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a a ar eet
Areland, was held at the Crown and Anchor Tavern,
‘any time during the proceedings.
, lief of the Poorer Classes, at whose instigation, it ap-
- reland.
. quite inattentive to the call, and another pause of at
" Ireland, more especially towards our own country,
. (return become thestay of his old age. Early marria-
~ nothing in favour of morality, but against it. A fort-
60
Soe Ceuty Teiier,
‘VOL.
“THE POOR OF IRELAND.
The adjourned Meeting for the purpose of taking
into consideration the State of the Poorer Classes in
One o’clock was the hour announced for the Chair
io be taken, but at that hour there was not above
two dozen persons in the room; amongst them,
however, were ‘Sir Thomas Esmonde, Bart, Mr.
O’Connell, Mr, O'Gorman and Mr, Finn. After wait-
ing about an hour, the numbers in the room increased
to about 100 persons, the utmost that was present at
Sir Tuomas Esmonpe, having been unanimously
called to the Chair, it was proposed by Mr, Flanagan,
of Sligo, that another adjournment should take place
toa future day, in consequence of the absence of the
Duke of Leinster, Lord Clairemont, the Earl of Clan-
ricard, &c, with all of whom, he said, he had held
correspondence, and who, wishing well to the object
ef the Mceting, he had no doubt would, if a proper
opportunity were afforded them, attend the Meeting.
Mr, Wixuts, the Secretary of a Society for the Re-
peared, this Meeting had been called, objected to any
further adjournment, and urged, that as this was itself
an adjourned Meeting, some proceeding ought to be
adopted, and the subject gone into; and the Mecting
having agreed to this opinion, Mr. Willis proceeded
10 state the object of the meeting, which was, he said,
iointroduce the Poor Laws into Ireland, as the only
eflicient means of relieving the lower classes of that
country from their dreadful state of distress; and af-
ter along history of the Poor Laws, and their bene-
ficial effect in this country and in Scotland, where, he
said, they were in operation in Edinburgh, Glasgow,
and Aberdeen, he concluded hy moving a set of reso-
lutions, the first of which was, “ That it is highly ne-
cessary that some means should be adopted to improve
the physical and moral state of the lower classes in
These Resolutions having been seconded, a pause
ensued for some minutes; after which theré was a
loud call for Mr. O’Connell,
This Gentleman, who stood at the other end of the
room, in conversation with some friends, appeared
least five minutes took place, The call for Mr. O’Con-
rell at Iength became general, and this gentleman,
evidently with much reluctance, came forward, and
said, “I come here, Mr Chairman, to listen and not
to speak myself; the introduction of the Poor Laws
into Ireland I have not had leisure to consider—but
recognising, as I do, that spirit of benevolence towards
and our sufferings by the people of this country—re-
cognizing that benevolence in its full extent, I see, with
regret, that no man who knows Ireland can agree with
that Resolution, ‘[hear, hear/] I grant the munifi-
cent manner in which our sufferings have been reliev-
ed, but on the terms of that resolution I would wish to
comment— the'condition of the lower classes, by the
bye, I would suggest that the word ‘lower’ ought not
to be applied by one Christian to another— poorer’
would have been more applicable —[Applause.]—As
to our ‘moral and physical improvement, why what
would they do with our physical powers?—[Loud
lZaughter.] Would they convert us into Giants? In
strength, Pat has enough already, and more than ‘he
can use.—[Continued laughtcr.] As to our moral
improvement, I know my’ countrymen well; people
nore moral in the entire course of their lives do not
‘exist. [Great checrs.] They, are, indeed, poor, but
those. offences where property is concerned, they
never commit—those offences are unknown in Ireland.
Inall the relations of life they are tender, kind and
charitable. . Where is there any more attentive to an
aged parent, a child to its mother, a husband more af-
fectionate to the wife of his bosom ?—Since I came
over to this country, a man from my own county, who
dias been working in the streets, came to me to give a
few pounds which he had saved, to his aged parent.—
(Applause.] Though a stranger from Ireland his
heart was ‘still there, and his thonghts were bent on
relieving the guardian of his youth, who had now in
“ges among the poor in Ireland are complained of, but
are they not an earnest of the purity that prevails?
