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The Repeal Agitation.—Yesterday (Sunday) the following notice was extensively posted at tbe Horse-Guards and around the metropolis, and shows
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that the most decided step 3 are about being tasea by tbe Ministry to put down tha agitation for a Repeal of the Union in England as well as in Ireland : — " Notice to the Oat-pensionera of the Royal Hospital of -Chelsea . —The Lords and other Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital having had their attention called to the conduct of certain put-pensioners who have attended meetings held for the purposeiof effecting a repeal of the legislative union with Ireland by intimidation and a display of large nnmbera collected together , feel it to be their duty to caution all pen-Bioflers against attending or countenancing suca meetings . Any pensioners who may attend suca meetings after this notice will be liable to the loa of their pensions . By order of the Lords ana otter Commissioners , - - ¦ "RiCHAttb Neiye , Secretary and Registrar . « Royal Hoapital , Chelsea , Ocfc 10 . " ^ , [ The same notice has been p lacarded vxm Leeds . ] . The Late Fatal Ddbl . —The Commander-ia Chief has directed Lieutenant Munro ' s inM ^ w return to hia regiment . It ia generally supposed w » Lieutenant Munro will not surrender ^ all to »* his trial for the murder of Qoldnd ¦ Fawcettt w that his seeoud , Lieut . Grant , will gjye himself " ^ at the next sessions of the Criminal Court . —*"" pool Times , . v . Francb . —Marshal Soult is about to q «« Ministry .
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THE 1 HISH UdOYEMENI .-t Continued from our First page . ) : \ " 0-jt L * " « ral contemporaries will dc-ub' -let 3 sneer and 7 iUtc-u !* all this prtpsrataon for war . and . ask is it j nt * -aot £ to propose any alternative ? We answer boi ^ 5—T = 3 . Tlie Freeman ' s Jozmil aff , ta to 3 su = b at l-gil proceedings , as thoneh ihe lsw bad not been ! outraged * .= * its provisions -violated . Bat for the T > ro- . Beca-dons , ' it ojs in its publication of this nsoruing , \ * ttr liP ' Jh the zood folk of the Castle will keep letting ; ibem alone . * We ess assure oar cotsmp' . rarjv in solemn ' that Its
Beri- ^ Er ^ is is , and tbsi ho niJl £ nd himself : to te rairhisen . Peace has its duties * a »> vll as -bst ; an-: i t « art -well assured that both -will be attended to . Tih ? srm of the law is long as -pell as powerful , and i it -feill reach those -who little dream of the conse- j quiets to -which they have reade ^ -ed themselves liaFre . 1 : is rot only the promintnt Iraders in the Ttbriiica that will be made to feel ia " gripe—the secrr-t abetiurs of the treason are known , ang but ¦ w e sre , perhaps , going too iar—a fe ^? dave wiil de-Tel r ^ alL
- 'tee TTord to Mr . OConEelL At the meeting at ^ ~ i % dt ^ e ^ * h& G jvercsient to so to Izyr . They ace ? j : r i iis cartel , and he sunk craven before tfceir protla-vlea . "At Iji-7 > cre hs rear wed his deSsnce , an-1 threatened the country -with an outbreak in the event of his being est intr cijson . " Ti-as . uses , he has deEed them to Lnr , ard tin ivseT thirai -with conEiqn ^ ncea How he has met its- : >* : fc >? p is ob record . There is no-it-sb : he-arill be sH ^ Z-r ? . the opjicrtrisity of the £ * cr = nd ; sr-r } may jet bo placed in the pesiuaa of becoming— a martyr . ' . ' . '" 3 c ration to the " offer" of the 20 . -0 ; 0 "Hsno-Ten = ji : rv .. ps , ' thas pcEJpcnsly Eet ionh by the Mail the Jiuhiiu Monitor has ihe following : —
" i Vc h-. ve at present about 21 , 000 regular troops i » Ire . , 5 , Trith a ^ e 33-drlll ed and aj ^ ioi . aed Constabt : ' - ! ¦¦ . •^ e-uf 9 . 00-j liTjcUte men , nnkirg a total of « £ 3-3 - * 'J . Tl- rc'i R-r . ii-nt , from PortKnonth . arrived ia this c ; : v on Fii-Jay ni ght . Four battalions of the Cr ir "~* a-i - _ l so , it is said , in readiness for service in irt-i-.-ii i -tv ? ., cot iiiisfied "withiirs laiye foree already in Jic c-. s ^ tTj . £ s . . Bntb the sTsilsble Urze that Ls iu B ^ hnu , the PrtJ GjTernniest . sccomics ti . tbe Hail , har- jtSVc- 1 ac arr ; a >; --nJaD £ TrJth lha : ¦ bea « tiy , bigoted , HrnareL ' 7 h « Kaig of Hanover , by - *>\> ch the acrr ce 3 ef S = > j-in * HiaoT £ rian troops are to b = placed at thair dlsvv"s = £ . - carries in Ireland ; acd , ndda tbe Mail , ' th .- ^ s tr . - : - ard r * acy for tmbarkBl . oa zr . a lew buara * BOTicr . > . 1 in feu .- dsys , -with the aid of nrst-ciass Bf ej-je- > . : b ^ y cunid be landed on onr tbores , and at ¦ wi ^'^ - sir - iint tbtir &cr ? ices might be deemed
neces-*• >" .-. «» l-a-J es ire think of the Gavemment , ttb 5 onot bel ^ v ^ c ? t eyen if such a proposal -w ? 3 made fey tha tro ^ -2 : i Muttjidi of HanoTer , it woald be scscj-ted by >• « = i < -ra . Xd aenbt the E -iig < if HAnover w » uld . delJrh : v > st ? n ciTil vrar is ? i 2 g in Ireland—tha : he B ^' . ' ¦ ¦ ¦ -.. * ui-. iL-8 d—that he sight make aierch&udi&e of Ir- ti-.-., as mnny a paltry GermaB Prince dia darins ¦ * ¦ ..- - . rar . * " ' -- "• U : - c " = ^ 3 be no crril w ai in Ireland . No donbfc thtr ^ ^^ c .-ii » a -wild enthnaiasta "who taii of piits and pit : > a , ^ l i faucy they conld conquer with an nn-STVirzi , ji . . ^ cijjlised peasantiy , against ¦ areiJ-arnitd » eu ai ? - it iii * ci ^ : hicd soldiees . 2 s " o doubt , "We say , » 0 Kr -..-, :. r ji-mig blood of Ireland wra ! - * b * : ready to perij -, ^ -t- y sad life in fixating not L-t R jtea . alone , bo . f-.-r = v-ii ^ tic-a . However , like W . irsaw ' a last hr ^ -rr-iu - _ . > uch ch-ict : spirits £ ts ' ig w iho&ili ncrtis-X 22 ? --ii . ' '¦ . f-3 peoi-Ie at large may sympathise -srith Qivi ; V , - : vucp 6 A » an ; ry of irelaadEre cu « - ;^ o icviubtfal aiii - ; ir to bs Tfitrab ailed fur dcsimoiion at their
