The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-11 00:00:00

throughout Ireland ? Who can wonder that the
• members of the proscribed faith are, everywhere
59unding the tocsin of alarm—that they are in-
dignant at the slur cast on them—that the
' Catholic hierarchy are coming forward to head
the movement—and that, many of the 'most
wealthy, intelligent, and influential among their
flocks, who hitherto have taken no part in the
Repeal struggle, are now hastening from their
retirement into the field of active exertion? Of
course the object which the Irish Executive have
in view by such a bare-faced stretch of authority,
is to secure the conviction of the " conspirators."
But suppose this object accomplished, how will
they be the better for it? Will the people re-
gard the conviction as one founded in truth and
justice—as a legitimate triumph of law!? As-
suredly not. They will consider it as a con-
summation brought about by unworthy means—
as a victory gained by chicanery ; and, thus
thinking, they will resent it as another flagrant
instance of the utter disregard in which the Tories
hold their feelings ; and become more fixed than
ever in their determination to clamour for Re-
peal. It is a grave, a desperate blunder—this
exclusion of Catholics from the jury, and one
can scarcely exaggerate the lamentable conse-
quences that may result from it. In the
first place, it will degrade the sacred
majesty of the law in the eyes of the
Irish people, and teach them to regard it rather
as their oppressor than their guardian; and se-
condly, it will convince the Catholic portion of
the community that they are still a distrusted
class—still eyed with jealousy by the English
Government. "Of what use is Emancipation
to us,"—they will argue, and not unreasonably—

"if we are still to be looked on as aliens? We
sought a substantial equality with the Protestants,
not a seeming one. We demanded, and were
assured, that a generous confidence should be
henceforth placed in the purity and uprightness
of our conduct; andbehold, we are not considered
worthy even to serve on a jury ! It is coolly taken
for granted that because we are Catholics, we must
i necessarily be traitors to the cause of justice;
and, if placed in the jury-box, that we shall make
a point of declaring the "conspirators" innocent,
no matter how irresistible be the evidence against
them. Is this in accordance with those honied
professions of good will towards us which the
Premier made so often last session? Is it not,
on the contrary, a deliberate insult—a cruel
mockery—another striking proof that nothing is
to be hoped for from the good-will of a Tory
Administration ? It is so, and we are now
at length convinced that in a Repeal
of the Union lies our only chance of
salvation," Such, we fear, will ere long
be the language generally held among the Ca-
tholics; and for this bitter feeling of animosity
the Irish Executive will have none but them-

selves to thank. Having sown the wind, they
must be prepared to reap the whirlwind. Having
issued their challenge, they must look to have it

answered. Having thrown down the gauntlet,
they must expect to have it taken up. We
said, from the very first mooting of the
question, that the State prosecutions were
a blunder, and we are now more con-
firmed than ever in our opinion. Let

the trials go which way they will, the
Government will equally be damaged. If
the " conspirators" are convicted, the con-
viction will be regarded throughout Ireland as
one that has been gained in defiance of justice, if
not of law; if they be acquitted,; the legality
of " monster-meetings" will be established, and
Repeal will thereby acquire a tenfold moral in-

fluence over the minds of the community.
Better—far better that Ministers had never
interfered with these meetings. In process
of time, when they had ceased to become
a novelty, the press would have become
weary of reporting their proceedings ; the
Association Rent would have diminished;
and they would have died a natural

death ; but now—thanks to the blundering Irish
Executive—fresh life has been infused into the
Repeal question, and the State prosecution is a
sort of starting-post, from which it will again set
forth like " a giant refreshed." In prison or out
of prison, Mr. O'CONNELL will henceforth be
more powerful than he was even during the
great moral struggle for Catholic Emancipation.

A deputation from the Chester and Holyhead
Railway Company, accompanied by some
Directors of the London and Birmingham, and
of the Grand Junction Railways, had, very re-
cently, an interview in Downing-street, with the
Premier and Sir JAMES GRAHAM, on business
that must be deemed—more especially under
existing circumstances—of the most grave im-
portance to the interests of the public service.
We might be justified in putting the affair on a
still higher ground, viewing it in connexion with
the present state of political excitement in Ire-
land; and say, that the subject of conference
was one of vital bearing upon the welfare
of the empire, for it was no other
than a proposition, on the part of the Deputation
and Directors in question, that the Government
should "give them some assistance" in establish-
ing a railway from Chester to Holyhead. The
vast importance of a rapid and certain commu-
nication between the two capitals of Londo and
Dublin, via Holyhead, has been recognised and
legislated upon by the Imperial Parliament dur-
ing a long succession of years. Indeed, ever
since the period of the union, the completion and
repairs and maintenance of this great road have
formed the subject of a sort of Standing Com-
mittee's most anxious solicitude. Before the ap-
plication of steam to locomotive power by land,
it was employed in perfecting a sea packet com-
munication between Liverpool and Dublin, Dub-
lin and Holyhead, with great energy and success,
both by the Government and by that spirited
steam-boat proprietor, Mr. WILLIAMS, the
founder of the Packet Company, whose gigantic
efforts in achieving this great service were, we
fear, but ill-rewarded by the event. Consider..
able praise is due to the late Lord CONGLETON,
also, for the extreme vigilance and assiduity
with which, as Chairman of the Committee in
question, he personally visited every part of the
great Holyhead-road, and even superintended
various improvements from time to time effected
at its southern or London extremity. Since
then, it must be evident to every thinking man
that reasons of the most irresistible character,
some founded on apprehensions of resulting good,
others on the contemplation of possible evil, have
been suggested by the course of events for carrying
into execution every available means of shorten-
ing the geographical distance, and accelerating
the passage of the mails, passengers, and some
kinds of goods, between the Imperial metropolis
and the most important of our provincial capitals.
The rapidly expanding resources of Ireland, and
the large Irish and English investments embarked
in their development, would, alone, have esta-
blished adequate claims on the Government and
Legislature of the United Kingdom for the devo-
tion of liberal grants, and the most active and
enlightened supervision to the accomplish-
ment of objects so desirable. But the
prmdial disturbances, and the municipal
discontents of Ireland in late years, and espe-
cially the more recent and more menacing atti-
tude which has been lately assumed in that
portion of the United Kingdom, in reference to
the repeal question, have concurred to render
this abridged and accelerated line of communi-
cation to connect Dublin with London, a con-
summation of primary, essential, and organic
necessity to the general well-being of the empire.
Now, what was the nature, and what the
amount, of the assistance which the Govern-
ment was moved, by the deputation we allude
to, to grant towards this consummation ? We
are assured by the Times, " that the immediate
question for consideration was understood to be,
whether Government would, for a given term of
years, engage to pay any, and what sum, for the
conveyance of the mail by this new railway,
beyond the ordinary charges of conveyance."
Surely this was little enough to ask in refer-
ence to the greatness of the end to be accom-
plished.“ But, adds our Contemporary, ve
have reason to believe that no arrangement with