Female infidelity is neverheard of in Ireland. It has
been said, and I believe it, that the poor laws operate
uight will not elapse before the country will hear with
astonishment the real state of Ireland from the Com-
mittee of the House of Lords—when the real situa-
mind, for it is fairand just—[Hear, hear /] The Cler-
gy in Ireland have been represented as unfavourable to
education, but erroneously. The Catholic Clergy
are in favour of education and’ morals, . Education
they encourage—morality they preach. A’ Catholic
Clergyman could not be guilty of immorality for one
half hour before it would be trumpetted in the Orange
Lodges—published in the Orange Press, and _circula-
ted to the world, The Priest is cut of from all society
—he has only the welfare of his flock at heart. His
time, cares, and exertions are all devoted to one object,
but he is himself cut off from all the sweet ties of life,
and though for him ¢ the blazing hearth may burn,’ yet
‘No busy housewife plies her evening care;
No children run to lisp their Sire’s return,
And climb his knees the envied kiss to share.’
[Applause.]—No, none of these endearments are for
the Catholic Clergyman, But this operates on his
mind as a stimulus to the goal—it incites him to the
good of his flock, who are peculiarly hiscare. There
are no better men in existence than the Catholic
Clergy. Isthe pestilence ofdeath in the air and the cabin
of the poor, desolate in the agonies of misery and des-
pair ?—Yet on8 visitor is there—that one is the Priest.
His advice is followed—the truths of Christianity, and
the promise of the Redeemer are poured on the dying
man’s listening soul, and he dies, blessing his sympa-
thizing benefactor.—[cheers.]—I have come over here
gentlemen, with erroncous opinions of the people of
this country, and have had scarcely time to ‘correct
them, but I do now cheerfully renounce them—there
is a spirit of justice, truth and honesty prevalent in
this country, with which no country was ever blessed
—a spirit which gives you victory in the battle, and
makes the slaves of despotism fall beneath your arms
—a spirit which revivifies on this soil, and from whith,
while it exists, I never will despair of the humanity of
the gencrous British nation. You will easily perceive
that I have spoken ramblingly from the subject before
you. There is great property existing in Ireland—
indeed the wonder has been expressed, how so much
misery can exist together, but that has been by wiser
people thanme—by “stars ofthe north.”—[Laughter
and cries of “ Sir Walter Scott ?7}—I do not look
with apprehension on forced benevolence, to give it no
harsher name. - Is benevolence by law better than
individual benevolence? Itis.like the benevolence
of one of the heroes of Sir Walter Scott’s novels.
The bestowing of charity doubly blesses—Per-
haps it blesses the giver. more than the receiver,
and I confess I am still the advocate of individual
charity. Am Ito be told that' there is no individ-
ual benevolence here? In this country, which has
poured £250,000 of English money into the laps of
the Irish peasantry! I would have you pause before
you pass this Resolution on the subject of Ireland. —
here are three millions of labourers in that country.
But the day of relief is at hand. The spirit of free
trade, by the bounty and gencrosity of the enlightened
Chancellor of the Exchequer, begins to develope’ its
fruits. A statute was passed in the reign of King Wil-
liam, prohibiting the exportation of wool from Ireland
to any country except England—that statute was in
force till last year, when it was repealed by the wis-
dom of Parliament, and the trade was thrown open—
before the repeal, the stone of wool was only 10s. but
now it was 32s.—[IIear, hear.] “I say, therefore,
pause before you do any thing with that country; a
great improvement is now in progress—Iveland wants
tranquillity, justice, to be allied in the bonds oftriend-
ship and unanimity with England. When that happy
event takes place, we shall be as one people ; the des-
pots of Europe may then threaten—the battle may
again, rage—and if that time should arrive, we shall
laugh their power to scorn, and the predictions of
Scotch economists ;—[laughéter] for England ‘and
Ireland united, can stand up against the world in
arms.—[Cheers.]—I therefore propose that this Re-
solution be adjourned, sine die, and I thank the Mect-
ing for their kinduess and _attention.—[ Cheers.]
Ir, Finn seconded this motion, which, after some
discussion, in which Mr. O’Gorman and others took a
part, itwas carried by a majority, and the meeting
broke up. . :
COBLIIT OW THN REFORMIATIOI.
(Continued from our last.) .
