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what nevertheless is a fact, that any man, deemed an eloquent orator by some, and even formally thanked by his maddened bearers for his "essential services," could utter such flagrant absurdities, and therefore we beg to print the passage on which we have animadverted thus freely, copied from the Popish gazette, in which the speech is given in detail. At the same time, we indulge a hope (we trust that we shall not be held equally sanguine with Mr. Lidwill himself,) that even he, when he shall coolly reflect upon the bombastic puffiness of such revolting language, may be ashamed of himself for having uttered it, and ashamed of the aggregate meeting which applauded it, and thanked him for it.

"He was not defending (says the reporter of his speech,) that Board; but he was weak enough to imagine, that if the entire of that body, with the whole of the Catholic aristocracy included, had been not only concerned in, but actually convicted of a treasonable conspiracy against the government of this country-that though they should (as they ought) atone for their crimes by the forfeit of their lives, yet that it would be the extremity of injustice to punish a whole people for individual criminality. He would go further and say, that if the entire population of this country had been so ill advised as to take up arms in the assertion of their rights, yet he would maintain, that though the treason ought to be punished, the oppression should be removed, both to prevent à recurrence to a similar evil on any future occasion, and because the continuance of oppression cannot be justified by any circumstance whatever in a free state."

This is one of the numerous absurdities of Mr. Lidwill's speech, but by no means one of the most disgusting passages in it. We intended exhibiting a larger sample of its flowers, but we cannot overcome the repugnance we feel at selecting (not the beauties, but) the deformities of his effusion.

He was followed by speakers of the same kind, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Phillips,-who is also a poet, and he quoted poetry liberally in his ora tion,-Mr. O'Gorman, Mr. Eneas M'Donnell, who read some resolutions noticed in those of the aggregate meeting, and Mr. Walter Cox, who, as well as Mr. Magee, has suffered imprisonment in the cause.

We here print the resolutions adopted at the close of this busy day..

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"At a general meeting of the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland, in pursuance of a requisition, held at Clarendon Street chapel, in Dublin, on Tuesday the 24th of January, 1815.

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"Owen O'Conor, Esq, in the chair.

Resolved, That Mr. Hay be requested to act as secretary.

Resolved, That we do forthwith renew our earnest application, by petition to the legislature, praying the total and unqualified repeal of the penal statutes which aggrieve and degrade the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland.

"A draft of a petition being read,

Resolved, That the petition now read be adopted as the petition of the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland.

"Resolved, That the Earl of Donoughmore be requested to present our petition to the House of Lords, and that he be respectfully informed that we deem it of vital importance to the honour and interests of the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland, that the merits of their claims should be discussed in the House of Lords at as early a period in the present session as possible: and also, that this information is given him in order that he may . decline presenting our petition, should he differ with us in opinion with respect to such discussion.

"Resolved, That the Right Honourable Henry Grattan be requested to present our petition to the House of Commons, and that he be respectfully informed, that we deem it of vital importance to the honour and interests of the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland, that the merits of their claims should be discussed in the House of Commons at as early a period in the present session as possible: and also, that this information is given him in order that he may decline presenting our petition, should he differ with us in opinion with respect to such discussion.†

"Resolved, That it is manifestly impossible to petition Parliament with effect, unless some limited number of persons shall either be appointed or voluntarily associate themselves together, for the purposes of preparing the form of procuring signatures to such petitions, and of transmitting the same, when signed, to our advocates in Parliament, and of giving the necessary information of the nature and extent of our grievances, the mode in which the several penal laws operate, directly and indirectly, to our exclusion, and the most practical and effectual pro visions for our relief, and of transacting the other business naturally and Decessarily connected with the success of any petition to Parliament.

"Resolved, That as we are from experience fully aware that every means which the ingenuity of very zealous bigotry can suggest, will be resorted to, in order to impede and hinder us claiming success in our con

We ses at what these people aim. Is Parliament prepared to go such lengths? Will any advocate of Popery venture to move for an unqualified repeal?

We admire the curious nicety with which Lord Donoughmore (in spite of his letter) and Mr. Grattan are spoken of.

Can Papists have the effrontery to talk of BIGOTRY in a Protestant country.

stitutional course of seeking redress by petitioning Parliament, we do not, therefore, and for other reasons sufficiently obvious, deem it expedient to nominate any committee or number of persons for that purpose; but we do most earnestly recommend to such of the noblemen and gentlemen, members of the Board of the [Roman] Catholics of Ireland, as shall be inclined to exert themselves, for the attainment of the above object, to form themselves into a voluntary association, as individuals, for the old, single, and exclusive purpose of managing and conducting our petitions to the legislature, and the business necessarily and indispensably · connected therewith.

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Resolved, That to prevent the racurrence of bad precedents, so dangerous to liberty and so familiar to bad times, we do recommend it to those individuals to make it a fundamental rule of their association, that any person belonging thereto, that shall act in, or assume, or pretend to, any delegated or representative capacity whatever, be forthwith expelled. and excluded from such association.

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Resolved, That this meeting do adjourn till the 13th of February, at twelve o'clock, in this chapel, and that the consideration of the resolutions proposed by Mr. Eneas M'Donnell, be postponed until that day.

