The Statesman.
London, England, 1824-02-09 00:00:00

CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION.

(PROM TOR DUBLIN MORNING POST OP THURSDAY.)
Yesterday, ao extraordinary General Meeting of the
Catholic Association was held at their Rooms, Capel-
street, pursuant to requisition for that purpose.
At half-put three o'clock Mr. Coppinger was called to
the Chair.

Mr. O'CorrnaLL then rose to report progress from the
Committee appointed to consider of the best mode of in-
creasing their funds, and of extending the number of Mem-
bers of the Association. They had two objects in view; the
first was to consider the best mode of increasing' the funds
of the Association ; and the second, to devise the best
method of increasing the Members. They had first to con-
sider the legality of the measure ; of that there could be no
doubt ; they were resolved to proceed only on principle ;
they were determined not to violate any law. The Orange
Press had thrown oat threats that legal proceedings wool&

be taken against them ; but if any Press, inimical to them
or otherwise, had told them what law it was they had dis-
obeyed, they would be happy to alter their course. The
Act which seemed most to apply to them was the 60th of
Geo. 3. chap. 7. It was one of those called the Six Acts of
the late King, which were said to trench strongly upon the
liberty of the subject. Four of those Acts were permanent,
the other two were temporary. One of those was to ex-
pire on the 24th of December,lB24, but was worded in such
a manner that it might be continued for another year, at
the pleasure of the Minister, for according to this curious
mode of legislation, if the Session of Parliament was then
aittiog, it was to be in force for another year. The 16th
sectiou of this Act specifically stated, that it did not apply
to Meetings held in a private room. Another statute, the
4th of the King, which was intended to meet the Orange
Societies, did nothing in fact but put down Freemasonry.
He (Mr. O'Connell) had documents on that subject
which he should submit to the Aggregate Meeting.—
Orangeism, however, triumphed, and they saw at
the head of the Orangemen, Master Ellis, Alderman
Darnley and Sir Harcourt Lees. The Catholic
Association proposed no test ! the names of the memhers
were posted in the rooms ; that Association was perfectly
secure, and might set its enemies at defiance. As they had
' • objects io vine, namely to extend the number of the
Association, and to increase its funds, he should move that
a separate committee should be appointed for each ; and
first he would address the Meeting as to the funds. He
wished on this subject to be distinctly understood ; he sup-
posed that he should get abuse for it, but be hoped that he
should ever meet the abuse of every Orangeman and
every bigot in I reland. He conceived that the plan he
should propose would afford the means of insuring Catholic
Emancipation. The idea was not his own ; he had borrow-
ed it from a printed letter which he found published in the
Life of the Rev. Arthur O'Leary, and which was addressed
in the year 1784, by Lord Kenmore, to the Hey. Doctor
Moylan. There were 2501 parishes in Ireland, and if but
one penny a month per parish was raised, there would be
no danger of their not succeeding. If that plan was
carried into effect, Catholic Emancipation would speedily
follow. Thr plan he should propose would be more corn-
preltensive—it might startle them at the first view, but he
could plainly demonstrate that 122,9371.105. could be easily
raised in this manner. It would be their own fault if they
bad not 50,0001 a year. The population of the country
exceeded eight millions ; of these he wool', conceive seven
million as Catholics. In the year 1735, by a census then
taken, the entire population appeared to be 2.010,217, and
the ratio appeared to be not two Catholics to one protestant
In ISM the Catholics of Dublin, according to Mr. White-
law's statement, appeared to be six to one Protestant.
Thus there was upwards of six, probably seven
millions of Catholics in the Country. The sum
proposed to be raised was 50,0001., and if Catholics
were to pay but one penny a month, which was oWy
a shilling a year, they had the money at once. Abcut the
dear ISI2. he (Mr. O'Connell) proposed a tetspenny sub-
scription, and in three parishes alone he collected 791. which
he handed to the Catholic Board: It was necessary to state
to what objects the money he proposed to raise thus should be
applied. Ile had live distinct objects in view—the first of these
objects was the conveying to Parliament the Petitions of
