Of who asserted that three gun brigs would be sufficient io extinguish the agitation for Repeal ! In connexion with these memorable transactions, of 1825, Mr. Barrett, in the very interesting personal narrative, which he is giving to the world, through the columns of the Pilot, relates an anecdote of a remarka- ble character. He says : — " After the examination of witnesses before the com- mittee of the House of Commons, had proceeded to a considerable length, the general tenor of which was strikingly favourable to Emancipation, and that it was found that the proposed securities would find no violent obstacles in O'Connell, or the Irish deputation, Lord Plunkett sent for O'Connell. At that interview, he told him that Lord Liverpool had almost finally deter- mined on bringing forward the measure — that he had secured the concurrence or acquiescence of the leading men of all parties, including Peel — and that four or five of the principals were to meet at his house that night to discuss, and finally to decide upon the plan, lie request- ed O'Connell to call late in the evening, and that he would communicate to him the progress or result of the conference. O'Connell called about eleven o'clock. Lord Plunkett came out of the council room, told him that all was going on favourably — that it could not be concluded for many hours — but that if O'Connell would call at the eai'liest possible hour in the morning, he would see him, even if he had retired to rest, and communicato the result. O'Connell called at half-past five the next morning. He found Lord Plunkett's man, who got his orders, standing in the open hall door way. He instantly showed him into the drawing room, and went into the inner room, in which Lord Plunkett slept. A minuto brought Lord Plunkett out in his night cap, dressing- DANIKL O'CONNELL. 42.3 gown and slippers. He ran up to O'Connell, seized both his hands in his own, shook them heartily, and said : " U'CoNNELL, I congratulate you; the conference (which consisted of Lord Liverpool, Canning, Huskisson, and himself) has not broken up an hour. I got up to tell you all is decided — Catholic Emancipation will be granted be- fore a fortnight, and without any of the conditions (eccle- siastical ones) to which you objected." They parted — O'Connell returned to his hotel — he had sat up all night — he went to bed with, as he described, the most pleasur- able sensations he had done for a long time, and did not rise until late in the day. " But while he was slumbering and dreaming of the re- generation of his dear native land, bigotry and intrigue were at work to frustrate the promised good, and to throw back the country and himself into the turmoil of another struggle, " What great events from trivial causes spring." " In the house with Lord Plunkett, was a Mr. Pren- dergast; the same, I believe, who brought forward some charges against the late Lord Rossmore before the Jockey Club, and got him, I think unjustly, expelled. He was aware of the consultation in Lord Plunkett's room, and learned somehow the result. He must have been one of those small-minded beings who are bursting with the possession of a secret, and are too vain of their treasure to keep it to themselves. He dressed himself early, went into the city, visited the clubs, and there disburthened himself of the important secret with which he was big. It flew like wildfire. There was one member of the ministry whom it was neglected previously to secure — liord Eldon. Whether it was that the government despaired of winning him over, and thought it could do without him, or whether they wished in the formation of their plan to be disembar- 2 M 2 42G LIFE AND TIMEa OF rassed of his dogmatism and bigotry, ealculatiug on se- curing him afterwards, O'Connell could not say. He thought he could have been scoured, and that it was a mistake not to have done so. But so it was. Eldon was not consulted. He heard through its tallcing propagator what had been done — his bigotry or his pride, or both, took the alarm. He went off to the Duke of York, in- flamed and confirmed in him his own sentiments, roused him into action, drew him up a speech, conducted him to the House of Lords, where he took the earliest momentto deliver it. The " So-help-rae-God" anathema was pro- noimced — from thence the Duke followed the Prince Re- gent to the theatre, was received with more than usual cordiality — the throne and the heir presumptive had vir- tually declared themselves inexorably against the plan of the Minister, and Emancipation was, for the time, knock- ed on the head ; and by the same decree, what may be called the Catholic Associ.'ition, started into vigorous existence." The whole history of the transactions of that time in- duces us to give implicit credence to this remarkable anecdote, in every particular, except that we do not be- lieve Lord LivEUPooL, had really changed his own opi- nions on the Catholic question, or honestly resolved to carry Emancipation. We arc driven to the conclusion, that he played a game of deep duplicity, by which both Feunkktt and O'Conmell were taken in. Thougli O'Connell, on his return to Dublin, never mentioned this transaction, in his celebrated account to the Association, of his proceedings in London, still, we are constrained to think that the interview alluded to by JMr. Barrett, is the same as the one described in a correspondence now before the writer, and dated 28th Feb., 1825, and in which the following passage occurs : — DANIEL O CONNEI-I,. 427 " I am more confident than ever that the motion of Sir Francis Burdett will be carried. The expecta- tions of the friends of liberty here are high indeed. You may state this fact without reserve, that the highest and best informed of our Parliamentary friends are certain of a majority. Mr. O'Connell and Lord Killeen have had an interview (at the instance of the Right Hon. Gentleman) Avith Mr. Pi.unkett. The particulars of Avhat occurred at that interview, I am in possession of; but I do not fool that I could with propriety at this mo- nnmt disclose these particulars. I may, however, state this, that Mr. O'Connell, M\o may, from a recent trans- action, be supposed to look with no kind eye on Mr. Plunk ETT, left him, strongly impressed with the sincerity and warmth of his feelings in favour of the Catholic cause. I am restrained (however anxious to give you information) from stating many things with which I have been made acquainted in a confidential way — not, in good truth, that the disclosure of those matters could, in mv judgment, do any mischief — but simply because I said I would not do so." The same motives for secrecy may have influenced Mr. O'Connell, in not alluding, in the Association, to Mr. Plunk ktt's communication. "Well, the interview took place on the 28th of February, and on the 10th of March, after Lord Liverpool had accomplished his two-fold object, of impressing such mem- bers of the Cabinet as were favorable to Emancipation, with a belief of his sincerity, and succeeding in keeping the Catholics quiet, while he supjjresscd the Association, we find him still playing out the game, and writing the following letter to the Home Secretary, Mr. Peel : — " Fife house, March 10, 1825. "My Dear Peel— I return the report of the Irish Association. I have thought it quite necessary, in con- 428 LIFK ANIJ TIMES OF sequence of the paragraph in the Moniiag Chronicle of this day, to send an article to the Courier, contradicting the reports in. circulation respecting any change in my sentiments upon the Roman Catholic question. '• Ever sincerjily yours, " Liverpool." Lord Liverpool, after this communication, made the speech against Emancipation, which Sir Robert Peel, in 1846, described as one of tl»e most violent he ever delivered. While this shuffling was going on, on the part of Lord Liverpool, the Catholic Bill passed the Com- mons, and Peel wrote to Lord Liverpool to say, that he wished to be relieved from the unpleasant position in which he found himself ; being in a minority on the Catho- lic Question, in the House of Commons, and having the majority of the Irish Representatives opposed to him, who, as Home Secretary, was intimately mixed up with the government of Ireland. It was then that Lord Liverpool saw he could no longer carry out the delusion ; and then it was, that he came out with his most violent anti-Catholic tirade. It was then, too, the Duke of York made his " So help my Gob" speech, and that, in like manner, the mask was completely torn off, and the true lineaments otLord Liverpool's character exposed. O'Connell afterwards denounced both these speeches; but probably bound to secrecy, he never alluded to the perfidy with which he Avas treated. But the fol- lowing passages from O'Connell's address, sufficiently demonstrate the impression under which he laboured : — " Lord Liverpool now borrows (he said) the worn out theology and bigotry of Patrick. Duioknan, to ornament the first station in the British empire. The Congress of the Allied Kings is going to meet. Let them remember this — let them learn what a profound States- CANIKL o'cONNELt. 42f man is at the }ielm of the British empire. These men aro men of intclligenco ; — they respect their consciences, whatever else they do in their own countries. They are struggling to raise their nations above England, and consider her as only a formidable rival. They will meet you, and how will they be delighted at your theological speculations ! What a statesman you are, Lord Liver- pool ! \yhatl is this speech of yours, and that attributed to the Duke of York, to go to Ireland, to circulate amongst tho Rockitcs ? Be not in a hurry, gentle Rock- ites ; — be passive for a season ; you have not arms, it is true ; — but — " JL>urate et vosniet rebus servate secundis" — wait for a more favourable opportunity. Lord Liver- pool will proclaim to Europe that there is a weak spot in the British Empire ; which instead of healing, lie wishes to aggravate — instead of curing, he wishes to make worse. Rockites, lie on your pikes. Cromwell said to his men, " put your trust in the Lord, but lie on your pikes." All you want is arms. England must necessa- rily be involved in some quarrel. ' ' I have proclaimed (may mvLord Liverpool now boast") to the nations abroad where they can find allies, amidst the reckless population of Ireland — I have trampled on her gentry — I have stood on her nobility. I have traduced and vilified her." Again; on the 15th September, in the same year, Lord Lia'erpool wrote the following *' most confidential" let- ter to Peel, from Walmer Castle: — (" Most confidential.) ** My dear Peel — I return, in another cover, Goul- bourn's letter. You may wish to hear from we what I think about dissolution. In the first place, it must be decided, one way or tho other, on the 22nd, the day of our meeting. I had some correspondence with Canning upon 430 i-iru AND TiMKS or the subject ; the inclinaton of his opinion is to put off the dissolution till next year. I am decidedly for the dissolu- tion now, if the Catholic question is to receive the support of those who are generally friendly to it in the govern- ment, in the next session. But if they are willing that the Catholic and corn question shall remain in abeyance dur- ing the next year, and are prepared, therefore, as to the former,to discourage its being brought on, and, if brought on, to move a previous question or adjournment upon it ; — in that case I have no desire to press the dissolution during the present autumn. I say to press the dissolution ; because I think the reasons for and against it are nearly balanced ; and I can readily acquiesce in the decision, whatever it may be. I hear Lord Wellesle y is for dis- solution noiu (with the permission of the house there is a single name mentioned in this letter which I will read in blank), and and the whole connexion, for very opposite reasons, decidedly against it. — Ever sincerely yours. " Liverpool." Wo are, therefore, inclined to think, that Mr. Plun- KETT, like others, was a victim to Lord Liverpool's du- plicity, when he made the statement to Mr. O'Connell, that Lord Liverpool had altered his mind. That some such rumour got into circulation, there can be no question ; and that O'Connell gave it implicit credence, is clear from Mr. Barrett's statement, on the LiBERATOR'a authority. There can be no question, however, that O'Connell was treated with great perfidy in the course of these negociations. He was led to believe that Emancipation was certain, provided it were accompanied with the '* Wings." Every one at the time in London, who were mixed in the matter believed it. Mr. Blake, the Chief Bemerabrancer, who was then in London, and who wiw DANIEL o'eONNELL. 431 examined before the Committee on the State of Ireland, who was also on terms of familiar intercourse with the leading political men of the day — he has since often stated his conviction, that the matter was settled. Lord Plun- KETT was, as we have said, himself, deceived, and was thus the means of deceiving O'Connell, and the rest of the Deputation. The system of deceit was carried so far, as to induce O'Connell to attend the Duke of York's levee at the Horse Guards. We have seen how he sent a message of peace to Peel, and how magnani- mously it was responded to. It will bo seen, bye and bye, how courteously Lord Eldon behaved to him on the occasion of his appearing before him in an appeal case. We have seen how O'Connell's evidence before the Parliamentary Com- mittee, produced, or was said to have produced, a most favourable impression on many who were previously opposed to the Catholic cause — amongst others Derry Dawson, the brother-in-law of Peel, who in 1828 made the celebrated *' Pilot Balloon speech. "All these different circumstances, added to Plunkett's assurance, induced O'Connell to believe, that if he yielded on the two points — Emancipation was secure. Why was this decep- tive game played, and by whom was it played ? It was played for the purpose, as we have intimated, of soothing the rising irritation in Ireland, in consequence of the sup- pression of the Association — suppressed because of its determined interference in matters connected with the administration of justice. It was played, too, pro- bably with a view of entangling O'Connell with his Countrymen, and endangering his popularity ; — art achievement of vast value to an anti-Catholic Govern- ment; and it was played by Lords Liverpool and Eldon, and the Duke of York was made a party to it. 432 LIFE AND TIME* OE Plunkbtt, Canning, and Huskisson were blindfolded as well as O'Connell ; and it was not till after the As- sociation was suppressed, and O'Connell, hud commit- ted himself with the Irish people, that Lord Liverpool thought of contradicting the rumours which his duplicity gave rise to. But he never, we are persuaded, openly avowed his conversion, or gave his bona fide consent for a single moment to grant Emancipation. 0'CoNNELL,amidhis various occupations, found time to attend to some professional engagements in London. Ho was employed by Mr. Addis, an eminent Solicitor in London, in the celebrated appeal, in which Denys and James Scully, were Appellants, and Jeremiah Scully and others, Respondents. A London Paper gives the following account of the ease before the Lords : — *' This was an appeal from the decision of the Court of Chancery of the sister country ; and though a case of considerable importance in itself, it derived increased in- terest from the circumstance of its introduction, for the first time, to the notice of the Lord Chancellor, of a per- son who has always been the antipodes of his Lordship in political feeling ; and who, in proclaiming to the world '• his country's wrongs," has not been sparing of censure or invective on his Lordship's conduct, in the part he has taken to perpetuate them. The celebrated BIr. O'Con- nell was engaged as one of the Counsel for the appel- lants, and for tho first time appeared in his forensic cha- racter in this country. No sooner had he risen to address their Lordships, than it was buzzed about the precincts of Westminster, and persons of all descriptions crowded in with anxious curiosity, to witness his display. Several Members of the Houses of Peers and Commons, who hap- pened to be down on business, came in at intervals, and DANIEL O'CONNELL. 43S seemed to derive much satisfaction from having had an opportunity of gratifying their curiosity — amongst them were Lords Holland and Stanley. It seemed to have been the general impression with the crowd below tho bar, that Mr. O'Connell had sustained the forensic reputation, which he enjoyed in his own *' degraded, en- slaved, and much-injured country." His narrative was clear, and his language fluent. It was characterised more by the persuasive than the impassioned eloquence for which the orators of the other side of the channel are so remarkable— -a proof of the flexibility of Mr. O'Con- N ell's mind, and his capability of discarding long prac- tised habits, and adapting himself to the style of the country in which he may happen to be placed. There is, however, an earnestness in his manner, which im- presses an auditor with the conviction that he is more than the mere advocate ; in fact, that he links himself with the fate of his client. He addressed their Lord- ships for nearly two hours, during which the Lord Chan- cellor paid him great attention ; which, with the deep in- terest he felt in the event, sustained his energy; for oc- casionally, the external surface showed no unequivocal symptoms of a deep heaving within — a suppressed mur- mur — that he, in the misery of despair, was now address- ing him in the pride of triumph, who was the key-stone of that decision made in the same spot, scarcely 33 hours before, which shut him out from hope, and his country from justice. " The facts of the case were briefly these, Mr. James Scully, of the County of Tipperary, married in 1790, and by his marriage settlements, covenanted to settle at his death one-third of the property he might die pos- sessed of on his wife. Mr. Scully was a respectable banker, and amassed a large property. By his will ho 2n 434 LIFE AND TIMES 0/ left his wife an annuity of £1,000, with a moiety of the household property, unless within one month after his death she should make an election, and prefer taking one- third of his property. The bulk of his property he left to his two sons, Denys and James Scully, the appel- lants } making but a small provision for the rest of his children. Mr, Scully died in 1816, and Mrs. Scully for nine months afterwards continued to receive the annu- ity ; but the other children prevailed upon her to make an election of one-third, which would have been much more than the annuity Denys and James Scully re- sisted this claim, as she had not made her election earlier and she filed a bill against them in the Irish Court of Chancery. Mrs, Scully died before the suit was termi- nated, leaving Jeremiah Scully, one of her younger sons, her principal legatee; and bequeathing to him a large portion of the one-third, if he could succeed in thus establishing her right. He filed a bill of reviver, and the case was decided against Denys and James Scully, who now appealed to that decision . •' Further hearing was postponed for a fortnight. ** "When O'CoNNELL was done. Lord Enniskillen (who, with Lord Kingston and Lord Dufferin, sat to- day) came down to the bar and was introduced to Mr. O'Connell, by Lord Kingston. His Lordship came down close to the bar and listened to Mr. O'Connell with the greatest attention." Lord Chancellor Eldon, in his diary, as given by Ho- race Twiss, thus briefly alludes to O'Connkll's ap- pearance before him. The inveterate bigotry and political prejudices for which the Chancellor was notorious, are evident in the following extract : — *' Mr. O'Connell pleaded as a Barrister before me in the House of Lords on Thursday. His demeanour was D\NIKL O'CONNELI.. 435 very proper ; but he did uot strike me as shining so much in argument, as might be expected from a man who has raadc so much noise in his harangues in a seditious As- sociation 1 " The subjoined passages from the communication of a dear and valued friend, who was well acquainted with the whole proceeding, will be read with interest: — *' ScuLi.Y'scase was an appeal to the House of Lords, from a judgment pronounced in the Court of Chancery in Ireland, by Lord Manners. From the position of the parties, and the largo property at stake, it excited much public attention in Ireland. It was a family dispute, and Avas carried on with all the acrimony by which such suits are generally distinguished. Very strong prejudices ex- isted in the public mind against the appellants, the two elder brothers of the family ; and those prejudices were not a little influenced by a slashing speech made by Lord Plunkett, then at the bar, on behalf of the junior branches of the family. Passages from this speech are <}uoted to this day. The oppeal from the judgment of Lord Manners, was brought before the Lords, and it was in active motion at a very critical period, viz., during the debates in Parliament on the Catholic Question, in 1825. The appeal was before the House of Lords for some days, during the latter end of May, and the beginning of June, 1845 ; and it was whilst this appeal was in progress, that the Emancipation Bill was rejected in the House of Lords. O'Connell was then in London ; and was at that time tho greatest lion of the day. He got a brief in the case. On the day appointed, the cause came on before their Lordships — the leading counsel for the appellants, was the then Solicitor General, Sir Charles Wet her all. It was about one o'clock in the dav when the case was called on — O'Connell had 436 LlfTl ANU TIMKi OF never before appeared as counsel at the bar of tho House of Lords — the whole scene was new to him, and he had not the least notion, nor had any one else, of his being called upon to address the House before the fol- lowing day ; as it was supposed Sir Charles Wether- all's speech would have occupied the whole of it, and part of the next. Sir Charles Wetherall opened the ease, and after making a few introductory observations, not occupying more than ten minutes, stated he was hap- py to tell their Lordships that, in the case before them, he was to be followed by a learned gentleman of the Irish bar, of great name and fame— Mr. O'Connell, who had beenCounsel in the cause in the court below, and who would supply any deficiencies or inaccuracies into which he might fall, in detailing the complicated facts of the very important case under consideration. Immediately, upon this. Lord Eldon stopped Sir Charles Wetherall, and said with much seeming kindness, that it was the practice of the House, in appeals from Scotland, to give precedence to the gentlemen from the Scotch bar, that they might not be, to their great inconvenience, unne- cessarily detained in London j and he submitted to Sir Charles Wetherall, that a similar courtesy was due to the learned gentlemen of the Irish bar — To this Sir Charles Wetherali. most readily assented, and retired from the bar. O'Connell was immediately thrust forward, and took his place. Thus, he was a good deal taken by surprise, as he had not calculated on addressing the House that day, and was anxious to hear the line of argument his learned leader would take — and to familiarise himself a little with the new scene in which he was about to play his part. Whe- ther Lord Eldon was influenced by the kindness he pro- f«ssed» or wished to embarratis O'Connbll, in taking DANIEL o'cONNETiL. 43T him by surprise, was by many doubted. However, O'CoNNELL came forward and made an admirable ad- dress ; he was listened to with profound attention, and made the most favourable impression on the House, and the several Counsel engaged in the case, whether on one side or the other. O'Connell had not been a long time speaking, before it was bruited about that he was on his legs addressing the House. The space below the bar became quickly crowded, and the body of the House was gradually nearly filled by Peers ; a very unusual circum- stance during the progress of appeals ; all brought toge- ther to see and hear the man who at that moment occu- pied 60 large a space in the public mind. The rich tones of O'Connell's voice — his legal ingenuity — and his clear and distinct articulation, wore greatly admired, and amply rewarded those whose curiosity had led them to listen to him. There were scarcely any flights of fancy or imagination ; they would have been out of place before a grave assembly of senators met to decide upon plain matters of fact, and dry legal questions. A good deal of delay took place before th<3 judgment of the Lords wag pronounced. From what was thrown out by Lord Eldon, during the progress of the appeal, sanguine hopes of success were entertained, but disappointment was the result. It was expected his Lordship would go fully into the case, and state the grounds on which the decision was founded, which is most frequently done ; but all hopes and fears were rapidly set at rest ; he did not take three minutes to pronounce a judgment against the appellants. He, however, did not visit them with the costs of their opponents, which was a saving to them of many hundred pounds ; and showed, at least, that there were some grounds for appealing from the judgment of the Court below." 2 N 2 43S LiFiz X'Sii rniai ae One oftho best speeches O'Connell ever made, was at the great meeting of the British Catholic Association, the Duke of Norfolk presiding. It was full of fire, and of real classic eloquence. He astonished his auditory. In fact, Avherever he appeared, he gained golden opinions from every one, by the blandness of his manners in pri- vate, and his lofty bearing in public. He left England, a popular man with all parties, with whonv he came in contact. But he left it in despond^incy ; his hopes were not reaKsed, Notwithstanding every concession, the Bill was lost ; the " Wings," of course, were abandoned, and he returned to Ireland with a presentiment of the storm about these very concessions, which awaited him. CoBBETT and Ensor led the van in the agitation against the " Wings;" and they were followed by two zealous assistants ;. one in the north, the other in the south — John Lawless, and Ricuaud Ronayne, of Cork, the latter as sterling a Reformer as ever lived. Mr. Cob-- BETT opened the battle, by a letter in May, against O'CoNNELLj Ensou foUowcd ; Lawless published repeated letters f and Richard Ronayne denounced the conduct of the Deputation in no measured phrase, at a great Catholic meeting-, in the City of Cork. Notwith- standing all this tempest of invective, O'Connell main- tained his ascendency ; and though he admitted that the two measures, called " Wings," should not evermore be made adjuncts to Emancipation, he reiterated his opinion that in themselves, under proper restrictions, both measures were useful, not injurious. On his return to Ireland he had the honor of a public entry into Dublin. At that time the Holyhead packets came into Howth harbour. He landed there, and a magnificent procession accompanied him to the metropolis. Nothing could be more gratifying than his reception. BANIEL o'cOXNKI.I-. ii9 Except the Kilkenny demonstration, in 1824, it was tho first public entrj he received. In latter years, such an honor, and it was a high one, became an accustomed compliment on his visiting any of the great cities in the provinces. The Catholic Association now ceased to exist. The Algerine Act had passed. The law prohibited any Meeting or Association to assemble for redress of griev- ances, of any kind,in Church or State ; or for petitioning on political subjects ; or for the prosecution or defence of civil causes ; or for alteration of matters established by law, in Church or State ; or for the continuance of the Association sittings, by adjournment beyond four- teen days. This law prevented the weekly meetings of the Association, because that body included in its dis- cussions, every grievance, political and social, of which the coimtry complained. But O'Conneli, and Sheil soon devised means to drive a coach and six through tho Act of Parliament. A new Association was formed, which held, as heretofore, its meetings at the Corn Ex- change ; and w hich strictly confined itself to matters unconnected with political grievances — such as the state of education, the burial of the dead, &c. This body were not permitted to raise contributions for political purposes ; but they had ten thousand pounds remaining in the funds, from the Old Association. In addition to the advan- tages derivable from thepossession of that sum of money, they hit upon a plan of holding political meetings, for the purpose of petitioning for Emancipation. But we have not yet arrived at the period when they were holden ; and we defer, 'for the present, the consideration of that branch of tho subject. The uniform of the new Associa- tion continued the same as that the members of the for- mer Confederation wore — namely, a blue frock with black 440 LIFE akd times op velvet collar, black silk buttons, and one gilt conciiiatioa button at the top of the right shoulder, and a yellow waistcoat. In the course of the year, Catholic meetings, both aggregate and parochial, were held in Dublin. Atone of them it was resolved to accept nothing but unqualified Emancipation. At another — a parish meeting at St. Audeon's — Mr. O'Connell was roughly criticised, on the subject of the "Wings," by Mr. Richard O'Gor- MAN. Nevertheless, a resolution of thanks to O'Con- nell, for his great services in London, was enthusiasti- cally adopted. At another of their aggro-gate meetings, Mr. Sheil first suggested the celebrated plan of simulta- neous assemblages. It was on this occasion that ho made the allusions to the Duke of York, whicli are supposed to have given so much offence ; when he said that " the Duke had his father's faculties, without his crown." In consequence of the Duke of York's speech, it was generally believed that the King was unfavourable to the Catholic claims. In allusion to his Majesty's hostility, Mr. Sheil spoke the following beautiful passages : — "But, for ray own part, I cannot bring myself to think so badly of human nature, as to suppose it possible that George the Fourth should be unfavourable to our claims. Why did he come amongst us ? Was it for the sake of exhibiting the ponderous pageantry of an itine- rant Court, and of astonishing us with the fantastic glare of melo-dramatic royalty ? It was for a far nobler and more exalted purpose. If George the Fourth had landed in Ireland, with no better object than to gratify the passion for popular applause, which, while it is fa- tigued, is never satiated ; his visit to Ireland would bo little deserving of commemoration. But if, as I make no question, it was intended with a view to measures of ulterior pacification, it excused and almost justified tho BANIEI, O'CONNELL. 441 paroxysm of loyalty into which the country was preci- pitated. The King's entry into this great city, was an exhibition of the nation's heart. It was, if I may so say, an ovation of the affections, and a triumph of enthusi- asm, of fidelity and of love. "There," we exclaimed, " are our hearts ;" and we did even not ask for freedom as an equivalent — we stifled the language of entreaty, and so far from complaining, we did not even implore. — At length the day of his departure arrived. Do you recollect that memorable and, I may call it, that thrill- ing and pathetic incident ? Must not the contemplation of the scene which accompanied his embarkation, have stirred every source of generous sensibility, to its inmost and purest depth, within him ? — When he stood upon the deck of the golden galley, that slowly and majesti- cally began to waft him from our shores ; when the sails were unfurled, and the expanded canvas began to swell before the wind ; when ho looked back and beheld this beautiful, but unfortunnte land, receding behind him ; when he saw the green hills crowded to their summits with the living masses of his ardent and enthusiastic people ; when he heard the prayers that Avere offered up in an undivided supplication for his welfare ; when he beheld a million of hands raised up to heaven, to call down blessings on his head ; — I do not know of what ma- terials the hearts of Kings are made ; but if he has one touch of human nature in his bosom, his heart must have melted in him, and his soul must have rushed into his eyes. The recollections of his early life must havo come back upon him ; he must have remembered the time when he was the hope, the trust, and the fond an- ticipation of Ireland ; and even, if his heart, in place of being, as it is, fertile of good sentiment, were as dry and barren as the strand from which he was departing ; the feelings of his youth must have rushed back, lik* 443 LIFE A.N1> TIMIiS Of a spring tide, and overflowed and refreshed his bosom with pure and generous emotions. If, at such a moment, an honest man had stood beside him ; might lie not have exclaimed, " Oh, Sir, did your purple halls or your golden banquets over yet disclose a spectacle like this ? — Look at the people whom your Ministers have devoted to oppression I Behold the enthusiastic, the chivalrous, the high-minded men, who stand in myriads upon yon ill-fated shore ; and, without-stretched arms, bid you a devoted and affectionate farewell 1 And, what part does it become you to act towards Ireland ? — Ask it of your own heart— do not tal TIMES OP NKLL is estimated at over four thouiaml a year, of wlilcfr the terminable property, amounting to £""2,000 a -year, passed, it is said, from his family at his duceaso. It was in September, that he proceeded to take possession of his imcle's residence, Darrynanc Abbey. The whole popu- lation of the (Jistrict came out to meet him. Nothing could exceed the delight of the peasantry, in re- ceiving as their landlord, the great friend of their coun- try. It \yas a proud.— a happy day for O'Connell. He was in his native mountains — away from the spite, ma- lice, envy, Avith wliich he was not long before assailed. He breathed the pure air from the Atlantic. As ho used to say himself, he imbibed the spirit of liberty which came directly across from the land of freedom. Darry- NANE is situated, if not on the most western, on one of the most western promontories O'f Kerry. The promon- tories of Bray Head, near Valentia Harbour, and Dun- more Head, near Ventry Harbour, aie more western ; but next to thes^, it is nearer to America than any other part of Ireland. Nothing can exceed the wild beauty of the scenery. Tjie residence is cluse to an inlet, or creek, made by the action of the Atlantic. The Abbey, from which the place derives its name, and in which is tho burial place of the O'Connell family, is on a jutting^ piece of land which, except at certain tides, is sur- rounded by water, and is called the Abbey Island. — The general approach to jDarrynane, from the busy \ prld, is from Cahirciveen, on one side, and Kenmare on the otlicr ; and, undoubtedly, the difficulty of the passage added much to the romance of a visit to the great Agi- tator, in the wilds of Kerry. Many a young lady from t le sister country, with her imagination full of the dea- ci'iptions of Walter Scott's Highland scenery, and having some u.idefinod notion of what kind of porsor* UAMTEL o'cONNELT,. M7 •O'CoNNBLL was, used to feel all her anticipations, realised, when, borne by a mountain poney, she traversed "ivith her compaynons dc voynge, the wilds leading to the residence of hira, whoso fame was European. There "was something very attractive in such a visit. The wild "and barren mountains around — the steep and stony path — the ocean— the sheltered and sunken valley by the sea shore, on which stands the irregular mass of building called Darrynane — the shrubberies flourishing in spite, as it were, of Nature's ordinance — and, above all, the hos- pitable owner, liberal and kind-hearted, and his amiable family — all made a visit to Darrynane one of the most in- teresting incidents in the life of the stranger. We liave said that O'Connell's uncle confined his 1iospita;lities principally to the industrious classes, whose business brought them in the direction. He felt no anxiety to hold communication with the merely curious t'oyo^ewr. O'Con- NELL.on the contrary, threw wide his gates \o all visitors ; and we know of instances in which total strangers, who had no introduction and scarcely a name, have spent days and weeks in the house — notwithstanding the awkward- ness and indeed the impropriety of the intrusion. Puch was the generous, indiscriminate hospitality the Li- UEUATOR continued for years to maintain. His table at Darrynane, though well furnished, never had any pretensions to high fashionable style, either in the re- cherche of the cuisine, or the richness of the appoint- ments. These things were not looked for at the west- ern shores of the Atlantic. Generous, but not inelegant abundance, was the characteristic of O'Connell's board. DarrynaneHouse was repeatedly added to sincel825. Ori- ginally it was a small and comparatively humble edifice. Now, though an irregular building, it is a very large com- modious and comfortable mansion. A gooddoal of it, hosr- 44S LIFE AN1> TIMES Of ever, is occupied with passages. The drawing and dining rooms are fine stately apartments, and handsomely fur- nished. Some of the sofas O'Connell purchased at Lord Clare's auction. Speaking of them to a visitor- he said, " these wero once present at high Orange orgies. *• I bought them at the auction of that petticoat Bobes- " pierre, Lord Clare ; who never named Catholics with- " out some epithet of hatred and contempt." As O'Connell's mode of life, during his autumn residence at Darrynane, from the time he came into possession of the property, to within a short time of his death, was the same round of healthful enjoyment, and abundant hospi- tality, this may be the most opportune time to group to- gether some remarks on this portion of his biography ; and the reader will understandjthat during each succeed- ing year, when we mention the Liberator's visit to his native mountains, the usual mode of life we will now describe, was pursued uniformly to the end. The following beautiful and graphic description from Mr. Howitt's " Visit to Darrynane," in 1835, is truth- ful and interesting : and may be first introduced, in ad- dition to what has been already stated about the locale of Darrynane. " I believe," he says : — *• No good view has ever been taken of Darrynane. We have heard a good deal of the princely style in which O'Connell lives there— and are therefore led to suppose that his ancestral abode is something quite magnificent. This is not the fact. The house of Darrynane is a good and capacious, rather than a grand house. On the con- trary, taking into consideration the fame and standing of the great Irish Liberator, and the hospitality that both his position and his disposition dictate, it strikes one, on arriving at it, as a somewhat modest one. It is the fit- ting residence of a substantial country gentleman, and DANIEL o' CONN ELL. -Hf iioLliiiig more. II is ol' rather an irregular form; and lias evidently been, from time to time, enlarged as became requisite, rather with regard to convenience than to one general design. Thus, you approach it by a sort of open Court, formed by two projections from the main build- ing. The one to your right, consists of a part of tho house, whore, I suppose, the liousehold affairs are trans- acted, as visitors seldom enter that portion ; and of a small Chapel, which Mr. O'Connell has recently erect- ed, and which is, indeed, not yet internally finished. The projection to your left, of two stories, contains, on the ground floor, Air. O'Connell's private study, an^ over it the library, with windows overlooking the ocean. A small lobby in this projection first receives you ; and advancing from it, you find yourself in a large one 5 in •fact, in the very centre of the house, and where the grand staircase conducts you to the rooms above. Hero you find the drawing-room, a fine spacious apartment, running at right angles with the projection containing the study and library, and towards the sea ; and the windows on all sides give you views over the ocean and the rocky hills around, with the plantation close under the house, find the green cNpanse of meadow between the house and the sea. Beneath this room is the dining-room, of the same dimensions. On the other side of the main staircase, you see a loQg passage leading to a variety of rooms : but to these, except it be to his bedroom in that direction, the visitor seldom penetrates. The library, the drawing, and dining rooms, are the visitor's quar- ter; and a more airy and agreeable one he seldom will find. In themselves, they are handsome, and liandsoraely furnished, with some family portraits, .''nd other pictures; but with nothing that at all savours of a spirit of pomp or ostentation. They are handsome, home-like rooms; 202 4o0 . LIFE AN1> TIMES OF isuch as befit the abode of the country gentleman, or the reception of the prince, the noble, or the simple and unassuming man of taste. You feel that it is the house of one who has far higher claims to distinction than such as are derived from the mere splendour of abode. — And what other house can show you such views from its windows ? From the middle of a green wood, you gazo down over a green meadow to the sea, which runs up into a sort of bay before the house, bounded by the high and stony ridge of Lamb Head, which shuts out the Kcnmare river. Beyond the Kenmare estuary, you catch a view of the high and craggy point of that long promontory which separates Kenmare river fx'om Bantry Bay. To the west, the eye follows the shores below the house, to where protrudes, far into the ocean, the green but wild foreland, called the Abbey Island ; because, in spring tides, it is sometimes separated from the mainland, but at other times can be reached across a narrow sandy neck on foot. In the corner, or inner sweep of the bay» formed by the running out of the Abbey Island from tho mainland, you see the ruins of the old abbey of Darrynane ; whence the house of the Liberator is still often called Darry- nane Abbey. Out, at some distance in the ocean, in the same direction, you observe two lofty, insulated rocks, called Sca- riff and Dinish, of a bold and noble aspect, something like Ailsa Craig, off the coast of Scotland. Such is the view sea- ward fromDarrynane; and when the ocean waves come swell- ing in with wind and tide, dashing their milky spray high over the black rocks, which here and there stand aloft in the waters, and climbing, in snowy whiteness, the craggy shores in every direction, there is a wild grandeur about tho scene which can rarely be surpassed. If wo then walk out and turn our gaze in an opposite direction, espe- cially to the novth and east, we find the place shut in by DANIEL O'CONNKLL. 4^1 a swoop of noble mountains, reaching an elevation of two thousand five hundred feet. These form what is called in England, a combe, oi' sheltered hollow, which is jlro- tected from all the severe winds, and builds a little se- cluded region of greenness and mildness ; so mild, indeed, that the fuschia and the hydrangea are seen blowing therein great beauty in the open air. The house stands sufficiently elevated to command the fine sea view, and partly that of this green hollow, and its bold circle of craggy mountains. The house is partly battlemented, and the walls are all tiled from ground to roof, with grey stone tiles ; a defence against the action of the elements, no doubt found very necessary here, exposed as the house, is to the winds and salt spray from the stormy Atlantic. . " On the north side of the house, lie the court-yard, farm-buildings, and offices ; and, separated from these by the high-way, lie, in the bosom of the sheltered hol- lov/, the gardens. These are spacious, and very delight- ful. You cross an outer plot; pass under a sort of tun- nel, or archway, of some ten yards or so, and find your- self in a lovely flower-garden, with bee-hives standing here and there, and a beautiful spring of water, covered with a fanciful canopy of shell-work ; and further on you see still more tempting garden-walks, and masses of trees, half-concealing the rocks and hollows at the foot of the hills, which form the natural boundary to these pleasant gardens. As you advance, you come to a fine orchard, in the most central and sheltered part of this hollow; in one place you ascend a few steps, and find a little square platform on the bouiidary wall, with seats round it, giv- ing a splendid view of the mountain eastward ; in ano- ther, you advance up a close woodland walk, and arrive at a summer-house, on a rocky knoll, giving one complete 452 LIF£ AND TIMES OF and airy view over both sea and laud. Debceudiug af>aia by anotherpath, you discover, at the foot of the rocks, a simple rural seat or bank, overhung by the trees, and with ♦he flower-garden lying displayed at your feet, *' This seat used to be the favourite resort of the uncle of Mr. O'CoNNELL, from whom he inherited Darrynane. This old gentleman, who seems to have boon a man of both powerful physical frame, and lofty moral charac- ter, iived to within one year of a hundred. He was for some years blind before his decease, and delighted to sit here, where, beneath the fresh canopy of trees and rocks, he could hoar the distant sound of the sea. That sound, so full of majesty, seemed not only to soothe him, but to bring, as it were,a visible perception of the scenes around, in which it made so grand a figure, and to call up the vivid acts and images of his past life. ** There was no fear of death in his strong and pre- pared mind," said Mr. O'Connell, one day, as we passed this place. *' In front of this seat, at some dis- taace, grew a splendid ash tree.— Once, having sat for some time, as in deep thought, he said," " * Daniel, I have a favour torequest of you.' *• * Of me, uncle ; what can that be ?' " ' Measure me the girth of that tree.' , . '^ 'I did so, and told him what it was.' '• ' I thought so;' he said. *I thought it was as large as that. The favour I would ask, Daniel, is, that that tree may now be felled.' ".' May be felled ? What, the tree you have always seemed to take such pleasure in I' . *' ' Yes, I would have it cut down.' •• ' Then, certainly, let it be cut down. There is no i)ccasion to ask the permission of me.' UA.NIEI. O'CONNKM. ilj'6 " ' Yes, as this place will be yours, I would not do any- thing without consulting you. I thank you for giving rae leave to fell this tree ; and now I will tell you for what purpose I would fell it. It is to make my coffin of its wood. I have for some time thought that it would be large enough, and I now find that it is. Send for the car- penter.' '* The carpenter was sent for. • Now, carpenter,' he said, addressing him, ' I want you to make my coffin.— You must cut down that ash : saw it up into boards of an inch and a quarter thick, and of twenty-two inches deep ; the entire boards will be large enough both for that, and for the bottom and lid of a suitable proportion. As for the length, what do you think that should be ?* " The carpenter, running his. eye over the fine old man, and considering in himself for some time, replied : " ' I should say seven feet, your honour.' " ' Seven feet ! Why, T never stood more than six feet three ; age has something decreased my height, but death, I know, will stretch me out again to a certain degree ; but, seven feet ! why that is the proportion for a giant ; let it be six feet five.' •* With this the old gentleman dismissed the man and the subject. The tree was felled ; the boards sawn and seasoned, and the coffin made 'according to his direc- tions." " The plantations which thus embosom these charm- ing gardens, and the house also, are of considerable ex- tent, and have pleasant drives through them indifferent directions. Taken in contrast with the bareness of the surrounding country, and the rugged character of the hills, they present a very attractive and refreshing mass of verdure to the eye. They arc, however, but young, and have, I believe, been for the most part planted by the Liberator himself. 454 LIFE AM) TIMES OF " Tho meadow, lying between, the plantations and the sea, presents, from the house, a most agreeable object, and offers one of the most charming places for walking ; while the emerald billows are booming on the hard sands. Here, on Sunday afternoons, and on holydays, in the fashion of Catholic countries, the peasantry also assemble to a game of hurling, or a dance; and the Liberator and his family often go out, and walk amongst them, and give a livelier zest to their sport by the interest they take in it. The sea-sand, by that admirable provision of Providence, seen wherever a low shore is seen, has been thrown up into a bank, which the sea-grass has g7*own upon, and with its roots knit, as it were, into ocean-proof firmness ; the sea creating its own barriers. The meadow actually lies below the water at high tide; and, were the bank to give way, the whole meadow and part of the plantations would be overflowed. Of this there are some fears, from the looseness of tho sand at a part called the Gap, or Dead Man's Gap ; from funerals formerly having been carried along the shore to the Abbey, and through this gap. To favour the accumula- tion of sand, thorns and stakes are driven down on the shore, which seem to answer the purpose ; yet not so as entirely to allay all fears of the effects of some tremen- dous tempest from the west." Another visitor thus describes the residence of the Liberator : — *' Darrynane, the residence of j\Ir. O'Connell, is dis- tant from Kenmare thirty-one miles ; and I was informed by the Landlord of the inn at the latter place, and in- deed by all who spoke to me on the subject, that I should share, at the residence of the celebrated ' Liberator," the hearty welcome which is invariably offered to all who travel the wilds surrounding it. The road from Ken- jjjare to Darr^-naneis mountainous; parts of the country DAMiCL O'COXNELL. 4o5 being tliiuly inliabited, and does not possess a single inn or house of public accommodation; Darrynane, in fact , is the only place of entertainment " for man and horse ;" and Darrynane is open to all who clioose to accept its hos- pifality. ******** '* Old castles abound in the course of the drive from Kcnmare ; and from the high moors about two miles be- fore we arrived at the descent to Darrynane, an extensive and noble prospect is commanded. The mighty Atlan- tic bounds this magnificent view, which includes, among other things worthy of notice, the mouth of the Kenmare river, the islands of Scarriff and Dinish, rising abruptly out of the ocean, the rocks called the Ball, Cow, and Calf, at the extremity of the Peninsula, which divides Bantry Bay from Kcnmare river ; and, lastly, Darrynane House and the ruins of Darrynane Abbey, reposing at the foot of the mountains, on the borders of Kenmare river, near the open sea. Having descended the hill, wa overtook a company of men, boys, and girls, driving about thirty small horses and mules, laden with panniers of turf; they occupied the whole length of the road for some distance ; and, on being asked where they were go- ing, said, ' We are taking turf to warm the LiBERAToa.' ** The day on which I arrived was a fast day ; the table, notwithstanding, was admirably supplied with a variety of fish and some excellent Kerry mutton, for the use of Protestant strangers. Fourteen different kinds of fish, caught close to the place, are frequently on the table at the same time. The coast abounds with -fish ; as many as thirty turbot have been caught at one draught. "Darrynane House is an extensive pile of buildings, erected at different periods, and without regard to any particular order of architecture, or any prevailing uni- formity of plan. Convenience and the comforts of his ■456 LIFE AND TIMES OF guests, seem to have guided Mr. O'Connell in the ealargemeat of his mansion. In front of the house stretches an extensive garden, at the end of which is a fine natural lawn of soft short grass — in spring and sum- mer the scene of various sports and pleasant exercises. The sea which here forms a cove or bay,comes close up to the lawn. The sands of the shore are firm and clean ; and the waves of the bay, which struck me as being of a remarkable emerald hue, are interrupted m their magni- ficent progress by a few picturesque rocks. The ruins of the Abbey are at the opposite side of this small bay, a quarter of a mile from Darrynane House. A rookery presents a scene of perpetual animation to the north of the house ; and in the same direction are extensive plan- tations, containing rustic bowers, tastefully designed, and winding walks by the side of clear brooks. All these, of course, I saw under considerable disadvantages ; but still I saw sufficient to convince me that Darrynane was a lovely spot. The air is peculiarly wholesome ; and, dur- ing my stay there, a letter was received from Mr. O'Con- nell, anticipating with pleasure the enjoyments of his native place, and speaking with delight of deriving from its healthy climate a good stock of health, to enable him to re-commence the tug of war in St. Stephen's. When at Darrynane, hunting is his favourite exercise; and I was informed that he climbs the rugged mountains, after his favourite pack of beagles, with all the untiring acti- vity and buoyancy of youth." The following extract from a letter addressed by O'Connell to Walter Savage Landob, gives as beau- tiful and as graphic a description of the wild and magnifi-, cent scenery of this famed abode, as any that has ever been written on the subject : — B1.NISL O'CONNBLL. 