The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-02-18 00:00:00

THE MANUFACTURES OF IRELAND

On Thursday, pursuant to a requisition of the Lord
Mayor, a general meeting of the citizens of Dublin was
held in the Royal Exchange, for the purpose of consider-
ing the best mode of developing the manufacturing re-
sources of Ireland.
The Lord Mayor took the chair, and Mr. M'Nevin
moved a resolution expressive of regret at the absence of
industrial enterprise in Ireland, and of a desire to infuse
such a spirit into the people.
The Rev. T. D. Gregg, who entered the room whilst
Mr. M`Nevin was speaking, and who was received with
several rounds of Kentish fire, was asked to second the
motion, but declined, as he said he bad an amendment to
propose.

After the resolution had been seconded, the Rev. T.
D. Gregg came forward and said—My Lord Mayor, citi-
zens of Dublin, fellow-countrymen, and brothers, I came
here this day, my lord, on your invitation, and with a
heart glowing with affection to my country—(cheers)--and
to every man who calls himself an Irishman. (Renewed
cheering.) I came here to further the object that your
requisition has proposed to further ; and I do trust that
although I have been popularly regarded as an individual
usually animated by bigotry, I feel that the grand assem-
blage which I now have the honour to address will give
me a fair hearing—(cheers and applause)—and judge for
themselves whether I and those with whom I labour da
not as anxiously as any amongst you desire to further the
best interests of Ireland. My Lord Mayor, I am iden-
tified with the operative classes of my native city. (Hear.)
I feel it. lam proud to labour among them, and I con-
sider it my duty to secure for them a legitimate weight in
the decisions of the empire. My Lord Mayor, lam iden-
tified with the Orangemen of Ireland—(cheers and hisses)
—and it is now announced and declared by those who are
your leaders, and by him who is your great and distin-
guished chief, that those Orangemen ought to be conci-
liated. (Hear, and loud cheers.) I have heard it said
that the orange and green shall be combined together. I
know not why that should not he. (Cheers.) lam iden-
tified with the orange, but I love the green. I love the
orange, and I would be identified with the green as well.
(Hear and cheers.) My Lord Mayor, I believe that Ire-
land is a most ill-treated and ill-ruled country. (Cheers.)
Mr. O'Connell—Bravo !
Mr. Gregg—She boasts of natural resources that are
second to those of no other country in the world. I have
not travelled far, but I have visited her favoured sister
island, and I never have approached the shores of Eng-
land without being struck by the marked contrast that
that island presents to our green and lovely land. Glori-
ous is the bountiful profusion that has been bestowed
upon her by nature—ample are her natural resources, and
for the capacity of mind, and brilliancy of genius that be-
long to her sons, I know of co country under heaven that
can compare with our Emerald Isle. My lord, discour-
aged as we are at the condition of our manufactures, how
did it astonish me some few months since, when I visited
the national exhibition of Irish manufactures, at the
Dublin Society House, to see those evidences of skill,
and marks of enterprise, that I verily believe we should
not be able to find in proud England herself. Perhaps,
my lord, I may be excused in referring to a single instance.
There is one branch of manufacture which demands a
peculiar amount of skill, and a very considerable supply
of taste—a branch of manufacture so very peculiar, that
out of London it is scarcely attempted in any town in
England—l allude to the manufacture of Pianofortes.
What did I see at the national exhibition at the Dublin
Society House? I found a manufacturer of pianofortes
of our native land • and where do you think he learned
his trade ? In a village of the provinces. How do you
think he succeeded in his trade? By competing with the
manufacturers in the metropolis of England—(hear, and
cheers.) I was a short time since speaking to the most
distinguished publisher of books in Ireland, a most exten-
sive publisher, one who spread the reputation of Irish
literature not merely through the boundaries of England
but through the whole extent of the civilised world, and
who is intimately acquainted with the genius and talent,
and powers of Scotchmen, and, moreover, naturally pre-
disposed to give them the preference. I put the question
to him " whether do you think the mind of Ireland or the
mind of Scotland is most distinguished for brilliancy of
genius ?" " Beyond any question," was his reply, " the
mind of Ireland "—(cheers.) And when we consider
the distinguished individuals that have made Ireland
I may say (though humble in her temporal circum-
stances) something like the boast of mankind—when
we consider, for example, the distinguished patriot
Grattan (loud cheers) when we remember the
burning eloquence of Curran, and the glowing energy and
noble patriotism of Swift; the admirable genius of Moore;
aye, and not merely Moore, but to turn to men of the
present day whose vocation is comparatively undiqin- •
guished—when we view the pages of the Weekly Nation,
we find the emanations of the Irish mind so distinuished
by brilliancy and so marked by power, that a man may
almost envy the privilege of those who boast themselves
to be natives of our beloved land. (Tremendous cheers.)-
But it is not these alone. I would apply to the assembly
that I see around me. I would there point out a people
willing to suffer, active to labour, bold to dare, fearless
to undertake, and remarkable for a determination not to
be led beyond their own conviction, second to none other
people on the face of the known world. (Cheers.) And
yet, Mr. Chairman, with these capabilities, what is Ire-
land? A wagging of the head among nations. She is-
almost as remarkable for suffering as she is distinguished-
for power. The rev. gentleman went on at great length
to descant on the evils under which Ireland groans, and '
concluded by moving an amendment to the effect, that
though Ireland is rich in resources, she is lamentably de-
ficient in industrial enterprise,—that though increase of
trade would be an obvious instrumentality from which to
expect an augmentation of the temporal prosperity of the
people, the true origin of national poweraed prosperity is the
blessing of the Most High, and that that is to be looked
for through the national prevalence of true religion,—that •
it is obviously absurd for government to encourage con-
tradictory systems, and that either one religion alone
should he established and receive undivided support, and
that as being the true, or else all support, whether educa-
tional or other, withdrawn from all alike. That since it
is, therefore, a matter of paramount importance that the
true religion be ascertained, a petition be prepared in
accordance with the views of this resolution to the Ina- ,
perial Parliament, praying that adequate means be at once
adopted, in order to test the claims of opposing systems
of Christianity, and that when a solemn national decision
has recognised the truth, the religion that is true may
obtain universal prevalence; a result which would extend
our manufacturing operations, and thus effectually ac
complish the objects proposed by the meeting.
Mr. GREGG'S amendment, having been seconded, was
negatived by a large majority, though the show of hands
in favour of it was considerable.

