The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-11-07 00:00:00

4.

(FROM THE DUBLIN EVENING

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C.4TrIOLIG MEETING.

The 3,lj.ittrned General Meeting of the Catholics
Of Ire, lull, pursuant to appointment in July last,
Wes held at the lt..pository, in Stephen's-Gritty,
Dubliti, on Friday I ist, the ‘2:l of November..
An itosious and numerous assentblag! of m(0
respectahh! Cath,:lics attended for some time, in cx.
tectition of Lord FINGAL'S apps -trance ; but at.
Icng h, Counsellor O'CoNNELf. Wei the Chair at°
two u'clOcli, and many country gentlemen entered.
Counselldr O'GOR.NIAN opened the business.
Ile stafeih that the (mini and hotiourable lehours
f the Committee had not been crowned with that
itiec.ess which their zeal had merited ; that a differ.
once of °Onion had existed at the last General
litsetilg, fatal to the vital interests of the Catholics
of Ireland. lie thcii expatiated on the advantages of
unanimity, and argued at considerable length, that
every discussiou advanced the cause of his coml.
.try. Ile was decidedly fcr a continued system of
incessant pelitionin„:, and to illustrate his opinion
be took a review of the progress of the Catholic
' Cause thit by such as; stem alone, the public
mind of England could be rescued from the Btu.
pid barhariim into which it had sunk ; and he would
ask how could tic object be effected, unless idol._
niatien were conveyed to ti,e illiberal bigots by the
irresistible Gars: of reiterated 'discussion*. That
discussion entivince the public of the
motives of the despei tie and infatuated .piety which
resisted the justice of cause, and was averse
to accede w the unanimous claims of four millions
of his cutout ryiwm. That as far as he had art op.
portuaity of ex itnining the sentimenis of the peo,
plc to*ards their Government, he found them dna..
nimous in the opinion of. the necessity of a coutis
13 tic d utivaried system of petitioning ; that he
could state Oat came within the scope of his
own observation, in the seventh county, ib pOint
of rank, in Ir. I inol. In that county, containiitg'
upwards of 3 b,OOO what iS ma.
terial to remark; containing more of the ancient
blood than could-be found in any other county ;in
that county, at a gencrilmieeting, it had been una,
vimously r...solved to.petition, and to persevere in a
continued, unvaried sySte:n of petitiottide, till the
attainwei. it of their rights—and so fardid -thdy pnr.
sue the principle, that a Committee of %t Gentle-
Cymru was appointed to co-operate with R,i.pre-
teotatives from different other parts of Ireland, in
the great cause of their cuuntry. In the se.
einyil county inlrellnd a similar decision his Viten
place ; hot not much effect could be produced
la?" applications from , detached Witte of the
Catholics, as the completion of their withes must
result from the co.operatitig efficacy o't the
*hole. "To me, it is a debasing and degrading
flection.to say, that a Catholic shotild not havO the
freedom, the port; anti the dignity of a Piotesfant:
I feel ire • w when I see this aseersian flung.in the
face of a Catholic; as if .he were punk in such base
apathy amid slavish .torpor as- not to feel an inclina-
tion to help himself, at the moment he belief& the
Protestant coming torward on his behalf. Is it not
a foul shame that we should remain in sullen indif-
ference, and neglect our rights ? I cannot atoid
noticing a topic, which, although not immedi-
ately hearing on, the question, carries moth in.
tenet with it, and which occurred on a recent
occasion. I allude, Sir, to a leading, and, I
viay say, an ill strious part, which you took
at the late Aggregate Meeting. As •an WM.
dual, I declare that I am ready to. made
sacri-
6ce of my property—l am ready to sacrifice My,
fiery existence for the good.of my country. The
repeal of the Union I am well cetiviticed would he
attended with iiitstimable advantages bush to Ca.
tholic and Protestant ; but I would never consent to
obtain so desirable an object on, the condition of
replacing the Catholic in that *tepid, barbarous sla-
very out of which he has emerged, and I may safely
lay that the. enlightened Protestant would not ac-
cede to the condition. Such an arrangerne.nt would
be unnecessary, because Catholic Einancipa troll and
Repeal of the Union go hand in hand, and the attain.
petit of the one object tends essentially to the comple.
tionuf the other, as there is no step taken,fur the &-
peal of the Union which does not tend to Catholic
Emancipation. I have noticed these circumstances,
because in that part of the country with which I
am particularly acquainted an alarm had gone forth'
as if the qiiestion of Catholic Emancipation • had
been abandoned, from what had happened at the
Aggregate Meeting. If argument were necessary,
.1 would refer to those enlightened men, who form
no inconsiderable (*inky of the Protestants of Ire-
land—they. have declared "hat Catholic Emanci.
Fallon, which ' puts the Catholic •on the same
footing as the Protestant, is the best means to
ensure the Safety of the British empire—that by
so doing, the 'strength of the Teeple could be
m. re effectually called forth in defence of the Crown
than by setting up barriers to separate them under
the name of religion. There is no difference in opi.
nion among the Catholics of Ireland—the sentiments
of your brethren throughout Ireland are manifest
in favour of petitioning. I have already adverted
to the steps taken by the seventh county in Ireland,
end also by the second, and then fume let there be
an end of the idle jargon
.about dignity—and if we
truly desire to obtain the important object, let us
buanintously put forward our rights and our
claims. I therefore move, Sir, theluflowing resole.
tion

Rest,lvetl, That the General Coennittee be requested to pre-
pare Petitions to Parliament, oo our behalf, for the purpose
of being presented earlyin the nest Settsions, and that tbey be
continued in the management of Catholic affairs."
Thu motion was seconded by Dr. DP.OIIIaOOLL .
, Mr. LEES opposed the motion, principally on
tho pound that it would be an insult to the dignity
of the Catholics to present 'Petition. tooted
the question of attjouroment. .
'lie was seconded by. Mr. Coati°AN, wherin an
b,:nest, uttv.anktied, and animated tone, declared,
Watt no cirruovance had tiCcu reed' since the last
Ciederal Mceting, %skid; could show that it was au*
wore egivt!tent to apply to Parlian.ent than at that
Vitriol's. 0 Tue:S natal 'Committee has already de
(41;4 that 4s 111,4's:dint—At fiats 'are the taint