The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-22 00:00:00

IRELAND.

LOYAL NATIONAL REPEAL ASSOCIATION.
DUBLIN, JAN. 20.—The Conciliation Hall presented a
most enlivening and animated appearance to-day. In-
deed, the anxiety to obtain seats was most intense, owing
to the belief generally entertained that Mr. O'Connell,
after an absence of some weeks from Dublin, would de-
liver a lengthened and important speech upon the sub-
ject of the concordat, and make allusion to the Chari-
table Bequests Act. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
entered the Hall at half-past one o'clock, and was re-
ceived with the most rapturous peals of enthusiastic ap-
plause, which were again and again repeated.
On the motion of JOHN O'CONNELL, Esq., William
Smith O'Brien, Esq., M.P., was called to the Chair,
amid vehement cheering.
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL addressed the meeting in a vi-
gorous and eloquent speech. The Hon. Gentleman ex •
horted the repealers to persevere steadily in their efforts;
and in the event of any one of the dangers which which
England was threatened alighting on her, she would
have to appeal to the generosity of Ireland, asking her
forgiveness, and steady alliance, and repeal was certain.
—(Hear, hear.) They had good reason to know how
inveterate was the hostility of England to this country,
and irreliA ions though it might appear to some,
he thanked Heaven that there was now planted in
the Irish mind a deep and invincible distrust of England,
and the strongest possible belief that if they were to trust
England again they would be again, as they had ever
been, treacherously betrayed.
Mr. O'CoNNELL rose and was enthusiastically received.
The Hon. Gentleman read the following letter from the
Right Rev. Dr. M'Nally, Roman Catholic Bishop of
Clogher
" January 17, 1845.
" My Dear Mr. O'Connell,—The slanders which, for
a length of time, have been so unsparingly heaped on the
Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland, at home and abroad,
will not, now that the object has been made manifest,
excite feelings of much surprise, especially, when we
find, by the letter of the Cardinal Prefect, just published
by his Grace the Primate, that our revilers, in further-
ance of their insidious assaults on our religious charac-
ters, have had the daring effrontery to insult the meek
venerable Head of the Catholic Church, by charging the
Apostolic See itself with encouraging or conniving at the
political intemperance imputed to some ecclesiastics in
this country, on statements unfounded perhaps, or
grossly exaggerated, and which, if true, would be a sub-
ject of the deepest affliction, not only to the Holy
Father, but to the whole body of the Prelates,
Clergy, and Catholic people of Ireland. I believe
that you and the Catholic laity of Ireland are not
admirers of a political priest, in the sense in which
the words are commonly understood, and I am sure
that I have never sanctioned in others or been guilty
myself of political intemperance, and with the divine as-
sistance, I trust I never will be induced to sanction or ap-
prove of the conduct of any clergyman who, neglecting the
duties and obligations of his ministry, would, to the pre-
judice of his sacred character, entangle himself with
secular business,' and political schemes ; but I think it
right at the same time to add, that looking to the wretched
condition of our poor people, I feel it quite consistent
with my duties as a Bishop, and in the peculiar circum-
stances of this country, in a manner obligatory upon me,
to co-operate
i in a befitting way, with my fellow-
countrymen n seeking, by purely peaceable and
constitutional means, for the enactment of good
laws, and the repeal or amendment of bad ones,
knowing that your unrivalled talents and influence
have, through a long life, been unceasingly directed to
the attainment of these objects, and that the peace,
order, and tranquillity of the country are mainly pre-
served by the hope that fair and just legislation will be
at length attained through your exertions; and entertain.
ing the deepest conviction that you are not less anxious
to promote loyalty to the Throne, than to maintain the
rights of the people, I have to request that, at the next
meeting of the Repeal Association, you will do me the
honour of handing in my subscription for the year 1845.
" With unbounded gratitude for the services which
you have rendered to religion and to the country, I have
the honour to be, my dear Mr. O'Connell, your most
obliged and most faithful servant,
" kl CHARLES M'NALLY.
" Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M.P.," &c.
Some communications having been read,
Mr. O'CONNELL then rose, and said that it was with
the greatest gratification he rose to commence his agita •
tion for the repeal. He was only beginning the agita-
tion; for all that he had done hitherto passed for no-
thing; nothing was done while anything remained to be
done; and until the repeal was passed, he would ap-
proach every meeting as if it were the first time that he
was before the pubiic. The repeal was their sole object.
There should be no palliation—no palliative—no half-
measures—nothing that the English Parliament could
give would satisfy them—they would have nothing but
the repeal—they could neither delude, nor bribe, nor in-
timidate them. They had met in unarmed hundreds of
thousands, in the most perfect tranquillity, although
with physical force sufficient to overturn any monarchy,
upon the face of the earth. They met in constitu-
tional loyalty, and had not shrunk from the legiti •
mate perils of their station. The struggle was worth
living for ; and sometimes he regretted lest repeal should
be carried, he felt such pleasure in looking for it.—(Great
laughter.) They had not sought ascendancy themselves,
and that man was base and corrupt who dreamt of reli-
gious ascendancy over others. The glorious struggle in
which they were engaged was that the press should be
free—that education should be free—that religion should
be free—and Ireland free.—(Cheers.) There was no
doubt, before many years elapsed—perhaps months—
nay, even the weeks might easily be counted, when
England would rcquire the bravery of Ireland. They
should have it ; but he marked his price—the repeal.—
(Cheers.) The English press consoled themselves with
the idea that repeal was upon the wane—that room was
an evidence, no doubt, that the people were very in-
different—was there ever a greater absurdity ? They
wished it, therefore they said it—for that was the
morality of England ; and perhaps there was an
under current, and they conceived that if the people
suspected one another, apathy and mistrust would
weaken their entire power. There was no apathy—
no shrinking from repeal. Why should there be so ?
No change had as yet been made to induce them to
abandon their agitation.—(Cheers.) What bribe did
they hold out ? What dark oblivion did they throw
over the past to make them forget the hideous, profligate,
and demoniacal manner in which the union was carried?

