The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-13 00:00:00

Belkelev to 1.,1-:nowle',l•,:r t!-Ic ,-.!ernpliment on tit:
of the minoriLy of the House of Commons.
Lord CAMOYS returned thanks for the minority in
the House of Peers. He owned he was a volunteer
intruder upon the time and arrangements of the even-
ing, having been appointed in the absence of those who
were better qualified to acknowledge the toast. He was
truly proud that he was one of those seventy-eight
Peers who had recorded that vote which had
met with the approbation of the as,etnblag-e.
In the minority were to be found the names
of some of the most ancient, some of the
most talented, and some of the most patriotic
Members of the House of Lords, names which
had often been recorded in favour of Ireland, and
which would-be again recorded in its favour.
whenever the necessities of that country should de-
mand their services.— (Cheers.) '1 here was one
point to which he could not help alluding. Who was
it that enabled him at that moment to be returning
thanks for the best portion of the House of Lords ?
Who, but the eminent individual whom they had
been delighted to honour on that occasion, to
whom he was indebted for that very emancipation,
which enabled him to fill the position which he then
occupied ?—(Cheers.) There were no persons who felt
so keenly the propriety of extending justice and equa-
lity to Ireland as those who had been in the condition
of those who wanted them. He had come there
as an Englishman anxious to show his sympathy in
favour of Ireland, anxious to express his condemnation
of that mischievous power which ran the risk of
making England weak in order to make Ireland
wretched.—(Loud cheers.) He had come there
to express his indignation at those proceed-
ings which had brought the judicature of Ireland
into contempt, and which had desecrated the
right of trial by jury, not only with regard
to the accused, but with regard to the entire
Roman Catholic population of Ireland.—(Cheers.)
There was a disposition in Englishmen to be
ju.,t, and he trusted that such demonstrations
as that would have the effect of removing
that ignorance and prejudice without which it would
be impossible to refuse the redress of grievances.—
(Cheers.) In this conviction he begged to thank
them on behalf of the minority of the House of
Peers.
Sir R. BULKELEY returned thanks on behalf of
the House of Commons. He expressed his
admiration of that illustrious patriot, who
had devoted all his energies to the best interests
of the Irish people. He expressed his opinion that
the Catholic clergy were intended to be
treated on an equality with the Roman Catholic
clergy ; and that the Protestant Church Establish-
ment must cease to be in connection with the State.
He gloried in the. Revolution of 1688, although he
might, perhaps, by saying so offend some of his
Roman Catholic fellow-countrymen, he still affirmed
it; but while that revolution had brought benefits to
England, he would acknowledge that, as far as re-
garded Ireland, it had been productive of insults
and oppression to the people of that country.
—(Hear.) In Ireland it had produced a religious war.
The conquerors had imposed hard terms upon the
conquered. An experiment had been tried to Pro-
testantise a Catholic country; that experiment
had signally failed, and the sooner it was
desisted from the better.—(Loud cheers.) Many
persons dreaded any interference with the Irish Pro-
testant Church, because they were of opinion
that if the Protestant Church of Ireland were to
fall the Protestant Church of England would
fall with it. He was a member. of the Protestant
Church of England, and was firmly attached to it,
and sorry should he be if the stability of the Pro-
testant Church of England depended upon that of
the Protestant Church of Ireland.—(Cheers.) The
Protestant Church of Ireland had failed in its pur-
pose. It had not promoted either the religion or
the education of the people; and while they had
clergymen without churches, and churches without
congregations, that Church could conduce to no
earthly good, nor could it answer any religious purpose.
He hoped and believed that the day was not far dis-
tant when justice would be done to Ireland. He
could not but recollect that in 1830 the House of
Commons had, by a majority of 99, rejected a motion
for a reform of that House ; and yet, in two years
after, "the. Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the
Bill," had been the rallying cry of the people, and
the measure of Reform had been carried.—(Cheers.)
As one of the Members of the House of Commons
who had voted for Lord John Russell's motion, he
begged to thank them for the toast which they had
drank.—(Great cheering.)
Mr. HENRY BERKELEY, M.P., for Bristol, then
rose to propose a toast to do justice to which the
eloquence of a Sheil or of an O'Connell would be
scarcely adequate. They had testified their approval
of the motions proposed by the Marquis of Normanby
in the House of Lords, and by Lord John Russell in
the House of Commons. He now rose to propose as
a toast the principle upon which those motions were
founded. The toast he had the honour to propose
was " Justice to Ireland."—(Loud cheers.) He,
however, could not say that he had any hope
that that justice would be speedily attained.