467 " Darrynane Abbey, October 4, 1838. " Sir — You wrong rae much in supposing that I do not Itnow you. ' Not to know you were to bespeak my- self unknown.* Little do you imagine how many persons besides myself have been delighted with the poetic ima- ginings which inspired these lines on one of the wonders of my infancy — the varying sounds emitted by marine shells — " Pleased, they remember their august abodes, And murmur, as the ocean murmurs there." ** Would that I had you here, to show you ' their august abode' in its most awful beauty. I could show you at noontide — when the stern south-wester had blown long and rudely— the mountain waves coming in from the illimitable ocean in majestic succession, expending their gigantic force, and throwing up stupendous masses of foam, against the more gigantic and more stupendous mountain cliffs that fence not only this my native spot,but form that eternal barrier which prevents the wild Atlan- tic from submerging the cultivated plains and high stee- pled villages of proud Britain herself — or, were you with me amidst the Alpine scenery that surrounds my humble abode, listening to the eternal roar of the mountain tor- rent as it bounds through the rocky defiles of my native glens, I would venture to tell you how I was born within the sound of the everlasting wave, and how my dreamy boyhood dwelt upon imaginary intercourse with those who are dead of yore, and fed its fond fancies upon the anci- ent and long-faded glories of that land, which preserved literature and Christianity, when the rest of now civil- ised Europe, was shrouded in the darkness of godless igno- rance. Yes I my expanding spirit, delighted in these day dreams, till catching from tliem an enthusiasm which no disappointment can embitter, nor accumulating years diminish, I formed the high resolve to leave my natire " 2p 463 LIFB AND TIMES 07 land better after my death than I found her at my birth ; and, if possible, to make her what she ought to be — " Great, glorious, and free, First flower of the earth, and first gem of the sea." " Perhaps, if I could show you the calm and exquisite beauty of these capacious bays and mountain promonto- ri(ps, softened in the pale moonlight which shines this lovely evening, till all which during the day was grand and terrific, has become calm and serene in the silent tranquillity of the clear night — perhaps you would readi- ly admit, that the man who has been so often called a fero- cious demagogue, is, in truth, a gentle lover of Nature,an enthusiast of all her beauties — *' Fond of each gentle and each dreary scene, and catching,from the loveliness as well as the dreariness of the ocean, and Alpine scenes with which he is surround- ed, a greater ardour to promote the good of man, in his overwhelming admiration of the mighty works of God." JVlr.O'CoNNELi/s chief enjoyment, while atDarrynane, was hare-hunting. The sport, of which the mountains round his home were uniformly the scene, was of course pursued on foot — and but few of his young and active friends were equal to the toil it imposed ; there were none of them who could endure a long day's fatigue like the Liberator ; he fairly tired out them all. His habit was, when a day's hunting was in contemplation, to go round on the previous evening, before retiring from the drawing-room, to his different visitors, and ask each, "Are you for the mountain in the morning?" When he had ascertained the number who were desirous of joining him, he gave directions accordingly to his butler. At four o'clock the following morning, each gentleman was called op, and a lighted candle and warm water placed on his dressing table. In the meantime, breakfast was sent to the DANIBL O'CONNELL. 461 *pot appointed on the previous evenings and before t\xi> visitors were ready to raov«, the Liberator was already on foot. The postman was directed to bring the letter- bag to whatever place on the mountain the hounds were stationed. No matter what delay this worthy official had, breakfast was never ordered until he arrived ; and it often happened that prolonged fasting, together with the fatigue of the hunt, proved too trying for the mosl athletic of the party. Even those who prided themselves on their capability of enduring physical toil, and hunger, too, were not able to compete with O'Connell, amidst the Darrynane mountains, before the arrival of the too tardy postman. When this important personage ap>- peared, then the scene immediately changed, and ah ample breakfast was spread out upon the sward. The Liberator had not the smallest appetite amongst the party. None of them paid their respects with more empressement to the good things provided than did he, or were larger consumers. Still, he did not neglect his letters or his newspapers — out they came from the post- man's bag, one by one ; as read they were strewn on th(i ground, and on these wild mountain fastnesses it was curious to observe the medley. In one place there might be seen a French epistle along with a memorial from some Dublin tradesman, to save him from an Excise prosecu- tion. In another place lay, perhaps, the Univers, Catho- lic journal, beside the Times — and the Dublin lievieto side by side with the University Magazine. Then there were all the Irish metropolitan and provincial papers, and innumerable letters from all parts of both kingdoms and from America. Yet, all the papers were run over, and all the letters opened before the sport began again. Then all became life and cheertulness : the impatience and annoy- ance at the loitering of the postman were forgotten, and ^69 LiriC AND TIMBI OF every one joined in beating for the game. While the resi of the party were so occupied, the Liberatok's practice was, to hear the complaints and settle the differences between the country people — who always on these occa- sions crowded after him, for the purpose of obtaining his advice or decision, and his arbitration was invariably abided by on the part of the litigants. So soon, how- ever, as the game was started — '^* Corromough," the huntsman, shouted out, ''* the hare's a foot, the coorte is over ;" and forthwith the case was adjourned until the next check or interruption to the chase. Thus, during the day, was he alternately employed — settling, at one moment, amicably, and without law, the differences of the people ; and, at another, breasting the mountain heightr in order to get a position to see the running of the dogs below him, and enjoy the music of their cry as it echoed from crag to crag. These were to him moments of un- mixed happiness, and thus were most of his days spent at Darrynane. We now give Mr. Howitt's description, and the- reader cannot fail to be struck with the similarity which may be traced between his and that the writer has feebly sketched — "It is well known that O'Connell has always been enthusiastically attached to those wild hills and shores of Darrynane, and that he has as enthusiastically followed the chase there. His pack of harriers, of native breed, are known all over Europe ; and the ardour with which he has followed them daily, from hill to hill, when he has retired from the field of national agitation, for a season, to the mountains of Kerry, is regarded by himself as one of the most efficient causes of the maintenance of that almost gigantic frame and constitution, which have ena- bled him to battle for half a century with the evils and DANIEL O'CONNELL. 461 tlie enemies of his country. To the present hour, when he has reached his seventieth year, that ardour remains unabated. At the mention of the stern beauties of his native region, and at the cry of his hounds, the spirit of Irish enthusiasm kindles visibly in him ; and, as in the arena of national exertion, he scorns to be second in tho field. It is worth the journey from England, to join O'CoNNELL in a hunt on his mountains. " To those who are accustomed only to the turn-out of an English field-day,to the troop of red-coated horsemen scouring over the hedges and ditches of a level country, the hunting here must be novel indeed. If you will rido here after the hounds, it must bo on goats, and not on horses. Your field is one wild chaos of rocks and crags, from one ascent to another ; now clambering aloft to catch sight of the pack, whose sonorous cries you hear ; and now rushing down to gain some other eminence which shuts out the view. It is not at ten or twelve o'clock either that the pack will throw off. O'Connell is up by peep of day, and out with his hounds into ihe mountains. Even to this day, the only indulgence tliat be allows himself, on these occasions, is to ride a horse up the steep road from his house to some spot near the scene of action. At six o'clock, in October, he is out. About a score of hounds, the number which he prefers to the whole pack, are seen drawing near the house from the kennel. Gentlemen are turning out, furnished with leap- ing-poles; and a troop of such wild -looking fellows, as Ireland only can produce, are hanging about, ready to give their necessary assistance as scouts and beaters on the occasion. There are two huntsmen in red caps and red jackets, armed with the same staves. The Libera- tor appears also grasping his ; and away goes the throng towards the heights. 2 r 2 4'62 LTFB AND TIMES 0/ •* The lifa of O'Connell at Darrynan© haa alwaj* been that of an old elan chieftain : and when. you see him and his friends, and his followers, thus setting out for the chase, you are irresistibly reminded of some graphic sketch in the novels of Sir Walter Scott. But the hunts- men and the tribe of followers have dispersed over some of the steep fields at the foot of the hills, and are beating over the bushes. There is a period of watching and expec- tation, while the hounds silently traverse the ground in all directions, with busy noses ; and as silently stand the Liberator and his friends, on some neighbouring eminence, awaiting the discovery of the hare. At once a hound gives mouth ; the rest run, at the cry, in his wake ; there is a general joining in the joyful clamour, and the hare is seen careering away up the valley. Noav, then, for the hills ; and luck to him who has a nimble foot and a free chest, for he will need them. From this mo- ment all is excitement and eager pursuit. Round the hills circles the started hare, and is found and lost, — seen and again only traceable by the cry of the pursuers. Now all is silence ; the hounds have lost the scent, and again the musical peal of voices comes streaming fuller and fuller down the wind. Here is the bewildered hare coming directly upon you. Still I There she stands reared on her hind legs, and listens in the very midst of you. But now I — she catches the view of you, and is gone over crag and hollow like a flying shadow. The scouts are already on every hill top. There is a whistle — she is seen by one of them, who points from his airy elevation the way that she is taking. The huntsman's voice, shouting • Forwards, forwards I' is heard, and once more the pack is upon the track. Louder grows the cry, more eager, more continuous. Away 1 down the rugged brae, or jou are too late ! Here comes the DANIEL O CONNELL. 46J eager pack close on the flagged victim; and a loud halloo announces that the chase is over ! " Thus does it go, from one romantic region to ano- ther ; now winding along the green and lofty mountain side; now lost amidst savage projecting crags, thatfrown fur above you, and streamlets roaring and tumbling down the dizzy depths far below you ; and now, from some far commanding point, taking in a glorious survey of hills and ocean, the wide plain of Waterville, or the distant rocky island of the Skelligs, or the splendid bays of Ballinskelligs, Valentia, or the distant Dingle. " Afternoon sees a motley throng descending tho winding road from the mountains, down towards Darry- nane. The light hue of the dogs, and the scarlet gleam of the huntsman's costume, are prominently visible ; and as they draw near, you wish for a painter to give the picturesque and weary company on a broad canvass. — It were a picture which, at a future day, when the great and the little men of the present generation are gone from the scene, and the Liberator and his agitators for Emancipation and Repeal, are become matters of his- tory,and of a more impartial judgment than can perhaps be arrived at by us, would be gazed at with intense interest by our children. That stalwart and manly figure in the centre ; the men who surround him, often characters of note and influence in the political world ; the dogs, a peculiar old Irish race ; many of them with long shaggy coats, with serious faces and erect tails, trotting on as if from some great achievement ; and they who crowd behind, in raiment, and with looks as wild as their own hills and moors— what most prodigal elements for a splendid painting by Landseer I "But the Liberator and his friends betake themselves to the house— it is the most important hour of six. Thd 464 LIFK ^ND TIMHS OF hospitality of Darrynane is proverbial. Few whom the love of travel, or the curiosity to see the great Agitator in his mountain home,draw thither, depart without being asked to take refreshment ; and never, during O'Con* nbll's stay there, is the house without guests, and those often numerous. There is generally a considerable com- pany assembled at dinner — and the drawing room, at other hours, is often vocal with a troop of the Liberator's grandchildren, of whom he has no fewer than six and thirty 1 Nowhere does O'Connell appear to more advantage than in the midst of his own]^ family. He seems to be particularly happy in his family relations. Children, grandchildren, guests, and domestics, appear animated by one spirit of affection and respect towards him. It speaks volumes, that within doors and without, in his own neighbourhood, the enthusiastic attachment to him, is perhaps greater than anywhere else. "The person of O'Connell is too well known to all the English, to need any description here : but no one can avoid being struck with his appearance, as you see him at home. That largo figure, built like one of the ancient round towers of this country, arrayed in a reddish, well padded dressing gown, and the Repeal cap upon his head — thus you see him seated at breakfast, generally at a side-table by himself, for the convenience of reading bis letters and newspapers, which the postman, early in the morning, brings over the hills from Cahirciveen. The Repeal cap is of green velvet, with a narrow gold band surrounding the upper part in Vandykes ; thus, for all the world, resembling to the eye a crown. Thus arrayed, the LiBERATOR—a title constantly used by his servants and friends — reminds you of some old kiug in a German story; but no old king in any German story ever occupied that position of importance, or exercised that DANIEL O'CONNELL. 465 moral influence which the Irish Agitator exercises at this moment. While he opens letter after letter, or glances over the columns of every newspaper published in Ire- land, besides English and French ones, which have issued from his capacious post-bag, the workings of a gigantic machinery, in daily operation, for compelling this great country to do justice to his long-abused native land, are laid open to his eye ; and thoughts which will to-morrow send out an electric action to every nook of Ireland, sit solemnly on his brow. The accuracy with •which that machinery works, and how well all its move- ments and results are known to the great director of them, a simple fact may demonstrate. Two days after I left, he was setting out on his tour of Repeal agitation. At dinner he said, ' At Cashel, t shall have 500,000 of the Tipporary boys, to meet me.' The report of that gather- ing in the Times, afterwards, showed how well founded was the assertion. " Another point, which strikes you in a visit to Darry- nane, is that which springs from Mr. O'Connbll's par- ticular faith. As a Catholic, he possesses a mighty hold on the minds of his countrymen. And he is no mere no- minal and careless Catholic. He keeps a domestic chap-^ lain, or confessor, the jolly-looking Father O'Sullivan ; and it at first somewhat startles you to hear, perhaps during the day, a sound of merry children's voices from the drawing-room, and on entering, behold, amid all the noise and childish laughter, the holy father walking to and fro, as if totally unconscious of the juvenile racket around him, with his breviary in his hand, muttering his prayers. In the observances of his religion, O'Connell has always been seriously zealous and regular. One morning, on opening his letter bag, he exclaimed — ♦ Bravo, I have got it !' ' What is that ?' 1 asked— i6d LIFH XND TIMES Oie * It is 7'Ae Cambridge and Oxford Magazine, containing; ' Smythe's Defence of the Jesuits — tho first defence by a * Protestant of that much misrepresented body of men.' At nine o'clock, every morning, the bell of Darrynane rings for mass. From all parts of the house, troop the members of the family, visitors and servants, to the cha- pel ; and for one hour the v^hole place is as still as a tomb. At ten, breakfast is served, and then commence the ordinary affairs or amusements of the day. Such is O'CoNNELL at Darrynane." We nov?^ give from a Conservative publication, the Dublin Christian Journal, the following account of a visit paid by a Protestant Clergyman to Darrynane : — *' Little did I think, when one evening in the dining parlour of a Protestant and high Conservative, that the next would find me enjoying the hospitality of the great- est political Romanist of the age. After breakfast, wo took it into our heads to have a nautical excursion across an arm of the sea which separated the two counties, in order to get just a peep and no more at the far-famed Abbey. Having a fair wind, we expected that after having accomplished the object of our suddenly planned voyage, we should be able, before night, to be anchored in our bay — but, being suddenly becalmed, did not make the harbour of Darrynane until about the time that we had hoped to be half-way home — and as it was, we were half content to have the prospect of getting on terra firma ; being exhausted, and suffering greatly from the effects of sea sickness, But no sooner had I heard that no less a personage than an M.P. had come to our relief, than I started up on my feet, weak and exhausted as I was, and after kind invitation on his part to come along with him, assuring me how happy his father would be to see us — I accompanied him. But the rest of the party were not so complying as myself, so we left them ; having first SANIKL o'eONMSIX. 467 arranged that they should come to breakfast the follow- ing morning. We had not proceeded far when we were met by another M.P., in another boat ; who, on hearing of the obstinacy of my friends, exclaimed that it was not to be tolerated, and soon boarding them himself, he did not leave them till he succeeded in getting them to return with him. All this attention we felt the more grateful, as being till then perfect strangers to those from whom -we experienced it ; but known to differ widely from them in religion and politics. The whole reception tve met with, especially from the hdst, was to us a corroboration of all we previously heard of the hospitality of the " Traveller's Home." Stories have been told, and believed by many--.of oddi- ties, peculiarities, airs, and assumptions, such as — the last to obey the dinner bell, all, both male and female, being expected to stay standing round the table until he made his appearance and took his seat ; and that when dinner was over, he was the first to retire, all standing up to do him homage at his departure. But in everything we saw there certainly was nothing to justify Buch stories, but everything the very opposite. In fact, he conducts himself like other human beings ; seeking to make his house and conversation every way agreeable to his guests, with nothing that could offend th? most fasti- dious or sensitive ; and he even the whole evening — with much, I am sure, to call him away — gave us the pleasure of his company in the drawing-room. I had also heard that religion and politics Vere totally excluded ; but w© had both — not in the way of controversy — but rather, as I would say, historically and practically. In reply to a marvellously quick succession of questions, from the head of our yachting party, he freely gave his opinion of several of the most eminent public characters of the day; ■465 LIFK AND TIME* OF assigning to each whatever position of merit he conceived them respectively entitled to, without appearing much biassed by his political prejudices. With myself he en- tered freely into a different sort of conversation, in which, from a brief discussion of the law of marriage, we were led on to speak of the greatness of a Saviour's love, the in- finity of his merits, and our consequeni obligations. Into this we thus glided, as it were imperceptibly, without the appearance of design. " My friend took his seat beside us, and asked me if I was trying to make a Protestant of our learned host. It happened in the course of conversation, that one of our party made a solemn asseveration by the Divine Name, which I thought should not go unnoticed, observing that whatever other differences of opinion might exist, we were agreed as to the sinfulness of the expression that had dropped from the lips of one of the Protestants of the trio. The reproof was well taken ; after which 1 made some remarks to them how little such a habit had to ex- cuse itself, it being of all sins the most easily avoided; in which our host concurred, and so our conversation went on very pleasantly till we were intexTupted by some music. Our company was composed of several Roman Catholic and Radical M.P.'s, &c. j a Roman Catholic cabinet* maker, employed here by the day, at the business of his trade, but in the evening most generously treated as a guest ; a Romish Priest, who attends hero in the double capacity of P.P. and Chaplain j the head of our own little party* a well-known Conservative in the county from which he came, and his excellent and accomplished part- ner, niece to two of our Conservative grandees, the one a commoner and the other a peer ; a host of other ladies of the same creed and politics with our hospitable enter- tainer, and myself. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 469 *• The reception and entertainment of a person hero is not an unfrequent event, and was much less so in the times of the Home Mission. I have heard that, even when the family were from home, the person in charge had directions from his tnaster, to be always prepared with a plentiful feed for both the Missionary and his horse, as often as, in their way by, they might choose to call. On hearing of their visits to the neighbourhood, he asked if they were Methodists, but when told they were Clergy- men of the church, he exclaimed, " Well, I never before thought they had so much good amongst them." He had probably been disposed to regard our Apostolic Establishment in the light according to which an Indepen- dent IMinister, with whom I was formerly acquainted, used to style it — ' A lumber-room for the aristocracy to throw their blockheads into.' " After a comfortable night's rest, in the same room with the only one of our host's four sons who has not yet been a member of the British Senate, nnd being most kindly and courteously waited on with razors and what- ever else I wanted, by an honourable M.P., I repaired to the library and read a portion of the Douay Bible I found lying on one of the shelves. After breakfast, 1 walked out, numerously escorted, to see the place. I pluclted a large plantain leaf, which I said I would take home and preserve as a relic, from the Abbey. I have it still care- fully preserved between the leaves of a folio copy of Bur- nett's History of his own Times. " After seeing as much as time would permit, and being dismissed with oft-repeated invitations to come again, we set sail at one o'clock, with the impression strong upon, at least, my mind, that the never-to-be ob- literated remembrance of all the kind attention we had experienced, must evermore constrain me to *mol)ify' s a 470 LIHE AND TIMES OF my feelings, and 'modify' my words, when thinking or speaking of a certain political personage, of whom, as a political foe, I had often spoken in terras of unmeasured reprobation." We cannot better conclude this notice of Darrynane, than by giving the following spirit-stirring efl'usion, from the well-known and accomplished contributor who has written under the signature of ■" Desmond," in the A'a- tion : — I. '• Where foams the -.vhite torrent, and rushes the rill, '' Down the murmurhig slopes of the echoing hill — " Where the eagle looV.s out from his cloud-crested crags, " And the caverns resound with the piinting of stags — " Where the brow of the mountain is purple with heath, " And the mighty Atlantic rolls proudly beneath, " With the foam of its waves like the snowy fenane — " Oh ! that is the region of wild Darrynane ! II. " Oh ! fair are the islets of tranquil Glengariff, " And wild aie the sacred i-ecesses of ScarifF — " And beauty, arid wildness, and grandeur, commingle " By Bantry's broad bosom, and ^wave-wasted Dingle ; " But wild as the wildest, and fair as the fairest, " And lit by a lustre that thou alone wearest — " And dear to the eye and the free heart of man, '* Ave the mountains and vallies of wild Darrynane ! III. " And who is the Chief of this lordly domain ? — " Does a slave hold the land where a monarch might reign ? — " Oh ! no, by St. Finbar, nor cowards, nor slaves, " Could live in the sound of these free dashing waves ! " A Chieftain, the grtatcst the world has e'er known — " Laurel his coronet— true hearts his throne — ♦' Knowledge his sceptre — a Nation lilsclan — " <)'Connell, the Chieftain of proud Darrynane ! IV. " A thousand bright streams on the mountains awake, " Whose waters unite in O'Donoghue's l^ake — •' Sivoatns of OlenMebk luid the dark (Jlshadfine " L<'llUi)H the hi'ikti of thul vtdlcy divluu 1 DANIEL O'CONNKLL, 471 ** Tlicn rushing in one mighty artery down " To the limitless ocean by niunnuring Lawnc 1 *' Thus nature unfolds in hor mystical plan, " A type of the Chieftain of wild Darrymne ! V. '■' In him every pulse of our bosoms unite — *' Our hatred of wrong and our worship of rit^ht — *' The hopes that we cherish, the ills we deplore, " All centre within his heart's innermost core, *' Wliich, KaHuM'cd in one mit^hty current, are flung " To the ends of the earth from his thunder-toned tongue ! ** Till the Indian looks up, and the valiant Aft'ghnn " Draws his sword at the echo from far Darrynune ! VI. " But here he is only the friend and the father, " Who from children's sweet lips truest wisdom can gather, •' And seek from the large heart of nature to borrow ** Rest for the present and strength for the morrow ; " Oh ! who that e'er saw him va ith children about him, ** And heaid his soft tones of affection, could doubt him ? *' My life on the truth of the heart of that man, *' That throbs like the Chieftain's of wild Darrynane ! vir. *• Oh ! wild Darrynane, on thy ocean-washed shore, *• Shall the glad song of mariners echo once more ? " Shall the merchants, and minstrel,, and mndcns of Spain^ *' Once again in their swift ships come over the main ? " Shall the soft lute be heard, arfd the gay youths of France •' Lead our blue-eyed young maidens again to the dance ? *' Graceful and shy as thy fawns, Killenane, " Are the mind-moulded maidens of far Darrynane ! VIII. "' Dear land of the South, ns my mind wandered o'er " All tiie joys I have felt by thy magical shore, *' From those lakes of enchantment by oak-clad Glena *' To the mountainous passes of bold Iveragh I '• Like the birds which are lured to a haven of rest, " By those rocks faraway on the ocean's bright breast — *' Thus my thoughts loved to linger, as memory ran *' O'er the mountains and vallies of wild Darrynane 1" O'Connell's first letter from Darrynane, was in reply *o Cobbett's attack. In that letter he called Cobbett a i7'2 LIFB AND TIMES OV "vile vagabond;" though a few months before he praise(if him with much earnestness. His maxim was to " praise the ford as he found it." He frequently said that if he did not use the sledge hammer, to smash his opponents, he never could have succeeded There is much in this. A public man, like O'Connell, should not be judged like ordinary mortals. Still, we candidly confess, that respecting him as we have ever done, we have had often occasion to regret that so great a man stooped to such personalities. A " vile vagabond" was language un- worthy of O'CoNNKLL.even admitting it wasdeserved.The *' Wings" were a subject on which the best men might have differed. To hold opinions opposite to those enter- tained by O'Connell, made no man necessarily dishonest- To attribute corrupt motives to him, for giving his con- sent to these measures, was a calumny; yet it was not worthy either of a rejoinder or of refutation. The close of the year 1825, is rendered remarkable by the assemblage of Provincial meetings. Munster led tho way ; the first meeting was held in Limerick, at which Mr. Wyse, tho present member for Watorford, presided. The next was the Loinster meeting, which took place at Ballinasloe; and the last, in the year 1826, was the Connaught meeting. These meetings proved successful experiments. They were a sufficient manifestation of pub- lic opinion, to show the Government that no measures of coercion could put down tho voice of the people, and that success alone could dissipate the organization. The year 1825 closed with an afiair of an unpleasant nature. Mr. O'Connell, at one of the recent meetings of the New Association, speaking of the attempts at prose- lytism by the Hibernian Society, in Kerry, introduced the name of Mr. Ldvne, a barrister, the son of a res- pectable professional gentleman in that county, anc} brother to Captain Leyne, afterwards appointed a sti- pcndiai'y magistrate, b}' O'Connell's influence. He was reported to have said, that Mr. Leyne renounced Popery, in order to inflict pain on an aged father. The offended gentleman sent Rlr. O'Connell a message, and after- wards attempted to offer him personal insidt, and called him a liar, a slanderer, and a coward. Mr, Pkrcy Payne, a barrister, and brother to the Rev. Somers Payne, of the County of Cork, was his friend on the occasion. Mv. O'Connell having, since the affair with D'EsTERUE and Peel, determined to avoid the crimi- nality of duelling, lodged informations, drawn up by him- self, against Leyne, to keep the peace, and the gentle- man was bound over in large securities. Mr. Maurice O'Connell sent Mr. Leyne word, that if he had any claim on his father, he would answer it. Mr. LEYNii: replied, that having no quarrel with Mr. Majihice O'Connell, he declined the invitation. Mr. Payne, in this new affair, continued his friend. Mr. Maurice O'Connell and his brother Morgan, in consequence of JMr. Leyne's language to their father, were determined to chastise him. They were, however, re- cognised by the people, w hile they were waiting near the Four Courts, to meet Mr. Leyne, and Ihey withdrew. The whole affair soon transpired; and reached Mr. O'Connell's ears the following day. He went, forth- with, to the Head Police Office, to lodge informations against both his sons, and Mr. Fitzsimon, for a project- ed breach of the Peace against Mr. Leyne. In con- sequence of these informations, a warrant was issued, and in the evening, at the Theatre, JMr. Morgan O'Con- nell was arrested, and in Mr. O'Connell's own house, Mr. Fitzsimon was taken, and the required bail given by both. Mr. Maurice O'Connell had left Dublin, but was soon after arrested in Tralee. 2 a 2 474 IIFE AND TIMlia OP Mr. Shiel, towards the close of the year 18'23, moved in the Association that tho Duke of Norfolk should be invited to preside at the contemplated Catholic meeting, to be held in the January following;. The new year com- menced by a letter from his Grace, declining tho honor, on the ground that it would be a slight to Lord Fingall, the premier Catholic Earl in Ireland, and the recognised leader of the Catholic body. Independently of this feel- ing of delicacy, the Duke of Norfolk may have thought that, just then, it was not quite prudent to take a very conspicuous part in Catholic politics, particularly amongst the Irish agitators. The No Popery cry was beginning to be heard in England. Lord Clifford's place in Devon- shire, was burned by No Popery incendiaries. The "drum ecclesiastic" was belaboured in every direction ; and though the effort to excite universal fanaticism eventually turned out abortive, it succeeded for the time in pro- ducing considerable excitement. Under these circum- stances, the Duke of Norfolk may have deemed it wise to remain in the back ground. But a great cause could not be impeded by the act of an individual, however exalted he may be. The meeting was held, and the cause progressed. It was determined to hold, at the commencement of each year, a meeting for the advance- ment of the Catholic question, and of Irish interests ge- nerally, to be continued from day to day, for fourteen days — tho period to which such meetings were limited bylaw. It was also determined to have what was called separate meetings — that is, distinct from any former assem- blages of the Catholic laity, and sitting each day without adjournment. These meetings, though thus independent of each other, could be, and, in point of fact wero, guided by the same leading persons. By this means, another expedient was adopted to perpetuate the agitation, notwithstanding the statute. Aggregate Meetings be- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 4*6 came more constant. Above all, the new Association met for objects not prohibited by the late law ; and from its organization, it remained perfectly unassailable. — Funds flowed in, not so abundantly at first as to the Old Association ; yet, fast cnougli to indicate the national feeling. All this was due to the tact and self-sacrificing determination of O'Connell. At his own risk, relying on his perfect knowledge of the law, he undertook to work against the Government, armed with the statute- book — and he succeeded. It proves how idle is the attempt for any Government, however strongly armed ■with penal laws, to wrestle with a nation when it has Justice on its side. The fourteen days' meetings, and the New Catho- lic Association originated in a Report of a Committee of TWENTY-ONE, elected by general ballot, out of the Catholic body, to consider how the Act then passing through Parliament for the suppression of the Old Ca- tholic Association, could be best evaded, or rendered nugatory. The Committee, after sitting in secret, for fifteen days, at the end of which period the Session of Parliament had closed, presented the Report which was unanimously adopted at a general meeting of the Catho- lics of Ireland. The Tellers' return of the ballot for this import- ant Committee, indicates pretty fairly, the relative estimation in which each of the persons appointed was held by the Catholic body. It is curious to observe Mr. SiiEiL at tho top of the list, and Mr. O'Connell sixth. Enmity never fails to follow eminence like a dark shadow. O'Connell had secret enemies even amongst those who professed most friendship. The Committee was thus composed : — 476 him AlfD TIMES OF Votes. O'Connor Don ... 282 Nichs.PurcellO'Gorman 281 Henry Lambert ... 270 S;e[ilien Cdj); inser ... 2ljl Con?.. i\ri/m;;lilin ... 208 Aiichael O'Brieii ... 253 Hon.GrenvilleFrench... 244 John James Baggut ... 2')1 Philip Fo^rarty ... 229 Michi. Dillon Bellew ... 81 Votes, Richard Shell 317 Lord Killeen 313 Sir John Burke ... 313 Captain Bryan ... 312 Nicholas Mahon ... 312 Daniel O'Connell ... 311 Sir Thos. Esmonde ... SO-) Hugh O'Connor ... 304 Hon. Mr. Preston ... 293 Wm. Murphy ... 299 Lord Gormanstown ... 283 The following had the number of votes annexed to their names. The list is published now for the first time, and will be read with interest, as indicating the relative positions the individuals held in the agitation of that day, according to the estimation of the Catiiolic community : — Sir Edward Bellew ... 107 Fredk. W. Conway ... 71 Stephen Woulfe 57 John Howiey tS John Brie 55 Richaid MooreO'Farrell... 47 William Bellew 43 Dowell O'Reilly 43 David Lynch 37 Anthony Browne 33 John Burke 28 Martin Lanigan 25 Hamilton Rowan 23 Ignatius Callaghan ... 19 Richard Lonergan ... IG Christopher Fitzsimon ... 14 Caddell O'Farrell 9 Richard O'Gorman ... 8 Maurice King 8 John Corley 7 John Lawless 6 It was resolved in January, 182G, to hold the fourteen day meetings forthwith ; to terminate with a great Na- Wm. Francis Finn J. Donnellan ... Thomas Kirwan Andrew Kirwan James Dwytr ... Earl of Kinmare Counsellor lluger Hayes John Dillon Counsellor Corballis ... Michael S'aunton J. Huband Doctor .Magee James Cdfrnan C. D. Bellew J. J, Seanlan ... Jeremiah ^iuvphy Joseph D. INluUen E. O'Callaghan Denis O'Connor Michael Dillon OANtBL o'cONNEtl. 477 tional Banquet to the sixty-nine Peers, who, being con- nected by property with Ireland, signed, the foregoinsf year, the declaration in favor of Catholic EmaricipatioDi Previous to the assembling of this fourteen days' meet-" ing, there were two or three adjourned meetings, at which the subject of the '* Wings" was brought forward by Mr. Laavless. The popular feeling had strongly set in against these measures. O'Connell announced that be was too deeply sensible of the favors he had received from his countrymen, and too grateful for the confidence they reposed in him, to run counter to their known wishes with reference to the "Wings." Though his opinions remained unaltered, he freely sacrificed them to the popu- lar will. This announcement gave imiversal joy. The Irish people were determined to have Emancipation un- clogged and unqualified, or to remain without it; and entertaining, in common with the Clergy, these views, it was painful to them to see their old, trusted, and honest Leader consent to even a moderate compromise. In proportion to the pain thus felt, was the delight of the Nation, when they found that all idea of a compromise was fully and finally abandoned. The fourteen days' meeting was successful beyond the most sanguine anticipations. Lord Gormanstown filled the Chair on the first day. This Nobleman was most energetic and zealous in the Catholic cause ; Lord Fin- gall's infirmities and age prevented his attendance, Lord Ffrencii presided on the second day ; Lord KiLt LEEN on the third. Then, in succession, the Honorable Mr. Preston, the Honorable Grenville Ffrengh, Sir Thomas Esmonde, Sir Edward Bellew, the Honor? able Thomas Browne, Thomas Wyse, Esq., Sir John Burke, the Honorable Colonel Butler, &c., &c. The piental powers and varied resources of O'Connell a|i4 47b IIFK AND TIMES OV Sheil were signally illustrated during these consecutive assemblages. The labour and the responsibilities fell on them, and nobly did they acquit themselves. 'J'hough we have not hesitated, when his conduct called for it, fearlessly to criticise the expressed o[)iaions of Mv. Sheil ; though also, in the course of this JMemoir, we shall be coerced to take no favourable view of his politi- cal consistency, we cannot deny this eaiineutly gifted Irishman, the undying merit of having in the years 1825, '26, '27, advanced, equally with O'Connell, the National Liberties. O'Connell possessed more influence ; the confidence reposed in him was unbounded. It was not so with Sheil. The motives of public men are always severely, often unjustly, criticised even by those they serve. Sheil did not escape. His Vetoistic opinious contributed to deprive him of the people's unreserved confidence. Still, his genius bore down doubt. His electric eloquence shattered to atoms every opposi- tion ; his impassioned oratory carried the Nation with him. No one could give expression to such noble sentiments, and in such fervid language. He was admired, trusted, by nearly all ranks and classes, and applauded. Such was the national feeling. In the pursuit of Emancipation he was as determined and as sincere as any living man. Indeed, it was his sincerity, mingled with anxiety for success, that made him, while yet a young man, willing to yield to Government a share in the ecclesiastical control of his religion. But the man who, in the face of a persecuting Governmenl-, gloried in the deeds which brought Wolfe Tone within the grasp of power, and spoke with open, though not ungenerous exultation, of the death bed of the Duke of York, be- cause the heir presumptive to the Throne had registered a vow in Heaven against Catholic Emancipation — the DANIUL O'CONNELL. 479 man who could be carried thus away, in the fervour of his orator}-, must have been sincere in the cause of Irish freedom — of civil and religious libert3\ Mr. Sheil was also opposed to Ihe " Wings." This the people balanced against his Vetolsm, and forgiving him for old opinions, glorified him for the last. During three years, the events of which Ave have related, his speeches were distinguished for their beauty and power, and the enthu- siasm they kept alive in the Nation. It is, therefore, we say, viewing the past, as impartial observers, that he equally contributed with O'Connell to the advancement of Emancipation. We have to regret that in latter times he did not act up to a sentiment expressed by hira in one of his remarkable speeches, during the fourteen days" meeting— namely, that " he knew nothing infalli- ble — but popular opinion." The following from a hroclnae, entitled Peel and his iVa, gives, in most respects, a truthful description of the " Twin Leaders," and may opportunely follow the remarks we have just writ- ten : — " Daniel O'Connell was the most remarkable of all the remarkable men who had ever advocated the Catholic claims. G rattan, and Curuan, and Plunkett, were Protestants ; some of the unhappy men whose lives had been forfeited to the laws which they had violated, were remarkable more for their mistaken enthusiasm than for any qualities of judgment or prudence ; the Roman Ca- tholics had hitherto felt that their advocates had been rather tcilh them than of them. But here appeared a man, a Roman Catholic, a barrister ; not a feeble, attenuated creature, nothing to remind them of the physical deficiencies of a Grattan or a Curran, but a brawny- shouldered Irishman, with a broad, laughing, grinning face, '' more Irish than the Irish themselves," 480 LIFK AND TIMBii OF a rich provincial " brogue," a ready and racy vocabula- ry ; familiar with the moral and mental constitution of his Roman Catholic country/ men, and ever ready to incorpo- rate himself with their feelings, by a droll joke, vigorous vituperation, or rough but deep toned eloquence. All the qualities of the Demagogue he had in full ; unflinch- ing boldness, audacious assertion, restless motion, and reckless power. But above the qualities of the dema- gogue, there were other and higher qualities — untiring energy, soaring ambition, exquisite tact, and instinctive sagacity. Such was the man whom his warm hearted countrymen hailed as the Irish " Liberator;" him, whom they considered as having achieved their full freedom. By his side stood little Sheil. Daniel O'CoNNELLwas sui generis ; the Mihabeau of Ireland. But Richard Lalor Sheil was, in many respects, a perpetuation of the Grattans or the Currans ; as insignificant in person as careless in personal attire, his taste was as cultivated and even more refined, and his eloquence as rhetorical and electrical. These were the two leading men who organised the Irish for more combined and desperate effort, Daniel O'Connell originated the "Catholic Association;'' devised the terms by which admission to it might be obtained, namely, by payment of a " Catholic Rent ;" pointed out how, in their proceed- ings, the law must be adhered to, even in the letter ; and pledged Roman Catholics not to vote at elections for members of Parliament unless they were favourable to the •* Catholic claims." Amongst other occurrences which excited public atten- tion, during the fourteen days' meeting, was the admission into the Association of the celebrated Archibald H. Rowan, whose name Curran has made immortal. This venerable man was, during the debates on the suspension DANIEL O'CONNELL. 481 of the old Association, called by Mr. Peel "abranded traitor.'" The insult disgusted the whole country. It is said that the venerable patriot went over to exact sa- tisfaction from the Right Hon. Gentleman, which, how- ever, was denied him. At all events, the unjustifiable use of the unworthy epithet, revived in the minds of the Irish people, the memory of the past ; and the name of the aged Secretary of the United Irishmen, was received with vehement applause, when he was proposed a mem- ber of the New Association. Such is always the effect of injustice. It reacts upon the authors. The phrase " branded traitor," like that of " convicted conspirator" of later days, falling from the lips of a Home Secre- tary, served, one knew not why, to light up anew the flame of agitation. Thus have the most trifling incidents produced the most extraordinary events in history. A circumstance of rather a disagreeable character oc- curred at this time. It appears great complaints were made, and justly, that the proceedings of the Four- teen Days' Meetings were not fully or accurately taken by the Reporters of the Dublin Press. The truth is, as we had occasion to remark before, Stenography was in its infancy in Ireland, until O'Connell, by his unceas- ing agitation, formed a staff for himself. Though there were then able men on the Dublin Press. — witness Maccabe, the talented Author of the Catholic History of England, there did not then exist either the capability or the organised division of labour requi- site for taking, with correctness, the reports of length- ened proceedings. However,it happened that Mr. O'Con- NELi- complained of the inaccuracy and brevity of the reports of this remarkable meeting. Well, when the national dinner came on, the Reporters applied as usual for free tickets of admission. They were refused by the 2r 482 MFE AND TIMEb OF dinner committee. This was a marked offence to the Press. How was it resented ? The Reporters all pur- chased tickets, went to the dinner, and took not a single note of the proceedings. The comments of the News- papers on this affair will be read with interest, and we are therefore induced to give them. One of the News- papers, it will be observed, entered into a regular calcu- lation about Mr. O'Connell's rapidity of utterance. He spoke.it is stated, two hundred words in a minute ; that is, twenty-two lines of type, or one-eighth of a column — or a column in eight minutes. This was over seven columns in an hour — or twenty-two columns for the average length of Mr. O'Connell's great speeches. This calculation is clearly erroneous. Even Mr. Shiel, whose utterance was nearly once and a half as rapid as O'Connell's, could not speak — supposing every word was put in type — more than a column of the modern-sized Newspaper, in twenty minutes. We merely mention this much to show what little reliance can be placed on the state- ments of the Newspapers in defence of their reports. Their remarks, however, will amuse many at the present day :— FKOM THE DUBLIN MORNING REGISTER. " That no report of the proceedings of the dinner has appeared in any of the Journals of this city, requires some explanation. We believe it is a matter tolerably well ascertained at this period, that the Press is an or- gan of public sentiment, lljut at least is not to be con- temned, and that the members of it in every department are entitled to respect and consideration. Strange, how- ever, as it may appear, their importance is often under- rated, and it requires their oivn efforts to prove that they contain within themselves a powerful momentum of the public mind, and that in justice to their body at 1>ANIKL O'CONNELL. 483 largo, they can, when they please, spiritedly uphold tlieir credit. It is usual, on all occasions such as this grand national dinner,to send complimentary tickels to the Re- porters for the Press. The object of this attention is manifest. The part which the Reporters play in the *' eatables and drinkables," to use Diggory's words, is one of positive labour, and not of pleasure. These Gen- tlemen work while other individuals enjoy themselves, and when the scene of conviviality is at an end, they do not stretch themselves, supersaturated with good things, upon their pillow ; but they condense into intelligible matter, for the public "gratification, the confused materials which they have collected in the course of the evening. If ever there were an occasion when this complimentary attention to the Reporters of the Press should 7iot be neglected, it was the present. But to be brief. The Keporters were treated with slight in this affair — there were no invita- tions sent to them ; and in addition, it is mentioned that certain observations, (not calculated to increase their respectability") regarding them and their services, were made by those who conducted the arrangements for the Dinner. They were given to understand that they woald be permitted to the privilege of writing down the speeches of the speakers at the Dinner, and of sacrificing their own individual comfort, upon paying no more than the the sum — two pounds ten shillings British ! which was paid by those who were occupied exclusively in discuss- ing the merits of the viands and the wines I Although this privilege was one that musi strike every person as being remarkably gracious and considerate on the part of those who conferred it, still, strange to say, the Re- porters rejected it, and with one accord, they resolved to go the Dinner, pay for their tickets, and take the place which, as gentlemen of education, and a respecta- ble employment, they were entitled to take, and not to ^84 LIFE AND TlMIiS Of report a sinyle word that would be uttered. We, as far as our paramount authority in our own Journal is coucernedy, had no control over the gentlemen engaged in this de- partment — they acted for themselves, independently, and we think, taking into consideration the necessity of up- holding the good reputation of the Press, they, acted with perfect propriety. This explanation will, we think, ac. count satisfactorily for the circumstance of no report having appeared in our own, or any other Journal in this city. '* Let this occurrence, which, undoubtedly, has effect- ed a partial evil ; although we are quite convinced it will ultimately produce great benefit ; teach individuals, who take upon themselves to conduct what they call a "na- tional" object, that the good of the cause generally, and not the gratification of their own personal feelings, is to be consulted by them," FROM THE freeman's JOURNAL, " Mr. O'CoNNELL has once more made war upon thc' Press. The immediate objects of his present attack, are the gentlemen who report public proceedings for the journals of this City — of whom we may bo permitted to observe, that there is not in any department of any profession,^ a more useful, efficient, or respectable class of men. " In virtue of that dictatorship, which Mr. O'Connell has assumed in Catholic affairs, he determined, on the occasion of the recent dinner, to depart from established usage, and withhold Cards fropi the Reporters. Tho wisdom,, as well as liberality of this resolution, will bo judged of by the public; but justice towards all parties requires that we should state the reasoning upon which it was grounded. In tho first place, the learned gen-, tleman asserted that the reports of the late fourteen days* sittings, were scanty and inaccurate— and therefore t\\Q t)/VNlRL O CONNKLL. 485 Reporters were undeserving of complimentary tickets Again, he assured his committee that the Services of those Reporters, such as they were, would be afforded as a matter of necessity upon their parts. The News- papers he said inust purchase tickets for their own sakes. They could not exist without reports of Catholic pro- ceedings, and, if they could, the Catholics would be no losers by the absence of such reports. *' We agree with Mr. O'Connell that the Catholics would lose nothing if some of the speeches pronounced at their meetings were quietly consigned to oblivion We will even go farther and say, they would be great gainers if a very large number of his own speeches had never been transferred to paper ; the event has proved, however, that he was mistaken in asserting that the Reporters should attend the dinner professionally, for their own sahes. 