The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-03 00:00:00

IRELAND. --
REPE AL ASSOCIATION.

DUBLIN, APRIL 1. i J
The usual weekly meeting of the Association tool; ' i
place to-day in the Conciliation Hall, which was Crowde
in every part. Mr. O'Connell entered the building at
one o'clock, and was received with prolonged cheering. ,
On the motion of the Hon. Gentleman, Mr. W. S.
O'Brien, M.P., was called to the chair.
Mr. O'CoNNELL rose and said, there was nothing like
beginning well.—(Loud cheers.) He wished they would j
reserve those cheers for what he was about to hand in to •
the Association. He had the pleasure of handing in the
sum or 600/., transmitted to them by the repealers of
New York.---(Cheers.) He moved that the thanks of
the Association be given to those parties who had for-
thisar noble subscription.
kfTh motion having been carried,
r•e J. O'Corixtu.t. said that he had been requested to
read to the meeting a very important and interesting
correspondence which had taken place between the Earl
of Charlemont and Lord French. The Hon. Gentleman
then read the following letter:—
" Charlemont-house, Dublin, March 4. '
which i
" Nry Lord,—We have at this moment a lull in agitation,
momentmy mind affords a favourable opportunity for an
effort in the cause of peace ; under which impression I thus
take the liberty of addressing you upon the subject.
" I have every reason to believe that at the time of the
union Mr. Pitt was of opinion that an arrangement was, even
then, possible for having periodical or sof
Imperial Parliament held in Ireland,sess forions ittings
such businessthe
as
might be most conveniently dispatched there, if the people of
Ireland desired it.
more s
" What was deemed practical at that time must be still
o at this, considering the facility and rapidity of the
present communication between London and Dublin. It is '
nasowinrfrtant also to conciliate popular support to the union
) viewed with reference to the lasting interests of the
public as it was then, and there appears to be a very general
persuasion that occasional meetings of the Imperial Parlia-
nient in Dublin would powerfully ted to do :o
t "It is also considered that if the attention of the Legisla- '
tore was uninterruptedly given from time to time to the
affairs of Ireland on the spot, they would be better under-
stood than they can ever otherwise be by those who are to
legislate concerning them, and a course of measures might
thus be looked for which mus tend to secure, not to endan-
ger, the general fabric of the empire.
" Some friends with whom I have consulted on this mo-
mentous subject think it desirable that these views should be
laid before the Throne, and a draught of an address to her
Majesty having been prepared for that purpose, I beg leave to
enclose a copy of it to you.
"Allow me to request your consideration of it, and that
you will be so good as to return it to one with as little delay
as may suit your convenience, with any observations that
should of to
you upon its subject, and, if you approve, Id of course claim the advantage of your signature to
the contents.
" Believe me to be, my Lord, with respect and regard. _
"To the Right Hon Lord Frenc" Your obedient servant, " CHARLEMONT.
h."
The Hon. Gentleman having read the draught of the
address alluded to in the foregoing letter, praying for
the
holding of periodical sessions of the Imperial Par-
liament in Ireland, and representingresence from time that the benefit
p
would be enhanced by her Majesty's
t° lime amongst her Irish subjects proceeded to lay be-
ver fore the meeting the reply of Lord French, who, in a
-orig. letter, of which the following is an extract,
stay
statedi his reasons for dissenting from the proposition of d
Charlemont:—
of "my " If I have not entirely mistaken the feelings and designs
'
. connt ry rnen, witwhom I am associated info repeal of the legislative union, they require note anking itine-
r
rant, but a domestic Legislature—not merely a resident, but
a native Parliament. They wish to have their legislation
cualinitted to men whom the history of their country does
not describe heredity as inveterately inimical to their rac e—as high in
ry hatred to their creed. They long for libera io
from the control of a Parliament which, in the short interval
I,°f 44 years, has, like a sponge, absorbed all the milk and
"orl with which the into was flowing before the union.
