The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-30 00:00:00

EVEN.INS EDITION.

IRELAND.

: AGGREGATE MEETING OF THE PROVINCE
OF LEINSTER.
( Abridge,cl from the Dubiia Evening Post.)
DLTLIN, c Aellit2e --This day a great public demon-
stration of popular feeling was made against the Bill which
was lately brought into Parliament for the disfranchisement
ef the Irish constituency. The requisition upon which the
meeting seas called bare the names of upwards of six
handred Noblemen and. Gentlemen of the first rank and
statiqp in the country. The extensive equestrian arena in
Lower Abbey-street was the place selected, and the early
hour of twelve o'clock named for opening the doors. Long
before the time, however, an immense concourse of per-
sons assembled in the street, and in a few minutes after
the doors were thrown open several thousand persons ap-
peared within the building. The gallery and boxes were
appropriated to the use of ladies, and were fully occupied.
At halt-past twelve o'clock Mr. O'Connell entered, and
was received with three rounds of hearty applause. He
was surrounded by a numerous assembly of influential gen-
tlemen, amongst whom was Lord Cloncurry, who moved
the Hon. Mr. Ponsonby into the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, on coming fcrward, was received with
long-continued cheers ; wnen silence was restored, he
said—gentlemen, friends, and fellow-countrymen, I re-
, turn you my best thanks for the honour you have done me
in selecting me as Chairman to preside over this nume-
rous and highly respectab:e meeting. The object which
has brouht us together is one of no common import-
ance.—(Hear, hear.) It has been stated that the Bill
introduced by my Lord Stanley was owing to his hatred
of the Irish people.— ' Hear, hear.) That may be the
1 Cale, but lam not one who can pry into the secrets of the
human heart, and I do fesnly believe there is another mo-
tive, and that is the strong love of office.—(Cheers). It is
well known that the main support of the present Liberal Ad-
ministration is derived from the men who are returned
to Parliament by the Irish constituency, and it is the ob-
! ject of the Tory party to destroy that constituency by
every means in their power. The present Ministry de-
save the support of the people of lreland.—( Hear, and
cheers.) The Irish people have ever felt grateful—and
' freely tendered their aid to those who treated them well;
and, feeling as they do, that the present Ministry have
done much far them, they have in return sent a body of
independent men to support that Ministry in the English
House of Commons—(Cheers)—and they will continue to
do so so long as they deserve well of the people of Ire-
land.—( Cries;of..," Hear, hear," and cheers.) The object
of Lord Stanley, and that party to which he has of late
years attached himself, is to throw every obstacle in the
way of—and, if possible, to crush—the Liberal constitu-
ency of Ireland, and thereby prevent them from returning
that Liberal majority which support the present Ministry,
laad excludes themselves from office.—( Hear.) It has been
stated by the Orange party that the object of this Bill is to
purify the Irish constituencies; only to defeat that fraud,
perjury, and corruption, which they allege exists at pre-
sent. No person helds all these vices in greater horror
than the humble individual who now addresses you ; but
there are other means to put an end to such practices, if
they even did exist, than by contracting the constituency
of Ireland—(Cheers)—that constituency which is already
far too limited. Yes, the obstacles which aro at present
thrown in the way of freeholders who seek to register are
far too great, and ought to be removed. The Members
who are returned by the Liberal constituencies of Ireland
are bound not only to give the ordinary opposition to this
Bill, but to throweevery opposition in its way which the
forms of Parliament will allow. If they do not, they will
forfeit the confidence of the people who have selected
them as their Representatives.—( Cheers.) Every Irish
i Member should be judged by his,conduct on this question,
and should be neglect the interests of his constituents he
need never hope for their confidence or support again.
Mr. DOLAN, one of the Secretaries, then read the requi-
sition calling the meeting. He also read several letters of
apology from parties who could not attend.
The Right Hon. Lord CLONCURRY rose to move the first
resolution, and was greeted with the loudest cheers, which
were continued at intervals
.throughout his address. His
Lordship commenced by observing that the requisition,
and the names appended thereto, that this had jest head
read, added to the weight of the opinions which must be
entertained in reference to the subject of this meeting ;
they might perceive that that question more particularly
concerned the Commoners of Ireland than those persons
who have been placed by accident in the House of Lords.
There are very few persons of that body who take any
interest in those matters which concern Ireland. He
(Lord Cloncurry) was amongst those who did so, and
he had upon this occasion left his privacy and his home
for the purpose of promoting the interest of Ireland
upon this momentous occasion ; and nothing could ever
induce him not to raise his voice in defence of Irish
rights when they were assailed, as they now were, in
the most nefarious manner. It was his lot to be acquainted
with Irish affaiLs, m,cre particularly when Lord Stanley
was Secretary tlor Ireland—and even then, though Lord
Stanley's hostility to Ireland was suppressed to some ex-
tent, it had since blazed out in the shape of a bill which no
man couli read without being conscientiously and deter-
minatelyAposed to it. It was obvious that it would have
the effect of diminishing the people's right of voting for
their representatives in a most shameful manner, and that
such a measure should be sanctioned by another body was
what he (Lord Cloncurry) would most determinately re-
sist. There was atiother reason which induced him to
come amongst his fellow-countrymen upori this occasion,
It was lest it should be for one moment imagined that he
was capable at any coriod -of his life, either young or old,
to desert their interests. No I he was determined to stand
by their interests—ne adamant could be more immu-
table than his sincerity towards Ireland—(Cheers)
nothing could be more difficult and impossible than to make
him swerve from the path of lose for Ireland.—(Tremen-
dous cheers.) They have had in Ireland for some time
past seventeep or eighteen Viceroys, and amongst them
there were two-thirds, if not three-fourths, Tories. The
consequence was, that the country, day by day, was driven
finto the comm:esion of acts of violence by the tyranny to
which they were subjected, or they were left in misery
and starvation, and the produce of their labours conveyed
away and spent in another country. The first pamphlet
published upon the subject of the Union was written by
him ( Lord Cloncurry) in 1795. An attempt to answer
the arguments of that pamphlet was made by Mr. Cooke,
' the Under- Secretory, and by Mr. Pitt ; he (Lord Clon-
curry) still maintained his opinions. After a num-
fther of years this country was blessed with some
viceroys more tolerant and virtuous in their opinions than
those who preceded them. Amongst them was the Mar-
quis . I •
of rel That nobleman was afterwards wrapt
es s.esey
up, heart and soul in the interests of Ireland, and were it
not for his eeeretaxy, what would he not have been able to
.do for Ireland ? With the present Government—both
with the local Government aad their beloved Queen, who
was repeesented in this country by a nobleman of high
honour and integrity, who knew what would be of service
to Ireland, and was determined to effect it—the people
wore satisfied. But the determination of the Tories was
to resist everything which could be of benefit to Ire-
land. His Lordship then adverted to the Corn-law ques-
tion, which, he- talc,, was a source of wealth only to the
arietcrer.ey. He also briefly alluded to Lord Stanley's
opposition to the education Tice-6 u.
Mr. LELAND Crtos rilwere sail a resolution had been
Put into his hands (which he read.) They might well
complain of the small measure of reform which was
granted to Great Britain, teat tliCy were, nevertheless, quiet
and content with that which had been meted out to
them. They Lad at least the satisfaction, if the franchise
was too restricted, tint if tlse voter was once on the list
he remained there for eight years—( Hear)—and might
exercise the (Linchise which the Constitution gave him ;
and nobly did the Irish electors exercise that franchise.
The franchise was already too limited, and the Tories
would narrow it yet at 11 more. Perhaps they wished to
goad the Irish iii!o arts of disorder; but in that they
would not succeed. The majority of the House of Lords
had entered into little short o! a conspiracy against both
the Sovereign at,d the people —( Loud cheers.) But he
could not believe that those who sought to defraud them
of their rights wauld longer rernein blind to what the con-
sequences must be if they continued their oppressions on
the rights of the people ef Ireland.—(Loud cheers.) He
would not ben. ve that Sir Robert Peel and persons of his
statnip would cement to lower the British empire from
the fleet rank among nations to the second--( flear)—
and suesir, Unfortunately, must be the consequence, if they
continued co purse° the line which they had, unfor-
tunately. too much foltlowed of late years —( Hear,
' he=r.) Me could no lover trespass on them ; again he
said, let nothing tempt them to any acts of violence ; lel
nothing disnnite tbem.--( Hear, hear, and loud cheering.)
Let liberalism and constitutional liberty, under their gra-
cious Sovereign, be the rallying point for Irishmen.—
(Cheers.) Let notiakig 4eirn one Liberal Irishman against
another; if such be their course, they would be num-
qaerable.—(Loud cheers.)
The resolution was then put from the chair and carried
by acclamation