'Tis true they purchased tickets and did attend — but they appeared as private gentlemen, and neither took notes nor reported proceedings. Mr. O'CoNNELi, will also yet discover that he is in error with regard to the dependence of Newspapers on Catholic oratory. He professes to think differently ; the present is as good an opportunity as may occur for trying the question. " The Reporters do not quarrel with Mr. O'Connell for having withheld tickets. Indeed we never knew a Reporter who would not much rather decline than ac- cept invitations to attend public dinners in his profes- sional capacity, if he could do so consistently with his sense of duty. Nor is this at all extraordinary. Those only who have witnessed the effort, can duly appreciate the union of talent, information, and painful and patient labour requisite to present to the public, on the succeed- ing morning, a correct report of the speeches and oc- currences at those dinners — taken, as such a report 2 R 2 486 lijCe and times of must be, at a very late hour — often in very inconvenient situations, always under the disadvantage of irregularity, transcribed with breathless haste, and consigned to the hands of the Printer without even a chance of revision. " But although Mr. O'Connell was of course quite at liberty to use, according to his pleasure, the absolute authority with which he seems to have invested himself in the affair of the Dinner, he shall be taught that he has no right to insult and calumniate the Press. It will be shown in the Freemaiis Journal that the nharges of brevity and inaccuracy, at least in respect to this Paper, and he made no exception, are utterly destitute of foun- dation." FROM TnE DUBLIN MORNING POST. •' Verily, honest, honest Daniel, thou unitest in a very high degree, to all those other magnanimous qualifica- tions which so abound in thee, that one to which we, Irish, lay claim as our peculiar characteristic, the recol- lection of BENEFITS conferred! When in Decem- ber, 1824, thou wert prosecuted for sedition by the King's Attorney-General, whom thou now so plentifully be- spatterest with thy blarney, three Reporters from this establishment were called upon to prove thy words, as reported in the newspapers ; of these three one was not present, and therefore could say nothing against thee ; a second who was present refused to be examined by the Magistrates, and was prepared to abide the consequences ; a third, who had been taken by surprise, did unwittingly confirm the statement, as it was reported in the JJuhlin Morning Post ; but he also was determined, if the Grand Jury had found the Bills, never to appear against thee as a witness, be the consequences what they might to him- self. The same individual thou afterwards proposedst as a Member of the Association, and wert pleased to de- DANIEL O'CONNELL. 4fi7 gignate him emphatically " a Gentleman." But was it for thee they had determined so to act? No! it was for the public cause with which they believed (in error) that thou wert identified. They acted from principle — from a noble impulse of independence, and the hatred of a mean or dishonourable act; a feeling to which some, who affect to look contemptuously upon them, are utter strangers. They voluntarihj incurred this hazard at a time when thou didst appear s/w^en— when it was observed by all, that firmness had forsaken thee. Thou knowest all this well, honest Daniel ; and thou knowest also, that others of the Reporters, now the objects of thy pitiful and spiteful animosity, acted the same honourable part as the two that w^e haye mentioned. We uoav tell thee, and thou mayest ruminate upon it, that " WoHTii makes the .Man, the want of it the FELLOW; " The rest is all but leather and prunella." FROM THE UUIILIN EVENING POST. " We refer, and with deep regret, to the conversation which took place in the New Catholic Association on Saturday last. It has been, and it shall be, our object to prevent — and, when we cannot prevent, to obviate the evil consequences growing out of haste, or intemperate expressions, used by any gentleman, of whatever class or party he may be. We are not amongst those who indulge in the vulgar common places about the Press we know that the Ass too often brays in the Lion's skin • but we do know at the same time, that the gentlemen* generally speaking, who furnish the reports to the Dub- lin Newspapers, are competent, industrious, and trust- worthy. "To Mr. O'Connell's and Mr. Sheil's speeches, as the principal speaking members, they devoted all the at- tention their station in the Catholic body, and their 488 LIFE AND TIMES OP talents demanded ; and we felt, therefore, extremely sorry that any circumstance of a trivial nature should have in- duced Mr. O'CoNNELL to indulge in Saturday's philippic. Cui Bono ? It cannot be denied, that, but for the reporters, the proceedings of the Association would not be published. But circumstanced as the Catholics are, publication is the chief thing necessary. Anything that has a ten- dency to prevent this must be injurious. There is no man more willing to proclaim and enforce this doctrine than Mr. O' Conn ELL ; and we are sure that as the feelings of a respectable and very valuable class of men have been hurt, there will be none more ready to make a suitable amende. The public expect this, and, on a little consi. deration, Mr. O'Connell will admit that he owes this to the public, and to the cause, the essence of which is, under present circumstances, incessant, perpetual, and if we may so express ourselves, undying publicity." FROM THE DUBLIN REGISTER OF TUESDAY. "Mr. O'Connell avows that he was the person who put the affront upon the reporters, which smothered the expression of the public voice at the national dinner, and made a perfect nullity of an event so calculated to be publicly useful. Well 1 we suppose he has to receive the thanks of the noblemen and gentlemen who attended, and the gratitude of the country in general, for a deed so well designed and so eminently meritorious. But he says, first, that the reports of all the papers in Dublin, not exceptioning one, were grossly erroneous and defec- tive, during the fourteen days' meeting ; and, secondly, that he, in excluding the reporters, merely intended to "prevent misrepresentations." We know by what po- lite name Mr. O'Connell would call both these asser- tions, if they were made by another ; he, himself, being out of his present humour. We will bestow upon theni no epithet, but proceed to our proofs :— - DANIEL O'CONNKLL. 480 •' 1st. We nniintain that the reports of all the papers in Dublin, were not grossly erroneous and defective ; be- cause the speeches published for the principal speahcrSf in the Morning Register, ivere approved of by the speakers themselves, before publication. Our readers must have observed, in going through some of these speeches, that, taken even as samples of literary composition, they ■n'cre of an order very far superior to the ordinary pro- ductions of the Press, even of London. They at least could not have been " grossly defective and erroneous." They must have been worthy of dissemination amongst the nations : their interest and value should not, at all events, have been depreciated by general and undiscriminating imputation. In a word, as far as they are concerned, and they formed the principal portion of the whole debates, Mr. O'Connell has alleged what is not borne out by fact ; and has, as far as in him lay, done an act of great public mischief. His own speeches, however, are yet undefended. He asserts that the reports did not contain all that he delivered. "VVe admit that they did not, in length, go much beyond seventy columns ; but as Mr. O'Connell in general speaks on one day little more than the speech or speeches which he delivered on another, seventy columns could not have done him great injustice. They certainly did not include all that the learned gentle- man had spoken ; for to do that. would have required Mr. TnwAiTs's "broad sheet" — an engine which all the patronage that all the Morning Papers in Dublin received from the public, would not enable a Printer to uphold in this City. Any one who measures by a stop watch, will find that Mr. O'CoNNBLL pours out about 200 words in one minute* These 200 words will make 22 lines of small print These 22 lines are about one-eighth of an ordinary co- lumn — so that it will give Mr, O'Connell only seven or 490 LTrE aNH times of eight minutes' trouble to fill out a column of ."-mall print, if he must be followed exactly through episodes, parentheses, and all ! What are eight minutes' speaking to Mr. O'CoNNELL — what are forty— what one hundred and fifty ? In a five hours' sitting, he will contrive some- times to be three hours on his legs ; and in three hours he will positively pour out two and twenty columns and one quarter of oratory ; to catch all of which, with a view to speedy publication, would require the labour of twelve or thirteen Gurnevs ; and to print all which, with other necessary matter, would require more space than is fur- nished by the London " broad sheet" itself. We must, therefore, freely acknowledge that we had not published all that Mr. O'Connell delivered ; but he had, as wo calculate, his seventy columns. These were necessarily made up by different hands — but we will boldly assert, that all of them were, in execution at least, of the aver- age merit of London reports — that some of them dis- played the best tact and spirit of reporting — that some of the pens engaged upon them were quite as well able to manage a topic upon paper, as Mr. O'Coanell him- self — and, what is more conclusive than all, that Mr. O'Connell himself had taken one or more occasions of praising the manner in which he was reported during this very fourteen days' sitting, and that he never found fault until the fatal publication of poor John LAWLESs'ss^eec/i, and that this publication did not occur until near the close of the Sessions." Notwithstanding this quarrel, a report of the proceed- ings afterwards appeared ; the prominent feature of which was, the speech delivered by Mr. Wyse. Lord Gormanstown presided, and Mr. O'Connell acted as toast-master, standing behind the President's chair. He announced each toast, prefacing them for his Lord- DANIEL O CONNELL. 491 ship. It was an unusual arrangement ; but, as may be well imaginedjOne that caused the emphatic expression of spirited and patriotic sentiments. The Earl of Bective, LordPoRTARLiNGTON, Lord Killeen, and Sir M. Som- MERviLLE, were amongst the guests. Mere abstracts of all the speeches delivered were given in the published report, except Mr. Wyse's, which was given at length, and in the first person. "We therefore conclude that the report was furnished to the papers by that talented gen- tleman. About this time the Catholic Bishops came out with the following series of declaratory resolutions, which, as developing the system of attack then employed against the Catholics and their religion, we deem it right to give without curtailment: — ♦•DECLARATION OF THE ARCHBlSHOrS AND BISHOPS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF IRELAND. " At a time when the spirit of calm inquiry is abroad, and men seem anxious to resign those prejudices through which they viewed the doctrines of others, the Arch- bishops and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland will avail themselves with pleasure, of this dis- passionate tone of the public mind, to exhibit a simple and correct view of those tenets, that are most frequently misrepresented. If it please the Almighty that the Ca- tholics of Ireland should be doomed to continue in the humbled and degraded condition in which they are now placed, thoy will submit with resignation to the Divine Will. The Prelates, however, conceive it a duty which they owe to themselves, as well as to their Protestant fellow-subjects, whose good opinion they value, to endea- vour once more to remove the false imputations that have been frequently cast upon the faith and discipline 4:92 LIFE AND TIM lis OP of that Churdi which is entrusted to their care ; tiiat all may be enabled to know with accuracy the genuine principles of those men who are proscribed by law from any participation in the honours, dignities, and emolu- ments of the State. " I Established for promoting the happiness of man- kind, to which order is essential, the Catholic religion, far from interfering with the constituted authoritiei of any state, is reconcileable with every regular form which human governments may assume. — Republics as well as Monarchies have thriven where it has been professed, and, under its protecting influence, any combination of those forms may be secure. "II. — The Catholics in Ireland of mature years arc permitted to read authentic and approved translations of the Holy Scriptures, with explanatory notes ; and are exhorted to use them hi the spirit of piety, humility, and obedience. The Clergy of the Catholic Church are bound to the daily recital of a canonical office, which comprises, in the course of a year, almost the entire of the sacred volume; and her pastors are required, on Sundays and on Festivals, to expound to the faithiul, in the vernacular tongue, the epistle or gospel of the day, or some other portion of the divine law. '*III Catholics believe that the power of working miracles has not been withdrawn from the Church of God. The belief, however, of any particular miracle not recorded in the revealed word of God, is not required as a term of Catholic communion, though, there are many so strongly recommended to our belief, that they cannot without temerity be rejected. •' IV — Roman Catholics revere the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, and piously invoke their intercession. Far, however, from honouring them with divine worship, they DANIEL O CON NULL. ids believe that such worship is duo to God alofie, and 'ihiit it cannot be paid to any creature without involving; the guilt of idolati*y. '* v.— Catholics respect the images of Christ and 6f his J^aints, without believing that they are endowed with any iiitrinsiu eflRcacy. The honour which is paid to theao memorials is referred to those whom they represent ; and should the faithful, through ignorance, or any other cause, ascribe to them any divine virtue, the Bishops are bound to correct the abuse, and rectify their misappre- hensions. " VI — The Catholic Church, in common with all Christians, receives and respects the entire of the ten commandments, as they are found in Exodus and Deuteronomy. The discordance betwet-n Catholics and Protestants on this subject arises from the differ- ent manner in which these divine precepts have been arranged. . ' *' VII. — Catholics hold, that in order to attain salva- tion, it is necessary to belong to the true Church, and that heresy or a wilful and obstinate opposition to re- vealed truth, as taught in the Church of Christ, excludes from the hingdom of God. They are not, however, obliged to believe, that all those are wilfully and obs,ti- natoly attached to error, who, having imbibed it from their parents, seek the truth with a cautious solicitudie, disposed to embrace it when sufficiently proposed to them; but leaving such persons to the righteous judgment of, a merciful Gop,thoy feel themselves bound to discharge to- wards them, as well as towards all mankiad,the duties of charity, a^d of social life. *• V£II.-v-A,s Catholics, in the Eucharist, adore Jgijf^: Christ alone, whom they believe to be truly, really, Anf"^ •substiBiinitially present, they conceive they catinet be '*cbti- - 5 8 494 LIFE AND TIMnS OF sistently reproached with idolatry by any Christian whvf admits the divinity of the Son of God. •' IX. — No actual sin can bo forgiven at the will of any Pope, or any Priest, or any person whatsoever, without a sincere sorrow for having offended God> and a firm re- 'Bolutiou to avoid future guilt, and to atone for past trana- 'gressions. Any person who receives absolution without •these necessary conditions, far from obtaining the remis- 'sion of his sins, incurs the additional guilt of violating a sacrament. - " "X — Catholics believe that the precept of sacramen- -tal confession flows from the power of forgiving and re- 'f taining sins, which Christ left to his Church. As tho ^ obligation of confession, on the one hand, would be •' liugatory without the correlative duty of secrecy on tlie • other, they believe that no power ou earth can super- sede the divine obligation of that seal which binds tiio confessor not to violate the secrets of auricular confej- - sion. Any revelation of sins disclosed in the tribunal •of penance, would defeat the salutary ends for which it • was instituted, and would deprive the ministers of reli- gion of the many opportunities which the practice of "auricular confession affords, of reclaiming deluded per- sons from mischievous project?, and causing reparation 'to be made for injuries done to persons, property, or cha- ' racter. ;< ♦'XI.— The Catholics of Irpland not only do not be- lieve, but they declare upon oath that they detest as un- christian and impious, the belief " that it is lawful to murder or destroy any person or persons whatsoever for or under the pretence of their being heretics ;" and also the principle "that no faith is to be kept with heretics." They further declare, on oath, their belief, that "no act in itself unjust, immoral, or wicked, can ever be justified DANIEL O'CONN'EIJ,. 49u or excused by or under the pretence or colour that it was done even for the good of the Church, or in obedience to any ecclesiastical power whatsoever;" '* that it is not an article of the Catholic faith, neither are they thereby re- quired CO believe, that the Pope is infallible ;" and thai they do not hold themselves " bound to obey any orde^ in its own nature immoral, though the Pope or any eccle- siastical power should issue or direct such an order; but, on the contrary, that it would be sinful in them to pay any respect or obedience thereto." *' XII.— The Catholics of Ireland swear, that they •• will be faithful, and bear TilUE ALLEGIANCE, to our most gracious Sovereign Lord KING GEORGE THE FOURTH ; that they will maintain, support, and defend, to the utmost of their power, the succession to the Crown in his Majesty's family, against any person or persons whatsoever ; utterly renouncing and abjuring any obedience or allegiance to any other person claiming or pretending aright to the Crown of these realms;" and they *' renounce, reject, and abjure the opinion, that Princes excommunicated by the Pope and Council, and by any authority of the See of Rome, or by any authority whatsoever, may be deposed and murdered by their sub- jects, or by any person whatsoever ;"and that they " do not believe that the Pope of Rome, or any other foreign Prince, Prelate, State, or Potentate, HATH, OR OUGHT TO HAVE, any temporal or civil jurisdic- tion, power, superiority, or pre eminence, directly or in- directly within this realm." They further solemnly, "in the presence of God, profess, testify, and declare, that they make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the words of their oath, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation whatsoever, and without any dispensation already grant- i\)^ Litis AND TiHEa or «d by the Pope, or any authority of the See of Koiae, of any person whatever, and without thinking that tliey are, or can be acquitted before God or man, or absolved of this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope or any persons or authority whatsoever, shall dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it wai} null and void from the beginnin;?." ** After this full, explicit, and sworn declaration, we are utterly at a loss to conceive on what possible ground we could be justly charged with bearing towards our MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN ONLY A DIYID- ED ALLEGIANCE. *• XIII — The Catholics of Ireland, far from claiming any right or title to forfeited lands, resulting from any right, title, or interest, which their ancestors may have had therein, declare upon oath, ** that they will defend to the utmost of their power, the settlement and arrange- ment of property in this country, and established by the laws now in being." They also "disclaim, disavow, and solemnly abjure, any intention to subvert the present Church Establishment, for the purpose of substituting a Catholic Establishment in its stead. And further, they swear thai they will not exercise any privilege to which they are or may be entitled, to disturb and weaken the Protestant religion and Protestant Government ia Ireland.*' "XIV. — Whilst wehave, in the foregoing declaration: endeavoured to state, in the simplicity of truth, such doctrines of our Church as are most frequently misun* derstood or misrepresented amongst our fellow-subjects^ to the great detriment of the public welfare, and of Chris- tian charity ; and whilst we have disclaimed anew those^ errors or wicked principles which have been imputed to Catholics, we also avail ourselves of the present occa- sion,, to express our readiness, at all times, to give> ■when required by the competent authority, authentic and true information upon all subjects connected with the, doctrine and discipline of our Church ; and to -deprecate, the injustice of having our faith and principles judged of by reports made of them by persons either' avowedly ignorant of, or but imperfectly acquainted with, the na- ture of our Church Government, its doctrines, usages, and discipline. j •• This declaration wo approve, subscribe and publish, as well that those who have formed erroneous opinions of our doctrines and our principles may be at length un- deceived, as that you, dearly beloved, be made strong in that faith which yeu have inherited as "the children of saints, who look for that life which God will give to those that never changed their faith from him." — T©b. ii. 18. *' Reverend Brothers, beloved Children, "Grace.mercy, and peace," be to you, " from God the Father, and from Christ Jesus our Lord." — 1 Tim. i. 2. " Dublin, 25th Jan. 1826. . Patrick Cur* is, D.D. Daniel Murray, D D. Oliver Kelly, D.D. Robert Laffan, D.D. Farrell O'Reilly, D.D. J. O'Shaughnessy, D.D. Petrr M'LoughIin,D.D. Thomas Costello, D.D. James Magauran, D.D. Kiaran Marum, D.iy. Geo. T. Plunkett, D D. Peter Wa Id ron, D.D. - James Keating, D.D. John Murphy, D D, Charles Tuohy, D.D. James Doyle, D.D. Edward Kiernan, D D. P. M'Nicholas, D.D, Patrick Kelly, D.D. P. M'Gettipran, D.D. Cornelius Egan D.D. Edmund Ffrench, D.D. William Crolly, D,D. Thomas Coen, D.D. Prftrick MafTuire, D D. Robert Logan, D.D. Patrick M'Mahon,D.D. Patrick Burke, D.D. John Mllale, D.D. John Ryan, D.D. O'CoNNELL was very anxious that the Catholic ques- tion should not be passed over in the existing Session of 2 ]t 3 498 LI£'IS AND T£M£fi OV Parliament, and he submitted a, motion, embodying ihtl* opinion, to' the Association. But it was conceived too^ late; the session was about to dose. The persever- ance of his disposition led him. to think little of obstacles or difficulties. He had but one object in his eye, and hp' kept that steadily in view-^namely, Civil and Religious Liberty. In pursuit of that, he came in contact with in- dividuals as well as political bodies. He spoke his mind freely ; depending on his own integrity and his powers of l?^nguage, to defend, himself, or, if necessary for the public good, to attack others. In doing so, he often used harsh language, which he always forgot, and often re* grcttcd almost as soon as it was uttered. An attack i^^de upon him, in June, 1826, would,- if stereotyped, aiE^swer as au example of the kind of warfare which he had to submit to or to repel. There happened to bor then considerable distress amongst the "Weavers in Dub- lin, and to save their pockets, and escape private sub- scriptions adequate to meet the emergency, it was pro- posed, by some parties, that the Association should give one thousand pounds out of the accumulated fund, and send another thousand for a similar purpose to England, This application of the funds was protested against by Lord GoRMANSTOWN, Sir Edward Hellilw, anAii deserves to be transoribed as an exemplification of the great abuse O'CoNnkll was then exposed to : — *• Were I, (Darcy Mahl»n,) the man who for years preached civil and religious liberty, and in the end re* commended measures tending, to sap the foundation of both, I should regret that no kind friend was near to prevent fiuc'i a woeful lapse. Were I the man who ex- tolled a distin;;uished reformer to the skies on this day, denounced him on that as a miserable mi>creant, and on the next seconded a vote of thanka to that miscreant, I should indeed regret that no consistent friend was near, whose wholesome influence might correct th6 raeteorid eccentricity of my course. Were I the man who exulted iti the ruih of the British commercial body, the most libe- rtil and enlightened in the British empire, I should re- gret that no person of common feeling or understanding, was at hand, to point out the indiscretion and inhumanity 6f' such language. In fine, were Ith^ man who system- ittically insulted every one opposed to me, and gave credit exclusively to those who thought wiih myself, I should deeply l^bent the want of' a sincere frieni to point out thnt by such a' system moderate and respectable men wer'e scaLred from our cottnCllfS, and the managemtftt ofal&el^ct juiitt) by a rtionopoly ioo ffaLgrant to be longer toderated by a body seeking to be free ^"' The Chairman he^6 interposed and called him tborde'r. Mr. O'CoNNELL, with' characteristto dignity artd good temper, simply said :-^" The gentlemari cannot be 6ut of order while he/ is abusing me. (A raugh)y •• Mr. MAUON-'Were he a person who toade it a Sys- tcfm to insult every pWsonii—. •* SW E. BfeLLEW here rose to ord^r. Tho genfcUittftnt wa^8 wand^riiig tery wld% fi?oW tii6 stib|»»oti befbr»' the m^elinjfi 500 LIFE AND TIMES OF **Mr. O'CoNNELL said, he was perfectly in order.— As the speech was evidently a prepared one, it was ten to one but it was already in the Mail ; and it would there-- fore be rather awkward for him to be interrupted in hi« rehearsal of it." The young gentleman was not allowed to proceed. We have already spoken of the extraordinary know- ledge of polemics Mr. O'Oonnell exhibited at a meetings of the Hibernian Bible Society, held in Cork. His cor- respondence with the celebrated Rector, the Rev. Robt. Daly, now Bishop of Cashel, Emly and Waterford, illus- trates this remark in a far more striking manner. We have never read, not even in Dr. Milner's writings, a cleverer or more convincing argument in favour of the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist, than Mp-O'Connell's reply to the Rev. Gentleman's letter. As this controver- sial correspondence, though exceedingly interesting, is too long for insertion here, we propose to give it in an appendix, with Dr. Doyle's and O'Connrll's eyidence before the Parliamentary Committee. The truth of the matter is, that O'Connell did not require either the study or the time other men did, to acquire a knowledge, of such subjects. He seized on the material points .al- most intuitively ; and with these as his weapons, was able to confound the arguments of those who had mado the. subjeat their study for years. During the Cork controver- sy, we, however, have it from accurate information, that he was furnished with the leading points which he so triumphantly used to overthrow that clever zealot, Richard Pope. A new Parliament Avas summoned this year. This pro- duced a general election. Whether stimulated by the imputation, that they were the slaves of their landlords, or, which is most probable, animated by the agitation, l>A.NlBi o'cOMNELfc. fiOI ' the spirit of the people beamed out with unu&ual lustro at the general election ;; the Forty--shiIling FreehoUferS nobljf did their duty. The County of Waterford election, in particular, will be ever memorable for the devotion of the Freeholders. The contest was between Lord George BERESFohD and ViiiLiERs Stuart, then a very young man, now Lord StUart De Dfcies. Mr. O'Con- NELL was election counsel for Vn-LiERS Stuart, and he received for his services, a fee of six hundred pounds*' ViLMERS Stuart carried the election against the vast power of the Beresfords, who claimed a hereditary right to represent Waterford. The Forty-Shilling Free- holders won this as well as other Counties. The coniC"^ quenco was, that they were persecuted. Their conduct was new to their Landlords. They received their leases on condition of voting with their •' masters ;'* that, the Landlords asserted, was part of the consideration. Such was the way constitutional rights were understood in Ireland. The elective franchise, in theory, is a public trust confided to the individual for the benefit of the com- munity—of the represented as well as of the unrepre. sented. It was a trust the holder was bound to use conscientiously,— as scrupulously, according to his judg- ment and opinions, as he would , a private.trust. T^i? is the theory of the elective franchise. But with the* poor, Forty-Shilling Freeholders of Ireland, the practice wasthe very reverse. They were Catholics; yet thoy were forced to^vote for the degradation of their religion, and for their ©wn, andtheir children's and their country's enslavement j apd when at last they broke tbro' atyraqnical and oppres* Bive thraldorai they were cruelly persecuted, driven from tbeirholdings.andari'earsof nominal rent revived and exi ftcteditoefffect their ruin* Persecution so atrocious, the Spirit, and^genei'ous .natiii^C' of O'Connell could nOi .broojc* H» 502 I IFE AXn TIMES OF brought l)ufoi*e the Association a plan for the protectiott of these poor freeholders. He established the order of . Liberators. Hence his glorious and immortal title. . In this order there were three grados. First — The "Lihe-. rators" par excellence ; second, the *' Knights Grand Cross;" — third— " Knights Companions." Lord Clon- CURRY was the Grand Master, and there was to be a Chancellor and a Prelate of the Older. To become one of the order, every one should send in his claim, or title. Two acts of real service to his country would entitle a man to be a Knight Companion ; three acts, a Knight Grand Cro^s. Mr. O'Connell's own claims for admis- sion into the order were, he said, firstly, having served Iceland for twenty-seven years ; secondly, hav- ing FORMED the ASSOCIATION OF 1823. AND. THIRDLY,' HAVING ORGANISED THE " C A.THOLIC ReNT." Ho also proposed the formation of a freeholders' fund, which he called the " New Catholic Rent." Thus there were two funds established, and in the course of collec- tion at the same time — "The Catholic Rent, for purposes *• not prohibited by the late statute ; and the New Ca- •* tholic Rent, for the protection of fortyrihilling Iree- ' *' holders, to liberate them from aristocratic thraldom, to ' " examine the registries, and to accumulate electoral "strength, for any future elections." Both these rents brought into the Association from five hundred to six' hundred pounds weekly. In originating the latter fund, Mr. O'CoNNELL addressed the people of Ireland, and signed himself "Daniel 0'CoNNELL,r>/'Jvas as ready to tender exaggerated encomiums, as to assail with hypercritical severity. A new description of agitation sprung up this year ^ and the city of Cork has the honor of originating iti Tho first meeting held in Ireland, for the consideration of Poor Laws, met in Cork, and the first petition in their favour was adopted there. The meeting adjourned se- veral days, and at last th6 friends of the destitute were successful. The writer of these reminiscences looks back with pride on the position, while yet but tWcnty-fivo years of age, he took upon that occasion ; and, after the pxporieiice of one and twenty years, he feels now no occasion to retract any of the principles or opinions ho then entertained. The right of the destitute to relief he then asserted as ho does now.. Seeing the injury that the old Poor Law, under the maintenance system', inflic- ted in England, he was then for a modified system — such as was recommended then, or afterwards, by Dr. Doyle. He is now of the same opinion. The agitation arising in Cork extended itself ; and, though Mr. O'Connell, under the impression that a Poor Law would swamp the property of the country, for the support of those poverty stricken by their own faults — opposed Poor Laws for Ireland, they were ultimately brought into operation, because the people willed it. -We could never understand Mr. O'Connkll's opposition to the . principle of Poor Laws. The regulations at present in action, every one, except the avcU paid oflicials, condemns." ' In every civilised land, poor laws of some kind or other, always ,:^04 Lira AifD TiMBa OF existed. . They existed in ancient times ; for the alavery * system of those days was a Poor Law. They existed in the feudal nge ; for serfdom and vassalage was a Poor Law. They existed in Scotland, for a partial, compuUory, parochial assessment existed there. They existed through all Catholic countries, at all times; for one-fourth of the tithes was appropriated hy the Catholic religion to feed the poor, indepi^ndcntly of the ever-flow- ing benevolence of the monastic establishments. In Ire- land, the poor supported the poor ; for they had no other .friends. The rich man wjis shut up in his demesne, where no beggar dare enter ; or he was away, enjoying the lux- ,uries of the Capital, where lie was expending the fruits of .the: poor man's toil. In Ire land, the, poor maintained ibo i.poor ; /and all that was done by the law was, to .take a portion of this burden from their shoulders, and place it on the laud ; but not equitably on the land ; for property does not now pay its fair proportion. Why should a tenant, who pays the full value of the land, pay - «,si much Poor Rato as the landlord? The proprietor gets all that can be received trom off the land, and the itax -gatherer then comes, and exacts from the sweat and toil of the-poor possessor, what he hassorcely the power ^of paying, without depriving his family of the means of living. Has the benevolence of the people fallen off, as 'was anticipated, since the introduction of poor laws'? -Has the stream of charity been dried up? No, certainily -riot. For these reasons we have always felt surprise, thait the noble-minded, generous 0'CoNNELL,shou1d have contintied hostile to Pooi' Laws for Ireland. His oppo- •sitibn, however, proves this— namely, that no mere love of popularity -would ever induce him'to abandon aprtn- ;.ciple which he considered right, (Tbo Provincial mbetiugs, this year— in Mahst^r and bANlEL O^CONNEtt,. £05 Connaught, were as successful as the last. The Con- naught meeting was ma(ie remarkable by a speech from iVIr. Sheil ; and the Munster one, which was held in Waterford, and at which John O'Brien, of Elmvale, presided, was distinguished by the presence of the vene- rated Earl I'lTz WILLIAM, who was recalled from the ad- ministratio i of Ireland, in 1795, because he insisted his pledge to the people should be redeemed, and Emancipa- tion granted. The disappointment produced by his recall, led to the subsequent rebellion. The noble Earl's explanation of the transaction, at the Provincial dinner, fully b jars out the opinion we have just expressed. O'C'oNNELL was at this time — September — enjoying a little relaxation from politics, and his professional duties, amongst the mountains of Darrynano. Listening to the cry of his deep-toned beagles, in the society of attached friends, removed from angry strife in the busy world, he forgot his toils and his injuries. The free winds of Hea- ven blowing across the boundless Atlantic came to cheer and refresh him — the mountain steep renewed his physic cal constitution. He climbed his native crags with fresh- ened energy, in the healthful oxercise which his favourite sport, the most exciting of all others, afforded — yet, ho never, while so occupied, forgot his country. The Postr man, no matter in what fastness, or on what mountain pinnacle he awaited his coming, always discovered his position ; and there, as the dogs cast about for game, or hunted at the mountain's base, would the Liberator, for he was then the Liberator, open and read his hun- dred letters, and glance over, to be afterwards carefully perused, the mass of newspapers that were strewn before him. His avidity for newspaper reading was perfectly insatiable — scarcely an obscure paragraph escaped his notice ; and so ready and retentive was his memory, that he was sure, when the occasion suggested, to bring ou( 2t 606 LIFE AND TIMES OF the matter, incident, or fact, from the tenacious store- house of his brain. He, in truth, was never idle. — In 1826, he wrote to the Association from Darry- nane, suggesting, in opposition to a direct loan from the Committee of the old Rent, that a portion of the old Rent should be lent to individuals, to be by them ad- vanced to protect the forty-shilling freeholders— For this purpose he was willing to take ^^"500 or £1 ,000. He ne- ver hesitated to implicate himself to any amount of money, when the public cause demanded it. This was a test of his sincerity, and one of the causes of bis success with the Irish people. The Duke of York was, during the greater part of the year, slowly dying. He was a bitter enemy of the Catholics. He made, as has been seen, a foolish speech in the House of Lords, in which he registered a vow in Heaven against the Catholics ; no matter what situa- tion he might subsequently hold. As heir presumptive, in the event of the death of the King, whose constitution was already giving way, he would have mounted the throne, with this oath recorded against him. He had held, but had resigned, the office of deputy grand-master of the Orangemen. Ho was not a moral man, though Bishop of Osnaburgh. His approaching death was not a subject of regret on the part of the people of Ireland. It appeared he suiferc'd very much. Mr. Sueil, at a pub- lic dinner at Mullingar, in a moment of what ho called "unpremeditated emotion'" — of what the whole London press, friends and foes, called " barbarous hilarity" — gloated over the prospect of the unhappy Prince's death. For that he was universally assailed ; and he himself deeply regretted the expressions he let fall. They cer- tainly injured the Catholic cause ; for a stricken down enemy, is always an object rather of compassion than of DANIEL O'CONNELI,. 507 liatred. Loolcing at the circumstance from tliis distance of time, the redeeming feature wo see in it is, as we have already expressed, that it proved his honesty, sin- cerity, and zeal. In referring to this subject, in the new Association, on the 3rd of October, he however added fuel to flame. He reiterated his statements; he lacerated the unfortunate Duke of York, and made mince-mcat of his character. This was indeed ill-judged ; while we cannot avoid admiring the extreme eloquence of the speech itself, we are forced to condemn the want if good taste and charity which it betrays. While the Catholics were thus proceeding, the Orange- men were not idle. They had their orgies, processions, and fetes. Every expedient was resorted to, to keep alive the spirit of their party. Colonel Verner, their Irish leader, was entertained at a grand Orange banquet. The "glorious, pious, and immortal memory," which O'CoNNELL drank with Mr. Abraham Bradley King, in order thereby to extract its bitterness, by repudiating the intended insult, was again revived in all its pointed offensiveness, and drank at this dinner; so, also, was *' Protestant Ascendency.** Such was the state of society which was then beginning to show itself again in Ireland. But it was th« golden age, compared to the times we have yet to treat of. The last event, in 1826, which we think worthy of reference, is the great Aggregate Meeting in Dublin, in the month of November. At this meeting, Sheil and O'CoNNELL spoke, one after the other, Sheil's was not in his happiest strain ; still it was a brilliant effort. O'Connell's was short, but in a truly eloquent vein. — We cannot better close our remarks on his history, in 1826, than by transcribing the opening passages of his speech. They are in a beautiful soul-stirring t^sne : — 508 LIFE AND TIMES Of " It was on the evening of the 23d of August, I IT'/, that the first hostile Englisli footstep pressed the groisn soil of Ireland. Even the splendid and fervid eloquence which we have just witnessed with such delight; capable as it was of leading captive our intellects, and of with- drawing our minds from tlie recollection of past trarsac- tions, has not for a moment effaced that date from my memory. It is there engraved in indelible character!) It was on the evening of the 23rd of August, 1 172, tha. tn© first hostile English footstep pressed the soil of Ireland. It was said to have been a sweet and a mild evening in autumn, when the invading party entered the noble estuary formed by the conflux of the Suir, the Noro. and the Barrow, at the City of Waterford. Accursed be that day in the memory of all future generations of Irishmen; and' if it live, may it be to warn and to admonish- -when- the invaders first touched our shores. They camj to a lovely land, where the sun beams played on her blue waters, reflecting the beauties of the- surrounding coun- try. They came to a nation famous for its love of learn- ing, its piety, and its heroism ; they came when internal dissentions separated her sons, and wasted their energii's. Internal traitors led in the invaders ; her sons fell in hq fight ; her liberties were crushedin no battle; but dome*-, tic treason and foreign invaders doomed Ireland to ^eveijt centuries of oppression. How varied is the story o^ English oppression towards Ireland ?" The death of the Duke of York, afforded Siieil an opportunity of explaining away his former expressi )ns against the Prince. ap(il doing justice to the many excel- lencies of character in priv?^te life, for which he v^aa remarkable. As usual, the speech was brilliant and ex- citing ; but not sufficiently, in pur opinion, in good taste. The Duke was no more ; his powers Qfnfiischief no longer ?;;i3ted. He ishould have been allowed to rest in peace. IJANIEI, O'^CONNKLT,. 509 The year 1827 opened wi TtMES ot Which the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William th6 it'ouRTH) expressec^ on the nlomerit of hearing it, " They have killed hiol j t krlew they would kill him," was also general, and more especially with those who mixed with public men and public affairs. A.s Prima Minister, succeed- ing to the popular government of Lord Liverpool, he had announced an intention to consider, but nothing more for the present, what relief with safety could be vouchsafed to the Catholics. This alarmed his friends, who, in great haste, and in an evil hour, resigned their official situations, which he was left to fill up with those of his personal friends among (ho Whigs, to enable him to carry on the government. By the Tories he found he was deserted, denounced as having betrayed them. The newspapers in their cause abused and slandered him with that virulence and malignity usually bestowed u^jon an apostate. They carried their malevolence .so far as to taunt him with his mean birth and family connexions ; and even those who were once his most itimate friends, tuanted him or turned their backs upon him. The seces- sion of Mr. Canning's Tory or Protestant friends, and his union with those who Lad always been his political enemies, cannot but bring to one's mind what is now oc- curring with regard to Sir Robert Peel. His friends have deserted him, because of his endeavours to procure food and clothing for the people, and at reasonable prices. Mr. Canning's friends left I im, because he wishe/^ to confer toleration on the immense body of Catholic sub- jects. The kind and amiable fee'ings of Mr. Canning ■were of too sensitive a nature, to enable him to bear up against the desertion of old friends, the ambiguous sup- port of new ones, and the taunts of enemies. His mind was ill at ease, his spirits drooped, and he fled for repose to a house at a Chiswick, where he had ovc friend that D\N1EL O'CONNELL. ol7 rlid not desert him : and here he terminated his mortal tjareer, in recovering peace of mind and tranquillity as the vnd. approached. That mind and those spirits, the clo« . Mr. O'Connell's speech on the occasion was more than usually elaborate. He grappled with the whole subject. But his opposition was without avail. This unjust act, imposing oppressive bur- ■dens on a people, seven-eights of whom were Catholics, ■was not abolished until 1835, when by the reduction of ten bishoprics and the sale of perpetuities, a ftmd of one million sterling was raised, which was appropriated to the building and repairs of Churches, and by which the Ca- tholic community was relieved from liability to the impost. In reference to this subject, wo cannot avoid extracting from a remarkable petition drawn np by Mr. Staunton, t)f the Register, the followuig paragraphs, to exhibit in a clear light tho statistics of the Established Church in Ireland : — "Your Petitioners humbly represent, that the income x)f the Protestant Rectors has been often a subject of con- troversy amongst statesmen and statistical writers. Tho very latest authentic records on the subject are the re- turns of tithe compositions, orderefl to be printed by your Honourable House, on the I2th of April, 1827. Accord- ing to these it appears that 940, out of 243G parishes, 2 U OIS LIFK XUl) TIMES Oil' have coinpouiided ; and tliere is good reason to knou% that the richest of the benefices of all Ireland, are thest* in which there has been yet no composition whatever. — It is known that there arc, on an average, nearly two parishes to each rectory in Ireland, and that as the total of the compositions for the 940 is £249,616, each Rector enjoys, in tithes, over £530 per annum ; — but besides tithes, there are glebe houses, equivalent to a rental of at least £50,000 a-year ; and besides glebe houses, there are glebe lands, in all, according to the evidence of Mr. Lkslie FosTKft and others, amounting to 120,000 English acres, and yielding at least 120,000 English pounds per annum ; — and besides glebe lands there are the profits of what are termed the Parsons* freeholds ; that is to say, the Church-yards, yielding, according to the most au- thentic calculation, £100,000 per annum ; and besides the Parsons* freeholds, there are marriage, baptismal, and other fees, amounting to at least, £20,000 a year ; and besides these fees there is what is called Minister's money, amounting, in one of the parishes in the City of Dublin, to at least X 1,200 a-year, and amounting altogelherpro- bably to £25,000 per annum ; — and besides Minister's money, there are consistorial perquisites, amounting to about £30,000 a year ; — and besides consistorial perqui- sites, there are the profits of jail, charitable, and military Chaplaincies, amounting perhaps to ^£'10,000 a year ; — and besides these Chaplaincies, there are profits from schools and university appointments, amounting to £50,000 a year ; and besides these profits, there are cho- ral, prebendary, and other cathedral emoluments, amount- ing perhaps to £50,000 a-year ; making in all an aggre- gate sum of £458,000 a-year, over and above their pro- duce of the tithes of the entire kingdom. The tithes, taken at the fallacious estimate alluded to, and these DANIEL O'COXXF.LL. olS sources of emolument, make, between them, nearly one million one hundred and fifty thousand pounds per annum; being (according to this scale of measurement) an ave- rage of more than £800 per annum, to each of 1,300 Rectors ; but 3 our Petitioners have not the least doubt upon their minds, that the average income of the 1300 Rectors, all things considered, equals£J000to each of them. "Your Petitioners humbly submit that£'250 per annum is supposed to be the average of the secondary rectories in England ; and that the average of the entire is not estimated as exceeding ^400 a-year. If the Irish Rec- tors bore the proportion to the population that the Eng- lish do, they would be 385 instead of 1300 — and if the English was the Irish rate of payment, it would be ;^400 instead of ^1000 per annum. Then your Petitioners submit that if the English ecclesiastical system were in operation in Ireland, 915 out of 1300 Rectors might be dispensed with ; and instead of an expenditure of ^1,150.000 per annum, according to one estimate, or £1,360,000 according to another ; an expenditure of ^£'154,000 would suffice, and a saving might be. made of over one million sterling per annum ; which, added to what your Petitioners suppose to be a superfluous expen- diture on the Bishops, would amount to a saving of one million twelve hundred and fifty thousand pounds a-year. " Your Petitioners beg leave to represent, that in these items of expenditure, are by no means included the entire cost of the Church of England Establishment in Ireland. The Vestry Rates, for the building and repair- ing of Churches, and the payment of parochial officers, reach, according to the best computation, to £575,000 a-year; and the grants, under the heads of first fruits and religious institutions, exceed £150,000 per annum." 520 MFE AND TIMES OT 0*^CoNNELL continned to be in great professional re- quest, lie went special to various Counties j and the time was now arriving when he declined to attend any Circuit except as special Counsel. Notwithstanding their hatred to him, the Orange party employed him as readily as his own friends. In fact, it was universally admitted that as a Jury advocate he had no equal. Notwithstanding his professional eminence and services, theOrangeraen cordial- ly hated him, and in every conceivable manner blackened his character. Yet, this man thus hated and maligned,, was in the domestic circle and in private life beloved and admired, lie was a kind friend, always ready to hold out a helping hand to whoever wanted his aid. He was hospi- table to those most opposed to him in politics. At Dar- rynane Abbey, politics were neither discussed, nor hinted at, and the most violent Tories always went from hint prepossessed in his favour. He had an abstracted — ab- sorbed manner, which had a discourteous air to strangers^ but it was never so intended; he was never /*uilty of rudeness in private intercourse ; ho felt he was u privi- Jegod person, and his abstraction from things passing around, while ho was immersed in newspapers, was regarded as a matter of course. We now approach the most memorable epoch itt O'Connell's career, and, with the exception of the year- 1843, the most eventful — we mean, 18'28'. So much of his undying fame is derived fiom the events of this year, that it will be necessary to dwell upon them at some length. This is the more necessary, as the measure of Emancipation was forced on the consideration of Govern- ment by the transactions on which we enter. It proved in more cases than one,^ the precusor year of Catholic freedom. But entering on these stirring times,, it may be well t^ DANIEL o'CONNELL. 521 advert shortly to the past. Lord Wellesley ceased to be Governor of Ireland. There is much to be said in favor of that distinguished Nobleman ; and during the time he was in power, there was much said against him. The system of State Prosecution for libel, acted on during his time we have already spoten of. It was a policy useless in its effects and utterly repugnant to the love of liberty growing in the public mind. Whether the aims of the Executive were levelled against the ob- scure fools frequenting the gallery of a Theatre, or against such gifted beings, as O'Connell and Sbeil, these prosecutions were equally condemnable. What was the consequence of this miserable policy— this plan of not giving a triumph to either party ? Just this — the disturbances in the Provinces increased —the Insurrection Act, which was confined to eight Counties on Lord Wel- Lesley's arrival, w as soon extended in all direction, for disturbances accumulated. Though one of the greatest men who ever governed the Indian Empire, and a man of rare intellectual acquirements — he allowed himself to be the tool of an underling in office ; Goulbourn was in reality the Governor of Ireland. It is true, "NVellesley's intentions were honest. lie hated the Orange faction as intensel}^ as they liated him. His despatclios to Government, Avhich have since come to light, show how anxious lie was for justice to the Catho- lics ; for he felt that if matters continued as they were, the armies of England would not preserve the connex- ion. He was accused of suggesting the Vestry Act, to which we have already referred, and the Subletting Act, to which we shall shortly have occasion to advert — But such v/as not the case. It was all Goulbourn's doing. In truth, so long as the King persevered in his obstinate fancies on the subject of the Coronation Oath, and that, in 2 u 2 i>22 T.rrii and timks iS consequence, tlie Government of the country was carried on by a Cabinet equally divided on the most vital ques- tion of domestic policy, so long were all such men as "Wellesley and Canning in a false position — so long^ ■was their fame in danger of shipwreck. Nothing but their incomparable talents could have saved them from^ condemnation. There was one circumstance, notwitK-- standing all this, that in addition to his hatred of Orange- isra, tended to make Wellesley's Government popular in Ireland. The Marchioness was a Roman Catholic. She was the grand-daughter — we write from memory — of the celebrated Carroll, who signed with Franklin and other patriots, the declaration of American IndiBpendence. She was an exceedingly charitable woman and exemplary in her religious observances. These qualities won on the popular mind, and the favor in which the Marchioness was held, was by an easy transition transferred to his- Excellency. O'Connell, notwithstanding the State Prosecutions with Avhich he and Siiiel were threatened, defended Lord Wellesley's Government, after he ceased to be Lord Lieutenant ; and one of his last acts, at the meeting of the New Association, in 1827, was to protect him from the attacks of the honest, but hot-brained John Lawless. The last day of the year was rendered memorable by the proposition made by Shiel, and subsequently car- ried out, of the Simultaneous Meetings. The perora- tion of his remarkable speech, on that occasion, was in the following vivid an enlivening words : — " The press is a speaking trumpet, and every word I utter, is carried through that great vehicle of the mind, to the remotest extremities of Leland. 