The Sun.
London, England, 1823-01-23 00:00:00

FOR nig ;SUN•

MR. EDlTOR,—Public men, or those who push
themselves into public notice, are, as well as
public measures, proper objects of animadversion.
I do not mean by invading the sanctuary of do-
mestic life, to drag before the tribunal of public
opinion the foibles and imperfections inseparable
from our nature; nor yet by lending an ear to
the voice of calamny, too often excited by envy
of superior talents arid superior acquirements, to
give way to invective and scurrility, which at
once degrade the man, and injure his cause : but,
by dispassionately reviewing the actions and lan-
guage of public characters, endeavour to develope
their real principles, sentiments, and designs.
The first person I shall introduce to the atten-
tion of your Readers, is the Right lion. William
Cunningham Plunkett, his Majesty's Attorney-
General for Ireland, a man who has, by his
talents, raised himself to the high official situa-
tion he now, for the second time, fills7-in what
manner will be seen hereafter.

During the Special Commission, holden in the
city of Cork, in February, UM, for the trial of
a number of insurgents or rebels, then in goal,
this gentleman attended in his official capacity of
public prosecutor on the part of the Crown ;
when, in addressing the Jury, he said—" what
the objects sought by these deluded men were, was
a matter very difficult to be accurately under-
stood ;" yet, he almost immediately added—
" the objects of the oaths by which these wretches
attempted to bind their combination were clearly
ascertained." Bad he, however, thought fit to
produce a few of those oaths, of which I
have seen several, the difficulty would at once
have been removed from the minds of the Jury
and the public, as'to 44 the objects sought by the
deluded men." But, passing over this apparent
contradiction as to " the objects being very dif-
ficult to be accurately understood," and yet at
the same time " clearly ascertained,"--I shall
now state what be would not allow to be their
object ; which, indeed, is the sole reason for my
reverting, at this distant period of time, to the
trials of the insurgents in the City of Cork ; and
that for the purpose of showing some degree
of inconsistency in the Right lion. Gentleman.
Ile then added—" to say that a religious or poji-
deal feeling had any influence on them was idle
and absurd—an association of Ruffians who had
severed themselves from earth and heaven—out-,
casts equally from God anti Religion, whose vio-
lence was directed as well against the Priest at
the Altar *," as against the Monarch on the,
Throne—hopeless and fearless as they were, to
mention Religion in conjunction with them, is to
profane its sacred name and character." I per-
fectly concur with him, that it is a profanation of
the sacred name and character of Religion, to
mention it in conjunction with such wretches :
but it is neither so " idle nor absurd," as he
would wish us to believe, 44 to say that a reli.
gious feeling," such as it was, 46 had influence
on them" who had sworn 46 not to spare man,
woman, or child, belonging to the Church of Eng-
land ;" and this oath, with many others of the
same import, he had in his possession at the
time.

In the debate which took place in the House
of Commons, on the 22d of April following, on
Sir John Newport's motion as to the state of Ire-
land, the Right Honourable Gentleman express-
ed the same opinion : but before shall submit
to your readers some extracts from his speech, I
feel it necessary to the object I have in view, to
trouble you and them with a few from that of
Mr. Ellis, one of the Representatives of the
City of Dublin, delivered upon the same occa-
sion. This last named Gentleman said—" The
House was much deceived if Gentlemen sup-
posed that the disturbances in Ireland were
limited to the narrow circle of a few districts,
or that they were of recent date. He would,
on the contrary, assert that the present disturb-
ances, in their distinct character, originated in
the year 1814. He knew that for many years
previous to that period, disturbances, which
could not be extenuated, prevailed in Ireland ;
but the present disturbances were as distinct
from those to which he referred, in their motives,
objects, and agents, as it was possible for them
to be. Having first pointed out the year when
the disturbances cernmenced, the next point to
which he would direct the attention of the House,
was the peculiar character of the agents employ-
ed ; for he would assert, and it could not be
denied by the Government, that whatever the
objects of the, infatuated persons might be, the
disturbances were, without any exception, car-
ried on exclusively by the Roman Catholics of
Ireland. The Protestant might be relied on
.:
he cared not bow he might suffer,under the ex-
tremity of distress, still he was peaceable : how-
ever humbled, however crushed by the weight
of his poverty, the Protestant had not, directly
or indirectly, taken a part in those disgraceful
outrages. It therefore followed that though po-
verty and penury extended over all, they had
operated to produce Insurrection and rebellion
atnongst the Roman Catholics only." 44 He took
a brief review of the disturbances which had oc-
curred in 1814.15, and 16, at which time there
was no complaint of the depreciation of prices, or
the high rate of rents ; and therefore he inferred
that these were not the real causes of the spirit of
insubordination which prevailed then, and which
existed now. It could note escape observation
that the Roman Catholics who were embarked
in those outrages were bound by a peculiar spe-
cies of religious obligation. In all their forms a
direct allusion was made to the Established
Re-
ligion of the country, and an undisguised expres-
sion of hostility towards that religion was indulg-
ed in, which pretty clearly showed what their
object was" " The precise object of the con-
spiracy he could not state ; but it appeared
to him that it was pot set on foot for the mere
purpose of lowerlng rents and abating tithes ; but
that it had originated in a ranCOMUS hostility to
the Established Religion of the country."
M. Plunkett, after indulging in a most unwar-
rantable phillippic against Mr. Ellis for " desert-

