The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-20 00:00:00

IRELAND.

THE AGGREGATE MEETING OF
ROMANISTS.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY, HALF-PAST TWELVE, P.M.

The meeting is in progress, and as no row has taken
place within the doors of the Rotundo to the present,
it is not at all likely that any bones will be broken
intentionally within the building. As to what may
take place in the streets, it is hard to anticipate.
Already glass has been fractured and Protestants
assaulted. But to begin with the proceedings so far.
At ten o'clock this morning the crowds requested by
the concoctors of the meeting began to move towards
the place of meeting in Sackville-street. Their bear-
ing was such that all the shopkeepers not of the " true
Church" put up their shutters. Mr. Dixon Hardy,
the Protestant publisher, being too hardy for this ex-
hibition of want of confidence in his Romanist fellow-
citizens, suffered the loss of nearly all the panes of
glass in his shop-window. The offenders were, how-
ever, arrested by the police. The coal-porters
marched in procession four deep to the meeting, and
were greeted with shouts along the route. A nice
party they formed for a discussion ! As to how your
correspondent made his way into the meeting, he
dreads to reflect upon his sufferings ; suffice it to say,
that between pickpockets, coal-porters, police, priests,
&c., it was a break-bone affair.

The guards at the Castle and Bank are doubled, and
a company and troop of every infantry and cavalry
regiment in garrison are under arms, to act at a mo-
ment's notice. In the following abstract of the open-
ing of the proceedings up to half-past twelve o'clock
the words of the speakers are adopted, hence so many
" Lord Bishops," &c.
The round room and the platform were densely
packed with people, who were admitted by tickets
only, which were distributed by the priests and others
thoroughly acquainted with the Roman Catholics.
At eleven o'clock Lord Paul Cullen, Lord John
M'Hale, and several other lords of his Holiness
the Pope, entered the meeting, and of course were
loudly cheered.

Lord Gormanstown moved that the Most Rev.
Dr. Cullen be called to the chair.
Mr. Reynolds, M.P., came forward and exclaimed
that Lord Viscount Gormanstown was after moving
that the chair should be taken by " The Most Rev.
Dr. Paul Cullen, Lord Bishop of Armagh, arid
Primate of all Ireland I"—(Cheers.) Such were
the words of Lord Gormanstown, but as Providence
had not blessed his Lordship with such lungs as
he had, he deemed it well to repeat the words of the
motion. There were (continued Mr. Reynolds)
present likewise his Grace the Lord Archbishop of
Cashel, his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Tuam
—(Cheers)—the Lord Bishop of Birmingham, the
Lord Bishop of Edinburgh, the Lord Bishop of Elphin,
the Lord Bishop of Clogher, the Lord Bishop of
Killaloe, the Lord Bishop of Clonfert, the Lord
Bishop of Savannah, in Georgia—(Cheers)—and the
Lord Bishhp of Cloyne. There were many other
dignitaries of the Catholic Church, either present or
expected immediately. There were many Peers of
the realm present; and lastly, several Members of Par-
liament—Members of the " Irish Brigade."—(Cheers.)
He concluded by seconding the motion, which passed
unanimously.

The Chairman (Dr. Cullen) then read a speech, in
which the causes which led to that meeting were set
forth—the motives which actuated him in acting as he
had done—and various other topics too tedious to men-
tion—as they were regarded by the meeting too tedious
60 L. liotcued to, without dozing or yawning. This
meeting, he maintained, " had the finger of God upon
it," and he doubted not that success would attend their
efforts. One of the great objects of the contemplated
Defence Association was to secure a proper represen-
tation of the Catholic Church in Parliament; another
was to employ the influence of the public press in the
dissemination of their principles, and defence of their
rights and liberties. He concluded by imploring a
blessing from " The Queen of Heaven, St. Patrick,
St. Malachi, and St. Lawrence, our own Saints," on
that meeting.—(Cheers.)
Dr. Brown, Roman Catholic Bishop of Elphin, said
the people were not obliged to obey a law which wee
unjust and contrary to all the principles of equity.
Such a law was that recently passed by the Legisla-
ture.—(Great cheers.) He concluded by moving that
Mr. Burke, Mr. S3dleir, M.P., Mr. Keogh, M.P., and
Mr. Reynolds, M.P., should be appointed to act as se-
cretaries.