"Resolved, That the rev. gentlemen of this chapel deserve our best thanks for their kindness in allowing us to assemble here this day, and that they be respectfully requested by the chairman to allow the adjourned meeting to be held in the same place.

"Resolved, That a subscription be immediately collected* to defray the expenses attendant on our petitions, and that Nicholas Mahon, Esq. be appointed treasurer.

"Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given from the chair to George Lidwill and Charles Phillips, Esqrs. for their essential services rendered here to-day.

"OWEN O'CONOR, Chairman. "EDWARD HAY, Secretary,

"Randal M'Donnell, Esq. in the chair.

"Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be returned to Owen O'Conor, Esq. for his proper and dignified conduct in the chair.

"RANDAL M'DONNELL, Chairman."

The resolutions proposed by Mr. Eneas M'Donnell are conceived in the same spirit. They are directed against the veto, ostensibly, but they

This is a main ingredient in the composition. By the way, we have never heard the amount of Mr. O'Connell's tenpenny levy.

press hard on Lord Fingall, and strongly exemplify that infraction of treaty of which his lordship complained, and on account of which he refused the honour of the chair. One thing is clearly expressed, which we recommend to the serious perusal of those senators who have pleaded the cause of the Papists in either house of parliament, and, in order to meet the wishes of all those who are friends to the constitution, (for they durst not absolutely oppose them) have demanded and devised what they have been pleased (gratuitously) to call securities;—that nothing of the kind will be admitted; (for this is what is meant by the phrase " modification of grievances,") nay, that the promoters and abettors must be considered as the worst enemies of civil and religious liberty. The third resolution affects to render grateful thanks to the Romish hierarchy-but the pious `attachment avowed to the clergy of that communion is only provisional, after all; and the resolution contains a threat within it, if they presume to pursue a line of operation which does not coincide with that prescribed by the resolvers ;-the pastors who adbere to their flocks, in other words, who do as the Popish laity order, are the only pastors who may expect never to be deceived (an odd word) or deserted by them.-Here follow the resolutions:

"Resolved, that we deem it necessary, at this particular crisis, to declare our unaltered and unalterable determination, never to assent to any modification of our grievances which shall enable the servants of the crown to interfere, directly or indirectly, in the appointment of the prelates of our church; because we are perfectly convinced, that their enjoyment of such a privilege would be immediately productive of consequences most dangerous to our religion, and most injurious to the civil rights of our ourselves and our fellow-subjects, of every religious denomination.

"Resolved, therefore, that we must necessarily consider any such modification of our grievances rather as an increase than a mitigation of our persecution, and the promoters and abettors of it as the worst enemies of civil and religious liberty.

“Resolved, that our most grateful thanks and pious attachment are due to our venerated hierarchy, and clergy of every order and rank, and that we solemnly and earnestly solicit their further active and immediate co-operation with our exertions to preserve, uncorrupted and uninjured, our holy religion; and, in return, we pledge our unalterable faith, that the pastors who adhere to their flocks shall never be deceived or deserted by them."

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At a quarter assembly of the city of Dublin, held on the 20th of January, at the City Assembly-house, in William Street, a message came down from the upper chamber, consisting of the Lord Mayor and Board of Alderman, “requesting the concurrence of the sheriffs and commons, in presenting to parliament an humble petition to PRESERVE INVIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION IN CHURCH AND STATE, in the event of the PAPISTS of Ireland offering any petition to the ALTERATION OF INJURY OF

EITHER.

"Mr. Giffard said, if he were capable of envy, he would envy the Lord Mayor and Board of Aldermen the honour they acquired by originating this measure, from which he had refrained himself, by supposing that the Popish demagogues had, by manifesting their wicked intentions, fallen too low to be any longer objects worthy the attention of the common council; the Lord Mayor and Board of Aldermen had thought otherwise, and he now saw that they were in the right, he, therefore, moved the house to concur in the order sent down to the sheriffs and commons.

"Mr. Willis made a speech in support of the Romanists, and opposed the order; but, being unable to find any one who would second him, consoled himself with a declaration-that he had done his duty.

"The order passed with Mr. Willis's single negative, and soon after the house adjourned."

Mr. Giffard, whose inflexible regard for the Protestant constitution of the United Kingdom has ever commanded our admiration, assigned a reason why the Popish demagogues had fallen too low for the attention of the common, viz. that they had manifested their wicked intentions," -by the outrageous manner in which they had commenced a fresh attack on the constitution as settled at the revolution. On the succeeding day, Mr. O'Connell vexed at the steps taken by the corporation, in order to counteract the designs of the Papists,-called it "a beggarly corporation." Whether the corporation, like Ffrench's, late firm is in a state of bankruptcy, or whether its riches are equal to its deserts,bas nothing to do with the Popish question, and only shews a disposition in Ms. O'Connell to be rude, if he could not be severe, Mr, D'Esterre, a man of gallant feelings, whose courage, under the shocking circumstances of The mutiny at the Nore, (he being then a lieutenant of Marines, a loyal corps,) had been attested by his applauding country, challenged the abu. sive orator. A duel was fought between them on the 1st of February;

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