The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-22 00:00:00

attention to her deliverance.—( lhar, hear.) They were the
first Ministry that attempted to govern Ireland without re-
ference to religion, sectarian, or party feelings.—(Hear,
hear.) The toast he had to propose was, " Her Majesty's
Ministers."

The toast was drunk with great applause.
The CHAIRMAN had now to propose a toast which Irishmen
would drink with pleasure—Lord Mulgrave and the Irish Go-
vernment. They all knew the admirable manner and the ex-
cellent effect with which the Noble Lord exercised the duties
of his most important office. His enemies made feeble, abor-
tive, and he might say contemptible, attacks on his Go. ern-
ment, in the House of Lords; but Lord Mulgrave disproved
and rebutted all their assertions, and probably we should never
hear more of them.—( Hear.) They would all drink with plea-
sure—" Lord Mulgrave and the Irish Government."
The toast was drunk with all honour and applause.
Song—" And cloth not a meeting like this."
The CHAIRMAN was now arrived at tile name to do honour
to which was the great object of their meeting.—( The whole
company instantly rose and gave repeated rounds of applause.)
When he looked back even to a recent period, at the state
in which his country was ; when lie considered what it was
when Mr. O'Connell had commenced his career of patriotism
—even after what he had achieved in a few years—it ap-
peared incredible that any people could have remained in
in such a degraded state so long. Nine-tenths of the
people of Ireland had then no voice in the legislation ; the
change that has since taken place, had—from a small be-
ginning—become the admiration of the Empire and the
world—( Hear, and loud cheering)—and it was mainly
owing to Mr. O'Connell's wisdom, and foresight, and huma-
nity, and the generous use he made of his power, by which he
excited the people to vindicate their rights in the most peace-
ful manner, and prevented any excess of feeling, which, under
less able and humane guidance might have steeped the coun-
try in blood.—( Hear, hear.) lie had taught the civilized
world the greatest lesson of any man who had ever power to
struggle for the freedom of his country, to appeal to moral,
not to physical force.—(Great applause.) Mr. O'Connell
had recently given strong proof of his readiness to sacrifice
even his popularity to the true interests of the people. There
was no doubt he would follow up his enlightened view on that
subject in legislation, and would render great good to both
countries. There was no instance in history in which a power-
ful Aristocracy—powerful, he would say, from their possessions
and constitution, and great intellect—there was no instance in
history of a private individual, in opposition to such an Aris-
tocracy, having arrived at the summit of moral force and in-
fluence Mr. O'Connell had attained. The recent occurrence
had but served to give stability to his power, which ho exer-
cised with so much moderation. As his power increased his
wisdom and moderation appeared to increase also. He should
not longer detain them from the eloquence they were all so
anxious to hear, but would at once give the toast—" Daniel
O'Connell."

