Star.
London, England, 1828-11-14 00:00:00

BRUNSWICK CLUBS.

..~ .

LONGFORD BRUNSWICK CONSTITUTIONAL
CLUB.

♦mami° rim* TYE LONSIOID 3011111141 L.

On Monday last, pursuant to notice, a M. eting was
held at the Court.house, in this town, to form a Bruns-
wick Constitutional Club. Were we to say that the •
Mating was numerous, it were true; were we to say
it was highly respectable, we did it no more than jus-
lice ; but did we attempt ti describe the fervour, unani-
mity, and enthusiasm that pervaded the breast :sfivery
individual present, the most energetic language, the
most high wrought terms of eloquence itself must fail
to convey an gdeqiiate impression on the minds of any

who had nqt been present.
The morning was particularly unpleasant for persons
coming from a distance, as much rain had fallen; but
notwithstanding this obstacle, and the extreme shortness
of the twice, the Protestants of the ce.unty came pour.
ing in from all quarter.. At twelve o'clock the street
"as completely crowded, and when at one the doors of
the Court-house were thrown open—the rush of the
impatient, long-suffer ing. and too long neglectei Process
tint peasantry was tremendous. The Right Honour•
th'e the Eirl of Lot/crows had arrived in town at a
I's'le abet ten o'clock that morning, from Packenhans
Hall, and when at one o'clock he enteted the hall of the
Court-house, followed by Sir Grottos R. FRTHRRSTOII.
Bart. M.P. and almost all the respectable Gentlemen of
the county, the thunders of applause which burst from
every individual was absolutely deafening, nor wit it
for a considerahle time that this enthusiastic tribste of
respect to that Nobleman, who has so gloriously led
the van in defence of our Protestant Constitution, sub.
sided sufficiently to admit of the regular routine of
business being gone thrragh.
As soon as order was established, the reluisition
calling the meeting was read by the Secretary, THOMAS
ACHMUTY, El. when Sir Gamine R. FRTHRRSTON,
Bart. moved that the Lend of the Soil, the Right Hon.
the Earl of LONGFORD, do take the Chair. ALEXANDIR
Bistosrosr, Esq. having secondei the motion,
The Earl of LONGFORD came forward to address the
Meeting ; be was receive) with the most rapturous ap-
plause, nor was he, for a considerable time, with the
huzzaing and cheering, permitted to proceed. When
si'ence was restored, he spoke to the following effect:
Sit George Fethersron en 1 Geni men, in accepting the
honourable situation to which you have been pleased
to call me, I shall beg leave. to take up a few minutls
of your time (and they shall be very few) in ex-
plaining to you the principles of the Brunswick Con-
stitutional Club., and the objects for alias they are
formed ; wit the reas In why you are now called toge-
ther, and lastly, why you were not brf•re. With re-
spect to the principles of the Brunswick Constitutional
Clubs, we are hate assembled honestly to express our
reverence for the Constitution in Church and State—
our anxious desire for the peace and welfare of the
country, and tar love for our fellow-subjects of all do.
nominations. We are not here for the purpose of at-
tacking the interests or welfare of any class of society,
but to afford pro-ection—not to embarrass the laws.
but to proffer assistance in the execution of them. The
principle upon which those Clubs are formed, and upon
which alone we are to act, are firmness in delence of
our Protestant Constitution, unanimity, peace. and mo-
deration; we associate to defend our glosious Protestant
Constitution in Church and State; in doing s-, we are
to act with firmness, unanimity, and decision, but mo..
deration must ever be our characteristic. We assemble
not to offer hostility to the laws of the land, but to sup-
port them—not to overturn the established orders of
the Constitution but to uphold them—not to offer in-
sult to any class of society, but by our moderation to
show our respect for the laws, and by our firmness our
determination to support them. Those ate the prin-
ciples upon which we act, and by which we hope to be
of use. Our objects are not to gratify lersonal feelings,
but to conduce to public ends—not act against our ene-
mies, but to defend our friends—(Loud cheering).—
Such, my friends, are the principles and objects for
which the Brunswick Clubs have been established; and
I hope, when we separate this d.y, it will be borne in
mind, that though we must act with unanimity and
firmness, yet moderation, as I said bef re, mwt ever be
our characteristic—(Hear, hear). I am now to state to
you why you are called together. We have all, at dif-
ferent times, viewed with astonishment the proceedings
of a body tending to destroy the institutions of the
country ; proceeding systematically, step by step, is
overturning the Constitution ; setting aside the enact-
ments of the Legislature; assuming its functions; levy.
ing taxes; raising and disbanding armies, at pleasure.
All this have we seen and borne with patience, wail
counteraction becomes no longer a matter of expediency,
but of necessi. y. We have set n this done by that curse
of the country—the Roman Catholic Association—
(Cheers)—and so danger..us do we consider their pro.
ceedings, so injut loos to our country. and so inconsistent
with its laws and institutions, that it is our duty now to
come forward, and to skis% these is yet a party in the
country, who are de. er mined to respect the Constitution,
as established in Church and State, at the glorious Re-
volution of 1688, to uphold the I tws, and, if necessary,
to defend them with their lives—(Continued cheering).
I have now explained the principles of the Brunswick
Clubs, and why you were called upon to form one; it
only remains for me to state the tea on you %ere not
called upon before. It was imossibie to foresee that
the Roman Catholic Association would proceed to those
lengths which they have done, in sowing disaffection
and rebellion in the minds of the people ; and lavas.
confidence in the wisdom of the Ministry. we t e state
to interfere with then, and by doing so, to trammel
their decisions or cramp their exertions; but Seeing
affairs proceeding to the very verge of rebellion, and
the Government not taking any active measures for the
suppression of this spirit of disaffection, we come for-
ward now to show them that there is a strong and zea-
lous body in the country, determined with their lives to
support the Protestant Constitution, and Protestant
Ascendancy in Church and State—(The Noble Eail
then took the Chair amid loud and continued Cheers):
S G. Faralitarow—My Lord, I hold in my band a
resolution, the purport of which is the formation of a
Dion:nick Constutional Club. Your Lordship has so
cleat ly pourtrayed the wretched state of this unfo' n.
nate country ; you have so well &stepped the deep laid
schemes of designing traitors,who have so long distur bed
oar peace; you have so eloquently and manfully shown
that there exists but one straight path for us to pursue
that you must have brought conviction to every mind
Most fully and most heartily do I comer in ova) sea-

