The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-10 00:00:00

(v turning

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1845,

Another great repeal meeting took place in Ireland on
Monday. The scene was on the banks of the Lake of Kil-
larney, celebrated for its magnificent scenery, and the
assemblage was said to amount to at least fifty thousand
persons. The day was fine. Mr. O'CONNELL met, as usual,
with the warmest reception from his grateful and kind-
hearted countrymen, and, with one exception, the cause
of repeal was triumphant. Mr. MAHONEY, a gentleman of
the county of Kerry, of an ancient and honourable family and
independent fortune, came forward on the occasion, and,
with a rare boldness, ventured to dispute with the
Liberator the blessings anticipated from a ' repeal
of the union, and his remarks contained so much truth, good
sense, and sound discretion, that we would willingly give them
at length, but for want of room. The substance, however,
may be briefly stated, for truth requires no circumlocution.
He came tothe meeting according to his statement to pay every
respect to the Liberator of his country, because, though differ-
ing from him on the subject of repeal, he entertained for him
the highest regard, and believed him fully determined to
promote the welfare of his country. With the exception of
perhaps a few bigoted Orangemen, this is the universal feel-
ing in Ireland, and as a proof that it is merited, Mr. O'CosnrELL's
fame is not a thing of yesterday—it has stood the test of
thirty years—from his entrance into public life to the present
moment it has gone on increasing, and he has now more
influence in Ireland than any one individual ever had in his
• native country. Popularity without some firm base to rest
upon could not have lasted for a tenth part of the period; it
would have been scattered in the breeze, and some new idol
would have sprung up for the worship of the Irish nation.
But the great work of emancipation, the reform of the con-
stituency and the borough corporations, the improvement of
the administration of justice, and, above all, his successful
exertions to rouse Irishmen to a just sense of their rights, and
to place them en equal terms with Scotchmen and English-
men, are national blessings of inestimable price, and justly
merit for Mr. O'CONNELL the title of Ireland's best friend.
His repeal mania we have ever denounced not only as hope-
less but mischievous, and we excuse him for his obstinate per-
severance in a wrong course on the ground that he believes
it useful to frighten the Anti-Irish party in Great Britain,
rather than that he has the most remote hope that it would
ever be possible or beneficial to his country. The con-
fusion and the collision between the two countries
which would ensue from separation, have often been
pointed out, but never in more brief or more cogent terms
than those used by Mr. MAHONEY. " The Liberator," said
he, "had often argued that the golden link of the Crown
should be preserved at all times; but he thought that the
complicated relation which existed between both countries
required more than that. That golden link would no doubt
be preserved by the existence of the King, or Queen, or
Regent, a Consul, or an Emperor; but the most important
duties of the State were to be discharged by an Irish Parlia-
ment, and in doing so he had no doubt but that it would
come to blows with the English Legislature. Mr. Prrr had
foreseen that, and directed all his energies to bring about the
union. In all their political movements it was necessary
they should take such steps that it should not be deemed ne-
cessary to recede ; but in the present instance he thought
that such would be the case, and that considerable mischief
would be the consequence. He maintained that a repeal of
the union would bring about a collision between the two
countries, until the terms of the compact were previously ar-
ranged, and he looked in vain in any of the speeches in Con-
ciliation Hall or elsewhere for any plan in which such terms
were proposed." Now here was an opportunity for Mr.
O'CONNELL to defend his position, and he tried, but mi-
serable was the failure. He excited the good-natured au-
dience to laughter by some witticisms about Balaam's ass,
taking a cow• to market to sell, and by asserting that the
voict3.of Ireland could not be heard, for England had
and w all the
settlements to herself, " lock, stock, and handle," mound
up these by calling upon his opponent to become a good re-
pealer, and "join with him in having Ireland for the Irish as
well as Scotland for the Scotch, and England for the English."
Was ever speaker driven to such shifts as this? Why, the
whole of Scotland would rise as man
to t against any
the
Government that would now attemptouch
union. The time was, when like the Irish, they irei-e
ignorant of its blessings ; when they would have fought for
repeal if they could have obtained a leader of ability
to conduct them, and when the question was all but carried
in the British Parliament. Every Scotchman looks back on
that happy escape like a man saved from a fatal precipice by
a miracle. The union of the two nations has been beneficial
to both ; they carry on as brethren the same trade at home as
well as abroad, and the poorer country enjoys all the advan-
tages of colonial connexion, which, but for the union, would
have been possessed by England alone. The period too is not
far distant when Irishmen will be equally conscious of the
advantages held out to her by union with England. All that
is wanted is good government on the part of the more power-
ful country, and that is making rapid progress; but the ills
of Ireland cannot be cured in a day. The Legislature—a
Tory Legislature too—is convinced that Ireland must be sub-
dued, not as formerly by persecution, by Bills of pains and
penalties, and by a large army, but by moderation and justice.
We instance the Maynooth Bill, the Charitable Bequests Bill,
the Academies' Bill, independent of others, which all show
not se much the spirit that animates Sir R. PEEL as the
new light which has broken forth upon the old oppressors
of Ireland. Politics are now in a different position from
what they were during the regime of the rotten borough sys-
tem. The people of England, and Scotland, and Ireland too,
have a voice in the Legislature, and that voice will be raised
in behalf of the sister country till • she is placed on au equal
footing with her more wealthy neighbour.

We have received Madrid journals of the 2d inst. The
trial of ConrmA, MADOZ, and others, was still going on, but
the interest in the affair had much abated, as an acquittal
was fully anticipated. Accounts from Malaga state that two
sergeants implicated in the military conspiracy at that place
were shot there on the 26th of Sept. Some private transac-
tions in the Fluids took place at Madrid on the 2d, but nothing