* This is a Inere figure in rhetoric, such as men of vivid
imagination are too apt to indulge in ; for no such circumstance
had occurred, or Was at all likely to occur, from " the mutual
confidence" that subsisted between the liothish Clergy and their
flocks.

ing the dtity 'which belonged to•hins in the- Irish
Court of Chancery, in order that he might direct
his attention to Parliamentary duties," proceeded
—" It was often asked in a tone of triumph by
the enemies of the Catholics—( Why are you not
satisfied with the boon granted to you ? Why are
you not content with the concessions you have re-
ceived ?' The reason was, because concession had
been followed in every stage by the curse and
malediction of those Bigots (hear this ye learned
and pious heads of the University) " whose pre-
judices neither time nor circumstances could
remove—who, like an unwholesome blight, like
a' destructive mildew, intercepted every ray of
royal favour, or of Legislative beneficence. He
was far from alarm as to any argument which the
Honourable and Learned Gentlemen might please
to bring forward, but argument he adduced not ;
herelied upon what he denominated facts, and
those facts would, in all probability, produce a
very different effect from what the Learned Gen-
tleman had anticipated. The Learned Gentleman
had spoken of transactions with respect to the dis-
turbances which prevailed in Ireland; and he,Mr.
Plunkett,mustsay,as he was an eye-witness to these
transactions, that if any part of the statements
of the Learned Gentleman were literally true,
in spirit and application to the question they
were totally and absolutely false. The truth
was, that the insurrectionary movements in Ire-
land were confined entirely to certain districts of
the South. Limerick, Cork, Kerry, and a part
of 'Tipperary, were in a state of disturbance.
The entire population, speaking of the lower
classes of the people in those districts, were Ro.
man Catholic:. The disturbances were confined
to the lower orders : they did not extend be-
yond them ; but overlooking this fact, the Learn-
ed Gentleman had traced the disturbances to a
religious feeling—those who were engaged in
them being the dregs of the people, and all the
lower class professing the Catholic faith." On
the 4th of November following—that is, in little
more than six months, he, the Attorney-General,
on the trial of Ribbonmen in the city of Dublin,
stated—" For some years back, more than two
or three years, a plan was formed for associating
the members of the community into an organized
body, for the purpose of overthrowing the Go.
vernment of the country. Their plan was, first,
to have lodges formed of 30 or 40 persons each ;
they took an oath to conform to the rules of the
Society, and to obey the orders of their leaders
and superiors; also to keep inviolable the secrets
of the Society. They also had liaronnial As-
semblies, County Assemblies, Provincial and Na.
tional Assemblies." "They must all recollect the
pears 1797, 98, and 1803. The whole system of
the machinery on which they acted was then
formed, the model of which was taken from an-
other country. What the precise object MU
which they had in view, it would be difficult to
say. This Society, however, differed from that
of 1797, 98, and 1803, as they had one Resolution
which was exclusively their own, and which was,
that no persons except those professing the Ro-
man Catholic Religion should be admitted into
the Society." "The views of the individuals
were frequently found to be various : it was al-
leged that the Society was formed for the pur-
pose of subverting the law.. Another object of
the Society was, that of extirpating all the Pro-
testants of the Country."
And now, Mr. Editor, I ask the ingenuous in-
telligent Reader, to whom is credence due—to
Mr. Ellis, or to Mr. Plunkett ? The first stated
that a conspiracy had existed in the country for
several years—that the present disturbances were
not of a local nature, nor arising from the causes
alleged, but" originated in a rancorous hostility
to'the established religion of the country ;" and
" that the Roman Catholics who were embarked
in those outrages were bound by a peculiar spe-
cies of religious obligation ;" and these honest,
these aweful truths, excited no small degree of ex-
acerbation among the Modern Whigs, manifested
in a manner that would not have disgraced an ag-
of
hoam err subverting
Protestants
rtt looy
aoee g
gregate meeting in Clarendon-street Chapel, or
in the Corn Exchange. The last named Gentle-
man declared, " that if any part of the state-
ments of the Learned Gentleman were literally
true, in spirit and application to the question
they were totally and absolutely false." In lit-
tle more than six months, the Attorney-General,
in his high official character, stated, that for
more than two or three years a Society had ex-
isted in the country, organized for the purpose
of subverting the Government—that it was
formed on the model of those in the years 1797,
98, and 1803, with this difference, that no per-
sons were admitted except. Roman Catholics, and
that one object of the Society was, that of extir-
pating all the Protestants of the country."
It mtist be admitted, at the same time, that
the Right Hon. Gentleman pledged himself, that
there was no connection whatever between the
conspirators in Leinster and Ulster, and the in-
surgents and rebels, in Munster, but that may
be easily accountd for ; he recollected his
speech in the House of Commons in April, and
his unqualified contradiction of Mr. Ellis's state-
ment, and so wished to let himself down as easy
as possible. Let those believe it that may ; but,
for my part, I profess myself a sceptic as to his
doctrine, and I am convinced that 'every man
of common understanding, who has any know..
ledge of Popery, and whose mind is susceptible
of truth, will laugh at the absurdity of the hy-
pothesis, that two distinct conspiracies shall
ex-
ptseateatairici:::
al
against
ttlisioeetoi imiritoleteesivdeetsewitricftufe:lmuurilvilnedtzthlhrtbteey:ne no
exist in Ireland at one and the same time, ex-
f
clusively popish;
exterminating and
fup, as
: seedi siteersrciso understanding
purposea: ilt:ds aidlrgegoctu
indeed, ,t
there
he
eurre-
rsit'ahteedßuigploint tihtelmt.riGalesnotlfemßainbbo has,menin,
were besides Baronial and County Assemblies,
Provincial and National Assemblies ; for what
could be the object of the two last, but to pro.
mulgate their diabolical principles
and to act in
concert ? All that can be said is, that in one soil
the blessed fruits of that Christian, mild, and
ycleped Popery
,other and that dream-
so favourable
for
sotohtel e rßairbrbi so' end.
as it had been for their
atms:tael rn:tlircaeletnisustiwrnisgteyyrseittletniml not so
ben! ti
ohne