every County in Ireland, not only on the subject of Catholic
Einancipatioi, but as that of every grievance which pressed
on the Country ; -also for the purpose of retaining a Parlia-
mentary Agent in London, at a salary of 4 or 5001. a year, to
do the Parliamentary business. For this duty he should take
leave to mention Mr. James Roche. He did not know a gen-
tleman more qualified in every respect to fill the situation.--
The foreign dependencies of Great Britain had their Par-
liamentary Agents in London, and why should not Ireland?—
There would be various expences attending those Petitions ;
and, the bringing to town evidence for those objects, he would
set apart 5,0tX11. a year. The second object that he would
have in view would be, to enable the liberal Press both of
London and Dublin to contend with the Orange Press, which
is paid to revile them.--The Patriot and the Correspondent
were, however, honest; they abused every body that
spoke against the Government, and supported every Go-
vernment and every Ministry; they were paid for doing
so; they got their pudding and they carved it. But among
those public prostitutes there was what might he called
the volunteer part of the Orange press ; there was the An-
tidote, and the Warder, and the Mail—the Mail, that was
too fashionable to he thought to belong to i's own reli-
gion; there was also to be another paper, which hail put
forth a comical piece of impertinence by way of prospectus,
and which he supposed he might class amongst them ;
publications that never yet breathed a word in favour of
liberty, and that were strangers alike to kindness, liberality,
and generosity. Their object was to engender and foment
a rancorous disposition ; their food was poison, and they
fattened on that which a sound constitution would loathe.
It was singular that those publications were exclusively
conducted by renegades. Ile would nut, however, confine
his view to the Press of Dublin; it was known that the
various London l'apers were mostly held on shares, and it
was a strange fact, that when Ricardo was upholding the
Opposition against the Ministry, he was one of the
twenty-four proprietors of the Courier. Even the rinses
had occasionally dealt out abuse for the purpose of
making something additional, as a contemptible Paper
in this Ci'y endeavoured to get a few five-pennies by fa-
bricating and publishing a letter with O'Connell's)
name signed to it. They were welcome to dine upon his
character. The late Mr. Perry of the Morning Chronicle,
was an intelligent and a respectable man; Mr. Clements,
the present proprietor, had brought a sour sectarian from
Scotland, whose creed was a mixture of Deism and Calvin.
ism. He did not believe in the providence of UOD, but he
believed in Fatalism. He (%lr. O'Connel) was, however,
strongly of opinion that a few pounds sterling would have
a great effect on the sour sectarian. For the support of the
liberal Press he would set apart 15,0001. a-year, which,
with the 5,0001. a-year for the expenses attending the Pe-
titian'', Law Agent, Ike., would be disposing of 20,000/.
a-year. The Orange Press had triumphed over the Mar-
quess Wellesley; the Orange Faction had dragged his Ex-
cellency through the mire of the Beefsteak Club. His
Excellency bad not even stipulated that the obnoxious
toast should not be given, and his back was scarcely
turned when it again retehoed from the walls.—
The Marquess bad acquired a high character in India,
and like many who had amassed wealth in that
clime, he feared that he had returned to Ireland but to ex-
pend it in his native country. Throughout the country,
the people stood in need of legal protection. This idea
might be sneered as coming from him, but it was really
frightful to think of the oppressions which it was in the
power of a Magistracy, tinged with Orange principles, to
inflict upon the people. With a view to meet th e, he
would apportion fifteen thousand pounds a year towards
procuring legal protection for the Catholics against ()ranee
oppression. He had now disposed of thirty-five thousand
pounds a-year. Next he would look to the education of
the poor. It bad been said by the Orange Press, and by
the Saints of the Association in Kildare-street, that the
Roman Catholic Clergymen were inimical to the education
of the poor. Nothing could be more false. The Lypo-
critical Saints had, however, become agitators, It sr
peared, and had taken on themselves to arraign Neu' in
Parliament: Let any one compare the crowd of busy bright
!scumming- out of a Catholic School, with the silent few
coining from one of the Society's Schools, vista the

