The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-29 00:00:00

IRELAND.

Dumas, Jan. 28.
The aggregate meeting at the Rotondo on the
Viceroyalty question was held yesterday, and it is
but justice to say that the demonstration was in every
respect a most important one. It would have been
difficult, indeed, for public opinion in Ireland to have
found a more imposing and solemn mode of express-
ing itself than on this occasion. The whole country
might be said to have been represented there ; for
there is no town or locality of any note from which
there were not some professional men or others pre-
sent. All the classes of society in Ireland were also
amply represented. Of the large number of Irish
peers who had signed the requisition, several
were present ; the Irish members of the House
of Commons mustered strongly. The corpora-
tion of Dublin was there almost to a man :
the lawyers and solicitors deserted the courts for the
purpose of attending; the mercantile people seemed
to make the case especially their own, and assembled
in great numbers; and the tradesmen and opera-
tives thronged the body of the meeting. The object of
the demonstration was to protest against the abolition
of the viceroyalty, and in general against the further
extension of the centralizing policy towards Ireland.
The scope of the different speeches was to show the
ruinous effects which centralization has produced
upon Dublin, and, through Dublin, upon Ireland
generally, and the necessity of at least preserving the
institutions which have been left to this country,
if none of those that have been removed can be re-
covered. There was nothing, however, of the " re-
peal " element in the proceedings. Almost all the
speakers protested their earnest desire to main-
tain the union of the two countries; but
it was easy to perceive, from the enthusiasm with
which any expression savouring of distinct national-
ity was received by the balk of the meeting, how
deeply popular was the chord which had been touched.
The proceedings on the whole, though characterised
by the warmest cordiality, were calm, orderly, and
unanimous; and most probably there is no instance
in Irish history in which so many men of totally dis-
tinct parties met together for a political object with
such hearty unanimity. The proceedings commenced
at twelve o'clock, and did not conclude until a tow
minutes past seven, and towards the close of the
meeting, several distinguished speakers, to whom no
place had been assigned among the proposers and
seconders of the resolutions, briefly addressed the
assemblage. Among the noblemen and gentlemen
on the platform were: the Right. Hon. the Lord
Mayor, the Marquis of Westmeath, the Earl of
Howth, the Earl of Mayo, Lord Talbot de Malahide,
Hans Hamilton, M.P., George Alexander Hamilton,
M.P., Henry Grattan, M.P., W. Sharman Crawford,
M.P., John Reynolds, M.P., W. Torrens M'Cullarh,
M.P., Mr. Grogan, M.P., Sir T. O'Brien, M.P.,
Hyacinth Talbot, M.P., Colonel Donne, ALP., Joseph
Napier, M.P., the High Sheriff of Dublin, the High
Sheriff of Wicklow, W. Long, J.P., John *Namara
Cantw 11, Lelandt Crosthwaitc, James Perry, Alder-
men Smith, Wilson. Kinahan, &c. &c., Sir Lucius
O'Brien, M.P., Sir E. Synge, Sir Coleman O'Loghleo,
Sir Robert Shaw, Sir James Power, Sir E. Burrough,
&e. &c.

Letters of apology, and of sympathy in the objects
of the meeting, were read from the Ma►quis of Lou.
dooderry, Lord Massareene, Lord Conyngham, Lord
Ffrrnch, Mr. D. C. La Touche, Mr. J. O'Connell,
M.P., Sir Percy Nugent, M P., the Mayors of Cork,
Kilkenny, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, Clonmel,
Drogheda, and Londonderry, from Dr. M'Knight, of
Belfast, Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson, &c. &c.