e'.

11.

~•.,

timent which you have uttered ; any thing I might add
must weaken, could not strengthen the cause; it would
be superfluous; it might appear presumptuous. Bu ,
when I look round, and behold this numerous and re-
spectable assemblage, called together at the very
shortest notice, and at great personal inconsenience,
I cannot refrain from expressing my satisfaction; and
I am proud in appearing before my honest uncom-
promising constituents, the independent freeholders
of this county. Your Lordship has truly said, o we
bear no hostility to our peaceable and loyal Roman
Catholic fellow-subjects"—were it otherwise, you would
not have seen me here this day. As a Magistrate,
I have ever endeavoured to administer impartial
justice—l have always been anxious to assuage those
hear tburnings and animosities which have been to often
excited by designing miscreants. I have ever laboured
to preserve the peace and tranquillity of this country;
and before MAVEN I declare my opinion, that the only
mode now left is to put forth our whole strength—show
ourselves the friends of the Constitution, and resolve to
maintain those principles which I entertain in common
with you—principles which, I might almost say, were
born with me; to which I cling with fonder affection as
advance in life, and which I will bear with me to the
grave. Gentlemen, we live in strange eventful times ;
we have seen a set of demagogues, under the most false
pretences, by the vilest machinations,work upon the poor,
ignorant, and bigotted lower orders, so as to have
changed their very nature—(Loud cries of hear, hear).
They were the most warm-hearted, generous, kind,
affectionate, and attached peasantry in the world., But,
what a change has taken place ! the national character
is degraded, and the name of Irishman is a bye-word
and reproach over the civilized world. We have seen
those demagogues proceed step by step in their demo-
ralising system; the country has been organized—one
universal black conspiracy has extended over the land
—no one dare appeal to the laws for protection, the
laws of Captain Rock only are obeyed—taxes have
been levied with impunity corresponding clubs,
committees of grievances, churchwardens, and law
agents. have been appointed. They have established
their Order of Liberators—raised armies—assembled
and dispersed them at the nod of the Prime Agi-
tator; and all this is done opal'', I might say, in
the presence of Government. We meet this day,
Gentlemen, for the purpose of forming a Brunswick
Constitutional Club—we unite for self-defence—we
unite to refute the calumnies, which have been so long
and so industriously circulated. Your voice must be
heard afar—you must rouse the Government from its
fatal lethargy. Let t' e people of England know that you
are not unworthy of their support; tell them that their
Protestant brethren in Ireland honour their King and
love their country; tell them that you venerate that
Constitution, cemented by the blood of your ancestors ;
tell them that you are prepared to shed the last drop
of yours in its defence, and that you never will surren-
der its first grand bulwark—Protestant Ascendancy in
Chinch and State.
The Resolutions were all carried with shouts of ecstatic
applause. They were moved and seconded by W. L.
Galbraith, Esq. I'. Achmuty, Esq. the Rev. W. Digby,
the Rev. C. Minchin, J. Robinson, Esq. and the Rev. IL
Sr. George.
The following is an extract from the speech of the
latter Gentleman :
" I am of opinion that ru.thillg is more prejudicial to
the a ell-being of society than want of consistency in the
character of those who direct public affairs. When I
speak of consistency, I do not mean that bigotted
attachment to one system, or one set of opinions, that
will not submit to be changed by sound reason or
