The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-06 00:00:00

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was scarcely one who had accumulated around his
own head such storms of abuse and indignation as
Mr. ROEBUCK. Yet of all men in the late House
of Commons there was not one who was
more essential to the cause of popular advance-
ment. The anomaly of his position is only
comprehensible when viewed through the ano-
malies of his character. With no ordinary
abilities, and no mere affectation of political sincerity,
Mr. ROEBUCK was not unfrequently surprised into
blunders of rhetoric by his impetuosity, and rendered
the objet of distrust and jealousy by the occasional
eccentricity of his opposition. The secret of this
impetuosity was his earnestness— of this anta-
gonism, his perpetual anger his earnestness
in the advocacy of the reforms requisite for
the development of the principles of civil
liberty and religious toleration—his anger, always
vigilant and always intense, in the detection and
reprobation of more place-hunting and venality.
Hence his very vices as a Debater were his virtues
as a Tribune. His eloquence was almost always
infected by the virus of vituperation, but
that addiction to the splenetic tones of the
satirist oziginated in his devotion, in his single-
mindedness, in his readiness to sacrifice even
friendship and popularity wherever he believed
them in his conscience to stand as obstruc-
tions between himself and the national interests.
During the fifteen years of his senatorial career Mr,
ROEBUCK has remained moreover in an intermediate
and isolated position; so that, untramelled by con-
nexion with either party he has been able, without
any dereliction of duty, to assail whomsoever and
whatsoever he might conceive to be culpable. In
this respect he has become the scourge of the legis-
lators—the rhetorical discipline of St. Stephen's.
And for this reason especially he will be missed by
the nation. He will be missed, too, both for his
daring and his usefulness. Of his daring nothing can
be said that would not be superfluous. However
overwhelming the authority, however incomparable
the oratory, however vast the influence, however
withering the sarcasm of his opponent, Mr. ROE-
BUCK ever expressed his dissent with energy and
fearlessness. He attacked Sir ROBERT, he at-
tacked Lord JOHN, he attacked STANLEY, he at-
tacked O'CONNELL, he attacked MACAULAY, he
attacked DISRAELI. had he been in the Long Parlia-
ment he would have bearded IRETON, have flung his
words in the teeth of VANE, and have spat forth his
enmity even against the great OLIVER, whenever it
might have seemed to him that the public prosperity
demanded such evidences of audacity. Had he been in
the National Convention he would have hurled
defiance alike at the heads of VERNIAUD and ROBES-
PIERRE. Of his usefulness nothing need be said,
when his labours for the abolition of Slavery, for the
prevention of the renewal of the East India
Company's Charter, for the abrogation of the Bank
Charter Act, for the extinction of the abuses of the
Court of Chancery, for the advancement of the
Municipal Reform Act, for the establishment of the
Local Courts, &c. &c., are borne in recollection.
Almost his last attitude on the floor of the House of
Commons was consonant with his position, his
audacity, his usefulness, and his ability—when he
impeached the brawling demagogues of Ireland in the
face of the empire, and threatened that the rope
should be cut which bound the islands together, and
that they should be sent adrift upon the ocean of
their miseries. A man of this courage, of this
honesty, and of this intelligence cannot be well
spared from the Councils of the United Kingdom.

We have hope for Ireland ; all that was ever re-
quired on her behalf, to elevate her from her lowly
and wretched condition to a more fitting position in
the scale of nations was, that her children should be
animated by a spirit of unanimity—that they should
lay aside their own petty disputes and party dissen-
sions, and co-operate cordially together for the re-
generation of their common country ; and, above all,
that they should rely on their own activity and their
own strenuous exertions, and endeavour to effect the
amelioration of Ireland by the proper application of
her own internal resources. An earnest effort has at
length been made to achieve these desiderata. The
fearful calamities of the past year, and the portentous
and threatening aspect of the coming winter and
spring, have afforded solemn warnings to the
entire nation that the time for apathy and
negligence has long since gone by, that
the fate of Ireland is trembling in the balance, and that
the greatest zeal and energy must be manifested by
every class in society to preserve their native land
from the perils with which it is environed, and that
if events should turn out unfavourably, none can hope
for exemption from the general ruin. True it is that
last year, on the earnest recommendation of the Li-
berator, who has unhappily been removed from this
life, and can no longer devote his mighty genius, his
extraordinary talents, and his unbounded influence
to the service of his much-loved country, an attempt
was made to form an Irish party, who should merge
all minor differences, and act together in all ques-
tions relating to their own country, and advance its
interests by every means in their power ; but the
lessons that had already been taught had not been en-
forced with sufficient severity ; the iron had not en-
tered so deeply into their souls as was necessary to era-
dicate their former errors. There was also a question of
the most vital importance, in which the interests of
an influential body, the landed proprietors of the
country, were in apparent opposition to those of the
great body of the people. An efficient poor-law was
urgently required. It was essential that the people
should possess a legal right to a provision out of the
soil on which they had been born. Every considera-
tion, both of natural justice and expediency, ren-
dered it an imperative duty that the Legislature
should pass an enlarged and comprehensive measure
for this purpose. The selfish fears of the 'landlords
were awakened, they feared the operation of such
a law, they possessed considerable weight amongst
the Irish party; and the exertions of the body, which
should have been devoted to the general welfare of
all, were expended in endeavouring to fritter away
and impair the efficacy of the dreaded law. As a
natural consequence they lost the confidence of the
people, divisions took place amongst themselves, and
no good results attended the operations of a confede-
ration which, at its first formation, afforded the most
propitious auguries. The crew was disorganized, and
an efficient pilot was wanting, and ere the vessel had
well started on her voyage she struck upon a rock,
and the objects of the expedition were frustrated.
That rock has, however, since been removed, and
there is a well-grounded hope that new adventurers
may be rewarded by a more successful termination
to their labours.

On Thursday the Irish metropolis witnessed a
cheering spectacle—a meeting was held, consisting of
persons of every shade and variety of creed and poli-
tics, and amongst them many Members of the Legis-
lature, at the Rotundo, in obedience to the call
of the Irish Council, and even while we are writing
*these observations its proceedings are still continuing.
Two reports, that of the General Council to the meet-
ing which they had convened, and " the First Report
of the Sub-Committee on the relation of Landlord
and Tenant in Ireland," were read, and although
there might have been some improvement on minor
points, both documents, from their tone and cha-
racter, are eminently entitled to our approbation, and
evince a true sense of the national exigencies, and of
the means by which they can be successfully encoun-
tered. The first, as might be expected, touches on
the general nature of the measures that are expedient
and requisite in the present condition of the country,
while the report of the sub-committee enters into
the details of the best method of securing compensa-
tion to a tenant for his improvements, in the
event of his removal, and offers very va-
luable suggestions for a tenant's compensation
Bill. Certain resolutions founded on these reports
were also submitted to the meeting, of which the
three first were carried by large majorities, and the
consideration of the remainder were postponed to
this day, the meeting having been adjourned for that
We regret that our speoances_
purpose.
pistd. ay does not permit
our entering into the
(which
will
of these docu-
foiumnpdorintaannce-
their cha-
racter, and resolutions
other part of The Sun) so fully sull fhb:-
merits. We shall, however, briefly state
racter, and on a future occasion comment at greater
length thereon. The first point alluded to in the
general address refers to the most urgent and press-
ing topic, the supply of food for the people, and