The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-19 00:00:00

(erred to. Dr. Gray, who was present at the meeting, described
it as an immense one—the people coming to it in regular array,
with repeal cards in their hats, tied round with green ribbons, and
designating the troops of horsemen that arrived there as " peasant
cavalry." At this meeting Mr. O'Connell spoke as follows :
" I had no doubt at all that the women of Connemara were as
handsome and modest looking as any in the world. That opinion
has been abundantly confirmed by the beauteous scene I have beheld
to day. But I came here to make an experiment on the men. I
have them, and now I will make my experiment on them. I want
to know whether you are not as brave and as Irish as the rest of
the nation. I want to know whether you are not as honest, as
true, as faithful as the rest of your countrymen. I want to
know whether you don't hate' Saxon tyranny as much as the
natives of other parts of Ireland. I want to know whether you
do not feel the evils of misgovernment as much as the people
of any • other part of Ireland. You have no commerce. And
where are yemi manufactures ? Oh, you have' no manufac.
tures. Why ? Because Ireland is governed by Saxons and
not by Irishmen. Will you join me to give Ireland to the Irish ?"
This language was addressed to the people by the Chairman of the
Committee-that had adopted the manifesto, which said that the
people of Ireland must themselves redress their own grievances, as
they could have no hope from Parliament. Mr. O'Connell then went
on to say—" My experiment is satisfied, and I can now tell the
rest of the three provinces that Connemara is as determined as
they are. You cannot be more so, my friends. If the' battle
were to be fought I know you would be in the front rank,
but there would be as brave hearts and as ready hands by you.
But the battle of Ireland is a peaceable battle, and there is no
occasion for warfare. There is no occasion for hostility. I will
keep you out of danger, and conduct you in the constitutional
ways of the law and national exertion. Yes, if it were ne-
eessary for me to call out your force in battle, I am sure
there is not a man of you who would not come again
on the day I asked him. I know it, and I will tell you
why it is unnecessary—because your enemies know it as well
as I do." Mr. O'Connell, on the same day, made observations of
a very equivocal kind ; he stated, among other things, " I have
demonstrated that I have more men, more men of a fight,ng
age (why should I not use that word ?) ready to stand by their
country than ever evinced that determination before. I say to
England we will use no violence—we will make no attack—we will
reserve our force for defence ; but attack us if you dare. What is
the answer ? 'We do not intend to attack you, and you need not
set its at defiance.' My reply is the schoolboy's—thank you for no-
thing, says the gallipot. But then they say, how can you carry Re-
peal ? If you take a single additional step we will go to law with you.
My answer is, I am an old lawyer, and the proverb says you can't
catch old birds with chaff, and they are not able to beat an .old
lawyer with chaff at all events. I set your chaff at defiance,
and will take the next step in spite of you. We are appointing
men to act as arbitrators in the room of the magistrates who were
struck off, and 'those who are left in the commission are infinite'',
worse. Last year Goulburn took off the duty on arbitration, as
if he actually had-seen what was corning. I have them there, and
do they think they will catch an old bird with chaff? You will see
in the newspapers a report of the first.court of arbitration, which
will sit on Friday next, Doctor Gray in the chair. It wi;l sit
every Friday; afterwards they will spread through the coun-
try. We have had a number of avplications far the es.
tablishment of courts in various parts of Ireland, and I am
convinced that it will work well. Disputes which now fester and
rankle in a village will be settled amicably. It will spread further.
I will apply the principle to a higher class of cases. We will ap-
point arbitrators for everything the people may choose, and I trust
before I am twelve months older to take half the business out of
the superior Courts."
There was, then, not only the intention to adopt this course of
substituting those Courts for the settlement of disputes,
but also to erect Courts for the administration of justice. And
Mr. Duffy said, in the Nation, that they had all the incidents of
a nation—they bad taxation—they had justice ; but that another
step was wanting, the organisation of the people.
Here the Court and jury retired to take refreshment; on their
return, the
Arronisese-Gesream. resumed—There is another passage to
which I shall call your attention—" For the present year my
monster meetings are nearly over, there will not be above seven
or eight more of them. But before I have done with them the
demonstration of moral combination and of the mighty giant power
of the people of Ireland will be complete. Their subordination will
be complete—their discipline will be complete. Why you saw how
the cavalry fell in, and took their station five by five at the
word of command of Tom Steele. No Aide-de-Camp of the
Lord Lieutenant was ever obeyed so cheerfully as he was." In
the course of a week after a meeting was held in Lismore. At
that meeting Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Steele, and Mr. Barrett were
present. There were twenty.two banners, flags of different des-
criptions, and the Lismore temperance band. The men of Water.
ford were led by the Rev. Mr. Sheehan ; the men of Lismore by
Dr. Hogan. At that Lismore meeting Mr. O'Connell, in address.
ing those assembled, among other observations, said—
" If you were wanting again to-morrow, would you not come ?
