that he robs; and he murders his vic-dred thousand, who is at all aware of tim for fear of detection; and, brother the manner in which the Irish people tax-payers, the Englishman who can have been treated since the union. wish the power of England to be em- Those who were the advocates of the ployed to compel the Irish to live upon union told us that it would produce the accursed potatoes, and to be clad tranquillity; that it would place the worse than the savages in the woods of people of Ireland under the protection America; the Englishman who can of an enlightened, impartial, and pawish the Irish people to be compelled ternal legislature. From the date of to submit to this, in order that England the union to this very hour that legismay thereby profit, is, disguise the lature has been passing acts as occasion matter howsoever he may to his own demanded for abridging the liberties of heart, a robber and a murderer. So the people of Ireland. This conciliat that, if it were true that England ing, consolidating; this tranquillising gained by this treatment of Ireland; measure, had been adopted only six if this were true, the proposition in favour of it would be rejected with scorn by every Englishman who deserved not to be hanged. years, when the sun-set and sun-rise bill was passed by the united Parliament, but to operate in Ireland only. Now, let me put it to any English farmer, for instance, how he would like to be treated in the manner that Irish farmers have been treated. Men should do by others as they would be done unto; and if they fail to do this, very frequently, they are sure to get punished first or last. Let us see, then, how the English farmer would relish the sun-set and sun-rise bill; suppose a law were passed to authorise the King, or rather, his Ministers, to issue at their discretion a Proclamation, forbidding all the people of any county, or of all the But the proposition is not true: it is not true that England has gained, or can gain, by the sufferings of Ireland proceeding from this source. That measure which is called the union; that unnatural alliance; that dog and cat marriage; that unholy junction, which was effected by means never to be thought of without feelings of horror; this measure took place just about thirty-one years ago; and from that day to this day, England has been becoming weaker and weaker with regard to foreign powers; and more con- counties, of England, to quit their temptible in the eyes of the world; her burdens more and more oppressive, and her people more and more miserable and discontented. I do not pretend to say that all, or any-thing like all, the sufferings of the people of England, and the loss of character to the country, have arisen from the union; there are numerous causes of these lamentable and disgraceful consequences ; but there can be no doubt in the mind of any man that the union with Ireland serve, WITHOUT TRIAL BY JURY. has been one of those causes. Without that union there must long ago have been a repeal of the Protestant Church Establishment, which is the great curse of Ireland. Without that union there never could have been the necessity for the terribly coercive measures which have been adopted and enforced in that country. There is not one Englishman out of fifty thousand, or out of a hun houses for more than fifteen minutes at any one time, between sun-set and sunrise, and to keep this prohibition in force for any length of time that they pleased; suppose that, during this prohibition, men or women might be brought before two justices of the peace, conjointly with a barrister appointed by the Government, and be by them imprisoned at discretion, or TRANSPORTED FOR SEVEN YEARS; and this, too, ob Yes, English farmer, suppose yourself and every member of your family, liable to be transported for seven years, for being out of your house for fifteen minutes together between sun-set and sun-rise! Suppose this; say that you would like it; and then join the Bloody Old Times newspaper in vilifying Mr. O'Connell, and in calling upon the Government to send an additional army to make the Irish content without a re- and now it is found necessary to perpetupeal of the union. ate this terrible law, in order to prevent a I shall be told that this terrible repeal of the union, which, as I said power, that this horrible discretion, before, means, in other words, a total was intended as a temporary measure: abolition of tithes and a repeul of the I know it, or, at least, I believe it; but church establishment in Ireland. And, I know that it has lasted twenty-four to effect this purpose, the law is necesyears. I shall be told that it was in-sary: there can be no doubt of that; tended just to keep the country quiet and something besides the enforcement till the all-conciliating measure of Ca- of this law will be necessary; there can tholic Emancipation should be adopted; be no doubt of this; but the question but that measure has been adopted, for us Englishmen to decide is, whether and the terrible sunset and sunrise law it be for our advantage, that Mr. O'Conhas not been repealed. I shall be told nell and the Irish people, should finally that this terrible law was a law of ne- succeed or be finally subdued; and for cessity in order to prevent the