eOJ 5 * . - -:.-i . * ' - rt t . ' no apprehensions ¦ wh £ t * rTer .. f a . jy ir ^ urrectio :- . m > ~ - iEtSi The country -wa 3 ji-v = r in a less 9 ZT-Ji' i . —i :-ur than a ; present It aaj ser ? e L . >• jnrp » " i- = ^ n So represent U 3 ' en CeTer ^ e of s r ^ rhellion ' _ .-. ii may psn-fer to the base passions uf the Ora : ^ - ' : - , for'S e ifaiZ to held out a beps of ihe Tti .-aij-1 . - 7 -p . « p 3 bsias called into acticn to fraierr . ise 'Wi ^ ti e JlanoveriaDS ; but ire do no * , s * -. -srL-it food pnrpi-st > ^ cslenliied to aerre , or in -vr ; - . 3 t maiinu ? it ia lite ?? o aa- ? isc * - tbs real interests < f : ur country , ia fi * ?' - ^^ t sTectfn ] crisis , to indulgu jt . * T ^ -h false reprt ^ ^ uidi--: s . ana fcoH out to a bigoted nn ; saTace facte ) ire l-ieiihood of their being p-n ; .= r «; tc slakt fiit ; - > ; r-. :-j ? rapine and alanghter ia a- j iacdun "sith » 3 L- 3-svv : i » nfesnlitS . " ffrt 7-JBrs of Mondsj tbos dlscoar ^ e : L : —
" .- ^ ujiiVi . TS sB fc'lo ^ wed np their pr--clainsi " : -n by iKa . i ^ fi ~ rrjats against 0 "Connfcli sna r ght uihti = eadin > . it = pe £ j = ri , on the charge ef ' G-B ;^ lr ^ cy and t > tht-r mi-i ^ ai ^ EGC ' -urs . ' On Saturday Issi rhe deiiJliSantB jpaTe iali to as ? - ~ . j this charge on tbs nrst day of ihd apprvr ^ sLing term . li Te -B-iU not st ^ p here to anticipate the ptrpitx-f : es Cadil 2 >» t 5 aic 2 i this course of procee- ^ ir 2 maj uustoM . atlT aT ,- . Tteaccused-will ergoy a-itbj . beuirfit ^ uf a 6 Ci « - < : c ; k-5 d trial , and the issue oi t : ^ i : iri . l ts at the presfc . i TTvrStJft a coabttnl , but also s a-. ^ -niiiiry , or lit . _ ; i -litnial , conafieration . ** -T -= ilr-ef point ^ ehich a&rscts t-a ^ iJ- = iT ? jU n is tit- ? i- ^^ oa ci ihe G-oTt * rxotnt to ^ * t it the ,-v r : ^ afiit- iir ~ ll- If visa ordinary pavers 1 f His iaw , tmto
jjf- - ---i PC ^ ist i liaden of the .- ? d- ; -B t ..-a piriy . slii i-i wt ~ e ini . ufficJsrn'S to appease tlr-. . .- -s-. l » ci-nt-« b ^ rrti'i-ia by wbica . Irfclacd fc . -. a 5 , . n x ^> iona ba » ' - - ? * . ' -, "h-n ¦ a-e haTe n » denbt hat ii-. it iiinisiera ¦ w iii ¦ - r r" -pared to exercise extr : >* r-imirj vie-. > ur , eii > . n »•" . t orsm responsibjlity , or hy ih- Dcnuusioa rf Psi -uitrt . ' At i-i-j ^ nt snti confiderations c-r \ I not' irx .-le-Tnn 5 , -t = u ^ i premature . The Cab : n- r s . in our esnaisticn , to Ee applaaded for the inttTir- n ^ aich it has eniiCcu Vj F ^ Te tha ilonarchy fr&sc ire t w fev ^ r of BBi 3 sL = ted teditjon , and to be congr 2 t-. ii 3 ttti on tbe iinmeu = at = iiri apparent effects of its a- * ir 0 tets lenient treiiicent . Tne Preach paper * indet- ^—a > - si . > nic of our Euc-iis c ^ -nteEiporaiies—hsn ebacilrd : n tLe
assur-» nea thai the proclamation of £ arl D ? O ?^ y will not 3 > u t' ia-ro die Beptal agitation . Unqat » t ,.. naujy it needed no gbost to tell-us that . Howeirr niciTiiy mtn 3 BMJ ihizi of the moral qualities of 21 r . OCv&neil ana his cTqaa , and of the intellect or decerai-uaflon of bis Lca ; b } - _ r followerj , no one , * -e pr . ^ uiae . O 3 Ui 4 « nrpo ? e the Sspe&l AgftaUon t © be af ao -wi ;»] iy fao-Ctis ^ s a character sa to be bloTm i- > p ' - ^ c-s by the mers -vbiS of a proclamation . Ws 6 " . _ cn ! 1 as wisaly fidnk an eneay routed -when tt ^ " had driven in his Tauguard . Tbe history of tb ^ v « ri » aiar : oi 3 af-• foru 3 ts rat . her an earnest of trion i-h than Any filial Tict-ry . It is Taluibia because it *>» ¦>» s . or serins to aho ^ Ti that the GoTemment haTe ¥ , ? ? an-1 -la ennin-» ti < n to grapple with tbe a ^ itati . - . n . ar : J tbst the . 151 tat' -= 3 haT ^ s not life or determination t- rra ^ p lt ; -yith Qit G--ver ^ meni . It turns the tab ea . H ; ihc"to tLe imtrsssioi ! has osen that GoTcmnifent . > :- - ' sot . fi .-rbiJ
that ^ Idch O'Conneil commanded ; tLr . ' ihey mi .-ht ^ epriTe mrtistritea , refuse patroi < ii ; =, ni-orl , rt ^ . mmtad , or Giprecite , but that iht-v aiU t ? -t ozre — that ti- ^ ir isowiedge cf their o-wn w ,- k :. * sa ' -rh-de Iher 2—bol : ; -y to say , This thing « Ub ; - » -i - ¦?• . uefiocticed Eb ^ li not be : -weforbid n . 520 w-i - ?;; i p . e-Tecl It . A Ad , on the other hand , t ; r » ms > . .: 3 J -n hiis bees s-qr ^ sjy strorg feit O'Consell , wf . li Lj -triotiller ? , isi ' l'sid -weuld Uare to go to tb ^ ^ . tut- ^ t amits of Itlut be m-rintainsd to fce the la * -, in - - ^ . iu of the Gor-n-n-r . r ; that if they pressed ; hc r >» tu : t ,- -me he -lM icc-pt it—that he ^ rould , - : a 1- ^ > , « -.. - * . t > i , ; - ; = -t fiieti ' loot to foof ; that lie -wonM 1 c -. « { rbuld-n ihini , sbJ try the coEitquenesas , -s- h-thtr ! . j -a jpj-ral to ti ? c ~ Tts ofla-w , or by a mo : t terriU ^ : p ; s ! to pbjs calfvrre ; that ha "would dafeni L ; .-..: i > inr > of ilr * : s ^ tTjinen srafcst a 3 J 3 nist ^ i ^ : :. -, ' -: pr- tj ' -l-a of la ^ vr , r-T > sy in ' army of frieZ 2-coaia' t ^ £ . \ i ^ i ifa ^ ir . t .-nmett = cf i'lf-ral power .