vinvii.cing practical argument. At the period of the
Revolution, in the year 1688, it was arranged on a firm
basis, th t the Constitution in Church and State should
be essentially Protestant, and that in reference to the
King, all Papists should for ever be excluded from the
succession ti the English Crown. Such being the case,
how shall we accoont for the inconsistency of those who
suffer the boundaries of our Constitution to be frittered
away, day alter day, and as it were by piecemeal, with
.the awful example before their eyes of having, by a
similar line of conduct, reduced this country to the verge
of destructi, n? I allude to the rebellion of 1798. Few
among us who are not old enough to bring to recollec-
tion that even ful period, and the line of policy pursued
previous to it. Conciliation was the order of the day
betore the flames of civil war burst forth. First, there
was indemnity then oblivion conciliation next—
and concession after concession followed in quick
succession—and the fatal termination was rebellion!,
Or its suppression, we adopt the same system—
we follow the same course. We conciliate &st—
and then make concessions to the Papists while
we neglect the Protestant yeoman, who used his
best energies in defence of the Constitution, and who is
prepared, on all similar occasions, to do so at the ha-
zard of his life. We discourage him in every way ;
we give a preference to the Papist in the disposal of
our farms; we even deprive the honest, faithful, and at-
tached Protestant of the means of livelihood in his own
country, and force him to seek that in a foreign land,
which is denied him in that which gave him bitch, and
for which he bled. Yes, my Lord, this is the mode of
treatment we have adopted, as a recompence to the
Protestant yeoman for his loyalty and firm attach-
ment to his religion. What wonder, then if he
'ought a more favourable clime: what, if sepa
tatted from his fellow-Pr testants, discouraged by
the aristocracy, and dwelling in a lonely hut, in the
centre of his enemies, his fears for his safety (I mean
no disrespect, for which of us, if similar ly circumstanced,
would not anticipate danger) should c, mpel him to
become the heat tless inanimate creature he has been? I
rejoice, my Lord, to hail the establishment of Brunswick
Clubs; they oil bring the higher and lower classes of
society into more intimate and friendly communion;
they will make the aristocracy of the land acquainted
wit'r the brave, the manly, and the generous beings
whom they have too long neglected; they will convince
the humbler class that they are once more in favour—
that their warm affections to their superiors are appre-
ciated, and their firm and uncompromising loyalty re
spected. These Clubs will prove, that while the sedi-
tious traitor is allowed to go through the country, in-
tusiog and encouraging a disaffected and iebeliious spi-
rit among its peasantry, the loyal and well-affected have
a 'allying post, round which they may muster, the ex-
istence of which will give energy to their lawful exertions
in -upport of the Constitution. What, I would ask, are the
objects at. which these demagogues aim, in itinerating
through the country.if rebellion be not in contemplation?
What right have they to collect crowds, to assemble
meetings? What brought that arch demagogue,
O'Connell, to this county ? By what right, or under
what privilege did be collect a mob and address them ?
He has no property here, and yet he threatened to
throw Sir George Petherston out of the Representation,
and promised to let Lord Forbes continue. Ile abused
one ut our Members, and praised the other; but, know-
ing the character of the demagogues, we may truly say,
I his praise was censure, and his censure praise.' He