They wish to have theirrests entrusted to a Parliament
consisting of men not born in England, in Sotland, or in Wales
----not educated in habitual contempt of Irishmen—not stran-
gers to the names, the sites, the advantages, the require-
ments, and the history of the principal localities of Ireland—
not trained up in the belief that Englishmen are by nature
'what they claim to be at present—the superiors, the masters,
t exclave-owners, rather than the co-equals and fellow-sub-
of Irishmen—not, in a word, men presuming that, be-
cause they walkd a street or tw of our metropolis, or
whiled over somee thirty miles on ao railroad or a day coach,
they knew more about Ireland than the men who spent their
lives within her limits, and devoted their energies to her
~a,„erv,_ic, e• No, ray Lord, believe me, an alien ambulatory as-
illuiY, thou h• be the terminus of its ambulacrum,
can never possess the confidence of Irishmen. The Parlia-
Inent in which they will confide must be national and sym-
Pathetic—it must be the product of the soil, and composed of
ithe men'of Ireland—it must be Irish in blood, in accent, and
'n
feeling ;—no other will suffer the Irish to be for Ireland,
and most assuredly no other will give Ireland to the Irish:,
Mr. O'CONNELL moved the insertion of these docu-
ments on the minutes of the Association, and that thed
most respectful thanks of the body be bestowed on Lor
Freer.b
-- , for his admirable letter, and tohLimordonChthairsleomcoena!
for.
th kindly e, feeling manifested by
It was delightful to them, looking back, as they
did, with fond admiration to the Charlemont of 'B2,
to find the Charlemont of '44 not sunk in the general
to to an displayed bv the Irish nobility. It was delightful
hirn thinking of old Irelandalthough e
fell short of the distance to which they wished him to
o
g, he was in the right road. It was a confession to
some extent, that they (the Repealers) were right, be-
cause he admitted that the present system was bad ; and
They could nut help regretting that his Lordship had not
arrived at the only adequate remedy for the grievances
of the country, namely, the restoration of their native
Parliament.—(Cheers.) What cared he where a Parlia-
ment hostile and ungenial to Ireland might be situated ?
—he cared not where such a. body met, whether in the
Orkney or Scilly Isles, in London or in llublin.—(Hear.)
What they wanted was a Parliament genial to
Ireland--
devoted to Irish interests, and which would maintain,
—(Cheers.) eternise the connexion between the two countries:
—(Cheers..) He wished that the highest in rank were
foremost in work, and that the rest of the Irish no-
bility would join Lord Charlemont. He fellf short, it was
true, of his father; for the Charlemont o 1782 would
acknowledge no inferiority inherent in his country, nor
would he admit that Irishmen were unfit to manage their
own affairs.—(Hear, hear.) OAh I
Amid the
degradation there
was in such an admission 1
prevailing torpor
of the upper classes it was • refreshingnte to e a move in
the right path by any portion of the nobility, and he
trusted that their next stride would bee
Irishtowards fede-
ralism. They should recollect that th
easily manageable race, and that they had were
remarkablean predilection for aristocracy when im ataedw ith
the right spirit He appealed to the noble house of Caul.
field to take the lead now, and he called on them to re-
collect that serving such a people was the noblest species
of servitude. By joining their countrymen at the pre-
sent moment, when it was of importance to have all the
Virtue and good sense of the nation with them, they
would bring back all the glory which invested their
familY in the year all
cheers.) Alter elabo-
rhaat.e.lY Panegyrising Lord French's letter, in which he
Hon genius genius of Ireland spoke its true language, the
il c Gentleman concluded by moving the insertion of
the. orrespOndence on the minutes, and thanks to the
Writers.
The no
Mr o,Neinourable Gentleman next read a letter from
,ge • .11, of Bunown Castle, in which it was thesug-
.sted that parties should be received into the ranks
politics
',Association without any inquiry into their
or religion. He (Mr. O'Connell) was ex-
et.orremreelilgyieatvierse from any inquisition into either politics
; but they could not suffer any body of men
:join them who were advocates of physical force, and
v 'Ought to effect their own objects by tyrannising
The
and attempting to coerce the opinions of others.