" Tr'z -- -is the pspttiaiunpressiun r -it . ' ¦ : ? &ts t- ^ the I ^ peal p-: ? : j all that impetus atn 1 ^ . ; : -srfcirh ^ CTtr f-i . d- » T < > . y those Trbo thur . k ti . il i-L-y biTc nobody -o e- - 1 them to account K-p-i rs £ t ; - ' . L-t irouM = > : c- puni ^ ied , aati-B « pea ! - ^ &ih .. t ru . y ^ --a ' -J not t- rr-v .--rted ; asa both looked in U ' C-a ^^ J -. ? 3 Ban -if : i ? Liif sad growing -pover , -zo o ^ -js t ^ i s T he —? t ; - - . ^ -nsuy , the practical s-. r ^ rj-jr J Ir- 'a- i . Thk -in , , - - -- » on -Res strengthened Ly £ Le eLe ^' -i : y hesi : a-ir-4 sr .. . - . qoali £ ed tone in "which th- onij v = r sterii ) - ^? , tit- / l * p ? ry £ . ion of the Rrp-& ; fa . ; u ^; * ^ - . - -=. ¦» s s ufiisc J by some Ministeriai ^ visirra ia f :-Hcni-. ' : " C-jnecs . TheBepesl 3 I , 7 ~ jnctt , * ::-- . - -i
by a sttif ' r : ^ oer , was advancing l-o ' . dly z . ?< l .--1 fily toir ^ i is a «> Egle object . The ^ jp ^ - ' .-rs ^ i thi 3 riti ; h ocrxusioc— ^ ihose connected 1 >> blou-J . L > srnttoerts ry aff ;« tion , by TtI 5 g ; . « n Vuh ' tL « Sas- " i »" -r : their bands enfeebltd a . d tutlr t .: " . risrfatrf . a :.. * therefore paralysed , i-.-z ~ n ' = ? tiiit guidirc ^ i ,- . ! organization Trhich , to ? ^ ti , ii-- -. urnmect al jev could supply . The Tt-.-. k j » nje-l ? h ~ jnovtitznt from fsar—the bold from Lcpe— th- i ,: " - becarise it -st- is lesa trouble to aequU ^ tban to hoM aloo?—tbe seriTe because there at iri-t -n-. v ; * t » rrie-Sfeing svm-g—& 9 4 befFected jrtL ? r ^ 1 ttrfu-itlvt-s in etrerizth under 35 r . O'Conueli ' a :-irt- -- —s ? A xh-n eoBt * i-Tsrf ConserrariTes began to t - : •* h s pc-s ' r ts a fait ceo > xj > li , vh : ch it vns now c ' --- >* i r : t 3--2 » r : ^ j . tioa ? l to nUtnrb trith ? trlat KOii ? i tniMnro
. This , till - ^ - ^ Stk . o . TfilB , ttli IPitt - £ r ~ la ^ t - ^ stfe , has been U » s posIHon of Ireland , sri t . c-z cocM tell ' : hotr Jorr it ^ waa to remain , so . 1 ^ Ibis postius v ! affiira it w $ that , "When Mr . O ' Ccrr . ill had cam- 5 pleted his arrsngtmente , hai issu ? -l L" 5 cr-I ^ rs . hid -oig&rdisd hl « levies , had almost tsrrrf his s * scb - for cue of his BMsbiiert TBTiews , rhta GoTPrMaent i soddscly said , This ahall not be , * & = i Mr . OC -cnell jaflansbrd . " The blow tfcnt siraek ha not , cf csise , aoshai XepraL The idea is frivolous . 7 M ? cot even lepairtd sll the evib irbidt hare zscmad rneceEsarily « r y t ^ -gfe " * ill not ayw stay to ir-quirr' frc-ni lorlg z > : qrt- eeecL . ce . " Bat i * has done tins—it has reversed the '
-poBtereof aEsir »—tthasethlbited tfce Qjverr . istr : * as ! ttea -who have -eoferage and an Inteatic-a—it has ihown * Jhattheytreprepared to B » e for tbs defence of the-ObiiBtitniion the powers ¦ which that Grri- ^ titutJ'Tj p . Tsa them—it has shown that these powers are » S- ;! sai in ttieir hands- Taken In connection -wixh tbe et-nce ^ ira- Son of miiitary force upon Ireland , that pr ^ DarLtioB tot the worst , -which has long been in r-roqress , of irilicti the results -were in & measure " displayed to the Dablin raaleonteats on ibs * Krett day of C 3 entari , -and which furnished a r-iefige iHat ^ rhst Was ssiS -was meant , that GoTEnunett had r-oi isfced iheir command ¦ witiiont having ccur . te-i the zchl and pwridefi for lbs axi ttir ^ eniEg co nKQ ^ ncesj—
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vie-wed , -we say , in this connexion , the late step in advaace leads Ben to h * pe that past inaction ifl no omen of future indecision—that Government have acted on a plan , ana are not merely to support a brutvm fulmen —but that , having accumulated their streng'h &t great expense , and after great delay , they ara now prepared to pu * . it forth firmly and effectually for the restoration of erdsr and security . Bs it so The success of their first enterprise is an eBconregemant , to them to proceed ; an encouragement to us to trust our iDteresis in their hand . It giTEa them a claim on our confidence ; it exposes the hoIlowneEB of that bugbear which they have to Yntqaish . The disconcerted retreat ; the suspicions , the apologies , the crest-fallen blustering of their adversaries all tell one story . Positions are changed . The star of the British empira ia culminating , and Mr . O'Connell totters .
" ThiB person is at this moment playine the losing game ; but yet the game has to be played out . By proceeding against him in the consitutional mode which they have adopted—and which we ackcowledge was tbe only method which a Brifeh Ministry could adopt without incurring much odium , and therefore paralysing tbeii own efforts—by proceeding against him in this way , it miy turn ont that they have restojed the balance of power between themselves and him—between the British Government and an Irish fiction—between the party of the union and that of reparation . It must be their business , then , so to frame their measures that this equilibrium shall only be temporary—that no momentary triumph of the accused—no future cbicinery—no "verbal juggling
—no special pleading—shall be permitted to shield ill-disguised or triumphant conspiracy from the interference of authority . Let ua not , in two or three moEths , see * simultaneous * substituted for 'monster ' meetings , horsemen' for ' cavalry , * ' groups * for 'troops , ' patriotic societies * for' Repeal Associations . ' All theBe things are to be grappled with , not in their various forms , but in their root . It i » not by snch subterfuges that a Government should be foiltd . They must strike , not above , below , beside , or round about , but at the evil—at the person from vrhom , or at the principle from which , it proctedf—or at both . Need we promise them our hearty tuypsrt in any such course which tends to vindicate the efficiency of law , and protect the rights of property and integrity of the empire ?
" To fdter would be infatuation—to falter would be to shew that even u ;; -deniable and complete sacsess cannot tempt them to be really formidable . Their present advantage is hollow , nnless it is the germ of future and important successes . To step short would ba to expose its nothuurness—to dissipate the prestige which now attaches to it—to habituate the Irjsh people to view with csntempt the exertions , as- they have already learnt to despiss the acquiescence , of authority . Ministers have delivered their fire ; let thtm charge while the enemy I * frightened by the unexpected sound . No second volley will ever fri ghten them so much a ^ ain . " The same Jonrn * ] , the Times , of Tuesday , repudiates the " Hanoverian Invasion" in ihe following terms : —
" For our own parts we can only say that we hope , nsy , thst we confidently believe , this report to be utterly unfounded , Nothing at the present moment could be so unnecessary , nothing so unpopular , nothing so 511 calcnlateu to tffect its ostensible purpose , as fee landing of foreign troops in Kingstown . Nothing can ever justify snch a step , except the acknowledged and undoubted deficiency of English troops , as during tha time cf a continental war , or after a vary considerable reduction in the peace establishment Even then , although constitutionally justified by tbe emergency of the occask-n , it ia a measure fraught with danser , and seldom unattended by lasting calamities . It combines the aspect of foreign invasion with the sc ^ eritlts of native despotism . It excites an icsurrtction merely to crush it by unusual and intolerable cruelty . The object of Government is to preserve
irtla ^ d to the empire ; to subdue its ambitious tiFoits at independent nationality ; and , eventually to bind her by the firmer and more indissoluble liubs of aeif-intere * t to the establishment and defence of our common name and nation . This can never I » e done by the sabres of German mercenaries . The Hsneveriass—as the Hessians did—may irritategall—savage the Irish people—but they cannot subdue them . No;—if the worst come to the worst—if—¦ srhioh God in his mercy avert !—the sword be once dxa-wn , and the scabbard flunj away , it is not by foreign arms that Irish daring mu ^ t fee encountered . We have been , as a nation , calumniated and reviled . As a nation , let ua defend our hononT . England has been pronounced incapable of maintaining her sway in Ireland . Were her Government to employ foreign troops in the attempt , what conflimation would it not give to the braggart falsehood . ' **
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shall have & rough wluter aga \ n , though we have had so still a summer . The poopla about us are too husb and too prudent ; It is not their nature ; there's something contriving among them ; they don't break one anotfler ' s heads at fairs as they tueJ to do ; they keep from whiskey ; there must be some strong motive working this change upon them—good or bad , 'tis hard to say which . " God forbid that I should undervalue the existing symptoms of ; an improved morality ; but nobody will deny that it will be an advantage if we can have the morality without the rebellion .
