The Statesman. — London, England, 1810-09-22 00:00:00

IRELAND. AGUVEGIATE MEETING —DU3LIN, Tuesday, Sopt. 18. (FROM THE DUBLIN EVENING posr•] ASPEdi, OF THE vvioxr. At an early hour this day, the Royal Exchange was 811e.1 with a numerous assemblage of 4he most reap:cid& Frogmen and Freeholders A f tho city of nulloa, and at half.past twelve o'cluek Sir JAMES took the Chair. At his entran.e he was greeted' with the most enthusiastic I,laudits, which continued for near a quarter of an hour before the bu.ine'ss of the du could be c o mmenzed. Such was the enthwiastic gratitude w hich moved every heart at the inurneut, in a(liniration of the virtues of our incorruptible Sheriff, that he was obliged to supplicate them by gesture (for words could not be hon.!) to suffer the fervour of their feelings to subside. The pressure of the crowd became so great, and the s'truggle to Ref near the Chair became so violent, that Sir James found it necessary to call on them in the full swing words•:—". Gentlemen, I humbly request order--if yen act peaceably and orderly, yoo will confound your enemies, and must ultimately triumph ovcl them by carrying your point ; but if you act disorderly, beassured that yonr own exertion+, and the exertions of your friends, in behalf of this distressed and afflicted country, must be unsisecvssful, and you will indubitably . lose the object which you have . in view." This appeal had an instantaneous effect—the tu. milli immediately ceased ; Sir James then appointed F. W. Conway, Esq. Secretary to he Meeting, who read the Requisition of the Quarter Sessions Grand Jury, and also tho Requisition of the prin. ripal Freemen and Freeholders of the City of Dub. lin (as it appeared in the former numbers of The Dublin Evening Posl).—Here the recollection of the patriotic conduct of the virtuous Sheriff, when contrasted with the evasive and pitiful conduct of his- colleague, excited fresh bursts of ap. plause ; but at length the Sheriff' haviiig, after repeated attempts to restore silence, obtain. al a bearing,• with that candour which has al. ways characterised bis conduct, addressed them again. " Gentlemen, it is confidently said by your ene. Lies that this Meeting hai been organized by a !action, but I ern determined to vindicate the pu. city of your motives, and to shew theni that I shall nut act with partiality, I am determined to hear every min ; and I again gay, that every attar .whp dissents from me may expect a patient hearing." Mr. If urrox —Sir, I fed myself 'called •ote to come 0 0: ward this day to move a Petitiorr to the mg, and another to Parliament, for is . Reptial of the Art of Union, in consequence. of, the part which I tio,k in the discussion of the question. is October last. I find it neee.sary to lay claim to your attention from a sense of the inadequacy of Wsy abilities to do justice to so important a cause; and I hope to experience your candour this 'day, because I know that an appeal is never made in vain to the hearts of Irishmen. This Meeting has not been convened for the purpose imputed to us, of se. wing this country from England ; but to thew to the world that we love.Brifishscontreetion, and our good King—for if, Sir, we wished to sever this country from England, we would never have called the Meeting, but glittered Ireland to have con. tinned in diseatisfaction and'inisery, until the resent. silent for her wrongs would ineiitably lead to a disunion.—lf we wished for commotion, wd would sat r discontent to continue its progress; but our views are honest—we wish alone to pre. serve the British connection.—You all know .what. promises were hold out at the time of the Union... great capital was - promised—Dublin was to be a free port—Cork a naval port...the education a the poor of the country was to be attended to...and the , claims of the Roman Catholics for emancipation were to be taken expeditiously into that consideration, which could not be safely given to it in a native Par. !lament. Has any one of these promises been fulfilled? Has British capital visited here? Is Dublin a free port? Is Cork a naval port? Or, has the education of the poor of the land received that attention which It deserved ? The Roman Catholics have petitioned for emancipation, but have their claims been grant. ▪ ?