1 feel every syl- lable I articulate will be heard, not only by the hundreds within these wall?, but by the millions without them. IVAMKL o'cONS'ET.ti. o'Zii t'ho Pi'csi^, I repeat it, is the trumpet into Avhich I put my spirit. I feel as if I stood upon some great eminence, and from that elevation addressed myself to congregated^ rtiillions. To them, and not to yoii, T speat, and sa}' — ■ * Slaves — slaves, you ar6 seven millions — know your own strength — appreciate your power — it is no longer' fitting that a handfnl of nnsn should lord it over you. Meet at the same day, and at the same moment — meet loyally, legally, and constitutionally — but meet — assemble I'ound your altars and your Priests — let the rites of your Church be celebrated — let the chalice ascend and the' cross be lifted up, and then raise your voices for liberty together. Raise such a call for freedom as shall travel through every department of the State. I/et the repre- sentatives of the people hearken to that burst of anguish from the people's hearts — let ifc reach to the lofty walls of the titled Senate, and amidst the luxurious recesses of the Inngly palace, let it not be unheard — let a shout go forth for freedom, at which England will start, and to' which France will not be deaf, at which princes shall be amazed, and Cabinets shall stand appalled. Call for freedom, and call for it as your right — call for it in the name of reason— call for it in the name of justice — call- for it in the name of expediency — call for it in the name of safety — call for it legally,but determinedly — and above all, let seven millions call j^r it together." "VVe now draw near the termination of this long chap- ter. Let us cast a retrospective glance oVer these twelve years of O'Connell's career, extending from 1816 to 1827» inclusive; and see whether, as we advance in his his- tory, we donotdetect.more and more,the great cause of his continued popularity ; namely, endeavouring always to &fe in the right, and, whenever wrong, not being ashamed to arow it, and manfully retrace his steps. On the question' i24: I-irK AND TIMES OF of the Veto, how triumphdntly right he was? It is not easy now fully to understand the perplexing difficulties that beset his path. Many of the most active members of the Catholic body were against him : all the Catholic aristocracy were in favor of the Veto. Sheil, a host ' in himself, was opposed to him. Some of the Bishops were said to have leanings towards the views of Consalvi and Pitta. O'Connell had, however, at his side nearly the entire Clergy ; and the people, to a man ; and with their aid ho triumphed. One of his ablest allies was Dr. England ; one of his bitterest opponents was Grattan, who was mortified beyond measure at the Catholics fol- lowing O'Connell's advice in preference to his own. Let us give here a specimen of Grattan's power of vitu- peration directed against Ireland's most gifted son, because he differed with him on the Veto j and who cer- tainly never deserved from the patriot of 1782, so virulent a phillipic. When O'Connell's memory is slandered because he sometimes indulged in language not justifiable, lot the following remind his calumniators how unceasingly, undeservedly, and unsparingly he was himself attacked, even by those who ought to have acted otherwise, and who afterwards repented of their conduct. In an address to the Catholics of Ireland, and speaking of the Associa- tion, Grattan thus indulged in his bitterest sarcasms against one who was destined far to transcend him in his services to the whole people of Ireland. There is evi- dence of jealousy in ever}' line of this characteristic effusion : — * * Examine their leader, Mr. O'Connell — he assumes a right to direct the Catholics of Ireland — he advises— he harangues— and he excites ; ho does not attempt to allay the passions of a warm and jealous people. Full of in- flammatory matter, hie declamations breathed every- irANTRL o'cONNBtL. 52.'> thing but liarniony ; venting against Croat Britain the most disgusting calumny, falsehoods, and treachery, equalled only by his impudence ; describing Great Bri- tain as the most stupid, the most dishonest, and the most besotted nation that ever existed ; that Ireland coold not confide in the promises of England, &c. Without dis- crimination, he pronounced all Protestants ' bigots.' "When he advocated the grievances of the Catholic body, he omitted the greatest grievance — himself 1 A man that could make the speeches ho has made, utter the sentiments he has uttered, abuse the characters he has abused, praise the characters that he has praised, violate the promise* that he has violated, propose such votes and such cen- sures as he has proposed — can have little regard for pri- vate honour or for public character ; he cannot compre- hend the spirit of liberty, and he is not fitted to receive It. He betrays such a scattered understanding and bar- barous mind, that if he got liberty he would immediately lose it. Almost unsuited for the British constitution, and almost ignorant of the bonds of civil society ; of such a mould, and such a disposition, as to be incapable of ac- complishing any rational object ; his declamations to th^ lower orders are full of extravagance, wildness, and am- biguity, and set afloat the bad passions of the people, make them restless in disposition, and impatient in action. He leaves a vacuum in the meaning of his harangue,to be filled up by the elevated imagination of a warm-hearted and sensitive people. It is the part of a bad man to make use of grievances as instruments of power, and render them the means of discontent without a single honest at- tempt at redress. He knows, or at least he ought to know, that this conduct is of such a nature as must always tend to confusion in bad ministers, and strengthen their author rity ; it seduces people into mischief nt:)t intended, and,, after exciting them to folly, it abandons them through fear.. i'26 LIFE A>fn TIMES OF It may lead them to rise against an exciseman or titheman, to burn a hayrick, or murder a farmer ; but will never teach them to redress grievances, or to bring the offending minister to the scaffold. This leader, in spirit, is poor, his courage is of a hesitating quality, his political confidence is prodigious also ; in debate he is more than a hero ; in every sentence there is a challenge ; in the field he is a diplomatic. lie was insulted, ard did not fight ; again insulted, he was goaded to the ground, where his antagonist Rodergo fell. He then offered an insult, was noticed by the condescending spirit of an ira- prudent Minister, was challenged, travelled 400 miles incognito, was arrested through an unforeseen accident ; did not go to the ground, being prevented by an unavoid- able necessity. His speaking is extravagant diction— a vulgar boast, a swaggering sentence, affected bombast, and ludicrous composition. His liberty is not liberal, his politics are not reason, his reading is not learning, his learning is not knowledge ; his rhetoric is a gaud)' hyper- bole, garnished with faded flowers, such as a drabbled girl would pick up in Co vent-garden, stuck in with the taste of a kitchen-maid. He makes politics a trade, to serve his desperate and interested purpose. This man can bring forth nothing good ; in abortion he is the most fertile; the womb of his mind is of such sinful mould that it can never produce anything that is not deformed. He never succeeded in any project except the loss of your question. He barks and barks, and even when the filthy slaverer has exhausted its poison, and returns to its ken- nel, it there still barks and howls within unseen. No administration but would injure their reputation by ad- vancing'such a character." When Grattan says "he was insulted and did not fight," he alludes to an affair which occurred in 1810, at DAMHL o'cOItNELL. 627 the Limerick Assizes. Counsellor Magrath and he had a controversy on some legal matter in the bar box, and it went to such lengths that Magrath kicked O'Con- NELL under the box. This act was not seen by the pub- lic, O'CoNNELL immediately struck him with his brief across the face, and went out of Court to find his friend, PuRCELL O'GoRJiAN, to whom lio communicated what occurred. O'Gorman thought O'Connell had by far the best of it, as he had openly insulted Magrath ; while the insult offered him was not witnessed. This reason- ing did not satisfy O'Connell's wounded feelings, and he sent O'Gorman with a message, lie was referred to Mr. George Bennett. The parties met at six o'clock in the morning, numerously accompanied. Nicholas PniLi'OT Leader attended as one of Magrath's friends. He was intimate also with O'Connell, and availed himself of the acquaintance to try and accommodate the quarrel. While O'Gorman was in the act of measuring the ground, Leader came up to him, suggested a recon- ciliation, and stated that, on his applying to O'Connell, the latter disclaimed any unkind feeling, and declared that he was going to fire at a man against whom he did not entertain the slightest resentment ordll will. Mr. Leader added, that if O'Connell would repeat the ex- pression, Mr. Magrath would apologise. O'Gorman went directly toO'CoNNELL and asked him what occurred between him and Leader, and O'Connell confirmed Leader's statement. O'Gorman expressed his surprise and regret that in his absence he could have held any such conversation, especially with one of his opponents' friends. O'Connell replied, he was brought innacently into the conversation ; but that he was entirely in O'Gorman's hands, and would abide by his decision. O'Gorman, thereupon, desired him take his ground, and he put a case of pistols into his hancl^;. 52S LITE AND TIMES OF While this dialogue was going on, Leader's proposi* tion, and the conversation that followed, circulated amongst the bystanders, who were very numerous and respectable ; and thereupon Michael Furnell, J. O'Brien, James and Denis Lyons, Danl. O'Connell, (Kilgorey), Pat. Mahon, Newpark, Heffy Considine, and others, came round O'Gorman, and all pressed him to accept Leader^s proposition, as stated by O'Con- NELL^ and declared, that upon O'Connelc repeating,on the ground, the declaration with respect to Magrath, the latter should then apologise to O'Connell for his misconduct. This O'Gorman refused, and insisted on matters proceeding ; as that was neither the time nor place for such a course. The gentlemen above named strongly dissented, and denounced his conduct} stating he should be held responsible for any result ; and some declaring that in the event of any fatality he should and •ought be hanged. O'Gorman went to O'Connell and represented his own situation, in consequence of his incau- tious conduct ; and that, therefore, he considered his own tosponsibility at an end. The gentlemen who interceded, or some of them, then took the arrangement on them- selves, and the affair ended without a shot. Leader's proposition being complied with. The parties shook hands together, and with O'Gorman, returned to Lime- rick, in the same carriage, perfectly reconciled. Faction, violence, and prejudice, afterwards grossly misrepresent- ed and distorted this affair, of which these are the exact particulars. We have heard those who were present say, they never saw a braver or steadier man than O'Con- nell was that day. Such was the affair on which so many calumnies were based. It was unworthy of Grattan to have tortured it as he did, into receiving an insult without resenting it. DANIEL O'CONNELL. Z29 Grattan was himself a duellist; and, therefore, as all was not precisely according to strict rule, he took ad- vantage of the informality, to join in flinging aspersions on the character of a political antagonist ; because he honestly, and contrary to his own interests, advocated the cause of the National Religion. We think it was right of O'CoNNELL to have expressed the sentiment, even though contrary to etiquette. It was evident it did not proceed from any personal fear ; for he was as cool and as brave a man as could be, on the ground When a friend spoke to him on the subject, the observa- tion that escaped him was perfectly legitimate and natu* ral. The transaction exposes the monstrosity ^nd ab- surdity of duelling. If, as in this case, friends interfered and insisted on a reconciliation, there is no doubt that nine affairs of honour out of every ten would be similarly arranged ; because, in most cases, it is not feelings of resentment that produce these hostile rencontres. This undeserved attack of Grattan proves wlxat a man must encounter, who, without reference to persons, discharges his duty by his country faithfully, zealously and with singleness of purpose. Indeed O'Connell's consistent resistance to the Veto, is one of the noblest acts in his long career of usefulness. It was clearly his interest, as a Barrister, to obtain Emancipation on any terms. He was not at the period, so fully as at a subse- quent stage, what is understood by the term " practical Catholic." He loved his religion, he used to say, "be- cause it was Irish." Patriotism was therefore his ruling motive, in resisting any attempt to make the national reli- gion subservient to the English Crown. He had his eye steadily fixed upon the necessity, for the sake of Ire^Iand, of keeping her Priesthood aloof from the interference of the British Government; and when he came into collision with some of the Bishops, and was ready to do so with 2v 530 LIFE AND TIMES OF the PoPEjit must naturally be concluded that it was by the interests of his country he was chiefly influenced. The in- terests of religion were in better keeping- with the Bishops, Unquestionably, at that period, a schism was much to be apprehended^ for the people would never have submitted to any arrangement that would have given the Govern* ment influence in the afi^airs of the Catholic Church. It was not alone the people; the second order of the Clergy were very decided. Any one who now reads the pub- lished letter of Dr. England, under art anonymous sig- nature ; and his editorial writings, in the columns of the Cork Mercantile Chronicle, will be struck with the bold- ness with which he criticised certain backslidings on the Veto question, and the unsparing severity with which he attacked the acts of the authorities in Rome. Take for instance, his comments on the Pope's answer to the remonstrance of the body which complained of the expul- sion from Rome of their delegate, the Rev. Mr. Hayes. The remonstrance we here mention was not written by O'Connell. It was written, we believe, by Encas M'DoNNELL. In his Holiness's answer.he very severely spoke of Mr. Hayes. Dr. England took up the Rev. Gentleman's defence with a manliness that did him cre- dit ; but with a spirit that showed a strong feeling against any intrigue that could end in placing in bondage to the Government, the Clergy of the people. We have already expressed our opinion, founded on the Pope's answer to the remonstrance, that Mr. Hayes had carried his zeal too far ; that he was rather intemperate, and conse- quently disrespect fulin urging his suit on His Holiness. "We must take tor granted that where the Holy Father's answer refers to matters which came under his own ob- servation and affected personally himself, the state- ment therein was strictly true. Where an abstract VANIEL O'CONNELL. 631 opinion is cxjiressed, it majr be taken like an opinion S€t forth in a Royal speech, as the production of the minis- ter ; but where facts are stated, having distinct reference to the Porn himself, it is His Holiness who makes the statement, and it should be received as truth. Indeed, Mr. Hayes did so receive it ; for he, as in duty bound, humbly apologised for the oft'ence he had given. But, in justice to the memory of that ill-used and oxcellentCIer- gyman, it should bo considered, that he was in Rome in the capacity of delegate to the Irish Catholics, who ex- pected that he should sternly and zealously discharge his duty. He represented those who were determined not to yield the right of Veto to the Crown. Impressed with tho same opinions, and upheld by the same deter- mination, ho adopted an independent tone in his letters to,«and interviews with, the Pontifical authorities. They were hostile to his views, and soon became hostile to himself. The result can be clearly traced. Tho Pope became prejudiced. He considered the Reverend Gentle- man as his clerical subject, bound to obey in Rome all the rules and regulations of his order as a Franciscan. Mr. Hayes, on the other hand, considered himself a a Catholic Delegate, and therefore free from the restric- tions and regulations which were sought to bo imposed on him; such as wearing the dress of his order, and be- ing within his College at stated hours. This, together with his sturdy action against the Vetoists, made him unpopular with the authorities in Rome. Influenced by the feeling which the hostility he experienced produced in his mind, and the natural independence of his disposi- tion, he didact,in the opinion of tho writer, in an injudicious manner towards his Holiness, personally ; though, un- der the circumstances, it may be excused. Of thelCiNo's visit.and the result.wehave already fully 532 LIFE AND TIMES OP spoken The experiment O'Connell then. made on the Orangemen, was a complete and total failure, as lie after- wai'ds acknowledged. But the principle which influenced him was good. The attempt to reconcile Irishmen toge- ther, though it failed, can be no cause of censure on the Liberator.' The formation of the Catholic Association, in 1823, and the institution of the Catholic Rent, in 1824, were itt themselves, master strokes of policy ; particularly the latter. They laid the foundation of the ultimate triumph of civil and religious liberty. In 1823, O'Connell's evidence did much to soften down the asperities of the Orange party ; and undoubt- edly there existed in London that year, a better feeling in favor of the Catholics. O'Connell's conduct about the " Wings,." v/as blamed, and he afterwards admitted his error. But it must be ever borne in mind, that emancipation was the price offered for the sacrifice. At that time Emancipation was considered a remote, almost a hopeless pursuit ; and when he found it already within his grasp, by abandoning a franchise hitherto employed for Landlord and Orange purposes, and by consenting to the payment, under careful protection, of the Catholic Clergy, it is not to be wondered at, that, surrounded as he was by old Parliamentary friends, who were anxious for its accomplishment, and by the Catholic Aristocracy, who were panting for political power — it is not to bo wondered at, that for a time he yielded to these influences. But he had not, in his disposition, what he himself called "rascally consistency!" — that is, consistency in wrong; and therefore he now changed views on both those points. The fourteen days' meetings ; the formation of the New Association, and the triumph of the popular caus>5 DANiEL O'CONNELL. g^j; wei* the BKRfi«roBDs, in Waterford, by the aid of forty, shilling freeholders, were the distinguishing features of 1826. The petition in favor cf the Dissenters, drawn up by O'CoNNELL. and signed by a hundred thousand Catholics illustrates the spirit of liberty which actuated the Irish people in 1827. Since 1823, O'Connell and Siieil worked steadfastly nnd cordially together. There does not appear to have been any jealousy between these distinguished men. Sheil, it is evident, from the position he was placed in. on the Committee of twenty-one. in 1825, at the head of the ballot, was a great favorite. It was •impossible it could be otherwise. The brilliancy of his genius won for him golden opinions from all; and we will find him in the next chapter, by the aid of that genius, vieing on equal terms with his great compatriot, in the crowning strug- gle for Emancipation. He was the TEucKR—O'CoNNErL the Ajax and the Ulysses of the agitation ; and both in their peculiar and different modes worked out together the liberation of their country. But the indefatigable in- dustry of O'CoNXELL-his ready eloquence-his exhaust- less resources—his solid sense made him more trusted by the people, as their leader; and the history of the pro- vious twelve years, proves the value of the principle ho always followed, viz., to endeavour to be always in the " right ; and when wrong, not to fear acknowledging an error, and abandoning it. We now close this long chapter by correcting a mistake made in it in reference to Mr. O'Connell's uncle, Mau- rice O'Connell. We stated he was never married. Our information was incorrect. He was many years a widower, without family ; and the majority of the two last generations who knew him were not aware he ever was married. Hence the error the writer committed in 2 V 2 534 LIFB AND TIMES OF taking for granted what from his childhood he under- stood to be the case ; the old bachelor habits of the indi- vidual were in consonance with the general impression. The following interesting letter, however, will amend all misconceptions: — " You state that *' Hunting Cap" had never married; but you have been misinformed. His wife was the daugh- ter of Robert Cantillon, Esq., of the County Lime- rick, grandfather.maternally, of the late Robert Burke of this city. His son, Philip Cantillon, married my mother's eldest sister, but the family is now extinct. When ** Hunting Cap" came to Cork, in order to settle the marriage of his nephew, John, with Miss Coppinger, he frequently called on me, and entered into many family details, not forgetting this alliance of our families. His father-in-law, Robert Cantillon, was the near relative of two brothers, bankers in Paris, who had followed the fortunes of James II., and made large fortunes there, which the daughter of one of them inherited; and became the wife of the Earl of Stafford, the descendant of the unfortunate victim of the Popish Plot, Thomas Howard, Viscount Stafford ; whose title, as Baron, is now pos- sessed by Sir George Jerningham, a descendant, in the female line, the male being extinct. I have some letters written by the Parisian Bankers between 1720 and 1730 to my grandfather. '* You may recollect that the person mentioned by Sir John Davies, as calling himself Cantillon ; but who , was really an O'Driscoll — consequently a merus Hiber- nus, was killed by an Englishman, or one so contradistin- guished from the mere Irish, who pleaded that circum- stance in justification of the murder. But I must stop, not only to avoid trespassing on your time, but because I DAMEL O'CONNELL. 535 have been so incessantly interrupted, that I write most hurriedly, and am only allowed to add that I am ever " My dear, Sir, yoiir's cordially, * ' Cork, July ] 847. " CHAPTER IV. 1828—1829. We now approach the most glorious period of O'Con- well's career. We shall devote this Chapter to the history of the two years which were terminated by the achievement of religious freedom for millions of British subjects. The Fourteen Days' Meeting, in the commencement of 1828, passed off with the usual amount of oratory and patriotism. The only feature of novelty in the proceed- ings, was Mr. Wyse's proposal of a political Catechism, drawn up in a popular form, so as to teach the rising generation their rights, and unfold to them the wrongs of their foi^efathers. Mr. Wyse's speech on this occasion was remarkable for that smooth and flowing eloquence and literary research, for which he is distinguished. It has been often a matter of surprise to us, that a man of his acquirements has not been appreciated as he deserves. There is in his public addresses a depth of knowledge— a graceful and lucid eloquence — an earnestness and enthu- siasm which entitle him to a foremost place amongst the most distinguished public men. It is true that, eschew- ing politics, he has devoted himself lately to one most important subject — Education— one that, though noble and intensely interesting to the middle class, is a cause of much division, and not so popular with all orders as objects of a purely political character. Besides, a man who rides a hobby, though useful to a great extent, is often voted a bore ; and hence it is, that even in the House of Commons, we have witnessed Mr. Wyse's most luminous addresses delivered to empty benches — the house absolutely decamping the moment he rose. The proposal of a political catechism practically affected all, came home to the minds of the people, and it was hailed with general enthusiasm. The proposition to hold simultaneous meetings, made at this fourteen days' meeting, was one pregnant with in- terest to the Catholic cause, and in their result, the meet* ings proved powerful instruments for the advancement o( Catholic Emancipation. It was determined to hold them on the 13th of Januory. Two thousand meetings were convened, and it is computed that five millions of peo- ple attended them. Aspirations were thus at the same hour on a Sunday, after the holy sacrifice of the Mass, offered up for Liberty of Conscience. What a noble combination! How it struck terror into foes — how trum- pet tongued it spoke in the voice of warning to the go- vernment of the country ! The Government — that is the Ministry, distinct from the Sovereign, trembled when they beheld an organization so perfect, and learned a lesson for their future guidance. It is said that even at this time Wellington and Peel began to see that yield they must — that it was but a question of time, and that sooner or later, the King must conquer his prejudi- ces, and give way to the power marshaled against him. The next resolution proposed, or rather suggested for future consideration, was the preparation of petitions for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, This step was most generous on the part of 0'CoNNELL,who recom- mended it, and proves that the great principles of Liberty of 53d LIKB AND TtMaS OP conscience and Christian charity to all, were the polar- stars of his political life. The Dissenters, in whose favor the petitions were designed, were absolutely inimical to the Catholic claims ; and were opposed to any general measure of relief, that would leave unshackled tlie con- sciences of their Catholic fellow-subjocts, together with their own. Canning refused to grant them a partial measure of relief, on the ground that it would weaken the Catholic cause ; and the Dissenters preferred to le- main uneraancipated, rather than assist, and their assis- tance must have been successful, in giving religious liber- ty to all christian sects. One of the most able documents ever drawn up by O'CoNNELL, was an address this year to the Dissenters of England, calling on them to abandon their prejudices, to disbelieve the lies propugated against the Catholics, and to do as they would be done by — by aiding them in obtaining Emancipation. It was unavailing ; it was disregarded. Lord John Russell took a different view of this sub- ject from Canning. He believed that the more liberty of conscience was recognised by the legislature, the more easy would it be to carry the principle to its full extent. O'CoNNELL agreed with him and crave him every aid. To entitle a person in England to become araember of a Corporation, he should receive the sacrament of the last supper, as a test of his belief. This most dissenters could not conscientiously do. However, the law was so formed that if a Dissenter were elected to a corporate office, without any question asked him as regarded the sacrament.he was, after installation, not removeable. If during his election he were asked the question, and by his answer, or his refusal to answer, he proved himself a Dissenter, all the votes given for him were cancelled, and his opponent was forthwith installed. In the towns where DANIEL o'connelL. 639 the Dissenters predominated, this question was not put ; and consequently, notwithstanding the law, the Corpora- tions of these towns were composed almost exclusively of Dissenters. The law, then, was from its injustice made in* operative. The Catholics were obliged to do more; the test in their regard was to swear that the holy sacrifice of the Mass was "damnable and idolatrous!" If this oath were not taken, the rights of Citizenship were denied them. The Wellington Government in this year yielded Liberty of Conscience to the Dissenters. They refused it to the Catholics 1 1 One Hundred Thousand Catholics signed the petition drawn up by O'Connell in favor of the Dissenters— yet the Dissenters opposed their Emanci- pation. The next important suggestion from the meeting of the 31st December, 1827f was, that the people should petition against the Sub-letting Act. This was a measure on which many friends of the Catholics differed. Mr. Spring Rice, for instance, who undoubtedly was a vigorous ad- vocate of their claims, was in favor of this Act. So was Mr. Villiers Stuart — and, we believe, the Marquess of Landowne. The system of sub-letting had un- questionably grown to a great evil in Ireland. The usual lease granted to middle-men, through whom formerly the owners of the soil dealt with the occupiers, was for three lives, concurrent with forty-one years. The mid- dle-men sub-let; their tenants again sub-let; and when the land came out of lease, it was found choked up with a crowded population, who held at a rack rent. The re- medy for this , was, for the owner of the soil to deal di- rectly with the occupier, and to let his land at a long lease and fair rent, in small farms, suited to the means of the working farmers. What did the legislature do or rather attempt to do, for its amendment was not obeyed? 540 LIFE AND TIMES OF It prevented by a law, which was afterwards evaded, any tenant who derived from the proprietor, sub- letting his land after the passing of tho Act. Now such an Act as this, which encouraged wholesale ejectments, and sent thousands of poor wretches to pine in the dark lanes of some neighbouring town, should never have been passed ; and if at all, not without being accompanied, firstly, by a Poor Law, and, secondly, by an improve- ment in the relations between Landlord and Tenant. Mr. O'CoNNELL, at the time, truly said, the statement of over population was unfounded. He based his denial of this statement on the fact of the exports of food from the country. Poverty was no test of over population ; for a million of people in the same Country may be made, by misgovernment, poorer than nine millions on the same surface ; he may have gone further, and said that seven- teen MILLIONS, it is now well ascertained and admitted, might with an ordinary improvement in agriculture, be comfortably maintained in Ireland. From the very commencement of the year 1828, the greatest interest was felt in the proceedings of the Catho- lics. Wellesley was gone, Anglesey, who threatened to trample us under the hoofs of his Hussars, was com- ing over, an altered man, a friend of the Catholics, and with every disposition to render Justice to all. The New Reformation, on the other hand, was making a mighty noise. The e pthusiasts absolutely fancied that they Avere shortly to have Ireland to themselves. They boasted already of having made two thousand converts. Their proceedings were causing vast excitement and angry feel- ing. The Orange faction were in exstacies at Can- ning's death — at the overthrow of the semi- Whig Govern- ment, of which Lord Goderich was the head, and at the approaching formation of a strong Protestant Ministry. DANIEL O'CONNEI.L, 541 All this produced corresponding exertion on the part of the Catholics. i3oth were pitted against each other. The Government and the Orangemen on one side — O'CoN- NELL and the people on the other. In the end, O'Connell was the victor. One of the first steps taken by O'Connell, this year, was the appointment of Catholic Church- Wardens in erery Parish in Ireland. This piece of machinery was a great aid to the agitation. The value of this organiza- tion, which was well put into action, will be appreciated when the duties of the offices are set forth. They are embodied in the following report : — " That each Parish Priest be requested to nominate one Church Warden, and that the Parishioners be re- quested to name the other. " That such Church wardens do continue in office for one year, and that a new nomination do take place on the Sunday after the feast of the Epiphany in each year. " That the Churchwardens so nominated, be requested to assist in all charitable and humane public works within their respective parishes. • " That in order to keep up a constant communication between the New Catholic Association and the Catholio Churchwardens in each parish, there be supplied to each Churchwarden, in each country parish, a copy of that ex- cellent paper, the Dublin Weekly Register. " That such paper shall be sent at the expense of the Association, so long as the Churchwardens shall furnish monthly returns to the following questions .- — '• 1. What has been done in your parish during the last month, with respect to the collection of the Catholic Rent ? ." 2d. Who are the collectors of the Catholic Rent in your parish ? 2 W 542 LIFE AND TIMES OF •'3d. Is the system of turning tlie peasantry out of their habitations in activity in your parish ; and if so, who by name are the Landlords acting on such a system ? " 4th. Has the •' New Reformation" made any pro- gress in your parish ; and what is the state of your parish with respect to conversion upon all sides ? " 5th. Is there any prosecution going on in your parish against the Forty-shilling Freeholders, and if so, by whom and to what extent ? " 6th. Is there any persecution going on in your parish against parents who refuse to send their children to Bi- blical Schools ; and if so, by whom and to what extent ? " 7th. What is the amount of Church Rates in your pa- rish ; and of whai description of persons are the Vestries composed ? ** The Committee recommend that the names of the Catholic Churchwardens be read in the Association once a month, and that such names be posted in the rooms on the same compartment with the names of the Collectors of the Catholic Rent." *• As was anticipated by the Orangemen, an essentially Tory Government Avas formed after the resignation of Lord GoDERicH. The causes of the break up of this Administration are a portion of the general history of the empire, and cannot be enlarged on in this Mkmoir. Suf- fice it, that now, for the first time, the Catholics had be- fore them an open avowed foe — one who had declared that as the reformation was introduced into Ireland by the sword, it should be maintained there by the sword — that open avowed foe was the Duke of Wellington — who, when plain Arthur Wellesley, it is well known was favourable to the Catholic claims. Wellington was the head of the new Ministry. Lyndhurst was Chancellor — Peel, Home Secretary — Goulburn, Chan- BA.NIEI, O'CONNELL. 548 cDllor of the Exchequer. In the late Government there were eleven friends to the Catholic claims and four ene- mies. In the newly formed one, there were six violent and able opposers of these claims— and seven lukewarm friends, and all were of the Pitt school. ' In the mean time the agitation progressed rapidly. — The fourteen days' meetings, were maintained with vig/5ur; separate meetings of Catholics for the redress of griev- ances Avere held every Wednesday, and the New Catholic Association assembled on Saturdays. Its funds, " for all purposes not prohibited by law," swelled at the com- mencement of this year to six hundred pounds weekly. — The receipts afterwards declined until the period of the Glare election, when they rapidly rose again, exhibiting an alternate laxity, and vigour, in the collection ; for when called upon, the people were never back- ward in giving their aid to the glorious work. The state of feeling in Ireland, and the apprehensions of the mere spectators of political events, will be best conveyed to the reader in the following extract from a well known Edinburgh Newspaper, at all times conducted with great talent, discretion, and impartiality.* — *' It would be difficult to find in the annals of mankind, so singular an instance of a people unanimous in discon- tent. We speak of course of the Catholics only, wJio — thanks to bad laws, badly administered — are really a separate and distinct nation. Even the North Ameri- cans, at the commencement of the revolution, whether taken in the mass, or estimated by separate sects, were not nearly so unanimous in their feelings and opinions. — It may now bo said, almost literally, that every Irish Ca- tholic, from Coleraine to Bantry, thinks himself an in- juredj and is a discontented, man. The Catholics knew theii* union themselves.; they knew also that union is 6ii LIFE AND TIMES OF strength i bxit to make this truth operate on the mhidi* of their enemies, it was necessary to render it palpable to all. The "simultaneous meetings" were an excellent device for this purpose. They were pei-fectly peaceable ; the object was legal, and they displayed at once their numbers, their union, and their organization. Mr. Sheil says, and has good reason now to say, that the Irish Catholics "stand up in a solid square," and that '* tho tramp of six millions of men must be lieard alar off." — Y/ould to Heaven, that the bigots who have so long mal- treated Ireland, would lay this truth to heart in a rig'it spirit. " The Catholics have an excellent organization, which has been created by time and circumstances, and a com- mon senso of wrong, rather than by the craft of indivi- duals. It cannot be denied, the Association is, for certain purposes, a Parliament. It is an organ which expresses the feelings, and watches over the interests of the people. It keeps their wrongs eonstantly before their eyes and the eyes of theBritish public; it checks the rash,stimulates the* languid, and makes the hopes and fears, the opinions and purposes of all bear steadily in one direction. The leader* well comprehended the truth of Bukke's maxims, that violence in those who suffer, defeats its object, and that the best means of extorting concessions from Govern- ment, is by '* a litigious and dissatisfied obedience." The *' rent" is really a revenue, and though trifling in a na- tional point of vieWj is important for the purposes of a party. Many a great cause has suffered from the want of a small sum ; and it is of much value to men like th& Irish Catholics, engaged in an arduous struggle, to havo even a limited fund from which the individuals singled' out for persecution in violent times, can bo succoured. '■'• The two leaders, though not the best or widest of BANIEL o' CONN ELL. 545 ■men, are upon the whole, well qualified for the part they, have to act in the drama. Persons of deeper and finer intellect would not strcceed so well. Mr. O'Cdnnell is bold, versatile, impetijous, indefatigable in action, and •\^hat is of groat importance — inexhaustible in declama- tion. SiiEiL is less tiopious and fluent, but has a richer and more ornate stjle of eloquence. Both are dogmati- cal and intolerant, and occasionally rash and blundering; but even their extravagance and errors have a use, for they are of genuine Irish growth, and sometimes perhaps find an echo in the bosoms of their hearers, when genuine English sense would be rejected. Both leaders, indeed, are Irish to the core. ' ** But the Association would be a mere assemblage of idle spoutcrs, without tbe Parish Priests, who arc the sinews of the Catholic Union. Of these, including their assistants, there are, we believe, about 2,000 ; and their situation is extremely different from that of the Pro* testant Clergy on this side of the Channel. The absence of so many landlords, the existence of middle-men, the tad state of the laws, the practice of confession; perhaps ^ve may add, the extreme ignorance of the people, have transferred to the Irish Priests tho influence which in England belongs to the proprietors. It is admitted that they have often employed their power in repressing out- rage and crime ; and it does not detract from their merit, that they sympathise with the people in their wrongs, and use all legal and peaceable moans to rescue their religion from insults and contumely. If they have be- come political functionaries, it is the vices of the Govern- ment that have made them such. While every officer, from the parish constable upwards, is a bigot or an Orangeman, to whom can the People look for counsel or aid but to the Priest ? The Association is quite sensible 2 \v 2 6i6 LIFE AND TIMES OF of the advantages which the common cause derives from their services ; and has recommended the appointment of subordinate functionaries to assist them in their labours. They propose that two Church Wardens should be chosen annually in every parish ; the one by the Priests, the other by the Parishionersr It is not dis- guised that they are to be political agents. On the one hand, they are to collect the "Catholic Rent," to report monthly to the Association on the state of the parish, the persecution of Forty-shilling freeholders, the proceedings of the Vestries (of the Episcopal Church), the amount of the Church Rates, &c. On the other hand, they are to be the medium through which the Association will make known its sentiments and plans to the people ; and, for this purpose, every Church Warden is to bo supplied with a Dublin newspaper, free of expense. It is thus that the Catholic leaders are extending and improving their organization step by step; and, in the face of acts passed to put thdm down, are establishing the most singular, perfect, and efficient imperium in imperio which ever existed, '* If this be a bad state of things, the blame rests with the Government, and not with Catholics. The Association is not the cause, but the creature of the popular discontent. That discontent is the consequence of centuries of oppression and mis-government; it is a gangrene for which concession and conciliation are the cure. Let us put away bigotry from our councils, and do impartial justice to all parties ; this done, the troubles of Ireland will speedily cease. We have tried force, proscriptions, penal laws, for ages ; and here we are in a worse condition than over! The now PiUMi': IMinistlr and his dragoons may ride over the country for the twentieth time; but after his great achievement is finished, human nature will still be human nature ; the UANIBL 6'COXNELL. 547 Injured will be discontented; the kicked will kick again; and tho call for " measures of vigour/* the everlasting resource of a wicked and tyrannical government, will be louder than ever." . •. ' The Catholics were beginning to feel their electoral strength. The country was organised. The Church Wardens, aided by the Clergy, were nobly discharging their duties . The freeholders, encouraged and protected by the Association, had thrown off the political thraldom in which they had been bound. All bid fair for a vast accession of power at the general election. Feeling this, the Catholics of Ireland, assembled in aggregate meet- ing at Dublin, in February, 1828, thus resolved : — " That we will consider any Irish member an enemy to " the peace of Ireland, who shall not declare his determi- " nation not to support any administration who shall not " make Catholic Emancipation a Cabinet measure." This was taking high and determined ground; and, as we shall shortly observe, it was acted on in Clare against Vesev Fitzgerald, who not only supported the new Govornmeut, but, as will be seen, shortly after accepted official employment. That resolution, proposed bv Mr. Dillon, was the foundation of great events. Notwithstanding this determined line of conduct, on the part of the Association, a feeling was beginning to exhibit itself far less hostile to the Government. The imJ)ression was abroad that some measure of justice was in contemplation. Mr, O'Connell, who governed his policy by the necessities of the moment, was most anxious to give the Duke of Wellington's government a fair trial. The manner in which tho Duke acted, respecting the Test and Corporation Acts, showed that his opinions had undergone some change, and that his hostility to the principle of religious liberty was at least modified. Mr. 548 LIFE AND TIMES OF Sheil, on the other hand, was not so easily convinced. He doubted the Duke's conversion to a liberal and enlight- ened policy ; and felt, unless coerced by agitation to alter it, the Duke would persevere in the old miserable Dolicy of doing nothing. The arrival indeed, as Viceroy, of the Marquess of Anglesey, with altered views on the Catholic question, was an indication that some better and wiser policy would for the future sway the Cabinet. Lord Anglesey was a man of high chivalrous bearing, straightforward and upright ; when he entertained an opinion he fearlessly expressed it. It was that disposi- tion which made him threaten us with his hussars, when the Catholic Association was first established. It was that disposition which induced him to retract the menace, and express regret for having uttered it. It was that disposition which led him to leave us as a legacy the cele- brated advice to agitate— agitate — agitate ! and that afterwards made him, in contradiction to that ad- vice, threaten us with annihilation by three gun brigs, if we made any attempt to Repeal the Act of Union. The Irish people knew the impetuous honesty and since- rity of this nobleman, and coming to Ireland as the friend of Catholic Emancipation, he was hailed enthusi- astically. Under his auspices the revival of Irish manu- factures was attempted ; and with zeal and earnestness he gave the movement every assistance. All his house- hold were clad in the manufacture of this country. He pledged himself, should his regiment arrive in Ireland, to have it also clothed in the product of the Irish loom. He went further, and pledged himself to spend every far- thing of his salary as Lord Lieutenant in this country. All this gave great satisfaction to the popular party, and their speeches of that day are filled with praises of this chivalrous nobleman. Mr. Lamb, aftervvards Lord Melbourne, was his Chief DANIEL 0''C0NNELL. 649 Secretary. Judging from the speeches of O'Connell, and others in the Association, he was by no means popu* Jar. He foolishly got himself mixed up with the Kildare Street Socicty,which, of itself, was quite sufficient to des- troy the popularity of any public man. During the course of the year several discussions took place in the Association, and in the Society for the im- provement of Ireland. From these discussions we disco- ver that Mr. O'Connell was for a modified system of Poor Laws. He was not before an advocate for the in- troduction of such a system of relief to Ireland. This year, however, he admitted he was a convert to the prin- ciple of compulsory relief, so modified as not to interfere with private benevolence. We shall see, in 1835, what was his plan of Poor Laws. It was in May of this year that the Catholic Ques- tion was introduced into Parliament. The Catholics, though they petitioUed, felt very indifferent about the de- bate. They knew that the chances of success in the legisla- ture were against them, and that their only hope of tri- umph was in themselves — in their organization and their unceasing perseverance. The aspect of the country and the very apathy exhibited as to the result of the de- bate, were looked upon with great apprehension in Eng- land. Notwithstanding this, the measure passed a first reading in the Commons by a bare majority of Six. This majority, under all the circumstances of the times, tho native hostility of tho Orange faction, and the apathy of tho Catholic Aristocracy, for whose special benefit the struggle was made — was considered satisfactory by Mr. O'Connell. However, he had occasion shortly to change his opinion, for the measure was rejected in the House of Lords by a majority of Forty Four; and the Catholics were cooly advised by the Duke of Wellington to ceaso o50 LIFE AND TIMES 5P from agitation, as the only chance of having their claims favourably considered. An opportunity was soon presented for the Catholics to show if they adopted this advice. The East Retford disfranchisement Bill had caused the retirement of Mr. HusKissoN, one of the great propse of the Government, one of the most enlightened statesmen of the day— the great Free Trade minister. There were two boroughs to be disfranchised for corrupt ion, Penryn and East Ret- ford. The Ministry determined that the representation of one should be transferred to a great town heretofore unrepresented, and of the other, to the adjoining hundred. The opposition pressed for the transference of both to great towns. A debate ensued,andMr.HusKissoN, in his speech, supporting the views of Government, declared, in a man- ner tantamount to a pledge, that if it were simply a question of one borough,he should vote for the transference to a great town — to Manchester — But where there were two, he would content himself with giving members to one city, and allow the representation of the other borough to be preserved, simply extending the privilege to the adjoining hundred. The Penryn disfranchisement bill, transferring the right of representation from that borough to Manchester, passed the Commons, and was moved in the Lords, where it was soon ascerta'ined that it would be rejected. When the East Retford Bill came on for discussion in the Commons, Lord John Russell reminded Mr. Huskisson of his pledge, and called to on him to redeem it; inasmuch as the Penryn Bill would be thrown out in the Lords, and that, therefore, there remained in reality but one Borough to be disfran- chised. Mr. Huskisson honorably admitted the pledge — He tried to get Pebl to postpone the discussion. His object in this was, to resign before voting, and thus avoid embarrassing the Ministry. However, Peel persevered. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 651 and HusKissoN voted with the opposition for the trans- ference of the Representation of East Retford to a large town. On returning home that evening, he wrote a private note to the Duke of Wellington, dated two o'clock in the morning, stating what occurred, and expressing a wish that he should in consequence not cause any embarrassment to the Government. Wel- lington accepted this as a resignation, and no subse- quent explanation from Mr. Huskisson, could persuade him that it was never so intended. The letter, though a private one, and merely a prelude to a formal inter- view with the Duke, was taken to the King. The result was, that Huskisson was, in point of fact, dismissed his Majesty's service. This caused considerable changes in the Ministry ; and, in the arrangements, Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, the member for Clare, was appointed President of the Board of Trade, and of course had to go to his constituents for re-election. Mr. Fitzgerald was always a friend to Catholic Emancipation, and though he voted for the Algerine Act, the Sub-letting Act, and the Vestry Act, he was considered, for those days, a man of Liberal views, and was exceedingly popu- lar in his county. Wellington felt quite confident, and so did Fitzgerald, that, supported as he would be, by the O'BniANs, of Dromoland, his return was secure. Major M'Namara, who at first consented to oppose him, retired from what was considered a hopeless coniest, even for him, who was so deservedly popular in Clare. Sir David Roose, who had been high Sheriff of Dub- lin in the previous year, and a Tory in principles, save where O'Connkll was personally in question ; when for very solid reasons, his views were essentially modified, met P. V. FiTzPATRiCK, at 7 o'Clock on the morning of June 22, in Nassau Street, and started the idea that 552 LIFE AND TIMliS OF O'CoNNELt ought to offer himself for Clare. Roose was unquestionably the first suggester of this important movement, and Fitz Patrick the first to whom it was communicated. — It happened, by an extraordinary coinci- dence, that when about 20 years of .age, Mr. Fitzpatrick frequently accompanied his Father, Mr. Hugh Fitzpa- trick, so largely trusted, and so intimately acquainted with Catholic politics, to visit John Keogh, of Mount Jerome, who on these occasions, made it a point to impress upon Mr. Fitzpatrick his strong conviction that the re- turn of one of their own body to Parliament was a con* dition precedent, that would be found almost indespensable to the achievement of Emancipation by the Catholics, — Kecgh always pointed to a Borough — instancing Proghe' dja as probably the most attainable — as he did not conceive success as to a county possible— Keogh was in the habit of saying to, with reference to this subject, that "John Bull was very stupid and very bigoted, and considered Eman- cipation to mean liberty to burn hira in Smithfield, and hence was ignorantly opposed to the proposition — That he was, however, markedly jealous of the Constitutional privileges of the subject ; and if a man — Catholic thougli he might be — should be returned to Parliament, and re- fuse4 the right to assume his seat, John Bull would look very accurately to the nature of the impediments, and his attention being then, for the first time,directed with proper effect to a short clause, in the oath of qualifi- cation, his constitutional feeling would cause him spee- dily to assent to an alteration of the oath in favour of the Constituency^ whoso chosen representative had been pre- vented from discharging his duty to them by the existence of the clause in question.'' When Sir David Roose threw out the idea to Fitz* PATRICK, that O'CoNNEiL himself should stand for DANIEL O'CONNELL. 