The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-05 00:00:00

REFORM DEMONSTRATION IN DUBLIN.

A meeting of citizens, called by the Lord Mayor
of Dublin upon a requisition presented to him, was held
on Tuesday night an the Mechanics' Institute Theatre, to
receive a deputation of English reformers, and to ears's°,
the cause of Irish reform. The meeting was densely
crowded, and great enthusiasm prevailed.

Shortly after eight o'clock the Lord Mayor, The
O'Donoghuo, Mr. Beale*, and Mr. Jones an ived on the
platform, and were hailed with enthusiastic and prolonged
cheering.
The LARD MAYOR, who presided, said he was thoroughly
conscious that as it was his duty to convene the meeting,
so it would be conducted in such a manner as to
reflect credit on the people of Dublin, without the
slightest interruption. Those who might have
come to interrupt would be put outside the doors.
(Cheers.) The cause for which he had convened the
meeting knew no party. (Hear, hear.) The Reform
Act, which he held in his hand, was the product of the
mind of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the leading tory
in the land ; but he had been at heart a reformer ever
since his first step in life, and it was because he had
qwas sym-
with the working men in England that he had
dragged the tory coach up to its last summit. That result
tie to the action of some of the gentlemen present—
especially one, who, leading the working clamed in Eng-
land in their strength and might, taught the working
classes in Ireland that if they would be true to the law,
true to the crown—(loud and prolonged hissing)—if they
obeyed the principles of Daniel O'Connell—(cheen)—they
might obtain all their rights. Ile believed the effect of
this meeting would be that at the next sitting of parlia-
ment the Chancellor of the Exchequer would bring in a re-
form bill for Ireland. (Cheers.)
Mr. P. J. SHA NUT, secretary of the Irish Reform
League, read a letter freru Belfast asking to have a branch
of the League established there ; and also the following
letter from Mr. John Stuart Mill :

"Dear Sir,—Your letter of the 24th instant having
arrived at thy house after I left England, has only just
reached me. I hare long been convinced that complete
justice to Ireland was scarcely to be hoped for, unless
preceded by • reform of parliament sufficiently
thorough to take away the present predominance
of the landed interest, and transfer a large
share of political power to dames who are not under
the influence of landed or church prejudices. There is coo-
siderable reason to hope that the parliamentary reform
which we have now obtained may, at least in some degree,
accomplish this. Whatever power has been gained by the
working classes or by the advanced liberals will, I am con-
vinced, be used for the complete redress of the grievances
of Ireland on the two most fundamental points, the church
and the land. On the former, they will aim at perfect
religious equality, not in my opinion by the endowment
but bT the dimendowinent of all religions. On the land
question they will, I believe and hope, be satisfied with
nothing short of complete assurance to the tenant that all
value added to the land by his labour or expenditure shall
belong to himself •; together with • well combined system of
measures for the formation of a numerous body of small
proprietors, either cultivating their own land, or secured
by a permanent tenure at • quit rent. I entertain • san-
guine hope that this will also be the policy of the leaders
of the liberal patty. By firm union of British and Irish
liberals on these principlee, the grievances of Ireland may
soon be redressed, and the embittered feelings which
those grievances have engendered will not long survive
them. There is no wish in any section of the British
people to be unjust to Ireland : for many years past the
source of mischief has not been in any selfish intentions of
the nation, or even of the ruling classes. Ignorance of
what the circumstance' of Ireland requires and deeply
rooted prejudices, namely—less hurtful to England than to
Ireland—are the causes of the evil. The ignorance is now
rapidly becoming dispelled, and the prejudices in the minds
of the working classes, and of the advanced liberals,
do not exist. An era of hope, therefore, is opening for
Ireland, which, if improved by wise and harmonious ac-
Sion on the part of your representatives and of ours, may
make the 00111141.1d011 between the two countries au un-
alloyed benefit to both. In addition to the two great sub-
jects which I have already touched upon, them are, no
doubt, many other matters which will demand legislation
On these it will be for the Irish people, after due delibe-
ration, to make their opinions and wishes known to the
reformed parliament ; and I have no fear that the course
which shall most approve itself to intelligent Irishmen
will fail to obtain the support of English liberals. The
most pressing of these subjects is the reform
of the representation, and I would strongly
urge the Irish reformers to prepare the heads
of a bill, which, while embodying the meentials of •
real parliamentary reform, maybe such as ems be offered to
the parliament which Famed the English Reform Bill with
a fair chance of being adopted. and to give to such • bill
their united support. —I am, dear sir, yours very sincerely,
" J. S. MILL."
Mr. J. P. SIIANUIT then read the following address to
Mr. Beales

" ADDRLSB TO EDMOND BIALM, 18Q., LA., PRESIDENT