—We have stet the mad project of uniting to France, or of destroying British connection—we only wish to be restored to what we were in the year 1782. We do not wish to (Morn Ireland to Bonaparte, but wish to support most firmly the throne of Great Britain. I wish for independence,. but wish also .to support the throne of England. I must , say again, that I should not now have the honour of addressing you, if I had not been pushed forward on account of my feeble efforts in the Com mon Council of the City; and I shall conclude by saying, let us :hew the world that we love the King, and only 'want the Constitution of 82, without which, I say, there can be no happiness for Ireland. Mr. HUTTON. I move you,- Sir, that a Corn. mittee of nine Gentlemen be appointed to prepare a Petition to the King, and another to the House of Commons, for a Repeal of the Act of Union. The following Gentlemen were then pamed : Mr. HUTTON ' Mr. ABBOTT Mr. M'OON NELL Mr. FARRELL "111.11;ticIAITELt. NI mitnokr sr. MOSCOW 1100148 Wheo, .after some the Chair Man of the Committee. read a Petitiiia 'to his MAJESTY, and :mother to the Hansa of Commons, which were k substance as follow : . . THE STATESMAN. During the seven years war, from 1793 to NOG, the National Debt, ;Hider ad Irish Parliament, increased bat Twenty Mil lions. During the se►rn years war, from 1800 to 1810, the National Debt, under an Imperial Parliament, has increased Forty Mil lions. During the year 1798, a year of foreign invasion and do mestic rebelling, the expenditure el Ire/and, nodei an Irish Parliament, was but Four Mil lions. During the yenr 1865, a year in which the army were unem ployed, as to leave Ireland tinder an apprehension of either ill vasioo or Rebellion, her expenditure, by an Imperial Parlia ment, was Ten Million Five linutired Thousand Pounds. The debt of Ireland, in 1793, was to the debt of Great Bri tain, as Ode to One Hundred, and is now as doe to Seven ; and . siore the Union bas increased in•proportion lo the Debt of Great Britain as One to Two—whereas, had the relative re sources of the two Countries been justly estimated at the enect meet of that measure, the proportion should have been as Two to Seventeen. , And your Petitianers cannot bat twelve this statement the more irresistibly conclusive io favour of a repeal of the Union. inasmuch as the warmest advocates of that measure, ever main tained the avowed and notorious ertrrunticiii of the Irish Par liament as the strongest argument against. its enactment. Yotir 'Petitioners, therefore, submit to the good seam of this Hon. House, whether a still more economical management of Irish resources, and a still more enlarged understanding of Irish in terests, are not to he expected from a reforeaed Legislature, such as must exist in Ireland on a repeal of the ;Union, all the , Irish objecti onable boroughs being now e s duct My purchase. Because the Imperial Parliament is composed of Members, Ove-sixlhs of whom never have visited Ireland, or acepliresi any personal knowledge of the genius and character of iM habitants—of their wants and grievances—because one-sixth of even the Irish Representatives are neither datives of that country, nor have ever set foot on Irish ground, and because by coadequeuce the affairs of Ireland are neglected and :mil -1 managed, or her interests disregarded. Because the promises officially annonoired to this country by the British Minister, as the grounds upon which be ventured to impose the Union, and which,. though, not inserted among its articles, were considered by the Irish People• as equally binding, were forgotten by him, disowned by his successors, and disregarded by the Iniperial Parliament. - Became the dangers arid. ist rases g Inland have evet taken their chief rise from Ile following, among other evils: from the inattention of IN ialldlords to the welfare and comforts of their tenantry; from the foreign expenditure of the country, caused by' its -Absentees, awl Its Foray Manumit Debts from its consequent want of capital, of trade, and maniptillity—be cause all these sources of poverty Rudd iscoatent have been and ever must be increased and multiplied; by a Legislative Union between the two countries—and because upon a removal or an alleviation of these evils, and upon a fulb'asent of the promises made to the nation; depend the safety of Ireland—its future attachment to the Crown of Great Britain, and the ultimate security of the Empire. That