The Sun.
London, England, 1835-09-21 00:00:00

cient. Why, in arts, sciences, literature, manufactures,
and commerce, you are every day improving. There is no
doubt that the British nation is increasing the quantum
of useful improvement, in every thing that conduces to
human comfort and the accumulation of the wealth of
nations. You have brought your machinery almost to
think. Why, if any man were to come to me, and to say,
" Spinning with a distaff is an ancient institution—down
with the spinning-jennies, they are a modern innovation—
it is rank blasphemy to use them—the old wonten used
to spin very comfortably with the distaff—we must re-
turn to the distaff again"—should I be justified in
taking his advice ? What would become of the prosperity
of the manufactures of this country, if we were to have no
yarn but what was spun from distaffs ? lam for the new
, and improvetd machinery—l am for the spinning-jennies—
the old women with the distaffs are in the House of
Lords.—(Great laughter and cheering.) Sir Robert Peel
is in favour of the spinning-jennies in manufactures, and yet
he comes forward, the child and champion of the Oligarchy,
and hurrahs for the distaffs in politics.—(Cheers.) But
then he is a friend to the Dissenters. Mighty like a friend,
as we say in Ireland.—(Laughter.) He reminds me of
an individual who interfered in a duel in Ireland, without
being a second. When asked what was his business there,
he said, "lam a mutual friend." "Oh ! then," said the
querist, "we must have a mutual friend on the other
side."—(Laughter.) So, I suppose, Sir Robert Peel is a
mutual friend of the Dissenters on one side.—(Continued
laughter.) He a friend of the Dissenters! Now, was
there anything ever yet heard so audacious as this? Why,
didn't he oppose the Dissenters even more than he did the
Catholics ? Did he not say that one great argument for
not emancipating the Catholics—for whom, on account of
their numbers, he admitted there was some show of justice,
was the fear thatit would lead to the emancipation of the
Dissenters? That was his argument. But even an unre-
formed House of Commons would no longer endure that
one class of Protestants should be stigmatised by
another class for differing with them in judgment ;
and what, did Peel do ? He got petted, the angry boy,
and walked out of the House in the face of his party,
who were obliged to apologise .for the infirmity of
his temper.—(Great laughter and cheers.) And even no
farther than last year he refused to the Dissenters the poor
privilege of obtaining degrees at the Universities. And
yet Peel calls himself the friend of the Dissenters! But
the Dissenters will rather confide in the promises of Lord
John Russell. They will speedily be put on a perfect equa-
lity with the rest of their Protestant brethren. They will
have their own marriages—Why not ? They will have
their own mode of baptism—Why not They will have
the burial of their dead! Oh ! that law should interfere
between a Christian and the last rites he pays to his de-
parted relative. Peel would have continued this system,
but I am sure that Lord John Russell will abolish the last
particle of these stigmas, and the Protestant Dissenters will
laugh 'to scorn the hollow promises of Sir Robert Peel.
There is another topic in his speech which has filled me
with apprehension. He concluded his speech with the praise
of others, for nine-tenths of it was filled with praise of him-
self ; and whom does he praise ? Louis Philippe, the King
of the French. He apologized for that King introducing
laws to suppress the freedom of discussion, to put down the
press, to crush the progress of the human mind, to make
intellect useless, and, in all the relations of- life, commer-
cial, civil, and legislatorial—nay, to the extent of life and
limb—to put an end to improvement by the pointing out
of errors. Louis Philippe has put down in France that
. without which you in Edinburgh would be in as great a
state of barbarism as the people in Constantinople—a free
press. Nay,• whilst Louis Philippe is crushing the press
in France, the Sultan of Turkey is actually establishing a
; newspaper at Constantinople. Here you have the oppo-
I site extremes of civilization and despotism. In the civi-
-1 lized monarch you see an attempt to put down the freedom
of discussion ; in the barbarian you see a despot appealing

