But the majority of the society, from a conviction of having carried on proceedings they dared not avow, resisted the appointment of a committee of inquiry, and thereby convicted themselves of that want of candour of which he had often accused them. Yet those were the men to teach morality to the Irish peasantry, who themselves violate its first principles-nay, they even resolved that the regulation respecting the use of the Scriptures in school, should not be repealed without a particular resolution of the association.

Those general meetings were the most oddly composed imaginable. There were High Churchmen, such as Rev. Mr. Daly, county Wicklow; there were several " New-lights" of several denominations, some Quakers, and several of those half Quakers, who are neither Protestant nor Quaker, but have a smack of both; not agreeing exactly in the Scriptures, that they may continue to wrangle upon them. He should never forget the fanatic yell with which his motion for investigation was received-particularly from a host of Quakers.

It was somewhat singular that he shortly afterwards experienced a defeat, with a similar-toned hiss, at the Dublin Library, when he attempted to have excluded from its shelves an impious work against Christianity, styled Ecce Homo! It had been irregularly, and of course improperly introduced; he had endeavoured to get rid of it; the shameless writers in the Orange press accused him of having contended for its reception! It was most likely one of themselves who had put it on the shelves.

He had no doubt the Kildare-street proselytizing schools had considerably increased through the labours of a gentleman, whom he (Mr. O'Connell) much regretted had greatly exerted himself to forward the views of the promoters of the society in question. The schools had, unfortunately, increased to a considerable extent, owing to a misconception in several Catholic quarters. The society had, in these places, got the name of liberality; because of casual relaxations of their rule, with regard to the reading of the sacred scriptures, without note or comment. He had heard that there were somewhere about forty instances in which this had occurred; and he prayed the association and the coun try to remark what manner of men these were, who managed this Kildare-street Society, and assumed, or rather presumed to neddle with the education of the entire youth of Ireland. First, they make a rule which they profess to be essential, to be indispensable, and in fact, the foundation of their whole system; and thon, when an object is to be gained, they do not hesitate to

abandon what they affected to consider so necessary, and to vi late what they appeared to hold as of such sacred importance.

Perhaps, however, they considered duplicity a necessary part of the system for educating the Irish, and so practised it before they preached.

He had been misunderstood upon a former occasion by some of the newspapers, when he charged the Kildare-street Society with incorrectness in their accounts. He did not charge them with not bringing forward, in their balance-sheet, the money in hand; but he had charged them, and did so still, with having omitted the stock of books and paper, from one year to the other. He did so upon the best authority in the world.

The Kildare-place Society had thought proper to proceed against Mr. Boswell, a respectable paper-stainer, who had become security for a store-keeper, who, they alleged, was deficient in the quantity of books and papers. He (Mr. O'Connell) had been counsel for Mr. Boswell. The Kildare-place Society had totally failed in the prosecution, because they had not the slightest evidence in the world as to the quantity of paper, or books, which they had had under the care of the accused store-keeper. They contrived most industriously to keep the trial out of all the newspapers, although there were reporters present.

What admirable tutors in vulgar arithmetic! What admirable instructors for the Irish peasantry ! Were they better qualified, in a moral point of view, divided as they were amongst themselves, by various religious opinions, and agreeing in nothing but the spirit of proselytism, not caring what the children were, so as they ceased to be Catholics. It was very probable that the saints in parliament would throw their shield of protection around their fellow-labourers in Kildare-street, but the petition would have the effect of administering that material portion of education-wholesome correction.

It would expose their practices to the parliament and the people; and if the parliament were intent upon giving the public money really for the education of the Irish poor, instead of making it the means of proselytism, they would agree to the prayer of the petition. They would appoint a committee to inquire whether the mode of education pursued by the Kildare-street Association is that best adapted to the wants and circumstances of the Irish peasantry.

To be sure, they might be met by the hacknied calumny, that the Catholic clergy were desirous of keep ing the people ignorant

of the Scriptures, but there never was a baser or more absurd assertion.

The Catholic clergy wisely see what the Kildare-street Association themselves exhibit-a couple dozen religions seated around their table. They wished to prevent children's uninformed minds from being confounded and embarrassed with what they cannot understand. They wish to avoid laying the foundation for future Johanna Southcotes, Jumpers, and Seekers, and other New Lights." They had no desire to render the Scriptures obnoxious to the rising generation by their being made task books. They had no desire to withhold the Scriptures from adults, or those capable of understanding their mysterious truths. But they had no wish to create doubts and difficulties by the use of the Scriptures, without note or comment; and it should be recollected that to the veneration and care with which the Catholic clergy have preserved the Scriptures, the Protestants are indebted for having them in their original purity.

The Catholic clergy have not only preserved the written, but the unwritten law of God-practised and professed by the Protestants of this day.

The learned gentleman then moved the appointment of a com mittee to prepare a petition to parliament upon this subject. Carried.

