The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-24 00:00:00

deuce, for the purpose of showing what was the real character
of the meeting.
Mr. Justice Perrin said that the acts and declarations of
the assembly in question were clearly evidence to show what
were its objects arid its nature. As he understood the evidence
it was this—an arch had been put up in a public passage; the
place for holding the meeting being not at all remote from it as
Donnybrook was from Clontarf. And if that arch were al-
allowed to remain there, surely that was evidence to show that
that was the act of those who were engaged in holding that as-
sembly. The case was not exactly the same as those cases
which had been cited by the Attorney-General ; but the prin-
ciple was the same,and applied equally to them all.
The examination of the wi:ness was then resumed. He
said—On one side of the banner were the words, " The slave
master may brandish his whip, but we are determined to be
free." On the other side were the words—" Beware ! physical
force is a dangerous experiment to try on the Irish people;
Repeal shall not be put down by the bayonet." The Roman
Catholic chapel of Tullamore is nearly opposite the corn
market where the meeting was held. 1 here was no motto
placed on the chapel door. There was a motto placed almost
opposite to it. It was to this effect—" Ireland her Parliament,
or the world in a blaze." That was on a Sunday. The greater
number of the people at the meeting had passed under the arch.
There was a motto on a wall nearly opposite the platform
to the following effect :—" Ireland was not, ought not to be,
will not be, a serf nation." There were nine or ten other
mottoes placed near the platform. Among them was the
following —" He eho commits a crime strengthens the
enemy —God save the Queen." " See the Conquering Hero
comes." " Repeal," and under that word, the words
" Justice and prosperity to all creeds and classes." The
crowds continued coming into the town from about ten to
about one o'clock. I counted nine temperance bands which
came into Tullamore that day. Some of the people came in
on horseback. The horsemen advanced four a-breast. They
appeared to advance in order. There were about three
hundred horsemen. The crowds on foot could not keep
the same order, and the temperance bands themselves
were borne onwards by the crowd. One of the horsemen
wanted to stop, when another said to him, " d—n you, why
don't you keep the ranks?" There were persons giving di-
rections to the crowd generally as to the order of marching—
ordering them as they were getting them into line.
The Attorney-General-1 see, marshalling them.
The counsel fur the traversers complained of the remark.
Examination resumed—Mr. O'Connell had, I believe,
arrived the night before. I believe it was during the night
that the arch was erected. Mr. O'Connell and the other gen-
tlemen ascended the platform at a quarter after two o'clock.
The meeting was over about four. (The witness identified Mr.
O'Connell and Mr. Steele as being present on the occasion.)
I was about twelve yards from the platform. I took a few
notes of what Mr. O'Connell said. I will read from that
note a few passages He was certain of repeal ;" he called
Lord Beaumont " a desperate fellow ;" he alluded to Sir Robert
Peel having declared that he would prefer civil war to the
granting of Repeal ; and Mr. O'Connell then said that " he
hurled at him a high and haughty defiance." He afterwards
asked the people if they would be ready to meet him there
again ; but thinks he went on to say that he would not want
them, or something to that effect. I estimate the number of
persons from 60,000 to 70,000, exclusive of the inhabitants of
the town. The members of the bands had fancy dresses—some
white, some green and white.
Cross examined by Mr. Henn—l have a knowledge of
short-hand. I was apprised of the intention to hold the
meeting in question. I attended it as it was my duty to
do ; and I reported it to my superior officers as it was also my
duty to do. I was almost twelve or fourteen yards from
Mr. O'Connell when he spoke. Heard him speak about
Ribbonism ; but just at that particular time I lost the
thread of the discourse.—(Laughter.) It was according as
Mr. O'Connell spoke high or low that I was able to hear or other-
wise. There were a great number of meri, women, and children
at the meeting, which passed off most peaceably. There was
no riot or disturbance at the meeting, nor was there a ten-
dency to disturbance—nor was there any necessity for the
attendance of the police. I thought that the order
observed, in respect to the meeting, tended to prevent
ar,cidents. Never before saw so large a meeting. Had
seen fairs, and markets, and funerals, but nothing like
such a concourse of people as attended the meeting. Went to
the plane of meeting the night before it took place. I am not
positive that I saw the arch of which I spoke on Saturday
night. The motto of which I spoke—namely, " Repeal
or a blaze," I did not see the night before the meeting.
It was there on the Sunday morning. I will not swear that
it was taken down before the meeting took place. Will not
swear that it was not taken down by Mr. Steele. I was at
the meeting. I was in the stores over the platform. I took
down the several mottos that were posted about the place of
meeting and on the platform. 1 saw the motto, " Repeal, or
Ireland in a blaze," at 12 o'clock on the day of the meeting.
I took down the motto, " Patience and Perseverance."
Mr. Henn—Was not " Obedience to the Laws" on the
same banner ?

