The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-10-24 00:00:00

STATE OF FEELING AMONGST THE PEOPLE ' of a religious war, and the few Protestants who had been
OF IRELAND UPON THE SUBJECT OF RE- inclined to join it, at once withdrew.
The object of the people is to get plenty of work, and
PEAL, AND THEIR PROSPECTS OF SUCCESS to obtain a favourable permanent settlement of their rents;
IN THE EVENT OF AN ARMED INSURREC- but they have a fuether object, which they look to as the
TION. - inevitable result of a successful insurrection, which is to
get rid of the landlords altogether, and to divide the land
among themselves—not merely the forfeited estates, but
In the present crisis of affairs in Ireland the observe-
all the land ; at least all which is in the possession of
tions of every impartial observer of passing events and persons not thoroughly devoted to their cause,
character assume a tenfold value ; and we shall make, The result is, that we are standing on the verge of a re-
therefore, ligious and agrarian war, which would unite the horrors
usal the fol
l apology
win to
of the for
facts
of the Jacquerie and St. Bartholomew.
P g
O'Connell has for some time past been aware of this
er no
o condensation offeringats
contained to
in two highly interesting letters, which have just been fact, and nobody has been more alarmed at it than he has
addressed to the editor of the Morning Chronicle, and
been.
He has whipped his horses until they have run
copied from the columns of that paper into the leadingy, he finds that he
awayis not with him, and now, to his dismay,
his own co ..chtnan. He has a- gentleman on the
journals of both parties, in England and in Ireland. We box dressed in black. If any of the more moderate lay
by them that there will he no outbreak, they
of whig politics, had, before entering upon his inquiry,
may premise that the writer, whom we may assume to be repeaters are asked what is the ground of the confidence
expressed
only refer you to the priests. O'Connell himself is
arrived at the conclusion, from a contemplation of affairs canow really as much in the hands of the priests, as far as
in Ireland as represented in the public press, that the agi- this question is concerned, as we are ourselves. He has
tation for repeal was " a gigantic piece of blarney on evoked a spirit which is too strong for him.
O'Connell's part," kept up to save himself from pecuniary Nevertheless, he has done his best to set bounds to
ruin ; and that the object contemplated was, at the utmost, the torrent. The following expressions, extracted front
the obtaining of an instalment of those measures which his speech at Lismore, will convey some idea of his real
he has been in the habit of clamouring for, as " Justice to position :—" My heart is filled with delight at the scene
Ireland." His changed conviction, on visiting Ireland, that has been exhibited before us all this day. (Hear.)
we give in his own words : It proves that I ought to change my position ; I ought to
"It soon became apparent to me, after my arrival in become a different person from what 1 was. Heretofore
Ireland, that although this view of the case was perfectly I was an agitator, stimulating and exciting to exertion,
correct as far as O'Connell was concerned, the matter had and endeavouring to persuade every person by argument
taken much deeper root. Other leaders beside O'Connell that they ought to exert themselves to the very utmost.
either appeared on the stage, or skulked behind the scenes ; (Hear. hear.) I think I must give this up, and become
and, above all, it was evident that the great mass of the one of the moderates. (Laughter.) Yes, the people and
Roman Catholic peasantry had thoroughly taken the mat. the priests are going beyond me. (Renewed laughter
ter to heart. The people were bursting with repeal. It and cheers.) Did you ever hear two such agitators as
was not in the least necessary to put searching questions my reverend friends who preceeed me? (Hear, hear.)
to them in order to get at their sentiments. You could They are outrunning •;ie . together, and I have become
not make the commonest inquiry without bringing on a like the heavy schoolboy in the race. My own pupils are
repeal discussion. If vou asked the price of pork or fish beating me. (Great laughter and cheering.) lamto be
in the streets, the old women were sure to say something the drag on the wheel that it may go down steadily the
of this sort after they had answered your question : plane of liberty. (Hear.) It is my duty now to restrain.
' Well, sir, when are we to have our rights ? when will our It was my duty formerly to excite. My reverend col-
leagues having left their trade of preaching for agitating,
Parliament sit in College-green ?'
" The people, in short, were determined to have repeal I now take up the gowns which they have thrown from
—by fair means, if possible—but, at any rate, repeal. off their shoulders, and set about sermonising you.',
They had, moreover, fully made up their minds t 3 the To the remarks of the writer, upon the prospect of
re.ci ...
