The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-09 00:00:00

TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND.

" Hereditary bondsmen I know ye not,
Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow ?"

Fellow Countrymen—Another calamity has fallen
upon our common country. Another grievous afflic-
tion presses upon her. The only English Administra-
tion which, during a period of seven hundred years, has
exercised its functions with impartiality and justice to
the people of Ireland, is terminated. It is not now of
any importance to inquire by wh.t folly, fatuity, or
wickedness this termination has been achieved. It is
enough to know that this grievous calamity has befallen
our country.

The Orange faction, which has with difficulty been
restrained, or at least kept in check by the late Ad-
ministration, is about to resume power, with all the
circumstances that can render that power atrocious,
and almost unbearable. The restraint which they
have endured for some time past has served to ag-
gravate their bad passions, and to augment their
malignity. These malignant passions will now have
full scope and ample gratification. It is quite true
that we shall have several plausible speeches recom-
mending moderation, and lauding impartiality. It is
not only the natural love of plausibilities which forms a
prominent feature in Peel's character, but the very
exigencies of his situation render it doubly necessary for
him to practise all the resources of hypocrisy, and all
the plausibilities that can deceive and delude. And
there are those among the Tories in England who de-
light in being deceived and deluded. But his party in
Ireland—his Orange confederates—the men who hate
the religion of the people of Ireland, and that people
themselves—that atrocious faction, will laugh with silent
scorn at Peel's plausibilities, and all his hypocrisy.
Once more rendered certain of impunity, they will resort
toga repetition of their former outrages. Houses will
be burned, villages will be wrecked ; the towns will be
affrighted and stained with blood by the Orange orgies ;
and even the little children themselves (as on the re-
cent occasion at Mollyash) will be sent out to play, and
brought home blood-covered corpses to their afflicted
mothers.

We cannot conceal from ourselves, my countrymen,
that the faction now restored to power, even in England
herself, is that which has stigmatised us as " aliens"—has
described our revered and loved priesthood as " sur-
pliced ruffians"—and our sacred religion as " obscene
idolatry." It is that party to which the English majo-
rity of Peel's supporters belong ; that party for whose
existence in Parliament the triumph of the Orange faction
in Ireland is essentially necessary. The prospect before us
is indeed portentous, and would be frightful to any others
except such as us, who have already seen bad days, and
have seen that they were only for a season. And yet,
who can contemplate without some emotions of dismay,
and much of ineffable disgust, the desecration and the
pollution of the high places, which will be a necessary
consequence of the Tory restoration ? Heaven knows,
we have had no great occasion to be loud in the
praises of our existing Tory Judges ; nor do I know
that any of them has been praised by any organ
of the Irish people. But such as they are—un-
lauded as they are—they are angels of light when
compared to the men who are likely to suc-
ceed them. The hour of promotion for the truculent,
the ferocious, the hypocritical, and the bigoted, has
arrived. There may be an occasional selection of some
time-serving Catholic, who has bent the knee before
the Dagon of Orangeism, even in its obscuraton. But
the bench will be crowded, as a necessary result of
Orange domination, with the very men whose angry
passions have been roused at the introduction of an
impartial system, and who% bigotry will make for itself
a false conscience, when, in due form of law, it will
affect the property, the liberty, and the lives of the
Catholic people of Ireland.
But it is not in the higher tribunals alone that the
anti-national virulence of the Orange party will be felt.
There is not one partisan magistrate, nor one restless
curate of the Establishment, who has been properly put
out of the commission of the peace, but is certain of
immediate restoration. It is quite true that little—
very little—has been done to purge the magistracy ; the
great protection which the Irish people had from the
recent Ministry was the number of stipendiary justices,
and the constant vigilance of the law officers of the
Crown over the conduct of each of the justices of the
peace. But when that vigilance once more is placed in
the other scale—that is, to protect and imdemnify the
magisterial partisans—alas, . for poor Ireland! what a
fearful view does the approaching futurity present!
Again will the Orange lodges which, in the absence
of their former leaders, and even during the late Admi-
nistration, were organised and augmented, again will
they spring into a doubly vigorous life. Again will
their armed processions terrify the land, and cover it
with human blood ! Again will an armed Orange yeo-
manry insult and injure ; and again will every stimulant
be applied to force the reluctant people into a driftless,
insane, and, under every possible circumstance, wicked
insurrection