553 ^laroJvEOGH's reasoning,and the injunction he constantly laid on FrTZPATRicK, to assist in working out his sug- gestion, presented itself anew and with prophetic force to his mind—IIe saw that O'Connell would win the county, and that Keogii's sagacious recommendations ^ould thus bo acted upon, and tested in the most auspi- cious form.— Ho flew to O'Conneli., and after comrau- eating the commission, and the duty imposed on him by Keogh, never ceased to ttrge on tho future LiBERAton, the necessity of his allowing himself to be put forward, until he at length succeeded in bringing him to the Office of the Dublin Evcydng Post, where on Tuesday, June the 24th, tho address was written in his presence and that of Frederick Wm. Conway, before ever the Catholic Association were made aware of it. It was then O'Connell declared publicly, that if no other candidate would go forward, he would go himself. Five thousand pounds were voted by the Association,as a first instalment towards the expenses of the Election; and it being ascertained beyond question, that M'Namara de- lincd the contest, O'Connell at once came forward amidst the utmost enthusiasm, and addressed the Elec- tors of Clare. Then it was that Patrick V. Fitzpatrtck undertoolc to collect a subscription, in addition to the Association money, which was the means of winning the election. He dined at Sir John Power's, a-day or two after O'Con- NKLL bad published his address to the Electors of Clare ; and in talking over the matter, Mr. James Power, the present member for Wexford, said, '* I never was so ex- cited in my life as by reading that address—the contest %vould, however, cost a great deal of money ; but I shall give a subscription for it, and so will ray father." Next day Fitzpatrick called on O'Connell, to urge him io 2y. §0i LIFE AND TIMES OP follow up the contest^ for though he hadissuedhis address/ he was, up to this period, quite undecided as to whethef ho should go down in person and contest the election. la course of a conversation on the subject, he said, " Fitz- PATRiCK, I am disposed to yield to these entreaties ; but there is one formidable, and, I fear, almost insuperable impediment. The expense of such a contest would be many thousands of pounds. You know that so far from being in circumstances to meet that outlay from my own resources, I am incumbered with heavy liabilities beyond my power of discharging. Yon are the only person with whom I am acquainted, who knows intimately the Catholic aristocracy and men of wealth ; would you undertake to sound them as to funds for the contest ?" The voluntary offer of James Power, the previous evening, at once occurred to Mr. Fitzpatrick's mind. " I will undertake it, and I am confident of success." Accordingly, within an hour he got Sir John Power, Mr. Cornelius M'Lougulin, and Mr. Andrew Ennis together, explained matters to them, and their reply was, " you have convinced us of the pro- priety of this movement, and we will act with you in it." They commenced by putting down their own names for ^100 each; and it was arranged that the four should next day wait on the principal Catholics then in Dublin. They did so ; and with such signal success, that £1,600 was obtained that day, in subscriptions of ^100 each, from sixteen persons; and the country followed the example so liberally, that ^14,000 was raised within a week, and money continued to flow in during the contest in great abundance. The supplies, however, were not equal to the enormous demand ; and during the Election, were at one time entirely exhausted. Anticipating this, a raes- eenger was despatched post-haste to Cork, to say how DANIEL O'CONNELI;. 655 tilings stood ; and to the honor of the patriots of that City and that day, he returned in an incredibly short time, with a sum of £1,000 from Jerry Murphy, Esq., of tliat City, who himself subscribed three hundred pounds ; the remainder was had from its patriotic inhabitants. This seasonable supply was of incalcula- ble advantage, and in a most material degree ontri- buted to the victory. On the day of O'Connell's departure for Clare, his carriage and four horses drove into the east yard of the Four Courts, about 2 o'clock, and at this time he was en- gaged in an important law argument. On its being an* nounced to him that his carriage was waiting, he stated that as soon as he had concluded he would start. Shortly after, having closed his address to the Judges, he proceed- ed to the Counsel's room, and having taken off his wig and gown, passed through the hall. The circumstance having created great excitement at the moment, he was followed by all the lawyers and persons in the Courts; so much so, that the Judges in the different Courts were totally deserted by the Counsel. He proceeded out into the yard, and having stepped into his open barouche, ac- companied by PuRCELL O'GoRMAN, as Secretary of the Association, Mr. Richard Scott, Solicitor, and the Rev. Mpi Murphy, the celebrated P.P. of Corrofin, he drove off amidst the cheers of the people, of the lawyers, and all present. Mr. O'Connell took off his hat, and gave three cheers for the successful Candidate, whoever he might be; which was responded toby the people saying " May God bless you — may you succeed." His eldest son, Maurice, was already in Clare — so were Lawless and O'Gorman Mahon, and Steele. The greatest possible excitement prevailed, not only in that county, but throughout the whole route along which V56 LIFE AND TIMDb OT Mr. O'CoNNELL passed. In Limerick, he* was absolutely detained, nolens volenSy by the people. At Nenagh, some- thing of asimilar demonstration took place. The en- thusiasm spread throughout Ireland, and even extended to England. At Ennls, though he entered the town by day-break, the trades and inhabitants turned out in pro- cession to meet him. The election commenced — the pub- licans came to a resolution not to sell a drop of whiskey during the election. The people acquiesced in the ar- rangemeni. The greatest excitement prevailed, yet no disturl^^nce took place. Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald be- haved very well on the occasion. He felt he was sacri- ficed for a cause which he himself had always supported. The people, too, liked him ; and yet where principle was involved they sacrificed all other considerations. The threats of their landlords bad no terrors for them j the Forty-shilling freeholders of Clare nobly redeemed their character. Fitzgerai^ was as enthusiastically sus- tained by the aristocracy, as O'Conuoll was by the peo- ple. Five gentlemen alone of his committee subscribed four thousand pounds, towards the expenses of the elec- tion, and the fund would have soon reached ten thousand pounds had he not altogether refused the too generous contributions. While speaking of the exertions made by the Aristo- cracy, in favor of Fitzgerald and against O'Connell, we may here introduce an anecdote of O'Connell's tact, lie seldom, if ever, uttered an oath or impreca- tion ; but now and again, in a hasty moment of political excitement, he would be betrayed into its expression. Pending the election, an old acquaintance of his, a well known character at the bar, Ned Hickman, who pos- sessed a good estate in Clare, and was a high Tory, met O'CoNNELL one day in Ihe streets of Ennis, a brace of RANIEL O'CONNKLL, 55^ pistols appearing out of his pocket. In a furious passion he exclaimed to him-" By G , O'Connell, if yott canvass one of my tenants, I'll shoot you." "ByG ," said O'Connell, "I'll canvass ©very one of them." And so he did. The same day he was conducted by some of his friends to where a large body of them were assembled, and where their landlord was addressing them in accents of very unusual palaver. " Boys," he would say, "Am I not one of the best landlords in Clare? Have I ever distressed you? Don't I clothe the children of those poor fellows who can't afford it ? Don't I educate them, &c., and will you now desert me ?" O'Connell addressed them, in the very teeth of Hick- man, amid rapturous shouts. "Boys," said he, "all these things this excellent gentleman has said to you, I know to be true, as you do. He's a most estimable per- son, a good landlord, and he has told you a great deal of what is true ; but lie hasn't told you one thing—sure, boys, he's the greatest play actor in the world" (roars of laughter). Hickman was well known among his pro- fessional brethren, as one of the funniest follows that could bo got anywhoro-in fact, just the man "to sot the table in a roar." O'Connell continued—" And sure you all know what a play actor can do. He can pretend to be what he isn't at all. Now, that's what Mr. Ned Hickman is about. He's well aware that every one of you is determined to vote for me, but he wants to keep square with Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, and that's what makes him play off the farce." The close of every sentence was followed by roars of applause; and Hickm\n, ferocious at the way in which he was bantered to his face, retired quite discomfited, and left the field to O'Connell. 2X2 558 HFK AND TIMES OF But all the exertions of the landlords, >vith Sir Edw. O'Brien at their head, were of no avail against the fixed resolve of the people. O'Connell was returned by an immense majority. Sheil's speech on the hustings, after the declaration of the Sheriff, Avas a master piece of elo- quence. Every thing went off quietly ; and to use Mr. O'Connell's own words, " As the experiment succeeded, it emancipated the Catholics." Who was this High Sheriff? We shall describe him in the words of Sheil — " His name was of a truly Hiber- nian character — Molony ; yet, strange to say, he was transplanted from China, in order to preside at elections, and assist at Brunswick Clubs in Clare. This gentle- man was educated in Canton, under the tuition of the East India Company ; and having made a fortune in the packing of tea, returned to his native country, with a good deal of wealth, and a still greater augmentation of dignity. He became conspicuous at the last election. It was easy to perceive that he had contracted habits of Oriental bearing ; and could not lay aside, at Ennis, the demeanour which he had acquired in Canton. He must needs have studied the aspect of some eminent Chines*^ functionary, and caught from a Mandarin of the first class, lessons in magisterial physiognomy, to which, in the spirit of a felicitous adaptation, he accommodated his features in the election of the County Clare — (Cheers and laughter) — Who that beheld him on that interesting occasion, would ever forget the look and the intonation with which he used to ejaculate ' I am the first man in the county ?' Who of us that were in Clare, can ever forget his exclamation, when he on one occasion, sud- denly starting up, said, * I hear a noise ; it is incum- bent on me to arrest somebody, as the first man in the county ?' He went forthwith an air of importance inta DANIEL () CONNBLL. 559 the street, and having returned, he said, « Oh, it is only Mr. O'CoNNELL, Avhois making a speech ; I protest,not- withstanding all I heard of him, he is an exceedingly civil gentleman, and paid rae all the respect due ' to t^e first man in the county.' But if Mr. Molony borrowed his looks from Canton, he must have formed his notions of personal superiority at Calcutta. He was for a long time in Hindostan, and having been used to value him- self upon his ascendancy over the natives, on his arrival in Ireland he readily substituted the Protestant for the European, and the Papist for the Hindoo ; and regarded the seven millions in the West with as much contempt as he had been accustomed to entertain for the sixty mil- lions in the East. There were many droll and fantasti- cal incidents at the Clare election— but non6 struck me as more extraordinai*y than the odd combination of cir- cumstances, by which a pupil of Asiatic despotism, was transferred from the suburbs of Cantoh, to crush an effort at liberty in the mountains of Clare." But, to return, as a matter of course there was a chair- ing, and on a magnificent scale. On his return to Lime- rick, a similar compliment awaited him ; and throughout his entire journey to Dublin, every demonstration of at- tachment was shewn him. tn the mean time, his franks circulated in every direction. The greatest anxiety was evinced to get possession of them. The moment the Sheriff signed the return, a gentle- man on the Hustings asked O'Connell for a frank. It was directed to a friend of the writer of this Memoir, residing in London. The day he received it, he happened to be in the House of Lords, engaged in an Appeal case. The frank went round amongst their Lordships— Some said it was impossible— that no Sheriff would sign a Catholic's return to Parliament- -that it must be a forgery— others, 5(50 LIFE AND TIMES OF wiser in their generation, saw in it the coming events ; and when the writing on the frank was recogniesd, read in it as if in mystic character's the Act of Emancipation. The frank afterwards found its way to the King's pre- sence. The fact is, that for one month at least, it was to the possessor a most inconvenient property, from the in- tense anxiety of the sight loving Londoners to got a glimpse of it. It was scarcely credible that the great Catholic Agita- tor was in reality an M.P. 1 Indeed, considerable doubts were expressed, whether he could have legally been put in nomination. But Mr. Charles Butler, the great Catholic Lawyer, published at the time a very strong opinion in favour of his absolute right to sit in the Im- perial Parliament, under the terms of the Act of Union, which imposed no penalties, and allowed the laws as re- gard seats in Parliament, in each country respectively, to- apply to a seat in the Imperial Parliament, and in as much as there was no Iriph Statute to prevent a Catholic be- ing Member of the Irish Parliament. Mr. O'Connell, as such, could not be excluded from the Imperial Legis- lature. It is clear Mr. Butler was mistaken in this view of the law. However, it is better not anticipate an argument afterwards so ably put forward by Mr. O'Con- nell himself. A circumstance occurred during the Clare election, which suggests another topic of interest as connected with this year. The Higu Sheriff wanted to oblige Mr. O'GoRMAN Maiion to remove a green sash, which, as one of the order of Liberators, he wore on the Hust- ings. He refused to comply, and said, he should not bo put down in this contest with the official. Mr, Steele wore his also. The High Sheriff, on consulting the Assessor, found he had no authority to interfere, and the affair passed off quietly. IIANIF-L O'CONNELI., 561 It -will be remembered^ that two years before, Mr. O'CoNNELL instituted this Order of Liberators ; but it fell into abeyance, and it was not until June this year that he revived it. At a meeting of the Association, held on Saturday, the 14th June, he, in the course of a long speech, said '• The time is come when the Order '* of LiRERATORS should be established. I shall now *• read to you the principles on which it is founded, and " which I mean to put into effect." He then read the following document : — " ORDER OF LIBERATORS. " The Order of Liberators is a voluntary Association of Irishmen, for purposes legal, and useful to Ireland. '* The objects of ' The Order,' are these :_ " 1. As a mode of expressing the gratitude and confi- denceofthe People for past services. **11. To form a society of persons who will consider it a duty to their country to effectuate the following purposes: " No. 1. To prevent the formation or continuance in their respective vicinages, of any secret society or confe- deracy whatsoever. The greatest evil in Ireland, and that which has tended more to prevent the success of her efforts to meliorate the condition of the people, being secret societies. No person who is not deeply convinced of this truth, can belong to the Order of Liberators. " No, 2. To conciliate all classes of Irishmen in one class of brotherhood and affection, so that all religious animosities may ever cease among Irishmen. '* No. 3. To bury in total and eternal oblivion all an- cient animosities and reproaches, no matter by Avhom in- flicted, or who may be the sufferer. No. 4. To prevent the future occurrence of feuds and riots at markets, fairs, and patrons, and to reconcile the parties and factions which have hitherto disgraced many parts of Ireland. ©62 LIFIB AND TIMES OF ** No. 5. To promote the collection of a national fund, for national purposes ; as far as that can be done consist- ently with law. '• No. 6. To protect all persons possessed of the elec- tive franchise,and especially the forty-shilling freeholders from all vindictive proceedings on account of the free ex- ercise of such franchise. '* No. 7. To promote the acquisition of such franchise, and its due registry ; to ascertain the number of votes in each county and city in Ireland, and the political bias of the voters generally. '* No. 8. To promote the system ©f dealing- exclu- sively with the friends of civil and religious liberty. — Protestant and Catholic ; with a selection, when a choice can be made, of Protestant friends, being the most disin- terested of the two — aud also to preveut, as much as possible, all dealing with the enemies of Ireland ; whe- ther Protestant Orangemen, or Orange Catholics, the worst of all Orangeists. " No. 9. To promote the exclusive use of articles, the growth and manufacture of Ireland." The policy of exclusive dealing was, soon found to operate against all professions, Catholics and Protestants, and was soon abandoned by the popular party ; but it is maintained in practice to this very moment, by the Orangeists and their connexions. It was a rule that en- tered too intimately into the concerns of private life, to be perpetuated. Far better it had never been suggested. It contradicted rule No. 2, and instead of uniting, tended to rend society more and more asunder. Accordingly, at the meeting of the Chapter of the Order, held in Dub- lin, in July, no step whatever was taken to carry the eighth rule, though some other more useful resolutions were adopted. DANIRL 0'C0N>fELL. 663 The enthusiasm and joy of tho people were strongly manifested all over Ireland, at the result of the Clare Election. They considered Emancipation already won; and though there arose on the opposite side of the water, great misgivings as to the consequences, judging from the determined character of the Duke of Wellington, every person who witnessed the effect produced in Ireland, must have at once come to the conclusion that the Government should yield. Immediately after the elec- tion, the Catholic rent reached in one week, ^2,704 ; in the next week it reached £1,427; and though it soon after fell to ^500, still the weekly receipts, taken one with another, were an instructive and impressive index of the national feeling. The nation had assumed an attitude of bold defiance — of self-dependence ; and it was no longer possible, by Algerine acts, to repress its spirit. Emancipation avas at hand. Not content with the Association — with separate, or aggregate meetings of all Ireland, held in Dublin, or county or city meetings, or provincial assemblages, or dinners, or Orders of Liberators, the people were de- termined to have ** Liberal Clubs" in different localities. This new plan was the suggestion of Mr. Wyse, and was readily taken up by the Catholics. The Clubs were esta- tablished throughout the country, and undertook the same duties that, on a larger scale, were performed in the Association. Each Liberal Club had its own peculiar organization — its internal management — its different working Committees ; — they subscribed for newspapers and periodicals, and systematically applied themselves to constant work. They were, on the other side, opposed by the Orangemen, who established throughout Ireland, what they called Brunswick Clubs ; confederacies that concentrated in themselves the very essence of Orange- 564 LIFE AND TIMES OV ism. They were an emanation of t!io bitter spirit of a bad faction; and, thank God, its expiring eftbrt. The Government could not shut their eyes to what was passing before them. They saAv that such things could not be permitted to proceed much further. Coercion would not suppress the multiform evil — the heads of the Hydra were too numerous for excision. As O'Connell said, if they put down their associations, the Catholics would go into the streets and proclaim their wrongs ; — if the expression were thus prohibited, they would sing or whistle the grievances of Ireland. If they were gagged, they would speak on their fingers the tyranny they suf- fered. Coercion was wholly unavailing ; an opposite system must bo tried, notwithstanding the impediments offered by the King. The Ministerial leanings towards the Catholic party, exasperated the Brunswickers; andtho most violent tirades were pronounced in their Clubs against the renegades, Wellington and Peel. But it was the destiny of these statesmen to achieve great poli- tical changes, to which they had been themselves o})posed, and to earn the obloquy and hatred of their former fol- lowers. That the result of the Clare Election influenced deci- sively the course to be pursued by Government, there can be no doubt. They clearly saw the consequences of prolonged resistance; — the example was set ; the majority of Irish members of tho next general election would be Catholics. If for them there was no admission beyond the bar of the House of Commons, there was at least no penalty for their refusing to take the oaths. In point of fact, then, the Act of Union would be virtually abolish- ed ; for the majority of Ireland's representatives would not be permitted to sit in the United Parliament. An in- evitable revolution must break out. Thus, in all likeli- DANIFX O'CONNELL. 565 iiood, reasoned, at least, Wellington and Peel. At all events there can be no doubt that, after July, 1828, a change came over their opinions. Dawson, the brother- in-law of Peel, and the friend of Wellington, was sent forth as the " pilot balloon," to demonstrate the di- rection of public feeling. He asserted that, at the cele- brated Derry manifestation, he spoke his own opinions, without concert or communication with any one. The assertion was never believed ; and to this day, every one supposes he was at the time he spoke — August, 1828 — perfectly well aware of the intentions entertained by Go- vernment, His speech on that occasion is part of Irish history; and as it was, at the period, the subject of much discussion, it deserves insertion hcre,as a truthful picture of the state of Ireland, when it was delivered. After dwelling for some time on a variety of topics, possessing no interest at the present day, ho then, to the astonish- ment of his auditory, opened his mind on the state of parties in Ireland, as connected with the question of Ca- tholic concession. He said — " But with such advantages, and with &uch resources, there is one ingredient which poisons all our blessings, and which, it is in vain to deny it, meets us in every station, in every society, and in every undertaking — I mean the state of our religious and political dissensions; or,in other words, the Catholic Question. I have not staid here for a trifling object, such as to drink the ' Glorious Memory ;' or cheer the 'Prentice Boys. It is my duty, as lam here, to state to the meeting my opinions with respect to that great question ; and I beg the attention of this company to the description of the condition to which, in my opi- nion, this subject has reduced the country. In place of an exclusive devotion to the business of life, and an in- dustrious pursuit of professional occupations, tho only 2 Y 566 LIFE AND TIMES OF certain road to wealth and eminence, ibis question has made every man, from the peer to the peasant, a politi- cian — it is the absorbing topic of every man's discourse ; and it is in consequence the fruitful parent of exagge- rated fears, of unmoa3u"ed pretensions, of personal hatred, of religious fury, of political strife, of calumny, of abuse and persecution, such as is not to be found in any other part of the civilised vvorld. No matter what your pursuits — no matter what your disposition may be, the subject pursues you in every part of the country. It is the prevailing topic of your breakfast table — of your din- ner table, of your supper table ; it is the subject of debate among men ; it is the cause of alarm among women; it meets you at the Castle of Dublin ; it meets you at the house of the country gentleman; it creeps into the Courts of Justice ; it is tj be found at the Grand Jury ; it is to be seen at the markets and fairs ; it is to be found even at our places of amusement — it meets you wherever you go. Would that the evil ended here ! — but we may see what the mischief of such a state of things must be in the convulsed state of society, and the annihilation of all those ties upon which the well-being of society depends. The state of Ireland is an anomaly in the history of civi- lised nations— it has no parallel in ancient or modern his- tory; and bemg contrary to the character of all civil in- stitutions, it must terminate in general anarchy and confusion. It is true that we have a Government, to whom an outward obedience is shown, which is responsible to Parliament, and answerable to God for the manner of ad- ministering its functions ; but it is equally true, that an immense majority of the people look up, not to the legiti^ mate Government, but to an irresponsible and to a self- constituted Association, for the administration of the affairs of the country. The peace of Ireland depends not DANIBL o'CONNTILt. 167 tipon the Government of the King, but upon the dictation of the Catholic Association (Loud cries of more's the shame; why not put itdowu ?) — It has defied the Govern- ment, and trompled upon the law of the land — and it is beyond contradiction, that the same power which banish- ed a CabineL Islinister from the representation of his county, because he v/as a P.Hnistor of the King, can muinlriin or disturb thn peace of the country, just asitsuits their caprice or ambiLion. The same danger impends over «vory institution established by law. The Church en- joys its dignity, and the Clergy enjoy their revenues by the law of the land ; but we know not how soon it may please the Catholic Association to issue their anathema against the payment of tithes ; and what man is hardy enough to sny, that the Catholic will disobey its man- dates. It depends upon the Catholic Association,— no man can deny it, whether the Clergy are to receive their incomes or noL (Uproar.) The condition of Landlords 13 not more consoling — already they have been robbed of their influence over their tenantry — already they are be- come but more ciphers upon their estates — nay, in many places they are worse than ciphers; they have been forced to become the tools of their domineering masters, the Catholic Priesthood — and it depends upon a single breath, a single resolution of the Catholic Association, whether the Landlords are to be robbed of their rents or not — So perfect a system of organisation was never yet achiev- ed by any body not possessing the legitimate powers of Government *, it is powerful, it is arrogant, it derides, and it has triumphed over the enactments of the Legis- lature, and is filling its coffers from the ^ oluntary contri- butions of Iho people. (Uproar, cries of no, they aro not voluntary.) " The Chairman here interfered, and said — You are 56S LrFiJ ANI> trjIES 0^' bound to hear every iiiformation that falls from a speakef. Whea the next fjentleman rises to speak to the succeed- ing toast, he will, on his legs, have an opportunity of controverting the statements of my honorable friend. But surely, in an assemblage like the present — conimon cour- tesy demands that every gentleman should be heard to the end. "Mr. Dawson resumed and said — As far as I know this country, I did not think I should have required the interference of my friend, Sir George Hill, to procure me a hearing of what my views were of the present state of the country. What I say is, that the Catholic Asso- ciation, by securing the voluntary contributions of tho people, consolidates to itself a power from Avhich it may supply tho sinews of war, or undermine by endless litiga^ tion and persecution, the established institutions of the country. Such is the power of this new phenomenon j and I will ask any man has it been slow to exercise its influence ? In every place where the Catholic population predominates, it is all-powerful and irresistible — it has subdued two-thirds of Ireland by its denunciations, moro completely than Oliver Cromwell, or King William ever subdued the country by the sword. The aristocra- cy, the clergy, the gentry, are all prostrate before it. — In those devoted regions, a perfect abandonment of all the dignity and influence belonging to station and rank* seems to have taken place, or if a struggle be made, as in Clare, it is only to ensure the triumph of this daring Autocrat. In those parts of Ireland where the Protes- tant and Catholic population is pretty equally divided, tho same influence is felt, if not in so aggravated a degree, at least so mischievously that comfort and security are alike uncertain. Amongst the two classes we see distrust and suspicion; a perfect alienation from each other in sen- DANIEL O'OONNKLL. 569 tlment and habit, and an ill-suppressed desire to mea- suro each others' strength by open warfare. The institu- tions of society are reviled, the predominance of autho- rity is lost, the confidence of the people in the impar- tiality of the Courts of Justice is certainly much im- paired, the uiagi.slraoy is pond^mned or supported as it is M)j>i-...?c(I to !vTa to <.t:o Orauf^on^cn or the Roman Cai!i')lic:, urnl even trade and barter are regulated by the sonio I'rilujppy distinctions of Religious feeling. Such, Gentlemen, is really the true picture of this country ; a country possessing every material by the bounty of God and the intelligence of the natives, to become great, powerful, and wealthy; but in which every hope is blasted, and every exertion frustrated by the unhappy dissensions of its inhabitants. And now, gentlemen, it is time to ask ourselves the question, what mut;t bo the result of such a disordered slate of things, and such a complete overthrow of all the relations of society ? Some gentle- men will say, rebellion — and the sooner it comes, the sooner mtc shall be able to crush it. (Loud cheers which lasted for several minutes.) Now, I entertain a very different opinion — it is not the interest, and I believe it is not the wish, of thoRoman Catholic leaders to drive the people into rebellion. (Hisses.) We have the best secu- rity for the purity of their inlentions(Hisses) in that res- pect,inthe stake which they holdin the country, and in the moral conviction that they would be the first victims of a rebellion. (Loud cries from several voices, "no, no, we would bo the first.") Tf a rebellion should take place, it will not be from the orders or example of the Roman Catholic leaders — (Ilisses.J-^but from the readiness of the two contending parties to come into conflict with acli other, and from the total impossibility of checking e ebullition of popular phrenzy, if the two parties be 2 Y 2 570 tlFfi AND TIMES Of goaded and exasperated against each other by inflammato- ry speeches or exaggerated misrepresentations. But the re- sult will be a state of society far worse than rebellion ; it will be a revolution — a revolution — a revolution not effect- ed by the sword, but by undermining the institutions of tho country, and involving every establishment,civil, political, and religious. There never was a time when the whole Catholic body— (and it signifies very little whether their numbers be two millions or six millions)— there never was a time when the whole body was so completely rous- ed and engrossed by political passions as the present. They have found out the value of union ; they have put in practice the secret of combination ; they feel a confi- dence in the support of numbers ; they have laid prostrate the pomp and power of wealth ; they have contended against the influence of authority, and the decrees of the legislature ; and they have f-njoyed an easy triumph over both. At present there is a union of the clergy, the laity, and the people. The clergy and the laity, avo the contrivers ; but the people are the tools, by which this extraordinary power has been gained; but soon they will find their own force, and some audacious democrat will startup, who will spurn all restraints, civil, political and spiritual, and who will consign the whole power of Ireland to an absolute and senseless mob — Now, Gentle- men, Avith such a state of things staring us in the face, (and I do not think that I have over charged the picture,) there comes the last question, what is to bo done ? The country confessedly contains great advantages ; it has made a wonderful progress, notwithstanding all these drawbacks ; it has confessedly the elements of v/ealth and prosperity within itself, but all is checked and counter- balanced by these unhappy discussions; and the invaria- ble conclusion of every speculation on the state of Ireland DANIEL O'CONNELL. 571 is, what is to be done ? Can we go back to the penal laws ? God forbid that such an experiment should be made 5 it is revolting to common sense —it is revolting to the dignity of man. Can we persevere in our present system ? The statement which I have made, and the firm impression made upon my mind by an anxious attention to passing events, is, that we cannot remain in our pre- sent situation ; something must be done ; there is but one alternative, either to crush the Catholic Association — (Loud cheers, which continued for several minutes)-— there is but one alternative, either to crush the Catholic Association, or to look at the Question with an intention to settle it. Let us exercise all our ingenuity — let us argue with all our subtlety — there is no other alternative ; and with such a conviction upon my mind, T feel myself called upon to exhort my countrymen — men whom I have the honor of representing, to abstain from irritating ha- rangues, to pause, and to weigh well the dangers of the country — to dismiss all personal bitterness from the con- templation of a whole nation's welfare, and to devise some means, with satisfaction to all parties, for restoring the predominance of established authority, and giving security to the recognised, the legal, the constitutional institutions of society. I speak here as a Member of Par- liament, as a Member of the Government, and as a citi- zen of the world. Is it possible that I can look upon the degraded state of my Catholic countrymen? floud hisses.) I cannot express too strongly the contempt I feel for tho persons who thus attempt to put me down. If the Re- presentation of the County depend upon the votes of those who interrupt me, T would not condescend to ask them, though their suffrages would secure my return. I must know, mixing as I do in the world, and holding the high situation I do, how the interests of Great Britain are ♦7"i LIFB AND TIMES QF •wrapped up in the safety of Ireland. — There is but on© topic more, before I conclude an address already too long. A threat has been held out that the North of Ireland, and this county, in particular, is to be visited by some iti- nerant demagogues, to stir up the elements of discord. Let them undertake this task at their own peril. There never was a time when the Protestant Proprietary wero more determined to rise as one man to leiLt such au in- vasion. The SiiLeiDpt \vill ))0 lioneloss, iiltorly ho[)c!e;:.s ; but let them pause Moli o.i tie conscqui noes. 1 licy ^\'l\l meet here a sturdy, a bold, a detcrmiiiecl, and, iC driven to retaliation, a fierce yeomanry — they will bo answer- able to God and man for the floods of blood that will flow from such an attempt ; no power can control it, but upon them be the resporisibilit}'. Lei their deluded victims also reflect upon tJie fate \vliich will attend tlicm If once the kindly tie which binds them to the landlord be broken, the result will be, not a quiet submission of the landlords, but a transler of their lands to Protestant tenants ; thousands are to be found in this county who want such lands, and the force of numbers will no longer protect them, as it has hitherto done their deluded bre- thren in the South. I speak these words in kindness and in advice to them. With respect to myself, I jshall be found at my post, and ready to make every sacrifice in defence of the rights of my country, the character of its gentry, and the support of the Constitution. The Hon. Gentleman then resumed his seat." This remarkable speech, delivered in the very midst of Orangemen, and on an occasion v. hen they were met to celebrate the " no surrender" principles of the 'Prentice boys of Derry, caused an extraordinary sensation ; for it was totally unexpected from Deury Dawson, the great Champion of Ascendency. 1 hen came the surmise, that he was commissioned to ascertain the temper of the VU- rJANlEL o'cONNELL. 673 t6r men, and the manner in which they would bear the measures in contemplation. The surmise was confirmed by two subsequent events ; the first was the silence of Peel, at a great banquet given at Manchester, on all political 'subjects, when he returned thanks for his health ; but more particularly when he refused to speak to the toast of " Protestant Ascendency." The refusal plainly in- dicated the altered opinions of the Cabinet. After this* it soon oozed out, that an Emancipation Bill was actual- ly prepared, and was, by direction of the Duke of Wel- lington, submitted to tho Catholic Bishops for their ap- proval. The other event was, the letter of tho Pre- mier to the Catholic Primate of all Ireland, Dr. Curtis; but as this letter was written towards the close of the year, we will not now more particularly refer to it. What was the consequence of this Ministerial tergiver- sation ? Why, the whole of Orange land burst into a blaze. North and South, East and West in Ireland- -in England, the faction were enraged, and apparently de- termined, at all hazards, to act up to the spirit of their motto, " no surrender," and resist justice and conces- sion to the death. Anti-Catholic Associations were es- tablished ; and, as O'Connell well said, though they abused the Catholics for it— they followed their example in collecting " the rent," Brunswick or ** Blood-hound" Clubs, as they were called, flourished everywhere ; and the wildest enthusiasm took possession of men of high station and property in the country. In addition to this — the Clerical fanatics of the party, got up the project of a " second reformation ;" for many of them absolutely imagined that the conversion of the Irish people to their religious views, was a practical undertaking. While po- litical and religious madness was thus exhibiting itself amongst the Orange faction, the people were not idle. — i7i LIFB AND TIMES OF Tu the North and South the utmost excitement prevailed j the whole County of Tipperary, and a large portion of the neighbouring Counties, were in a state bordering on insurrection. O'Connell, always a friend of order and peaoo— a thoroughly constitutional reformer, and well aware that disturbance would injure the national cause, in the same degree that moral agitation would serve it — addressed the men of Tipperary, a powerful and truly eloquent admonitory remonstrance. It had the desired effect; though the " Blaclc Hens," and '* Mag pies," and the " Four year old Boys" of that day, continued to assemble, to show their physical strength, they always quietly dispersed, without the slightest riot, disturbance, or injury to life or property. Not so in the North. — There theOrangemen met in thousands ; armed, too, and determined to shed blood. And blood was shed, under the auspices of men of title, of property, and influence. Every one has heard of the celebrated affray at Ballibay. Every one has read of Lawless's foolish incursion into Orange land — stirring up thereby, from its inmost depths, the worst passions at both sides, without any possible good result. Mr. Lawless wont on the Northern mis- sion, in behalf of civil and religious libeity. He succeed- ed admirably until he came near Ballibay. There the Orangemen determined to assail him, and a collision aeemed inevitable. He approached, on his way to Car- rickmacross, within a mile and a half of Ballibay, ac- companied by two hundred and fifty thousand persons. He was anxious to avoid Ballibay and the Orangemen. — The people seemed determined that he should go through Ballibay, in spite of the armed Orangemen there assem- bled. This position of atfairs became alarming, and Mr. Lawless, getting out of his carriage, mounted a swift horse, and galloped off, amidst the shouts of indignation DANIEL O'CONNELL. 575 from the people. But this did not save the people from the collision. Blood was the consequence, and Mr. Law- LESS "\Tas generally condemned for causing the disaster. A Proclamation of the Lord Lieutenant speedily fol- lowed, prohibiting all such assemblages ; and after his re- turn to Dublin, Mr. Lawlkss was arrested, but was merely required to give moderate bail. Such was the exasperated state of feeling hi Ireland. All previously was mere child's play. The Orange party looked uponCatholic agitation hitherto as an innocuous, and vain pursuit. With a Parliament and Government op- posed to concession, they feared nothing; and they re- posed quietly under the shade of Protestant Ascendency, But when they discovered how the elective franchise was in future to be employed, and how ready Avere tho Ministers to succumb, they wereat once,like the 'Prentice boys of old, up and in arms.' Nor, was the agitation confined to this country. It extended to England. There, too, Brunswick Clubs were formed, headed by the Duke of Newcastle, Earl Winchelsea, and Lord Kenyon. The latter even extended his intrusive advice to this side of the water; and called for an agitation that would enforce tho abolition of the elective franchise, enjoyed by the Catholics. Ireland was on the brink of a revolution. The No Popery cry was effectually raised in England. The conduct of the crowd at the celebrated Penenden Heath meeting, showed the rabid yet stolid hostility of the people. That meeting was intended to be a great Brunswick demonstration. To counteract its effects, the determination was come to, that some of the leading advo- cates of the Catholic cause, being freeholders of Kent, should go to the meeting. Several did attend ; among others, the Earl Darnlby, Mr. Cobbett, Mr. Shbil, and 576 LIFE AND TIMES OF Mr. Shee, now an eminent Sergeant at Law. But they were not listened to. A single incident occurred, as re- gards Mr. Sheil's speech, which, though familiar to many, cannot be excluded. As has been said before, he was always in the habit of writing out his speeches, and committing them to memory — depending upon his ready talent to dovetail, with the proposed oration, any obser- vations which the accidents of the moment drew forth. — On this occasion, he pursued the same course. When he arrived at the meeting, the Reporter from the Sun Newspaper, asked him for a copy of his intended address. He gave him the manuscript, stating that he must make it afterwards correspond with what he actually would say. Mr. Sheil, in due time presented himself, but from the beginning to the end of his speech, the scene was one of uproar and interruption. He was not heard; he had to desist. The Reporter, caring nothing for this, published the speech,which Mr. Sheil intended to make, in extenso. The circumstance became a topic for univer- sal comment. The vilest and most ridiculous calumnies were uttered against Mr. Sheil, and at a great dinner which was subsequently, and in consequence of this affair, given him in London, he was forced to explain the whole transaction. Attending at this Brunswick meeting, in a strange country, was a daring achievement of Sheil's, and one that unquestionably served the Catholic cause. In reading the speech which he attempted to deliver, one is struck with the wonderful felicity of his arguments, and the prospective adaptation of his language to the audience ; the reader rises from its perusal with the con- viction, that had it been listened to, it must have pro- duced, despite their prejudices, a decisive and lasting effect upon the people. In the interval, in Ireland, the Catholic Association DANIEL O'COKNELL. 577 was pursuing its course quietly and steadily. Under its guidance, the entire nation had but one mind and one de- termination. The Association resolved that every can- didate for Parliamentary representation, should pledge himself not to support any Government that refused to make Catholic Emancipation a Cabinet measure. On that resolution the people determined to act, and elect no member who declined to take the Pledge. As delega- tion was not permitted by law, Liberal Clubs were made the medium through which the details of this gene- ral policy could be organised. The Clubs sprung up in every locality, and proved of the greatest service in the agitation, by keeping every man in readiness for the com- ing elections. Exclusive of these clubs, of the Associa- tion—of separate meeting^ for the redress of grievances — of aggregate meetings assembled in Dublin — there were continued, this year — the Provincial Assemblages, — one in Clonmel, one in Kilkenny, and one in Mullingar. These, bringing together, in each Province, wealth, in- fiuence, and respectability, in favor of civil and reli- gious freedom, had a powerful effect. Mr. Wyse made an admirable speech at the Clonmel meeting, as did, in like^ manner, Mr. O'Connell. The Mullingar meeting v^as rendered remarkable by being held under the presidency of the MARauis of Westmeatii. It was during this state of things that Mr. Pierce Mahony got up the celebrated *' Leinster Declaration,'* So great was the apathy in Dublin, that though it lay at Latouche's Bank for two months, yet, with all Mr. Mahony 's exertions, but forty-two names, within that period, were attached to it. But the moderate party were soon aroused by the alarming condition of society ; for a civil war appeared near at hand. The affair at Ballybay, in which Lawless and Sam Grat wer« 3 z {78 lilFE AND TIMES OP leaders of the respective parties ; the Brunswick Clubs, on the one hand, and the Association on the other, sent forth indications of an approaching collision. Then the document rapidly received signatures. The following is the declaration : — •* "VVe, the undersigned, being personally interested in the condition, and sincerely anxious for the happiness of Ireland, feel ourselves called upon, at the present junc- ture, to declare the conviction that we entertain, that the disqualifying laws which affect his Majesty's Roman Ca- tholic Subjects, are productive of consequences prejudicial in the highest degree to the interests of Ireland, and the Empire to which she is united. With respect to Ireland in particular, they are a primary cause of her poverty and wretchedness, and the source of those political dis- contents, and religious animosities, that distract the country — endanger the safety of all its Institutions, and are destructive alike of social happiness and national prosperity. ** AVe are further of opinion, thut unless the wisdom of the Legislature shall speedily apply a remedy to these evils, they must, in their rapid progression, assume, at no distant period, such a character as must render their ultimate removal still more difficult, if not impossible. — "We, therefore, deem ic of paramount importance to the welfare of the empire at large, and of Ireland especially, that the whole subject should be taken into immediate consideration by Parliament, with a view to such a final conciliatory adjustment as may be conducive to the pv^aoo and strength of the United Kingdom, to the stability of our National Institutions, and to the general satisfaction and concord of all classes of his Majesty's subjects." The whole state of society in Ireland caused the utmost apprehension. Mr. Sueil himself, who was in the DANIEL O'CONNEIX. 5^9 centre of the excitement, and who so nobly contributed to keep alive the spirit of the people, admitted that he looked at the aspect of affairs with dismay. The pour- trayal of his feelings, and his vivid description of what wasftoingon, are. without exception, the most splendid specimens of eloquence on record. A complete and cor- rected collection of Sueil's speeches, during the Catho- lic agitation, would form a most valuable and instructive adjunct to the history ot Ireland. Indeed our admiration of one speech scarcely subsides, when another equally powerful arrests our attention. Could anything be more truly eloquent, or in more admirable taste,than his great speech at the dinner given that year to Lord Morpeth, on the occasion of his visit to Ireland. The President of this great Banquet, was the Duke of LEiNSTER-all the leading friends of civil and religious liberty, Protestant and Catholic, in and near Dublin, were present also. JMr. O'CoNNELL of course took a conspicuous part in getting it up. Mr. Sheil's appeal to the Duke of Leinster, on that occasion, to stand by Ireland ia her hour of need, is one of the most eloquent and stirring passages Ave ever read, even in his speeches. The part Mr. Sheil called on the Duke of Leinstee to assume, was no more than was naturally to be expected, at this juncture, from the head of the Fitzgeralds— that noble house, which was ever considered even more Irish than the Irish themselves. The Protestants through- out the country, were then signing, pretty generally, tfad Declaration thus got up. At the top of tho list was thd Duke's name ; and all that was necessary to obtain their more active co-operation, was. for Ireland's first Peer to lead a Protestant agitation in faror of his Catholic country- men. Mr. Sheil's appeal then was well -timed; but though it will endureforever,asapiece of consummate eloquence. it was unhappily unavailing. Nothing could overcome. 680 X.IFE AND TIMES 07 the aristocratic f&ar of agitation bj ^vhich tlie Duke was governed. In this state of things it was, that the Duke of Wel- lington addressed, towards the end of the year 1828, the following remarkable letter to the Catholic Arch- bishop of Armagh, Dr. Curtis. ** London, Dec. II, 1828. •* My dear Sir, *• I have received your letter of the 4th instant, and I assure you that you do me justice in believing that I am sincerely anxious to witness the settlement of the Roman Catholic question ; which, by benetitting the State, would confer a benefit on every individual belong- ing to it. But I confess that I see no prospect of such a settlement. Party has been mixed up with the considera- tion of the question to such a degree, and such violence pervades every discussion of it, that it is impossible to expect to prevail upon men to consider it dispassionately. "if we could bury it in oblivion for a short lime, and employ that time diligently in the consideration of its difficulties on all sides, (for they are very great), I should not despair of seeing a satisfactory remedy, " Believe me, my dear sir, *• Ever your most faithful humble servant, ♦'WELLINGTON." The venerable Archbishop was an old friend of the Duke's. He was in Spain, and had influence therer ; in Salamanca, if we recollect rightly — during the days of Wellington's hard struggles in that country. Doctor Curtis was of service to the Commander-in-Chief on various occasions. Hence the terms of friendliness on which they stood — hence the civility of Wellington. — Dr. Curtis corresponded with the Duke on the state of the North, and on the state and disposition of the Catho. DANIDL o'cONNElt. 581 iics ia tte army; for it was then well ascertained, during Mr. LaWlkss's visit to Ulster, how the army felt; how far it was to be depended on, and how many in the ranks were absolute contributors to the Catholic Rent, These friendly and confidential communications produced the announcement of the Duke's anxiety to settle the Ques- tion ; and when it became known, which, by the way, it was never intended to be by him, the excitement was in- tense. As for stopping the agitation, after the publica- tion of such a note ; you might as well dream of forcing back the Ganges to its source. Peel and Welhngt6s had taught Ireland too well the value of agitation, to succeed, at the eleventh hour, by a few honied words, in inducing the people to abandon the glorious instrument of Ireland's regeneration. To the tact and unceasing perseverance of O'Connell, aided by the impassioned eloquence of Sheil, success was due. As O'Connell himself said, in 1828, for five- and-twenty years he had persevered. Every now and then a kind friend would come up to him, and say, he was intemperate, vituperative; he was injuring the cause. He, however, continued, disregarding such well-intended interference, he never relaxed his exertions, and was seldom silent. He was in turns intemperate, sarcastic, moderate, conciliatory, as the cause of country required it. In such a struggle, self or persons were as nothing. On he went, and at last succeeded — governed by a single maxim — always to be right ; or» if wrong, to become right speedily. Thus did he act with reference to the " Wings." Not only did he give up that project, but when after- wards convinced of it, he acknowledged that Lawless was right, that he was wrong ; and that if these adjuncts had not been put to the Emancipation Bill of 1 825, it would hare then passed with an overwhelming majority. 