Mr. O'Connell then moved that a Committee of seven
should be appointed, to devise the best plan for raising a gene-
ral subscription.
Mr. Sheil seconded this resolution.—lt passed unani-
mously.
The following Gentlemen were then named on the Com-
mittee :
hlessrs.O'Connell, Shell, Mullen, Clinch, Fitzimou, Nicho-
las Mahon end Cornelius lls^.l.oglila.i.
Mr. O'Connell then moved that a Committee should heap-
pointed, for the purpose of con,idering of the best mode of
increasing the Members of the Association.
In putting the question on this Resolution, the Chairman
took occasion to state his regret at being so long absent from
the Catholic Association. • It was caused by his unavoidable
absence from town. _ _ _ _

Mr. Coppioger spoke for cone time with much eloquence
and feeling ; we regret that our limits preclude us from
reporting his speech in fall.
The question was then put on the Resolution, schich was
carried nnenimously.
The following Gentler,' 'n were then named as a Com-
mittee to carry it into effect:
Messrs O'Connell, Shei I, Ronayne, Sugrue, Dillon, and
31'Donnell.
Mr. O'Connell then moved that the two Committees
should act together, and form one Committoe, to make the
necessary arr.ingemen'ot for the aggregate Meeting.
Mr. Mullen seconded this resolution; it passed unani-
mously.
Mr. Clinch was then called to the Chair, when the thanks
of the Meeting were voted to Mr. Coppinger for his proper
conduct in the Chair.
The Meeting 'ben adjourned.

BURGLARY AND ITS FATAL CONSEQUENCE IN

HOUNDSDITCII.

(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
On Saturday morning., betweln four and five o'clock,
the house of Air. Abraham, a respec•able. chandler and
oilman, No. 25, lionntlsditel, was entered by three men.
through an alley at the rear of the house, who proceeded
to the third floor, where the servant girl slept, and rapping
at her door they peremptorily desired her to open it, and
to remain quiet, or they wo-tld blow out her brains. The
unfortunate girl just awoke from ber sleep, and under the
impression of such threats, ran to the ivindo.v, and lifted
it, when, melancholy to relate, she precipitated lors•If
into the street, by which fall her b►a►ns were literally
dashed out. The watchmen in the front of the street
kept throwing missiles at the windows to alarm Mr. Ahra-
ham, and the noise in the street, it is thought, intimidatiti
the burglars, and they commenced a quick retreat down
stairs; on their descent, a young man about 17 years of
age. the abopman of Mr. Abraham, discharged a pistol at
them. the ball of which poised through the hat of one of
the burglars, knocked it off, and it was left behind.

ALARMING ACCIDENT.—On Monday afternoon, as Mr.
C. Gatehouse was returning from Arundel, with a spirited
horse, in a gig, just has he entered the St. Pancras, Chi-
cheater, the' animal took fright and becarn. gotta unman-
ageable; and the wheel of the chaise coining in contact
with a carriage opposite Messrs. Hiant and Cuttens, Mr.
G. was thrown ont, and the gig broken. 'The horse set off
with the shafts at full speed, when, from s ime persons at.
tempting to stop him, he turned into Mr. Biffen's timber
yard, and actually went into a saw pit, which one cf the
workmen was at that inament in the act of quitting to as-
certain what the noise was about in the yard ; toe poor
fellow received a violent blow from the shafts, but pro-
videntially a black eye was the only bad conseq.ienee. We
regret to add that Mr. G. lies in a very dangerous state.
Mrs. 0. with her little girl, about five years of age, mom-
palsied her husband to Arundel, but providentially they
returned by coach, not liking the temper of the lit tee.
On Friday afternoOn, a man of the name of 'Slater, re-
siding in Mount East Stieet, and who had sees better days,
y
seder the pressure of misfortunes cut his throat' by the side
of the bed where his wife la exceedieglyill ! She saw
the dreadful ' deed, but was incapable of affaedialf any
.
assistance. He was taken to the workhouse, and thence
to the lunatic asylum,
white be is expected to resaver.
Misfortunes have thickened on this ilt,fated fatally; last
Wadi gated/ the daughiere was buried, after ihitaning a
kW.,
Illation, and! the'sittatioi ef• the sotriverrat home,
tr RiefeWY '
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