The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-24 00:00:00

ADDRESSES TO MR. O'CONNELL.
Yesterday Dr. M'Nally, Roman Catholic Bishop
of Clogher, with a deputation of clergymen, attended
at the residence of Mr. O'Connell with an address.
Dr. M‘Nally thus addressed Mr. O'Connell :
"We are come, Sir, to present you with an address
of congratulation from the diocese of Clogher, on
your late glorious triumph over the machinations of
your enemies aed the enemies of Ireland. The ad-
dress speaks the mind and feeling of the bishops,
priests, and whole Catholic population of that diocese ;
it was got up during the present month, and bears
the signatures of over sixty thousand persons."
The address having been read,
Mr. O'CONNELL spoke as follows in reply :
" How idle it is to think, my Lord and Rev. Gentle-
men, that it would be possible for me to express the
sentiments that crowd upon my soul on receiving
that noble address. I call it noble, because of the
source whence it has originated, and of the support
which it has obtained, for the voice of the people in
the cause of religion, and in the cause of liberty, is, I
trust I may say without presumption, the voice of
God. My Lord, you describe well the machinations
of our enemies, and it becomes you, my Lord and
Gentlemen, in the exercise of your sacred functions,
to reprove vice with that high and haughty tone,
and expose inquity in that forcible language which
your Master has dictated and commanded you to use
against those who violate the first principles of
charity. Oh, it cheers me beyond expression to re-
ceive this—such an address ; it gives me joy unutter-
able to receive this sanction of the exertions of those
with whom I have acted; for if we were disposed
to violate the law of the land—if it was our intention
to commit outrage on the person or property of our
neighbours,_ or if we felt inclined to disobey the com•
mends of God, instead of standing by our side to-day,
my Lord and Gentlemen, the reproof which you pour
upon our enemies would be weak indeed compared to
that which you would feel it your duty to pour
upon us. It is our vindication, our pride, our glory,
that you thus come forward to countenance the
efforts we have made and are making—it is our ac-
quittal in the sight of man—may I not hope and trust
it is our eulogium in the sight of the eternal God?
As to the flattering eulogy you pronounce upon
me, I am so accustomed to exaggeration of
whatever little merits I may possess, that I
do not, perhaps, shrink from it as I ought to
do. I am but a feeble instrument in the hands of
the Most High. I am one of those—and oh ! may he not
cast me away when my mission is done—employed in
the high and holy mission to vindicate the ancient
faith of my land—to give to the religion of my fathers
all that it requires, a clear stage and no favour, and
to procure for the faithful, the noble people of Ireland,
peace, happiness, and prosperity. I know I do not
deserve the praises you have so profusely showered
upon me ; but there is one stimulant in your address
which makes me vain enough to wish I deserved them.
My heart is devoted to Ireland. I said there would
be no shrinking and no compromise. There has been
none, and there will be none. There is, fortunately,
appearing a disposition to examine the question
amongst many who hitherto opposed us. They say
that in a federative system of legislation there would
be a protection to Ireland. I myself believe there would
be a protection ; but, if deceived in that, there would
be the means of seeking amelioration in the direct
channels of the law. In other countries the friends of
liberty are generally the enemies of religion, and they
appear to have a greater desire to interfere with the
practices of piety than with those of tyranny; but in
Ireland it is otherwise; and you are witnesses of that
glorious fact. We desire freedom, that religion may
prosper—we seek liberty for man, that his conscience
may be free, and that those divine works of charity pre-
scribed to us—such as feeding the hungry, clothing
the naked, breaking open the prison doors, visiting the
sick, and every other act consistent with the spirit of
Christianity—may become nationalised in the feeling
of Ireland I thank you, my Lord, and Gentlemen,
for the address."
CITY OF CORIC.—The address from this city was
presented to Mr. O'Connell, yesterday, ,by a deputa-
tion, consisting of the Mayor, Mr. E.B. Roche, M.P.,
and other gentlemen.
