The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-10 00:00:00

treasure, a would have been dealing only with the
symptoms of the disease ; but if they had followed up a
measure asserting and vindicating the law by a measure
of conciliation and improvement, they would then have
laid a foundation for the future prosperity of Ireland. The
course that had been taken, however, was very different.
Mr O'Connell and other popularleaders were allowed to go
oh for seven or eight months without interruption, their
language unchecked, their meetings uninterrupted, and
the only declarations which they had had—one from the
Secretary of State for the Home Department and an-
other from the Lord Chancellor of Ireland----had led him
to the inference, not as a lawyer, but a constitutional
politician, that those meetings were legal. No wonder
that they continued to such an extent as to
menace the peace of the country. At length,
after that six or eight months of impunity, they
were interrupted, and the chief leaders of them
were brought to trial, not for the last of their proceed.
ings, not for any one particular meeting that had just
taken place, nor for any seditious language which had
lately been uttered, but for the whole course of eight or
nine months of a popular agitation, which was qualified
by the legal advisers of the Crown as conspiracy. Such
a proceeding was entirely contrary to that rule which
was laid down with truth and justice by Mr. Erskine in
his celebrated defence of Hardy. On that occasion Mr.
Erskine declared that if there were a particular act of' a
man's life which was criminal he should be brought to
trial, but that to look at his conduct for two years, and
from that, combined with his conversation, to endeavour
to drag out an imputation of guilt, was not justice but
tyranny. The bringing of these persons to trial
was so contrived that there being eleven Roman
Catholics among the persons who might have
been on the jury, those eleven Catholics were struck out
by the Crown, and there remained a jury of twelve Pro-
testants, several of whom were known to be parti-
zans—(" Hear, hear," from Mr. Sheil)—pursuing a line
of politics the opposite of those of Mr. O'Connell.
He would ask, could the internal peace of Ireland be
secured by those means ?—(Hear, hear.) In the first
place, was it just to leave these persons to pursue their
course for eight months without any notice that they
were bringing themselves within the meshes of the law?
—(Hear, hear.) In the next place, having determined
to bring them to trial, "was that trial likely to produce
the effect which an impartial trial always produced,
even upon those who we re the sufferers from it—
when it was known that the prosecutors had cautiously
excluded from the jury every man who was of the same
religion as Mr. O'Connell—( Hear, hear)—that religion
being the religion of the great majority of the people of
Ireland?—(Hear, hear.) He would not have said any-
thing on this subject if he had thought the evil beyond
the hope of remedy—if he had thought that Govern-
ment had taken a step which it was impossible for them to
retrieve.—(Hear, hear.) But he thought that altogether
the Government had been for so long a time ignorant of
the real state of Ireland—(Hear, hear)--or, if not igno-
rant of the real, state, at least regardless of the people of
the country.—f Hear, hear.) He thought that he had
of late observed symptoms, on the part of the Govern-
ment to pay more regard to the feelings of the people of
that country—(Hear, hear)—and he hoped, that before
the next session the Government would fully consider
the question that they would look to the
hopes which had been held out, and to
the promises which had been made at the time
of the union, that Ireland should be placed upon
an equality with England—(Hear, hear)—that she should
be governed upon the same principles—(Hear, hear)—
and should enjoy the same rights and privileges.—
(Cheers.) Let them show to the Irish people that it was
their determination to redeem the pledges given at the
time of the union. Such a plan would not assist the
cause of the repeal of the union ; on the contrary, he
thought it would give a deathblow to that agitation
to give the people of Ireland fully, fairly, and entirely,
those privileges which they themselves had solemnly
promised to them.— (Cheers.) If such were their deter-
mination, whatever opinion might be given by the House
of Lords, or the Judges, on the judicial questions which
had been placed before them, her Majesty's Government
could exhibit no better symptom of their policy, could give
no better evidence of their intention to carry those en-
larged views into effect, than by using the prerogative of
the Crown for the purpose of at once discharging Mr.
O'Connell and his fellow-prisoners.—(Loud cheers,
hich drowned the remainder of the sentence.) Sup-
posing the Government to be legally right as they
said they were, still, as a question of State
policy, no better step could be taken. (Loud
cheers.) It would be well for them to reflect what
view was taken by the people of Ireland with re-
spect to the course of Mr. O'Connell during the last few
years. They should remember that he was the man
who had by great exertions obtained for his fellow-sub-
jects those constitutional rights and privileges which
they now enjoyed, and that he had by those_ exertions
earned their gratitude and confidence—(" Hear, hear,"
from Mr. Sheil)—which he would continue to enjoy as
long as he lived—(Loud cheers)--that he was
now sixty-nine years of age and must be ap-
proaching to the close of his political career.
They had declared their wish to vindicate the law—the
law had d« cided in their favour. They should not seek
anything like a vindictive punishment.—(Loud cheers.)
By discharging Mr. O'Connell they would not be show-
ing any weakness; they would not even be deserting the
policy which they themselves had pursued, but they
would be showing to the people of Ireland a disposition to
govern them in a proper spirit. If they wished the
measures which they intended to propose for the benefit
of Ireland to be received favourably, they should not
only have the laws appearing upon the statute-book,
but they should endeavour, as a matter of paramount
importance, to secure the affections of the Irish people.
—(Cheers.) The opportunity of doing that was now in
their hands, and although by doing that they would lose
the support of persons who could hardly now be called
their supporters, but who when they first came into
power had supported them in the hope that the oppres-
sions of the olden time might be revived, yet he would
not think so meanly of the Right Hon. Gentleman—he
would not entertain so low an opinion of him as to
imagine that for the sake of their support he would do
anything that was unjust, or abstain from doing anything
which he thought was just.—(Loud cheers.) Then
with regard to our foreign relations, he knew that was a
delicate subject,:and he hoped that nothing he should
say would deprive the Government of any means of
negotiation which they had in their hands. The
conduct of those negotiations required the union of great
firmness with great moderation. He did not impute to the
Government that they would be wanting in either of those
qualifications. The utmost exercises of both those quali-
fications was required. He had heard with satisfaction
what had fallen from the Right Hon. Gentlemen with re-
gard to the hostilities in Morocco—that he was inclined
to follow up the policy of the late Government, which,
while it admitted the settlement of France in Algiers,
protested against her being permitted to extend
her possessions either in Tunis or Morocco.
The Right Hon. Gentleman had stated that he was
aware that British interests were involved in the welfare
of au ally that had always been faithful to us, and whose
country bordered on our own possessions. The Right.
Hon. Gentleman had also alluded to another subject—a
subject of great importance, which, although it affected
only a small portion of the globe, affected our na-
tional honour. The Right Honourable Gentleman
declared that a gross outrage had been offered to a
British subject, and that he expected the French Go-
vernment would give that reparation which he thought
this country was entitled to require. He would not ask
for a word more on th• subject. He was satisfied with
those pledges which when Parliament met again he
should expect to see fulfilled. But at the same
time, he must say, that with the exception of ' the
autumn of 1830, just after the French and Belgian revo-
lutions, and the autumn of 1840, just after the opera-
tions in Syria, since the peace of 1815 our foreign re-
lations had never been in a state to require so much
anxiety. But if such were the case, it was
the more necessary that we should have every
element of strength for the defence of the
country completely at our disposal.— (Cheers.) lie was
not now alluding- to the state of the navy, in which lie
retained the opinions which he had formerly ex-
pressed, neither was he alluding to the military
forces; but he thought that there was another
element of strength which ought not to be ne-
glected—internal union.—(Loud cheers.) The people of
the three kingdoms ought to be bound together by bonds
of affection, and whatever might be the means used to
obtain that desirable object, no time ought to be lost in
increasing that union—(Cheers)—and in strengthening
that affection—(Cheers)—so as to make this country,
while she is an object of respect to all men, whose
opinion was worth having in every part of Europe, like-
wise an object of fear to all those ill disposed spirits who
sought in war a vent to their evil Teelings and bad passions.
There was another topic on which he wished to say a
few words—that was the condition of the people of Eng-
land. He heard from day to day, and from time to time,
of the inadequate means the people had to support them-
selves. If they took a general view of the subject, it was
impossible not to see that the labouring classes had not
advanced in proportion to other classes. The higher
class and the middle class had increased. hut the labour-
ing classes had not done so. Unless the Go-
vernment, next session, should propose some
comprehensive measure, he should feel it
to be his imperative duty to ask the House to consent
to some measure, or to go into a Committee with respect
to the condition of the middle classes. It was no use