greater my own part, I have no hesitation in evil of open rebellion. I may well saying that I do most earnestly pray for admit that to be true; for what can the former, and that I do most anxiousyou want more as a proof of the mis- ly hope, that the Government and the chiefs attending this union? The parliament will give way, and will union has lasted thirty-one years; and, adopt a series of such measures as shall if, at the end of the thirty-one years tranquillise Ireland in reality, and unite such a law. BE NECESSARY in order it in heart, instead of name, with this to preserve the country from open re- kingdom. bellion, have we not here a complete proof that that union has tended to disturb Ireland and to injure and weaken the whole kingdom? And, on the other hand, if the Bloody Old Times assert that the existence of this terrible law be NOT NECESSARY, then let it employ its elegant pen in eulogizing the character and disposition of those by whom Ireland has been governed for the last thirty-one years. There are, however, writers enough, and there will be, I dare say, talkers enough, to urge them to follow a directly contrary course. These thoughtless and mercenary and barbarous scribes are crying out for force. Their phrase is, "If we must fight for it we must." They are for war against Ireland; they are for sending over Englishmen to cut the throats of the Irish; they are for uniting the two nations by making their But to judge of the effects of the blood run in one common stream. Union, what need have we of more than "Fight for it"! my friends? Fight for the Paget-Stanley-Proclamations, which what? Why, fight for the church we have now read. The justification of establishment of Ireland; for that is the these proclamations, and of the mea- real bone of contention. Fight for the sures adopted in consequence of them; religion of the church of England! the plea of the Government, is the old Oh! no! for not one man out of ten standing plea for all such acts; namely, belongs to that religion in Ireland. All NECESSITY. In the famously-fine the rest disown it. All the rest deem it speech of Mr. O'Connell you find the a thing erroneous, when they give it speech of Stanley, the speech of the the very mildest epithet. All the rest Marquess of Anglesey, the speech of fly from it, as from something to which Lord Brougham, and the speeches of they have a horrible dislike. It is not, several others condemning the law un- therefore, for this that these bloodyder which these proclamations have minded men would have us fight. It is been made, and consenting to it only as to uphold and enforce the laws relating a temporary measure to afford security to tithes and to ecclesiastical property. while the Emancipation bill was passing It is to compel the Irish to pay those and being carried into effect. The Eman- tithes against which we in England are cipation bill has been carried into effect; petitioning from one end of the country. to the other; to compel them to submit to those tithes and church rates, which we, though under circumstances not a thousandth part so irritating and so galling, find to be absolutely insupportable. This is what these men would have us fight for; for as to separating England from Ireland, the charge against Mr. O'Connell and the people in this respect is as false and foul as any that ever issued from the lungs of corruption. this would cost something, I take it ; and that cost would assuredly fall upon us. The cost of only one campaign would be, first and last, not less than about fifty millions of pounds sterling! There would be spies and informers by whole bands to pay; there would be remuneration for losses sustained; rewards for loyalty innumerable, and in amount prodigious; pensions for wounded, provision for widows and orphans, and, in short, a new national debt Besides, in what a state of things is it, created; and all for the sake of upthat it is proposed to commence this holding tithes; all for the sake of famous fight for tithes and church lands upholding that by which millions are to be kept in the hands of a few families made miserable for the sake of supportthat now possess and have so long posing the splendour of a few families. sessed them? In what a state of things The end, however, does not come, is it that this fight is to be commenced notwithstanding all this. The country and to be carried on? England herself must be laid desolate; it must be made is in a charming situation for making unproductive and worth nothing; or war upon Ireland, for upholding tithes, there must be a force maintained to or for any other purpose. France is keep the people in subjection. If it marching on through the bankruptcies require thirty thousand soldiers now, it of loan-mongering Ministers to a repub-will require sixty thousand after this lic, taking the successful revolters of Bel-fight, to keep the people in a state of gium under her wing; and this too amidst obedience. So that the fight is not the shouts of a thousand to one of the all: there are taxes and debt that hang English nation. The English labourers to the tail of the fight, as we now find have issued their proclamation against then hanging to the tail of the glorious the infernal potatoes and salt; and, victory of Waterloo. these