—(Hear, hear.) What was the only hope for Ireland
but the Irish ?—(Applause.) Was it not ridiculous that
the Whigs could for a moment imagine that they could
have any confidence in them, when they had done all in
their power to injure Ireland, by creating dissension, and
holding out hypocritical hopes of success, and of
redress ? What redress could they obtain ? Was it
redress from Parliament ? Why, there was no doubt,
but that the Queen's speech would convey the
expression of her anxious wish to do every-
thing in her power to benefit Ireland, and he was
sure that she would feel what she said ; but still,
was it not well known that her speech was only the
speech of her Ministers—a speech which could not be
depended on, particularly when it was remembered that
one of them, Sir James Graham, had said that concession
towards Ireland had reached its limits.—(Cheers.) Such
was the declaration of one Minister, and Sir Robert Peel
would not fail to act his usual part of Joseph Surface.—
(Loud cheers.) The Learned Gentleman having in his
usual forcible style expressed his determination never to
have any further connection with the Whigs, alluded to
Lord Fortescue's bribe (as he called it) to the Irish
people, to keep them from joining the repeal movement;
and also to Lord Ebrington's late speech in Devonshire,
where he said that the Catholics were to look upon the
Pope as their " Lord and God." He said that there
was nothing more false than to suppose that such was
the doctrine of his Holy Church, and proceeded to refer
to the Bequeits Act. He commenced his observations
on this subject by saying that he was informed, and
regretted very much to hear, that dissensions had arisen
upon this subject; and also stated that he had heard
that a rescript had come from the Pope to put down the
agitation. Now, as to this latter report, he had heard it
with regret, for such was not the case. He admitted the
receipt of the rescript, but there was no prohibition to
repeal—(Great applause)—on the contrary, one of the
bishops who received the rescript, had that day sent in
his subscription to the Association, for 1U45; and
another who signed it, attended a dinner in Limerick, in
a few days after, and there declared himself still a re-
pealer.—(Cheers.) No such interpretation as that
sought to be put on it by the enemies of Ireland could
fairly be put upon it, because a more harmless docu-
ment never came into any country—a document which,
he would say, in no way attempted to interfere with the
agitation of repeal.—(Cheers.) Ile (sir. O'Connell)
con-
ssed that the Bequests Act alarmed him much more,
and in noticing it he had no intention to censure any one
who took a part in the Commission for managing it,. but
he could not but say that, under the form cf set.ne.thl ng
innocent, the worst measures were contemplate d by it,
and it was, in his mind, the duty of every layman in
ive bishops of their diocese to aban-
donpetition the respect
holding any appointment
the Bill, and cease from
to the d
With reference
.cr..alcor at, it
with the Holy See to effect such
iietingbelieved the denial, simply for this
lurnedlaenrdiLfo(raethaeryowere ,unanimous onhe
BthreitissuhbGjeoctv—ernto.
had been authoritatively denied that t
ticao.ncordat implied a concession both
aumreeunaortrawau—egrtehemanteert.