your Petitioners in conclusion, beg to state to this Hon. House, that having from 1782 to 1800 experienced the bene ficial effects resulting from a resident and independent Parlia ment, and having now for ten years felt the operative iolluence of British Legislation, are impelled from the recollection of the past, and sad experience of the present, to express their conviction to this Honourable House, that the very serious dis tresses of the Irish People, and the dangers to which t!.e coup try is consequently espeted, are principally to be attributed to the want of a resident Legislature; as your Petitioners, in ex. 11 pressing thkvonvietion, are cm:ldeal, that if admitted to the! Bar of the House of Commons, they ihell be able to prove lei its fall satisfaction that such is the • reel source of the animal distress, and that to the Repeal of the Legislative Union can the people of this country look as the only efficient means of procuring its prereat relief, of securing it future prosperity, and securing its penitential comet-don with Orem Minato. Mr. O'CONNELL secontied the motion, in a speech replete with sound argument and impressive eloquence. He trusted that the importance of the question before the Meeting would be a sufficient apology for his addressing the Assembly, though from his own personal feelings tic was disqualified from delivering his sentiments as ho could wish on the occasion. He then adverted . to, the present situation of the country', to its suffering and stare. ing manufacturers, with a national bankruptcy, labouring with misfortunes crushing.the people to the earth—threatened with a hostile invasion of an unrelenting foe, the enemy of the liberties of the world, threatening to over-run and en slave the country. With all those accumula. Lion of horrors, we are told of the ' 6 growing prosperity" of Ireland. What has been the con sequence of the Mien ? Since that Act passed, which carried him irish!nen their liberty, we have had two special commissions and one rebellion. That • is one. find of the history of. that meriattre, ‘ which was to hate produced all possible blessings. The consequences of the Union had been foreseen : they had seen stated. lie would take it from Ili statement of JOHN Fos*Ett himself,, who had fore told those consequences ; who had lived to see those consequences realized; and who had himself been instrumental in the realization of them.— What right had the Parliament of Ireland, Mr. Sheriff, to transmit us to a foreign. Legislature' for ever. They were only our delegated represed. tatives—delegated for the preservation of the Mgr ty of Ireland. It was their : dutyto do our biol. tiess..tirey liiiiiio — p - Ower on earth to Tate is &Avail they were to look to the interest *f the country— they had no iuthority—tbey had no right to vote us and.Ourchildren to perpetual servitude. [4 planter.] Do net tety on what I say-=I dti'*4 l . wish you to take the description of the effecfs l Of the Union. front me.-4 have a higher atithorit, fur. you ; I appeal to what his Majesty's present. torney.General, M r , sintini; said - on..t?td ! ..ao . ; liject., and what felt, w her,- tbik Veil 'lroise' Conimoni tlatlnacle a donation . of us and Odrli.: berty to another country, he hesitated whetla the measure should not be resieted by; force. Cie." plausei.] I will appeal to the language of .thne lqarned character—l will appeal to thelanguage of the late Lord chancellor, Ponsonby.-to the pre sent Sulicitor-Gett e eral, Mr. liushe—and to that cx. cellent patriot, Mr. Musket. Did not that soundlaw l : ycr and excellent man say, the measure was 'mesons.; pled—was a wrong measure—was a flagratitinjes. Lice to Ireland ? If such is measure was ,at that 1-!,14(,.. t,t)e - ,1.), „., 6J tutu $v44.00171,,u4 TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. Fr W ee e rne Y n ' a .u n r d r4 P7-e illt elin Y l l .lerr of y d o ta u ti r fa 4 l oc a i n e d nt, ln a l i al i t o S:t a b i jer . C i i s t ,. y th o e ff Dublin, In Aggregate Mekine usscmhled, beg leave, with all hutuillty, to approach your Majesty's Throne, with repeated assurames of that zeal aad attachment that have ever actuated us towards your Majesty's most .gracious Person, and every branch of your Illir:trions tainily, most humbly intreatieg your Majesty's.acCustorled regard and attention towards us, in coontriott with