I am also bound to say that , although the people talked to me of blood and murder as familiarly as young ladies talk of puppy-dogs aud kittens , I did not meet with a single instance of incivility . I was told more than once , that if the boys were to rise , my life would not be worth a bad pound note ; and certainly , at two or three places , the people were in such a gloomy frame of mind , that , after one or two trinta , I did not venture to ask them any questions on the subject Tbe only privation I suffered was the absence of the free flow of genuine Irish humour with which travellers ia Ireland in better times
have been delighted . The people were , as a general rule , in too serious a mood to indulge in jokea ; nevertheless , the fun which every Irishman possesses w-uld occasionally ocza out . If you asked them what ) they would do if they did not get Repeal , they general )} looked glum , and talked rebelliously ; but some would say , after a little consideration , " Way , Sir , I suppose we should do without it , " or , "I suppose we should do as we did before . " Not to get Repeal always seemed to be quite a new idea to them ; aud when the impossibility of it was pointed out , it seemed to have the same effect upon their minds as a violent shock might have bean expected to have upon thoir bodies .
Hitherto I have been speaking only of the R-man Catholic peasantry of the south of Ireland . They ate naturally as amiable , good humoured , and contented people ; but they are very ignorant and vury txcitable , and they have been systematically plied with oiireprtscntations to a degree "which was , perhaps , never practised before . I never saw a poor people in such a miserable state of delusion . The Roman Catholics ef the middle class , both in town and country , have also generally given in to tbe movement . The popular torrent was running too strong for them to withstand , and they have , one by one , been carried away by it . Some are influenced by mistaken patriotic motives , but the generality have merely yielded to tbe necessity of their situation .
The casd is very different with some fow of the gentry , both Protestant and Catholic , who have given their sanction to the movement . Their independent fortunes place them in a situation which enables ttuia to speak out when all others are obliged to be silent . Their liberal education , and the general information poE&essod by them , must have convinced them that the Repeal cause could be seriously and effectively prosecuted only by means of a popular insurroctioii , which would bring destruction upon the eoutb of Ireland , and which would not , after all , succeed ; but , although these gentlemen do not hesitate to give their sanction tw the movement , and to hound on the people to their ruin , nothing is further from their intentions than to risk their own neck and fortunes . When the time
arrives for showing colours ( which God forbid , it ever should arrive ) , the poor deluded people will bo a 3 toni 8 bud at the number of ii . flaantial persons upon wkoiu they now count who will pair off with the Government If tbo gentlemen alluaed to wish to preserve a character for common honesty and good faitb , they will aide with the people in the case supposed ; but , as they joined the movement from the suifiah motive of obtaining fur themselves a , temporary popularity , they may be expected to prefer their own safety , and to sicrifica the people when it comes to the point . I do not like the plan of giving unprincipled or foolish ambitious persons the opportunity of reaping the honours without suffering the pains of martyrdom . It is desirable that no martyrs at all should be made ; but , if they must be made , let them at least be real martyrs .
There is another estate in the Repeal ranks , of the existence of which people in England have no notion . These are the young men of Dublin . They profess t « be Irish politicians of the Eramett and Lord Edward Fiiz ^ erald school ; and , as far as the difference in the circumstances of tbe two countries admits , they answer to the jeunes gms de Pans They are public-spirited , enthusiastic young men , possessed of that description of crude and imperfect information on political subjects which induced several of our present Whig and Conservative leaders to be violent Radicals in their youth . These young men of Dublin supply all the good writing , and biatory and political philosophy , such us it is , of the party . They also supply the poetry .
Popular ballads from tbe same workshop , of a general description , but of a coarse and simple kind , are openly sung in the streets of the towns and villages , and form not the least important part of the system of measures which has been adopted for the purpose of icfliming the people . October 11 . Philaletiies .
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and cheering ) . } I am to be the drag on the wheel that it may goateadily down theplane of liberty . It ia ' n , y duty now to restrain , j It wiia my duty formerly to excite .. My reverend colleagues have left their trade of preaching for agitating , and I now take up tbe gowns which they have thrown from off their shoulders , and set about sermonising you !" O'Connell , although the author of all this mischief , it , nevertheless , now our chief ground of reliance for the preservation of the peace . As an English gentleman was lately driving in the neighbourhood of Dublin , his attention was attracted by G . P . O . ( from the General Poet Office ) on all the mile stones ; and he asked his car driver what it meant . "O , sir , don't you know what jthat means ? God Preserve 0 Connell to be sure , " a prayer in which I heartily join .
The danger ia ; that O'Connell has so filled the imagination of the people with the idea of their Parliament in College-green ¦ that the only way in wh'ch he is now able to keep them quiet ia by confirming the delusion ; or , in other worda , by assuring them that he vvi't cot flinch , and that they shall have their Parliament whole and entire . His ought to have recollected Woisey ' s dying advice to ] Mr Kingstone : —* ' He is a Prince of royal courage , and hath a princely heart ; and rather than be will miss or want any part of his will or pleasure , be will endanger the loas of tha one-half of his
realm . For I assure you I have often knteled before him , the space sometimes of three hours , to persuade him from his will and appetite ; but I could never dissuade him therefrom . Therefore , Mr . Kingatone , I Warn you if it cbanco you hereafter to be of his Privy Council , as for your wisdom you are very meet , be well assured and adyised what ye put , in hia head , for ye shall never put it out again . " One of the greatest delusions which have been put into tho heads of'the peasantry is that they are a nation . The idea has been sedulously inculculated— " We are macy . " " Whatever a nation wills , must be . "
Tho poor people forget , or they hava never heard , that although positively many , they ara comparatively few . The Rjraan Catholic peasantry of the south of Ireland are greatly outnumbered by the rest of their countrymen , including the loyal and well-afftctecl Catholics and Protsstanta of Ireland , and the great body of tbe English and 1 Scotch people . But mere numbers form only one , and by no means tbe most important , element in a military question . The sea is entirely at the command of tbe British Government . NJo port of Ireland is much more than fifty miles from the sea . Oui ships of war and steamers would command the maritime towns and coast , and convey troops to tht flink or rear of any rebel force that might be assembled in any part of the country . Tfasre
ia no part of Ireland in which an insurrectionary forca could take ' up its position , and say , " We are safe here . " j The country is , also , for the most part , very open and weak , in a military point of view : tft&re are no fences which would oppose & serious obstacle to the ' maiceuvres of regular ! infantry , and in mo 3 t parts of tbe country cavalry jmigbt act in numbers sufficient for a contest of this description . The island is , also , now perforate * in every direction by good roads ; it is true that there are some mountainous districts in the west which would afford strong positions '; but the question would not be decided in the mountains . As far as that district is concerned , ii wouid be sufficient £ 0 watch any rtbal force that might assemble , there , and it must soon ' melt away of itself for want of
provisions . All the strongholds of the country are in the hands of the Government , aud its officers aud troops ore fully prepared . Is is a vaia expectation ef the R > man Catholic peasantry of the south that the Protestants of the north would not declare against them . As surely as tbe south rose in rebellion ! against tho Government , the north would rise is support of tbo Gavernment The spirit which prompted ) the ever-memorable defence of Londonderry , and excited the EunittkilUners always to rush to the attack with the ferocity and exultation of a tiger bounding upon bis prey , is by no means extinct . All minor differences will be absorbed by the portentous consideration of the maintenance of their rel gion and liberties . The northerns ate quite as ready to fall on , as tbe Roman Catholic peasantry ; and it will be seen that such is the case the moment tbe restraint which ia
at present imposed upon them by the Government , is removed . They ileclare that , if the GjVeroment would only leave them to themselves , they would conquer tbe rest of Ireland without any assistance ; and those who know the intelligence , the vigour , the dogged perseverance , the high and courageous spirit ef this class of people , will not ! consider this so empty a boast as it might r . t first sight appear . They possess all the high qualities ef the English and Scotch nations , with the addition of the determined , an < 4 it may be , in some instances , the ferocious spirit which an unsettled sta ' . e of society , and the frtquant contemplation of danger , naturally produce , j To let loose this power is certainly a dreadful alternative ; but it would be far more dreadful that our well-affacted countrymen in the south should be left to have their throats cut at the leisure of the insurgents , and that a destructive warfare should be allowed to be protracted .
