The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-28 00:00:00

IRISH COERCIVE BILL.

MEETING to PETITION PARLIAMENT against the BILL
for SUPPRESSING DISTURBANCES in IRELAND.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, FEB. '26.
This meeting, to which the Judge alluded to in his charge
on Saturday, was held last night.
At seven o'clock, the time appointed for the meeting, not
only the body of the hall, but the orchestra, were filled, amount-
ing in the whole, to 1,100 or 1,200 persons. On the leaders of
the Union, Attwood, Fife, Larkin, and Doubleday, making
their appearance, three rounds of cheers were given.
Mr. CHARLES Arrwoon (brother of the Members for Bir.
mingham and Whitehaven) said the present occasion was the
most melancholy and disastrous of any that had occurred in the
memory of the oldest person present. He was sorry to say that
he could only regard the conduct of Earl Grey as evincing
towards the people who had supported him the blackest deser-
tion, the basest apostacy, and the most profligate tergiversation.
—(Tremendous cheers.) And not only was he assured that
Earl Grey had deserted the people, but that he had already, or
was about to become their foe.—(Cheers.) For he could not
but entertain a confident belief, that the coercion of their
Irish fellow subjects would be followed up by a destruction of
the liberties of Englishmen. The measure of Earl Grey was
more monstrous than the worst measure ever introduced by
the Tories in the days of their power and tyranny.—(Hear,
hear.) He ridiculed the idea, that the English Constitution
had an Irish and an English side, or that this measure was
exclusively an Irish question. If the people of England did not
now step forward in behalf of their gallant, but oppressed Irish
fellow subjects, with what face would they, should his fears be
be realized, and the Government attempt to restrict the liberty
in England, expect their co-operation and support, of which
they would then stand in so much need ? Lords Grey and
Plunkett had taught the Irish people, when in opposition, that
they were oppressed.—(Cheers.) The Irish called for a redress
of those grievances, and they were answered by an appeal to
martial law.—(Cheers.) They asked for a repeal of the legis-
lative union, and if that reparation could only be prevented
by exp..une the treasure of Englishmen, and pouring out the
blood of Englishme.., than was the Union unjust. He should
wish to know how the Whigs coma 5....rify the measure. He
should like to be informed what there was in the s.oto of Ire.
land now, more dangerous than the state of England during
the agitation of the Reform Bill.—(Cheers.) If it is uncon-
stitutional for the inhabitants of Ireland to meet for the pur.
pose of petitioning the Legislature, or of making known their
grievances, or of pointing out the benefits of a repeal of the
Union—if, he repeated, these measures were unconstitutional
now, by what casuistry or perversion of reason could it be
shown that the petitioning for Parliamentary Reform in Eng-
land was constitutional then ?—(Great cheering.) If the
people of this country allowed their Irish brethren to be op.
pressed, a mock-reforming Government, and a mock-reform.
ing House of Commons, would take away the right of petition,
and deprive Englishmen of their liberties, whenever it became
convenient to withhold them.—(Loud cheers.) The speaker
then proceeded at great length to condemn the measure of
Government, to contend in favour of poor laws for Ireland,
and to urge upon the people the propriety of enrolling their
names as members of the Union.
Mr. DOUBLEDAY moved the adoption of the petition. He
reminded his audience that he had always agreed, during the
discussions of the Reform Bill, that it was only a means to an
end, that it was an imperfect Bill ; that it would not, unless
followed up by other reforms, give the people good govern-
ment; and, he would ask, had he not a right to assert that
his predictions had been verified, seeing that the Whig Go-
vernment had brought in a measure more base, more tyranni-
cal, and more destructive of liberty, than any that was ever in.
troduced during the reigns of Peel, Castlereagh, or Sidmouth.
(Groans for the —.) The speaker then proceeded to read
and comment upon the sth, 9th, 10th, and 16th clauses of the
Act, and to contend that a great part of the miseries of Ireland
were owing to the exactions of the Irish Church Establish.
ment. In conclusions he said there was deposited in the sav-
ings banks fifteen millions of money, and should the measure
of the Whigs produce actual rebellion in unhappy Ireland,
would not that money be instantly withdrawn for fear
of the results which the convulsion might have upon
the destinies of England.—(Cheers.) Even the demand for
one-half of this sum of fifteen millions, to be paid in
gold, would blow up the entire system of paper money.—
(Loud cheers.) He was reminded while treating on this sub-
ject, of the conduct of a wayward and irritable boy. The boy
from amputation of a limb, and a wooden leg.—( A laugh.)
In a quarrel with his sister, he one day took of and threw
at her his wooden leg—(Laughter)—but, forgetting that he
had left himself nothing to stand upon, down he came.—
(Laughter.) Just in this predicament was Earl Grey. He must
take care that, in his quarrel with Ireland, he did not throw
away his wooden leg—his safer leg.—(Great cheering.) Some
persons might blame him for this ; they might call him an in.
cendiary, and say he was recommending the people to draw the
money from the savings banks. But he gave no such recom-
mendation; although, if Ireland was to be in rebellion, those
who feared for the consequences would have a perfect right to
withdraw their deposits.
Mr. JOHN FIFE (surgeon), in a speech of some length, se-
conded the motion, which was carried unanimously.
The petition which was a temperate but energetic one, was
then read.
Mr. C. LARKIN then came forward to "propose that the
petition be presented by Mr. Cobbett, and delivered a long and
brilliant speech, during which he denounced Earl Grey as a
traitor to the liberties of the people, described him as a panic-
stricken old dotard of a politician, and declared that, had the
Members of the reformed Parliament possessed the patriotic
feelings of a Hampden or a Pryme, they would have hurled
him from office, and have drawn up instant articles of impeach-
ment. The sentence was received with shouts of applause,
and the motion was carried with one dissentient; after which
the meeting peaceably dispersed.

GRIMALDI OUTDONE.—Mr. PLACIDE was
a great pantomime clown. He had exhibited in various
parts of Europe, and was first seen by the writer in 1765
at Sadler's Wells, London, where he went by the risme,
from his feats as a tumbler, of "the great Devil." PLA..
CIDE's recital of the effects of a panic upon him, when ex-
hibiting before Lours XVI and MARIE ANTourarry,
made so strong an impression upon us, that we are induced
to think it may interest our readers. It was common for
him at that time to perform the enormous feat of throwing
himself at a leap, on the stage, over ten, twelve, or more
files of .oldiere ranged, two and two from the back to the
front of the stage, and standing with their muskets per.
pendicularly erect, and the bayonets bristling above them.
On this occasion he bad particularly announced his leap
over sixteen files of grenadiers so arranged.—When the
moment approached, he, for the first time, felt the sicken-
ing sensation of misgiving—then fear —then panic—a full
conviction that he should fall, and fall on the points of the
bayonets glittering before him. He could not think of
flinching from the trial, and his King and Queen present.
The honour of a tumbler forb de the thought—the drops
of sweat oozed from his forehead—the prediction of his
fear fulfilled itself—he rushed forward—threw himself
into the air—and, before he bad passed the bayonets, found
himself upon their points. A cry from the audience per.
haps saved him by shaking the steady ranks of the grena-
diers--he fell—was wounded slightly in the body, but in
reputation most grievouitly. The last wound was only
cured by adding another file of grenadiers to the line And
springing desperately over the whole.