1831.]

IRISH AGITATION.

19

to excite his ignorant hearers, but always ended his speeches by mock recommendations to keep the peace; hoping thus to escape the law. He succeeded in alarming the country; and the Lord Lieutenant was at length, in December, 1830, induced to issue a circular in answer to the various applications made by the magistrates in different parts of the country for information as to the course they were to pursue in the present disturbed state of the country. The magistrates had stated that meetings tending to disturb the public peace and to the alarm of all peaceable people were held without let or hindrance, in every county that these meetings were intended for intimidation; but that they were, although convened for some apparently legal purpose, really called to give force and organization to violent resistance; to frame schemes and create excitement, by which the people might set the law at defiance, and render property and person insecure throughout the whole country. Under these circumstances of grave peril, the magistrates asked for advice and direction. The circular of the Lord Lieutenant in answer set forth the intentions of the administration as to the future government of the country. It described the meetings which had been held, and which it was proposed to hold, as unlawful assemblies, and commanded the magistrates to use every means in their power to prevent and suppress all meetings of the people which they, upon inquiry, should believe to be dangerous to the public peace. While the determination to suppress dangerous

20

DISTRESS IN IRELAND.

[1831.

assemblies was thus made known, the government showed that they were not regardless of the people's sufferings. These indeed were great: in addition to the evil of famine, was now added that of fearful disease. Two hundred thousand persons were said to be without food. The weather became dreadfully severe. The people were without clothing, food, or fuel. The peasants crowded to the towns in thousands, carrying with them pestilence and death. The administration of that day, like that of all preceding and succeeding times, was without any plan for the government of Ireland. They could devise no method of permanent relief, and could only suggest immediate charity in aid of the sufferers. When parliament met, as we shall immediately see, the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed to give, or, as it was said, to lend, 50,000l. on proper security, for the purpose of giving employment to the starving people; which employment was to be found in the thoroughly useless labour called public works such as making roads where no roads were wanted, and pulling up and destroying those already made. This vote of money evinced a kind feeling, however, on the part of parliament; but such feelings had little effect upon Mr. O'Connell: his agitation went on.

The declared object of all this agitation was to excite the people to demand a repeal of the Union, as they had demanded emancipation; that, said Mr. O'Connell, was granted when the public unanimously demanded it so it will be with repeal. He on all

1831.]

MR. O'CONNELL'S AGITATION.

21

occasions warned his hearers to be peaceable; but he took great care to excite alarm, both in the people and in the government, as well by the immense numbers he brought together as by the violence of the language he employed. He wished to make manifest his power, and he did this in two ways through these immense assemblages; they were numerous and they were peaceable; they came together because he called them -they remained quiet because such was his command. He who could collect this mighty force, and keep it peaceful and strictly obedient to his will, might, if he willed, convert the quiet and comparatively inert mass into a fierce and hostile army. And Mr. O'Connell wished to make the world believe that these immense-for they were immense-mobs were the people of Ireland; and he pointed significantly to France and Belgium, in order to induce the belief that against such forces an army would be powerless. But though Mr. O'Connell could, and did alarm the timid of his own country, and excite indignation in England, he never succeeded in alarming either the parliament or the government; and, on the present occasion, the Irish administration completely baffled and humiliated him.

He had given notice of a meeting in Dublin of the trades of that town, on the 27th of December, 1830. There was to be what they called a solemn procession in honour of Mr. O'Connell. This meeting and procession were no sooner announced than they were forbidden by the Lord-Lieutenant acting under the power

22

MR. O'CONNELL'S AGITATION.

[1831. given him by the Act which Mr. O'Connell called the Algerine Act.1 A proclamation, dated 25th December, was issued, in which the whole exhibition was prohibited, as calculated to lead to a disturbance of the public peace, and because it excited serious apprehensions in the minds of the peaceable subjects of the king, and because inflammatory language had been used by certain persons who had signified their intention to attend the meeting and procession.

Mr. O'Connell, in accordance with his long established rule of always obeying the law, immediately issued his proclamation, bidding the people not to meet, because the proclamation of the Lord-Lieutenant had an act of parliament to sustain it. On the day of the proposed meeting-viz., the 27th, he published a long and violent letter, addressed to his fellowcitizens, wherein he lavished great abuse on the government, and proposed a sort of procession on Tuesday, which was to present him an address.

One paragraph of the letter deserves to be recorded, because in it Mr. O'Connell makes a prophecy respecting repeal, which he ever after constantly repeated in spite of its being continually falsified. This never seemed to shake the faith of his confiding countrymen. So long as he was pleased to promise them repeal, so long were they willing to believe him. The words are these:-'Let us be in no hurry. Events in

This act was passed in the 10th of Geo. IV., and intituled, 'An Act for the Suppression of dangerous Associations in Ireland.'

1831.]

MR. O'CONNELL'S AGITATION.

23

England, and on the continent of Europe, are working for us. Every succeeding day weakens the supporters of despotism in every clime and country. Each succeeding day strengthens the friends of cheap governments and free institutions. Patience, my dear fellowcountrymen, and Ireland will achieve one more bloodless and stainless change. Since I was born she has achieved two such glorious political revolutions. The first was in 1782, when she conquered legislative independence. The second was in 1829, when she won for her victory freedom of conscience. The third and best remains behind-the restoration of a domestic and reformed legislature, by the repeal of the Union. This we will also achieve if we persevere in a legal, constitutional, and peaceable course. . . . . Let my advice but be followed, and I will venture to assert that the Union cannot last two years longer.'

He shortly afterwards declared his intention of forming a society, to be called The General Association of Ireland for the Prevention of Unlawful Meetings.' On the 7th of January, however, a proclamation appeared prohibiting all meetings of such society as dangerous to the public peace. Upon this Mr. O'Connell endeavoured, in sundry ways, to gain his end of creating an organized body by which he might exercise control over the whole catholic population, as he had previously done by means of the Catholic Association. The Irish government were determined to frustrate this scheme, and succeeded by issuing proclamations against every proposed meeting;