But say the southerns , we mean to carry on a gueriila warfare , and we ; shall accomplish our objects without anywhere opposing a f ront to yonr troops . This is the greatest delusion of all . The ignorant people think that tha ; loss of a million or two ef their number is the utmost extent of tha sacrifice which they would have to make—that they .. ould wear ua out by delay , and that the survivors would ba left better off than they were before . The actual loss ^ o ! life ia th « least of toe evils which ia entailed by aj popular war ; when the contest is merely between the G overnments , the people look on while the regular ! armies fight it out ; and after a campaign or two , the matter ia dtcided without much injury to either party . Even in our own civil wars ,
although infinite evils were entailed upon England , tbe contest was in the main between the regular armies on each side . But if an insurrection breaks out in Ireland , tbe struggle ! will be between the people and with the people . Eveiy town , every village , every farmhouse will be a aeene of cenflict ; tha industry oC the country will be suspended ; the stock of food and tha means of fiitnre production will be destroyed ; within six months there will be a pestilence , to say nothing of the ^ widows and orphans . Theresa no European country wbfca would euffdr so severely from tha effeota of a popular war as Ireland , because none is more populous and none less provided with varied resources . \ In order to find a parallel to tbe effects of such a warfare in Ireland , it would be necessary to go to those districts of India which have been the scene of murderous and long-continued contests . In
the struggle carried on in the south of Ireland in the reign of Elizabeth ) which is known by the name of the Desmond Wai , the people died by hundreds in the ditches , with grass in their mouths , with which they vainly endeavoured to satisfy the cravings of hunger . This has been repeatedly referred to by O'Connell , . as a proof of tbe atrocious cruelty of the English . It was no such thing . The Diamond war waa a strictly popular war , Buch as we are now threathened with ; and the necessary consequence of such a war , in a country cirenmstanced as Ireland , is that the sources whence life is sustained are dried up . In such a case the miserable people have no choice given them between famine , pestilence , and the a word . They fall under all three . Will it now be said that the loss of a million or two of lives wouid be the only ] sacrifice which the people would have to make , and that ! the survivors would be benefited by
the change ? : Even the most ! sangu ' ue cannot expect that Franee and America will fall on the moment the peasantry in the south of Ireland choose to rise . Before the French and Americans became sufficiently excited to force , tfaeir governments into the contest , if they ever reached that point , tbe contest ! Would be decided ia Ireland . They who rest their h » pes on foreign assistance greatly underrate the spirit and ] power of England . England maintained her ground ! for saany years against nearly tbe whole world in anna ; and she is prepared to do so again ,
if the occasion requires It . If tbe south of Ireland were to rebel , the loyal aud well-affected Britons , both at home and in many ! of the dependencies of tbe empire , would take the preservation of the peace into their own hands . The great bulk of the British army would be precipitated on the south of Ireland . The aborea of Ireland would be surrounded with ships and steamers of war ; and such is the trust reposed by capitalists in the good fititU andi resources of the government of 'the United Kingdom , ! that any sum of money which might be necessary for carrying on the war for . any length of time would be forthcoming on demand .
And let not these poor deluded pnoplo count on the British seldier abandoning his coloura Some drunken men , who have had liquor given to them by the R 3-pealers , nuy roll down the street , shouting © ut in the frolicsome thoughtless styie of such people : * ' Hurrah for Repeal I" but it came to be a question whether they would be true to jtheir Sovereign , and to their own pledged faith , even ! these persons would do their duty perhapa aa effectually as their more steady comrades ; and as soon aa the first blood ia spilt , see who will be the greater tiger of the two .
And will there be no defections in tho rebel camp ? They are now apparently united , because the popular current rnns bo strongly in one direction that all are obliged to yield at j least an oatward conformity to the prevailing idea But wait , I say aRain , till the time comes for showing colours , and see how many of the gentlemen , who ndW cheer you on to the brink of tbe precipice , will jump down with you . Are you so mad as to imagine that several persona whose names will at once occur to you , will ever dream of taotsting the white cockade ? Even among those who will break out with you , is it to ] be expected that all will remain true ? There is an ; old Irish adage : " Roost an Irishman on the spit , add yon wilt be sure to get another to turn him . " Many wUl ioon wesry of the contest . Others will begin to doubt whether it may be eventually attended with success ; and there will be no want of persons who will gladly avail themselves of any oppertunlty that may offer to making their peace with the Government at the expence of their former associates . ; ; Philalethes . Oct . 11 , 1843 . j
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To the Editor 0 / the Homing Chronicle , 1 NO u . Tbe moat serious fact oi all connected with the present agitation has yet to be mentioned . There cannet be' a doubt that the great body of the Roman Catholic priests have gone into tho movement in the worst , that is . in the rebellious sense . Many of the priests of tlie od school , who had been educated in France and had seen the world , held out for a time , but they were given to understand that if they continued to take this line , the shepherd would be deserted by his flock , and they were forced to yield . Two or three splendid instances are still mentioned of priests openly professing their determination to submit to any consequences rather than cive their sanction to a movement which they know to
be of tbe most dangerous and pernicious character ; but * he curates and young priests brought up at Maynooth have gone into it heartily , almost to a man . These young men are generally the 80 ns of email farmers and other parsons of a similar rank in life . They , therefore , bring with them strong feelings and limited and one-sided information from home ; and at Maynooth they are brought up , like our young Newruanite clergy at Oxford , to regard the church < b the sole object for which they are to live , and think , and act . They have no property , no families of their own , to be compromised hy a rebellion ; and as it Would be inconsistent with tbe character of their sacred profession to appear at the bead of their flocks in the field of battle , theyrun no personal riak . They may gain , but they cannot
well lose , by the result of a conflict . Some , more heady and enthusiastic than the rest , might even lead their flocks to battle ; but whatever their conduct in this respect might be , there cannot be a doubt that the prevailing spirit of the priesthood is correctly repiesented by the following expressions , extracted from tho speech of the Rev . Mr . Cantwell , parish priest oi Tramore , at the late monster meeting at Lismore : — "He could support O'Connell with his voice , but he would support him with more . Look at that arm ( said the Reverend Gentleman , stretching forth his right arm ) . After the magnificent scene I have this day witnessed , I'll die a death , or see Ireland free . ( Tremendeus
cheering , waving of hats , < fcc j" The priests have given to ths Repeal movement all the weight of a religious cause in the eyes of a superstitious pnople . They form the medium through which an understanding is kept up among all classes of Repealers , and throagU whisii practical instructions are conveyed to the people . The women and children are aunt out of the chapel after service is over ; aud the men are lectured on political subjects , and have treasonable papers read to them , often for an hour together . I did not consider the movement as really alarming , until the conviction was forced upon me that the priests had gone into it in the worst sense .
The primary object of the priests 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 country . ; Everybody in the south of Ireland , both Protestant and Catholic , admits that if an insurrection were to succeed , tbe Protestants must either conform , er quit the country . O'Connell does his utmost to keep the religioua character of the movement in the back ground . The same was done by the leaders in the movement of 1798 ; but the moment the rebellion broke out , it assumed tbe character of a religious war , and the few Protestants who had been inclined to join it , at once withdraw .
Tbe object of th « people is to get plenty of work , and to obtain a favourable permanent settlement of thuir rents ; but they have a further object , which they look to as the inevitable result of a successful insurrection , which is to get rid of the landlords altogether , and to divide the laird among themselves—not ait rely the forfeited estates , but all the land ; at least all which ia in the possession of persons not thoroughly devoted to their cause . The result is , that we are standing on the verge of a :, religious and agrarian war , which would unite the horrors of the Jacquerie and St . Bartholomew .