Before proceeding to the Association to make the foregoing speech, Mr. O'Connell had had to deliver two or three others, at a "meeting of the citizens and householders of Dublin, pursuant to a requisition to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, for the purpose of Laking into consideration the measures most expedient to be adopted, in order to prevent the infliction of the burthens now sought to be imposed upon the citizens of Dublin, in consequence of the corporation having, by public notice, announced their intention of applying to parliament, in this session, for power to impose tolls and customs upon goods coming into and going out of said city."

Such were the terms of the announcement. The abbreviated account we give of the meeting will show the reckless shamelessness of the old corporators, and also the varied nature of the struggles-varied in all save difficulty—which Mr. O'Connell was continually engaged in.

"The Lord Mayor took the chair, and the first proceeding was to read the intended petition of the corporation.

"MR. ARABIN moved:

"RESOLVED That we understand that the Corporation of the city of Dublin have petiioned parliament for the establishment of tolls and customs in the said city.'

"ALDERMAN ARCHER thought the resolution should not embrace any inuendo The corporation did not wish to tax the citizens, but to relieve them! (A laugh.)

MR. O'CONNELL said, that if the resolution proposed did not state what was the fact, let the gentleman bring forward one 1

that he considered did. Let them state the truth at once. If they were not seeking to establish tolls, let them bring forward a resolution to this effect:

"RESOLVED That the Corporation are not seeking to establish tolls."

He would prove to their satisfaction, or rather dissatisfaction, that that was not what, as private gentlemen, they could assert. They stated that, from time immemorial, they were accustomed to receive tolls. That was unfounded in fact. Let them try the question of right. If they did not like the King's Bench, let them bring it into the Common Pleas. The tolls must be local. If they removed them beyond the boundaries of the city, they might extend them to the county of Dublin. Those who resided one inch beyond the toll-gate were freed of toll; but this effort of the Corporation, if successful, would have the effect of making them liable to toll who were not so before.

The crown could not grant to any corporation the power of levying any toll without a quid pro quo. The king could not grant a toll by charter without the proviso that the Corporation would give value to the citizens of Dublin. He would ask, did

the Corporation repair the streets, or mend the quays, or build bridges, or pay the metal main tax? (No, no, no.) He (Mr. O'Connell) paid the Paving Board nine or ten pounds a-year, for which he had not got any equivalent from the Corporation. city treasurer was well able, but he was not willing, to pay that -no blame to him.

The

He (Mr. O'Connell) paid the Anna Liffey cess without a murmur; he got fair value for it. If a bridge was to be built, a prison to be erected, or a contract to be entered into for milk, butter, and potatoes for any prison, the citizens called on to pay according to the grand jury presentments; and the Corporation was not permitted to interfere further than in the appointment of the man who was to receive the money. Whenever they did interfere they give little or no value for the taxes. They still received monies which in Catholic times had been applied to Catholic uses, but which uses had of course long ago ceased; such as the providing that mass should be regularly said for the train bands.

The Corporation held out no prospect that they would give value for these new tolls; and the greatest proof that could be given of their own conviction that they had no right to levy them, was their admitting that an act of parliament was neces sary, in order to establish their present claim.

What was now

Let the Corporat.on deal candidly with them. Bought was nothing more nor less than an extension of the tolls in points to which they had not laid claim before. They (the citizens) denied the right of the Corporation altogether. Let them go into the courts of law, as they did before with Mr. Pilsworth. Let them go outside the Exchange, and assert their right; let them stop a car, and a replevin would be entered against them in half an hour, and the question would be tried the next term. They had an able and an intelligent law officer in the Recorder; let them, therefore, try the question of right in the courts of law, and not petition parliament on the subject.

"MR. ELLIS, M.P., Dublin, said that there ought to be an adjournment for the present. (Loud cries of 'No, no.')

"What was looked for now was a private bill, between the first and second reading of which, in parliament, not less than three weeks should necessarily intervene. Would it not be better, then, to wait until they should have the bill itself before them, which he would engage they should have with the utmost promptitude, and thus be enabled to see what its provisions really were, rather than to oppose it in entire ignorance of it. (No, no.)

"He went on to assert that Mr. O'Connell was mistaken in supposing the question of tolls had never been tried. It had, and there had never been a decision against the corporation.

Mr. O'Connell denied that he had asserted that no legal proceedings whatever had occurred with regard to the Corporation's right to levy tolls. This, however, he would assert, that the Corporation had been non-suited.

With respect to the case of Reilly, he was fighting the Corporation, who were backed with £5000 a-year out of the tolls. The case was brought into the county of Wicklow, and because it did not proceed, they succeeded. Poor Reilly, who had not courage enough to put an "O" to his name, had not money to proceed, and this was the triumph of the Corporation!

He should be glad to know the name of the salesmaster that was alluded to. (Here the name of Colclough was mentioned.) He did not know whether this Mr. Colclough was a freeman or not, but he seemed in a great hurry to pay the costs; and those were the cases that were relied on for establishing the right of the Corporation to toll! He would remind them of the action, "Pilsworth v. Archer." Alderman Archer was able to defend that case by his private fortune, but he had also the treasury of the Corporation at his back. Mr. Pilsworth, however, was not to be deterred: he was resolved to leave the world better than he found it. An order of judgment for the plaintiff was en