(Yes, and great cheering.) Let those who would come at my call
hold up their hands."
It is stated in the papers of some of the traversers that a dense forest
of hands were lifted up—that there was immense cheering—that
the scene was indescribable ; and to the question put—as many as
would dome at my cail—is it to be wondered at that so vaunting
a mandate would have this effect, and that it would lead to a con-
viction among the people—" the time is nearer than we think."
Again, Mr.O'Connell says :—"My first anxiety is to wrest from the
present judicial administration its unholy authority; to do
away with , the wrangling of the petty sessions courts
where the magistrates preside. I want to have tribunals
of reconciliation in every parish in Ireland, existing not by
patent from - the Crown, or imbued with Saxon notions of
justice, but fair, equitable, and impartial tribunals, where the peo-
ple may' fairly settle their differences by impartial arbitration." He
wanted to have tribunals not instituted by patents from the Crown.
In a further part of his address he says, " Abide your time—wait
for a moment, and allow me to tell you when the time comes to
exert yourselves." It was about the 24th of September when
that meeting took place, and on the following day an article
appeared in the Pilot, of the 25th of September, called
"The Army, the People, and the Government," subjects of
consideration very important for those who had, determined
to redress themselves without the aid of Parliament. "No
subject can be at present more interesting to the friends of consti-
tional freedom and Ireland than the state of the people's army.
Aye, the people's army, for we would be glad to know who pay the
taxes which support the army, but the people—the poor, oppressed
people? Who supply the fine young recruits but the people?
and for what pretext was the army ever raised if not for the de-
fence of the peOple or their property, though now, alas, but
too many of them have little- or no property? Then, again;
the army, by this we mean that respectable body of men,
the sergeants and privates, are all from the people. They
intermarry with the people, and if they survive the se,
Virr_whor. it,— , ~isty us rignung, hardships, and flogging,
but very little 'promotion, in fact, more kicks than halfpence—
!where, we ask, must they return once more but to the ranks of
the people ? We, therefore, think that we are amply justified
In calling the army the people's army: Our readers are aware that
'n what's called the English army, there is a custom established,
pot certainly by the soldiers, by which all the situations of ease
;and emolument are generally filled by persons belonging to what
are called noble families, or more properly rich families. By
this scheme boys of fifteen or sixteen, without having left their
mothers' apron.strings, can, on paying a certain sum of money
unto a certain • office, procure what's called a commission,
:public
is, power to receive a certain portion of money out of the
:public taxes. But it is not enough that the boy who never
learned a penny in his life should get this comparative sinecure
just because he chances to have a rich father, mother, or uncle,
who can put down a certain sum of money. No, things don't
,stop here. The aforesaid boy, brave fellow, can make another
'bounce over the heads of the veterans who have grown grey in the
;service of their country by his merely paying another sum of money
!into the War-office. All this is certainly a d—d fine system
1 for those who command, but not so for those who are told to
"obey, that is, the great body of the army, the sergeants and pri-
vates. Yes, persecute the soldier to the utmost—over.drlll him in
the dog days—withhold his furlough—deprive him of his news-
:paper—confine him for the slightest fault—march him to the
house of God armed and accoutred, as if for battle—but leave him
the press open, and he has still some hope ! But go farther.
: Deprive him of an honest, uncorrupted press, and you drive him
to madness, or perhaps we should say revenge! Let us just look
'at the state of the Fifth Fusiliers. Our readers will no doubt re-
I
i member the hapless fate of poor M`Manus, who was proved to have
dropped down dead from over-drilling. Well, what was the con..
sequence? A fine young man, of unimpeachable character, an
: Englishman, and a Protestant, named George Jubee, stepped out
iof the ranks, and drilled a hole through the body of the Adju.
• ant—one Robertson Mackay—an infamous Scotch tyrant. Thus
, was the driller drilled."
