The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-17 00:00:00

This being the day for the aggregate meeting at the Co-
bourg Gardens, for the purpose of expressing public
opinion upon the present crisis of public affairs, and public
confidence in the Government of Lord Mulgrave, from 11
o'clock a stream of people bee-an moving along all the
streets leading to the place of' meeting. A few minutes
after one o'clock Lord Charlemont entered the Gardens
amidst the most enthusiastic cheering, ivhich were renewed
when the Noble Lord took the chair. At this period there
could not be less than sixty thousand persons in front of
the platform, wedged closely together. And as we re-
turned (within a quarter of two o'clock) to report the
opening of the proceedings, a powerful stream of people was
still moving to the point of attraction ; so that we do not
in the least overstate when we declare our conviction, that
before an hour one hundred thousand persons will have
been assembled on and about the platform—an assemblage
of all ranks and denominations, animated by one deter-
mined spirit of peaceful and constitutional resistance to
bad government and Toryism, and an anxiety to support
the lawi and extend the liberties of the country, and in the
protection necessary to assert which the public voice has
identified the present Administration as bound up, and the
removal of whom, the country would, in the present aspect
of affairs, take as a declaration of war, a signal of con-
vulsion in Ireland. Among the persons, for the short time
we remained, whom we were able to ascertain as present '
on the platform, were the following :—Lords Charlemont,
Miltown, and Talbot de Malahide ; Hon. F. Cavendish,
Henry Grattan, M.P., Hon. Richard Westenra, Sir W.
M. Somerville, Bart., Sir William H. Palmer, Bart, D.L.
and J.P. ; Sir Thomas Esmonde, Sir Wm. Park, William
Francis Finn, M.P., J. J. Begot, D.L., Leland Crosth-
waite, D.L., T. Boyce, Esq. (Bannow) ; Captain Patrick
Fottrell, J.P., Capt. Edward White, R.N., J.P. ; Colonel
H. White, Rev. Mr. Armstrong, Dissenting Clergyman ;
Walter Burke, Edward Berwick, Francis Brady, Richard
Barrett, William R. Creed, E. R. P. Colles, Henry Col-
les, J.P., Marcus Costello, Edward Clements, W. Curry,
K.C., J. A. Curran, Thos. Dickson, K.C., John D'Arcy,
John D'Alton, Laurence Finn, Arthur French, James
Finn, John Guthrie, T. Hutton, W. Jeffcott, W. G. Kelly,
G. R. Leake, J. J. Murphy, W. Fletcher, D. Lynch, J.
F. D'Arcy, A. M'Carthy, D. M‘Nevin, T. Moylan, Daniel
WDerrnott, Thomas M'Kane, William M'Dermott, Mi-
chael Henry Murphy, Wm. Magennis, T. O'Mara, J.P.,
Mathew O'Donnell, Richard O'Gcrman, Richard O'Con-
nell, James O'Dowd, John Power, Alexander Sherlock,
J.P., Joseph Stock, L.L.D., K.C., Michael Staunton, Wm.
Marmion Savage, Pierce Simpson (late High Sheriff of
Leitrim) ; Anthony Wills, Cadwallader Waddy, Laurence
Esinond White, J.P., Esqrs., &c. &c.
Mr. JOHN POWER rose and proposed Messrs. Leland
Crosthwaite and Alexander M'Carthy joint secretaries to
the meeting, which was seconded and carried with accla-
mation.
Mr. LELAND CROSTHWAITE advanced to the front of
the platform, and said—Fellow-countrymen and fellow-
citizens, I thank you for the honour you have done me in
appointing me one of your joint secretaries upon this im-
portant and interesting occasion, when we are met to de-
mand justice, -and a Charlemont presides over us.—
(Cheers.) I believe it is my duty to read to you the re-
quisition by which this meeting has been called together,
and you will find attached to it names that would do ho-
nour to any cause or any assembly. Mr. Crosthwaite
then read the requisition, which was as follows :—" We,
the undersigned, considering it to be of the utmost im-
portance that public opinion in Ireland should be dis-
tinctly declared upon the present state of political af-
fairs, request a meeting of the inhabitants of the county
and city of Dublin, at the Cobourg Gardens, on this day
(Monday), the 15th of May, at the hour of one o'clock
in the afternoon, for the purpose of expressing, in a dutiful
and loyal address to our gracious monarch, our unabated
and entire confidence in his present ministers ; and our
earnest hope that no delays or disappointments, with re-
spect to any legislative measures, may induce them to
abandon a position in which they have been placed by our
gracious Sovereign, and supported by a majority of the
the House of Commons ; and which has enabled them to
pursue a course of executive policy from which Ireland has
already derived many importrnt advantages."