Mr. Vincent Scully, Q.C., in seconding the motion,
said that after a caretul study of the late Act he had
come to the conclusion, a more unjust, a more
atrocious law had not been passed in these realms
since the time of Henry VIII. It was an invasion
of the dearest rights and privileges of the Catholics of
the United Kingdom, and of their clergy.
Mr. Sadleir then read the requisition, also a letter
from Cardinal Wiseman, accounting for his absence
from the meeting, but giving his approbation of the
proposed Roman Catholic Defence Association.
There are fourteen resolutions to be moved. Dr.
111‘11ale is set down for a long and strong speech—
not a written pastoral like that of Dr. Cullen's.
It will be seen by the above that within the first
hour of the day's proceedings Doctor Brown, of
Elphin, distinctly announced that the Catholics of
these realms are not bound to obey the late Act of
Parliament. Of couse we shall have more of this kind
of thing ere the meeting shall terminate.
The labouring classes have "struck work" for this
day. They are in the streets prepared for mischief.
—Herald.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY NIGHT.
The great aggregate meeting at the Rotundo
has so far passed off without any serious disturb-
ances. Primate Cullen presided, and the attend-
ance was enormous. The day was observed as a
strict holiday, and all the quay-porters and working
men paraded the streets from an early hour in the
morning.
The windows of the house of the Priests' Pro-
tectionist Society were smashed by the mob, and
some other outrages of a minor nature were re-
ported by the police. The Rev. Mr. Gregg, attended
by some friends, arrived at the Rotundo in a close car-
riage, and demanded admittance, but being refused he
was escorted in safety by the mounted police beyond
the reach of the mob.

The principal speakers of the day were Primate
Cullen, Dr. MEale, Sir P. Mostyn, Mr. Keogh, Mr.
Reynolds, Mr. Moore, Bishop Gillis, of Edinburgh,
&c. The meeting ig not likely to terminate until a
very late hour.

THE POTATO CROP.
The most conclusive and satisfactory rebutment of
the alarming statement recently put forward by Mr.
Kincaid, comes from one of the first agricultural
authorities in this country, and whose hstimony will
go far to dissipate the small panic created last week
by the hasty and ill-judged verdicts of more than one,
perhaps well-meaning, but mischievous prophet of
evil. Mr. Hugh Morgan Tinte, of Sonnr a very
extensive landed proprietor in the county of West-
meath, thus writes to the Evening Mail:—
" Early and late I have visited different parts of this
country, and am just returned from a week's visit in
Surrey and Hertfordsbire; the produce there is both
sound and abundant. Hereabouts the potatoes were
largely planted in good time, and carefully looked
afterlsince; and I distributed a large quantity of early
seed, in addition to all I myself sowed. The produce
is not only sound and abundant but also farinaceous,
wholesome, and well flavoured. For miles around me,
I hear only the one expression of grateful acknow-
ledgment, ' God be praised for the same; the potatoes
are restored to us in real earnest.' Within the last
three weeks the leaves in some close fields have got
much spotted, and during the last ten days the rain has
given them a dark and withered appearance; but two
days ago I had a large quantity dug of the worst spots
in the field, and found that not more than one in every
fifty was tainted. Any of the rest, when boiled, were
found to be hind, and of the test quality. I saw several
stalks bearing 16 and 18 good eating potatoes on each.
In this neighbourhood we suffered more from the dis-
temper than in many other localities, which may be at-
tributable to the rankness of the soil. I am induced,
therefore, to consider that, having reached the state of
exrr et to find that in all
maturity at which the potato has now arrived in this
be exf2cted to be saved, and
partparts
af
nthe
ee
roaugnet r ye
r,
owp emma ayy
brought into market this winter and next spring at a
fair price to both the consumer and the grower. During
the former years of that scourge the distemper had com-
mitted enormous ravages on the crop in June, and early in
July; whereas in this year it has shown itself fully a
month later in a very mild and mitigated form, at a time
when many scree of them are nearly fit to dig for pitting.
I conceive that this undeniable tact ought of itself to re-
nave or allay much of the apptehehijOh whiCh some