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mark out his victim. He is also able to traduce the people and the religion of the land. The absence of constitutional law enables the Orangeman to exert ruffian violence with impunity --and thus, by means of secret and Whiteboy societies and outrages, the fell Orangemen is able to gratify his predominant passions of avarice, oppression, and cruelty.

"You could not please the Orangemen more than in embarking in secret societies, Whiteboyism, and outrage.

"On the other hand, you could not do any thing that could more afflict your sincere friends; you could do nothing that could give greater grief to the Catholic Association, that now affectionately and anxiously address you. We are struggling to obtain your rights by constitutional and legal means. We are endeavouring to obtain redress through the proper and legal channel, for the oppressions which aggrieve you.'

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CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1824. Corn Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 9.

JAMES O'CONNELL, Esq., in the Chair.

THE account of the Catholic rent received for the last week was read by Mr. O'Connell amounting to £700 4s. 8d.

The receipt from Irishtown and Ringsend, Mr. O'Connell raid, was a powerful illustration that the poorest parishes are those which contribute most largely.

The monthly return, distinguishing the rent from the subscriptions, was also read by Mr. O'Connell, amounting to £3007 10s. 4d.

The secretary read several letters covering remittances, requiring collection books, announcing adoption of the rent, &c. Amongst those read were the following:

แ Darrynane, December 1, 1824. "MY DEAR SIR-May I request of you to have the goodness to hand the eclosed £10 to the treasurers of the Catholic Rent, as my subscription.

"It is the contribution of probably the oldest man in the Catholic Associa tion; but I beg to assure that highly respectable body, that the youngest individual in it cannot be more devoted than I am to the liberties and to the religio of my native country.

"I send this contribution as a token of my approbation of the temper, moderation, firmness, and unanimity exhibited by the Catholic Association.

"I have been personally acquainted with the affairs of the Irish Catholics for very near a century; I am a living witness, for that long period, to the sufferings as well as to the merits of the Catholics of Ireland; and I now fondly hope that, even in my time, their sufferings may be put a total end to, and their merits duly rewarded.

"I remember well the year 1745, when all Scotland, and a great part of Eng

And, was convulsed by a rebellion against the illustrious family now on the throne. At that period the Catholics of Ireland were peaceable and loyal to the lawful possessors of the British crown. If they had been otherwise, the dynasty might have been changed by force, and the present royal family driven into exile; but the Irish Catholics had pledged their faith, and they at least have rever violated their engagements.

We were rewarded at that time with thanks and friendly promises; but th hanks were barren, and it was forgotten to perform the promises.

"I remember well the first relaxation of the Penal Code, in 1778, when the Relief Bill was prepared by the father of the present Earl of Donoughmore; many fiery zealots prophesied that it would prove injurious to the Protestant proprietors of Ireland, and dangerous to the British connexion.

"It had directly the contrary effects. The value of landed property in Ireland was certainly doubled by that measure. every Protestant landholder became richer, by the increased industry and competition of a new and most numerous class of tenants. And as to the British connexion, why at that very time England lost America, whilst in the gratitude and interests of the Catholics she preserved Ireland, I trust for ever.

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"I recollect the second relaxation took place in the year 1782. The combined Яeets, then in hostility to England, were for some weeks masters of the British Channel; they had it in their power, and they threatened to invade these countries, but the British government became so strong by this new act of bounty to the Catholics, and by the then existing union of all classes of the Irish people, that, although the enemy a short time before ventured a descent in the north of Ireland, with a small force; when they found the government wise and the people united, they did not dare to invade, although they might easily have brought over an entire army; and thus, I may say, that a second time a concession to the Catholics saved the British nation.

'The third, and unfortunately the last (but in itself a great), concession was nade to the Catholics in 1793. At that period the revolutionary mania, which in France had subverted the throne as well as the altar, raged like a species of moral pestilence throughout the civilized world; it reached Ireland--and the northern counties, which have been since the theatre of the outrages of the mockloyal Orangemen, were much infected with revolutionary principles, but the government wisely passed the act of 1793, and thereby totally disconnected the wealth, property, and intellect of the Catholics from the plans of the disaffected The rebellion did, indeed, follow some years later, but its contrivers and leaders, most to a man, were Protestants of various sects. There was scarcely one Catholic to be found amongst them; and thus, by the wisdom of the government in conciliating the Catholics by a concession of even a pcrtion of their own rights, the rebellion was prevented from being, what it probably otherwise would have been, a bloody revolution.

"I have thus stated these facts, all within my own recollection, because they prove to demonstration that the concessions hitherto made to the Catholics have had an immediate and direct tendency to increase the security of the throne, and to strengthen the British connexion with Ireland.

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"I cannot conclude without using that which is the habit, and, I hope, the rivilege of old age, that is, without giving some advice.

"I would respectfully advise the Catholic Association to continue to be tem. perate, without ceasing to be active; to persevere in mixing moderation with real and firmness; to continue to inculcate, by precept as well as by example, unconditional allegiance to the crown, and pure attachment to the constitution.

Let every cause of dissension be for ever banished from your councils, and

while you show your attachment to your king, and uncompromising devotion to your religion, proceed with the firmness becoming freemen, and the charity and mildness becoming Christians, to look for a participation of civil rights with your Protestant fellow-countrymen.

"That is all you should, and I know it is all you do desire.

"I gladly avail myself of this occasion to assure you, Mr. Secretary, of my high personal regard, and of my gratitude, for your great, constant, and disin terested services to the Catholic cause.

"I have the honour to be, my dear Sir, your very faithful humble servant, "MAURICE O'CONNELL."