Mr. M'CaeTice then said—l have never experienced
so great a gratification as that which I now feel, in being
selected as one of the secretaries to this important meet-
ing. It is an inspiring and truly national sight to see
such an assembly, met to demand justice for Ireland, and
express their confidence in the first administration which
has done us justice, and to see presiding over it such a
nobleman as has done us the honour to take the chair to-
day.—(Loud cheers.) There are some names which be-
long less to those who bear them than to their country,
which are handed down from generation to generation like
lofty beacons to point out to their descendants and their
countrymen the course they should pursue, and such a
name is Charlemont.—(Enthusiastic cheering.) It is a
name belonging to Ireland, and assuredly this day gives
her a new claim to the possession of it.—(Cheers.) I
have but one word more to say—l hope the meeting
will proceed to business at once with the concord, delibe-
ration, and unanimity belonging to men struggling for their
rights.—(Cheers.)
Lord CHARLEMONT now appeared at the front of the
platform, and was received with long continued cheering
and waving of bats. It is indeed impossible adequately
to describe the enthusiasm which his Lordship's presence
elicited. When silence was restored, the Noble Earl ad-
dressed the assembly in that emphatic and expressive
Manner for which he is so remarkable :—Gentlemen and
fellow-countrymen, you have a guarantee in my voice, un-
accustomed to public addresses, that I will not detain you
long from the momentous business which has brought us
together ; and even if there was not that to prevent me, I
hope I would not intrude too long upon your attention.—
(Cheers.) It is my first duty to express my thanks for
the exalted situation in which you have placed me ; and I
trust you will not accuse me of overweening vanity if I
say, that, while I am most proud of it, I think I have a
birth-right to a leading-place among Irishmen.—(Enthusi-
astic cheering.) Were Ito claim it or hold it simply upon
personal grounds, I feel that the attempt would be a failure ;
but I depend upon my name—the name of my father—
(Cheers)—even more than the zeal for my country's good
which 1 trust in God I have ever, and I will ever display.
Ireland always found friends even in the worst of times ;
but too often has she discovered that the possession of
power destroyed the inclination to serve her.—(Hear, hear.)
It is well, then, that there are some among her children
who dare not swerve from the advocacy of her rights. If I
was capable of forgetting the cause of Ireland, I dare not—
for how could I meet the spirit of my sainted sire ?—(Loud
cheers.) No, gentlemen, I could not ; he would spurn me
as unworthy of his blood or his name.—(Enthusiastic cheers.)
Gentlemen, we have met at a momentous period, and for an
important purpose.—( Hear, and cheers.) We are told by
our enemies that we risk the peace of the city ; but I look
round me now at this numerous but perfectly peaceable as-
sembly, and ask where is the symptom of the disturbance
they pretended to fear ? Was the city ever more tranquil ?
—(Renewed cheering.) I am not afraid of the peace of the
city, and if any responsibility rests upon the originators of
this meeting, I am most willing to take it upon myself.—
(Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, we have a king who gave his
assent to the great measure of Parliamentary reform, which
established the independence of the empire.—(Cheers.)
We have a patriotic Ministry, who are ready and anxious
to redress all our grievances.—( Hear, and cheers.) But,
gentlemen, the good Administration, or even his gracious
Majesty, whom I will call William the Reformer, cannot
give us the measures of relief we require, unless theyehre
supported by the people of Ireland.—(Hear, and cheers.)
The nation must speak out, and declare that they will have
their rights, and that they will seek unceasingly to attain
them by every legal means.—(Hear, hear.) Therefore it is
that we are now met.—( Hear, and cheers.) The ressuisi-
tion which was read to you told you the precise obje ct of
the meeting, and different gentlemen will address se ou on
the subject of resolutions which have been proposed to be
submitted to you, and which, I have little doubt, wiU meet
with your entire concurrence.—(Hear and cheers.) Upon
your unanimity, I may say, depends the fate of Ireland, for
I have said that your enemies anticipate disorder, in which
you will surely disappoint them.—(Cheers.) It is almost
unnecessary for me to recommend perfect tranquillity, and J
to call upon you, if any person holding different sentiment,
from you and from me wish to address you, to hear him.- _
(Hear, hear.) I call upon you in the spirit of fair pl. (
iettie-
is
for which Irishmen lay claim, to hear him fully and fair)
and yours is a good cause.—(Loud cheers.) If the 'smn
(Hear, hear)—a good cause never suffered from disco, 'l'---
pmrainnciapnleminsgeugsu,aslh
jouwstile to that our
hperearcs.t)ice ' re b;
assue urh a
ts well
justice to
men, I shall detain you no longer. I again the' J-k
v ou f
or
the high honour you have conferred upon me, and'
or
conclude by promising that you will ever fir I 1 li
mayl
devoted to the cause of my country. (14 Nob' e Earl
a ,ne z....; heady
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