The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-24 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, SEPT. 21.—The usual weekly meeting of the
Repeal Association was held this day, at the Conciliation
Hall; William M‘Guinness, Esq., in the chair.
The SECRETARY read the minutes of last day's pro-
ceedings, after which
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL read the following letter from
his father:—

" Darrynane Abbey, Cahirciveen, Sept. 17.
" My dear Ray,—lt is impossible to exaggerate the
frightful prospect of famino and pestilence that lies
before us. The failure of the poor man's crop is known
to be all but universal—indeed, the fact is so familiar
that it is quite superfluous to repeat it.
" The plan for affording relief through the medium of
public works will be in full operation in the course of
the ensuing fortnight. To be satisfactory, however, it
requires the most active co-operation of the landowners
and farmers.
" Unhappily, in the present state of the country, it
will not be sufficient to procure employment fur the
people. The great difficulty is, the procuring sufficient
food. The great deficiency is in the supply of food—
food is already at famine price, and the leaving in the
hands of the mercantile men the supplying food as a
commercial speculation will necessarily keep it at a famine
price. The intervention of Government is, therefore,
absolutely necessary—such intervention is surrounded
with great difficulties, and will impose an enormous ad-
ditional burden upon the Government. It must, how-
ever, be done, or the people will starve ; it not being, I
repeat, safe to leave the people at the mercy of specu-
lators in ' bread stuffs.'
" It is true that promises are held out to keep the
market down, by pouring in a supply of Government
provisions. Thus the difficulty meets us again ; for the
Government, in keeping down the markets, will be very
likely to drive the mercantile classes out of the trade, so
that the supplying of the food will ultimately fall
altogether upon the Government.
" Many plans have been suggested to meet the diffi-
culties, especially plans to borrow from the Government,
at a low rate of interest, moneys to be laid out on pro-
ductive improvements on lands, to be repaid by the
borrower.
" Let it be remarked that there are already a million
of pounds sterling in the hands of the Board of Works,
to be lent for the drainage of Irish estates, and yet very
few indeed have availed themselves of that fund.
" One feature in the present emergency affords the
greatest satisfaction. It is that which exhibits
persons of every class, and of every persuasion,
and of every political opinion, combining together,
without the slightest reference to any irritating
or party topics, but one and all endeavouring to find out
the best mode of mitigatin; the approaching famine.
This has never happened before. It is the first time in
Ireland that unanimity, complete and entire, has shown
itself among men of various persuasions and different
political opinions, and that unanimity has been un-
violated amidst the fervour of public meetings.
" The consequence has been, that various plans have
been suggested fur alleviating the present misery, and
anticipating the evils to result should another year of
famine follow the present.
" When we were dealing with the afflicting, but still
partial distress of last year, we fondly anticipated relief
from the promising harvest of the present year ; but it
has pleased Providence to disappoint our hopes, and ag-
gravate the evils of our prospects.
" Who shall teal us with confidence that we shall not
have another year of similar calamities? Judging from
what has happened in other countries, we have great
cause to dread the blight will not terminate in the
present year, but that we shall have another famine
year to provide for. Under such circumstances, every
man who produces a plan to obviate the dangers and
difficulties of our position and prospects, is, to a certain
extent, a public benefactor.
"There is another consideration deserving attention,
that the Government plan of succour is calculated to
produce throughout Ireland, a more extended poor-law,
necessarily calculated to extend outdoor relief to all
adult labourers and their families in a state of destitu-
tion, as well as to all other destitute poor. The English
statute of Eiaabeth is being extended to Ireland, and
the poverty of the country is about to be placed fbr sup-
port upon the property—especially upon the landed
property.
"In seeking to relieve the present distress, it will re-
quire the utmost care and vigilance to prevent Ireland
being involved in the entire detail of the English poor,
laws.

"But the greatest evil of all is the want of combina-
tion and co•operation between the Irish gentry gene-
rally. The late meetings afford a proof of the practica-
bility of such a combination, but then those meetings
lasted for only part of a day.
" After conferring amicably, and resolving eloquently,
they dissolved into their original elements, and left nu
combined body to carry out their intentions.
"Now, what I most ardently desire is this, that the
gentlemen who resolve so well, and who talk so wisely,
should make up their minds to give permanency to their
efforts by the continuance of souse committee or depu-
tation.
" How delighted I should be to be able, with any
prospect of success, to propose that the gentry in each
locality in Ireland should appoint a delegation of their
number to meet together in Dublin without delay, in
order to organise the best plar.s for obtaining Govern-
ment and local relief during the impending calamities of
.famine and pestilence, and to embody, in practical form,
their suggestions to Parliament for laws suited to the
emergency. _ .

" The first duty of such a meeting as I allude to
would be to address the Ministry, and, if necessary, the
Crown itself, to call together, without delay, the Parlia-
ment ; such a demand, coming from such a body, would
be irresistible.

" When the Parliament met, the influence of such a
body as I describe would, necessarily, be all-powerful ;
and every hope would arise that an eif,ctual plan for re-
lief of the people of this moat-it-Icent Ireland would be
realised. I may be sneered at by some, and laughed at
by others, for making such a proposal ; it will be said
that what I want is an Irish Parliament, and I confess
that there would be some remote resemblance to an Irish
Parliament in such an assembly ; but there would be
none which a British statesman need apprehend, or the
most timid anti-Repealer objeet to.
" There are other topics which I would wish to sub-
mit to the Association, but for the present I postpone
them. Let me, however, conjure the gentry of Ireland
seriously to reflect that unless they adopt some plan to
make their weight and importance felt by the Govern-
ment, the English plan of out-door relief in its worst
form, will be almost insensibly communicated to Ire-
land, and their estates not only burdened, but actually
confiscated.

" In the meantime, let the Repeal Association con-
nue its exertions—let it accumulate documents for the

discussion of the repeal question in the next session of
Parliament. No rational man can object to such a dis-
eussion in the British Parliament ; neither can there be
the slightest shadow of a doubt thel the union has

worked badly for Ireland. Before the present distress
it was proved on the ever memArable Devon commis-
sion, that the agricultural populraion of Ireland, being
seven-eighths of the entire, endured more misery than
any other people in Europe. Perhaps, now that it is as-
certained beyond any controversy-, that the plan for
working out the restoration of the Irish Parliament is

purely and undeviatingly pea•ble—there may be such
an accession to our strength as would render the repeal
inevitable.

"Believe me to be very faithfully yours,
" To M. Ray, Esq." " DANIEL O'CONNEL.
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL, in moving that the letter be
inserted in the minutes, said That he had just been in-
formed that a meeting of,' To tepayers, which was held
at Crishel, had separated Ivitho ut doing any thing for the
people. The meeting wus pre, ided over by Lord Glen-
gall, and they had done nothing• for the starving people.
The Reverend Mr. Kirraan, who had informed him (Mr.
O'Connell) of the cirewnstance,. hastened up to Dublin
to lay the matter before the Lt ►rd-Lieutenant, with a
view of inducing Ole Governmej it to take the state of