'~

~.

olleagues, the Whiteboys. Might not this
versity of designation have been adopted, for
purpose of deceiving and misleading the Goy
meta of the country ?
Bandon, Jan. 15, 1823

JUNIUS TERTIj

A requisition has been 'presented to the 11
Sheriff of Carmarthenshire, to convene,a meet
of the Nobility, Gentry, and Freeholders of
county, to, take into consideration the prePrj
of petitioning Parliament to adopt measures
relieving the agricultural interest from the gi
distress under which 'it at present labours.
meeting will take place on the '2Bth instant
( Bristol Mercury.)
HERALDRY.---It is probable that no scienv
earth conveys to its votaries a greater degree of mochas'
than that of heraldry. One instance, at least, can be Wu
unmatched in any other. The passage is taken front a 9i,
treatise in quarto, intituled " The Blazon of Gentrie,"—a
recommended by Ftacham in his " Cow teat Detail:tan
a book to be bought at any rate—and runs thus:
was a gentleman, as to his flesh, by the part of his rnotil
I have read—and might, if he hadesteerned of the 1-33'lleg
of this ivorlde—whereof he often sayde his kingdom was sj
have borne coat armour. The apostles, also, as 111,01
tel me—were gentlemen of blood, and mange dines
~scended from that worthy conqueror, Judas
though the tract of time, and persecution of wars, Pore"'i
pressed the kindred, and they constrayned to servile Ira
p. 97.—1 n the same book, we find the exact anus, Prof
blazoned, of Semiramis, Queen 'of Babylon.—A *
Frenchman had so high an opinion of the pleasures to be
joycd in the study of heraldry, that he used to lament-I
are,informed by Menage--the hard case of our ford
Adam, who could not possibly amuse himself in investigs
that ancient science, nor that of genealogy.--(J'ticrall
gister.)
AN INDIAN STRATAGE3I.--11l the war of Ir
the fort of Michillimackinac, in America, was ulcer
fnxtt
English in the following manner, by a body of Intgn,s --
interest of the French, under the direction of the goo,
Pontac. The Indians, having settled their plan, °lei; ti
the tort, and began a game at ball, a pastime toc'd
among them, and not unlike tennis. In the height
game, at which some of the English officerst not sus
an deceit, stood looking on, they struck the ball, as tett,
cident, over the stockade. This they repeated tit), keig
times, to render the deception more complete ; til' sec
the having by these means lulled every suspicton of therix,
the south gate, a party of them rushed by hurt ; at'.71,01-
soon following, they took possession of the fort w,6"
position."
On New Year's Day a bouspiel was P'k eaeein
the neighbourhood of Sanquhar, betwixt the Inarrierls_Tthe'
men of that parish. The day was remarkably fine, te'decia:
excellent. After a keenly contested game, victory ass
in favour of the matrimonial partv. In very few et
is
believed, have females ever participated in this stiu'ileei
else. But, within these few years, a regular set-to, at the
nel.stone, took place with the Sanquharian ,T ,fat;
were pretty numerous, and composed exclusively at w`fsro
the wives against the lasses. Their dress being dull a<
and each duly armed with a besom and tramps,