Mr. O'CONNELL replied briefly. It needed not (he
said) this additional testimony to convince him of the
pure and honest patriotism of the men of Cork ; he
had full and frequent proofs of their devotion to home
and fatherland; and the address—coming, as it did,
from a people to whom he felt for many reasons at.
tached, to whom he was bound by old associations—
he assured the deputation he valued in a peculiar
manner. With regard to the invitation to a banquet,
he was at the command of the citizens at any time;
but be would prefer not naming any precise time
until he met them at the great provincial dinner in
Limerick, which he thought would come off a week
or so after the termination of the municipal revisions,
so as to enable the corporate authorities of the neigh-
bouring localities to be present, and that, he believed,
would be some time about the last week in November.
The MAYOR asked if he intended proceeding to
Dublin after the Limerick dinner, or would he re-
turn to Derrynane ?
Mr. O'Cossann replied that he would proceed at
once to Dublin ; but that that, of course, would not
interfere, as he would be ready to proceed to Cork at
a moment's notice.
The deputation then retired.
Addresses were also presented yesterday from
Longford and from the London repeaters.
This day addresses were presented from the corpo-
ration of Clonmel and from other places.
FRACAS IN THE THEATRE ROYAL.
In reference to the fracas between Lieut. G. T.
Duncombe, of the 11th Hussars, and Mr. Henry
Saunders, of Monkstown, the latter has addressed an
explanatory statement to the Freeman's Journal to the
following effect:—
"That a misunderstanding arose relative to a seat
in a box at the opera, and that a peraossal encounter
ensued, is correct (although nos' !shock-down blows'
took place) ; but the parties, immediately perceiving
that a violent colliaion was unseemly, desisted and ex-
changed cards, when, upon the interference of some
officers of the same regiment, in the most handsome
and gentlemanly manner, an explanation took place,
which terminated to the mutual satisfaction of the
parties and their friends. Mr. Saunders is not con-
nected with the kingdom of Kerry."
ANOTHER FRACAS.—The Westmeath Guardian
contains the following :—" On Tuesday, the 10th
instant, a horsewhipping match took place la the
public streets of Athlone. The aggressor was a hale
stout gentleman, from the county tose-Ommon, and
the other a chemist, from London; who claims pro-
perty beyond the Shannon. The occurrence arose
out of the latter hexing worsted the former at litiga-
tion. Informtitions have been ta,izen in the case, and
returned for trial to the next sgsions of Moate."
THE MINISTRY—ORANGE FEELING.
The following extraordinary article appears in the
Northern Standard, the Orange organ of Monaghan
" The liheration of O'Connell has tended to change
the position of parties in Ireland. The Conservative
party henceforth place no confidence whatever in the
Peel Ministry. They have long looked upon the pre-
sent Government with suspicion and distrust, but dis-
gust at the deception they have practised is now the
prevalent feeling. We feel convinced that Sir Robert
Peel was the liberator of the conspirators, and, build-
ing on this belief, we must ask, for what purpose
they were prosecuted at all? If Sir Robert Peel
believed they outraged the law, and that they were
fairly tried, he should, as Prime Minister of Eng-
land, have vindicated the law instead of rendering it
a laughing-stock to the nations=for a laughing-stock
and a bye word the law of England has become.
O'Connell was either right or wrong in the mode of
agitation he adopted. The Government believed him
wrong, proclaimed his meetings, and arrested himself.
If he was right—and the reversal of his sentence shows
that he was right—there is not in the British empire a
more aggrieved man. What can be worse than to bring
to the bar of justice an innocent man, :to entail upon
him thousands of pounds expense in his defence (no
matter by whom paid—it came from the capital of the
country), to debar him for months from his usual
avocations, and in the end, to cast him, an old and
toilworn man, into a prison for several months ? This
is a stain upon British justice; it is an insult that
Ireland will vet avenge; it is a dishonour that ' the
millions with the pike' will one day wash out with
the blood of the Saxon. Ireland can never forget the
30th of May, 1844, when the leaders who were
struggling legally (for Sir Robert says it was legal)
for the rights of their country, were. imprisoned for
their patriotism. All this ignominy—this disgrace—
and this cause for retribution—has Sir Robert Peel
entailed upon the country by his foul attempt to de-
stroy British law and justice. lle has made thou-
sands of repealers. He has botched the whole affair,
and has increased O'Connell's power a thousand fold.
We are almost inclined to believe he intends granting,
at least, a federal Parliament to Ireland. There is
only one resource :—Compel the Government to call
for power to put down the repeal movement by force.
The alternative is, join their ranks and take your
chance,—Choose;'