extolled Lord Forbes, and assailed with vulgar abuse
Sir George Fetherston. 4 Praise undeserved is satire
in disguise.' I. do conceive, that' when this swag.
geeing declaimer last honoured the town of Longford
with his presence, he spoke, as he did of Lord Forbes,
with the treacherous view of insulting him. He
had just returned from Clare, flushed with recent vic-
tory ; he had there laid his foot upon the neck of his
adversary, Mr. Vesey Fitzgerald, a brother Liberal of
my Lord Forbes ; I am firmly convinced that his object
with regard to his Lordship was to apprise him, that
unless he became his abject slave, and would consent to
certain' pledges,' he could dismiss him with a nod;
that unless he was a goad boy,' he had the same rod
in pickle for his Lordship with which he had flagellated
Vesey Fitzgerald. I can compare Mr. O'Connell in this
instance to no person so appropriately as to the immor-
tal bard of Avon's hunch-backed Richard, and his Lord-
ship to Lady Anne. The love scene was something
similar, and I suppose the termination will be the same.
I must in this case be permitted to paraphrase the words
of the Bard—

Was ever Member in such humour wood ?
Was ever Member in such humour won?
Such must be his Lordship's obedience to this tyrannical
•ulgar despot, that, should his patrician pride lead him
to hesitate throwing himself in the gutter at the feet of
some base-born, low•bred priest, his dismissal will be
instantaneous. He must be their most abject slave or
renounce their cause."
LIMERICK, Nov. e.

There was a highly respectable and numerous Meet-
ing of the Limerick Brunswick Club this day, at Swin-
burn's—Right lion. Lord MASSY in the Chair. Several
motions wt re brought forward, and new members ad-
mitted. It was resolved to incorporate a District Club
for the Barony of Upper and Lower ConneHoe. Letters
were read bons William Henry Tram, Esq. M.P. and
Sr J. S. Ribton, Bart. enclosing subscriptions. The
Hon. Wu. Maw, in an eloquent and energetic speech, I
congratulated the Meeting on the glorious display of
sound Protestant constitutional feeling made in Dublin
last Tuesday, and exposed the alarming powers which
that illegitimate body, the Catholic Association, pie
sumed to arrogate—authority almost superior tl the
Imperial Parliament. He hoped the Brunswick Club
would ever be forward to do their duty with spin it; and
to maintain the principles of their excellent Constitution,
and the tenets c f their sacred religion, pure and in-
violate—(Cheers).
The thanks of the Club were voted by acclamation
to George Freke Evans, EA. for his splendid donation
of 1001. to the tunds.—Limerick Chronicle.