Star.
London, England, 1821-12-05 00:00:00

CUSTOM-HOUSE, LONDON. Decella4l 1, tsp. ,
FOR SALE,

By Order of the Ho*. the Cionntissioners of his Mefjesty's Customs,
On Faisal., the 14th Instant, at One o'Clock in the Afternoon

WEDNESDAY,_ 'DECEMBER 5, It-21.

MEETING ON THE STATE OF IRELAND.
.!%

a Yesterday, a Meeting took place at the Thatched
Moine, St. James's-street, in pursuance of an adver-
tisement, inviting the attendance of Noblemen and
Gentlemen connected by birth, property, Or com-
mercial relations, with Ireland, to consider the pro-
priety of presenting a Petition to his Maaesev, that
he might be graciously pleased to submit to the con-
sideration of Parliament, with the least possible delay,
the present alarming and distressed state (if Ireland.
About one o'clock, a number of Gentle nen havine
assembled, Mr. Tioii came forward, an I observed.
that the object for which the present Meting had
been convened was of such deep importaace, that it
was of itself sufficient to command a nu nerous and
respectable attendance. He was glad to see that it
had done so, notwithstanding the disadvant rtes under
wiAch a Meeting of this kind must labour, at a time
when many. of the great landed proprietors of Ire-
land were necessarily absent. As the first step to-
wards proceeding to the business of the day, he beg-
geJ leave to move that a Nobleman now in the room,
who had, on every occasion, evinced the utmost
promptitude and zeal in assisting. the distressed te-
nantry of Ireland, and in supporting the interests of
that country by his eloquence in the Senate, and by
the uniform tenour of his public conduct—it was
scarcely necessary for him to name Lord Darnley—be
requested to take the Chair. He had reason to know
that the Noble Earl was somewhat presvd in point
of time, and he hoped, therefore, that, they would en-
deavour to shorten the business of the day as much
as possible—that they would avoid everything like
party feeling or prejudice, and direct their attention
exclusively to the single object for which they were
assembled, namely, the adoption of some measure
which might tend to put an end to the calamities and
distresses which degraded and afflicted their country.
The Earl of atarthrir begged to state, that he was
present at this Meeting solely in. consequence of an
advertisement which he had seen in the Newspapers ;
and that feeling the necessity of such a Meeting, in
common with every man who regarded the welfare
of Ireland, and the interests of the Empire at large,
he had come up from his residence in the country ex-
pressly for the purpose of attending it. As to the
honour which the Gentleman who had just addressed
them was desirous of conferting upon him, he had
one material objection to make, which was, that he
should be under the necessity of leaving them at an
early hour; and he conceived a Chairman having
once taken the chair, enforced upon himself the duty
of remaining to the end of the Meeting. He was not
aware that any difference of opinion was likely to
protract the present discussion; but shades of differ-
ence would always exist, and he knew from expe-
rience that discussion at Public Meetings frequently
extended to a much greater length than was expected.
Under these circumstances, he should be much better
pleased if his Honourable Friend would take upon
himself the office of Chairman. With regard to the
object of the Meeting, which he understood to be a
Petition to his Majesty, praying him to assemble
Parliament as soon as possible, for the purpose of
laying before them the present distressed and cala-
mitous state of Ireland, he agreed with his Honour-
able Friend, that no time ought to ba lost in having
recoil+ se to the Great Council of the Nation, for their
advice and assistance. At the same time, lie was not
sanguine enough to believe, that any sudden expe-
dient, devised on the spur of the occasion, could affoi d
a remedy to evils, which a long course of misgovern-
ment had brought to the present alarming crisis, or that
it was in the power of human wisdom at once to put
an end to the calamities which afflicted Ireland. It
was extremely easy to increase the military force,
and to check outrage by that means ; but unless the
mass of the population were brought into a state of
progressive amelioration, no permanent beneficial re-
sults could be expected. He was happy to witness
so numerous and respectable an assemblage of Gen-
tlemen, notwithstanding the great number of persons
connected with Ireland, who were now resident in
that country. For the reasons which he had before
stated, he would rather decline the honour of taking
the Chair, though he certainly should not oppose
himself to the sense of the Meeting. If it should still
be their pleasure that he should preside on the pre-
sent occasion, he must claim their indulgence, if lie
should be compelled to absent himself earlier than he
should have done under ordinary circumstances.
Mr. TIGIM expressed his readiness to preside, if the
Meeting should be protracted beyond the hour at ,
which the Noble Earl would be compelled to leave
them, and with this understanding Lord DARNLEY
took the Chair.
Mr. none then proceeded to address the Meeting.
He was strongly impressed, he said; from the com-
munications which lie had had, both with Gentlemen
in Ireland and in this country, with the necessity and
expediency of making an application to Parliament,
that an inquiry might be instituted into the causes of
the present distresses of Ireland, for the purpose of
applying such a remedy as, while it enforced the
strict execution of the laws, might at the same time
administer that relief and assistance which the pre-
sent calamitous state of the country required. It was
of great importance to fix the public mind upon the
real causes of the distressed Mate of Ireland. Every
man connected with Ireland must know, that in this
country almost a- total ignorance prevailed of the
causes and extent of the evils which afflicted the Sis-
ter Kingdom. One set of Newspapers attributed them
to the conduct of the Goveinment, another to the su-
pineness of the. Magistracy, a third to the exactions of
the Landlords, and another set ascribed them to the
Orange principles of one Secretary, and the Catholic
principles of another Secretary. As far as his own ob-
servation went, in the extensive exercise of his func-
tions as a Magistrate, he had great satisfaction in
being able to bear testimony to the fact, that the dis-
tresses of Ireland were not owing to any of those
causes, and least of all to those which ascribed want