2 z 2 6S2 UFB AND TX&tBa 07 Aftd now, again, when a rumour of " Securities" wa* got op, ho cut the matter short by declaring, that the Catholics would prefer living as they were, to endanger- Mig the stability of their Church by any compromise. In the midst of this excitement, Mr. O'Connell found ample time to attend to^ his profession, from which he was deriving an income of at least seven thousand a-year. He was employed in almost every case of importance. The Orange Atlornies rarely avoided him, and he did their business well. An extract from a short memoir of Thomas Wallace, the member for Yarmouth, a very distinguished Irish Barrister,, will give the reader a no- tion of the estimation in which the writers of the day held O'Connell. With this extract we shall close the ever memorable year of 1828. The following personal contrast, the reader will per- ceive, is instituted by one whose prejudices against O'Connell colour his criticism. But it will at least prove O'CoNNELL's professional eminence: — ** In three of the Courts, the King's Bench, Exchequer, and Common Pleas, Mr. Wallace's business is only second to Mr. O'Connell's. In fact, they are the Broughams and Scakletts of Ireland; and if the one is engaged on the part of the plaintiff, you are almost sure to find the other retained for the defendant. Though Mr. O'Connell certainly has a deeper as well as a more practical acquaintance with his profession, than the sub- ject of this sketch; though he has a sounder opinion, is a better criminal lawyer, a more accomplished draughtsman, a more dexterous ploader, and altogether a readier man ; yet the Catholic advocate is by no means so finished, so nervous, so clear, or so classical a speaker as Mr. Wal- lace. At times, and indeed most frequently, O'Connell is more eloquent and spirit stirring, and more effective Vi^ persuasive with Irish juries, and, therefore, be » DANIEL O'CONNELL. 683 more employed than Mr. "Wallace ; But though ho has a rich harvest of tears and sympathising sighs, on almost all occasions, yet he cannot so readily command the com- mendation of the critic. The orator of the Association is irregular, and seems to despise the precepts of the schools. His language is often coarse and over familiar ; and his illustrations are, for the most part, drawn from low life ; seldom or never from the rich source of the poets and orators of antiquity. Add to this, his taste is vicious in the extreme, delighting in glare and glitter. His language is often ungraramatical and barbarous, and sometimes inflated. Besides, there is a perpetual strain- ing, and it is generally a failure — after the antithetical and inverted phrase, and the condensed and cutting sen- tences of Grattan ; yet when O'Connell is roused by a grievous wrong, and identifies his proper person with the cause of his client — when he pleads for some forlorn Ca- tholic, the victim of magisterial tyranny, or corporate op- pression ; or some priest, the object of a conspiracy, real or imaginary, all the orator's private wrongs seem super- added to those of his client ; he flings his whole mind and muscular strength into the contest, and pours out a torrent of genuine feeling, personal, political, and unso- phisticated, which it is impossible to resist. The true secret of his success, in this case, is rather to be found in his genuine honest feeling and sincere enthusiasm, than in any splendour of eloquence or diction. "As to Mr. Wallace, he has little feeling, and no enthusiasm. He is always clear, copious, classical, and correct, and not unfrequently, cold and didactic. His object is not to surprise or to persuade, but to convince ; and while O'Connell obtains a mastery over the pas- sions, Wallace subdues the understanding, which be- comes tributary to the harmony of good sense and moral feeling. If the one often dazzles and surprises, the 584 J-IFB AJ^D TIMES Of Other never offends by any sin against good taste or cor- rect diction. Wallacb's sentences flow on majestically and unbroken; he never commits a grammatical error, while his pronunciation is truly Attic, and his style equally pure, nervous, and English. If his very words were taken down verbatim, they would be found such as are used by Bolingbroke, Hume, Swift, and our best prose classics. Not so O'Connell, whose language is often loose, ungrammatical, and provincial; while his pronunciation is a fantastical mixture of French and Irish. Yet notwithstanding all this, if I were asked which I would employ as an advocate, I should unhesi- tatingly reply O'Connell. Wallace is always heard with pleasure, but O'Connbll with delight ; and when I say that this is a word which could never properly be applied to the sensation created by the most elaborately finished pleadings of Wallace, it will perhaps adequately explain my meaning. ♦• In the theory of cross-examination, Mr. Wal- lace is a master ; and in the practice he falls very little short of perfection. An admirable logician by nature, and metaphysical by habit,nothing can escape the subtlety of his scrutiny ; but in knowledge of the Irish character, and particularly the lower and grosser part of it, Wal- lace is inferior to Mr. O'Connell. The demagogue, too, as ho is very unjustly called, has infinitely more mirth and humour, if not wit, added to a fine animal presence, and pleasant cheerful temper ; Avhiie Mr. Wal- lace is stiff and austere in manner, choleric in temper, and often rude in demeanour. Perhaps this epithet, rude- ness, should be qualified, by calling it blunt honesty ; but I have seen Mr. Wallace as vehemently reprove the Solicitor who employed him, as a refractory witness un- der his lash. O'Connell, however, knows too much of PANIKT, O'CONNELL. 685 human life, to act in this way; and accordingly he is full of amenity and gentle condescension. Mr. Wallace has more moral force than his rival, and I have seen hira keep the Bench in awe, when O'Connell would fail to do so. Old NoRBURY hated O'Conneli, but he feared Wallace ; and as to the Chief Baron O'Grady ; what- ever attempts he may have made to sneer down Mr. O'Connell, he never ventured to try these experiments on Mr. Wallace." The eventful year 1829, now opened. Though there were rumours abroad of favorable intentions on the part of Go- vernment, with respect to Emancipation, Mr. O'Connell determined to act with as much vigor and activity as if the Government were hostile. He announced his determina- tion to proceed at once to London, and he called upon the Counties of three Provinces to redeem their pledges, given at the Provincial meetings, and to send each a represen- tative to accompany him to London ; not for the purpose of intimidation, but to give more importance and weight to the most extraordinary movement, connected with the history of the agitation. Notwithstanding these rumours of a Ministerial measure, enough was known to cause doubts in the mind of an experienced politican. It was said that negociations, in defiance of a proemunire, were opened with the Pope, for a concordat, granting a Veto to the English Government. Besides this, there was the far more suspicious circuraatance of the sudden and unexpect- ed removal of the Marquess of Anglesey — the most po- pular Viceroy that ever previously governed Ireland. When the Catholic Archbishop, Dr. Curtis, received the Duke's letter, he communicated its contents, with other information as to the condition of affairs in the North, to Lord Anglesey. To his communication, the Lord Lieutenant returned the following reply :-* 686 liriS A.ND TIMES OP " Phoenix Park. Dec. 23d, 1828. " Most Reverend Sir — I hasten to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22d, covering that which you received from the Duke of Wellington, of the 11th inst., together with a copy of your answer to it. '* I thank you for the confidence you have reposed in me. "Your letter gives me information upon a subject of the highest interest. I did not know the precise sentiment of the Duke of Wellington upon the present state of the Catholic question. '* Knowing it, I shall venture to offer my opinion upon the course that it behoves the Catholics to pursue. ** Perfectly convinced that the final and cordial settle- ment of this great question can alone give peace, harmony and prosperity to all classes of his Majesty's subjects in this kingdom, I must acknowledge my disappointment on leai'ning that there is no prospect of its being effected during the ensuing Session of Parliament. I, however, derive some consolation from observing that his Grace is not wholly adverse to the measure ; for if Ae can be in- duced to promote it, he, of all men, will have the greatest facility in carrying it into effect. " If I am correct in this opinion, it is obviously most important that the Duke of Wellington should be pro- pitiated; that no obstacle that can by possibility be avoid- ed, should be thrown in his way ; that all personal and offensive insinuations should be suppressed ; and that ample allowance should be made for the difficulties of hia situation. '* Difficult it certainly is; for he has to overcome the very strong prejudices, and the interested motives of many persons of the highest influence, as well as to al- lay the real alarms of many of the more ignorant Pro- testants. DANIEL O CONNELL. 587 " I differ from the opinion of the Duke, that an at- tempt should be made to " bury in oblivion" the question for a short time. First, because the thing is utterly impossible ; and next, because, if the thing were possible, I fear that advantage might be taken of the pause, by reprosentiu'jj it as a panic achieved by the late violent re- action, and by proclaiming that if the Government at once and peremptorily decided against concession— the Catholics -would cease to agitato, and then all the mise- ries of the last years of Ireland will be to be re-acted. " What I do recommend is, that the measure should not be for a moment lost sight of— that anxiety should continue to be manifested— that all constitutional (in con- tradistinction to merely legal) means should be resorted to. to forward the cause ; but that at the same time, the most patient forbearance, the most submissive obedience to the laws should be inculcated ; that no personal andof^ fensive language should be held towards those who oppose the claims. " Personality offers no advantage ; it effects no good ; on the contrary, it offrrnds, and confirms predisposed aversion. Let Iho Catholic trust to the justice of his cause— to the growing liberality of mankind. Unfor- tunately, he has lost some friends, and fortified his ene- mies, within the last six months, by unmeasured and an- necessary violence. TTo w'll soonest recover from the present stagnation of Iiis fortunt-s, by showing temper, and by trustii'g to the legislature for redre.ss. "Brute force, he should be assuiod, can effect nothing. It is thel'-gislaturc thr-.t mnst decide tiiis groat question; and my greatest anxiety is that it should be met by the Parliament under the most favonrnblo clicumstonccj, and that tlie onposers of Catholic EiuancipuLion shall be dis. armed by the patient forbearance, as well as by the un* wearied perseverance of its advocates. 58S LIFE AND TIMES OF *• My warm anxiety to promote the general interests of this country, is the motive that has induced me to give an opinion and to offer advice. *• I have the honour, &c. &c. (Signed) " ANGLESEY." *• To the Most Rev. Dr. Curtis, &c. &c. This letter, though marked "private and confiden- tial," and franked not by the Marquess, but by the Secre- tary, became public, and of course caused much annoy- ance at the other side of the water. This was not all. O'GoRMAN Mahon and Mr. Steelk were both Magis- trates of the County Clare. The High Sheriff of that Connty, whose character, drawn by Mr. Sheil.Is already before the reader, organised a Brunswick meeting in Ennis, and several Magistrates attended. Mr. O'Gor- MAN Mahon and Mr. Steele attempted to enter the meeting, but were prevented by the military; who, being in attendance, were ordered by the High Sheriff to pro- tect this Brunswick meeting. O'Gorwan Mahon, a gentleman of high and daring spirit, in a moment of ex- citement, addressed some threatening language to the Officer in command. His words were duly reported, and they reached the ears of Wellington, who instantly demanded that these two gentlemen should be deprived of the Commission of the Peace. To this Lord Anglesey demurred. The result of various misunderstandings of this kind, crowned by the letter to Dr. Curtis, was, the Marquess of Anglesey's recall. As the correspondence connected with this transaction, affords an insight into the then state of things in Ireland, we give it at full length. On the 21st April, 1828, the Marquess wrote to Lord F. Leveson Gower, the Chief Secretary of Ireland, in the following terms : — '• I believe the final success of thcCatholics is inevitable, UANIEL O'CONNBLL, 589 that no power under Heaven can avert its progres. There may be rebellion — you may put to death thousands —yon may suppress it, but it will only be to put oflp the day of compromise ; and in the mean time, the country will be impoverished, the people still more alienated, and ruinous expense entailed upon the empire. Things are bad ; they must get worse ; and I see no possible means of improv- ing them, but by taking Messrs. O'Connell and Sheil from the Association, and placing them in the House of Commons. But supposing the whole evil was concen- trated in the Association, where is the man who can tell how to suppress it ? Many cry out that the Government is supine ; but all are mute when asked how we are to get rid of the nuisance." Again, on July 4 — " There is a reasonable hope that peace may be preserved. This is satisfactory. But the power that is exhibited in effecting the object, shows the danger that is to be apprehended in leaving things as they are." On the llth of June, he wrote thus to Mr. Peel: — '* I continue to feel confident that tranquillity will not be disturbed. You will have time to deliberate ; but I re- peat that we must not long attempt to remain as wo are. I have already watched the proceedings of the agitators : they are very daring and insulting. I have often appealed to the law authorities as to the practicability and policy of prosecution, for acts committed or words spoken ; bur I have been always assured that nothing had occurred that could be laid hold of. I took the opportunity of the presence of Mr. Fitzgerald, to have the opinion of the Attorney'- General upon all these points, and he then re- peated what he had said before." Again, on July 16 — " I have no desire ; on the con- trary, I should object, to be armed with any power be- yond that which the Governmfmt already possess. 3 a 590 LIFE AND TIMES OF " I am desirous that the whole of my letter to Lord F. L. GowBB of the 11th instant, should bo seen by your colleagues ; because it expressed my sentiments upon the slate of Ireland, as far as it is affected by the CathoUc Question ; the mischiefs with which it is threatened, and the only means that have occurred to me of averting them. I am desirous of this, because when the King and the Ministers of his Majesty became thus fully ac- quainted with my opinion, they would judge of my fit- ness to carry into effect the measures they might decide upon adopting. " The sum, I believe, of what I have "written from time to time upon this subject, amounts to this — That I dp not apprehend the tranquillity of the country will bo immediately endangered. That there is no necessity for new laws to strengthen the arm of Governmept, That no coercive legislative measures will get rid of existing evils, unaccompanied by concession. *' That such an attempt would produce infinite irrita- tion, and might create a crisis, the a.ctual existence of which, would alone justify their adoption. *' That if the rebellion were to break out, there is suf- ficient force to meet its first attempts, and probably to quell it. That then, and not till then, coercive laws might be called for ; and if called for, nothing short of the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, would put down the Association, and curb the power of the Priests —That such a measure would only produce temporary tranquillity, " That at this moment there is no ground to justify an application for a coercive law j and that if it existed I could not use it. That the King's servants may de- pend on my being watchful and ready to make full, vi- gorous, yet prudent use of the power I now possess, if DANIEL O CONNELL. ^191 unfortunately there should occur any tangible infringe- ment of the laws."' "Again, on July 30,— the noble Marquess wrote, I have placed your letter, together with that you wrote to the Attorney and Solicitor-Generals of England, in the hands of the Attorney and Solicitor-Generals of Ireland, desiring their opinion. I inclose it. — My atten- tion has been already calle the conversation took place between Mr. Mahon and the officer commanding the detachments, upon which the affidavits were founded, and with which you are, I be- lieve, acquainted. " It seems you disapprove of my not having directed the Chancellor to dismiss Mr. Mahon from the Magis- tracy, in consequence of his indecorous conduct on this occasion. Indecorous it certainly was ; but I deem that if I had visited it with the severity of dismissal, I should have been guilty of an act of unjustifiable harshness. " It was the opinion of the law officers that this breach of decorum was not indictable. It was that of the Chan- cellor, that if the deposition upon oath had been sent to him, he could not legally have acted upon it. Upon what ground, then, would the Lord Lieutenant have stood —if, in opposition to these opinions, he should have de- termined upon the dismissal of Mr. Mahon ? *' I bog leave here to quote a case somewhat in point. "During the Government of the MarquessWELLESLEY, the Law Officers gave an opinion that processions, and meetings, such as those of Orangemen, were illegal.— This opinion was communicated to the Magistrates. — There was an Orange meeting in the county of Mon- aghan afterwards. A Magistrate of the name of John- stone, rode up to the multitude with an orange ribbon in his button-hole ; he was received with cheers ; a com-, plaint was made against him ; he stated that his object wns to get the people to disperse. The matter was re- ferred by the Lord Lieutenant to the Chancellor (Manners), and it was not thought a case for removal. 600 LIFE AND TIMES OP A motion was made upon the subject in the House of Com* mons, in 1827, by Mr. Brownlow, and the fthen) At- torney General, defended the Chancellor, it being a case entirely for his discretion. " To return to Mr. Mahon — If his conduct were cen- surable, what was that of the High Sheriff and of the other Magistrates ; and how were they to be dealt with ? " Is it legal to call a meeting for a political purpose that is so far likely to endanger a breach of the peace, that the very Sheriff who calls it, and who presides at it, feels it necessary to protect himself with the King's troops ? •* After the most mature deliberation and consulta- tion, I could not bring myself to exert such an act of authority as the dismissal of Mr. Mahon ; and upon further reflection, I do not now repent of the decision to which I came. I think it was just, and I am sure it was expedient. * . j , ** I cannot think it would tend to the honour of the King's crown and dignity, that the Representative should espouse the cause of a Sheriff against a Magistrate, howr ever culpable the latter may be, when the very error into which he was led was produced, if not by an illegal, at all events by a very equivocal act of the Sheriff himself. The meeting was, in fact, called for a purpose not known to the Constitution, v' .. •* Of Mr. Steele, I know nothing,but by common re- port. I do not doubt that upon some occasion he used the words imputed to him, * That he abjured the audi- tors, by their allegiance to the Catholic Association, t^ be tranquil !' " That neither he nor Mr. O'Gorman Mahon, are fit characters for the Magisterial Bench, 1 am inclined to believe ; but up to this period, there is no fact against them DANIEL o'CONNELL. COl tliat would justify the Lord Chancellor in removing them from it. " The imputation against Mr. Steele, td which you allude, has, I should observe, never been deposed to, *' You say, ' I cannot express to you adequately the ex- tent of the difficulties which these, and other occurrences in Ireland, create in all discussions with his Majesty. He feels that in Ireland the public peace is violated every day, with impunity, by those whose duty it is to preserve it ; and that the supposed principal conspirators 5 those whose language points them out as the avowed principa;! agitators of the country, are admitted to the presence of his Majesty's representative in Ireland, and equally well rt*ceived with the King's most loyal subjects.' " It is certainly the duty of Magistrates to preserve, •not to violate the peace. Would to God, they all acted upon this principle ! Mr. Mahon and Mr. Steele are, no doubt, unfit Magistrates. No man of violent political and religious prejudices, can be considered as an ixapartial Justice of the peace ; but I really do not know of these persons as conspirators, nor am I at all aware of the for- midable conspiracy of which you speak. "I never sayv these gentlemen in ray life; and per- emptorily deny that the avowed principal agitators* or that any agitators whatever of the country, 'are ad- mitted into my presence, and equally well received with the King's most loyal jubjects.' But to whom can you possibly allude ? I positively am unable to guess at your meaning. Is it of Messrs. O'Connell, Sheil, Lawless, O'Gorman Mahon, and- Steele, of whom you speak ? — These I can easily dispose of. Mr. Sheil and the two latter, I have never seen; Mr. O'Connell once asked for an audience — it was granted. I mentioned the circumstance to Mr. Peel, even before it occuiTcd ; 3 B 602 IIFE -AND TIMES OP and I afterwards informed him of the business upon ■which he came, and never met him since. I have seen Mr. Lawless thfee times. Upon the first occasion, he came -with a deputation of manufacturers, within a few days after my arrival. I next met him at a ball at the Rotun- da, and bowed to him, as I invariably do, to all persons who make me an acknowledgment. It was in a very crowded room, at King's-town, that I met him a third time ; when observing him and Sir Harcourt Lees squeezed together, and unable to pass on, I jokingly said, • That I .was glad to observe such characters could breathe in the same atmosphere.* My next and last com- munication with that gentleman, was sending to have him arrested. •• Through what channel his Majesty can have obtaia- ed the information mentioned by you, I am at a loss to guess. *' To show how entirely his Majesty has been mi-in- formed, I have deemed it right to enter into an explana- tion of occurrences, that I should otherwise have consi- dered too trivial to notice. **The next subject of reproof is, that 1, together with the Lord Chancellor, paid a visit to the Lord Clon- CURRY, "When I went to his house, all I knew of him, was, that he was an active and intelligent Magistrate, an ardent lover of Ireland, an indefatigable supporter of her interests, and a zealous friend to Catholic Emancipa- tion. " During the time I was at Lyons, (his residence,) I learned his earlier history j — That he had been strongly suspected of Jacobinism, at the commencement of the French Revolution ; that he had been arrested upon sus- picion of being implicated in O'Connor's treason ; that he had been liberated for want of proof; but that he had DANIEL 0*n of 3 B ^ 606 LIFU AND TIMES Of the most cordial support, throughout any difficulties that might occur, and of a willingness to bear the full share of my responsibility* *• Patting out of the question your sentiments upon the Roman Catholic Question, which have no connexion with discussions arising out of your administration of the Go- vernment, I beg to remind you that 1 did write to you some time ago on that subject. *• Whatever may be the determination of the King and his servants upon that subject, it is the duty of the Go- vernment of Ireland to enforce the existing laws ; and there can be no intention in respect to legislation, nor any state of circumstances in Ireland, to which the observa- tions in my letter to you of the 11th instant, would not be applicable. ■ ** I perfectly recollect that you did declare that you meant to administer the laws with the strictest impartial- ity ; and that the fullest assent was given by those who heard you, and is still given to that principle of Govern- ment in the administration of affairs in Ireland. You are quite mistaken, if you suppose that you are the first Lord Lieutenant who has governed Ireland with an impartial hand. ** Admitting,asl do fully, that the Government of Ire- land ought to be administered with impartiality, I assert, that there is not aline in my letter to you of the llthinst. which is inconsistent with such admission ; ngr are my opinions, as to the conduct of Mr. O'Gorman Mahon and Mr. Steele, and the expediency of removing those gentlemen from the office of Justice of the Peace ; nor those which I expressed upon other matters,rather more of personal conduct, at variance with the opinion vv^hich I expressed in February last, and still most decidedly express, that the - law in Ireland ought to be resolutely and impartially administered, DANIEL o'cONNEI,!.. gQ»r "In respect to Mr. Mahon, you «ay that it would not tend to the honour of the King's Crown, that his repre- sentative in Ireland should espouse the cause of the She- riff against a Magistrate, however culpable the latter might be. " I don't defend the cause of the Sheriff and of the Magistrates assembled at Ennis. Their conduct may have been very unwise; but was Mr. Mahon justified in taking upon himself to correct others in authority ? Was it decorous conduct in him, (bearing the King's commission^ to address himself as he did to the officers of the army, in the presence of the troops, in abuse of the conduct of the High Sheriff, for calling them from their quarters ? I am the more confident in my own opinion upon this subject, because it agrees with that held by the Irish Go- vernment. They received the written report of the con- duct of Mr. Mahon, and instead of their deciding that it would best tend to the honor of the King's Crown, that the King's Representative should espouse the cau-e of the Sheriff, they called for depositions upon oath. For what I Because the affair appeared to them, as it did. and does now to me, to be of importance. But when the sworn depositions confirmed the written reports it was found that the Sheriff had not acted wisely, and that Mr. O'GoRMAN Mahon ought to be supported in his conduct in that affair. I cannot consider this to be the policy to which I assented. *• But the papers which I have read upon this subject, transmitted by the Government of Ireland, inform us that Mr. O'GoRMAN Mahon and Mr. Steele appear- ed that day in Ennis, decorated, by the order of the Ro- man Catholic Association, in green ribbands, and followed by a mob. The occasion was one on which, wisely or otherwise, the High Sheriff and other Magistrates had assembled at Ennis, to form a Brunswick Club, and the 60$ IilFB AND TIME9 OF troops had been brought to the towa to prevent a riot.— • Was this conduct in Mr. O'Gobman Mahon and Mr. Steele, that of men in whose judgment and discretion, as Justices of the Peace, the Lord Lieutenant or the Lord Chancellor of Lvland, can place any reliance ? *' You have not noticed this fact in your answer to my letter. •'In respect to Mr. Steele, in addition to his conduct in Ennis and that with which Isee he has since been charged —viz., marching with a mob athis heels through the most disturbed districts of the counties of Limerick andTippera- ry, from chapel to chapel, to harangue the people, he had been charged with the act of conjuring a mob, by all their allegiance to the Roman Catholic Association, to remain tranquil Is the fact truo or otherwise? If there is doubt, inquiry ought to bo made either by the Lord CHANCELLoa or the Government ; and if the case turn out to be true, I am convinced that there is no man who will say that Mr. Steele's name ought to continue in the commission of the peace; whether his conduct be at- tributed to fuUy, insanity, or disaffection ; or that the King's representative, can be accused of partiality, for urging the Lord Chancellor to remove him. '• it never has been the practice in Ireland, to confine removals from tho commission of the peace, to cases in Avhich indictable offences have been committed. The utmost danger to the peace of the country might bo tha consequence of its being understood that justices of the peaco were irremovable, do what acts and hold what language they may, provided only that they steer clear of an indictable offence. " I contend, then, that it cannot be deemed inconsistent with the most strictly impartial administration of the Gpverniaent of Ireland, to ootify to persons who have con- DAWIEL O'CONNELL. 609 ducted themselves as Mr, O'Gorman Mahon and Mr. Steele have, for the last months, that the King had no farther occasion for their services as Justices of the Peace. " In respect to Lord Cloncurry, 1 did not advert to his former history — only to his being a member of the Roman Catholic Association, and to having attended the Association shortly after the Lord Lieutenant and Lord Chancellor had honoured him with a visit* In answer, you tell me that he went there for the purpose of discou- raging the system proposed of not dealing with Protest- ants. His object in going there is very little to the pur* pose ; but having referred to the newspaper report* I see that it expressly states that Lord Cloncurry retired from the meeting before the discussion about dealing with Protestants came up. He made a speech, however, in the Association that day; one which, to say the least of it, is worthy of an agitator and of a partizan ; but quite un- worthy of a Nobleman who deserves the honour of receiv- ing the Lord Lieutenant at his house — a Lord Lieutenant and Lord Chancellor presiding over an important system of Government. "But I am still of opinion that, considering the condition of the Association, the speeches which have beeil made there, and the doubts entertained of the legality of such assembly, (to say the least of it), the members are not ex- actly the persons to be encouraged by the Government of Ireland, which intends to conduct its administration impartially. "I will not now enter farther into the discussion of the legality of the Roman Catholic Association, or whe- ther there is not a conspiracy in Ireland. Upon the first point, I hope we shall soon have the opinion of the law officers of the Crown in Ireland, called for some tinae ago. <}1Q UFl AMD Ti>i£3 09 I admit that there is but little legal proof of the exist- ence of a conspiracy ; but there is much of moral proof, which, I cannot but think, deserves the attention of Go- vernment. •• It is perfectly true, that until I had occasion to write to you on the llthinst., respecting Mr. Mauon and Mr. Steele, I did not mention to you the King's feelings upon affairs in Ireland. I did not do so, because I was in hopes that in the progress of events, the Kino might see reason to change his opinions ; and because it i$ really painful to notice matters which would be of a private nature, if they had no bearing upon public affairs. I might have, at an earlier period, expressed the pain I felt at the attendance of gentlemen of your, household, and even of your family, at the Roman Catholic Associ- ation. I could not but feel that such attendance must expose your Government to misconstruction. But I was silent, because it is painful to notice such things ; but I have always felt, that if these impressions upon the King's mind should remain — and I must say that recent transactions have given fresh cause for them — I could not avoid to mention them to you in a private communi- cation, and to let you know the embarrassment which they occasion. I may be blamed for not communicating sooner that they existed ; but considering their continued existence, and the renewed cause for them, I should be more blamed if I divl not mention them at all, " Ever, my dear Lord Anglesey, yours most sincerely, (Signed) " WELLINGTON." •* Phoenix Park, Nov. 23, 1828. *' My Dear Duke of Wellington — I have received your letter of the 19th. It is not necessary that I should reply to it at great length ; for after very carefully exa- mining and comparing it with the letter of the llth, I f)ANIEL O'CONNELL. ftll find little in it beyond a repetition of accusations already amply answered and refuted. " I have also attentively read tho copy of my letter of the 14th, and there is not in it a sentiment expressed, or a word written, to which I do not strictly adhere. I will merely observe that, in representing my ignorance of your intentions in regard to Ireland, I could only allude to your future policy, by a knowledge of which I might have been mainly assisted; for, although it is quite clear that a country must be governed by existing laws, yet it may be » well thought to be a question of expediency, to what 6xtcnt they are to be exercised ; and here the Governor becomes responsible, and I have not been at all desirous of shrink- ing from the responsibility. ■ " To all topics, then, that are treated of in your first letter, and which are repeated in that of tho 19th, it would be superfluous to reply. '• I now proceed to tho new matter contained in your last letter. "You say, that lam mistaken, if I suppose that I am the first Lord Lieutenant who has governed Ireland with an impartial hand, •* I really suppose no such thing ; and I am sure thera ; is not an expression in my letter that will bear that con- struction. " In truth, I need only go back to the last Administra- tion of Ireland — to theGovernment of the MarquessWEL- LESLEY — to discover that ' mine is not a novel mode of governing.' •' I observe iu every public act of Lord Wellesley, not, merely, the intention but the ful61ment of that princi- ple of governing. . • '• In answer to what you observe regarding the conducf of tho Irish Government, upon the afifair of Mr. O'GoBv 612 UPE AND TIMB8 OP MAN Mahon, at Ennis, I can onlj say that it seems to me to have been entirely inconsistent. *' The report of his conduct first reached it through the ordinary channels of communication. It was thought of sufficient consequence to require a deposition upon oath This was furnished. It was deliberately con- sidered ; and in concurrence with the opinion of the Lord Chancellor, I did not think fit to take any measure upon it. The propriety of this decision is matter of opinion ; I retain mine. ♦' That the mere circumstance of Mr. Mahon and Mr. Steele riding about the country in green ribands, is to be considered sufficient to justify their dismissal from the Magistracy, I cannot admit. Have they appeared upon the seat of justice with these party colours ? No. When they do, the Chancellor will know how to deal with them. *' In the cased I quote of Mr. Johnstone, who, deco- rated with an orange ribband, actually harangued a mob (and that immediately after the passing of the Act, now extinct, in which party badges were forbidden,) the Chancellor, Manners, did not feel himsolf justified in taking any step. ••In regard to Mr. Steele, there is no doubt that he had been attending various chapels, and haranguing the congregations. I have directed a particular inquiry to be made, for the purpose of obtaining authentic informa- tion as to the expressions to which you allude ; and the attention of the law officers will be called to the subject, when I shall consider and confer, as I did in the case of Mr. Mahon, and inform you of the result of my decision. " I have little to add to what I have already said con- ceraing Lord Cloncurry. I believe him to be a loyal DANIEL O'COXNELL. 61S subject, a good man, and an exemplary magistrate : and I cannot consent to abandon the exercise 6f ray own dis- cretion, in selecting tliose with whom I may deem it ex- pedient and prudent to hold an intercour?e. But even if I were mistaken in the character of my Lord Cloncurrt, and that he is not what I suppose him to be, I am sure I ehall not be thought arrogant, in expressing a conviction that there is something in my own character, and in my xvell-known devoted and alTectionate attachment to the Kino, which ought to shield mo from the imputation of having selected and encouraged as acquaintances, those who are ill-affected to his Majesty's person and Go- Ternment. " I have, in fact, been most anxious to imitate, so far as my humble faculties would permit, the example of his Majesty himself, during his visit to Ireland ; and have scrupulously attended to the King's benign and paternal admonition, when his Majesty quitted this kingdom — to inculcate good fellowship and cordiality amongst all classes, and to promote conciliation. *' Your observation upon the circumstance of my son, and of some of the Officers of ray Staff, visiting the Catholic Association, has hurt and surprised me, " A short time after my arrival, three or four of them strayed into their debating room from curiosity. They were unexpected, and they imagined they were unob- served. They were, however, recognised. The occur- rence was mischievously commented upon. I admonish- ed them not to repeat their visit, and to avoid all clubs or meetings of apolitical character, and it cost them nothing to obey the injunction. Yet this is remarked upon as a stain upon me, as if I had sanctioned the measure. " The letter I wrote to Mr. Lamb upon the occasion would show sufficiently that I disapproved of it; although 3 e 614 LIFE AND TIMES OF I certainly did not attach that importance to it you appear to think it deserved. " I observe that you consider our late painful corres- pondence as private,yet tho subjects are chiefly of a pub- lic character. *' You certainly have the power of considering it so or not ; but I must reserve to myself the same liberty, if it should hereafter become necessary for my justification ; — . and I sincerely believe that I can justify every act— nay, I will even go farther,and express ray conviction, that if the King had the same opportunity that I have of witnessing the present state of the country, his Majesty would be sa- tisfied that a sound and prudent policy had been exer- cised. ." Believe me, ray dear Duke of Wellington, ** Very sincerely your's, •' ANGLESEY." '* To his Grace the Duke of Wellington, &c." Upon this letter,which was read with the preceding ex- tracts, by tho Marquess of Anglesky himself, in the House of Lords, ho commented in the following terms, and then proceeded, in the course of an explanation of his official acts in Ireland, to quote and comment upon some additional letters, forming part of the correspon- dence between him and members of the Government : — '* To this, my Lords, I should add one thing with res- pect to my Lord Cloncurry, which probably was not known to the noble Duke, now at the head of His Ma- jesty's Administration; and that is, that when the King was in Ireland, Lord Cloncurry was in constant at- tendance on His Majesty, and sat at bistable (Hear, hear.) The fact was, my Lords, that Lord Cloncurry thought himself very ill used in the time of his late Ma- jesty, having been confined twice on two charges, of DANIEL 0*CONNELL. 615 which no proof could be adduced ; and he had been on both occasions discharged without being brought to trial. In consequence of this, he Jiad determined, when the King visited Ireland, not to approach his Majesty ; and the King on hearing this, caused Lord CLONCunnv to ■be sent for. —His Lordship then came, and was very well received by His Majesty, and attended upon him, and sat at his table. Then, one word as to my unfortunate son and some of my Staff, visiting the Catholic Associ- ation. I may state that it was no more than some of the Staff of my illustrious predecessor had done. The truth is, my Lords, that the Catholic Association was consi- dered in Dublin as a lion, and the strangers went to visit it as they went to the Corn Exchange, or to Exeter 'Change, to see the wild beasts — (Hear, and a laugh ) Now when I received the first letter from the noble Duke, the impression on my mind decidedly was that I would be re-called ; and the second confirmed me in that opinion ; — and jet I thought, and others agreed with ma in that notion, that probably the whole of the circum- stances might have been re-considered ; and we certainly did hope that, upon that consideration, the state of af- fairs in Ireland and all the circumstances, would have been more duly appreciated ; and that the conduct of the Irish Administration would be found not to deserve so much censure as it had been imagined to deserve. On that head, I was undeceived by the letter from the noble Duke of the 28th December, from which I was very sen- sible that the relation between me, as Lord Lieute- nant, and the King's Ministers, could not longer exist. That letter was as follows : — * London, December 28, 1828. * My dear Lord Anglesey — I have been very sen- sible, since I received your last letter, that the eorrespon- 61Q LlFU ANU TIMUM Oi' dence which tliat letter terminated had left us in a relation towards each other which ought not to exist between tho Lord Lieutenant and the King's Minister; and could not continue to exist without great inconvenience and injury to tho King's service. I refrained from acting upon this feeling till I should be able to consult with my colleagues, and I took the earliest opportunity, which the return to town of those who were absent afforded, to obtain their opinion, which concurred with my own. Under these circumstances, having taken the King's pleasure upon tho subject, his Majesty has desired me to inform you, that ho intends to relieve you from the Government of Ireland. I will shortly notify the arrangements which will become necessary in consequence. * Believe me ever your's. most sincerely, (Signed) • WELLINGTON. ' His Excellency the Marquess of Anglesey, K.G." •' In answer I wrote this letter of date the 30lh Decem- ber, to tho Noblo Duke at the head of the Administration : (Copy) ' Phoenix Park, 30th Dec 1828. • My Dear Duke of Wellington — I have received your letter of tho 28th, informing me of tho King's inten- tion to relieve me from the Government of Ireland. * I will hold myself in readiness to obey his Majesty's commands the moment I shall receive them. 'Believe me your's most sincerely, (Sig.ned) 'ANGLESEY. • To his Grace the Duke of Wellington, K.G., &c.' *• If the matter had terminated here, this House would never have been troubled with the subject; as his Majes- ty unquestionably had a right to recall his Lord Lieute- nant, whenever he pleased, whatever might be the reasons; and, therefore, although I would have been disappointed that the state of Ireland, and the circumstances in which DANIEL O'CONNELL. 617 I was placed, did not meet with a closer investigation, I should have felt it my duty to have been silent about the matter. But as all this was followed by a stronger re- proof than was, perhaps, ever given to a public officer, I thought it right to bring the whole matter before this House, as far as I had the opportunity to do so. I re- ceived this letter, dated the 19th January, 1829, from the Home Secretary ; — ^^opy) ' Whitehall, Jan. 10, 1829. * My Lord —It is my duty to acquaint your Excellency that his Majesty's Government have taken into their consi- deration a letter which has been published in the newspa- pors,purporting to have been addressed by your Excellency to the Rev. Dr. Curtis, of the authenticity of which there can bo no question. It appears to his Majesty's Go- vernmeiit, that in addressing that letter to Dr. Curtis, your Evcellency acted ia a manner inconsistent with your duty as his Majesty's Representative in Ireland; and they have advised his Majesty to signify his pleasure to your Excellency, that you should return to England, placing the Government of Ireland for the present in the hands of Lord Justices. * 1 enclose his Majesty's warrant, authorising your Excellency to constitute the Lord Primate, the Lord Chancellor, and the Commander of the Troops in Ire- land, to be his Majesty's Justices in your Excellency's absence, or until his Majesty's further pleasure be signi- fied ; and I am to convey to your Excellency his Majes- ty's command, that their appointment may take place ac- cordingly. I have the honor to be, with great truth and regard, my Lord, (Signed) ♦ ROBERT PEEL. *To his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, K.G. &c.' 3 C 2 618 LIKE AN» TIMEi OP •• To this I replied bj the following letter, datedJanu- ary, 14, 1829. (Copy.) 'Phcenix Park, Jan. 14, 1829. * Sir— I have received your letter of the 10th January, notifying to me, that his Majesty's Government had taken into their consideration a letter which had been published in the newspapers, purporting to have been addressed by me to the Rev. Dr. Cuutis; that it appeared to his Government, that in writing that letter to Dr. Curtis. I had acted in a manner inconsistent with my duty as his Majesty's Representative in Irelaiid ; and that ihey had advised his Majesty to signify his pleasure to me, that I should return to England, placing the Government of Ireland, for the present, in the hands of the Lord Justices ; and enclosing to me his Majesty's warrant, authorising me to constitute the Lord Primate, the Lord Chancellor, and the Commander of the Troops to be his Majesty's Justices in my absence, or until his Majesty's further pleasure le signified. *In consequence of the Duke of Wellington's letter to mo of the 28th December, informing me that he was sensible that a correspondence Avhich had taken placo between his Grace and me had left us in a relation toward each other, which ought not to exist between the Lord Lieutenant and the King's Minister, and that his col- leagues concurred in that opinion ; and that having taken his INIajesty's pleasure upon the subject, his Majesty had desired his Grace to inform me, that ho intended to relieve rac from the Government of Ireland ; I inform- ed his Grace, by my letter of the 30th of December.that I would hold myself in readiness to obey his Majesty's commands the momo.it I should receive them. ' It is therefore only necessary for me now to state,for the informatioa of his Majesty's Government,that I havo DANIEL O'COXNKLL. 619 given the necessary directions for the appointment of Lords Justlcvjs, in obedience to his Majesty's commands, and that I shall forthwith repair to England. ' I have the honor to bo, with truth and rpgard, ' Sir, your most obedient and humble servant, (Signed) « ANGLESEY. * To the Right Hon. Rocsux Peel.' Such Wtre the circumstances under wiiich this popular nobleman was recalled, and it was not to be wondered at that with such a fact before tl'.em,the popular Leaders be« gan toliave their misgivings as to the rumours propagated, and even the con cctness of the information they had themselves received. To try the question of Catholic ad- missibility to the House of Commons, in his own person, be- came tiien Mr. O Connf.ll's determination. In the mean time, the exeitoment at the recall of the Marquess of An- GLKSEV, was universal amongst the Catliolics. Ho had proved himself a chivalrous friend of ihe country. The very disposition that prompted liim, before he ever saw Ireland, to speak of the agitation in the harsh language he adopted, now when he knew the people and saw their condition, made him enthusiastic in their behalf. The grief caused by the news of his removal was unbounded. In the Association, Sheil and O'Connell spoke in the most eloquent terms of his Government and disposition. On the 19th January, 1820, the noble-minded Anglesey quitted Ireland. With the exception of the demonstration on Georgb the Fourth's departure, there was nothing comparable to the concourse that met the Viceroy, at the Castle gate;i, and accompanied him to the Pier at Kings- town. It was a magnificent display ; full of cordial feel- ing— of enthusiasm and gratitude. Alas I for the fickleness of human affairs ! we will shortly v/itnesi the same noble- 620 I'lFE AND TIMES OF man again Lord Lieutenant, and then one of the most unpopular of men. He was succeeded by the Duke of Northumberland, a well meaning man — a recent convert to the necessity of Emancipation ; but without much capability for tho task of Government. His great wealth and elevated rank were his principal recommendations ; and if the spirit of ascendency, which then swayed the councils of the Irish Executive, would have sanctioned a quiescent policy, and the substitution of large personal expenditure, for factious misrule, the appointment of this Tory magnate would, in the state of Ireland, have been judicious. But the old system of governing for a party, and through a party, was too firmly rooted in Dublin Castle, to be eradicated by such a statesman as Northumberland. He was carried on in the old track, and though his administration was not distinguished by official severity, still there was nothing in his measures or his conduct to satisfy the great body of the people. After the departure of Anglesey, there was much speculation as to the intentions of Government. Their treatment of this popular Lord Lieutenant, did not indi eate much promise for Ireland. Still, that something would be done, there was no question. The direct nego- ciations with the Pope proved that concessions were in contemplation. His Holiness refused to enter into any terms until Emancipation was first granted, and thus the overtures ended. But the failure left on the minds of the Irish, an apprehension, that the old stumbling block of "securities, "was to interfere with the attainment of their rights. In this state of uncertainty, O'Connell deter- mined to claim, in person, his right to sit in Parliament, as member for Clare, without taking the oaths of Supre- macy, &c. He had determined to put his right to the DA.XIEL y'cONNELL. G'il test, on the first day of the Session- Bui in consequence of the gross calumnies which were circulated against the Catholic clergy in Clare, respecting their interference in the election, he "was requested by them to take no step for fourteen days after the meeting in Parliament — the time alloM'od by law for inosciiting a petition against his return — in order to give his opponents an opportunity of doin^' so, and thus afford the clergy means of repelling the slanderous imjjutations against them. Mr, O'Connhll, of course, consented; but ho had scarcely done so, when he received intimation from the Brunswick party, that they simply intended to oppose him, on the ground of personal disqualification a;s a Catholic. Thus, after propagating the most virulent imputations against the Catholic Clergy, they were afraid of undergoing Ihd ordeal of a Committee of the House of Commons, and they gave Mr. O'Connell notice of their intention to abandon that part of their petition. This was quite suffi- cient proof of the exaggerations which were so indus- triously circulated. On the personal, or rather religious, disqualification, Mr. O'Coxnell seemed to have no fears. Mr. CiiAPvLES BuTLKR gavo a decided opinion, that no member returned from Ireland, was bound to take the oath of supremacy; because there was nolrish statute re- quiring it to be taken ; and the Act of Union expressly required that no oaths should be necessary to qualify an Irish member to sit in the Imperial Parliament, which were not required to be taken theretofore, according to the statutes enacted, in each country respectively. Now, though there were Er}(/lish laws on this subjet, in respect to members of the Irish Parliament, there was no Irish statute ; nnd had Flood's declaratory act been passed, ordaining that England had not, and never bad any power to make Jaws binding upon Ireland, there would b« no doubt re- 622 LIFE AND TIMES OF maining on the subject. The simple question was, did the English Law, requiring the oath of supremacy to betaken in the Irish Parliament, by Irish members, hold in force against Irish members in the Imperial Parliament, when the Act of Union provided no oaths should be taken but those heretofore required by the statute law of each of the United Kingdoms. O'Connell clearly proved in his answer to Mr. Sugden's pamphlet, denying his right to enter the House of Commons without first taking the oath of supremacy,in the Lord Steward's office, that there was no law obliging him to take the oath before he en- tered the House ; and as there was no penalty, under the Act of Union, for his refusal, and no statute law obliging him, he could continue to sit and act as a member, without taking that oath; for whore the statute did not interfere, then, the usages of Parliament, which are based on the statute law, could not deprive him of his right as representative of the people. Mr. O'Connell felt confident of the correctness of his views on this sub- ject. It was to try this question, involving the Act of Uniou, that he was anxious to take his seat, or attempt to do so ; independently of any contemplated measure of Emancipation, However, when he arrived in London, the provisions of the Catholic Relief Bill were already known. His friends, and the friends of the Catholic cause, had a consultation, and it was determined that he should defer taking his seat until the fate of the measure was decided. Meanwhile.the utmost activity was exerted in Ireland ; not only by the Catholics, but also by a large section of the Protestant people, in favour of the Catholic claims. The great meeting in January, at the Rotunda, of the friends of civil and religious liberty, under the presidency of the Duke of LEiNSXEU.hada decisive effect. While the "Leinster Declaration" was being urged in the provinces, Mr. Pierce Mahony, with mdefatigablo DANIEL O'CONNELL. 