Greatsucces success in t i
tal
iie
Britain,
, attemptwesh a
it
shall probably
throw
snaacrriisfieede sthemselves
nttouaploi nt
bee
contingencies
g ,oaf natnl hi ands
ufra m...)
Er
e tvheer t c oTaermloi °t
11 rwoi tch-
tion in an extraordinary degree. There was not a single casion. At present, we must content ourselves with the
important point connected with the subject on which they above brief review of facts, which we are convinced
were not prepared with a good military answer ; and, in affords an overtrue picture of the condition of misguide'
whatever part of the country the question might be and unhappy Ireland.
asked, you were sure of receiving the same answer in
substance, and, generally speaking, in nearly the same
words. The last-mentioned circumstance proves to de-
monstration that the plans of operation with which the
heads of the peasantry were filled did not originate with TO THE CONGREGATION OF ST. ANDRETPS CHURCL
RODNEY-STREET.
themselves, but that they had emanated from some com-
mon source, and were, in fact, the instructions of superior
Church of Scotland has begun to work divisions among
gency of the case, and had been afterwards disseminated us, who were till lately a united and harmonious congre-
minds, which had been carefully prepared to suit the exi-
tion. It is, doubtless, our unanimous wish that these
divisions should be crushed at the outset. In order, if
pbeyopmlee.ap of some established organisation among the
possible, to prevent them from arising at all, our trustees
To another paragraph we must direct attention, inas- and committee of management proposed for our choice
much as it shows that the labours of Father Mathew, three qualified ministers of the Free Church of Scotland,
honest or not honest in intention, are at all events a part, in terms of the new constitution, which was before unani-
and an important one of the agitation for repeal. The mously adopted with that view by the shareholders of our
writer observes of the peasantry— place of meeting. Some of the shareholders, however,
"If the rebellion of 1798 was spoken of, the remark have since applied for and obtained an injunction from
invariably made was to this effect :—' Those days, sir, the Court of Chancery against our choosing any minister
were the days of drinking whisky. Our people lay drunk of the Free Church to officiate as pastor in that place.
One of three course:, therefore, must be taken by us.
in the ditches, and the troops obtained an easy victory.
1. We may submit to' the injunction ; or 2, we may an-
But now we are a sober, temperate, and religious people.'
If I heard this remark once I heard it fifty times." swer it ; or 3, we may agree with the adverse parties to
It has always been imagined that, ignorant and duped settle the matter amicably by arbitration of some eminent
s
with respect to this question as are the Irish people, they barrister who shall be furni bed with the necessary in-
could never hope to contend successfully against the dis- formation through fit persons selected to represent each
ciplined troops which would be brought against them. side.
Such, however, it appears, as a successful stand in the This last course—friendly arbitration—would be far the
field, was never contemplated. The reply of the peasantry most summary and expeditious, as well as the least ex-
to any remark upon this subject was usually to the follow- pensive. How distressing will it be to have one place of
ing effect:—" Oh, sir, you don't suppose we shall give worship closed and the bock scattered during the twelve-
you the advantage of fighting a pitched battle with us? month or more that may elapse while the suit is pending!
We shall rise in our counties and baronies, and do all that How sad to send in law expenses one, two, or three
we want (which means making a clean sweep of the Pro- thousand pounds, that may build one or more chapels, cr
lestants); and when the troops arrive they will find the be otherwise better employed in promoting the gospel!
people quietly at plough, and we shall be doing our work But further, this last course (seeing the first alternative—
elsewhere!" The military defences of the country ap- unqualified submission—cannot be entertained) is the
peered to be regarded by them with cold contempt. They most consistent with the letter and spirit of the New Tes-
declared that the walls of the barracks " would be scaled tament. Let the 6th Chapter of Ist Corinthians be read
in every direction by night, and that the people would as far as far as verse 7, where it is said, " But brother
tumble aver by thousands, mad squeeze the troops to death, eoeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers
if they did not take them out and throw them into the [a term too applicable to many civil judges] ; now, there-
river." tore, there is utterly a fault among you because ye go to
Another circumstance, as to the ulterior views and ea- law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong ?"