This is the moral instructor of the people who tells you that a
young man of unimpeachable character committee! murder! "But
this was not all. When an inquest was held on the carcase,
it came out that the colonel of this regiment had received a
letter, when the regiment was stationed at Fermoy, threatening
him with the punishment of death ; and we suppose the
maddened Jubee would have fusili end the colonel, if
he had not wisely left the now_dangerous post of over.
driller to the care of Sawney Robertson Mackay. The soldiers
of the Fifth appear to be, in their political principles, de.
tided Repeaters Not physical-force Repeaters ; for if they
were so, having plenty of arms and ammunition, they could
easily appeal to that open violence. 'lbis physical force, or armed
violence, was what the Government had the silliness to threaten
the Liberator and his millions, with ! But from causes best known to
themselves, they forgot to execute their threat I When a detach.
ment of the Fifth left Loughrea, some weeks ago, the Repeaters
with temperance bands accompanied that detachment for above two
miles out of town, and, on taking their last sorrowful farewell, the
soldiers are sfated to have taken off their caps and given three
cheers for Repeal ! Thus the country appears to have never been
so safe, as the people and the army are on the. best terms !
This is exactly what a popular Government would desire.
But certain spy-employing monsters would seem to wish to tamper
with the army, and to instigate it to fall on the unoffending people
—men, women, and children. But those untried and unimpeached
villians would do well first to consider the feelifigs of the army. An
army has often proved a two-edged weapon, which is liable to wound
the hand that wields it. Thank God, we have however lived to see
the army reformed, so far as the soldiers are concerned. We,
therefore, would wish to see promotion from the ranks
general, and flogging or back-mangling totally abo-
lished. Let ' a soldier be shot, but not flogged. The
soldiers- are now as decent, sober, orderly a body of men
as any in society. They are patient, too, and Heaven knows they
require to be so. Many of them are teetotallers. They mind their
religion ; and, if not prevented by their money promoted corn.
menders, would improve their minds by reading the newspapers,
which we think, after fulfilling their duties (including over-drill.
ing, that they have just as much right to do so as the parties
called officers—for an officer ought properly to mean a promoted
soldier, and a soldier an inipromoted officer. Now, Gentlemen,
there is another publication in the Caine paper, of such a character
that I feel it my duty also to call your attention to it. It is en.
titled— '

' Rumoured Death of General Jackson. The Battle of New
Orleans.—Be the report of Ids' death true or false, the mention of
his name has recalled to our mind the feat he achieved, an ac-
count' of which may, in these times, when so much is said about
war and blood, be acceptable to our readers. In the battle of
New Orleans there were engaged from ten to twelve thousand
British troops sent from Prance, tinder General Pakenharn,
who had been so much extolled for his exploits in the pen.
insula"of Europe. This army was furnished with all the
means of destruction. A great fleet, with its seamen and
marines, aided in all its operations. The American ( cues al
Jackson, a lawyer by profession, who had never before, • I be-
lieveiseen a single regiment in the character of an enemy, with
thC inhabitants of New Orleans, aided by the militia of Tenessee
and Kentucxy, had assigned to him the task of defending the city
against the army of regulars, and, as they were termed, invinei-
/ b:cs. With his untutored bands, even whose officers were not in
uniform, he, with inferior numbers, attacked the British army
twice in the night time before they were ready for the main attack
on him. On the Bth of Jan., 1813, they advanced to the attack, with
rockets, bombs, an immense train of artillery, and with all the appa-
ratus for storming, the soldiers and sailors having been previouly sti.
mula•ed and steeled against relaxation by assurances the most grati-
fying to their tastes and wishes. They finally arrived at the point
Of onset ; the faggots which they carried to make them a road
over the works were just tossing into a ditch ; in idea the city
with ill its spoils, was in their possession. At that moment the
brave and prudent enemy, with as much coolness as if he had been
aiming at harmless birds, opened his fire on them, and swept them
down like grass before the scythe of the mower. He sallied in pur.
suit, marching over over blood and brains, and mangled
carcases, and finally, to use the words of his coun-
trymen, strove the survivors to their ships, and bade
them carry to England the proof of the fact that the soil of
freedom was not to be invaded with impunity. There were
more than half as many British soldiers and sailors :killed and i
wounded in this battle as at Waterloo, where the British, though I
successful, had to help them, not only Irishmen and Scotchmen,
but also Belgians, Hanoverians, and Prussians. Who was Jackson,
was he an American or a Saxon ? No, he was one of the fiery.