The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-28 00:00:00

of Meath, in public meeting assembled, pursuant to requisition,
at Navan, on Thursday, the 29. d of May," praying for a repeal of
the union.

Mr. M'CANN moved the adoption of the petition, and that it be
presented to the Commons by Mr. H. Grattan, M.P. The motion,
which was seconded by Mr. JOSEPH BARNWALL, Bloomsbury.house,
was carried unanimously.

Mr. O'CONNELL came forward to address the meeting, and was
received with loud cheers. After some preliminary remarks he
said—Now, men of Meath, let me tell you what brought me here.
I came here to help you to carry out the repeal of the union.—
(Cheers.) Is there any man here against it?—(Cries of " No, no.")
Let every man who is tor repeal hold up his hand.—[Thousands of
hands were lifted up.] I came here to assist you in carrying the
repeal, and I came here to tell you why you should carry the re-
peal, and why it is disgraceful on your part if you shrink from
carrying it.—(Hear, hear.) In the first place, Ireland has as good
a right to a Parliament as England. The English are in nothing
our superiors—they are in many things our inferiors. My first
motive for looking for the repeal is, that, in point of justice, we
are entitled to it. My second is, that the Irish Parliament was of
eminent utility to Ireland before, and that, therefore, it is reason-
able to suppose it would be so again; and my third reason is, that
it is essential to the best interests of both countries, and vitally
essential to the continuance of the connexion between them, that
this great measure of justice should be conceded to us. England's
adversity is Ireland's opportunity. It was so before—it will be so again.
After some observations on the sad condition of the Irish, the Hon.
and Learned Gentleman continued—What reliance can be placed
upon the people of England ? we shall look for kindness to this
country in vain. You lately had an instance of what they really
are.—( Hear.) There is the grant to Maynooth.—(Hear.) lam
glad they have come to Maynooth at last—it was time for them to
do something for the clergy of the people.—(Cheers.) But what
passed in England in consequence? A, yell—a hellish yell—was
raised from one end of the land to the other. Every species of re-
ligionist was arrayed in opposition to it—everything that bigotry,
prejudice, and fanaticism could suggest was turned against this
simple measure of justice. The English people emphatically were
against us ; it is, therefore, that I appeal to you.—(Hear.) I ap.
peal to the people of Ireland. I ask you if you will join with me ?
(Cries of "We will.'') I will lead you into no scrape—no difficulty
crime—extinguish ribbonism—join with
—nome. danger.w e will Commit
moat
scrupulously
they all the existing laws. If
they pass an Act of Parliament rendering it compulsory to supply
fifteen or twenty men from each barony in each county in Ireland,
we will pay most implicit obedience to that Act of Parliament—
( Hear, hear.) If they call out the militia, why, the militia will
turn out in obedience to commzinds, but, between you and me, it is
not very likely they will take such steps.—(Hear, hear.) Let the
Government compete with me, and I am satisfied. There will be
some benefit derived from the Bank Bill, and also from the measure
with reference to the reduction of duty on glass.—(Hear.) But I
want something to be done for the poor man. I say, let the man
who is in the possession of land not be put out of possession until
he is paid to the last farthing the value of the labour and
capital expended by him its improvement. Lord Stanley
has actually promised that we shall have such a law.—
(Cheers) Do you think he would do that if we were not
looking for repeal.—(Cheers.) In the House of Commons they
had the audacity to declare that repeal was on the decrease.—
(Laugh ter.) A moon. calf of a fellow, who represents Cornwall (I
forget his name—it is no matter) told his constituents the other
day that the Peel Ministry was a glorious Ministry, a magnificent
Ministry—and why, think you ? Because they had put down
O'Connell and repeal.—(Laughter.) Did you ever hear anything
like that in the whole course of your lives ?—(Laughter.) Put me
down ! Do I look as if I had been put down ?—(Laughter.) If
they put me down it was by packing a jury against me, and resort.
ing to every infamous device in order to secure an illegal conviction
against me. They succeeded; I was sent to gaol for three months,
and at the termination of that period they made the notable dis-
covery that I ought not to have been sent there at all.—(Laughter.)
But it is no matter ; I will forgive them everything if they give
me the repeal.—(Hear.)

Mr BOYLAN was then moved from the chair, and the usual vote
of thanks having been passed him for his conduct therein, the im-
mense multitude separated, giving cheers for O'Connell, the Queen,
Repeal, &c.

THE BANQUET HALL.—_A pavilion was erected for the banquet,
within thegrounds of the seminary. The Committee, we under-
stand, issued 820 tickets, besides invitations to guests. At seven
o'clock, P.M., Mr. O'Connell, the late state prisoners, and the
other invited guests in town, having previously entered the banquet-
hall, Nicholas Boylan, Esq., ex-J.P., Hilltown-house, was called
on to preside.