When he recollected the majority that supported
those who were now in power, and that if a new
election were to come on that majority would not
be materially diminished—(Cries of " No, no,")—he
could not hope that the wrongs of Ireland would be
speedily redressed. The people otiEng land sympathised
with the wrongs of Ireland, and felt for the Irish
people ; but, in order to assist them, they must have
an increase of the electoral franchise for themselves.
—(lmmense cheering.) There must be an entire
change in the electoral system.—(Loud cheers.)
The electoral system in England at this moment was a
perfect mockery. As long as it continued they
might sympathise with the people of Ireland, but
they had no power of assisting them.—(Cheers.) Nor
would they be able to assist the people of Ireland until
the House of Lords had less to do with the House of
Commons—(Cheers)—and until the House of Com-
mons had less power over itsconstituency.—(Cheers.)
There could be no hope for Ireland as long as the pre-
sent party should remain in power_; they were the legi-
timate descendants of those who had introduced
Habeas Corpus Suspension Acts and Gagging Bills,
and what could be expected from them but that they
would consummate their iniquity by the last
act of flagrant tyranny against that man—
(pointing to Mr. O'Conifell).—(hear and cheers.)
Those who studied in the school of suspended Habeas
Corpus Acts, would not scruple 'to trifle with trial by
jury. The toast of "Justice to Ireland" had his
warmest sympathy, and he should only be too happy
to hail the time when it should arrive.—(Cheers.)
GLEE AND CHORUS.
Raise the Song and strike the Harp,
Send round the shouts of joy,
For the Thunder of War is past,
And the Fields of Erin are clad in peace.
Raise, ye hundred Bards, the voice of joy,
For the night shall pass in song;
Till the beams of the morning appear in our halls
Raise, ye hun.ired Bards, the voice of joy.
Mr. MORGAN J. O'CONNELL acknowledged the toast.
He said that, at short notice, he had consented to
acknowledge the toast ; but, under no circumstances
could he have hesitated to have taken part in the pro-
ceedings, or to acknowledge with pride and gratification
the honour they had done the country to which he
belonged. They had practically shown that sympathy
with Ireland which England had on all occasions
exhibited since the proceedings which originated the
assembly of that evening. He had spent a great part
of his life in England, but it was a great gratification
to him to see them throwing off that apathy, which they
would pardon him for saying they had too long felt
with respect to Ireland. This awakened sympathy was
peculiarly honourable to them, it arose from that
spirit of fair play, which, above allTeelings, did them
honour.—(Hear, hear.) The moment they saw a
man or a country ill used, whatever they
had done before to excite their disapprobation,
that moment they proceeded generously to take their
part. He hoped that alienation and jealousies on
both sides would cease. They might differ as to
what justice to Ireland consisted in ; they
might think it could not be done without giving
the Irish the control of their own affairs ;
but there was one thing they all agreed in, that
it could not be done without equality of rights
and identity of privileges. Let them go on as
they were doing, and they would have the Irish
people assisting them in removing all the in-
tolerant bigotry and grinding monopoly, and all
the other forms "of oligarchical oppression. He
felt convinced that the people of Ireland were now
thoroughly enabled to draw. the distinction be•
tween the people of England and the faction,
that by flattering the prejudices of the people
or by the more substantial power of bribery, obtained
power over them. The Irish could now draw the
distinction between the people and the oligarchy.
.He thanked them for the manner in which they had
received the toast, and hoped the proceedings would
tend to create a good understanding between the
two countries for the preservation of the common
rights and liberties of the two people, and hasten the
downfall of those factious persons, whether Ministers
or in Opposition, who sought to divide the people of
England and Ireland, and by dividing, to oppress
them both.

Mr. GISI3ORNE, M.P., proposed the next toast. He
said he had been asked in the House of Commons whe-
ther he was going to this dinnerkwben:he said he
was, he was told by his questioneatke was going
to a dinner given to a repealer 471i'ttided over by
a Chartist.—(Cheers.) He g:ita no. amore for the
allegation than if he had told him that their guest be-
lieved in witchcraft, and that their chairman was
a believer in mesmerism.—(Loud laughter.) After
nine nights' debate in the 'louse of Commons, after
hearing the Attorney-General of Ireland make am
able, and he was bound to suppose, the best defence of
the prosecution—he was bound to say, that in his
opinion tyranny had been perpetrated in Ireland, not
only under, but through the forms of law.—(At this