'll Chartists had been guilty of these faults, and the
Association would not suffer any person to join them
Ravin
they knew to be a Chartist.—(Hear, hear.)
the Chartists
epumerated several acts of violence of which
ciludCett.rtists have been guilty, the Hon. Gentleman con-
Ili° by saying that when theabandoned such opi-
ns, and got fitter leaders thayn they at present pos-'
Iklb!sed' they might be
iallowed to join the ranks of the
would, without mucleill
4-`ePealers. If the Re
out the country towns ers countenanced them now, they
fefifeulty, obtain adherents through-
come a truly formidable part
Ireland, and would thus be-
clear of them.—..
to keep Ireland
Several sums of money having
Y; but he would take care
been (Hear,
handedhear.)
in,
to call the attentilo'nV
Ur. O'Coximi.
itleicreeting to
rose, and said that he wished
h uld advert was one w.b
csonusiderable Inaportance The first so subjects of
to me
towhich
the people of this 101 l
was generally interesting to
country_ he marriage question. That meant the Presbyterian
been
informed, in 5.% very question had been raised as he
asserted that the extraordinary manner. It had
were defrayed by a ePxpenses of the proceedings
C, !lurch, and he could dignitary of the Established
that not hel •
personagep saying that he thought
might
Better, Afterf detaili have laid out his money much
tell the the courts nof lawe proceedings which
. ell proceeded to state
a;ad come to a decision gnatthat length the House of Lords
the effect of confirming 0 matter, which would have
court below. There adverse
the adverse judgment of the
divided
in . ere were four Lords
_ their opinion, and the ' present, who were
below not being reversed, judment of the court
ages were invalid. In accordancewas now
final, and these mar-
of equality (valid.
persons of with those principles
CProfessed, he should in all creeds which he had ever
ommittee of the Associ°ll that it be referred to the
they could best adva ton to consider in what man_
port to the claims of the nP" the interests and give sup-
brought before the Presbyterians when they were
le tall attention House
of
"nmons Henext
, to their own pro pests begged
in Ireland. It would be in
England and
late
all the proceedings in En I insufferable tediousness to go
ia.te prosecution and its gan
connected with the
nunself to go to ond i _ results. Ile was unwilling
ltnYthing fro (n. He was led not to expect
„ow m theprejudices of the •
from er classes he knew mi h b middle classes—the
_,. the principlesof g t e led by Chartism, but
lauis thatPolitical creed he entirely
yetl in he
to Irelanda the upper classes were ar-
7na-ving been overruled by .and to her wishes ; but
0112 in he had the highest the opinions of those for
Condon respect he accordingly went
.__
other act
and h had never been
any o.her act of h. 11 so much gratified by
Pointed is i e ; he was most agreeably disap-
.. to find among the E •
moat support the nglish people a disposi-
I'Pread abhorr cause of Ireland—an intense and wide-
?'-lt grcat one
of what had occurred in this country
us, anxiety for the purity of the administration of
aeleut-'d."7...! longing to have juries fairly
e'er ", 'act, he had been as well received where-
At hewen!. in Englandas
a ger briefly .eta,. ~
0. _ he could be in that hall.
-uring his lnn the various occasions upon which
ttpeet ,__, late visit to ißngland manifestations of re-
etd,"e° been shown to him `he son. Gentletufal Igo,
the '‘! t° say that -'
" .
w'se, the ° his heart was bin. with gratitude to
tlgla, • e good, the • p •
of
Dr mi. on f°d, just, the discriminatine. -}? f4ople .;_e4sed English°riner occasions when Ireland wis op-
the but
they h
unhappily acquiesced in the injus-
, their ,e had now taken a manly stand in favour
Voice
too
laud to Is in this country, and had proclaimed, in
• ive misttuuerstood, that they were dis-