The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-09 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN POLITICAL UNION.

Yesterday a meeting took place at the Eagle Tavern,
City-toad, fur the purpose of taking into consideration the
state of the country, and the adoption of a Metropolitan
" Political Union." It was held in the bowling-green of
that tavern, and the gallery along one side of the green
constituted the hustings. A chair was placed in the centre
of it for the Chairman. The landing-place at the top of
the stairs, and in fi out of the gallery, was need as a
" Forum," whence the several speaker, addressed the
Meeting. The opposite wall, where the tennis game is
played, acted as a boundary fur the Meeting, and limited
the sound so well, that the persons near it could hear as
well as those at short distances front the hustings. By
eleven o'clock the people began to assemble in vast numbers,
although the placards along the roads announced that the
meeting would not commence business till one o'clock.—
By twelve o'clock the green was entirely filled, and those
who arrived afterwards, were obliged to content tkemselves
with remaining at very respectful distances from the
" Forum." All, however, could see very well, and the
favourable weather kept all in good humour ; they were
quiet till the commencement of the meeting. It was cal-
culated that at this time there were assembled not fewer '
than 16,000 persons. The gallery was full of company,
half consisting of most respectably dressed ladies. The
whole scene was an imposing and interesting one.
At one o'clock the grand party entered the Bowling-
green. Mr. Hunt led the way. He was followed by
Mr. O'Connell, a piety of friends, the Committee, &c.
They were greeted with loud applause. Mr. O'Connell
was dressed in a green frock-coat and a large blue mantle,
carrying in his hand a blue travelling-cap with gold and
green band. Mr. Hunt was true blue, both with coat and
trousers. Having ascended the stairs, Mr. Hunt introduced
Mr. O'Connell, who was hailed by rene Ned rounds of ap-
plause, followed by three rounds of cheers, on the proposi-
tion of Mr. Hunt.
Mr. HURT then stepped forward. He begged to pre-
mise that all would endeavour to preserve silence and order;
that none would make a noise by cry ing out " silence !"
nor create disorder by calling out " order !"—(Cheers and
laughter. )_He now had merely to propose that Daniel
O'Connell, Esq., M.P., do take the Chair.—(Loud ap-
plauw.)—Carried unanimously, and with immense cheer-
ing, amidst which—
Mr. O'CosieirLL stepped forward. He was truly prom!
of the high honour they had just conferred on him—the
honour of presiding over a meeting of honest British sub-
jects, who were too good to suffer themselves to he tilled
by an oligarchy—too intellectual not to see the wrongs in-
flicted on them—and too patriotic not to look for Constitu-
tional redres.—(Cheers.)—This was not the first time he
had to address a meeting in the open air ; on the con-
trary, as they might have heard, he had often had so to
address his countrymen ; and, on all those occasion's, his
countrymen had permitted him to address them with a
cap on. He ha I the self-same cap with him—(holding up
the aforesaid-described cap),—and, with their permission,
he would do in England as he Lad done in Ireland.—
(Cries of " Do, do.")—Ile would wear his cap ; but if
it should be deemed a mark of disrespect, he certainly
would not wear the cap, great as would be to him the
convenience of wearing it.—(Renewed cries of " Do,
do !" " Wear the cap.) Mr. O'Connell (having
mounted his comfortable cap, amidst mingled applause's
and merriment of the immense meeting) proceeded :—He
said he held in his hand the requisition to the Lord
Mayor, to allow this meeting to be held in the Guildhall,
but it seemed his Lordship had declined to allow the meet-
ing to be held, though he had permitted the meeting about
the Spaniards: his Lordship seemed to prefer the Spanish
to the English, and in that he thought his Lordship
showed very bad taste.—(Cheers and a laugh.)—He could
not sympathise with any man whose tender mercies could
see foreign calamities without being alive to those at
home, and who could not be animated by the distresses
and calls of those who had been deprived of the benefits of
the freest Constitution, in England, by the efforts of an
Oligarchy—an authority who had usurped to the few
those powers and benefits which were intended for, and
of right belonged to the many,—(Hear.)—He must again
say, that having been called to the chair of this meeting,
it was the proudest circumstance of his political life. He
kart not been more gratified since he hail escaped from that
political degradation to which he was once subjected, since
the breaking of those chains which, with the blessing.of
God, they had destroyed for ever. He differed from them
somewhat in accent—his language had a touch of the Irish
mountains, and therefore, perhaps, he might not he all
they could wish ; but the selection they had made in
desiring him to take the Chair was to him a source
of consolation, comfort, and triumph. He also
thanked them for the honour they had conferred on him,
because it afforded him the opportunity of vindicating
his principles as a Radical Reformer.—(Cheers.)—lle
was, in the first place, a Radical Reformer of the abuses
in the law—of the chicanery, expence, and delay, in what
were called the Law Courts of the country. He wished
the law to be clear and intelligible, and tke administration
of it cheap, expeditious, and nnvexatious. lle would