The usual loyal toasts were drank with the customary honours.
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The health of Daniel O'Connell, and
the legislative independence of Ireland "—(Vehement applause.)
Mr. O'CONNELL rose to respond to the toast, and was received
with the most enthusiastic applause. The fate of Ireland Is in our
hands.—(Hear, hear.) The opposition to the Ministry is as no-
thing—it is weak, powerless, inefficacious; the Minister in Parlia-
ment stands supreme—his congregated minions overpower, in point
of numbers, those whom they cannot convince by reason, and so
string an Administration as that of Sir Robert Peel has been un-
known to modern times in the history of Parliamentary intelli-
gence.—(Hear, hear.) He is, as a partisan in the House, powerful,
resistless ; and yet, when the affairs of Ireland come on, he who
can command everything else is found to shrink from the Irish
questions, and, with the attitude of supplication, almost ask us, but
certainly convey the idea, " What will satisfy you, wild Irishmen ?"
—(Loud cheers and laughter.) Th. re may be something strange
in the phrase, but there is nothing deviating from the truth in the
idea.—(Hear, hear) The question is not between Whig and
Tory—the question is between no parties—but the question is,
what will satisfy Ireland ?—(Cheers.) England stands in this
predicament—her Minister is in what the Americans, not very
gracefully, but very truly, call "a fix." He wants to know what
is to be done for Ireland ?—(Hear, hear.) Would he be so kind
as to ask me—(Laughter)—I think I can tell him at once.—
(Laughter.) I heard a little bird whisper repeal.—(Cheers.) Yes,
I tell him nothing short of repeal will do.—(Cheers.) He may try
his experiments—he may give us a good bankers' bill—he may take
off the glass duties—he may give us a bountiful grant, and an
uncontaminated grant, to Maynooth—he may hold out the
prospect of sustaining education—but education does not consist
merely in literature—ne, education should form the mind, elevate
the heart, direct the judgment, give to genius its wing, and to ta-
lent its display—education should confirm morality, give a zest to
the finest feelings of humanity, and to religion an impulse.—(Loud
cheers.) But if there be an education that tends to corrupt and to
poison the source of literature by making the youth subservient—if
there be that kind of education that, instead of ennobling the mind,
enriches the pocket at the expense of the integrity—if there be
that kind of education that vibrates and calumniates—that makes
the sycophant and the slave--that gives temptation to the rene-
gade, and a bribe to the deserter from his conscience and his faith—
if there be education of that kind, and the Minister offers it to us,
I would not speak of his bounty, but of the curse he would inflict
on the country by such an education, and am proud there are shields
—(Loud cheers)—to protect them from its influence. Yes, my Lord
(addressing the Bishop of Meath), there are such shields—(Loud
cheers)--frona off which the poisoned arrows will glide offencelessly
—(Cheers)—shields that will uphold and protect the youth of the
nation as if an angel's wing were spread over the land, in whose
shadows every virtue will be cultivated, piety made permanent,
religion announce its commands, and knowledge and information
be made subservient to salvation.---(Cheers.) We are arrived,
gentlemen, at a time of which Irishmen ought to be proud.
How have we gained—and I will say myself, how have I gained—
this victory over Peel ?—(Cheers.) For, remember, I boast of it.
—(Cheers.) Let any person who chooses put me down as a vain,
empty coxcomb ; and, perhaps, I am dressed something in that
sty'e—(Laughter)—but I think that we have defeated Peel.—
(Cheers.) Take the political history of the last eight or ten years.
Every measure that the Whigs proposed for the advantage of Ire.
land was sure to be controlled, contaminated, and disfigured by
the power of the Oppositioia.—(Hear.) England got disgusted with
them ; and why ? Because she suspected them of lean.
ing towards Ireland, and of being too kind to the Papists.
—(Hear, hear.) She, s therefore, revolted against them.
There was a dissolution of Parliament, and the Carlton
Club expended upwards of one million five hundred
thousand pounds in all Probability in corrupting the con.
stituencies of the smaller boroughs. The Parliament was
returned in such a position that the hatred of Ireland and of
Catholicity gave the present Minister a majority of over one hun-
dred Members in the House of Commons—bound together by No-
Popery zeal and hatred of Ireland. What became of him since?
Is he now the hater of Ireland or the advocate of No-Popery, or
exclaiming against the hcrrible breach by the Catholics of the
second commandment ; for he was the man who took a short Ca-
tholic catechism out of his pocket and accused the Catholics of
striking out one of the commandments ? He was the very same
man who came into office with all this power, and what is he doing
now? No Whig Administration that ever existed could do one-
half of what he Is doing for Ireland.—(Cheers.) We have arrived
at that pitch, and I call on you quietly and coolly to consider our
position. What shall we do for our country ? " That is the
question." There is nothing very poetic or romantic in the advice
I am about to give you, but I trust that it will not be the
lessh .
ty
acceptableou
shallo n
do—returnthat a c co t
u n t.; p
account._( Hear, hear.)repeaters
s I tell you
wfor the county
Meath at the next election.—( Loud cries of "We will.")
Ireland is the antagonist against which the Ministry is pitted. The
Whigs are gone, the Radicals are beneath contempt, the Protes-
tant Dissenters of England have disgraced themselves for ever.
But enough of them; it is delightful that Ireland should have
progressed as she has in this great trovement without violating
any law, or infringing the limits of the constitution. I willingly
acknowledge that the recent conduct of the Minislry betokens a de-
sire on their part to conoiliate Ireland. Ministers of England ! we
are now in a lofty position ; but I do not want you to crouch bele
me. On the contrary, I would throw myself on my knees before
you, and beseech of you not to leave Ireland as she is, but if you
are not willing, or not able to do something to remedy the evils
which you admit to have existence, in heaven's name I implore you,
do not mock us, but fling aside the office whose duties you feel
yourself incompetent to discharge.--(Hear, hear.) However, let
the Minister pursue what policy he may, this at least is certain,
that the triumph of the Irish people is beyond all question,
provided that they continue in the same peaceful and constitu-
tional course which, under my guidance, they have heretofore pur-
sued. I was delighted to learn to-thy that not a single additional
policeman was brought into this part of the country in consequence
of this demonstration.—(Elear, hear.) At the time of the monster
meetings they used to Inundate us with police ; but one is now
deemed enough to preserve the peace. Even one is more than
enough, for we had 100,000 men around us to-day, every man of
whom was himself a constable.—(Much cheering.)
The Rev. Dr. CANTWELL gave the healths of Messrs. John
O'Connell, Thomas Steele, John Gray, Thomas Ray, and the other
late State prisoners.—(Loud and long-continued applause.)
Mr. John O'Connell, M.P., Dr. Gray, Mr. Steele, and Mr. Ray,
and Mr. M. G. Conway (for Mr. Barrett) spoke to the toast.
The next toast was—." The healths of Lords Denrnaa, Cotten-
ham, and Campbell, and the impartial administration of justice."
Several other toasts were drunk and responded to.

