The Sun.
London, England, 1836-10-15 00:00:00

Flea and the triumphs we have won togaher, without taking
a retrospect of them—( Hear.) In all that is delightful
in human existence, there is and must be, from the consti-
;anion of
human nature, something painful, and my only.
Pang in meeting so many of my friends here is that I can-
not but recollect, full as this room is, and greatly pressed
together as is this assembly, that there are wanting some
to
the early, of the brightest ornaments, which eneared
me •
its associations.—(Cheers.) The Right Honourable
Gentleman then enumerated a number of his old friends
amongst the citizens of Limerick who had been removed from
amongst them. He then continued :—I shall not enumerate
any more names ; but it is important to say that we can look
back upon the virtues attached to them, not only as an ex-
ample to their fellow-citizens, but as marking by their sup-
port the truth, the honour, and the integrity of the cause in
which they were engaged. I shall not say any more upon
this subject, but I rejoice that there are still many
amongst us who represent, not only the names, but the
(worth and virtues of those to whom I have alluded.—
Loud cheers.) The Right Hon. Gentleman then pro-
ceededti to observe, that they had still represented amongst
iem the old independence of Limerick, who had fougt
their battles in bad and boisterous times, and it was to him
cha glory to congratulate them upon their exertions.—(Loud
eers.) In looking back upon the troubled periods to
which he alluded, they would be compelled to take a long
• retrospect indeed ; and the eye would glance from hill top
to hill top, and would lose sight of one object whilst it dwelt
upon another—(Hear)—many difficulties had been opposed
to them in the outset, but they had overcome them all, and
tit was now important to think not only that they had
(ri umnhed, but also to consider why they had triumphed.—
Hear.)
double They had been victorious by the application of a
principle, which would never fail to be successful,
whether in a contest for municipal right or in the vindication
of national rights and national honour.—(Cheers.) That
Principle was to make no mean sacrifice of public principle,
no timid or vacillating concessions to those by whom they
had been opposed ; and whilst they boldly sought for that
to a, •
hich they knew they were entitled, they limited their
demands within constitutional bounds ; for had they exag-
gerated their demands on the one hand, or been timid or fear-
ful on the other, he would ask those gentlemen present
who were well acquainted with the local circumstances to
which he referred, if the one error or the other would not
have been equally fatal to their views ?—(Hear and cheers.)
And he would ask them all, if they could have been charged
wi:_th the adoption of a mere vacillating, temporizing po-
' i eY, would they have deserved success ?—(Cheers)—or on
the other hand, if they had been wild, visionary, and un-
reasonable in their views, would they have merited suc-
cess ?—(Hear, hear.) He was sure they would not, either
on n the one hand or the other, and the sufferers would have
been his fellow citizens, for he still claimed the privilege of
calling them so.—(Hear, hear.) But they felt that they
were excluded from rights which they were entitled to as-
sert ; they sought for them, and for no more, and the real
/;ay in which to make a claim to your own rights was in
doing so to proclaim that with the rights of others you
will not interfere.—(Loud cheers.) The victory they
had thus achieved was an important lesson not only to
themselves, but to others also, and in the course of
the observations he would make to that meeting, he
'would point out—and they well knew the facts of the case,
and the truth of the evidence upon which he would rely
.---that the success that had crowned the efforts of Li-
merick to obtain her rights was a most mature and prac-
tical lesson as to the mode in which both they and
others should persist in the course of future political
events.—(Hear, hear.) In regard to the present meeting
of his fellow-citizens, he undoubtedly did not meet them in
the same relation in which he formerly held towards them ;
but he did not meet them with less affection on his part, be-
cause he was the representative of another constituency,
but he would say to them as he bad said to that constituency,
that an individual returned to serve in Parliament, no mat-
ter for what place, was sent there to perform duties which
were not confined to the limits of a municipality, or of a
county ; he was the representative of the people at large,
and mound to perform his duty towards that Constitution
which had brought him within its reach. If then there
Was one tie broken which had existed between the people of
tirnerick and himself, it nevertheless enabled both him and
them to say, that they met under circumstances which
Placed them both in an advantageous position ; he met
them there as their guest as well in relation to the friend-
!hip that existed between them, as to the high office which
It was his Majesty's pleasure to confer upon him ; but he
met thefts with no selfish object on earth, either directly or
indirectly, either for himself or for any one else ; he met
them as friends, as fellow citizens, and fellow countrymen,
;laid let it not then be said that in any course which
he adopted towards them, he was swayed by personal
interests, or that for his own advantage he had turned aside
from that line of action which should be pursued by an ho-
aest man.—(Hear, and loud cheers.) It was his duty on
an occasion like the present, frankly and openly to declare
the truth without seeking favour, or desiring to flatter pre-
4ncliee•---(Cheers.) His simple object was to speak plainly
and u T
ut sguisedly the feelings of his heart.—(Loud cheers.)
