The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-14 00:00:00

REPEAL ASSOCIATION.

The usual weekly meeting of the Association was held
this day in the Conciliation Iran.
On the motion of Mr. S. O'BRIEN the chair was taken
by Richard O'Gorman, Esq. The Chairman briefly re-
turned thanks for the honour conferred upon him.
Mr. S. O'BRIEN commenced the business of the day
by handing in several remittances.
Mr. DANIEL O'CONNELL acknowledged the receipt
of several remittances, and then said he had to make his
usual weekly return from the prison. He was happy to
be able to inform the Association that the imprisoned
martyrs were in good health and most excellent spirits,
enjoying the glorious fact of.the perfect tranquillity
of Ireland throughout its entire extent. They were
likewise rejoiced to find that the spirit of per-
severance, in looking by legal and constitutional
means for the repeal of the union, still pervaded Irish-
men, of every class and persuasion. Peace and perse-
verance, and the union would necessarily be repealed.
He could state to the Association, of his own knowledge,
that when the account reached Mr. O'Connell, of the
speech made by Mr. Sheil on the subject of the State
trials, he expressed his regret that any such speech
should have been delivered, a regret not unmixed with
some indignation. Mr. O'Connell totally disavowed and
repudiated the matter of that speech ; 1:e thought it a
highly unbecoming one as proceeding from any friend of
of his, and he considered it anything but a friendly act
on the part of Mr. Sheil. He could also state, that as
Mr. O'Connell at the close of the proceedings in the
Queen's Bench solemnly protested against the injustice
done to him, he continued firm in that protest. There
had never been upon his part, and there never would be,
any shrinking or compromise, and he could not consider
any man his friend who talked of compromise or shrink-
ing. Mr. O'Connell had now, and long had had, but one
political object, the restoration of the domestic legislature
of Ireland—a restoration which, in his judgment, was
merely a question of time. Come it should—the only
question was when. He deemed the period not distant,
he desired to be at large only that he might the more
actively pursue all peaceable and legal means to restore
the native legislature of Ireland—he did hope, as he did
anxiously wish, that his imprisonment might arouse
every patriot that is out of prison to increased peaceable
exertion for the repeal of the deleterous union. It was
the duty of those who were at large to redouble their
efforts for that patriotic and eminently useful purpose,
the repeal of the statute of legislative union. There
had been an assertion attributed to Sir Robert Peel, by
the public papers, to the effect that the Government had
intended to issue a proclamation against the holding
of the two meetings prior to that of Clontarf, but
that the meetings were abandoned. He had made in-
quiry, and he could now state to the Association
that if Sir R. Peel made any such assertion he did so
upon false information ; the" assertion being in itself per-
fectly untrue, as there were no meetings agreed to be
held, and then given up, prior to the Clontarf proclama-
tion. The falsehood of the assertion of course is not at-
tributed to Sir Robert Peel, but to the base men who
misinformed him. The assertion, however, itself was
perfectly false. lie had reason to know that Mr. O'Con-
nell was exceedingly anxious to have all the liberal elec-
tors for the municipal elections prepared, by having paid
their taxes before the 31st of the present month, in order
to be put upon the burgess roll. These taxes would be
paid sooner or later—the electors were not asked to pay
a sum of money which they could avoid paying by delay.
The only difference was, that if they were paid before
the 31st of August the ratepayers would have a right to
vote ; whereas they lose that right by deferring the
payment. There was an instance before Mr. O'Connell,
as Lord Mayor, upon the revision of the burgess list, of
no less than six persons in one of the wards having paid
their taxes on the Ist of September, and who, therefore,
lost their votes—votes which they would have retained
if they had paid those taxes a day sooner. he only
method of proceeding satisfactorily with the preparations
for the municipal elections was to have committees of
repeal wardens meet in each ward, and make all the ne-
cessary arrangements, and in particular to ascertain
what taxes were due, and to procure the electors to dis-
charge those taxes in time ; that is, on or before the 31st
of August ; for it should always be kept in recollection
that every other exertion was useless, and went for no-
thing, unless the taxes were paid in time. Finally, he
had to state his perfect conviction that if there were any
Irishman who desired to mitigate the imprisonment of
Mr. O'Connell, he could do so in one way alone, and
that was, by redoubled exertions, legally and peaceably
to achieve for his native land the greatest of political
blessings, namely, the repeal of the legislative union.
Dr. NAGLE moved a resolution having for its object
the extension of repeal reading-rooms throughout the
country.
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN seconded the motion, and said
that nothing could advance the cause of repeal more
than the establishment of repeal reading-rooms through-
out the country. The object of the Association was to
promote the political, intellectual, and industrial educa-
tion of the people of this country, and the expense at
which this desirable object could be accomplished would
be comparatively trifling.
Mr. CAPEL POWELL, M.P., moved the adoption of the
following address to her Majesty :

