The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

The Solicitor-General then intimated that the exami-
nation of the first witness would occupy a considerable
time, and the court adjourned to ten o'clock on Tnursday
morning.

The court sat precisely at ten o'clock on Thursday.
The traversers were in punctual attendance. The jury
having been called over, and having answered to their
names, the clerk of the crown directed the crier to call
Frederick Bond Hughes.
Mr. Hughes entered the court with a large bundle of
papers under his arm, and ascended the table. His ap-
pearance in court excited much curiosity. Having been
sworn by the clerk of the crown, he proceeded to give
evidence.
Solicitor-General.—What is your name ? Witness.—
Frederick Bond Hughes.
You are a short-hand writer? Yes, I am.
You have been constantly in the habit of reporting ?
Yes, I have been reporting for the last 17 or 18 years.
Upon different occasions? Yes, upon different occa-
sions.
Do you remember having come over to this country in
September last? Yes, I do.
On what day did you arrive ? On the 29th of Septem-
ber : on the 30th, I mean.
Mr. Hughes then went on to state, that he had attend-
ed the meeting at Mullaghmast, on the Ist of October.
He read from his note-book descriptions of the meeting,
the mottoes on the banners, and the speeches of Mr.
O'Connell and others, who had addressed the assembled
multitude on that occasion. When he came to a parti-
cular passage in the speech of Mr. O'Connell, the Chief
Justice desired him to read it over again, which he did,
as follows :—" I admit that the union has the force of
law, because it is supported by the policeman's trun-
cheon, the soldier's bayonet, and the horseman's sword ;
but it is not supported by constitutional law."
Chief Justice.--What is the number of that paper or
page from which you are reading ? Witness.—Page five,
my lord, from No. 1 book.
The witness continued to read Mr. O'Connell's speech
on taking the chair. When the witness had read as far
as the passage, " and take it from me then that the union
is void,"
The Solicitor-General said, if the traversers wished,
they might examine him as to the other portions of the
speech. _ _

Mr. Hatchell, Q.C., said it would be better to read the
whole of it, as there were portions of it still unread which
might be important on the cross-examination.
Witness.—The whole of the speech !
Mr. Hatchell.—Yes ; there are passages here and there
interspersed that we think most material to the traversers.'
Witness then proceeded to read the remainder of Mr.
O'Connell's speech at the meeting at Mullaghmast. I
heard resolutions proposed at that meeting; the first re-
solution was proposed by Mr. Aylmer, see page 313 ; I
heard the second resolution, which was proposed by Jos.
Hacket, of Kilkenny, and seconded by Ald. Keshan ; it
was as follows :—" We, the gentry, clergy, freeholders,
and other inhabitants of the province of Leinster, here
assembled, do declare, in the face of heaven and our
country, that no power on earth save the Queen, Lords,
and Commons of Ireland, can make laws for Ireland."
That resolution was put from the chair, and carried.
Solicitor-General.—Who was the chairman ? Mr.
O'Connell was ; the resolution was carried ; after that, I

saw some gentleman come forward and present Mr.
O'Connell with a velvet cap • it was a round velvet cap ;
it was presented to Mr. O'Connell by Mr. O'Callaghan ;
Mr. O'Callaghan said he was deputed by the committee,
whose names were attached to the address, to present him
(Mr. O'Connell) with the national cap •, Mr. O'Calla-
ghan also presented an address to Mr. O'Connell (witness
read the address.

Mr. O'Connell.—Who is that signed by ? By Mr.
White, and other gentlemen.
Solicitor-General.—What was done with the cap after
that? It was placed on the head of Mr. O'Connell.
Did he then say anything ? Yes ; he said he accepted
the gift with pride and pleasure ; the witness went on to
read the observations of Mr. O'Connell on the occasion.
Witness continued to read from his notes the speech of
Mr. O'Connell to the part " We had not one sovereign
of her family who was not a decided enemy of Ireland."
Mr. Hatchell, Q.C.—You have omitted the reference
to the Queen. Witness.—" We had not a sovereign save
herself who was not a decided enemy of Ireland."
Mr. O'Connell.—Read correctly, Mr. Hughes. Wit-
ness continued.—" She was the first sovereign of the
House of Brunswick that treated this unfortunate coun-
try with justice, and it is afflicting to think that her mi-
nistry are so base and perfidious, so paltry and selfish, as
to endeavour to obtain advantages for themselves and
their party, at the expense of the high and chivalrous feel-
ing of exalted allegiance which the people of Ireland bore,
aye, and still bear, to their Queen."
Mr. F. B. Hughes, in course of his cross-examination.
stated that he was a short-hand writer, but that he had
never beer a reporter for any newspaper. He had at-
tended meetings of the chartists at Carpenters' Hall,
Manchester, and elsewhere, but had never been at an
open air meeting. When asked if he had ever been pre-
sent at meetings in England, at which there were either
banners or mottoes, he said he had never attended such
meetings, except at the time of Queen Caroline. He had
been engaged in England to come to Ireland as a govern-
ment reporter.
ordmererd.
litougwhietsh,dwraw;
t;haenndcaMiler.d,Li?eua-t
didth
more s w
al e witness ,
little
thi te e
assistantsas of
than substantiate the evidence of his prin-
cipal.
Mr. Charles Ross, a gentleman long connected with
the London press, and who filled the somewhat anoma-
lous position of a newspaper correspondent and a govern-
ment reporter, f 'Rowed, but his evidence was scarcely
more important than Mr. Leatham's. It related princi-
pally to the Donnybrook meeting; but Mr. Ross, in ac-
cordance with the fatality which seems to have attended
every process connected with these trials, had mislaid his
notes of Mr. O'Connell's speech, although, fortunately,
he had preserved a transcript of them. In reference to
other meetings which he had attended, his evidence was
of the most general character; and his examination having
been concluded, the court adjourned.