The reading of this communication occasioned, from all parts of the crowded room, frequent and general applause at various passages, and upon its conclusion; and Mr. O'Gorman, to whom it was addressed, when he had finished it, remarked that he was confident, looking around him, that no one would be wanting to move the insertion of so excellent a letter upon the minutes.

MR. O'CONNELL feared it would scarcely become him to be the proposer of such a motion.

The venerable writer had now lived for nearly an entire century, a victim to the cruel penal code; yet his intellect was as unclouded, and his heart as warm to the adopted child of his affections-the cause of Irish liberty and Irish rights, as when his youthful indignation had first been aroused against the injustices and oppressions which had so long been the order of the day against those professing the Catholic religion.

But he (Mr. O'C.) hoped, that his venerable relative would at last witness the opening of a brighter day. (Cheers.) He would, at length, receive some compensation for an age of degradation and slavery, by witnessing the Catholics placed where it was their right to be-upon a level and in complete equality with their Protestant fellow-countrymen. Such a day could not be far distant-even now it was at hand-if the Catholics persevered, as persevere they would-admirable patience!—in their peaceful constitutional exertion and in their unsullied loyalty.

Their loyalty had stood most powerful temptations. Had the Catholics, in 1745, joined the Tories, who are now so actively engaged to perpetuate Catholic exclusion, they would have been emancipated-had they even joined the Pretender's forces, when they marched from Carlisle and nearly reached Leicester, could there be a doubt of their emancipation?

The rebels on that occasion were crushed because the Catholics had not joined them. If they had, the present royal family, would now be heard of in Hanover as the remains of the Stuarts are at St. Germain's.

The learned gentleman then adverted to the period of the

American war as the ground-work of the relief which was then extended to the Catholics-portrayed the important advantages of attending the relaxation of so much of the penal code as had already taken place, particularly that of enabling Catholics to take leases, by which they were insensibly led to identify themselves with the revolution that had taken place a century before. Those estates held under the acts of forfeiture and settlement, were now as secure as if they had never gone from the possession of Milesian heirs.

Mr. O'Connell next adverted to the Courier, which, he said. after so long neglecting the Catholic question, fearing to interest the minds of the English public in it, had now set about abusing the Catholics, foolishly imagining that they could be affrighted from pursuing t ir steady course in pursuit of the dearest rights of man. The lying, ignorant chronologist, in the Courier, assails the loyalty of the Catholics in 1793, but the best and fullest answer to that calumny, is the reference to the legislative acts of that year, when the parliament granted many advantages to the Catholics, and prefaced their several acts for that purpose, by declaring the peaceable and loyal conduct of the Catholics.

The rebellion that followed in some years afterwards was begun in the north, and created, not by Catholics, but by Protestants and Presbyterians.

Mr. Ronayne (the late respected Dominic Ronayne, M.P. for Clonmel) moved the inser tion of Mr. Maurice O'Connell's letter upon the minutes.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Sheil in a very complimentary speech, and passed wit acclamation.

Mr. Tevers, whose letter about the French papers had been read on a former day, was again referred to by Mr. O'Connell, a second letter having been received from that gentleman, containing explanations of his motives, &c. Mr. O'Connell said the Association were, of course, perfectly satisfied, but that it was his duty to repeat there could be no secrecy about any of its proceedings.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 16, 1846.

The amount of rent was announced as £900 9s. 7d., and it was also said that £7000 were juvested in government securities.

A letter was read from William Villiers Stuart (now Lord Stuart de Decies) enclosing £20.

MR. O'CONNELL, informed the meeting, that the writer of this letter was one of the principal landholders in Ireland, and had hardly attained the age of twenty-one. His first public act was,

the discountenancing of interested bigotry, when it aemonstrated the desire of clinging to the hope, that Orangeism would sti predominate, and still remain the source of power and profit to its professors.

The blush of shame should burn upon the cheeks of the county of Waterford Catholics, for having pliantly bent their necks to the Beresford yoke for near half a century; a family that purchased titles, honours, and sinecures, with the means of their Catholic countrymen.

The Catholics of Waterford, who possessed such considerable property, would, he trusted, wipe off the disgrace that had long stained their county, by returning such a member as the liberal Jung gentleman who had written that letter, and whom it was high gratification to him (Mr. O'Connell) to have the honour of proposing as a member of the Association.

A letter from Cavan was read, enclosing money, but praying that there should be un public mention of the circumstance, nor of the names of the subscribers.

Mr. O'Connell said, they could not receive any members who refused to comply with the fundamental law of the Association -that every proceeding of theirs should be made public, as they were anxious to comply with the act of parliament, intended tc suppress Orange societies, but which had no other effect than suppressing freemasonry.

A subscription of ten pounds was aanded in from Lord Riversdale, on whose case ir. being as yet unrecognized in his title, Mr. O'Connell spoke at some length, and concluded with a motion that a petition should be adopted for its full recognition,

THE PENAL CODE-THE ARMY.

As this was the meeting, the proceedings at which were alleged by the Attorney-General Plunkett, for his attempt at prosecuting Mr. O'Connell, we give all the particulars in which he was concerned.

MR. O'CONNELL said that he had been commissioned by Mr. Pallas, to hand in £5, the subscription of General O'Farrell Ambrose, and to propose him as a member of the Association.

Mr. Pallas had been obliged to leave the Association, otherwise he would have made the motion himself, and he (Mr. O Connell) would have had the opportunity in seconding it of retorting the taunts of The Courier, that polluted vehicle of falsehood and calumny. The Courier boasted that the Wellingtons, the Packs,

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