- -
"TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
" Most Gracious Sovereign,—We, the undersigned in-
habitants and natives of the kingdom of Ireland, being
deeply aggrieved and incensed by the acts of those who
misuse your Majesty's name to sanction their aggressions
upon our rights and liberties, and confiding in your Ma-
jesty's benign disposition towards your loyal Irish sub •
jects, venture to approach your throne with this our
appeal for redress.
"An event,
most gracious Sovereign, has occurred,
which has caused to the Irish nation intense sorrow,
alarm, and indignation. The most illustrious of your
Majesty's subjects, together with six others of our fel-
low-countrymen, are now inmates of a common gaol—
having been convicted by means which we believe to be
unconstitutional, illegal,
and unjust, for having performed
acts, deserving not of punishment, but of the highest
commendation.
"Desirous to unfold to your Majesty the course of
circumstances which have brought to pass this event,
never to be forgotten by the Irish nation, we beg re-
spectfully to represent to your Majesty, that your Irish
subjects claim to be a free people, and to be as much
entitled to the enjoyment of free institutions as the most
favoured inhabitants of your empire • that for several
hundred years they possessed, under the Crown of Eng-
land, a national Parliament; that, by a combination of
wickedness, almost without parallel, they were, in the
year 1800, deprived of this their ancient birthright and
inheritance; that they have since learned, by the sad ex-
perience of forty-three
.years, how great a loss their
country had sustained in exchanging self-government
for provincial dependency ; that in the British Parlia-
ment Irish interests are neglected, Irish feelings find no
sympathy, Irish opinion possesses no weight ; and that
the fruit of British legislation for Ireland has been the
prostration of all those resources, moral and material,
which can give dignity, prosperity, and contentment to a
nation. _ _

" One man had sufficient penetration to discover the
cause of our sufferings, and sufficient energy to rouse his
countrymen to assist him in the almost hopeless task of
seuesetpatie sustained
ib f y won by the effusion of a single
consciousness of the force of his
recovering our Legislature. His mission was peaceful.
He announced, that no triumph which we could achieve
was to
be a
drop
.of blood. He relied upon the irresistible influence
of i
opinion,
reasoning, and of the righteousness of his cause. He
called together his fellow-countrymen—they assembled
in peaceful array. He asked them whether his opinions
were confirmed by their concurrence ? They answered,
with a voice almost unanimous, that there was no hope
for Ireland, save in the restoration of her Legislature.
"Such is the offence of Daniel O'Connell. For having
sought to secure to the land of his birth the protecting
influence of self-government, our aged patriot now in-
habits the a'xide of a felon.
" From among the millions who coincide with him in
opinion, and who so coinciding share his guilt, without
partaking his merit or his doom,
eight were selected as
instruments to effect his conviction. For whatever im-
prudent words they may have spoken, written, or pub-
lished, he has been held responsible. We are told, most
gracious Sovereign, but we believe it not that this is the
w
la of the land. Our reason tells us it is not the law of
nature, or of God
" The course of his trial has been consistent with the
nature of the charge, and with the means by which it
has been sustained. We have been accustomed to be-
lieve that trial by jury was instituted, in order to secure
to the accused an impartial tribunal. In the case of
O'Connell, we have seen the jury laws violated, and
every expedient adopted which could insure his con-
viction, by the intervention of political and religious
prejudices. "
In your Majesty's highest court of criminal jurisdic-
tion, your Attorney-General has been allowed, during
the progress of this trial, with impunity to violate the
laws of God and of man.
" Your Chief Justice has been seen to take upon him-
self the office of advocate against the accused.
" Thus, by a perversion of law, and by a denial of jus-
tice, the greatest man of his age has been convicted on a
charge of conspiracy, and has been consigned to a goal,
even before the process is terminated which questions
the validity of his trial.
" In addressing your Majesty, we do not use courtly
phrase, orothe customary formularies of adulation. We
address you as our beloved Sovereign in the language of
the heart. We fear that truth seldom reaches a Royal
ear ; and being sincerely desirous to preserve to your
Majesty unimpaired, the affection of the people of Ire-
land, we may not conceal from you our conviction, that
the proceedings of your Majesty's Ministers have
greatly tended to alienate the minds of your Irish sub-
jects from the laws, institutions, and government which
they adminster, and to engender animosities between
the kindred nations which acknowledge your Majesty's
sway.
" To us, this event brings an additional proof that
Ireland can never be wisely or safely governed until we
• possess a native Legislature, and, under the pressure of
• this conviction, we think it right, on the present occa-