pectations of the peasantry, we must give in the graphic &c. There is reason to hope that the parties at whose
words of the writer:—" There is another horrible pre- instance the injunction was sought will be willing to accede
veiling idea, which really startled me the first time I to such a proposal if made, and surely it will be unbe-
heard it. I was waiting for my car early in the morning coming in us to refuse to roeke it. Let us try what can
in the street of a small, sulky, ill-conditioned town, when, be done in this way, and it our proposal is scouted, which
seeing a farmer's wife setting up a potato-stall, I asked lam confident it will not be, we can go to law with a
her the price of her potatoes. She gave me a civil an- safer conscience, and may expect a greater blessing on
sorer ; but two men were standing by, one of whom said, our cause.
without my having previously addressed him, or having We cannot but regret th
made any remark calculated to encourage the observation, motives, not perhaps amount] .0 bitterness, has already
' 'We shall eat wheaten bread next year, sir.' I was really been engendered on both sides. I beseech the congreea-
unable to make out his drift, and told him good-humour- tion to regard our adversaries in the suit as brethren,
edly that I was very glad to hear it, but begged to know seeking like ourselves the good of the Scotch population
how the change would be brought about. ' There will be of Liverpool, but differing from us as to the means of
fewer of us, sir,' was the reply. I then began to under- effecting it. They believe the Established Church of
stand his meaning, and, as I encouraged him to speak Scotland the best medium ; we believe on the other hand
out, he proceeded to say that there were 8,000,000 of the Free Church, or our own English Synod, the best
them, that the land was not able to bear them, that medium. They conceive the first constitution and original
1,000,000 or 2000,000 might be spared with advantage, design of the Rodeey-street Church bind it inalien:blv
and that the country would be for the survivors. 1 after- and exclusively to the Establishment ; we are led to con-
wards heard the same idea, either in whole or in part, in elude the shareholders had full power to unite it equally
a variety of forms; but the burden of the song always to ti,o Frcc Church. There i.m, tl,,,aforo, a dijference of
was, ' Protestant and Catholic will freely fall, and the latid opinion certainly, but we are one in doctrine and in attach-
will be for the survivors.' " ment to the Gospel. While we know not the secret prin-
It was a guerilla warfare which was looked forward to; ciples of their heart, shall we claim for ourselves more
and the arms relied upon were the pike and such weapons love to Christ, more .submission to His holy will ?—nay ;
as are now used in their agrarian outrages. With respect I rather think were we and they to reverse our positin 13.,
to the former, they reminded their catechist that " they we might act very much as they are doing. if the friends
could be manufactured by any common blacksmith, in of the Free Church had built a splendid edifice, end from
large numbers, in the course of a day." The same refl.
and allowed
officiate
ffit to
ifaatlel
some alteration of feeling their representation had changed
ance upon the irregular mode of warfare accounts for the
aitset7amdenrostmooldniostrei
preparations for warlike movements, in Ireland, than has so' thotroUghly into the system of the Established Church
fact that there has been less drilling, and other similarrilomatlytie,ttinLt'on
couldthereafter ever been the case previous to any attempted insurrection '
there, would we not complain and seek redress? I say
in any country.
this to remove any undue harsh construction of our ad-
A great reliance, too, was placed upon a presumed dis- versarks' conduct. It sortie ' position of the army to join the contemplated insurrection.ill oi them condescend to read
my remarks, 1 trust they think the less eeriously
" Three-fourths of the army" it was commonly observed, of the very solemn theyrespcn:vibilitnot
" are Irishmen ; and every Irishman is a repealer." The selves under, that of takir, a
course
u r
,a,rheicbhringingthemp-
opposition of the Protestants of the North they depre. the congrtgation of a minister of their own choice, may
or depriver
iated from the assumption that they would not stand by many of us from our accustomed place of worship,neverive
their landlords. The writer of the letters, from which again to assemble in this world as one fleck. Such con-
we gather these facts, remarks—" on no one occasion did sequences we may well deplore and deprecate. May the
I hear it slated that they could beat the Protestants o.f providence and mercy of the Almighty Head of the Church
the North. What they always said was that the Protes- save us from enduring t!.+ zn by bringing light out of dark-
tants of the North would not turn out at the call of their ness, and restoring peace and unity.—Your affectionate
nobility and gentry. faithful servant,
It is a fact that the people never contemplated, except TR CI
as a last and very improbable alternative, going to war -......---h.