623 industry, was making arrangements for a meeting of the friends of Emancipation, to be held in January, at the Rotunda. By him, the resolutions and petitions were drawn up, and the whole machinery for this great meet- ing set in motion. The entire programme of the pro- ceedings, at the meeting, was sent, in print, to each re- quisitionist, before the day of meeting. The requisition was signed by a vast number who could not attend, but who stated by letter their sentiments. These letters were all published. The meeting took place. It was one of the most imposing demonstrations which was ever beheld in Ireland. The platform was filled with noblemen and gentlemen. The speeches were most effective. O'Con- NELL and Sheil both spoke. The meeting produced a profound sensation. It was said to be what ultimately determined Wellington and Peel to press on the Kino to grant Emancipation. Certain it is, that a few days after the meeting, the Duke had a long audience with his Majesty at Windsor. The Post which left London the evening of this interview, conveyed to Ireland a letter from the Duke's private Secretary, to a gentleman now high in ofTice, that the Emancipation Bill was to be brought in by Government, at the commencement of the Session. The letter set forth the nature of the proposed measure, and attributed the altered councils of the Cabi- net a good deal to the impression made on the Govern- ment by the Rotunda meeting. The information con- tained in this letter was communicated to Sheil and O'Connell; and it was agreed that the Catholic Associ- ation should announce its intention of dissolving, in the event of Emancipation being granted ; and thus antici- pate the intention of the legislature to suppress it. When Mr. O'Connell ascertained that Emancipation was at hand, he sent a message by Mr. Pierce Mahony 6ii I IFii AND TIMES OF to Mr. Vksky Fitzgerald, stating that after it passed, he would give up his seat for Clare, and address the electors in his favor. The communication r.as made ac- cordingly ; but it was not Avell received, and the offer was rejected in a hostile and angry spirit. Mr.O'CoNNEi-t. afterwards said that theKotundaMect- ing confirmed the Ministry in carrying the plans they projected. The Catholic A.ssociation, too, continued its energetic exertions, up to the moment that the measures of Government became known. It was then determined to dissolve. At first, Mr. O'Connell intended that this dissolution should not take place until after Emancipation had been granted. But in a short time after, ^Ir.SnEiL, with the concurrence of the Catholic Bishops, and fol- lowing up the parting adviceof Lord ANGLESEY,proposed an immediate dissolution. His reasoning was so conclu- tive, that he carried with him the Association ; though the body were first averse to such a proceeding. The dis- solution was previously suspended in order tohave,out of respect to him, Mr. O'Connell's opinion on the subject. In the course recommended by Mr. Sueil. Mr. O'Con- nell, who was then in London, fully concurred ; and the Association dissolved of itself, without waiting for its suppression by the Government. It has been often said, that at the time of Emancipa- tion, a pledge was given by O'Connell, on the part of the Catholics, to cease agitation after religious equality was granted. To show how utterly unfounded was this statement, we give here rather a remarkable passage, in the very last speech he delivered in the Catholic Associ- ation. It sets at rest for ever the allegation, that ho concealed his future intentions, with reference to Repeal, until Emancipation was obtained. Speaking of the disso- lution of the Association he said : — DAMEL CONNELL. f>2J ** Tho moment there shall be & repeal of oppressive laws, on account of religion, the Association shall be ex- ting-uished, and Catholics shall mingle indiscriminately with the rest of their fellow-citizens. But the attention to national interests — the intelligence, the hatred of op- pression, and the love of justice, which have been gene- rated by our lengthened and all-absorbing controversy, shall still survive ; and although by the abolition of dis- tinctions, on account of religion, Catholics shall no more be heard of as separate political advocates, that spirit has grown up amongst the people, which shall inspire them to new and glorious efforts of patriotism, until Ireland become what God and nature intended her. Her regene- ration will not be tho work of Catholics alone — it will bo the contest of Irishmen, when every sect and denomina- tion shall be united in one grand amalgamation. Unless that amalgamation take place, we never can procure the Repeal of that odious and abominable measure, the Union, which struck down our national independence and pros- perity, and reduced the country to a pitiful and abject,, province." This is conclusive on the point. Indeed, so late as the 14th of January, 1829, he repeated, in the Catholic Association, the declaration which ho had made in 1840 : ** That in order to accomplish Repeal, he would give up ^' Emancipation, and every other measure ; and that his ** exertions for such an object would meet with the co- *' operation of all sects and parties.'' The anxiety of the nation, in the beginning of February, was raised to the highest pitch. The King's speech called tiport the Parliament to consider the laws affecting tho Cathollcsj with a view to their repeal. It was under- stood that the measure was not to be of a stinted cha- racter, and that '* Securities" were not to be required. 3 D 620 LIFU AND TIMES OP Tho object was to tranquilliae the Irish nation ; to satisfy tjio just demands of the Catholics, and to avoid civil wax' ; of which the Duke of Wellington professed so soldier- like a horror.Giving Emancipation to elevate the wealthy^ while the clergy and people were rendered doubly dis- contented at interference with their religion, was no way to effect these purposes; and therefore it was wisely de- termined to avoid the Veto question altogether, and seek for " Securities" after some other fashion. A Bill for the suppression of " dangerous associations" was brought in. The provisions of this act applied to the Catholic Association ; but, as already stated, that body did not wai^ for suppression ; it dissolved of itself. One of the "Wings" of 1825, was again brought forward — the forty-shilling freeholders' franchise was in future to be abolished ; the rights of the existing holders of that franchise being preserved. The Catholic Clergy wore not to be paid by the State; but in lieu of this "Wing," a miserable, paltry enactment, directed against all mo- nastic institutions, and other religious communities, was introduced into the Emancipation Act. This provision — which required a registry of the existing members of these establishments, in the United Kingdom, and pro- hibited, on pain of transportation, any new members to be received therein-^has been hitherto a dead letter. It was never intended to be acted on. It cannot be put in operation without the sanction of the Attorney-General ; and as it is well understood that the solo object in fram- ing these clauses was, to soothe the bigotry of the oppo- nents of the measure, the law officer takes no notice of the daily disregard of tho enactment by these religious qommunitics. However, so long as it continues on the statute book, it will ever be considered by the Catholics of Ireland, as a stigma on their religion ; and, though torpid, a tyranny. nANIEL O CONNELL. 62'7 Both these " Wings," or conditions to Emancipatioii, created a great ferment at the time; and a very deter- mined agitation, on the subject, was commenced by Mi*. O'CoNNELL, in London, calling on the people to reject in toto, the measure for their relief, rather than accept it dogged with the disfranchisement of 300,000 freeholders. This he distinctly proclaimed at the next meeting of the thatched House Tavern; and, though he was at the A^ery time accused by Hunt, the celebrated English Radical, of remaining idle, while his honest supporters were sacri- ficed, he was in reality organising a strong opposition against the disfranchisement bill ; and had drawn up and carried a very strong petition against it. It was a sacri- fice of no trifling amount, to give up those honest fellows, the forty-shilling freeholders, who at Clare and Water- ford so nobly did their duty in the face of the most deter- mined persecution. These were the men who, after all, assisted mainly in obtaining religious freedom for their country, and was it well to sacrifice them ? After this fashion, O'Connbll and his followers, in England and Ireland, argued at the different meetings, held both in London and in Dublin. But, on the other hand, why, it ■was Bald by such influential friends of popular rights as Lord Cloncurry — why subject these humble men, who arc so dependent on their landlords, to continued perse- cution ? Is it not better to obtain for them, or for men of their class, a more independent franchise — namely, a ten pound beneficial interest franchise, which be- ing acquired by a lease, could be held free from the control of landlords? Above all, is it not better, to accept this altered franchise, when it is made a condition of Catholic Emancipation;and as for the penal enactments against monastic orders, it was intended as a mere '* sop to Cerberus," and would be inoperative. Thus reasoned C2.S LIl'K AND TIME* 0? the Catholic leaders, who were for accepting the terms proposed. There can be now no doubt that if Govern- ment had not then succeeded with the King, the cjues- tion would have been thrown back ; we should not have succeeded for years, and in all probability, not without the miseries of a national convulsion. It is now well known, that George the Fourth gave his consent with the greatest reluctance. For four and twenty hours — after the cffeasvu-e was absolutely launched in Parliament, there was no Ministry; the Wellington Ministry were dismissed, and it was only av hen he reflected on the difficulty of forming another administration, that the King gave his reluctant consent, and recalled Wellington and Peel. To the King and the Anti-Catholic Party in England, it was absolutely necessary to make concessions. The sacrifice of the forty-shilling freeholders, who had so triumphantly returned O'Connell to Parliament, and the sacrifice of O'Conwell himself, as a legislator, were resolved on, to soothe the personal antipathy and political feelings of George the Fourth ; and the other provi- sions against the Jesuits and other religious orders, were introduced to diminish the holy hatred of the Evangelical and new Refoi*raation party. On the whole, then, seeing how much was accomplish- ed, and ho\v little was lost, that could not be afterwards restored ; and above all, how dangerous at such a crisis was delay, we are disposed to think the Catholics acted prudently ; while the Government, by keeping alive an irritable and jealous feeling in the minds of the Irish people, acted unwisely ; for they fostered the gei*ms of that agitation, which afterwards seriously embarrassed themselves. The feeling of the industrial class in Eng- land was now decidedly in favour of civil and religious liberty. This was manifested in a very marked manner i>ANIEL O'CONNELL. 629 by the reception Mr. O'Connell met with in his nro- grcss through England. At Liverpool, Birmingham. Coventry, and London, his reception was most flatter- ing, lie had always advocated Emancipation, on the broad principle that conscience should be free. He was, besides, a radical Reibrmer ; a description of politician at last becoming popular in England. He was, therefore, apart from his fame as a great orator,becoming a favour- ite with the middle and dissenting class in England His advocacy of Catholic claims went far to soften down the existing opposition to Emancipation. Hence,his re. ception in the - sister" kingdom, on this occasion ; hence, m some degree, the altered feelings with respect to Ca- tholics. The upper and rural classes, and the Clergy, however, were more violent than over. Peel, knowing the feeling of his constituents of the University of Oxford, at once resigned his seat for that centre of learned bigotry. Of course, when he went to a new election, he was defeated. This was his first sacrifice to his sense of duty. It is impossible to overrate the per- sonal sacrifices, nobly and generously made by this States., man, at this eventful crisis. His father was a man of strong anti-Catholic feelings, and itis said he threatened to disinherit him for the part he took. There can be no doubt there was a long coolness between thera. When his inheritanccamounting to fifty thousand a year, was in jeopardy, it is easy to see the personal sacrifices he was ready to make. His friends also shunned him, because they considered he acted the traitor to them and to his - own principles. In fact, it is not possible to conceive a more heroic and self-sacrificing efi^ort, than that made by Peel in 1829, The one on the Corn question, in 1846. was but a trifle to it. It may be said, and it was said, why did he not resign, and leave the measure to be car. 3 D 2 (J30 Llfli AND TIMKS OF ried by those who weru always its aJvooateb ? The sim- ple answer to this is, that with a Tory House of LorJs, and an obstinate Sovereign— no Whig INIinistry could ever have carried Emancipation. During the progress through Parliaraent of the Relief measure, the greatest excitement prevailed on both sides; the excitement of joy on the part of Catholics, and of disappointment and chagrin among tho Bvunsvvickers. The Orange Aristocracy were prominently rabid. Tho Duke of Newcastle, claiming his privilege as a Peer, intruded on the privacy of the King, to remonstrate with his Sovereign ; but he was courteously repulsed. Lord WiNcuELSEA, too, the foremost mau {imongstthe Bruns- wickers, insulted, in tjip grosses^ manner, tho Duko of Wellingtqn. Th© epnsequenpe w^s, an hostile meeting. As this is a transaction, which caused raueh discussion at the time, and will be memorable in after times, in con- sequence of the pavt the great Captain felt himself called upon to take, wo are induced ta trfinscribe, fi-onv tho Courier newspaper, tho correspondence, which ended in both these noblemen going to the ground. The Earl of WiNcuELsEA discharged hi^ pistol in the air. For this honourable conduct he deserved every credit. Hav- ing given offence, and refused an unconditional apology, he had no other course ; and it certainly would have been a bold proceeding, under tho circumstances, to fire at, and, it may be, kill the Hero of Waterloo. The Courier of the 2'lst of March, thus uitroduces the tt;ansaction and correspondence: — *• It is our duty to announce to the public an event which, thank Goi> ! has not been attended with fatal consequences to tho personages concerned in it. A meet- ing took place this morning in Battersea fields, between tho Duke of Wjii.WNxlington ; and he appears to have retained, long after the Act passed, vindictive feelings towards all who assisted in carrying it. It is a singular coincidenee, that the Election Committee appointed to consider the peti- tion against O'Connell's return for Clare, reported that he was duly returned a member of the legislature, on the very night that Peel laid his Emancipation Bill before the House of Commons; thus suggesting the re- 644 LIPB AND TIMES Olf flection, that the Clare Election and the Emancipatioa Bill were cause and consequence. It is deeply to be deplored, for the fame of the Minis- ters who so nobly did their duty on this occasion, that O'Connell's election for Clare was not recognised in the Emancipation Bill ; and that the words " thereafter to be elected," should have been inserted purposely to prevent him from taking his seat. It is deeply to be de- plored that so great a measure should have been tar- nished by so paltry a provision, directed specially against the great man, to whom was due the credit of conceiving the liberation from bondage, and working out with unri- valled ability and, unrelaxing zeal, the civil and religious freedom of an enslaved, dispirited, and divided people. To legislate against an individual, was unworthy of the British Senate — and, against the great Catholic advocate, a mean, vindictive, and discreditable deed. It is, howe- ver, but justice to say, that the Duke of Wellington and Peel, both regretted the necessity incumbent upon them. The truth is, they had to yield something to the dogged bigotry and factious spirit of the King, whom they found most difficult to lead or to control. As a pacificatory concession, they consented to the clause which prevented O'Connell taking his seat immediately on the passing of the Act. He would not allow personal considerations to interfere, in a matter of such immense national importance ; and he requested the present Lord Monteaglb to state as much in the House of Commons. After the passing of the Emancipation Act, O'Connell still persevered in his desire to give up the representation of Clare, to Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, and go into parlia- ment for a borough. He absolutely offered, through his Solicitor, Mr. Pierce Mahony, three thousand guineas to Sir Edward Denny, for a seat during the remainder DANIEL O CONNBLL. S4S of the session, as member for Tralee. That borougli be- longed, according to the old regime, to the Denny family. It was regularly sold; and was, in point of fact, assigned as a fortune.under a marriage settlement. The negocia- tion,in which O'Connell was thus concerned, came to no- thing ; and it then became necessary for him to take immediate steps for demanding his seat as member for Clare. He at once made arrangements for that pur- pose. The opinion of some of the most eminent lawyers in England was, that no penalty attached to a Catholic Irish member, for sitting in the Imperial Parliament, without taking the oaths. They were required both in the English Parliament and in the Irish, before the Union ; but it was considered that these laws did not apply under the circumstances to the Imperial Parlia- ment. Acting on this opinion, O'Connell determined to try his right to sit, without taking the oaths. Some of his friends advised him to be cautious ; because, in their opinion, not only did pecuniary penalties attach to the attempt, but,as they held,the individual rendered himself liable, in like manner, to perpetual exclusion, if he per- sisted in the effort to sitagainst the decision of theHouse. In order to ascertain the intentions of Government, Mr. Pierce Mahony, as Mr. O'Cpnnell's friend, went, during the Easter recess, to Hatfield House, the resi-. dence of the Marquess of Salisbury, with whom Mr. Peel and the Duke of Wellington were on a visit. He was there informed, that the Government regretted Mr. O'Connell's position : and, as a Government, would take no part against him ; but would be guided by the eminent constitutional Lawyers in the House of Com- mons. On Mr. Mahony's return, from Hatfield House, it was arranged that he should immediately appear before the Commons. Finally, the 15th of May was the day fixed 646 LtFE AND TIMES Ot for this remarkable event. In the course of an hour, the heads of his speech were arranged and written on a small card. The books of authority were sent down to the House.. He then went to take a bath, and at half-past four, accompanied by Mr. Mahony, he took a seat as- signed to him under the gallery, and next the Sergeant- at Arms. The House was crowded to excess. At five o'clock, the Speaker called on any new member desiring to be sworn, to come to the table. O'CoNNELL, accordingly, presented himself at the table of the House of Commons, introduced, as usual, by two members— namely, by Lord Ebrington, afterwards Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whose declaration against Repeal, caused so much annoyance to the Irish nation — and by Lord Duncannon, the late Lord Besborough ; betv/eenwhom andO'CoNNELL, there always existed mu- tual confidence and esteem. The sensation Mr. O'CoN- nell's appearance caused, was intense; the House was crowded, and when he entered, all rose, thro' a feeling of ouriofity, to catch a glimpse of the renowned member for Clare. Mr. O'Connell remained, amidst the profound silence of the House, some moments at the table, point- ing out the oaths he was ready to take, and those to which he felt objection. He was willing to take the oaths required by the Relief Act ; but, being a Catholic, ho refused to take the Protestant oaths of Supremacy and Abjuration. His refusal was reported formally to the Speaker, whereupon he was ordered to withdraw, and he then resumed his seat under the gallery. Mr. Brougham proposed that Mr. O'Connell should forth- with be heard at the bar, to account for his refusal to take the necessary oaths ; namely, those required to be taken by all members returned to serve in Parliament previous to the Act of Emancipz^tion. The consideration DANIEL O'CONNELL. g^^ Of the question ^-as postponed, nem. con., on the motion of Mr. Peel, to Monday, the 18th May. The comments of the London Press, upon this affair, will throw consi- derable light upon it; and wo shall append to a report of what occurred, a few extracts from some of the Journals A correspondent oUhe Morning IIerald,^vrhes in these terms : — "Yesterday the Hon. Member for Clare, was at the House of Commons, as early as one o'clock ; and from that time till the meeting of the House, he was engaged mgmng evidence before the Select Committee, on 'the Irish Miscellaneous and Education Estimates ; and after that in the Commons' Library, consulting the Journals. The Hon. Member's intention to present himself, for the purpose of claiming his seat, and that, too, under the new Act, soon became known, and consequently, by half- past three o'clock, some time even before the Speaker's arrival, the House was amazingly crowded with Mem- bers : there could not be fewer than 300 Members present • and by the time that the Speaker arrived, the Members 'side galleries were crowded. Under the gallery also was thronged.chiefly by Peers; amongst them were the Duke of Norfolk, Earl FiTzwiLLiAM,the Marquess of Angle- SEY, the Marquess of Salisbury, Lord Beresford. &c. In the roof of the House there were several ladies. The Ministerial benches were attended by Mr. G. Dawson, Mr. Calcraft, Sir Geo. Hill. &c. Mr. Peel did not enter till the Speaker had taken the Chair : he had been absent for several days on account of ill-health, and was evidently labouring under indisposition. Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald (the ex-Membor for Ciare)was not present • at least he did not appear on the Treasury bench. On the Opposition bench wore Mr. Brougham, Sir J. Mac^ iNTosH, Lord Althorp, Mr. Tierney, &c. ; most of' 649 LIFE AND TIMB8 OP them being provided with copies of the New Act, and busily engaged in coming over its clauses. Mr. O'Con- NELL entered the House before the arrival of the Speak- er ; but in his way thither, though the avenues and lob- by were crowded, there were no marks of applause in-; dulged in. He took his seat under the gallery, introduced by Lords Duncannon and Ebrington, and went there according to the etiquette in cases ot Members waiting to be sworn. The Honorable Member was provided with the certificate from the Commissioners acting for the Lord High Steward, setting forth that he had taken the preliminary oaths of allegiance (as provided by the old law) before them : he did that on Thursday, in Mr. Dorbington's office. ** The Speaker having taken the chair, inquired whe- ther there was any Member to be sworn. " Mr. 0'CoNNELL,with Lord Duncannon on his right and Lord Ebrington on his left hand, to introduce him in the customory forms, forthwith passed the bar of the House, and proceeded towards the table. ••Mr. Ley, the Chief Clerk of the House, then left his seat, proceeded to the lower end of the table, and there met Mr. O'Connell. Mr. O'Connell handed in the cer- tificate from the Commissioners of the Lord High Ste- ward, his return, and his qualification. *• The Clerk, having examined these documents, and found that they were all perfectly correct, immediately opened the large box, in which are kept various official forms, &c. and too^ out the old oaths affixed to paste boards, and handed them to Mr. O'Connell, together with the New Testament, on which to swear him. Mr. O'Connell took the Testament, but on the oaths being presented to him, he said in effect to Mr. Ley, the Clerk, (the conversation was not addressed to the Speaker of DANIEL CONMELL. ^49 the House, and, of course, it was not heard in the gal- lery) " I apply to take my seat under the new Act. I am ready to take the oath directed to be taken by Roman Catholic Members. I do not feel that I am bound to take those oaths (passing his hand over the Oaths of Supre- macy, &c., to point out which he meant.) Perhaps, Sir, you will state that fact to the Speaker for me—that I do not consider I ought to be called on to take other than the oath named in the neiv Act ?" *' Mr. Lev, the Clerk, then went to the Speaker, and made the required communication ; taking the old oaths with him, and pointing out the exceptions made by Mr. O'CONNELL. *• The Speaker thereupon immediately rose, and stated—that if the old oaths were not taken, he must desire the Hon. Member, Mr. O'Connell, to withdraw. " Mr. O'Connell bowed to the Speaker, but neither attempted to speak nor to withdraw ; he remained stand- ing at the table, and facing the Speaker. " Mr. Brougham rose, but " The Speaker prevented him from speaking bj calling out " Order, order!" thereby intimating that he could not proceed till Mr. O'Connell had withdrawn. Then again, addressing Mr. O'Cownell. he said the Hon. Member must " withdraw." " Mr. O'Connell once more bowed, and then with- drew, but without uttering, or attempting to utter, one word. " Mr. Brougham remained on his legs, and when Mr. O'C. had withdrawn (Mr. O'C. resumed his seat under - the gallery) Mr.B.proceeded,and moved that Mr. O'Con- nell bo heard at the table, to state his reasons why he re- fused to take the old oaths. After much discussion, Mr. Peel's motion, to adjourn the debate till Monday, was adopted. 3 r 650 LIFE AND TIMES OTP ** Mr. O'CoNNELL had prepared himself to cominencaf his case instanter. He had ten or eleven volumes of the? Journals of the House, besides several volumes of lavr books, &c. , which wei'e all stationed in the door- way ready for use, had the House determined to hear the Hon. Member for Clare." The Times thus writes r — *• The attempt was made by Mr. O'Connell last night to take his seat in the House of Commons, and the narrative of the proceeding will be read with interest in our Parliamentary report. Yet that can convey but an im- perfect idea of the silent, the almost breathless attention with which he was received in the house, advancing to and re tiring from the tabic. The benches were filled in an unusual degree with Members, and there is no recollection of so large a number of Peers brought by curiosity into the- House of Commons. The Hon. Gentleman was introduced by Lords Dungannon and Ebrington ; a perfect stillness ensued. By his action he evidently declined the first oath which was tendered to him — that of supremacy and alle- giance — and required the oath prescribed by the late Act. The explanation by the Speaker to the House, of what had taken place, was clear ; his expression of countenance and manner towards the Elon. Gentleman, on whom he fixed his regards, extremely courteous, and his declaration that " he must withdraw," firm and authoritative. — Mr. O'Connell for a moment looked round, as one who had reason to expect support, and this failing, he bowed most respectfully and withdrew. After his departure, Mr. Brougham spoke, but in a somewhat subdued tone ; some discussion followed, but the debate on the subject is fixed for Monday next." The following are the coajments of the Sun and Globe .— " We cannot but think that Mr. O'Connell has been hardly dealt with. When he entered the House last night, in the expectation that he would have been enabled to take his seat ; or at any rate, to be heard at the bar ■of the House, should obstacles be thrown in his way ; he was informed by the Speakicr that he must withdraw; and this upon the subtle and quibbling point that he had been elected previously to the passing of the late Act in favour of the Catholics. On this — we repeat the phrase -^ — quibbling point, he was desired to take the former oaths ■ — those very oaths, the injustice of which have xjaused their repeal, and which for any active purposes are there- fore no longer in existence. Of course, Mr. O'Connell refused to comply with such terms, and was in consequence ordered to withdraw. Now without entering into the small technicalities of the case; without nicely balancuig the forms and ceremonies of the House, on a question, which from the peculiar circumstances connected with it, it is next to impossible can ever form a precedent, we shall look at it in a more enlarged point of view, as a matter of common sense and good feeling. When Mr. Pkel first brought forward his Bill for the Emancipation of the Catholics, he laid particular stress on the generous and manly spirit that dictated it. This part of his argument for which, in common with the majority, we gave him great credit at the time, he elaborated with considerable effect. The Catholics, he said, demanded justice; they deserved . it ; and should be paid twenty shillings in the pound. — Such, though not, perhaps, in the same words, was the tenor of his famous conciliation speech ^ such too was the f^pirit of his reply. But how has this been followed up ? Why, by — we must say it — an ungenerous attempt to strangle in the petty meshes of the law, a question which i^hould be decided only by common sense. To cmanci- 652 L1F13 AND TlMnS OF pate the Catholics, yet still seek to protract the slavery of the very man, to whom, in a great measure, such Eman- cipation has been owing, seems to us almost to neutra- lise the courteous and lofty spirit of the boon. In our view of the case.it carries an air of personality along with it. The leaven of a vindictive spirit seems mixed up ■with it — the cloven foot is manifest. Mr. O'Connell has forced us to emancipate the Catholics ; he has brought ua to that dreadful pass, that we have all but lost our places, — nay, more, he has compelled us to separate from our old allies, the Ultra Tones y and we will therefore avenge our own embarrassments, and the tears of John Lord Eldon, on his obnoxious person. Such are the sen- timents which, should he, Mr, O'Connell, bo sent back to be re-elected for Clare, will, we fear, be said by the more reflective portion of the public, to have influenced the conduct of Government. On a technical point of law, they may, perhaps — though even this is doubtful — be de- fensible ; but such technicality should not be suffered for an instant to interfere with, or cloud the glory of an Act like that of Catholic Emancipation ; by, which, in after ages, it will be the chief boast of the nineteenth century to have been distinguished." Again — from the Globe ;— '* As some incorrect statements have been made of tho circumstances under which Mr. O'Connell withdrew from the House of Commons, on his being desired to do so a second time by the Speaker, we are happy to be able to communicate the real facts. It is required by the sta- tute that every Knight of the Shire,returned to servo in Parliament, shall take an oath of qualification, declaring that he possesses a landed estate of £000 per annum. — Mr. O'Connell went into the House prepared with his qualification paper ; and when the Clerk refused to admi- DANIEL o' CONN ELL. ' G5o nistcr the relief oath, on the application of Mr. O'Con- NELL, the Hon. Member requested that he would at least administer the qualification oath. This, however, he re- fused to do, or to communicate the wish of Mr. O'CoN- NELL to the Speaker. Upon this refusal alone, Mr. O'Con- NELL was induced to quit the House : had the oath been a,dministered he would have felt it his duty,respecLfully,to !» have addressed the Speaker, and enforced upon him and upon the House his claims to his seat. ' On Monday, the 18th May, O'Connell took his scat under the gallery. The House was crowded to over- flowing'. Never before were there in the House so many strangers, peers, or members. The adjourned debate was resumed, and it was resolved that Mr. O'Connell should be heard at the bar. To the bar, he, accompanied by Mr. Pierce Maiiony, advanced. — The scene was most exciting. During his speech, Mr. AIahony supplied him with the authorities which had been previously pre- pared. His speech on that occasion was one of the most remarkable he ever delivered. It was closely argumenta- tive, and he sustained his great reputation, in the opinion of the most eminent barristers in the House. It was, however, of no avail. His case was prejudged ; precedent was against him ; an J Avhen he refused to take the oath of supremacy, a new writ was immediately issued for a new election for Clare. A remarkable incident occurred on this occasion, which e name shall remain for ever in the records of our history, as the peerless bene- factor of Ireland? I have put two questions; Am I free ? and to whom am I indebted for that, Avithout which existence becomes degradation, and it is dishonourable to live ? To those questions I have given an answer. But another question remains to be put, and to that question an answer remains to be returned. If Daniel O'CoNNELL be the great author, the founder of your li- berty, what should bo his recompence ? What should be given in exchange for freedom ? What is it worth ? Let there be an account of debtor and creditor instituted be- tween Daniel O'Connell and his country. Liberty stands as the first item against you. W^hat shall we writo down to your credit ? It requires some large equivalent to balance the account. Catholics of Ireland, not so much for the sake of Mr. O'Connell as for your own ; in order 656 IIFE ANl) TIMES OF that it may not be said that slavery had so debased you, that you were not grateful for its extinction, come for- ward ; and if you cannot wholly liquidate this national debt, still give a pi'oof that for your freedom, and that of your children, you have the viriue to make no mean and insignificant return. Let it not be for a moment thought that this country is making a donation to Mr. O'CoN- NELL. Thirty years of public service; thirty years o f inde- fatigable labour, of indomitable energy, and of unquench- able zeal ; thirty years of exertion, which has at last been crowned with the consummations of a surpassing success J thirty years, in wiiich he has dedicated his for- tune, his faculties, and all his large and ample lieart to his country, give him a titlc,which it is impossible for pa- triotism to dispute. But it is not only with reference to the past ; it is in anticipation of the future, that you should furnish him with the means of continuing his ca- reer of national utility. You want him still ; and how can you expect that he shall be able to substract himself from his profession, and deprive his family and himself of its {'ast emoluments, unless he finds some compen^uiiun, not in the country, but in the justice and wisdom of his coun- try? 1 repeat it — you want him still, and you must needs know that the field in which your rights are to be assort- ed by him is changed, and that it is in the House of Com- mons that Mr.O'CoNNELL, at an immense loss to himself, will have, henceforward, to bear your standard. Shall Daniel O'Connell be member of Clare ? Aye — If there be one touch of good emotion — one throb of generous feeling— one pulse of gratitude left in the heart of Ireland. For this, (an object in which the interest and honour of every Roman Catholic is involved,) everything that de- voted zeal, that united energy^ and that the enthusiasm of seven millions of the people can effect, shall be accom- IIANTRT, u'cOXNRT.t. 6^7 plisliod. But shall thn Catholic rent be applied for this purpose ? How should the Catholio rent bo applied ? In my judgment, after the discharge of the incumbrances upon it ; after payment of what is due to that excellent estab- lishment, " the Model School," it should belaid out in the advancement of national education, in controlling the efforts of injudiciouR proseljtism,in the endowment of the Catholic University of Maynooth,inthe building of houses of worship, for the decent performance of the rights of reli- gion, and in making a provision for the thousands of wretch- es whom the disfranchisement bill and ihe sub-letting act have thrown upon the world. These are certainly great and multiiarious objects, and it will be asked of me — what vast treasure has been accumulated — what immense stores of gold ha^ e been hoarded — what rich mines have been open- ed, which will enable tis to accomplish this costly variety of benefit? 1 answer — there are but thirteen thousand pounds of the ('atholic rent remaining; and after the pay- ment of our debts, there will be a residue of about ten thousand; and yet, with that sum, comparatively insigni- ficant, all that I have mentioned mny be accomplished. IIow can this be? What 1 you will exclaim, with so small a fund beat fanaticism down — repeal the vestry act — liberate the people from the uncertainties of acapricious ecclesiastical taxation — raise up the altars of religion — enlarge and enrich the great seminary of Catholic educa- tion--rescue the people from starvation and from exile, and give aAvhole nation bread 1 How can all this be done? I still reply — it may be effected with the Catholic rent. Put into Parliament the men who will dedicate all their faculties to the attainment of these objects, and you will thus have taken the most effectual means for their achievement. Put men into Parliament, who will call upon Englishmen, in the language of fearless adjuration, BoS LIFE ANl) TIMES OF to complete the great work of justice to Ii-elaiul. Put men into Parliament, who will call upon the Minister, iu the name of their country, (and the Minister will attend to men who are maintained by thdr country) to make an impartial allocation of the public money to the education of the people — to extinguish the jobs of fanaticism — to render Maynooth College the seat of arts and letters, which it ought to be — to build temples for the religious necessities of the many, and not for the religious luxuries of the few, and to modifj^ the village ascendency of the vestry bill ; and above all, not to permit thousands of wretches, who are expelled from their hovels by the heart- less spirit of experimental legislation, to perish upon the public way. You thus see that I am not so visionary, when I suggest that the Catholic Rent, if properly ap- pliedi can accomplish these multitudinous varieties of amelioration. Put Daniel O'Connell, and put men who will sustain him and co-operate with him, into Par- liament — and you will soon see that the men, who out of Parliament acted so powerfully upon public opinion, will not be wholly destitute of opinion within it. With what a strength of adjuration will Daniel O'Connell appeal to the feelings and magnanimity of Englishmen, and on behalf of Ireland demand fair dealing with her? With his perfect knowledge of detail, his vast and minute infor- mation upon Ireland, his vehement eloquence ; and, above all, the people of Ireland at his back, what may he not effect for his country? Let us then, to a man, become his abettors in this great struggle. Were ho to lose his elec- tion in the county Clare, it would be a rt-proach and an humiliation to every one of us. Wc are all engaged, al- most as much as himself, in this noble undertaking, and it will be proved to the Minister, I trust, that there still is left a body of yeomanry in this country, which, with the DANIEL O'CONNKLL. (5/59 remnant of the elective franchise, like a broken sword, will be enabled to encounter the columns of the aris, tocracy, and give the rural despots battle. Yes 1 Daniel O'Connell will be thrown back upon the Minister bj the country ! He will. I trust, appear a second time in Parliament, with a new impression of public confidence stamped upon his name ; and when he rises to address that senate, at whose bar he has already given such evidence of his powers, he will ■stand up the peculiar representative of his country— And what may we not expect that he will achieve ? He that for so many years worked the great engine of pub' l.c opinion, and " wielded the wild democracy" with such a gigantic arm, will exhibit the same efficiency; for if ever there was a man with a mind peculiarly flexible, and which readily accommodates itself to its auditory it is Dame.. O'Connell. Lot us then arise in his behalf- let every nerve be strained-let every energv be put forth-let the seven millions be put into mov'ement in his ca R,„^^ fellow-citizens, round the man.that in public despairnever ceased to hope-that was never weary when all other. fai„ted-that never stopped when all others fell. 1 he man. who by his perseverance, his ener- gy, his indefatigable labour, his indomitable spirit his dauntless courage, and his chivalrous intrepidity ; 'and above all. by his superior and heart-stirring eloquence' contributed more than any one that lives, to disenthral his country from her bondage, to rescue her from dis- cord, from oppression, and from shame-to introduce peace and union, and genuine loyalty amongst us_to ban- ish alienation and discontent.to bind every Irishman by the ties of a grateful allegiance to the State, to make us good subjects and true citizens; and by the happy alliance of our interest with our duty, to impart to every one of 600 WFE AND TIMKd Of US an equal conceni in the prosperity and in the glory of the British empire." The time for the Clare Election now approached ; and Mr. O'CoNNELL left Dublin, on the first of June for Ennis. He had scarcely emerged from the suburbs into the country, when he was recognized, andthe first shout raised was re-echoed, from stage to stage, until he reached the county of which he was speedily to be again the repre- sentative. The towns of Naas, Kildare, Monastereven, Maryborough, Montrath, Roscrea, were, as he entered each, in a state of the greatest excitement. Green boughs were hung from every window. The enthu- siasm of J843, did not surpass that of 1829. At Nenagh he arrived at night, and instantly the town was illumi- nated. He reached Limerick at an early hour in the morning ; yet, even then there were thousands assembled to greet him. Having travelled all night, he retired to bed, and was not visible until about two o'clock : yet during the whole time, from his arrival to that hour, the street near his Hotel was crowded by the people, anxious to catch a glimpse of their Liberatok. A large tree was planted opposite his Hotel, and musicians were placed on different branches, and played during the day various Stirring national airs, appropriate to the occasion. At two o'clock, Mr. O'Connell appeared on the box of his travelling carriage, and having, on the topics of the day, in his usual happy strain,addressed the dense thousands, who were listening with rapture to every word he uttered, he proceeded on his way to Ennis. Here his reception was enthusiastic beyond description. The Limerick trades, with their flags, and the banners belonging to each society, proceeded in procession, until they reached Meelick Turn- pike — there they filed to each side of the road, and trans- ferred tbe honor of escorting their illustriousLiBERATOK, t)AKlEL O'CONNELL. '(36I to the freeliolders of Clare. Nothing could exccfid the enthusiasm of this moment. In his varied and stirring existence,he never experienced suchunboundcd fervor. On he journeyed, until he approached Ennis — where he was met by the Trades of that town, who turned out to rc- tjeive him, in tlie most creditable manner. A triumphal car was prepared for him; and thus, with all the accompaniments of a Roman Conqueror, he en- tered Ennis ; thus terminating a journey of the most extraordinary kind. His way from Dublin was one scene of excitement. He made over twenty speeches to the assembled people, and was surrounded during his progress with nearly a million of persons. Nor did his la- bours end on his arrival at Ennis. On the contrary ; there were yet very nearly two months before the elec- tion. The constituency of ten pound freeholders, under tlie New Act, had yet to be formed. The patriotism of the people was to ^^c fostered ; for the most influential of the Aristocarcy were against him. Sir Edward O'Bri- en, father of Mr. Smith O'Brien, and the leading man of Clare, was a violent opponent. Mr. Smith O'Brien, influenced by his father, appeared in print against O'Connell; addressing the electors of Clare against his pretensions, and stating that the whole of the gentry of Clare went against him at the former election. Mr. O'Connell and Mr. Steele, both in characteristic letters, replied to this address. This transaction is matter of history, and, therefore, could not be omitted here ; but we may be permitted to say, from a personal acquaintance with Mr. Smith O'Brien, that, in our opi- nion, a more straightforward or determined friend of popular rights, does not exist ; however mistaken wo may think him in some of his views. However, in 1829, he was decidedly opposed to the people; thougliit is right to 3a 6G2 LIFE AND TIMES 0* observe, that he and another were, in 1828, tlio only members of Parliament in the Catholic Association. His address set forth, in addition to what we have already stated, that the Electors were led away from their Land- lords by false pretences. This produced a rejoinder from Mr. Steele, addressed to the London paper, the Globe and Traveller^ and couched in such strong language, that many of his expressions were omitted by the Editor, and asterisks substituted. A letter of this nature could not be overlooked ; and accordingly, a duel between Mr. Steele and Mr. Smith O'Brien was the consequence ; the preliminaries to which we find set forth in the fol- lowing correspondence in the newspapers of the day : — " Athenaeum Club House, * ' Sunday evening, 7 o'clock. ** Sir — In consequence of a mutilated letter, to which your name is attached, appearing in the Globe and Tra- veller newspaper, of the 27th of June, I ain requested by my friend, Mr. William S. O'Brien, to ask if you ac- knowledge having written that letter; and if so, I must request you will have the kindness to fill up those pas- sages which are atjpresent terminated by asterisks, pai'ti- cularly that sentence which commences as follows — ' As Mr. W. S. O'Brien has presumed to use language so strong as this, I give it the only answer which can be given on such an occasion.' I feel myself bound to make this request, as all those unfinished sentences, and in particular the one quoted, are liable to the most dis- agreeable interpretation. And, as I am led to believe, from the friendly terms on which you have ever been with Mr. W.S. O'Brien, that no intention existed on your part to hurt his feelings, I flatter myself that your answer vnay be sVich as will cause a favourable and satisfactory DANIEL O'CONNELL. 1363 termination of this buisness. — I remain, Sir, your obeclient servant, " WORONZOW GREIG. **T. Steele, Esq." " P.S. — I shall wait for your answer at Lord Arran's, 4p, Dover-street, 'till ten o'clock ; after that time, any communications may be left at the Athenieura Club House." *' Holmes's Hotel, Sunday Evening, " Half-past 10 ©'Clock. " Sir — I have this moment been honoured by the re- ceipt of your letter of this evening ; and I beg to say that I distinctly acknowledge myself to be the writer of the letter in the Globe and Traveller, which bears my signa- ture; and which appeared in a mutilated form, in conse- quence of the refusal of the Editor to publish those ex- pressions for which asterisks have been substituted. " As the friend and seconder of O'Connell, and the friend of O'Gorman Mahon, his proposer — as the kins- man of Captain Brldgeman, and the friend of every one of the Catholic Clergy and Catholic Gentry who ex- erted their influence for the election of the Liberator — I used the very strongest form of expression which our language affords, in contradiction of the assertion of Mr. Wm. O'Brien, that Mr. O'Connell was return- ed ' in opposition to the unanimous wish of the gentry of the County, and that the people had been deluded by false jiretences.^ " As you express a desire to know the particular ex- pression, it >vas that which it is so painful to be obliged to use : I said the assertion of Mr. William O'Brien was * a lie, and that he knew it to be so.* "The term ' blackguardism,' is the one for which the asterisks are substituted, after the words ' now has the' C6'l LH'E AND lliMliS OP —and the words * gross nonsense, personal impertf-^ nence, audacious falsehood, and political baseness and ingratitude^ I have read for the last years,' are the words' for which asterisks have been substituted in my descrip- tion of the letter. * Permit me to say, that if you should be inclmed to favour me wi^th any farther communication on this sub- ject, my friend O'Gorman Mahon has been authorised by me to receive it ; and I shall be ready, at a moment's notice, to act in whatever manner he may think it right to direct. His address is Batt's Hotel, Dover-street. — **I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, ^' THOMAS STEELE. *' W. Greig, Esq,'' *• In consequence of this letter, Mr. Woronzow Greig had an interview next morning with O'Gorman Mahon, after which the latter received the following letter — ** Athenaeum Club House, Monday, June 29, 1829;. 1 o'clock. *' Sir — After mature consideration upon the conversa- tion which took place between us this morning, I am led! to hope, from the sentiments you expressed on that oc- casion, that the affair in which we are so unpleasantly engaged may be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. I naturally feel most anxious that no unpleasant conse- quences should result from a mere /Jo/iVjcaf dispute. I therefore sincerely hope you will see the propriety of ^lr. Steele's apologising for the personal expressions con- tained in his letter : — *The assertion of Mr. W. O'Brien is. a lie, and that he knew it to be so.' Also for the terms. ' blackguardism and ' audacious falsehood' — words which I trust must have been unintentionally written in aa DANIEL CONNELL. 