The Attorney-General—l object to this. If these words
were there, let Mr. Henn prove it in a proper manlier.
Air. Henn—Sure I have a right to know if he saw the words
to which I have referred.

Can you, witness, see as well as hear? I hope there is no
objection to that.

-Witness—l can—there were a great number of women at the
meeting. I did not see any ladies coming from church at the
time. I saw a banner with " God save the Queen" on it. I
don't know that I saw a banner with " The Queen, God bless
her" on it. I don't know that I took all the mottoes down, but
I took all that were publicly exposed, all that were across the
streets and on the platform. I will not swear that 1 took down
all the mottoes, but 1 did take down the principal ones. I don't
recollect seeing a banner with " The Rose, Thistle, and Sham-
rock," and " he Queen, God bless her," on it. Received di-
rections on the Saturday to attend the meeting. I did so, and
on the Monday I forwarded my report.
Mr. Neal Brown, a Magistrate of Tullamore, was next
called atid examined by Mr. Napier—l remember the Repeal
meeting held in Tullamore in July last. About one o'clock
on the Sunday that the meeting was held I was in my house,
and saw the people coming into the town from the west-
ward. I did not go to church that day, in order that
I might be in readiness if required. There were bands
of music with the processions, and they played as the
procession passed round the church to the place of meeting.
This was about half-past two o'clock in the day. I saw Mr.
O'Connell and Mr. Steele there. The procession passed along
fifteen abreast. I saw the people coming from church. They
came through my field. That was not the usual way. The
usual way was to go down the street that the procession came
up. There were three bands. They had uniforms. Some
of them had, in addition, scales on their shoulders. They came
down in columns about five abreast, and preserved good order
except in one or two places.
Cross. examined by Mr. Moore, Q. C.—Have been a stipen-
diary magistrate at Tullamore since 26th September, 1839.
The bands I have mentioned were all temperance bands. 1 had
never heard of such bands until about two years since.
Had you heard of them lor.g antecedent to the meeting ?
Yes, but not antecedent to meetings of a similar description.
They played tunes, but Ido not know what they were. I was
the officer who, through the inspector, directed Stewart,
the last witness, to attend the meeting. I had received direc-
tions to do so from my superior officer, on my report that such
a meeting was likely to take place. There was no riot occur-
red at the meeting, nor any in the town until eleven o'clock at
night. Roscrea is about thirty miles from Tullamore.
James Johnson, sworn and examined by_Mr. Sergeant War-
ren—l am a head constable in the Sligo constabulary. I was
present at the meeting in Longford, on the 29th of May. It
was a Repeal meeting. I made an estiniate of the numbers
present, and should say they amounted to 40,000 or 50,000.
Several were on horseback, and drawn up in regular array.
They' were accompanied by bands in many instances, and some
of those bands had uniform caps and frocks. I saw several
mottoes exhibited on large pieces of calico.
Mr. Sergeant Warren—Tell the jury what those mottoes
were.
Witness—There was " Cead mule failthe"—" Ireland for the
Irish and the Irish for Ireland"—" He who commits a crime
gives strength to the enemy"—" Breathes there a man"—
" Welcome Erin's bright star"--" Repeal and no separation"
—" A population of nine millions is too great to be dragged
at the tail of another nation," &c., &c. ) At that meeting
Messrs. O'Connell and Shei—( Great laughter)—no, Steele
—were present. The chairman—known as Count Nugent—
said that the Irish would get all they wanted if
they attended to their priests. lie talked of landlords and