O'Connell has for some time past been aware of this fact , and nobody has been more alarmed at it than he has been . He has whipped his horses until they have run away with him ; and now , to his dismay , he finds that be is not his own coachman . He has a gentleman on the box , dressed in black . If any of the more moderate lay Repealers are asked what is the ground of the confidence expressed by them that there will be no outbreak , they can only refer you to the priests . O'Consell himself is now really as much in the bands of the priests , as far as this question is concerned , aa -we are ourselves . He has evoked a spirit which ia too strong for him .
Nevertheless , he has lately done his best to set bounds to the torrent The following expressions , extracted from his' speech at Lismore , will convey some idea of his real position : — " My heart ia filled with delight at the scene that has been exhibited before ua all thiji day—( hear , hear ) . It proves that I ought to change my . portion ; I ought to become a diftn . it person from what I was . Heretofore I was an agix ^ or , stimulating and exciting to exertion , and endeavouring to persuade every person , by argument , that they ought to exert themselves to the very utmost—( hear , hear ) . I think I mast give this up , and become one of the Moderates —( laughter ) . Yes , the people and the priests ' are going beyond me —( renewed laughter , and cheers )* Did you ever bear two such agitators as my reverend friends who preceded me —( hear , hear )? They are outrunning me altogether , and I have become like the heavy schoolboy in the race . My own pupils are beating me—( great laughter , 1
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PARADISE WITHIN THE REACH OP ALL MEN WITHOUT LABOUR , BY POWERS OF NATURE AND MACHINERY . LETTER VII . TO THE EDITOR OF THE MOETHEHN STAB . Dear Sib , —The content * of my former letters , which you had the kindness to insert in your valuable and popular journal , and especially Nos . V and VI ., in which . I embodied aa address to the people , and a memorial to both Houses of Parliament , by J . A . Etz . ler , have produced a lively inquiry amongst your friends in various parts of the country ; and preliminary brench societies , for tha purpose of examining and popularising Elzier ' s ideas , with a "view to carry them eut practically , are now being formed in different places . This shows evidently that the time for a new popular movement has arrived , the tendency of which is far beyond politics . Tbe question is no longer bow much
power and patronage belongs to a king , a lord , a general , a soldier , or a constable . The duties of subjects and the rights of governors cease to absorb the minds of reflecting and thinking man , —which are , and have been in all ag 68 , the creators and leaders of public opinion ; and in their stead the question—Which are useful and which ara useless members of society 7 the mode to increase the . former and decrease the latter ? the question , how can men live without being obliged or compelled to work from morning till late in the night ? the question , bow shall society be formed , that alt our natural wants can be Bupplied without injury or fraud on any of our fellow-men ? the question , how is it possible to fuiai the divine eommand , " thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself , " are now only deemed fit to occupy our attention .
• Men , collectively , are progressing new ideas . New improvements and inventions have their effect upon Bociety : at first imperceptibly ; bat seoa all . powerful . Our present state of society is se different to tbe state of Bociety two or three hundred years ago , that the customs and laws of that time muafc appear ridiculous in the eyes of this generation . For instance , counsellors and judges ia wigs look now like mammies or Parica and Judies , and fail entirely to produce the desired effect of conveying an Idea of sublime Wisdom , except in the minds of the most ignorant Wisdom is as foreign to the wig of an English judge as it is to the tail of a Chinese mandarin , although both are deemed sacred by thoae who wear them .
But how is it that antiquated laws and customs are not abolished aa soon as they appear ridiculous ? How is it that institutions are kept up against our own interest and welfare ? Because it is more difficult to get rid of bad habits than to contract them ; aud because it is more difficult and dangerous , and at tbe same time less useful , to remove rotten timbers from an old house , and put new ones in their places , thai to erect a new house and abandon tbe old fabric entirely . State doctors of tbe old school , are like their colleagues in medicine ; extremely fond of blistering aad occasional blood * letting , instead ot recommending a radical care aad conforming to the laws of nature . It ia useless to apply a fontaneil to draw out a distemper , if we do not remove the cause which produces it .
The cause of our social distemper—the fundament upon which ail our laws and customs are baaed , is physical , brute force . The representatives of this principle are the army and navy ; the next branches are judges , hangmen , constables , and prisons . The heart-blood of the nation is consumed by these vampires . To talk of liberty , as long as these circumstances last , or to believe tbOkt libe'ty aud those circumstances can co-exist , is an outrage upon common sense . But it is unfortunately true that tho only animals who associate with their destroyers , yea , even respect them and even bow down before them , are men ; and that this is considered natural and necessary .
" Misfortune is nothing but stupidity . " This sentence , written by a man of a thorough understanding of the world , is true in every sense . The stupidity of the people is their misfortune . They possess all necessary materials to mnke themselves free and happy ; but they do nit know how to use them . They maintain involuntarily their masters ; they forge their own chains ; they produce annually millions for their own oppression ; and they do not know how to sive themselves at a much cheaper rate . A very small minority
wields the power , governs the nations , live in ease and splendour , and generally also in profligacy ; and at their feet lay begging those that maintain them . Tho angels in heaven must weep at this spectacle of stupidity and degradation of men . How long will this state ot things last ? Just so long , and no longer , than the time , when men cease to shut their eyes towards those powers which are stronger than armies and navies , and which could , if necessary , annihilate the heroes of mere destruction , and their frail machines of soft flesh and bones .
" One hundred intelligent men will defeat all tha glories and heroism of mere sanguinary military chieftains , and do more than armies of millions , whose , soft flesh and bones cannot resist a few small unfeeling machines , driven by some of those gigantic powers ( pointed out in my " Paradise ^ on land or on sea , and render all bloody heroism abortive , and wts impossible . " -rElzter ' s Mechanical System , page 67 . But our mission is not one of bloodshed and war , but of peace , of universal liberty . We do not wish to excite men to revenga , but we will show them a way to live in quiet and happiness . The time will come , and is not far distant , when soldiers and wild beasts , lawyers , policemen , and all such vermin will be reraovad from the face of the globe , and men enjoy their birthright , their destiny , to live in peace and plenty , to partake of tha riches of nature , and be unmolested in tbe possession
of the results of their own exertions . And this change in society will be brought about without violence or war . Physical force men and military heroes will per- ceive that their efforts to compete with peace men , provided with necessary machines , would be as useless as the efforts of competing with manual labour against spinning jennies , or running a race with onr poor legs , aid heavy lungs against a locomotive on a railway , which travels at tha rate of forty miles per hour , As soon as it would be mechanically certain , that every soldier , every man , who attempted to withstand such machinss would be crushed to atoms , no one weuld bs so insane as to attempt a trial , and enlist as a soldier , j Sildiers , and especially kings , dukes , and generals are as fond ef their lives as other men ; and they would soon forego the honour of being war men , if they had to encounter peace-men of the right sort .
The mischief which has been done to society by adopting physical force aa a guiding principle is incalculable . It has not only retarded tbe progress of the male sex , by bruta ' - ' z ' mg it ; but it is the cause of individual and collective tyranny over women , " the wondrous master-piecea of God ' s creation , " and their many insufferable miseries . They are therefore most interested in the discovery of new powers , which they can direct and use as easy as the physically stronger sex . Their emancipation ia impossible as long as physical fvrce rules human affairs . Universal liberty demands liberty for all— -man , women , and children ; and none deserve liberty but those who desire . universal liberty . In answer to various private letters from your friends ( and in anticipation of similar letters ) and the questions " What can , what Bhill we do , " &c . &o . permit me to say- — 1 . That all persons who are inclined to popularise E . z ' er ' a ideas for their own and the welfare of their
fellow men , and who wish universal liberty , and are ready and willing to examine all proposed improvements , be they political , social , or mechanical , irrespective of names and persons , sects and parties , under the broad banner of universal principles ( not men ) , tha guidance of Providence , and the assistance of the Scriptures and nattnre , shold form themselves in preliminary branches or auxiliary societies in whatever place they be . 2 . That the number of membera be unlimited , three being sufficient to commence a branch . 3 . That the membera he numbered and recorded according to the priority of adherence . 4 . That each branch make , preliminarily , such regulations aa best suits the majority of the members , and in accordance with the industrial charter " locate the people on the land in joint stock freehold , and let machinery work for , and not against , the people . "
5 . Tbat the secretary of eacb branch send a statement of its formation , &a to C . F . Stolhneyer , he acting , pro tempore , as general searetary . Toe object we have in view , and the measure which we intend to bring forward for the amelioration et the condition of our fellow men , is colonisation at home and abroad , on as large and comprehensive a scale as toe want and desire for it will manifest itself . I am , sir , your obedient servant , C . F . STOLLMETTER . No . 3 , Northampton-terrace , City-road , London , September 30 th , 1843 .