the rest of your Majesty's subjects. • Anxious as we have ever been to contribute every thing in our power to the kippiwt ofyourMAjesty's Crown and dignity, to the Protection of eitr country against foreign as well as do mestic enemies, we ennead withhOld expressing our grief and surprise, when, instead of bei ng 'toootry nourishing and in prosperity, As has been represented to your Majesty and Par liament, oar trade? commerce, and manufactures are at au ebb lower than has ever *en remembered; credit and public con fidence nearly annihilated, as instanced by the numerous bank ruptcies daily accruing, to an alarming talent, heretofore la*. known. We regret. that at this fleriorl your Majesty's Petitioners should, its common with the rest of their Irish fellow-subjects, have been burthened with a weight of taxes, oppressive in their nature, and grievous to ail, more especially to the trader and manufacturer ; and we have to complain, that these oppressive taxes were introduced at the clusi of the last Sessions s. ithont any previuus intimation given to our Representatives in Parliamtat, and without *dee regard to the real and substantial interests of Ireland. . That your Petitioners, with all humility, beg leave to ex press to your Majesty their strong conviction, that the prospe rity, happiness,•and peace of Ireland (which areso intimately connected with those of Great Britain), can only be obtained by having a resident Parliament, who alone would be capable of knoWitig the real wants of this country, and of adwinister ing to its necessities pritinpt and efficacious relief. • We, therefore, intreat your Majesty to take tho distresses and misfortunes under which this part of your Majesty's dominions DOW labour into your most graelouscoosideration. Sire, we are the more imperiously called on, at this critical period, to make these our most earnest supplications, from dye regard and veneration for your Majesty, and our anxiety for. the succession and prosperity df your royal Rouse ; as we would deprecate nothing so much as an alienation of the afec tioos of your hlajesty'ssubjects from youx parson, family, and government. We, therefore, humbly implore your Majesty's gracious attention titthis our Petition ; and that you will be pleased to direct your Majesty's Ministers to have an Act pre pared against the (pectin of Parliament for the Repeal of the Act of Union, so that a Parliament may bescalled in Ireland to co-operate with your Majesty, in devising andwrying into ef fect those measures which shallappear best calculated for . the, permanent prosperity of Ireland. • And your Petitioneni will ever pray. PETITION. TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. TO VIE RIGHT 80X..111r EMMONS Or TUE lINITED RINCIDEPIC OP.ORZAT SRITAIIf •AND IRELAND • THE PETITION OF, &e. &e. • That your Petitioners, feeling as they have tver felt, the wartneit:attacliment to British connection, and (from a con viction of their excellence) to the principles of the British Constitution, in support of which they have shed their blood and exhausted their treasure, and anxious only that those sacyi- Bees shill not have been Made in vain, most horohly present themselves before this Honourable Haase, beseeching it, as the constitutional . guardian of iJtt British Empire, to take into its Most serious rottsideration the consequences resulting from that LegislMise Haim), which, in the year 1600, was enacted be tween Great Britain and Ireland. And your Petitioners the more earnestly beorech this Honourable House now to enter on this investigation, because It was an increase from the great, solid, and exten►ive benefits" were promised to this country, nod as immense addition nod consolidation of interest, strength, stud erection :" to the Empire at large a measure which was to counteract the restless machinations of.aninveterate enemy— to calm all dissensions—to allay all animosities—and dissipate all jeatousin—which nos to communicate to the , dister King dom " the ►tate of the Cnpi•al, and industry of England"—and give to her " a full participation of the Commerce and Consti tution of fireat Britain." Your Petitiorwrs consequently entreat the Honourable House to enquire, whether that measure, which has now been put to the decisive test of experience, ha, in any degree fulfilled, or whether it is calculated to fulfil the the sanguine