stupid and bloody men imagine, that they will go and compel the Irish to live upon potatoes! But "fight for it!" Suppose we were to fight, and were to triumph; and suppose this triumph to be as complete as these bloody men could wish it to be. The Bloody Old Times suggests that an absolute power of dungeoning bill should be passed for Ireland, and that Members of Parliament should be as liable to be shut up as other men: that is to say, the bloody thing proposes that Mr. O'Connell should be seized at once, and shut up in a dungeon. Well, now, suppose the Whigs to do this first, and then suppose an English and a Scotch army to go over, kill two or three hundred thousand Irish with as much facility as Bobadil obtained his victories, and make the rest of the people live in slavery and misery as complete as ever; suppose all this to be accomplished, and that is supposing a prodigious deal; Such would be the consequences of victory; those of defeat I must leave others to describe. But have I described all the consequences? Have I, above all other men living, forgotten that there is paper-money in Ireland? aye, and in England too! Oh, no! And who is there that does not know that a fighting for it would reduce this paper, in an instant, to a state inferior to that of its parent, rags? In short, it is impossible for the paper-money to circulate in Ireland for one moment after men begin soberly to anticipate a fight. You have seen that Mr. O'Connell, at the close of his second letter, (inserted in this REGISTER,) notifies, that if the Government proceed to a suppression of the Press, he shall recoinmend an universal rejection of the rags! That would be effectual for the putting a stop to their circulation. The contagion would reach England immediately, and put a complete stop to the circulation of Walter Scott's find themselves defeated here, silence It is them by granting their prayer. For vinced that Ireland never can know tranquillity as long as the Established Church shall exist there; being also convinced that a repeal of the union would also produce a repeal of that establishment: to the prayers of the oppressed people of Ireland and their faithful and truly pious priests, will always, with regard to this matter, be added the humble and earnest prayer of Their faithful friend and most obedient Servant, WM. COBBETT. favourite money in Scotland. much more easy to conceive than it my own part, being perfectly conwould be safe to describe all the consequences near and remote of the blowing up of this paper system. That state of barter to within forty-eight hours of which Liverpool's ministry had brought us, would certainly arrive; and the sort of barter which would be carried on between the labourers, on the one side, and the parsons, farmers, land-owners, and land-jobbers, on the other side, it is quite amusing to contemplate. Barter means giving one thing for another; and, as the labourers would want victuals, drink, firing, clothing, and P.S. Since writing the above, the bedding, and would have nothing to news has arrived, that Mr. O'Connell give in return, they would do, doubtless, has been ARRESTED, on a charge of as their "betters" have done; that is conspiracy to resist the Paget-Stanley to say, pay in promises; but, in the proclamation; that he had been commean time they must take the commo-pelled to give bail, or go to jail; and dities! Thus reverting to the pristine that BARON TUYL, as Secretary to law; the law of nature, which, as diplomatists term it, is the droit du plus fort, or, in plain English, the right of might; which, indeed, is the very law to which the Bloody Old Times newspaper is now appealing against Mr. O'Connell and the Irish people. the Lord Lieutenant, was, when the bail was given, acting in a post of public trust. Mr. O'CONNELL said: "Oh! I am glad of that! Take a note of that! I suppose, that this man is a foreigner."-Mr. O'CONNELL went off to a Parish-meeting for repeal of the union, as soon as he had given bail.My God! when are we to see an end of the troubles created by this Church Establishment! Thus, then, this fighting for it is a matter worth thinking about twice before it be once attempted; the fight is not all. The victory, if one, does not end; and it may, as we have seen, produce a complete revolution in pro"PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE." perty. It may cause food, raiment, houses, and even land to exchange mas- THE reader will, doubtless, wonder ters; and all this risk is to be run what this appellation can mean. The merely for the sake of compelling peo-affair is this: on the 17th instant there ple to pay tithes; for, I repeat it over was a meeting at the London Tavern, and over again, this is the great, and the" for the purpose of expressing admiraonly great, ground of the quarrel. I" tion of the conduct of the electors of trust that the Ministers will reject with" Preston in returning Mr. Hunt as scorn the advice of these mercenary and their member, and to hear a statesanguinary men; that they will speedily" ment relative to the election, from check the violent torrent of the Paget "Mr. MITCHELL, a person from Presand Stanley eloquence; that they will" ton, now in town." Mr. WAKLEY let people breakfast and dine where was called to the Chair. After the they please, and eat and drink and say what they please; that they will make as many appeals as they like to reason; that they will, in short, if they find the people bent upon a repeal of the union, reply to them, successfully if they can, by fact and by argument; and if they opening of the business by the CHAIRMAN, with that great ability which he always discovers, Mr. MITCHELL made his statement relative to the expenses of the Preston Election, from which it appeared that the total amount of subscriptions received was 421. 