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We now tnrn to the Whig Chronicle , and give from its pages two most important communications , apparently from the pen of a disinterested party , who hag been journeying through Ireland , and picking up " news by tae way . " We look upon ibose conmunieat ; ons as of far de *> vei import than they , on tbe face , seem to be . Their appearance ia tbe Chronicle , bearing the character they do , is most suspicions . Tne Chronicle pretends to be in cpposmoir to the Sovemmtat : but he has alrrady called foi cospcioh 1 In the article with which he accompanied the news of the Proclamation , he said : —
" Firmness TicotrB ., even COERCION if you will ; SVCS POLICT rX THE FEESE ?> T POSTERS OP AfFAlkS !>• JaSLA . M ) MAT BS DEEMED WISE ^ ND NECESSARY " . Toe people of England are © j posed to this mad prtgect of Repealing the Union . Taey are , with reason , opposed to it . In its realization they see ihB breaking up of this grtAt empire , anil are prepared to support ast MEASt'RE of any minister that may be necessary to prevent ihe calamitous result . A policy of conciliation is what tbe justice and tbe common sense of the people wish . Prove to them that that is of no avail , asd a policy op COERCION thet will tolekate . But what they do not wish—what , they will never tslerate—is the cowardly , sanguinary policy which lures men , step by step , within range of death , and then , without notice , unmasks his battery before there is time to retreat "
Here it is ; a naked , undisguised call for Cokbcioh . The communications hs has since inserts , and which we shall presently give , have been published by him to justify the Minister tji srgJcing for power to place Ireland under Martial Law !! Being published in the Chronicle , an opposition Journal , they are a god-send to Peel : vrhilo the pretended revealments of the state of fcelirg amongst the Irish people are just thosa calculated "to alarm , and serve the Miniaj * er * s purpose ! From the Chronicle the statements have been extracted into the Times , with approving ccminenis ! And thHs the . game is carried on . The people » re amwedby political distinctions and sham fights between the two factions ; while the factions nndermand eacb other , andplay into the hands of the wielders of poweb ^ so as to " put down , " " crush , ' , the " demoorano spirit , " that would obtain advantage I for the people .
Te the Editor of ihe Morning Chronicle . NO . L Sir , —As EDglish tmveliers have b ^ en as rarely wen in Ireland this year as white men in Timbnctoo , some of your readers may be glad to have an authentic account of the actual position in . that country , from one who for six weeks past has seen , read , thought , and spoken nothing bnt of Ireland . " Dp to the last day of September , in last year , the boatmen on the lakes oftellarney obtained seventy-four days * hire . Up to the same date in this year they had ob ' . ained only twenty-fivd ; the difference being owing to tke falling off in the number of Ejglish tourists , of whom only eight or ten parties had visited the lakes this year .
Having crossed the south of Ireland in a variety of directions , and conversed with people of every description , from the nofcleman to th 6 peasant , I feel tfeat I am not railty « f presumption in enabling iny conntr jmen to participate in the result of my observations . One peculiarity of the present extraordinary state of the public mind in Ireland is feat everybody sp » aks out . Toe Reman Catholic peasantry appear to be so confident in their numbers and unanramy as to consider any conceaimem of their plans or intentions quite an unnecessary p-ecaution ; and , as I was merely an English tourist , of whom they bad been accustomed to see Hiany hundreds in ttoe eonrse of every year , they opened their minds to me with greater freedem than they would have ione to any of the official or military persons resident in Ireland . On my part , as I had visited the country at -i crisis of no ordinary importance , I regarded romantic scenery and the other usual objects of a traveller s attention as of minor Importance , aud applied myseif earefnlly to the study of the popnlar mind .
Before I left England I took great pains to form a just opinion as to the real nature of tho popular movement in progress in Ireland ; and tbs conclusion I came to was the same which has , I believe , been arrived at by the best informed persons in- this country . The whole appeared to me to be a gigantic piece of blarney on O'ConneU ' a part I believed it to have ita root in the vulgar , bnt nevertheless very powerful motive , of WYlng himself from pecuniary ruin . Betides this , every demagogue ia , from the necessity of his position , obliged to jo forward , lie is by profession a fisher In troubled water * Tb » demagogue BlDks ^ into insignificance jiut la proportion aa public affain stttle down into traBquHllfar .
O'Connell , ao dottbt , also . aimed at upsetting the present € rovarnment , and getting some instilments for Ireland- but that a shrewd person like O * Gonnell , who ha * attended ParliuneBt year afttr year , and who knows the power and resources of the British nation , and the fixed determination of the great nuyority , in numbers , wealth , and intelligence , not to submit to a dismemberment of tke empire , should seriously believe in the possibility of Repeal , is so unlikely as to be really incredible . It soon became apparent to mt a'ter my arrival in Ireland , that although this view of the case was perfectly correct as far aa O'Gonnell was concerned , tbe
It is Dot nnlikely thit Parliament will be convened durin g tbe n exl month , and have proposed to . them " extraordinary measures" to aid the Minister in crushing rebellion . In that cas p , we shall see good use made of the following alarming intelligence from the Whig Chronicle !
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matter bad taken much deeper root Other leaders be 3 ides O'Connell either appeared on tbe stage , or skulked behind the scenes ; and , above all , it was evident that the great mass of the Roman Catholic peasantry bad thoroughly taken the matter to heart-The people were bursting with RspeaL It was not in tbe least necessary to put searching questions to them in order to get nt tbeir sentiments . You could not make tbe commoaest inquiry without bringing on a Repeal discussion . If yeu asked the price of pork or fiiih in the streets , the old women were sure to say something of tfcte sort , aftar they had answered your question : — " Wall , Sir , when are we to have onr rights ? when will on ; Parliament sit in College-green ?"' The people , in short , were determined to have Repeal—by fair means , if poasible—but , at any rate , R > psaL They had , moreover , fully made up tbeir minda
to the sacrifices consequent npon a popular rising , and had famllisriBdd themselves to all the contingency ot an insurrection in an extraordinary degree . There waa not a siHgle important poinS cennected with the auhjact on which they were not prepared with a good military answer ; and" , in whatever part of the country tbe question might be asked , you were sure of receiving the same answer iu substance , and , generally speaking , in ueariy tbe same words . This last-mentioned circumstace proves to demonstration that the plans of operation witii which the heads of the peasantry were filled did not originate with themselves , but that they had emasated from some common source , and were , in fact , tbe instructions of superior minds , which bad been carefully prepared to suit the t xigency of the case , and had been afterwards dieStfminated by means of Borne established organ i zation among the people .
When the rebellion of 1798 was spoken of , the remark invarisbly made was to this tffect : " Those days , Sir , were the days of drinking whisky . Our people lay drunk in the ditches , and the troops obtained an easy victory . But now we are a sober , temperate , and religious people . ' * If I heard this remark made once , I heard it fifty times . If the superiority of disciplined over undisciplined troops were adverted to , tbe answer was always of this kind : — " O , Sir ! yon don't suppose we shall give y « n the advantage of fighting a pitched battle with us . We shall rise in our counties and baronies , and do all we want ( which means , making a clean sweep of the Protestants ); and when the troops arrive they will find the people quietly at plough , and we shall be doing our work else where . " Reference was alsa constantly made to cutting oflf convoys and delatched parties , by lining the hedges with pikemen and closing upon them , in tbe way that was practised with some success during tbe rcba . iiun o ! 17 » 8 , and consequently , on tbe occasion of several well-known conflicts with the police .