expectations of its advocates—and whether its repeal has not been indis. Feasibly necessary for the accomplishment of those very ends •fur which its enactmeat was made a pretext. That Your Petitioners humbly conceive a revisal and repeal of the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland, Irresistibly called for ►y the following, amongst other consider ations Bemuse from the earliest establishment of English dominion in this Country, to the 'Year 1782, a resident• Parliament was by the British Kings dremerl'occessary, and alone competent to understand its wants, to encourage Its resources, and promote its interests. Because the Government of England,, while it could con troul the proceedings of the Irish Legislature, never propoifed, Or recommended to the consideration of either a Legislative Union between the two Countries; but that when compelled to renounce that enotroul, and finally to declare the Parlia ment of Ireland independent, the Minister of England never ceased to plot its extinction—and consequently, that the. real motive for a Union was not the mutual benefits of the.Couu tries, but the trouble and difficulty of inanaglog an . iodepen dent Parliament, and the desire of procuring an Increase of in fluence in that of Great Britnin. Because the moment seised on by theStiltdi Mlnisteifor the accomplishment of his views, was that least fitted for a calm dismission; Matteis investigation et Abe nntritywf amoserious and impartial political question ; anti because, !Val under such unfavourable circumstance., the' means employed to effect it . were most corrypt and iniquitous. Becapse the Parliament of Ireland " being delegated to, make Laws not Legislator ," could not transfer their Legislative au thority without the express-sanction and approbation of their Constituents; and that a decided majority of the Constitutional Body was hostile to the measure is evident,fronsTheir Petitions against it, and from the fact that the Minister, even after his de feat, feared to appeal us the sense of the People by a dissolu tion of the then refractory Parliament. And your Petitioners subunit, that so decided was the opi. nion of the Irish People, respecting the incompetency of the, Irish Parliament to enact the measure of Union, nod so strong their abhorrence of that measure, and their conviction that they could not, in the language of the immortal and constitu tional Locke, be bound by any laws hut such as are enacted by those whom they have chosen and authorised to make them as appeal to Heaven must, in all probability, have been the i..v..itable consequence, but for the preconcerted hor rors of the preceding rebellion." Because the rapid improvement of Ireland, tender an inde pendent Parliament, together with the annexed statement, Rust demonstrate that the interests of the country were much better understand, and its resources better managed, by au lrish 11140 by an imperial Parliament. . I period a crime, 'shim we be now told, that like wine,' groiv I better fur grow' ng o ld, ao , after ten years 67 are mollified in to i timor Llt.:.lt'ilt a Ot l y 014 every man ow e , goiity l Ab i his e c:6taitr l y„ . :l' would almost is•Cogiit'iii hii i. eltylci t i . and his enerd i es 1 ItYpeal of itiitabomi4able A c t o f U nion , is the man flat 'tie sacred name o f Ireland d i strikelo the'li . 6iit ?:SJtew the man to wh( name `Ol treflina Is tit dear. To you, Si r ftiddall, Thecd nut apply. Y ou h are exhil your fellow-citizens what an . frishm an can [Loud applauses.]---liow was the Mil tained ? How was the Irish Parliamem from us?—lt was not on any 44 di battle her liberty was cloven down.n not crushed by the force of the rebellion was fomented, avowedly fomented foe tl pose:of carrying the Union : the yeomen militia put down that rebellion : they evini loyalty and their attachment' to their hin t despoiler carne-tike the thief in the night, at. .I,lie • prealoa; seM. It was by lowing ,dia sesi betvieen liiihnien: by dividing Irishmen how. jollier : it . ,wes by separating the . Protestant" Aappapthatkolic ; it was by setting the Presi ' aglit4t his fellow Countrymen : it was by cal ing us : it was by tellihg tit's() constantly hated each other, that at last we were almost believe it.