LETTER II, -
“70. The result of this trial was, by this incompara-
ble judge, made known to the King, whom this won-
derful hypocrite gravely besought to submit himself
with resignation to the will of God, as declared to him
to thelaws of holy Church! The pious and resigned
King yielded to the admonition; and then Cranmer,
held another Court at Lameetn, at which he declared
that the King had been lawfully married to Anny
Boyten; and that he now confirmed the marriage by
his pastoral and judicial authority, which he derived
from the successors of the Apostles! We shall see
him, by-and-bye, exercising the same authority to de-
clare this new marriage null and void from the begin-
ning, and. see him assist in bastardizing the fruit of
it; but we must now follow Mrs, Anne Boyiey,
(whom the Protestant writers strain hard to whitewash)
till we have seen the end of her. .
71. She was delivered of a daughter, (who was af-
terwards Queen Elizabeth,) at the end of eight months
from the date of her marriage. This did not please
the king who wanted a son, and who was quite mon-
ster enough to be displeased with her on this account.
The couple jogged on apparently without quarelling
for about three years, a pretty long time, if we duly
consider the many obstacles which vice opposes to
to peace and happiness. The husband, however, had
plenty of occupation ; for, being now “ head of the
Church,” he had a deal to manage; he had, poor
man, to labour hard at making a new religion, new ar-
ticles of faith, new rules of discipline, and he had new
things of all sorts to prepare. Besides which he had,
as we shall see in the next Number, some of the best
men in his kingdom, and that ever lived in any_king-
dom or country, to behead, hang, rip up, aud cut up
into quarters, He had, moreover. as we shall see, be-
gun the grand work of confiscation, plunder and de-
vastation. So that he could not have a great deal of
time for family squabbles, - fy
72. If, however, he had no time to jar with Axnr,
he had no time to look after her, which is a thing to
be thought of when a man marries a woman half his
own age; and thatthis “great female reformer,” as
some of the Protestant writers call her, wanted a little
of husband-like vigilance, we are now going to sce,
The freedom or rather the looseness, of her manners,
sovery different from those of that virtuous Queen,
whom the English court and nation had had before
them as an example for so many years, gave offence to
the more sober, and excited the mirth and set a-goiny
the chat of persons of another description. In Janu-
ary 1536, Queen Caruentne died.. She had been
banished from the court. She had seen her marriage
annulled by Cranmer, and her daughter and only sar-
viving child bastardized by act of parliament; and
the husband, who had five children by her, that. “7c
formation” husband, had had the barbarity to keep
her separated from, and never to suffer her, after her
banishment, to set her eyes on that only child! She
died, as she had lived, beloved and revered by every
good raan and woman in the kingdom, and was buried,
amidst the sobbings and tears of a vast assemblage of
the people, inthe Abbey-church of Peterborough:
73. The King, whose iron heart seems to have
been softened, for a moment, by a most affectionate
letter, which she dictated to him from her death-bed,
ordered the persons about him to wear mourning on
the day of her burial. But, our famous “ great Se-
male reformer” not only did not. wear mourning, but
dressed herself out in the gayest and gaudicst. attire ;
expressed her unbounded joy; and said, that she was
now in reality a Queen! Alas, for our great fe-
male reformer!” in’ just threé months and. sixteen
days from this day of her exultation, she died herself;
not, however, as the real Queen had died, in her bed,
dceply lamented by all the good, and without: a sout
on earth to impute to her, a. single fault; but, on a
scaffold, under a. death : warrant signed by her -hus-:
band, and charged with treason, adultery, and incest!
74. In the Month of May, 1536, she was, along with
the King, amongst the Spectators at. a tilting: match,
at Greenwicn, when being incautious, she gave to
one of the combatants, who was also one of her para-
mours a sign of her attachment, which seems only to
have confirmed the King in suspicions which he. be-
fore entertained. He instantly quitted the place, re-
turned to Westminster, ordered her to be confined at
Greenwich that night, and to be brought, by water, to ~
Westminster the next day. , But, she was met, by his
order, on the river, and conveyed to the Tower ;.and,‘:
as it wereto remind her of the injustice, which. she
had lately assisted in committing against the late vir-
taous Queen; asit were to say to her, “see, after all,
God is just,” she was imprisoned in the yery room
in which she had slept the night before her corona
tion! '
75. From the moment of her imprisonmeat her be-|
haviour indicated any thing but conscious innocence.
She was charged with adultery, committed with Sur
gentlemen of the King’s household, and with incest.’
tion of the people will be brought heforcits fair and just
in this decision of the spiritual court, acting agcording
with her brother, Lord Rocurorp,*and -she-was, of!
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