Workmen were employe . ! in boring loopholes in the walls of the first b ^ rrsu-. k which I happened to pass . A person who was with me pointed with hia thumb to tlie people bo employed , anA said , " Pretty nonsense that , isir . When the boja rise they will pull the soldiers eut by their shouluers . " I asked him to explain himseif , and he went on to say that the walls of the barracks would ba scaled in erery direction by night , aud that the people would tumble in over by theusandB , and * que ; z ; the troops to death , if they did not take
them out and throw them into the river . I believe this to be a perfectly correct military idea . The contour of many of the barracks is very extensive . Tho walls are low , there is no ditch , and if the people had tumbled in over by hundreds at night , when the raking fire from the bastions would have less effect , it is possi . ble that before our preparations were so complete as they now are , the assailants might have carried some of the barracks . I afterwards found that this plan of attacking the birrucks was generally diffused among the people .
Taera is another horrible prevailing idea , which really startled me tha first time 1 heard it I was waiting for my car early in the morning in the street of a small , sulky , ill-conditioDed town , when , seeing a farmer ' s wife setting up a potato stall , I asked her the price of her potatoes . She gave me a civil answer ; but two mea were standing by . one of whom said , without my having previously addressed him , or having made any remark calculated to encourage the observation : " We shall eat wheaten bread ntxt year , Sir . " I was really unable to make out his drift , and told him goodhamouredly that I w . is very glad to hear it , bnt begged
to know how the change would be brought about . " There will be fewer of us , S : r , " was the reply . I then began to understand his meaning ; and , as I encouraged him to speak ont , he proceeded to say that there were 8 , 000 , 000 of them ; thai the land was not able to bear them ; that 1 , 090 . 000 or 2 . 000 . 000 , night be spared with advantage , ana that the country would be for the survivors . I afterwards heard the Batne idea , either in whole or in part , in a variety of forms ; but the burden of the song always was " Protestant and Catholic will freely fall , and tbe land will be for the survivors . "
Tbeir commissariat also was arranged . Every man was to bring so many days' potatoes , and butter and bacon , if he could afford it . Amidst all this warlike preparation I was surprised to bear nothing of drilling , or of the manufacture of arms , and 1 made various icquiiies upon tha subject . It appeared from tbe result tb : it it formed no part of tbe plan of tbe popular leaders to drill the people in aa ostensible military manner in that stage of tbeir operations . The tactics they had resolved upon , which are mainly those of a guerilla warfare , did not require a high state of discipline ; and to have assembled large bodies of men fur tbe purpose of training them would have led to a premature exploeion . With regard to arms , tbe answer i always received was , that there was no want of arms already in tha country ; and that as the people were all of one mind , when they rose , they would convert everything into weapons of war .
Their reliance seemed to be on tbe stock of firearms constantly concealed in the country ; on tbeir national weapon , the pike , which may ba manufactured by any common blicksmitb , in large numbers , in the course of a single day ; and on tbe pitchfork ( scarcely less formidable than the pike ) , which is in every cabin . But tbeir main reliance was on their numbers and unanimity . The people of Zurich effected their Slrauss revolution with their red umbrellas ; and the people of tbe south of Ireland seem to fancy that if they rose aa one roan , everybody must quail before them . If you spoke to them ef tha army , the remark commonly made waa—" Bat , sir , you forget that threefourths of the army are Irishmen ; and every Irishman is a Repealer . "
If you spoke of tho Protestants of the north , the answer was : " The Presbyterian tenants will not stand by their Landlords . I « ord Roden called a great meeting on the subject , and he was obliged to give it up , because the tenantry were prepared to come forward witn a demand for fixity of tenure as the price of their adherence . " It is remarkable that on no one occasion did I n « u it stated by tbe Roman Catholic peasants that they conld beat the Protestants of the north . What they always said was , that the Protestants would not turn out at the call of their nobility and gentry . Reference was also constantly made te assistance which they expect from foreign powers , and from Wales , Scotland , and the manufacturing districts j and the remark invariably made was , that although the affair might commeuce in Ireland , it would not end there .
Yet , after the people had been talking in this strain , if you said that you were sorry to flni them in such a temper of mind , the answer always returned was , «• Sir , Wb have no intention of going t » war . " " Not going to war ! " was the natural rejoinder , " why , you have been talking nothing but treason and rebellion for the last hour , and now you say that you do not intend to go to war . Wtiat do you mean ? " " No , Sir , " was tbe regu ar reply ; " we do not mean to go to war with the Government ; but if the Government goes to war with us , then all the boys will rise . " This again required explanation , and on inquiry it always turned out that thei- real meaning was as follows : they have unlimited f . ath in O'Connell ' s practical talents and in
his knowledge of the law . They are persuaded that he will not take any step which will be contrary to law . They looked forward to the assembly of the 300 as the crisis on which tbe whole question depended . If tbe Government interfered with the meeting of the 300 , they considerea that the first aggression would tnon decidedly ba on tbe part of tbe Gsvernment , and that was to be tbe signal for their rising . It has been carefully impressed upon them that they are not themselves to take the initiative , bat that they are to leave the Government to put itself in tho wrong by making the first attack . It may also be observed that they never speak of their rising aa au insurrection or rebellion ; but that the itrm always used by them ia " going to war . " The genius of the Irish is decidedly military .
It is dut * to the people to say , that while they have rebellion and . massacre on their lipa , they are , nevertheless , decidedly advancing in sobriety , industry , and , except in the case of the horrible Tipperary murders , in good order and respect for the laws . Faction fights have ceased to vxvBt , and shillelaghs are rarely seen except in the police-offices , where they are used aa firewood Repeal has been for some time passed their master-passion , and everything else , even what are generally considered tbe milder virtues , has been pressed into the service . The motto which Is put most prominently forward at their Repeal meetings is " He who commits a crime gives strength to the enemy . " Although the organization of the Temperance Societies preceded the Rspeal Movement , that organization has been adopted into it . The congregation ot each Roman Catholic chapel generally forms a temperance society . The
Repeal Wardens are the officers ; tke temperance band , the members ef which are dressed in uniform , are the rally ' ing point ; and when it ia determined to show the strength of the country , the male members of the temperance societies are marshalled under tbeir respective bands and ' colours , and marched bat to the monstermeeting * . The people appear to take a pride In displaying their fixity of purpose and the supposed moral excellence of their cause , fey an ofevloas abandonment of their previously " habitual vices . They feel ashamed when a drunken man appears reeling in the streea ; and I have Been them rebuke mend ' eanta ^ whom they have observed in the act of importuning a stranger . Intoxication is now rarely Been in Ireland . I visited three crowded fairs , and did not see a single instance of it ; and I did not observe more than six or seven drunken people all the time I waa in Ireland .
Thiere is nothing new under the sun . The same untoward quiet preceded the breaking out of the last rebellion . The fallowing well-known passage 1 b almost as applicable to tbe present crisis a » it waa to that of 1798 : — " I appretend we
The Repeal Agitation.—Yesterday (Sunday) The Following Notice Was Extensively Posted At Tbe Horse-Guards And Around The Metropolis, And Shows
The Repeal Agitation . —Yesterday ( Sunday ) the following notice was extensively posted at tbe Horse-Guards and around the metropolis , and shows
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Gbeece . —The Augsburg Gazette of the 5 th inst . states that a protest against tbe late revolution in Greece may be expected to be made by the Emperor of Russia , ,
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2 THE NORTHERN STAR ¦ : „ _ . __
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 21, 1843, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1235/page/2/
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