— [Loud applause.] —lt was that England owes as this day her very el rApplause.] —Out of one hundred and tmeni sand men, fighting her battles, thank God, thousand of them are Irishmen! If their was even represented fully in the Imperial ment, what could their united talents dc five hundred and fifty I Would they be atilt troul such a• force, who know nothing of care less. (circa: amlanse.] What is I .more than twenty of our Representative Ireland only by name; IFel.and knows th What know we of James Steptiptis i of King's P i rinter ; Henry Martinifing's Col Charles Pochin, and of tAe teniaming try , our RePaMtkeitmei as - tberalled. • have they of Irishmen about diem. We art presented ;_ the business—of Engltird is 1 wieldy. She cannot managb both. The Administration cannot do the # alines. of I , they want a perfect knowledge of her loci tion and circumstances. Ido not admire tl sent Admiulstration of England—l think of them—but I do not think they they wen insulted US with the * language. of 66 growl sperity," they would not have•put into ;he, of the King . such an obieriation, in e speed, to have been made by him, If they had not norant of 'the fact-4hey took their idle "growing prosperity" of Ireland front the asserdoit of a foreigner, Sir Friencis D'lresttell, who yam took, In a bout he published, to istabitsh the fact. What man in this country would come forward asd j Suppled the measure of the Union ? I ihnvid like to See the colour of his face, I should like 'to see what sort 'of beast he was [applauses]. 1 have not seen a man with sufficient audacky to do so. it the crime of the Union has affected us, *hi 'is it that five millions of'soielsgrom Cape Clear to the GiaisVa Ciluiewanlsave s o shunted for . a Re. ' peal' of the (Noe : 1: ;t . vro9lJ. „reach the ears of our sacred Soverer 7. itnui.willitlddle certain to in. lure os Olaf -- .. 14 ,,i to betty to be con. a d solidated bftettorhg a ti 414.qtwsirish King, nut Irish Lords our 14sk Home of`Komenotis. Mr. O'Connell 'trade. . .." r at - considerable length, ) 4. .. commenting- on lllir e' Get e via ssf, the Union in I " strain of eloquenCe and logical arrangement, which the lateness of the hour,/ quid our anxiety to gate to the public a sketch awl' his sentiments, renders •it impossible to do justice .to at present. 011 con. ,eluding, he declared to his God, that if Mr. Pa cevul would cuter into •a treaty with him, and say, that provided 1/r. O'Connell would consent to arc. enaction of the Penal Code against the Catitolice., and that the Act orllpion should be repea:ed, Mr. O'Connell forcibly and energetivtully cxeleitmill ' " I declare to God, I would accept the cuudi• lions:" • ..' . • .[Sir JAMES RIDDAL, adverting to the mires. slots issol by counsellor O'Connell, of an 4 4 frA Xing," reqbested the gentleman to explain what ideas he anttexed to titetwordsMit order to prevent Misrepreatekitition going tali tsall] Counsellor O'CONNELL then rose and said— ' "131 i, .I . tite lin pp' y ihet you lune called on n5B for siiiidaniiioo .; it liai GUM' .to•tay let, as part of my pelifessiOnal musks, to , flatly the antiquities of my Cisiinfry t • aqd .1 acn happy to say.that our pre. .iirot'llLinc - .. blis a ,tille to .his thrOae, derived from 4 period anterior to tho , genealogy Of any other Mu. ''tittiCli . in.Eorope' . kis o ltjoi o f E ng land by dd. 'scent, as .well as . by . a five tint:lasted election ; and liederivei, sir, though'yoja may not knew it, bele* rivos, Sir, his titkfri;vo.-listetry IL. who (Alaimo! hit 'title frOns - the, aircisnet gliife; of Ireland, and ISO . he is; in' the inl anu t ikktka siqr4 ) an Irish King." ' • • pearlhear!..) d . , w A ..' . . Mr. 31` . +NAWFIt,. with his usual argumentative ~ ab k g y, suopueed :the qpileio,ns ofttattr. (Komi!. it speoch l t ti4 a 4 bit . ketpioldii is4nir next. Aficr-SimlaiGs tiekkAsatkantsdkclN(l his speech, 6ir J`424.0*. ALL put the yestion leo. ilipiritesbolar;isteetihadriirotirttiloti44l. e.nd lotene o ! to oi l lay t o dots 451 nioo oh. nt sto►el ' It Ns In; that the Per. and i h e lied the, Og. T he and stets NINO etch' tinsel th ebreoi k aluraniat y that se lest lcd to I by that etistenc e . !Joy dog. leVenti country lal Parlia. du agsiog le to CON fur, and the Let : ►ee kn ow them not. Strahan, Counsel ; ocuty of Yet ;bit re not re. to VO. English [rebind— Ica I eh". the pre. meanly °aid hare ring pro. ' the email • meseed4 it been 4. ea of the e assertion h, yak. r MI 01111 111 Ir II i. I .y I