The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-02 00:00:00

DEPARTURES.

The Hon. Mrs. Basil Cochrane, from Nerot's Hotel, for her
house in Green-street, Grosvenor.ssquare ; Admiral Sir James
Whitshed, Lady Whitshed, and family, from ditto, for Sussex;
C. Hyde, Esq., from ditto, for the Continent.

IRISH COERCIVE BILL.

MEETING AT THE BLACK ABBEY.
(Abridged from the Kilkenny Journal.)

On Sunday last, a numerous meeting of the inhabitants of
Xilkenny assembled at the Black Abbey, for the purpose of en-
tering into resolutions expressive of their sentiments upon the
proposed measures of coercion brought forward by Lord Grey.

The chair was taken by PIERSE SOMERSET BUTLER, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN rose and said, it was idle to say that his Ma-
jesty's Ministers had any real apprehension on account of the
rural disturbances which unfortunately existed in the county
Kilkenny, and in other places. Their real object was to pre-
vent discussion, and, above all things, to prevent the agitation
of the question of the repeal of the Union, which was dear to
every true Irishman.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. B. concluded by
requesting every gentleman to be cautious in giving utterance
to his feelings, as these were dangerous times, and his Majesty's
law officers were on the look out.

Mr. LOUGIINAN said, I find it difficult to suppress my horror
and indignation at the proposed unconstitutional measures suf-
ficiently to enable me to speak of them with any degree of for-
bearance. A suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act is proposed
—so, Gentlemen, if that measure pass, any of our most valued
fellow-citizens, whose feelings, sentiments, and opinions are
known to be Irish, and exclusively Irish, shall be liable to im-
prisonment at the good will and pleasure of that gentleman who
will resist to the death what we, while a spark of vitality remains,
or until it be achieved, will seek—the repeal of the Union.
It is said that the measures are for the purpose of putting down
the Whitefeet. The conduct of these deluded men I cannot
sufficiently deprecate—while I recollect their crimes, I cannot
forget the oppression which goaded them on.—(Hear, hear.)
The object of the contemplated measures I deem to be three-
fold—first, to extinguish the constitutional demand for repeal
—next, for the purpose of having the tithes collected—and
thirdly, that the Whigs, by truckling to Tory prejudices, may
hope to fix themselves more firmly in their places.
Mr. DOYLE proposed the next resolution.

. .
Mr. SAULTS would make one or two observations. His Ma-
jesty's Attorney General had a sharp eye on that county. The
city of Kilkenny was the first city that came forward on the
subject of repeal, and the first to send a repeal Member to Par-
liament.—(Hear, hear.) As for the atrocious measures attri-
buted to Lord Grey, he for one could scarcely believe them yet.
He could not bring himself to think that such atrocious enact-
ments as the suspension of the habeas corpus, and trial by jury,
were in contemplation—Acts for which their forefathers
had bled, and for which the Roman Catholic Barons stood on
the plains of Runymede, and extracted from a pusillanimous
tyrant.—(Great cheering.) All the scenes which formerly took
place in 1798, at Marlborough-green, were about to be revived—
scenes which his respected and venerable friend, one of the vo.
lunteers of 1782, Mr. Glendon, well remembered to have wit-
nessed.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. S. here pointed to Mr. Glendon,
who responded with a bow, while the meeting loudly cheered.)
If such measures as those he (Mr. S.) was adverting to, were to
be again re-enacted, he, for his part, would quit the country,
dear as his native land was to his heart.
Mr. CRONYN conceived that the present measures were de.
signed to crush the discussion of the repeal question.
Mr. EGAN said that nothing but the total abandonment of
the proposed measures would satisfy the Irish people.—(Hear.)
It was idle to say that the Whitefeet were the sole object of
those measures. No. It was to crush the agitation of repeal.
There were emissaries going about the country inciting the
people to acts of disturbance.—(Hear.) By such acts the
Union was carried, and by such it was attempted to be kept.

Mr. J. LOX:MILAN recommended the necessity of preserving
quiet, and that he had no doubt the repeal of the Union would
be yet carried. Something was absolutely necessary to support
the people, who were almost literally deprived of even the
commonest means of subsistence.—(Hear.)

Mr. J. HEALY, after some few introductory observations, in
moving a resolution, concluded by saying that he waited coming
events, and he would only, for his own part, say, that if the
Constitution was suspended, he knew his rights as a man.

Mr. STEELE came forward to the front of the altar amidst
enthusiastic acclamations. The present hour was not an or.
dinary hour—it was an awful and an eventful hour. He bad
been occupied day and night, and in his work of pacification
he was warmly met and co-operated with by the excellent Ca.
tholic clergy to the utmost extremity, as they were always ac-
customed, in such laudable works to do.—(Loud cheers.) In
short, there was scarcely a pert of the county in which he
had not been preaching peace and obedience to the laws ; and
yet those base Whigs—(Groans)—the scoundrel Whigs, whose
hearts were either putrid, or whose heads were stupid enough
not to be either willing or able to comprehend such an under.
taking, received informations against him ; and en informa-
tions of such a kind, an officer comes into his bed-room at mid.
night, and arrests him.—(Cries of " Shame, shame.") He
(Mr. S.) had gone through the county as he had described. He
was in the cave of Dunmore with the Whitefeet ; he was with
them in the sacristy of the chapel of Ballyuskill, at midnight,
getting up arms. He went into the house of one of the most
determined captains, to obtain arms, when he found that no
other means would do to break down the confederacy. On
Tuesday last he had been after returning to Kilkenny, with a
quantity of arms in the chaise with him. He stopped at one of
the most public avenues of the city to address the people,
and it was for the speech which he made on that occasion
that he had been arrested by the Whigs. Mr. Steele con-
cluded an address of nearly two hours, by pointing out the
disasters and ruin which the Whitefeet, and all those engaged
in any sort of illegal associations, were calculated to bring down
destruction on the country ; and by recommending that no
other means should be employed in seeking the regeneration
of the country, except those recommended by O'Connell—those
were, legal and constitutional exertions. Mr. Steele was most
enthusiastically cheered for several minutes, amidst waving of
hats, handkerchiefs, &c.
Mr. Steele was afterwards moved to the chair, and the thanks
of the meeting were moved to P. S. Butler, Esq.
Mr. BUTLER, after expressing his thanks, said, he, for one,
was determined not to give up his liberty to the Whigs, be-
cause they promised to check the evils of the grand jury sys-
tes, and because they declared that some ten or a dozen Right
Rev. Fathers in God were living public nuisances, a fact that
did not require the sanction of an Act of Parliament.
The meeting then separated in the most orderly manner,
after giving three cheers for O'Connell and repeal, and three
groans for tithes and the Whigs.