Yet, afflicting and melancholy as are our prospects, if
you, my countrymen, ask me whether I despair ?—my
answer is—NO! NEVER! There is a God in heaven
there are true-hearted Irishmen upon earth ; and I
therefore, never will despair. On the contrary, my cry
is loud and long—Rally for Ireland! Irishmen ! rally
for Old Ireland ! The spirit of freedom is abroad. Be
not dismayed. Be not intimidated. Rally for Ireland,
Irishmen !—once more, rally to our loved fatherland !
What do we demand ?—EQUALRIGHTS, EQUAL FRAN-
CHISES, EQUAL FREEDOM with Great Britain. THE AP-
PLICATION OF THE TITHE RENT CHARGES to the mainte-
nance of the Poor-law establishments without prejudice
to vested interests—or, rather, with a different provision
to compensate for vested interests. Let us rally for
these ; lk us animate the entire country into one simul-
taneous cry for these mighty objects. Let there be
such a combination hi Ireland as will once more drive
the Tories from their ill-gotten and necessarily abusive
power. Let us combine with all the steady and the sa-
gacious among the genuine Reformers of England and
Scotland ; and that which we have done once already,
we may do again ; and making it impossible for Tory-
ism to continue in power, contribute to establish and
support a really Liberal Administration ; which, avoid-
ing the shoals of " finality" and the prejudices of oli-
garchy, may peaceably, but firmly, direct the popular
movement in the steady and safe amelioration of insti-
tutions, in the increase of francluse3, and consolidation of
civil and religious freedom.
Aly present plans are these :

First, Let the nobilty and gentry who assembled at
the Theatre in Dublin, upon a recent occasion, come
forward now at once, and head the popular cause. Let
the Duke of Leinster, the Earl of Charlemont, and the
other noblemen and gentlemen who assembled there,
take their natural and prominent station in the front of
the Irish people—let the terms of the combination
between us be distinctly understood—let no extreme
opinion be enforced, nor any basis be required but that
upon which ALL will consent to stand. I am, it is
quite true, impatient to raise the Repeal cry ; but I
will not do it until I see whether the appeal which I
now make to those who acted with the Duke of Lein-
ster upon that occasion will be availing or not. If it
shall avail—if the patriotism of these personages be
roused at once (for it will be otherwise uscless)—this
I can promise in your name, my countrymen, that we
will show perfect candour and observe perfect faith to
the allies which Ireland will have just brought into new
and most salutary activity.
But if, as is most probable, this appeal be ineffectual
—and if the torpor which has benumbed the honesty and
political integrity of so many of our countrymen in ex-
alted station shall still continue, leaving their love of
country an amiable but a dormant passion—then, even
then, there shall be no despair. The Irish nation has
abundant resources to meet every contingency.
My second plan is this—PßEcunsous, ARISE !
Let every parish in Ireland send in its list of Precur-
sors. In the short space of one fortnight we procured
petitions, signed by upwards of 600,000 Irishmen, pray-
ing the House of Commons to prevent the restoration of
Orange misrule. Why should not we have 600,000
additional Precursors in another fortnight ? There is
no reason why the enrolment of Precursors should not
proceed, whilst the Duke of Leinster and his co-opera-
tors are considering the propriety of joining the people
in a general Society for advancing the cause of Re-
form. If they concur in my plan, the Precursors can
amalgamate with them easily, and in the manner in
which the " Leinsterites" (to coin a word for the
occasion) may heartily concur. But it is in the people
—in the Precursors—that my reliance is placed. I
address this letter to every parish in Ireland. I ask
the inhabitants of each parish to demonstrate at once
that they are not ready to submit to Orange tyranny
and cruelty. Each parish which has an abhorrence of
the restoration of Orangeisro will at once join the Pre-
cursor body. It is most important that we should at
once demonstrate to Scotland and to England our
detestation of that bigoted and intolerant party, that
has so long misgoverned Ireland. An universal Pre-
cursor movement is now the evidence of our love of
father-land.

I myself will be in the Precursor Society as soon as
possible. The moment that the Tory tyranny is
arranged here I shall take my departure for Ireland.
' A dissolution of Parliament is, of course, imminent,
and can be rendered useful to the popular party only
by the multiplication of Precursors all over the laud.
I may be asked, why I do not at once raise the repeal
cry? In replying, I shall be, of course, perfectly candid.
Recent events make me only more thoroughly convinced
than ever that Ireland can obtain substantial justice
only by the repeal. But the more thoroughly I am
convinced of this truth, the more steady and cautious
am I in my mode of re-commencing the repeal agitation.
Once begun, it can never be again abandoned ; and it
must not be begun in heat, intemperance, or violence.
Cool and steady ; cautious, but not slow, must be our
mode of seeking that repeal. I know by much expe-
rience that no subject thrills to the hearts of the
Irish people like the repeal ; and it is now highly pro.
bable that within a few weeks the repeal cry must be
raised. But it will not be raised with the less effect
for the good temper and deliberation of those who are to I
sustain it.
But let us first see what form of combination of efforts