_
The nextreselution, proposed by Mr. NANGLE, and se-
conded by Mr. CO/WALLY'
was put and'earried.
Mr. TUOMAS FrrzeKaaup,Merrioi -quire, said that he
lINt a high honour and privilege to have:' a resolution con-
e to him. It was lamentable to consider that the
psteaseoapdtlehoefwi:liseriregisiknoLrtbresnananeile;:la,odt and,nii u that their object was, in-
t.beronesx,4l calling for what
axon :- f the suffrage
lir
nd a rester number of reps eaentawteivree,;comi
hese just and fair d,rn
eling to the wretched ands, they
narrow franchise white'll'ere
of the bill was, however,
,s,,e,ad of making
was on
leftly tt
oo
t,
o productivec
them. The introduction
of one great alvantage, for it was calculated
together all those who had any regard for electoral
legcs—te uni:c them against the suicidal class which ;Pvouvlid.
draw demon destruction and a common ruin on us. But
they should not succeed.—( Hear, hear.) The measures
whist!! were adapted would not only save the people but
that vile class itself frcm the conscluences of their tyran-
nical measures.—( Great applause.)
Mr. .11. CCRBALLY, M. P., in seconding the resolution,
sal—Or all the blows levelled against the liberties of
Ireland this was ono of tile greatest, and the English Mem-
bers were not acquainted with the workings of the registry
in this country—with the array of landlords and cf attor-
neys aa!embled for the purpose of intimidating the claim-
ant from attending to seek the franchise ; they were not
aware of all these things or they would have made short
work of the BIN in its first stage, and thrown it out. It
was from ir,norance on this subject that the Liberal Mem-
ber.shad not attended in their places.—(Hear.)
NI r. M.Kase proposed and Mr. BARRETT seconded the
fourth resolution.

GIitTTAN, Esq., M.P., next came forward—his
reception was most enthusiastic. He never would consent
to a separation from England, but he would never consent
to be her serf.-Cheers.) It was unnecessary for Mr.
O'Connell to waste his talents in agitating Repetl—it was
\tisitisisirior the Liberal press to argue in favour of that mea-
sure, -for Lord Stanley had substantially Repealed the
Union, yes, the Union had been Repealed by the Tories.
If this Bill passed, Ireland would become instantly
estranged from England, and instead of being
the first
power to Europe, she would be reduced to the lowest. He
spoke at much length, and concluded by proposing the fifth
resolution.
W.M. BARON,
Esq., occonded it, and it passed with ac.
alarnsticn,