The Judges took their seats upon the bench on Friday
at ten o'clock, when the case of the Queen v. O'Connell
was resumed.
Mr. O'Connell, attired in the bar-costume of a Queen's
Counsel, entered court shortly before ten, and took his
seat in the inner bar. The other traversers were, also,
puncbtuyatlhien
examination
attendance.
of The
mher.withoelees.of the day was occu-
pied Mr. Ross gave evidence of the proceedings at a meeting
of the Repeal Association, on the 28th August, at which
Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Jan O'Connell, and Mr. Ray were
present. After reading various portions of Mr. O'Con-
nell's speech, in reference to a plan, which he had intro-
duced at a previous meeting, for remodelling the Irish
parliament, he was asked by Mr. ilenn if he had taken
full notes of what occurred ? He replied, that he had not
a full note of all that occurred. Mr. Henn hereupon ob-
jected to his evidence being received unless the witness
had taken full notes of all the speeches. A cross-fire of
argument, interruption, and cross-examination here en-
sued, and it was at length stated by the witness, that he
took full notes of all that he thought material, omitting
what was, in his estimation, unimportant. The objection
was overruled, and the examination proceeded. The wit-
ness read such passages as he had taken down of Mr.
O'Connell's speeches at the several meetings of the Re-
peal Association, at the Loughrea, Clifton, and other
meetings and dinners. He was then cross-examined at
great length by Mr. Henn. He stated, that he came to
Ireland in July, 1843; that he was a little frightened at
first, but his apprehensions soon subsided ; that he came
as reporter for the Standard, and was also employed by
the government, and that he had received £4OO for his
services up to the next session of parliament.

The Court sat on Saturday punctually at ten o'clock,
at which hour the jurors and traversers were all in attend-
ance. The same want of excitement was remarkable in
the hall and neighbourhood of the court, as has been the
case ever since the trial commenced.
Mr. John Jackson was the first witness called. He
was examined by Mr. Brewster, Q.C., and stated as fol-
lows :—I am connected with the press. My connection
is with the London Morning Herald. I was its Irish
correspondent in the course of the last summer and au-
tumn. I attended at the meetings of the Repeal Associa-
tion in Dublin, and I transmitted to London reports of
what passed there regularly by post. The witness then
proceeded to read his report of Mr. O'Connell's observa-
tions respecting the members of the Irish bar who had,
about that time, joined the Repeal Association. He was
next directed to refer to his report of the meeting of the
Association on the 6th of June.
Witness.—l perceive from page one, that Mr. O'Con-
nell was present at that meeting. The member for Kil-
kenny,r Mr. John O'Connell, Mr. Barrett of the .Pilot,
and Dl. Steele, were also present. The witness then read
some extracts from Mr. O'Connell's speecb, referring to
Saxon cruelty in Ireland, and then continued to read as
follows :—" Mr. O'Connell then announced his intended
meetings of the month. He was to be on June Bth, at
Kilkenny ; on 11th, at Mallow ; 13th, at Murroe, Abing-
ton ; 15th, Ennis ; 18tb, Athlone ; 21st, Enniskillen"—
that is a mistake. (Laughter.) [The meeting that should
have been inserted was probably Ennistymon.] "On
the 25th, at Galway ; and on the 29th, at Dundalk." I
have my report of the meeting of the association held on
the 4th of July before me. 1 perceive from it that Mr.
Daniel O'Connell, Mr. John O'Connell, Mr. Ray, the
secretary, and Mr. Steele were present.
Mr. Brewster.—Does the report state anything about
American money being handed in ?—Yes ; it says there
were sums of money handed in from America. Go to the
meeting of the sth of July.—l have it here. I see from
page one that Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Duffy of the Nation,
and Mr. John O'Connell were there. Mr. Q,Connell
read " he wished to state that he had that morning re-
ceived a letter from Sligo enclosing a little from a dis-
charged soldier, stating that he was employed by Mr.
O'Connell to drill the people. That letter could not then
be produced, because Mr. Ray, the secretary was ill, and
some of the clerks in the office had mislaid it."

Mr. Brewster said he wanted that extract to show that
Mr. O'Connell described Mr. Ray as secretary.
The witness then continued to read his report of some
observations made by Mr. O'Connell at the same meeting,
respecting Ribbonism and Chartism, in the north of Ire-
land ; and also a sentence stating that the secretary read
the minutes of the last day's proceedings.
The witness then read a motion by Mr. O'Connell, that
the American letters should be entered on the American
book of the association. Look to meeting the 18th of
July.
r. Brewster.—Do you find Mr. O'Connell =Um a
speech at page three ?—The witness replied in the affirma-
tive, and proceeded to read. a speech of Mr. O'Connell's,
eulogising the conduct of the Bev. Mr. Murtagh, and
stating that he would attend a meeting at ]3altinglass on
his birthday. It further mentioned, that newspapers had
to be furnished free to persons who collected subscriptions
to a certain amount. Spoke of money having been lodged