Mr. O'Connell, accompanied by y several guests, retired a few
minutes before twelve o'clock, and the company separated shortly
afterwards.—Abridged from the Freeman's Journal.

DEATH OF SIR ARTHUR BROOK FAULKNER.—It
is our painful duty to record the death of Sir A. B. Faulkner, who
died at his mansion, Evisgton, on Friday last, May 23. We shall
leave it to his biographers to enumerate his literary productions,
and to the critics to consider their merits, while we briefly inscribe
his virtues as a man, and the regret which all must feel who knew
and respected him. He was formerly a physician of this town, but
has long retired from professional duties to pursue his literary
tastes, and the pure delights of country life. He had laboured
under no severe indisposition, and on the very day of his death had
sought relief and amusement in his own garden ; but during the
last fortnight his feelings had suffered deeply from the loss of a
beloved brother, and now in that short space of time the grave has
claimed them both as peaceful tenants of the tomb. If ]earning ac.
knowledged him as a votary, maiality claimed him for purity, deli-
cacy, benevolence, and sensibility; and the deep sorrow of his
afflicted widow are sacred to his memory as a most devoted husband.
—Cheltenham Journal of this day.
RACE or MAN v. HORSE.—On Monday a race
which created some interest from its novelty, came off in the pre-
sence of a good number of spectators—the competitors were Staf
ford (a pedestrian), and a horse belonging to Mr. Willet. Th
contesting distance was from the Regent's Park-gates, in the New
road, to Euston.square, about a mile. The stipulated condition
of the match were, that the pedestrian should have an advantage
at starting of 100 yards, the horse to trot under saddle, and to be
confined to trotting only. The stakes were 5/. a-side. The start
was made, Stafford availing himself of the advantage at starting,
and maintained the lead for half a mile; the bipid and quadruped
then continued contending alongside each other till they arrived
near Tottenham.court.road, when the pedestrian evidently made
up his mind for the goal, and went away at extra speed ; and was
imitated by his opponent,• but who almost immediately broke
into a gallop, and was pulled in. This gave the pedestrian an op.
portunity of making ground the horse was quickly in pursuit....
but all efforts to overtake him were ineffectual, and Stafford ran in
the winner easily, going over the mile in 5i minutes. •
The polling at the vestry meeting of St. George.in.the-East
closed at four o'clock on Satbrday last, when the votle stool thus :
For the rate, 30 ; against it, 164.