The stones were thrown quite in a scientific style
guage used in the course of the game, was purely
favourite party afterwards retired to a tavern, one"„bso
been ordered, with a plentiful supply of those more subs
articles of food which yield greater satisfaction to an eys
appetite.—Tea over, the big-bellied punch-bowl 0e.14
the board; and many a godly bumper of whiskef":oo
quaffed off in honour of the occasion ; their fair tingeioel
eel up" the glass with as much apparent dexteritb,ss
vans arms had previously uplifted the ponderous o"l"..,„lurbi
the tea, How the husbands relished this unusula,Tpet
masculine prowess, and convivial disposition, 00";e00
their wives, need not to be inqUired into. A inn'
grhasnoternocut:
ground,
took
happened
n since.—( Kendal Chrrmiele.)
iged
SHocRI NG ACCIDENT.--A.
.cifrir
placeuesd
ay evening, at
e trheeScheontto
iferitti
WEiPPART, 'Miss SaturilsoN, her niece, -010
stairs to dress for a tea party, and to -60
time after her shrieks alarmed the hour 'I vett.
servant's going into the room a frightfui
1J
presented itself. She met the young ludi:tt
chamber door enveloped in flames, and 'pi
furniture was also on fire. The servant Old
threw the counterpane of the bed rton't
sufferer, and extinguished the flames,
until even the hair was burnt from the,:loth
g
ay'
e
ktvitesethirpoyoyealeprlrslnetytseaeauorolrtif7fli
at
tTinte mostasengt s :label:cans "uvsd: et: caught sldluao‘dina. sufferings,
suffererntvghva isessibat
werebal iuta:
An Inquest was held yesterday 0:413100'
eleven o'clock, at the Cock inn, Tfollowal'
Mr. STIRLING the Coroner, on view of ttt (pry
of THOMAS RODRARD, Es q,, who was -00
nately killed, in consequence of being th;TesLe
of his chaise. It appeared from the ev'' }fob"'
Richard Morgan, a coachman residing jedill,4
way, that on Saturday last, about half4l/-k.l)
in the afternoon, deceased was in 0 '41,0110
riding in one horse chaise alone, ePP
very much intoxicated, and reeling,'
wards and forwards several times, tore
able to manage the horse, when 00 I 07,
short round the corner, he gave- a reobei'
chaise and pitched over the off-wheel 00 11, i?
On being taken up he was insensibleOv'sjll
lent fracture on the left side of the tiecsiig,
blood poured from his ears, ,
which had ee..001,
his death. A letter was read from Mr'
surgeon of Holloway, stating that deeeav
t i
se ot,,
in consequence of apoplexy, occasioned 4110 7
tore of a blood vessel on the brain' actui,
occasioned a great effusion of blood in 09 I,
excessive intoxication and a violent hit) e offr
head. Verdict—" Death in consequent'
accidental fall from a chaise."
,„
is 4
About ten o'clock yesterday 'la.'',
old houses (which are under repairs) itteetll;
street, Grosvenor-square, fell into the 5 041i0
a tremendous crash. There were 51% of f;,`o
precipitated from the third story,
escaped without any injury, two rec-te.liti'"'reo:?i;
b contusions, and one was seriouslY, Aocl' •
gerously hurt. The wounded men were
to St. George's Hospital.

COAL-31ARKET, JA?'
Ships at Nlarket. Ships. sold
68 Newcastle - 214
17 Sunderland - 34

BIRTHS.
On the 20th instant in buke-street;
John Campbell, of a daughter.