to public opinion as his only security against foreign inva-
sion. But what care I for either despot ? I care for
Peel, who would be the 'despot of this country, and who.
has praised Louis Philippe for having put juries under con-
troul—a most atrocious law, and which no Briton would
deserve to mar the nature of man, if he allowed it to pass.
It. is not important to us that such a law exists in France ;
but it is important that a man who was Prime Minister of
this country, and who tells us that he is again looking for-
ward to 'the same situation, should have the audacity to
praise it. I had almost forgotten whilst I have been ad-
dressing you, that one part of my mission was to rouse your
attention to the state of Ireland—to the utter helplessness
in which she must remain as long as the Lords are suffered
to go on without a check. But why need I say one word
upon that point?' The myriads who have surrounded me
this day—the shouts with which I have been received from
every quarter, have carried this music to my soul—" Ire-
land ha 4 countless friends in Scotland."—(Loud and long
continued cheering)—and it will be impossible longer to
continue a system of despotism over her. But what are
we to do ? Are we to meet-, and eat, drink, and shout,
and talk idly ? No, let us determine as men. I trust
that during the recess, petitions will be got up in every
town and village in Scotland, calling upon the House of
Commons to consider whether it be not necessary for the
public liberty, that the principle of representation' should
be introduced into the House of Lords.—(Loud cheers.) I
have 'always been, for two houses of legislature, to prevent
crude measures from ,being passed into laws, under the
passions which might influence, or the faction which might
govern a single house. Yes, I am for two houses of le-
gislature : but I am not for one subjected to the popular
control, while the other is left to act according to the sinis-
ter influence of the majority in that House. I plainly
see that it is impossible to work out good for England or
Scotland, and, alas, there can be no mitigation of the evils
in Ireland till this grievance is remedied. Let open com-
binations be formed . every where, and let the petitions be
signed by 'every man who has a heart and an arm.—(Cheers.)
I natural)T plead for Ireland, and who can blame mr_l?
I have already done my country some service ; and I do
imagine that if I were to descend to my grave to-morrow,
I should do so with this consolation, that I left my country
better at my death than I found her at my birth.—(Cheer-
ing.) It bas been said—(here the Hon: and Learned Gen-
tleman spOke with peculiar emphasis)—that England and
Scotland are opposed to a repeal of the UnionA Why, so
am I, if justice be done to Ireland.—(Great cheering.)
My object in this mission is to excite the people of Englan.
and Scotland in favour of my country, and so to render
the repeal of the Union unnecessary, by making it a real
union instead of a parchment union. Why should not the
people of Ireland have the franchise the same as England
and Scotland have ? Why should they not have corporate
rights as England and Scotland have—why should they not
be freed from the domination of a paltry faction, as Eng-
land and Scotland are=why should not the consciences of
the Irish people be free and unfettered as, thank God for
it, the people of England and Scotland are ? Answer these
questions in the negative, and I tell you, that, though the
game may be hopeless, you drive me to become a Repealer
again. Answer them in the affirmative, and Ireland will

join you heart and hand, and will be ready to fight your
battles.—(Great cheering.) England and Ireland have too
long answered to the fable of the dwarf and the giant, where
the dwarf gets all the blows and the wounds, and the giant
comes in for the honour and plunder. Now, I tell you, we
will not endure that Ireland should be the dwarf by the side
of such a giant power as England I But raise her politidal sta-
ture to the standard of England and Scotland, and then—hur-
rah for the Union.—(Loud and long-continued cheering.)
For 600 years the iron hoof of misrule has trampled upon the
green isles of my lovely land. Her soil is fertile to exu-
berance, for no summer sun scorches it to sterility, nor

does the winter chill it into barrenness—fertile to exube-
rance are her valleys—lovely are her rivers, as they rush
from the sides of her mountains, and flow through her
green plains—oh ! not to bear on their bosoms the products
of her commerce—would to Heaven it were ; but export-
ing? .from the land the very necessaries of life, while
their banks are lined with a starving people. Her har-
bours are safe from every gale, and open at every hour
of every tide, and yet, though a solitary sail may occa
sionally be seen on her seas, commerce she has none—her
sons wander over every land as the accursed of heaven,
and they are to be found in every country toiling for that
subsistence which is denied them at home—supported in
their exile only by the exuberance of their native. spirits,
and sighing in secret sorrow that they shall never more
behold the land of their birth.—(Great cheers.) Why is
Ireland without commerce ?—Misgovernment. Why is
she without manufactures ?—Misgovernment. Why are
her sons starving among fields that teem with produce ?
Misgovernment. I call upon you to rid your souls of the
crime of acquiescing in this mischief.—(Loud cheers.) I
shall carry back to my own country a tale of joy. I shall
tell my countrymen that I read in the countenances of
the manly, shrewd, and discerning people of Scotland, a
determination to join us in struggling for our rights.--
(Cheers.) I shall tell them that a nation, never exceeded
in the arts of war, and in the bravery of her sons—l
shall tell them that a country which, in the words of one of
our countrymen, who was an orator, soars in the full blaze
of the arts and sciences, " with an eye that never winks,
and a wing that never tires." I will tell them that Scotland,
strong in her manly sons and generous sentiments, has
vowed that Ireland shall be free. (The Honourable and
Learned Gentleman sat down amidst the most qnthusiastic
cheering, which lasted for several minutes.)
Mr. O'CONNELL again rose, and proposed " Prosperity
to the city of Edinburgh."—(Cheers.)
Councillor JAMESON proposed " 'The extension of the
Suffrage, Triennial Parliaments, and Vote by Ballot.'--
(Loud cheering.)
Mr. GILLON, M.P., proposed " The health of the Earl
of Durham." This toast was received with great applause.
A long list of other toasts followed, among which were
" Free trade, particularly in corn ;" " May agitation never