The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-03 00:00:00

MR. O'CONNELL IN CORK.

Mr. O'Connell having announced e the dinner given to
him on Monday, that he would attend at the Chamber of
Commerce, on Tuesday, at one o'clock, to form a Precursor
Society for the city and county, a number of the citizens
awaited his arrival in the public room of that establishment at
the appointed hour—amongst whom was pointed out to us the
Rev. Mr. Burton, Protestant Clergyman. He shortly ap-
peared, and taking the Chair, proposed—
That we adopt the resolutions Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4, published
in the Morning Register of the 20th of August, viz.:-
4' First—There shall be formed a roll or register of all
those, without any possible distinction of sect or persuasion,
who shall think fit to enrol themselves as Members of the
Precursor Society.

" Second—That such register shall be kept by a Secretary
in Dublin, and that the sum of Is. be paid under each name
enrolled—such money to be applied exclusively to the current
expenses of the Society.
" That Mr. be appointed Secretary, and Mr.
Treasurer.

" Fourth—The enrolment shall be extended all over Ire-
land, and the names and subscriptions transmitted to Dublin.
" That an enrolment of members for the city and county
of Cork, in this city, be forthwith entered on. That the fol-
lowing members undertake each for himself to procure the
enrolment of twenty members; and that with all expedition, the
return of such enrolments be made to the Committee and Secre-
tary, who are hereby directed to transmit the same, with the
entrance contribution to the head of the Society at Dublin."
Mr. Hayes was then appointed Secretary, when Mr. O'Con-
nell called on the meeting to give in their names, and pay the
subscription to the Secretary.
Mr. CRAWFORD desired to know whether the Liberator
would permit persons to contribute sums exceeding a shilling,
making that the minium.

Mr. O'Cosseee replied that it was his wish no larger sum
than one shilling should be taken from any individual. He
desired all to be on an equslity, there being no man that
could not afford a shilling for the benefit of his country,
while if the snore wealthy were permitted to subscribe ac-
cording to his means a rivalry might be the consequence,
arid the man of slender means might feel hurt at his inability
to subscribe equal to his neighbour, while others might not
give anything looking on the sum they could afford as too
trifling to present.—( Hear, hear.) For all these reasons he
thought it better they should accept no larger sum from any
individual, and though the individual sum were small, in the
aggregate it would be found large, as he intended having
before next November one million members of the Associa-
tion, who at a shilling each would contribute a sum of .50,000/.
Was that nothing ?—( Hear, hear.) He was a thinking man,
and he loved to think aloud in the presence of those who
co-operated with him. It was evident the Ministry were
powerless. The Tithe Bill they brought out was destroyed in
its course through Parliament. Then there was the Munici-
pal Bill, which in point of fact, if it was permitted to be law,
would have made the municipalities worse than they were at
pre sent. The feeling of England was becoming stronger
and stronger against Ireland. The English Papers taunted
the Irish Members with protecting the present Administration,
bat he believed they had not done wrong in keeping the scoun-
drel Orangemen out of power. He felt it might he tedious to
his hearers that he should again revert to topics he had pre-
viously spoken on—(No, no)—but he could not help imposing
on them that which was a sacred duty, and they should recol-
lect that on their own exertions everything depended ; for if
they again permitted Orangeism to raise its head—if they
again, through inactivity, permitted the Orange faction in Ire-
land to get into power, tho Irish people would be in
a worse position than they ever occupied.—( Hear, hear. )
The Orangemen were now in a state of restriction, but if
they again got into power they would keep the Catholics'
noses to the grinding stone. They would have a more ferocious
spirit of domination about them—they would secure
the harshest possible measures which they would carry into
operation with the most determined malignity.—( Hear. ) But
if the Irish nation bestirred itself, it would have an opportunity
of showing so formidable a front in November that one word
in Dublin would get meetings in every parish throughout at
least three of the provinces. To be sure, in the North, the
Northern Whig and Sharman Crawford were against them,
but he (Mr. O'Connell) had seen a letter from a gentleman
there to a friend, who was opposed to repeal, where he said he
knew Londonderry and Belfast when O'Connell agitated it,
at which time all the wealthier class were opposed to him, but
he was then sorry to say that many had altered their opinions.
—(Hear, hear.) He ( Mr. O'Connell) meant having a letter
in the Morning Chronicle shortly, but first he had a little
question to settle with the American Ambassador—( A laugh)
—and he should then address the Morning Chronicle, telling
the English people what he wanted; insisting upon equalization
of representation, for if they had 150 men in the House of Com-
mons he would defy them to be trampled upon—though of
the 150 there would be but 148 friends to Ireland for there
were two of them they never could have—those for the Uni-
versity. He was thinking aloud while he was talking, and he
saw no chance for them but in their own exertions, and cer-
tainly if they exerted the:nselves and did not lie down like
dogs, there was some prospect for Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) It
was degrading to his country to think that five Irishmen had
only the same share in the constitution that two English-
men had, and that two Irishmen had but the same share as
one Scotchman. His country was two long oppressed—she
could bear it no longer—history was but a catalogue of her
sufferings ' • and by the way, he was writing a history of Ire-
land.—( Laughter.) He had commenced the book-120 pages
of it were already printed, it would contain 2,000 pages ; it
would be ready before November.—( Hear, hear.) It would
form a beautiful litany of the crimes Ireland submitted to. He
had divided Ireland into epochs from the reign of Henry the
Second to that of James the First—from the time it was lawful
for any man to kill a Papist. —( Laughter.) Spencer gave a plan
for conquering Ireland. He said it was impossible to root them
out by warfare, as when they were routed from one place
they fled to another, and at last sheltered themselves in bogs,
and
fast thatais
and he therefore advised the destruction of the harvests in
itpted that b y
the people
s o
MMunster every year for five years. That humane plan was
adopted
s o
esaid
had i
seen
e n his
childrenacc o unt
of
sucking the breasts of their dead mothers. —( This was followed
by an expression of horror from the meeting.) What an
afflicting state the country was then in, and it would come to
the same if they did not still protect themselves. His counsel
led no man to risk anything. They risked nothing—they
would but keep their nobility at home—gain their
political
rights—avoid degradation—work out the prosperity of every
individual—procure for the labourer a due reward for his labour
—secure to the commercial man a profit for his capital—for
the farmer a compensating price for his produce—for the land-
owner the value of his property.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. O'Con-
nell concluded by calling on all to exert themselves to get sig-
natures to the list of the Association, as upon that all depended.
After the meeting the Hon. and Learned Member left
Cork, accompanied by his brother, on his way to Derrynane.