665 Txng'uarded rooment, and in the heat of political exci- tation. "I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, '* WORONZOW GREIG. " O'GouMAN Mahon, Esq " " Athengeum, Monday, half past 6 o'clock. ** Sir — As 1 have not yet received any answer to my note of this morning, I fear that some misunderstanding must have arisen as to the place at which communica- tions directed to me are to be left ; I therefore beg to in- form you, that in future all letters and messages left for me at the Athenseura Club-house, will either find me there, or be immediately forwarded to me. " I remain, &c. " WORONZOW GREIG. " O'GoBMAN Mahon, Esq," '• Batt's Hotel, Monday night, 12 o'clock. *' Sir — Having yourself appointed two o'clock (his af- ternoon to meet nie, I was punctual in my attendance; and conceiving that some accident may have occurred to prevent your being equally so, I prolonged my stay, here, in expectation of seeing you, more than hour, until half past three p.m., at which period an engagement, pre- viously formed, required my presence elsewhere. I re- turned scarcely in time to prepare for dinner; and was engaged in dressing when you called, at seven o'clock, and left your note, mentioning where communications for you were to be sent. During my absence to-day, your letter marked, 1 o'clock, was delivered here. *' I am but this moment returned home from dinner, and hastening to reply, I beg to assure you that no lan- guage can express the extent of the satisfaction I derive from finding, on reading your letter, that all further allu- 3 G 2 (iC<5 Liri: AND TIMES 01' siou to Mr. Steele's public letter is iuexpedieut.aud that our attention is to be exclusively devoted to the phrases cited by yo\i ; for as these were extorted by your letter to my friend, and have never been published, I foresee no difficulty in having them disposed of in the mode sugges- ted by me this morning ; the only practicable one as yet dcA'ised, and which was then fortunate enough not to meet your disapproval. By any deviation from it now you would impede rather than facilitate the adjustment I have at heart, and which I trust is also your only object, an amicable termination of this affair. " Filling the situation we do, (at all times infinitely more responsible and irksome than that oi principaiii) we should not be too fastidious in making mutual conces- sions, to ensure so laudable an end as that of effecting re- conciliation. It is true, we may subject ourselves to the charge of being over liberal in our anxiety to adjust this matter Avithout hostile collision ; but such observations generally emanate from those who have themselves least taste for lighting ; and when the lives of two such men as our friends are at stake, we shall be sustained by the approbation of all sensible and honourable men, and be, moreover, rewarded by just self-approval, resulting from a consciousness of having preserved to society two gentlemen, who may live to emulate each other in exer- tions for their country's weal — a consummation infi- nitely more creditable and satisfactory, than that of per- mitting them to shed each other's blood. Such an event, tci'minating fatally to even only one of the parties, would entail anguish and misery on numberless friends and re- lations. *' 1 know it is not fashionable to recur to such recol- lections in cases of this nature ; but, for myself, I am ready to encounter any proportion of the aspersions that DANIEL O'CONNELL. 667 may be levelled against us, for endeavouring to avert such a calamity as I have alluded to. •• Allow me here to express my sense of obligation for the early recognition conveyed in your letter of the con- ciliatory disposition evinced by me, in an interview this morning ; and permit me, in conclusion, to add, that, in the same spirit, it will afford me unmixed pleasure to see you whenever you may deem it desirable to meet. " I have the honour to be, " Your most obedient humble servant, "O'GORMAN MAHON. *' WoRONzow Greig, Esq., Athcnceum Club-house." ••Athena}um, Tuesday, Twelve o'Ch)ck. "SiR—I have just received your letter of twelve o'clock last night, and I loose no time in sending you my answer; as I think that the sooner an affair of this nature is brought to a conclusion the better. My note of yester- day, dated one o'clock, was delivered into the hands of your own servant, by the person who now takes this, at least half an hour before two o'clock. You judge most truly of the motives which induced rae to take an active part in this affair, when you ascribe to me as an object the desire of bringing it to an amicabletermination; but to effect this object with honour, I must again direct your attention to the expressions admitted by Mr. Steele to have been made use of by him in the letter which he sent to the Editor of the Globe and Traveller newspaper, and must again express my anxious hope that you will see the propriety of a public apology being made by that gentle- man. I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, " WORONZOW GREIG. "P.S — I wait for an early reply at the Athenaeum." • 668 Lll'^li AND TIMES OF *' Batt's Hotel, HaU'-past Two, p.m. '• Sir I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of yournotcof this day, of one o'clock, delivered to me at a quarter to two. *' Your messenger deceived, if he informed you Ihat he gave your note of yesterday, dated one o'clock, to my servant at half-past one. On being confronted with the waiters and my servant, your messenger, in my pre- sence, admitted that he did not arrive at my hotel until half-past three. ♦' AYith reference to your demand of a public apology from my friend, I trust that, on a re-perusal of the ex- traordinary address of Mr. W. S. O'Brien, to which Mr. Steele's letter was a reply, you will perceive that what you seek is inadmissible : at the same time, permit me to draw your attention to the commencement of your last note, and allow me to say that I fully concur in your opinion that * the sooner a matter of this sort is brought to a conclusion the better.' " But I still retain th.o same dcsiro I have already ox- pressed,that such termination should be an amicable one. " 1 have the honour, &c. " O'GORMAN MAIION. ** WORONZOW GUEIG, Esq." *' Athenieum, Tuesday, Fouro'Clock. " Sir — In consequence of the receipt of your note, dated half-past two o'clock, containing a positive refusal on your part to admit of any apology being made by Mr. Steele, for the insulting terms ho made use of to Mv. O'Brien, I feel it my duty, for the last time, to demand a public apology. Should you still decline this on the part of Mr. Steele, I request you will favour me with the earliest possible answ cr, appointing au interview to DANIEL O'CONNELL. 669 make those arrangements which Istill earnestly hope will not be necessary. I remain, Sir, your obedient Servant, " WORONZOW GREIG. " O'GoRMAN Mahoi^, Esq." *• Batt's Hotel, half-past 4 o'clock, p.m< Sib— I have this instant been honoured by your note, dated 4 o'clock. My reply to the first part of it is contained in my former communications, both written and verbal ; to which I once again implore your serious consideration. To the second part, my only answer can be, after the tone in which you addressed me last, that I will not leave my hotel for an hour, ' ' I have the honor to be, &c. , " O'GORMAN MAJION. *• WoRONZow Greig, Esq." " In consequence of this, an interview took place at half past 5 o'clock that evening, between these two gentlemen ; when Mr, Greig handed the following note, which Mr. O'G. Mahon could not refrain from deno- minating, after what had taken place, a work of super- erogation : — ** SiR_Understanding that Mr. O'Gorman Mahon has declined on your behalf to make an apology for the offensive expressions used by you, respecting me. m a letter sent to the Editor of the Globe paper, in order to prevent the possibility of a mistake, I now again call upon you to make a public apology, or to afford ^me the reparation used among gentlemen in such cases. *' I have the honor to be, Your most obedient and humble servant> **June^30. ♦• \VM. S. O'BRIEN. '* To Thomas Steele." 670 LIFE AND TIMES OF " Mr. WoBONzow Grkig suggested that tl'e meeting should take place next morning ; but Mr. O'Gorman Mahon decided that, as there was no other alternative, the parties should be on the ground within an hour. " These are the only authentic documents relating to the affair in which we have been engaged, and we now declare the business to be terminated for ever. " WORONZOW GREIG. " O'GORMAN MAIION." " To the Editor of the Courier. " Batt's, Dover-street, July 2, 1829. •* Sir — As many unfounded reports have obtained cir- culation, relative to the communication made by me to Mr. W. S. O'Brien, on the part of IMr. O'Goiiman Mahon, 1 deem it but justice to both these gentlemen to frtate the facts. "In consequence of a verbal inaccuracy in Mr. O'Brien's address to the Electors of Clare, it appeared as if ho dcniod that Mr. O'Connell had obtained on the late election, the support of any of the gentry of that coun- ty ; I therefore demanded an explanation on the subject, on the part of Mr. O'Gorman Mauon and his two bro- thers, (the one bein^ in Paris and the other in the county Clare) strictly confining myself to them, and in no way interfering with the expression of JMr. O'Brien's feel- ings, either on the general question or with refei-ence to any other supporters of Mr. O'Connell. The required explanation he most willingly gave me, both verbally and in writing, satisfying me that the inaccuracy with respect to Mr. O'Gorman Mahon and his brothers, was purely accidental ; and 1 forwarded forthwith the neces- sary correction of that inaccuracy, authenticated by his signature, to the Editor of the Paper in Avhich his ad- dress appeared. DANIEL O'CONINELL. 671 " Nothing but a desire to prevent misstatement, should induce mo to occupy your space, and your readers' time, ^vith a subject of this nature. ** I have the honour to be, &c. " JOHN R. OTTIWELL." In consequence of the amount of Aristocratic opposi- tion he experienced, Mr. O'Connell liad to canvass, lo- cally, the County. He managed, with groat tact, to keep alive the agitation, until the Election arrived. Every com- pliment the people could offer was enthusiastically paid him. Public dinners, processions — monster-meetings — took place ; every preparation was made to win the battle — and it was won, without even a struggle ; for, without a contest, Mr. O'Connell was, at the close of July, re- elected. With reference to this election, the Times News- paper of that day, thus writes : — " Our Irish letters will be found more than commonly interesting to those who look beyond the surface. It seems that doubts are entertained respecting the issue of the contest for Clare, if its representation should be now contested ; but that the excitement throughout that and the neighbouring counties is, if possible, more furious on behalf of I\Ir. O'Connell than during the former strug- gle. We have all along deprecated that clause in the Emancipation Bill, of which the intelligible purpose was to deprive an individual— however obnoxious in certain quarters — of its benefits. Considering that clause as it regarded Mr. O'Connell personally, the character of it approached to meanness. We wholly acquit the Duke of Wellington of any the slightest participation in those feelings, from which alone a condition so little congenial to the spirit of a " Relief Bill" could have resulted — But the crisis was perilous — the stake played for was tremendous ; too stubborn a resistance to " partial 672 I-TFB AND TIMES OF evil," might have rendered inaccessible *' the universal good;" and a powerful and manly mind was fain to ac- cept this one, amongst other compromises, as not the least vexatious purchase money, of a blessing with which no amount of secondary sacrifices could for a moment compare. Looking, however, at the consequences of this perverse and unworthy penalty (for such was its design), inflicted on an individual Catholic, whose crime was his successful activity in wringing reparation for in- tolerable injuries from the hands which had committed them; — looking, we say, at its political and more exten- sive consequences, we can imagine few public measures more unfortunate ; because more subversive of those ob- jects which constituted the sole value of Emancipation. To send back Mr. O'Connell to the freeholders of Clare, with the chance of a new election, was to raise again the exorcised spirit of enmity to the Protestants, to the State, and to Great Britain. It was to recall into action the demagogue, the agitator, the redoubted priest — to re-harness the multitude to O'Connell's car, and to present him, whom they had almost worshipped, the champion of Ireland, in the exasperated form of an un- fairly oppressed and selected victim. If any thing could aggravate the impolicy of such a course, it would be the compelling O'Connell, not merely to rouse again the balf-slumbering emotions of a mercurial people, by the necessary ceremony of an appeal to their privileges, in favour of the idol of their recollections, but to fight again a real battle for the recovery of the seat in Parliament from which he had been dismissed, by setting up or threatening him with a rival candidate, and converting a display of speeches into an array ox force, which must bo now inseparable from any actual contest. If this unhappy combination could be further aggravated, it would be by DANIEL O'CONNKLL, 673 the appearance of one of an emancipation Ministry, as the antagonist of Mr. O'Connell ; an ominous and fatal key this must prove to the motive, the genuine spirit, and pur- pose of the clause by wliich that learned gentleman had been excluded. If any thing could crown the manifold ag- gravations of the policy pursued towards Mr. O'Connell in this instance, it would be the sending him to a new election for Clare, with the freehold qualifications of the County so modified, under the official construction of the Disfranchisement Bill, as to render his present success problematical to nearly the same degree, in which his defeat at the bar of the House of Commons had previ- ously been made certain, by a provision of the law of '* Emancipation." Mr. O'Connell 's expulsion from the House was an unworthiness, against Avhich even the manly portion oithe regular anti-Catholics exclaim. — ' His exposure to a now election contest is a serious danger to the public peace. His defeat, if he should suffer one, from the remodelling of the franchise, pro- longs indefinitely the agitation of Ireland ; and therefore frustrates, indefinitely also, the natural blessings of Emancipation. But there appears to be a revolution brought about in Ireland by the working of the new fran- chise, which could hardly have been contemplated by the boldest of its advocates, and which we are bound to say affects us with no small apprehension of evil. The con- stituency of the kingdom, if we can believe what we read, is so reduced in numbers as to become but the mockery of an elective power. " When it is stated positively that the tv/o great coun- ties of Antrim and Down— the latter being the most densely peopled, the most industrious, independent, intel- ligent, Protestant, and important of the whole island — will muster no more than two hundred £10 freeholders 3 B 674 I^IFE ANI) TIMES OF each, instead of more than twice as many thousands of forty-shilling- freeholders — we submit that there is much reason for believing, either that the law has been con- strued, or that it has been framed in a temper as incon- sistent with political wisdom as dangerous to the national tranquillity. It was the wish of every sober-minded man, that turbulent and desperate poverty should be stripped of a power which it could not rationally wield ; but was scarcely within the meditation of such men, that intelli- gence and respectability should not be vested with the power which they might fairly exercise. It will be a fear- ful ending of the crisis through which we have struggled, if the same gulf be henceforth interposed between v'lcU and poor, as formerly separated the classes of Protestant and Catholic— it will be to marshal and provoke against each other, the elements of Jacobinism and Oligarchy ; nick-naming it a purgation of the " elective franchise," Before his re-election, O'Connell came to Dublin, where his presence was much required, on a matter con- nected with Catholic aftairs and the Clare election. At this period he was subject to those annoyances, too often consequent upon his public position. On account of some observations on the state of things at Clare, and which he let fall at a great meeting in Dublin, on his re- turn from that county ; he was threatened to be shot "through his white liver, without touching his black heart," by a wild Attorney, of the name of Toby Glas- cock, whom, with too much daring and truth, he had called a maniac. The threats were so circumstantial and precise, that Mr. O'Connell felt called upon, after much hesitation, to bind him over to the peace. O'Connell, in making the application, said, half jeer- ingly, he understood that Mr. Glascock did not intend to honov him by a personal assault, but that he had threaten- BANIEL O'CONNBLL. CY5 od to get his servant, to flog him ! When it came to Mr. (Jlascock's turn to speak, he said, " My Lords, this statement of my learned adversary, will set the face of Europe on the grin. The Colossus, through whose legs Ave, small creatures, have to peep about to find ourselves dishonourable graves, affects to be frightened from his propriety, not by my threatening to beat him, which, taking into account my Lilliputian dimensions, (he was a miserably puny creature,) could not be a very serious matter; but he alleges thnt my servant was to perpetrate an assault upon him. How likely that is to be adven- tured, ray Lords, I'll enable you to judge for yourselves, and that instanier; for my servant shall appear in propria persona, before you." Stooping down under the table, he lifted up his attorney's bag, the mouth downwards, and shook out its contents on the table; when out dropped a di- minutive little servant. or "tiger," regularly dressed up in green livery, and handsomely turned out for the occasion. The Court was, of course, convulsed with laughter; while O'CoNNELL was observed not to relish the joke of his crack-brained tormentor, who followed up his defence by adding, " This, my Lords, is my servant, who has caused so much alarm to the great Agitator — Look at him, ' AVith whip of cricket bone, and lash of film ;' and now, may it please the Court, I hope I have satisfac- torily 'shewed cause' why no criminal information should issue against me." So the matter dropped, but the laugh was against - O'CoNNELL for a long time after. We mention this transaction,not because of the noise it made at the time, but to illustrate the violence of feelino- which existed against the LiBERATOR.amongst what may be called the shoneen cl iss in Ireland; and which occasion- 676 LIFE AND TIMKS OF ally broke out into such rancorous exhibitions as tlie one just noticed. The truth is, O'Connell often gave in- significant persons a fictitious importance, by bringing their names before the public. His sarcasms raised them in the esteem of their own party, and gave them a title to retaliate. There was a little after this a similar affair, in which au Orangeman, named Ca-Ss, figured. We need not dwell on such madmen's vagaries. It is, however, wonderful how, during the prevailing excitement of tlie day, INIr. O'Connell escaped assassination. His destiny was not fulfilled. He was reserved to give the nation, aye and nations, additional instruction in the groat principles of moral force agitation. The day of election was drawing near. His celebrated address to the electors of Clare is too lengthened a docu- ment to introduce. It attracted universal notice, and left a deep impression. Almost each succeeding paragraph began with the terms — " Send mo to parliament, and I will," Si.G. It was, in consequence, jestingly called — '-' the address of the hundred promises." It was written off with great rapidity — and as lie finished sheet after sheet, he threw them on the floor. As he wrote,they were read by a friend, who, though a warm advocate of Irish rights, was a decided Anti- Repealer. He had not gone far in the perusal, when he foundthatO'CoNNELL announced his intention to raise the Repeal cry. His friend remonstrated on a step of that alarming nature, at that moment — so soon after the Catholic agitation had ceased. He remon- strated in vain. The Knight of Kerry and the late Earl of Besborough also interfered,but without success. At last the Marquess of Anglesey's opinion was sought, and the draft of the address submitted to him. The Alarquess read it over carefully, and struck out, with his DANIEL O'CONNELL. G77 pencil, the passages respecting Repeal. He also remon- strated against the language applied to the Government, for inserting the retroactive clause in the Emancipation Act ; and thus compelling O'Connell to undergo the ordeal of a second election. But, knowing how justly indignant O'Connell was with the ignoble malevolence Jie experienced. Lord Anglesey thought the animadver- sions on the course pursued were almost justified; though, at the same time, every one knew it was not with Wel- lington or Peel the personal wrong originated. It was at the instance of the King, acted on by the back-stairs influence of Vrsey Fitzgeiiald, that the obnoxious per- sonal provision was made part and parcel of the Eman- cipation Act. O'Connell adopted the address, as it was altered by the Marquess of Anglesey, excluding all re- ference to Repeal. But the fact that, viero moiu, he w'as even then about to announce his purpose of seeking Legis- lative Independence, is another proof, if any bo now neces- sary, of his early and sincere resolution to obtain that great measure for his country. Mr. O'Connell left Dublinfor Ennis, in the last week of July. His progress through the country was marked by the same exuberant uutpouritigs of joy with which he was greeted a few weeks before. The country was at the same time perfectly peaceable. It was understood that there would be no opposition. Thus excitement was allayed. All was Joyousness and triumph, and on the 30th of July, he was a second time returned member for Clare, without oppo- sition. His speech on that occasion proves how deeply the project of repealing the act of Union, was then influen- cing his mind. Indeed, from that very time, it will be seen that he was revolving plans for arousing the atten- tion of the united people to this cherished measure for the legeneration of his country. Alas ! there were then no 3 n 2 67H LIFE AND TIMES OF liopes of the coveted union, without which Repeal could not be acquired. The North of Ireland was in a stale bordor- ingon insurrection, because of Catholic Emancipation The Orange faction, headed by the Duke of Cujiberland, were driven to madness by the recent law which placed their Catholic i-'ountrymen on a constitutional equality with themselves. The people, harrassed by the tithe sys- tem, and by the oppressive exactions of land owners, were by no means in a mood for conciliation. The two religious parties — the two principles. Democracy and Aristocracy, were as irreconcilable as ever. It was no moment to hope for national union, in order to obtain a great national object. The popular Leaders, it is true, were most anx- ious for a fusion of all creeds and orders. Mr. Siieii. before Emancipation, had refused a retainer to act as Counsel for Lord George Beresfokd ; because the con- test was then for religious liberty ; and ho felt justified in merging the duty of advocate in the higher one of patriot. But, after the Relief Act passed, he accepted a retainer of three hundred guineas, from the same Nobleman, in the contest between him and Villieus Stuaut. For this he was much censured at the time; but he defended the aft on the ground that conciliation, and not divisicfn, should for the future be the object of every lover of his country ; and that it was only by a forgetfulness of past feuds, that Ireland would reap the advantages of the re- cent measure. There was nothing in the political aspect of the times, to justify the hope, or the belief, of so hapj)y a consummation. But we will have occasion to discuss this matter more at length hereafter. The second election in Clare was celebrated in Lime- rick, in Tralee, and Cork, by public dinners, given to the LiBEUATOK, on his arrival in those towns, on his DANIEL O'COXNELT,. §79 Assizes Circuit. He was as mucli an object of curiosity and adrairation, on the part of the peoples as if he had never been amongst them before. Wherever he appeared, tlie most unbounded enthusiasm Avas evinced in his re- ;>ard. Nothing could exceed the gratitude of Catholic Ireland. The Act of Emancipation— the return of Mr. O'CoNNKLL to Parliament — the necessity for his devot- ing his future years exclusively to the service of Ireland, induced him to give up his practice at the Bar, and sacri- fice the large emoluments of a profession in which he had acquired unrivalled pre- eminence. After this year, ex- cept when retained specially, he ceased going circuit ; and it is remarkable, that as Cork Avas the scene of his first successful forensic efforts, so it was in that city he achieved one of his greatest triumphs as a lawyer. This was in October, 1829, at the Special Commission held in that city.for the trial of the "Donerailo Conspirators." This affair made considerable noise at that day. It was alleged that the whole population about Doneraile, were engaged in a Whiteboy conspiracy against the Landlords of the district. A Committee, it v/as stated, was there formed, and whatever decree this self-consti- tuted body passed, was to be carried into execution, by ready and willing hands. There were three gentlemen, it was affirmed, particularly obnoxious to the " conspira- tors'—one because he was an active Magistrate ; and all three,becauso they were of strong political tendencies, and adverse to the Catholic people. It was also said, that this Committee met at the fair of Rathclaro, in a tent, and there signed a paper, decreeing that one of those gen- tlemen shoul(| be shot, and undertaking to have the deed committed. A man of the name of Leary, was named as the principal and most influential member of the Com- mittee ; and was represented to have been present at this 680 LIFE AND TIMES OF consultation. The trial of the ' ' conspirators, " being post- poned at the previous General Gaol delivery, came on in October, before a Special Commission appointed to try them. Mr. O'Connell was then at Darrynane. He was not present on the first trial, when Leary, the person said to have signed the paper in the tent, was prosecuted. The witnesses for the crown were principally informers ; or if not, fellows of very equivocal character. The in- formers and witnesses swore on the first trial, to having been present at the tent scene. One of them named Owen Daly, nicknamed Cloumpe7\sw ore that he not only saw the paper signed, but also "nudged" another witness, to draw his attention to what was going on. Notwith- standing the profligate and desperate characters of these fellows, their evidence was believed on the first trial ; and the unfortunate prisoners were found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged. Another batch of prisoners was then tried, on the same evidence; but one juror, Mr. Edward Morrogh, disbelieving in toto all that the infor- mers swore, refused to convict ; and after two days' deli- beration and confineracnt. the Jury were discharged. It was during this second trial that O'Connell appeared in Court— having been sent for by an express that left Cork on Saturday night, after the conviction of Leary and the others. The express returned to Cork, at 8 o'clock on Monday morning, bringing the intelligence, that A[r. (VUoNNELL would bo in town in an hour. O'Conneli- arrived, and without waiting to change his dress, or take refreshment, he proceeded straight to Court. He had his breakfast sent after him. It is not possible to des- cribe the sensation which his arrival caused — not only in the Court, where matters at once assumed an altered aspect ; but throughout the whole City, where, during DANIEL tf'cONNELL. G81 the j)rcvious two days, everj' thing wore an appearance which reminded one of the days of Ninoty-eight— when people were afraid to speak above their breath — when different whispering groups might be seen in every di- rection, each formed of persons of the same religious creed, or political bearing ; one party exhibiting feelings of sadness, another of exultation. It was in the midst of this state of things that O'Connell appeared. The Solicitor-General, Doherty— was stating the case for 1 he prosecution, as O'Connell entered the Court. He had scarcely taken his seat, when he interrupted the So- licitor-General, in his address, while laying down some point of law. Mr. O'Connell rose and said, "that, my Lords, is not law." By this short sentence, the Solici- tor-General was thrown aback. The Court decided with O'Connell. Mr. Doherty never recovered confidence during the remaining trials ; and he was constantly and successfully put down, on the law of evidence, by the Li- IJERATOR. Before his arrival, the Solicitor-General was carrying all before him ; law, fact- — everything was in his favor. When O'Connell appeared,the change was magi- cal and instantaneous; and there was then no doubt, nor is there now, that he it was who, aided by Baron Pennefa- TnER,blew up the whole affair. The jury disagreed on the second trial ; on the third trial — the same testimony was again given. In the interim, between this trial and the first. Judge Pennefather ordered the informations taken before the Magistrates, to be sent for. In the infor- mation of one of the informers, it turned out that the tent scene, on which all the conspiracy turned, was not men- tioned at all; thus, distinctly proving that it was a con- cocted accusation. Baron Pennefather, to his immor- tal honor, when he detected the omission, called Mr. 082 LIFE AND TIMES OF O'CoNNELL near the Bench, and privately showed him tlie informations. The clue was sufficient for him ; he con- tinued his cross-examination of the witness, then on the table, whose informations were silent on the material point 'on which his oral testimony was so full. O'Con- NELL compelled him to prove, from his own lips, that the whole affair was an informer's plot. Another witnes.s, Owen Daly, swore that he was drinking in the tciit with the approver ; and when he saw the prisoners toge- ther, signing the paper, he " nudged" the approver. — The latter, whose evidence and informations were so dis- tinctly at variance, also swore, that this Owen Daly never entered the tent ; and that he stood at the door, and was a great distance from the table where the " conspirators" sat—thus again showing that the guilt of conspiracy was all on the side of the prosecutors and approvers. The prisoners were at once acquitted, on the same testimony on which a verdict of guilty was re- turned against Leary. His sentence was. in consequence, commuted to transportation. Efforts were made by his friends to get this sentence cancelled, but ihe applications were invariably refused : though one should suppose that, being convicted on evidence ascertained to bo false, he should have been considered innocent ; and in- stead of being sent, at an advanced age, into slavery in New South Wales, should have received an unconditional pardon, and the power of returning to a home, where he was much respected, as an independent, industrious, and solvent farmer. The conduct of the crown prosecutors was highly censurable, in continuing to place men upon trial on such evidence as that on which they relied; and which, exclusive of the witnesses" personal character, exhibited the marked discrepancy between the written and the oral depositions. DANIEL O'CONNELL. 683 Some days before the Doneraile Conspiracy Trials took place, a certain party called on two gentlemen in Dublin, — Ed.Dwyer, who was Secretary to the Catholic Association, and P. V. Fitzpatrick, and intimated that he had a copy of the written deposition of the prin- cipal Crown witness, and that a material discrepancy would, most likely, be found between it and his oral testis mony. It occurred to these gentlemen, that the whole thing was a conspiracy against the people ; and that it would be material their Counsel should have this docu- ment. Accordingly,they made terms for it, and forwarded it to Cork. In the course of the trial, Baron Pennefa- THEU, who presided, observed this very material discre- pancy, and, with honorable impartiality, as stated, handed the information to O'Connell, and called his attention to it. This it svas which mainly broke down the Crown case, and led to the prisoners' acquitt,al. In five minutes after the Judge had shown the deposition to O'Connell, the copy of it sent from Dublin was put into his hands. In one of O'Connell's letters, written the same even- ing, to a friend in Dublin, there is a beautiful passage describing his night journey from Darrynane, to attend that trial, over the mountains of Glenflesk and Bally- vourney. After dwelling on the grand and elevating ideas, with which the magnificent scenery inspired him, he thus concluded — " And at ten o'clock that morning, after that glorious feast of soul, alas, I found myself set- tled down amid all the rascalities of an Irish Court of Justice." However this may be, the triumph thus obtained added in no small degree to the forensic fame of the Li- rbrator. An accident which occurred to him on his way to Darrynane, this year, had well nigh brought his ca- reer to a termination, at the very time he achieved free- 084 LIFE AND TIMES OF (lorn of conscience for his countrymen. He and his brother James, were travelling together in a public conveyance to Cahirciveen. The horses became unmanageable at a cri- tical part of the road — namely, on the edge of a preci- pice over- hanging the sea. It appeared inevitable that vehicle and horses must be dashed against the slight wall, that was built as a kind of protection, and be over- turned down the steep. Ill this critical position the driver, regardless of himself, beckoned to them to get out. In the attempt, Mr. James O'Connell broke his arm, and the Liberator was thrown heavily on his back, and for some moments rendered insensible. But he speedily recovered, and after enjoying for a few weeks the delight- ful recreation he loved so well, at Darrynano, he was ready for the coming campaign. His escape may wull be considered providential, and so it was regarded. Emancipation having been won, the man who was in- strumental in its achievement, was visited by as much malignity and misrepresentation, as if ho had been the oppressor, rather than the Liberator of his country. It is undeniable that the people were true to him, and grate- ful for his services. They testified their gratitude in a substantial form ; but the Orange press, in both coun- i?ies, poured forth the most envenomed vituperation— and some of those who had fought by his side, through that universal vice of human nature — Envy — joined his enemies in attributing to him selfish, nay, mercenary, mo- tives, for his Herculean exertions. He, himself, felt that the object was to ruin him, if possible. He had far surpassed all competitors. His popularity was unbound- ed. Several counties, in each of the provinces, wen- contending for the honor of having him as a representa- tive ; and though there was every disposition in Parlia- ment, to treat him haughtily, still it was evident that I he TiXNIKT. O cnMNP.LT,. 685 nainp and influpnce ho liad acquired, and the unequalled talents ho possessed, must secure him a command- ing position in the House of Commons. Every inci- dent, as it passed, was taken advantage of by his ene- mies, and " false friends," if practicable, to do him injury. He opposed Mr. Eneas M'Donnell's claim for additional compensation as Agent, in London, of the Catholic body. For thus doing what he felt was his duty, he earned the enmity of that gentleman ; and gave occasion for the grossest attacks from the Orange papers. Mr. O'Gorman, the Secretary, insisted on keeping as his property the books of the Association. O'CoNNELL thought they were public property, and, as such, should either be deposited in the Dublin Library So- ciety, for public inspection, or be kept, for the same pur- pose, by Mr. O'Gorman, in Dublin, he giving a guarantee that, in case of his death, they should become the pro- perty of the Public. For this proposition, O'CoNNELL was subjected to unmitigated abuse from an adverse press, at- tributing to selfish motives, what was intrinsically a just and necessary suggestion. He opposed Mr. Francis Wyse's claim for a sum of money, on account of the cost of a prosecution for libel, with which the Association had nothing whatever to do. Here again he was charg- ed with corrupt motives, as if he wished the money for his own purposes ; though it was obvious, on the face of the transaction, that his opposition was public spirited and just. Such is the fate of all public men ; but O'Con- NELL despised all the abuse : he was not deterred by it from a new course of agitation for the advantage of his country. Wo cannot close the year 1829, without referring to the project of the " Wellington Testimonial," got up to honor the Duke for his conduct on the Emancipation 3 I C80 MFE AND TIMES GF Act. When iu April of that year, th» Royal Assent wasJ given 1o the Act, Mr. Pierce Mahony, with a host of other anxious Irishmen, was below the Bar of the House of Lords. The Duke of Leinsteu came to where they sat, to congratulate them on the event. After some con- versation, it was agreed that a Committee should be formed, to set on foot a subscription for raising a Testi- monial to ^VliLLlNc;To^f. This Committee was formed the very next day ; and it met daily, at Mr. Pierce Mahony's apartments, in Cockspur-Street. O'ConnelL regularly attended. The most active members were the Duke of Leinster, Mr. Agar Ellis, afterwards Lord Dover, the Earl of Darlington, and the Archdeacon of Ardfert. Mr. Mahony acted as Secretary. A pub- lic meeting, it^vas arranged, should be held, at the Lon- don Tavern, to promote the object; the Chair to be taken by Lord Fit/william. An hour before the meeting, when the Resolutions, drawn up by Mr, Mahony, were in course of distribution to proposers and seconders, its the ante-room bi' the great hall, the Knight of Kerry arrived, with a message from the Duke, requesting that the object should be abandoned. It appeared that though the Duke was exceedingly flattered by the proposed com- pliment, he was greatly embarrassed by it ; because of the King's jealously and irritation. GEOKCEthe Fourth, it was said, absolutely fancied that it was he who wou Wellington's battles ; and, influenced by the same kinu of insanity, he imagined that he alone ought be honored for the achievement of Emancipation, notwithstanding his deep-rooted opposition to the measure. This feeling produced misunderstandings and bickerings at Windsor j and the Duke endeavoured, by declining the proposed compliment, to terminate these feuds. However, after a jjood dual of discussion, in the ante-room, where the fiANIEL O'CONNELL. cs: Meoting was held, and impatience on the part of tliose who attended, the Chair was at last taken, and several Resolutions adopted,and large subscriptions entered into. O'CoNNELL, on this occasion, distinguished himself for a ncble defence of the Marquess of Anglesey ; in honor of whom a very strong Resolution Avas passed by the meet- ing. Mr. Thomas Moore, our illustrious countryman, also took a conspicuous part, and spoke with his usual brilliancy and eloquence. A circumstance of much interest, and which caused a considerable sensation, occurred towards the close of the year 1829. Villiers Stuaut, who had been so trium- phantly elected for the County of Waterford, in 1826, retired from the representation this year, to the great annoyance of O'Connell, who designated the act as one of political cowardice. His resignation arose from tlie circumstance,that he was beset by a host of people claim- ing money under various pretences. As he did not gra- tify their importunate demands at the moment, he was hooted as he passed through the city of Waterford. His election in 1826, had already cost him thirty thousand pounds ; and notwithstanding this enormous outlay, he was, on his return from London, treated as wo have described. This so disgusted him that he accepted the Chiltern Hundreds. On the news reaching London, the heads of the Beresford family met, and decided on starting Lord George Beresford for the vacant seat. Mr. P. Mahony was solicited, through Sir George F. Hill, to become the conducting agent of tJie Beresford - Candidate. Mr. Mahony, in declining the proposition to become the ostensible agent, offered to give his advice and aid, provided he were satisfied that the Beresford fiimily were prepared to lend their powerful aid in giving full practical effect to the Act of Emancipation. To thli 688 LIFE AND TIMES OF course of policy, Sir Guouoe Hill uiulerlook to pletfgc himself for the Bkresi'oiids. Mr. Mahonv then su^' gested that, to satisfy the people on the sincerity of Lord George Beresford's altered views, O'Connell and Sheil should be retained as Counsel. This ad- vice was fullowed, and Mr. Mauonv was authorised by Field I\lar3lial BERESFouD.to retain both in their profes- sional capacity. Sheil accepted the retainer. To the letter addressed by Mr. David Mahony to O'Connell, who was then canvassing foi himself in Clare, the follow- ing reply was returned : — (Private) '* Kilrush, 14th June. 1820. " My Deau Maiiony — You may rely upon it, that the communication to me shall bo strictly confidential. I am exceedingly delighted at the otter made me, as it proves that the memory of former dissensions is to be buried in oblivion. No man living more heartily desires that con- summation than I do. Before I accept the retainer, I ■wish to have it distinctly understood, that if I do accept it, there is to be no expectation that I will do anything beyond my professional duty ; that is, there is to be no sale by me, nor any purchase by them, of my political ex- ertion. I made this stipulation with Villiers Stuart, and although I went beyond that duty for hin), it was only because the political sentiments I then advocated were more mine than his — This is a point which ought to be distinctly understood, before 1 even consider whether I shall or not accept the retainer. If the oft'er of it, un- der those circumstances, shall be repeated — a matter of which I entertain some doubt, as, out of term. I made Villiers Stuart pay mo £600 — my professional remu- neration I will leave to you and your brother, should the offer be repeated, and should 1 be able to accept of it. — I need not tell you that there could not be a greater in- DANIEL O'CONNELL. ggQ duceracnt held out to me than the fact, that you and your brother are the Law Agents of the Beresford family on this occasion. I have been always exceedingly well treated by that family when they employed me as a pro- fessional man. " I will certainly be in Dublin on Thursday night, at the latest. I have this county hollow ; half the county is not yet gone through, and my majority is already cer- tain. It is impossible that there should be a serious con- test. You know I would not deceive you; but I can now beat even Vesey Fitzgerald, three to one. No other person could stand one hour ; the popular excitement and enthusiasm are greater than ever. How wise is Master Peel and Co. to send me back. I destroyed your letter. No human being shall know anything of its con- tents from " Your's most sincerely, " DANIEL O'CONNELL. " David Maiiont, Esq., Dublin." On receipt of this letter, Mr. David Mahony wrote to his brother, who was still in London, and, in reply, received the following communication :-- *• Union Hotel, 19Lh June, 1829. " My dear David— I have seen Lord George Beres- ford this day, on the subject of the Waterford election — I read to his Lordship my letter to you of yesterday, of which he approved ; and I have now to request that you ■will write a note to JMr. O'Connell, stating that it is his Lordship's desire to secure his professional services at the next election for the County of Waterford, for such member of Lord Waterford's family, as may be a can- didate on that occasion for that county, — that at pre- sent. Lord George Beresford is the person selected ; and in addition to the 20 guineas retainer, that we are 3 1 2 coo Luii A^'^) timks of authorised to say, that whether there shall be a contest or not, Mr. O'Connell shall receive £300 for his fee; and if there shall be a contest, £000. You will write Mr. Sheil a similar note stating, that in addition to his retainer, he shall receive £200, if no contest, and £400, if there shall be one. This arrangement will, I trust, be satisfactory to each of these gentlemen. It was sug- gested by me, yesterday, as, under all circumstances, the most equitable. " I again repeat that neither Lord Waterfobd, or his friends, intend in any degree to compromise their politics, by selecting Messrs. O'Connell and Seeil for their Counsel ; neither is it to be understood, that either of these gentlemen are expected to compromise theirs, " by the acceptance of their retauiers. But of course, we expect from them, as we would from any other gentle- men of their profession, that bona Jide (.'wvc'ise of talent, which their duty as counsel obliges them to give, in sup- port of their client. It would be an insult tolhcni, if I doubted for a moment that they are ready to make thi;i return for the confidence which is placed in them. " Indeed,! feel that a greater compliment could not bo paid to their talents and station, than the propositiou thus made, by a family they have so violently opposed on £0 many occaions. It is, besides, a strong indication of the disposition of the friends of the Government to give au example of forbearance and forgetfulness of all tiiat has passed during the lute struggle. Ever your's, " PIERCE MAliONY." Mr. O'Connell, on his return to Dublin, and on con- sultation there with his friends, saw at once the danger of confiding in the profes::)ions of tho BiiUEWFOUDs, and fie resolved,forthwith,to put an end to the negociation — Accordingly he addressed the following letter to ^Ir, David Mauony : — ** Merrion-square, June 21, 1829. " My Dear Mahony, — The letter of your brother is quite satisfactory in all its professional details. I en- tirely acquiesce in all he says of professional duty and emolument. '■ I am also proud of the selection made of me by Lord Waterford, as a professional man — the certainty that ho and his family concur with all the real friends of Ire- land, in burying in oblivion all former feuds, is both satisfactory and consolatory. For my humble part, I am impressed with the strongest conviction that the dis- tinctions between Protestant and Catholic, in politics, should be for ever forgotten. " I would not, therefore, have it conceived for one mo- ment, that my declining to accept the retainer, has any other source than this — that havitig now ascertained the certainty of my return for Clare, I do not feel at liberty to bo of counsel for any candidate, pending tho Parlia- ment : as a member of the House, I consider myself pre- cluded from being so ; because if there were a disputed return, I would be liable to be one of the judges of that return — so that it would be impossible for me to pre- engage my mind by my advice as counsel. If there shall be no new election, until the general election, I will then be too occupied for myself to be able to assist any other person. Of course you will distinctly understand, that I do not consider myself any longer at liberty to be pro- fessionally engaged against the interest of Lord Water- roRD. My present prospects in Clare, thus excluding me from accepting any such retainer, I again beg leave to express my great gratification at the matter and manner of tho communication made to me. *' Believe me to bo very faithfully yours, •• DANIEL O'CONNELL. " David Maiionv, Esq., Mcrrion-sqwaro." 092 I'lFt; AND TIMES 01' It was SQon after bandied about that O'Conneli, con- sented to be counsiU for the Beresfobds, aiid that he withdrew from the engagement because of the fee he was offered— in fact, that he " huxtered" for payment. The Tim^s enlarged on the subject, and wrote as if it would or could crush the great Agitator. O'Connell, in a re- markably able letter, addressed to the Electors of Watei*- ford, replied to those charges; and showed Avith complete satisfaction, that political considerations had made him decline all farther negociation with the Beresfords. It was in this letter that he called the Times— Wxq " venal Lady of the Strand" — a souhricjurt which is still remem- bered. The following, from the Weekly Free Press of that day, places the matter in so ti'ue a light, that we will- ingly give it insertion ; — " Mr. O'Connell has published an address to the Electors of Water ford, professedly for the purpose of arousing an opposition to the Beresfoud family, at the ensuing election ; but principally to defend himself from certain aspersions which have been industriously propa- gated against him. One charge, and that upon which the others rested, was, that he had not only accepted of a heavy retainer from the Beresfords, for his profes- sional aid at the election, but that he had even "hux- tered" with them about the amount of the fee. This charge, the member for Clare, has openly met, and man- fully refuted ; and we do not think that any impartial reader can peruse the address without arriving at the same conclusion. Mr. O'Connell was solicited by the Beresford's attorney to give his services upon the state- ment, (which afterwards turned out to be false) that the Lord Paramount of Waterford had resolved to fall in with the tide of conciliation, and to join hand in hand DANIEL O'CONNELL. 698 with the Catholic leaders, for the improvement of the country. In the reply to this letter, (which was strictly confidential, being addressed to a friend) Mr. O'Con- NELL lauded the altered tone of the Beresfords, and professed his willingness to support the conciliatory sys- tem which arose out of it. When, however, the proposal was more openly put and insisted upon, it met with a courteous, but resolute denial. Out of these materials the Beresford faction has constructed the base calumny which has been bandied about among Mr. O'Con- nell's personal and political enemies ; affording matter of rejoicing to the bigotted worshippers of the maimed Dagon of Intolerance on both sides of the Channel, We will not bo surprised if it should still continue to be cir- culated by thcsG persons — but fortunately their opinions have no weight with the public. Mr. O'Connell may have been indiscreet in parleying with a faction, whose political profligacy was notorious ; or he may be open to a charge of forgetfulness of his public reputation, in not at once refusing the paltry bribe by which it was sought to be tarnished. But if he has been guilty of indiscre- tion, by reposing confidence in persons who were utterly unworthy of it, the " failing leant to virtue's side." He was desirous, as every true Irishman should now be, to heal the wounds which long years of oppression and mis- rule, have opened in the bosom of Ireland ; and it would have argued but lukewarm patriotism, to have rejected with disdain the preferred hand of the veriest Robes- pierre among the Orange Jacobins. The failure of his hopes is a melancholy proof that Ireland boasts still of men, whose political baseness is equalled only by their detestation of whatever might contribute to the peace and security of their unhappy country. So much for Berksfort*." C9-i LIFE AND TIMES OT Mr. SuEiL, as already slated, accepted the retaiiiei', and justified his doing so in an able argumentative letter. We cannot help, however, expressing our opinion, that it would liavebeen better had lie declined it; fur,most as- suredly, his political position in Ireland, was the reason ■why his aid as a lawyer was sought for. For one half the fee.as able professional nion could have been engaged, to decide or discuss the legal technicalities. This affair caused an alienation between O'Connell and his old friend and law agent, Mr. Piercl: jMaiiony, which was not made up until the Limerick election, 1832, where Mr. Mahony was a candidate, though before O'Connell's arrival ho had withdrawn. O'Connell took that occasion to speak in the highest terms of praise of Mr. Mahony. On liearing this, he -wont to O'Con- nell's hotel, and they became fi-icnds, to the great gra- tification of the people, who were astonished when they saw them shaking hands in the street afterwards. This estrangement for three years, between two old friends, exhibits a characteristic of O'Connell's mind; for tho' in public, and on public grounds, ho constantly at- tacked Mr. !\Iahony ; he continued, nevertheless, in private, to manifest for him the greatest personal regard. However harsh or unmeasured may have been his lan- guage in public— in private, he was always amiable, generous, and kind. In the history of the world, there never were two more remarkable years than those which occupied our attention in this Chapter, and with which this volume will conclude. During this period the first triumph of the Moral Force principle was achieved. Hitherto, every great change in the social or political condition of nations, was accom- plished by bloodshed and civil war. The discovery that Punnc Opinion, by being concentrated and directed to DANIEL O'CONNELL. 69g one object, was able to win what no amuiint of pliysieai violence could obtain, was first made in 1828-29. As the intellectual faculties of men are more cultivated, and as education extends, the Moral Power will grow irre- sistible, and the will and wishes of the people more and more prevail. Immortal honour to the man who first applied and carried into practice this great discovery ! It is iniiiossible to foresee the beneficial results to mankind, to which it yet may lead. If, for no other reason, the years 1828-29, will be glorious in the annals of time, for being the era when the great experiment was first successfully tried; the events recorded in this Chap- ter will be read with deeper interest, as developing in full relief, the power and concentration of public opinion. This volume closes one great epoch in O'Connell's career. The next will exhibit his master-mind in bolder action ; when, in becoming a member of the Imperial Legislature, a largo portion of the Irish representation was in his hands— and when, against the might of Eng- land, he struggled for the Repeal of tub Act or Union, and for the regeneration of Ireland. iV END or YOL. I. 1-^^? 3 This book is a preservation photocopy. 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