:Soon afterwards, Mr. O'CON. NELL rose, and in allu-
sion to Mr. Gregg's address, said—My speech is already
made, and I can tell you what, infinitely hater than I
could make it. I say it without the least affectation,
topics which I have familiarly handled—subjects that are
the topics of my day dreams, and even occupy my thoughts
during my night's repose—questions that have been cling-
ing to me from earliest infancy in political life to the
present moment, and were the subjects of my study and
admiration, have been handled here today with a power
of eloquence, a happiness of language, a felicity of diction.
such as seldom have been equalled, and never surpassed.
(Cheers.) I aro not paying any unfounded compliment--
lam stating that which is literally true. It was a most
admirable speech, delivered in the very best spirit and in
the very best manner. (Cheers.) lam delighted to live
to sec the day when you have listened to such a speech,
and heard it as you ought to hear it, whh the respect due
to the speaker. (Cheers.) Oh, we are good friends at
last. (Cheers.) If it were to last but for a day, I ata
delighted that I have lived to see the day; but it must
necessarily be the ground-work of good feeling amongst
us. (Cheers.) For the rest of my life, let him do what
he may. I will never say one word against him. (Laugh-
ter.) I pledge myself to that. lam so thankful to him,
in the name of Ireland, and of the Irish people, for the
lesson he has read—not only to us, but to those who
agree with him on other topics, and to the British govern;
ment, that if he were to knock me down in the street
would not say to him, ill you did it.
Rev. Mr. GREGG—There is no fear of that.
Mr. O'CONNELL.—I know that there is not. Ile
speaks of himself as all Orangeman. lam glad he is ae
Orangeman, for I am rejoiced to hear an orangernso
utter such sentiments as he has uttered. (Cheers ) He
said I was anxious for conciliation with the Orangemen'
lie is quite right ; I am anxious to conciliate them. Since
the passing of the emancipation I have spent six years 10
endeavouring to conciliate them, and if I have not stlo'
ceeded, I am willing to spend six years more in seeking
to effect that object. (Cheers.) But there is another
class of persons who will likewise be instructed by what
fell from the reverend gentlemen—l refer to the govern'
ment. (Hear, hear.) The government think that chef
are able to play off one set of Irishmen against the other'
This day they say. " Hurra for the Protestants ;"
a fortnight afterwards they declare, " Popery is not 03
bad : we will put in places two or three Papists."
.A 0
thus they are playing us off against each other."
The Rev. Mr. GREGG (emphatically).—They are e
contemptible set. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. O'CONNELL.—I have no great respect for they
myself, but I don't go so far as the reverend gentleman'
The Protestant agitator, when he becomes one, beats 0:
poor Papists out and out. (Laughter.) There is a deters
ruination—a manly determination about him ; and he doe_.,
not mince the matter at all—(laughter)—but gives thel
the full expression of his hearty contempt. (Cheers.)
will join with him in that expression; I have a best"
contempt for them.
of
A committee was appointed to carry out the objects
the meeting, and the assembly soon after separated. 4
This meeting is looked upon in Dublin by the pros
all sides as calculated to call from the government seriouti
attention. The Dublin Evening Mail says, "itis We
worth their deep and deliberate contemplation:"

A man and his wife were poisoned to death laFt iveel‘et
at Camberwell, and their shopman nearly so, through 0;4
ing drank a quantity of tea into which some oxalic sc:/
had been put by the female in mistake for carbonate wr
soda, which was intended to have been put into the wale
to soften it.

IRON TRADE.—The make of iron in the United WV!:
dom at the present time is near 1,400,000 tons annual',
Scotland furnishes almost one-third part of the supply 0
being 450,000 tons annually, or at the rate of 9,000 I°b/
per week. But in the course of two months there will
nine new furneces put in operation in this neighbourb,so
alone, and their combined yield rosy be calculated at P
tons weekly, or 70,000 tons per annum. Three new irio
works have also been arranged for, which may be cor;#
pleted, and have twelve fulnares going within two of
months. They will give a yield, if at all succet-sfubre
11
1,800 tons weekly, or 93,000 tons by the year. The
,00
sent large stock of iron is out of the hands of the
masters; and their make for a considerable time to co
w"
is sold up.—Waspow Paper.