The toast was drunk with the most rapturous aad long-con-
tinued applause.
When the applause had in some degree subsided, Mr.
O'Connell rose and took his stand on the table, which ope-
rated as a signal for the renewal of the applause; in which the
ladies bore their full share, as far as waving their handkerchiefs
could give expression to their feelings.
Mr. O'CONNELL was at length permitted to proceed
He would own, and he said it without the least affectation—
(the Hon. Gentleman appeared to be deeply affected)—he
never in his life felt so overpowered as when first he entered
that room. When he looked at such an assemblage, he
asked himself could he be the cause? He could account for
the natives of his own country, who were in the habit of
committing the error of considering his co-operation with
them in the cause of freedom as entitling him to their grati-
tude. But it could not be that such a company had met to-
gether in the greatest country in the world to pay a compli-
ment to him. No ; it was to testify their approbation of the
great principles that had guided his public life. It was the
principle that the freedom and happiness of the human race
was to be obtained without violence, without shedding one
drop of blood.—(Hear.) He was delighted the more that
they had not met in flattery for him, but in sympathy for his
country._.( Hear, hear.) They knew she had for years been
badly governed—there was no mincing the matter—their
fathers had connived at the wrong.—( Hear, hear.) No
country under the sun ever suffered so much from connection
with another country as Ireland had done from its connection
with England. How few of those whom ho addressed knew
what had been the laws oppressing Ireland for hundreds of
years—how few knew that at one time it would have been
legal to kill an Irishman like himself ! Their Chairman had
by no means overstated what was once the miserable condition
of Ireland. Farther, the Irish were prohibited from accu-
mulating property; was that no grievance? They had also
been prohibited from education ; was there no injustice in
that ?—( Hear, hear.) And that was the state of Ireland
when he was born—it was rather different now.—(Cheers.)
Though it would be presumptuous in him to boast that he
had taken any part in promoting the change, he might
be allowed to say that he had witnessed the change,
and that he had enjoyed it, and ho wouli tell them
why—because it had enabled him, and those who thought
with him, to show the gratitude that was felt for the
sympathy of England towards Ireland, and to show
it by joining in the struggle making in England for the ad-
vancement of English liberty.—( Hear, hear.) But he would
not disguise his sentiments. His first thoughts were for
Ireland ; and he was sure they would pardon him for loving
the green land of Lis birth.—(Cheers.) He, however,
should feel that he was unworthy of Isis country if he had
not joined in the struggles to advance the liberties of all
this great empire. When the Reform Bill was in jeo-
pardy, did he stop to calculate what was to be gained
by balancing between parties?—( Hear, hear.) No ;he
supported with all his ability, as did those who thought
and acted with him; and the Reform Bills for England and
Scotland, and the Municipal Corporation Bills for England
and Scotland, were passed—trade was opened to Ilindostan
and to China—and the prospect of liberty was secured to
800,000 men. He, therefore, felt that he had some title to
their sympathy.—(Hear, bear.) Well, then, he would ask
leer,
them, after so mach had been achieved for England and
Scotland, whether Ireland ought to remain as it was ?—( No,
no.) Those whom he addressed had got a Reform Bill of a
very extensive character, though, he admitted, short of what
they ought to have, for, without meaning to offend any one,
he frankly avowed that he was the advocate of Universal Suf-
frage. They might dispute his discretion in making the
avowal—but he never was a discreet politician.—( A laugh
and cheers.) He believed that all who p&d towards the
maintenance of the State in purse or person, were entitled to
a voice in the representation. They, however, had got their
Reform Bill—but how infinitely more extensive than the Irish
Reform Bill.—( Hear, hear.) And the worst of the Irish
Reform Bill was, that it went just far enough to expose them
to all the tyrannies of Spottiswoode gangs—(Cheers)—and
before all, and above all, to the e perjury" of Tory Com-
mittees.—( Tremendous cheering.)
tofroamccolu'inmt'for them. He would repeat the words
The press might te-morroa.nedgtilvieuum'tiegrialitnicle)ee tstophotehkoes
—if
meansaldvvoi words
sd
hisya s.
martyr for repeating this troth, he was
ready ; he declared that Ireland was not safe from the " per-
jury" of the English and Scotch gentry upon the Committees.
Thi:n.efiyngtig'tceoacroloekl e-n"da.eenreoattohboenathelioly Gospels to do justice, and they
acted to promote the interests of party.--( Hear, hear.) Was
not that horrible to think of ?—( Hear, hear.) That they
should so act, who so swore—they who were to be the
examples of surrounding thousands who were on the Bench
administering the laws, and whose conduct was watched in
order to be imitated ; that such persons in the House of Com-
mons rhould " perjure" themselves—he repeated, was not
that horrible to think of ?—( Hear, hear.) The time was
come to proclaim the fact, and if a martyr to this cause of
truth were wanting he was ready.—(llear, hear.) Now,
ought they not to assist him to correct this evil, as well as
net an enlarged Reform Bill for Ireland, that country's Mem-
bers having assisted England? At that time Lord Stanley
vets Secretary for Ireland, and, unfortunately, that Secretary
was toe successful in over-riding the Grey Administration on
the subject of the Irish Reform 11:11.—( I lear. ) He then had
to ask them to assist !relate! to get Parliamentary Reform
and Municipal Reform equal to the measures possessed by
England and Scotland.—(A voice exclaimed, " All alike"—
an exclamation which, from its terseness and appositeness,
called forth loud and instantaneous applause ) Yes, " all
Cheers') The wit of Curran and the eloquence of
Fox could not have said anything better at that moment.
The words should henceforth be inscribed on their banners,
" All alike."—(Continued cheers.) He thanked the gentle-
man for supplying him with such correct words. But how
stood the fact ? At present it was all unlike.—( Hear, hear.)
Now, they might recollect that there existed between the
two countries what was called a Union ; but did not a Union
mean " all alike ?"—(Cheers.). And yet, was all so unlike
was there anything so disuniting as an " all unlike" Union?
—( Hear, hear. ) lie, therefore, distinctly repeated, and gladly
adopted, the language of the gentleman—if the Union were
to he preserved and justice done—" all alike."—(Continued
cheers.) He had often repeated that the Union was a cob-
web, except justice were done, and that the fight that was car-
ried on was very like the war in which the giant and the
dwarf engaged—the giant got the plunder, and the dwarf re-
ceived the blows. That he had often felt that he was the dwarf,
not personally, certainly; he had before sought to sever that Union
as injurious to his country. And why did he pursue a dif-
ferent course now ? Because that company told him that
there was no necessity to look for the severance of the Union
to secure justice for Ireland. —(Cheers.) No ! that honest
expression, " All alike," would pass beyond that room, and go
through Ireland ; and there the sentiment would be echoed—
if the Union were to be continued they must be " all alike."
—(Cheers.) His efforts would be to make the Union com-
plete ; but that could only be done by an equalization of
rights, They had Municipal Corporations reformed. What
had Ireland ?—lle wished the.y could see an Irish Corporation.
—( A laugh.) No miserable farce at the most miserable
theatre could be more trumpery and desaicable—only the
thing was not farcical in its power and punishments, and it
had a sting in its tail.—( Laughter and cheering.) There, in
Dublin, they had a Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common
Councilmen, elected by some 400 persons ; and they had
considerable property ; but if all Ireland were Orangemen
they had nothing to spare--" the thieves had only
enough for themselves."—( Loud cheering and laughter.)
The Reform had not done much for Ireland ; and what was
' the prospect? Unless a ray of common sense shed itself over
the high character and military renown of the Duke of Wel-
lington, or come over the selfish calculations of his colleague,
Sir R. Peel, the Lope fur Ireland would not be so strong acd
immediate as he should like it to he. Still he had this con-
solation, that the spirit of John Bull would not suffer any ad-
ministration long to remain in office that subjected Ireland to
the government of a faction. If that were not his conviction,
he should almost despair—if he dared to despair.—( Hear. )
But the Reform Bill and the Municipal Corporation Reform
sill mu:4 be " all alike." He sought nut to take any other