property, and said that Ireland was able to supply all her own
wants. He called upon all true-hearted Irishmen to rally
round the standard of Repeal. A priest (Mr. O'Beirne) said
that this was not a time to give a silent vote, and that every
Irishman should rally round the Repeal standard—that Ireland
would again be raised to the dignity of a nation, and would
cease to be legislated for by those who were ignorant of her
condition and hostile to her pi esperity. He then asked " Have
we a voice in the Legislaiure?" and a voice in the crowd an-
swered, "No, no." At the termination of the proceedings
three cheers were given for the Repeal, and three hearty cheers
for the Repeal of the Union.—( Laughter.)
Who was the next speaker ?—I did not know his name, but
he said that personal sacrifices should be made, and that no
men deserved to be esteemed who now deserted the cause of re-
peal. The next who followed spoke of the coercion of Ireland
some twenty years ago, and as to the next speaker he could not
take anything he said. The next speaker he knew was Mr.
O'Connell.

Tell the jury what Mr. O'Connell said.—He spoke against
Ribbon societies, against illegal oaths, and said that the Re-
, pealers were peaceable, but that they were attacked (by the
Government), but they stood on their defence—that Peel and
Wellington might pass their Acts of Parliament, but they
would find that he (Mr. O'Connell) would drive a coach and
six through them.
When Mr. O'Connell spoke of Ribbonism, did he in the
same tone of voice?—He did, but there was a pause which
struck him as peculiar, which might be understood by himself,
or by those he addressed. He also spoke of the linen trade ;
and that he would, in the Irish Parliament, punish these in an
exemplary manner who were now opposed to him ; that it was
as preposterous for the temporalities of Ireland to be allocated
to the Church—the Church of the minority—as for one man
to ask another to pay f.r his education ; that repeal would give
fixity of tenure, by which landlords would be obliged to give
leases of twenty-one years—here there were several shouts of
hurra, hurra—to give the landlord his rights, but that they
should perform their duty.
Is that the entire of what Mr. O'Connell said ?—He also
said the Union had carried away 9,000,000/. of money which
ought to have been spent in Ireland. That they would not
continue under the dominion of the Saxon which ground
them to dust, and then there was a pause after he said, 6. we
were never canquered—that Ireland must be Ireland—we will
be liberated—we will fight for Repeal rnd liberty—when I
want you again, I will let you know the day."
Did you hear Mr. Steele speak ?—Yes, but took no note of
his speech.
Cro,s-examined by Mr. Fi!zgibbon—Did you know the gen-
tleman you designated by the name of Priest O'Donnell?—
No. He never saw him before that day. He was a stranger
to him. He was about fifteen yards rather in the rear of the
platform. The speakers' backs were to him, so that he felt it
difficult to hear what they said. Wrote the papers on which
his notes were on a window-sill. He did not reside in that
place. He was sent there on duty, ar,d he was on duty when
writing those papers. He was sent there to observe the meet-
ing, and take notes.

•
—Mr. O'Connell, you say, made a pause? A significant
pause ?—Yes, a very significant pause.
What did it signify ?—lt might be known to himself and
those he addressed.

Was the language known to the 40,000?-1 do not think his
voice could be heard by the 40,00.
Were you behind him when made that mighty rause ?
I was.

Turn your back to the jury, and show what kind .of pause
Mr. O'Connell made ?-1 do not know the jury.
-
•The jury being pointed out, he turned his back on them
amidst great laughter.
Will you express that pause ? I cannot express it.
Did.you see Mr. O'Connell's face when he made the pause?
.cyConnell uttered—•• I am talking of the pause."
Did yotrsee his face then ?—I cannot now recollect.
You cannot then recollect whether you saw his back or his
face ?-_lt must be the one or the other.

How lotig;;;;th;tP;;;L:that-;ignificant pause?—lt might
be about three or four or five seconds, but not certain.

Di.l he make only one pause ?—He did.
Several?—Yes, but not such a pause as the one noticed.
The pause of three or four seconds was the longest he made ?
.Yes.

What did he say during the pause ?,—(Great laughter).
What did he say before the pause? What were the subjects