The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-11-06
Snitb o,Erien.

The barbarous sentence passed upon the Irish
Patriot will remain enduring memento ofthe semi
savage character of British law in the nineteenth
century. The changing, beheading and quarter
ing, and the placing the final disposition ofthe man
ged corpse at the gracious dipsosition of Lady
the Queen, has not only asfonished the civilized
world at the present day. but it viii be referred to
in centuries to come, as an evidence that however
much this age may have been advanced in sclentl-
fc knowledge, and however great its command
over the elements of nature, there was but little
difference in the moral and religious character Of
English Christians and African Pagans, so far as
that character can be ascerained from the penal
codes of the respective races. The African despot
it is true, will make meal of his enemy, and tine
English Government only orders its rebels to be
quartered preparatory serving up, or such other
use as her gracious Majesty may please to make of
the disjointed members. The question naturally
arises-will the Government carry this savage
sentence into effect Will it so far outrage hui
manity as to mange the sens eess body of the dead,
and goat over the horrd spectacle with feelings of
merciIess revenge! Will she add to the deep
hatred of the Irish people by this act Of unmihgaed
vengeance on the descendant Of Ireland's greatest
hero and most powerful monarch? We do not be-
leve it. Having shown how far they dare go, we
believe that Ministers will go no farther-that hav-
ing done all that was necessary TO overawe by
display Of power, that they will now seek to conci-
late by show of mercy They are the victors in
the brief and unequal struggle, they will hardly
risk all the advantages of their triumph by a deed
ofuseless and terrible cruelty. The men who pirate
of the horrors of the reign of terror, will scarce
y have the efrontery TO behead, quarter, and hold
at the Queens gracious disposal the body of Smith
O'Brien. They will do much in spite of their fine
talk but they will not have the hardihood to give
their professions so papable contradiction.
The indications are that if O'Brien be not fully
pardoned-whch would be the most humane, equi-
table and wise course for the Government to pur-
sue-his sentence win at least be COMMITTED The
Lord-Leutenant, when waited on by committee,
to ascertain whether the warrant for O'Brien's ex-
ecution had been issued and whether he would
receive an application for pardon, assured the
gentlemen that no warrant had been made out,
that he would be happy to receive their petition,
that they might take their time to get signatures to
it, and that when they had obtained as many as
they deemed necessary to let him know, and he
would appoint time publicly to receive them.
All this was certainly improper, had there not been
determination to grant the prayer of the petition.
The whole course OF conduct Is calculated TO hold
out the strongest hopes of mercy, and to refuse it
afterwards would be a refinement of cruelty sur
passing even the barbarism of the sentence.
Whatever we may think of the character and
policy of the British Ministry, they are wise in
their generation. The death of O'Brien can, under
no circumstances, do them any good-the Irish
people are, for the moment, utterly PROSTATE and
incapable of making movement in his defence
the necessity of showing that they dare carry out
the law in defiance of threatened instruction,
which existed in Mitchel's does not, therefore,
exist here-but they have, on the contrary, fair
opportunity of allaying Of the bitter feelings
of the Irish masses, and gain some credit with the
world for moderation and mercy, and they will be
apt to avail themselves of the advantage. O'Brien
will not be hung, beheaded or quartered-we
predict.