3s. 5d. : The probable expense he gave as fol- . 23 7 0 57 0 0 who immediately preceded him, describing the intended office as a receptacle for the com plaint of every man in the community, where also all Parliamentary Papers would be regu£259 1 14 larly filed and arranged. Another important use of the office would be to forward the great cause of Radical Reform, so that every man who paid taxes should be assured of representation. The office would also form a bond of union amongst Reformers. It would afford the means of calling public meetings all over England. The petitions from various parts of the country would there be collected aud analysed; and on show nights, as they were called, honest Members of Parlia ment would be furnished with the means of making a powerful impression in the House. The office would likewise afford protection to many oppressed individuals in remote parts of the country, against the established village tyyrants whose power was now, he hoped, fast drawing to a close. He entreated them to look at what had been 3730 Silver Medals, at 2s. 6d. accomplished by the Parliamentary Office in each 451 15 0 Dublin. Would they allow it to be said that Mr. Mitchell begs leave to state that the the most intellectual nation in the world should subscriptions at Manchester, Bolton, Black-remain so long behind the Irish as to permit Expenses of chairing Mr. Hunt 36 15 0 10 0 0 40 0 0 burn, Oldham, Stockport, Wolverhampton, and Birmingham, were going ou well when he and Mr. Huut passed through these places; and by his orders the sums in various towns already in hand, and also what might further come in, was requested to be held until after his return, as the money would not be wanted until the medal was completed. He further takes the liberty to say, that he ordered the medal of Charles Jones, Esq., one of the members of the Birmingham Council, before he left Birmingham for London, which medal was to be executed for the price of silver and workmanship, and will be finished by the end of this present month. more time to elapse without adopting that most wise and efficient measure. (Applause.) He next proceeded to express his joy at Mr. Attwood's accession to the cause of Radical Reform, and dwelling upon the importance of his testimony in favour of the establishment of a Parliamentary Office. He then concluded by moving the following Resolution:"That, for the purpose of supplying and disseminating all useful, political, and, more especially, Parliamentary information to the Country at large, for consolidating and directing the energies of the whole people, for the recovery and protection of the people's rightsand for aiding and assisting the efforts of Mr. Hunt and such other Members of Parliament as are really chosen by the People, and truly co-represent them in the Commons House-an Office be established in London to be called the Parliamentary Reform Office." Mr. MITCHELL expressed his confident expectation that 1,000l. would ver the whole of the expenses! But now something a great deal more important occurred, and of a nature that makes me wish that my duty would suffer me to pass it over in silence. I shall first insert the report as I find it in The Morning Chronicle of the 18th instant, and then add, perhaps, a word or two in the way of remark. Originally, in Mr. Grady's Resolution, it was proposed to entrust the management and formation of the proposed Office to Messrs. Hunt, O'Connell, Attwood, Mitchell, Wakley, and others; but this part of the Resolution was subsequently modified, and it was agreed to as given above. Previous to such alteration, however, Mr MITCHELL hoped that any-thing he had MR. MITCHELL, before he sat down, wished said would not be understood as asking them to make to them a very important communica- for money. He merely submitted his statetion, namely, that it was intended to establishment, in the hope of obtaining their sanction in the Metropolis a Parliamentary Office, for the purpose of supplying to their tried and honest representatives the information from the country, and that assistance generally which would enable those gentlemen to devote their energies exclusively to what might be required of them within the walls of the House. (Cheers.) Mr. GRADY then addressed himself chiefly to the last topic mentioned by the Speaker and approbation. He was anxious to say this much, lest he should be supposed to interfere with their support of the Parliamentary Office. Mr. LYNE seconded the Resolution, stating, that within a few days he had paid a visit to Mr. Hunt, when his table was piled with papers, and when he showed, in the most satisfactory manner, that no one man could get through one-fifth of the business which de |