bey had heard from their President, a gentleman dis-
'lnguisbed by the abilities which adorned his public cha-
racter, and no less to be valued for his great intellectual
"(torments than for his private worth, and whose steady
coarse in public life )sad shown that public spirit is re-
eon eileable with calmness and deliberation—(Loud cheers)
nth at Gentleman had said that he (the Chancellor of
the
thexchequer) owed his political existence to them—
bear)--to be sure he did—(Loud cheers) ; and if then
was
were any crimes unwhipped of justice for which he
;I" answerable, he saw many now present who were
Zi.s° responsible for them ; for he saw many around him
° bad made themselves responsible for his political
,""lduct, and he wished therefore that he would be allowed
i
.a.saY a few words in defence of those who had held him a
at the political font of his godfathers. He did not
b„(nv whether or not he had any godmothers—(A laugh)_
1;4 of this he was sure that there could have been no old
if°,ln, the amongst them, for they would not have succeeded
.ert. had been. But in defence of those sponsors who
ejfiiheen answerable for him, he trusted he would be allow-
say a few words in respect to general politics,—
as.;:a hear.) Great events had passed since their early
-'ciations had begun. It was now just eighteen years
aiplicc he had been called into political existence at their de-
fo'e;. for they must recollect that the honour was unsought
eh °Y •but they had been pleased to seek in him a
eo-rnPion to fight their battles, in which they had con-
Zed together.—(Hear.) On this point, however, there
that
scune difference of opinion between them, for whilst
• attribilted their triumphs to him, as their leader, he
theit to those troops which were not under his
til.-: ~.taand, but with which he co-operated. Let him ask
what position were political affairs at that period ,
etiot,"ear, hear.) hie was then free from any personal
stat-cetion whatever with either of the great parties in the
aff•;tiexcept as he might have been influenced by private
• "l or private friendship. The whole political world
~.41left
.1 open for him to choose from ;he had not been
pi: upon by them (his constituents) for even the shadow of
sichjlge ; they had limited their views in that respect to his
%Fr lag the battle which was peculiarly their own, but it was
ale ee for him then to have given his support to the Govern-
(tilt of Lord Liverpool as to the Opposition of that day.—
killear, hear.) By what, then, had his course been deter-
tatne4 ? Prom early life lie had not been an indifferent spec-
r 4f the struggles which separated the friends of popu-
e4tlastitutious, from those who were the stronger advo-
WotZl°f an increase of the prerogatives of the Crown ; he
treat' have been ashamed if he had been indifferent to those
Who fPartY interests. There were arrayed on one side men
Pt;„ .C°ol first to last had been the steady advocates of that
• „eil_
the in', e which they felt to be essential to the well-being of
I'ietC:rests of Ireland ; for ho would say that the Whigs,
th►spin office or out of office, had always maintained
knew be without religious freedom, Ireland could
knew- that
either prosperous or content.-(Cheers.). He
that „Au° they had abandoned office, in order to maintain
of ;41eiPle ;he knew that they had refused office, in
Were t 0 support that principle ; he knew that to it they
• 11Whened, no less in opinion than in political consistency
atel:(1,:""r. On the other side, he saw men who were the
a divfdand eloquent supporters of a principle, but who were
Ithaadoehd hand, and on their part there was no sacrifice, no
4ad anent of office in support of consistent principles,
(11 a° effort a
ear mane to create a religious peace in Ireland.—
-4 cheers..) Here he saw then, those two parties in
' t, each other ; and he had decided at once to give
WittlerPurt to those men who uncompromisingly fought the
thtli r constitutional liberty.—( Loud cheers.) Since
t veot°n,g interval had passed, and at length the course
ono
,not,; nod brought the party to which he was attached.
g,t'eat Power.—( Hear, hear.) In the mean time
1130 had been effected by the party to which he was
setki•---t
.-aear)—and now that he was on that subject,
Prole by those chronicles of events which he was
at to se
l• e tha • were now circulating at a much cheaper
ag).,hell heretofore among the people—(Great cheer-
-1,0,4
fes.air hy them that of late their opponents had
'Kt of dining together also, and bad likewise
Afte„. Ton(' d .
dinner • b elivoring their sentiments. .in speeches
°4ste.\ occas.ionust there we, a one portion of their conduct on
\l'ho I lie w c
vvhi h he would not imitate.—( Hear,
(I,•_, not b . ° - not speak in .an unkind way of any man.
eat• en velog present, had not cia opportunity of yin-
opp.,Lrnself•--(Loud cheers.) In public life there
to etefore,"'ntlities enough for recrimination. and it was
ilueonvert -a_ms opinion, an unworthy course to attempt
81:,ould Ll' assembly, like the present, whose proceed-
toli.:ldis ue marked by harmony and union, and where
•e used they should be those of kindness, of
to to'ori d
litt‘ "et t sueiain charity ; it was bad taste, he would say,
set assemblies into arenas for mere personal
1° attaek ar, and loud cheers.) His purpose then was
any man, or any party, and he wished merely