attempting to give alms : what they should do was to
do all in their power to give to the working classes
a fair day's wages for a fair day's work. In the
agricultural districts there had been a great in-
.

crease of the county rates since the war; in dealing
with any surplus revenue, he thought the Government
might give the agriculturists relief in this direction.
There was another subject which had been discussed
last session, but had not been brought forward in the
present one by his Hon. and Learned Friend the Member
for Liskeard—that was the question of emigration
There were difficulties connected with this subject, but
he considered with regard to certain localities, that emi-
gration, promoted. by the Government, in some
instances, in conkraction with the companies al-
ready formed; in others, in conjunction with the '
large proprietors of land, would be of essential service
to the working classes. He trusted this was a subject
which would not escape the attention of her Majesty's '
Government ; he did not think that the present system
was all that could be desired on this subject ; much re-
mained still to be done. He had thus mentioned some
of the topics which, in the present state of the country,
he thought were well deserving the consideration
of that House. He had already said he would not refer
to the various measures which had been brought for-
ward during the present session, a great number of
which had been withdrawn. But there was one sub-

ject which ought not to be omitted from their
consideration-wthat„,,,yr_as, the length of time that
was suffered t,-) elapLe at the. commencement ,
of the session without fowarding measures at all,

which were afterwards passed in ,a great hutryat the end
of it. If the House were to attend to measures of. Le-
gislation, mutely some means might be found of bringing