sion, not only to lay before your Majesty this- our na-
tional protest against the injustice which has been in-
flicted upon our innocent fellow-countrymen, and against
the violation of our own rights and liberties, but also to
record the fixed and irrevocable determination of a large
majority of the Irish nation to persevere—until success
shall reward their perseverance—in their efforts to ob-
tain the restoration of the Parliament of Ireland.

" Relying, then, upon your Majesty's gracious desire
to promote the happiness of your Irish subjects, we
implore your Majesty to assist our endeavour to obtain a
repeal of the Act of Union, as the only effectual means
of protecting us from those wrongs, legislative, admi-
nistrative, and judicial, which we now endure.
" That our gracious Queen, assisted by the councils
of an Irish Parliament, and of Ministers who shall
possess its confidence, may soon is itness the prosperity
and contentment of the Irish nation, and long live to
contemplate that happy sight, is the fervent prayer of
the undersigned, who, with all the respect which is due to
their Sovereign, subscribe themselves your Majesty's
loyal and attached subjects."
Mr. 11. GRATTAN, M.l-., seconded the motion in an
emphatic speech, and on concluding was loudly cheered.
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN mentioned that the number of
signatures to the document amounted to 1,084,938, and
he had the gratifying fact to announce that a large pro-
portion of these came from the northern counties. _ _

On the motion of Mr. M'Nevin (barrister), seconded
by Mr. Mackay (barrister), a committee was appointed
to inquire into the facts of the recent disturbance in
Cork, which had arisen out of a religious cause.
Mr. O'CoNNELL concurred in the propriety of this
step, and expressed his conviction that the statements
respecting this affair had been greatly exaggerated.
After some further business had been gone through,
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN announced the rent for the week
9461. 17s.—The meeting then adjourned.
DEATH OF WILLIAM O'REILLY, ESQ.
We regret to announce the death of William O'Reilly,
Esq., which took place at the family mansion, Knock
Abbey Castle, county of Louth, on Saturday evening
last. Mr. O'Reilly was lineally descended from the head
of the sept of O'Reilly, in the county of Cavan, who,
having followed the standard of the ill-starred James,
were parties to the treaty of Limerick, and by its viola-

tion their hereditary estates passed out of their hands,
like many of the Irish then deprived of their domains.
On the relaxation of the penal code the father of Mr.
O'Reilly purchased considerable estates in Louth, Gal-
way, and Limerick ; and on the death of his elder brother,
in the year 1840, he became possessed of the estates in
Louth and Galway, and expended the income derived
from them in giving extensive employment to the inha-
bitants of their localities

Mr. O'Reilly had been a distinguished member of the
Catholic Association. On the passing of the Reform Bill,
he was elected Member for the borough of Dundalk, in
opposition to the brother of Lord Roden, the owner of
the town. The close attention to his Parliamentary
duties undermined his constitution, and to it may be
traced his early demise. As a landlord he was kind and
indulgent; as a country gentleman and a magistrate he
was unremitting in the discharge of his duties, and none
were heard to "dispute his judgments, for they were
always founded on justice.
He is succeeded in his estates by his only son, Miles
O'Reilly, Esq., a distinguished student of the London
University.
Mr. O'Reilly was brother of the late Colonel O'Reilly,
husband of the Dowager Duchess of Roxburgh, and
of Mr. Dowel O'Reilly, the present Attorney-General of
Jamaica.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
Not only is the country tranquil, but the people seem
determined to avoid all temptation to outrage or insubor-
dination. The Galway Vindicator mentions a very gra-
tifying illustration of this spirit amongst the peasantry.
On Tuesday evening a fellow, who had been some days
in that town, obtruded himself at a meeting of the Tem-
perance Society, and, says that journal, " commenced an
harangue of the most treasonable and seditious tendency,
advising the people to an appeal to arms, in furtherance
of the liberation of O'Connell and their legislative
independence, until he was cut short in his address by
a rough and speedy ejectmentfrom the room."

ATT GIT T 14, 184,i.