The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-05-26

IRELAND's DEFIANcE.-The Nation of the 22d
April, quoting Lord John Russell's threat in the
House of Commons, to take measures of force, if
necessary, and as long he had breath or life in
his body, to oppose the repeal of the union, thus
takes up the gauntlet and hurts defiance at the
Prime Minister:
We speak not of the style of the declaration, of
which we glad, because it makes plain the cdsuS
belH between the Kingdoms, sets aside the golden
link, and tears into shreds the parchment of the
Union.
England is no more the sister kingdom but
the mistress kingdom there is no united king
DOM any longer, but conquered and a conquer
ing country. Englands ultimatum to Ireland is
submission to her foreign will or civil war
The claim to rule this island as a conquered land
has been through five centuries denied and resisted
to the death. 1t was resisted by those whose
are now sacred in our chronicles, and who have
won glory LII proportion TO their anagonlsm to this
usurpation Tradition knows the passes i'll which
the herald and the chief who maintained the affirm
alive In that argument, were slain an Offering to
appease the angry genius of the isle. The map of
our history is dark with mastering squadrons, and
trodden with the footsteps OF marching Clans reused
by such lnsolent assumptions as this OF Russells.
When this people were less than two millions they
had lives enough to spare for seven years war
with Cromwell, and a two years contest with MARI
borough and William of Orange. This claim was
resisted when the Court of Castle Chamber sat in
all the plentitude of confscating majesty in Dublin
when every dungeon of the pale held the body of
an Irish LEADER and many gated town was
corniced with colun'd Irish heads. Thus,
with their lives did our fathers meet threats like
this in the old times. We are their children; their
spirit has lived even in the Hand of death; 1t, at
least escaped the pestilence. Animated by that
spirit, warned by its experience, and stimulated by
lis heroic instances, we swear before God, before
the whole Irish race and the congregation of the
free States of Europe, never to rest or relax IN our
labors until these conquerors OF ours shall sue tor
peace and forgiveness, like sinners before shrine,
at the feet OF emancpated Ireland. This is not
threat for threat; this loud trumpeting does not
mis- become deep resolution. Good men in the III
bune have been good men in the field, as Salamis,
Pharsalia and Vamy prove In the Tribune ban
ners are blest, laurels adjudged the living, and
honors decreed the dead. Men fight best under the
Tribune, and shall show them that the hand
which imprecates can strike. We will prove that
we can use other weapons than words. This time
there shall be recreant retreatng from the battle.
Neither the hopelessness of peace, nor the necessity
of choosing our course be any longer doubtful.
The time of the sword has come =; the cant of the
constitution is obsolete Ogham stones. tits come;
and we will show that the religious spirit of this peo-
pie like the cloak of the Crusaders, carries beneath
its cross soldiers heart and warlike equpage We
love not the prospect of civil war; but our dread
of it is dead--it died in the Famine 1t is time for
Ireland to strike she has negotiated in vain for half
a century. In her name we choose-and we be-
seech Heaven to sustain and bless our chOIce-clvH
war, rather than submission to English tyranny
We choose this course with deliberations and after
full reflection on all the duties which attach to us,
in our generation, and we call the people to pre-
pare for the battle. England has thrown down her
gage. Thus Ireland takes it up