for the object of their agitation. They relied upon
i' 01 ELEC
O'Connell's cunning and knowledge of time law to keep
them from a collision with the authorities: and only
J
dreamed of the necessity of resorting to violent measures, me i ;anditiz
dolt it ook tiL
if the government should interfere with time proposed as- ison V, by Mr
sembly of 300 gentlemen, who were to compose O'Con-
rs, an ng by
nell's illegal parlianment. Such an interference would, un-
Russ, Atter
doubtedly, have been the signal for that war of exterviii-
the sho NaS tat
nation, which the Irish peasantry contemplated as the
the means of arriving at their end by violence. f h.lr. I
Again recurring to the temperance movement and its Tonere:en on Salt day n
connexion with repeal, we are told that—" Although the great spirit and anima
organisation of the temperance societies proceeded the re-
ensequence of the xcellt
peal movement, that organisation has been adopted into ffs, not the least nconi
it. Time congregation of each Roman Catholic chapel ,rning mhe votes )f etc
ne generally forms a temperance society. The repeal war-
mck and ten o'ch kd
e dens are the officers, the temperance band—the members The sheriffs appnt
(minti
of which are dressed in uniform—are the rallying-point;
iployeng a check ;leak
and when it is determined to show the strength of the d amounts to
country, time male members of the temperance societies a mejority of in rly
e
are marshalled under their respective bands and colours, to eleven o'c ck ;
and march out to time monster meeting. The people ap-
nearly 203. It was
pear to take a pride in displaying their fixity of purpose the Jewish pen aria
clock, in ordee, a ittl
and the supposed moral excellence of their cause, by an
obvious abandonment of their previously habitual vices.
They feel ashamed when a drunken man appears reeling
in the streets, and I have seen them rebuke mendicants
whom they have observed in time act of importuning a
~ stranger. Intoxication is now rarely seen in Ireland. I —es The folio
visited three crowded fairs, and did not see a single in- 1 gi;`lenclo!e '—
stance of it; and I did not observe more than six or seven '
drunken people all the time I was in Ireland."
The most serious phase of the state of feeling in Ireland
is the implication of the great body of the priesthood in
time agitation, and their contemplation of violence as the
means of working it out to a triumphant issue. The
priests of the old school, most of them of foreign educa-
tion, held themselves for a time aloof; but they were given
to understand that a loss of temporal comforts and spiri-
tual power would be the result of a perseverance in their
isolation ; and they ultimately submitted. The eleves of
Maynooth, however, most of them the sons of small far-
mers, and allied in feeling with the mass of the peasantry,
have entered into the agitation without hesitation, and
with determined resolution to rush to their purposes,
through all the risks and bloodsheds of a rebellion. The
____ .eeeter s shop
feelings of this class are correctly represented by the fol- I go down into the e-I,
lowing extract from the speech of the Rev. Mr. Cantwell, I ....- -
parish priest of Tromore, at the late monster meeting at
Lismore. " lie could support O'Connell with his voice;
but he would support him with more. Look at that sun"
(said the rev. gentleman stretching forth his right arm).
After the magnificent scene I have this day witnessed,
I'll die a death, or see Ireland free." (Tremendous
cheering and waving of hats.) This disposition of the
priesthood has given the repeal movement all the weight
of a religious cause in the eyes of a superstitious people;
and furnishes a clue to the causes of that excitement,
which Englishmen and the world have always set down
as resulting from a disposition to be gulled by mingled
folly and knavery. By this interference and agency, the
organization of the people has been rendered complete. antmcnene.,.._
Alter service every Sunday the priest puts off his sacred favourable a state of mat
character and assumes that of the demagogue. The though at that period it was perhaps
women and children are sent out of chapel, and the men temporary excitement ; whereas --
are lectured on political subjects for hours together, strictly natural and
The objects of all parties are thus described by the good he,:
writer of these letters :
" The primary object of the priest is, no doubt, to get
the temporalities of the Established Church; but they
have also a further object, which lies much nearer their
heart, which is to make Ireland a Catholic countr
Everybody in the south of Ireland, both Protestant P y Catholic, admits that if
an insurrection were to sue
the Protestants must either conform, or quit ti-
O'Connell dope he, ..,...._ - .

A. LETTER OF MEDIATION,

at some misapprehension of

ONE OF YOUR COMMITTEE

of the movement in the k

done by the leaders in the ino-‘ement of 17`98; but tilt
moment the rebellion broke out, it assumed the character