quence, that under Mr. Plunket's bill, a Catholic clergyman' cannot expect promotion by means of the qualities which best entitle him to it. His learning will be useless to him. His Diety will be dangerous to him. His zeal, destructive. What qualities, then, will serve him? What qualifications will secure his appointment? The detail is short, plain, and simple.

[Mr. O'Connell has written his letters in the little intervals snatched from the arduous professional avocations of a busy circuit. He has not been able to finish them at two or at six sittings, or to send them to us otherwise than in portions. We promised in the Herald of Tuesday, his second letter on the Double Pains and Penalties' Bill, and we were, by the post of yesterday, furnished with so much of it as the reader has just perused. We expected the conclusion by this morning's mail, but, instead of it, we have received the annexed note. The entire we shall certainly be able to give on the next Tuesday.]

"TO THE PROPRIETOR OF THE EVENING HERALD.'

Limerick, 22nd March, 1821.

"MY DEAR SIR-The pressure of professional business has rendered it impossible for me to send you the remainder of my second letter by this post. I regret this circumstance, because I think it of great importance that the Catholics of Ireland should become acquainted with the remainder of the Veto Bill as soon as possible. I am particularly anxious that the various pains, penalties, and punishments to which, if this bill passes, our clergy will be subjected, should be distinctly understood. I also wish that the Catholics should see how admirably contrived the bill is to prevent its lying for one hour as a dead letter, and to make i execute itself.

"For the present I can only pledge myself to demonstrate, in your next publication, that there has not hitherto existed in Ireland any law so horribly cruel to the Catholic clergy as that which Mr. Plunket proposes.

"I am, my dear Sir, your very obedient Servant,
"DANIEL O'CONNELL."

VOL. II.

I

The bills of Mr. Plunket passed the lower house, but were fortunately defeated in the upper upon the second reading.

considerable degree of division and angry discussion had arisen among the Catholics, with relation to them, but the majority of the country, headed by the prelates, repudiated them, and hailed their defeat with satisfaction.

Matters that occurred during the debates upon them in parliament, drew from Mr. O'Connell the following letter:

"TO THE EDITOR OF THE CORK MERCANTILE

CHRONICLE.

"SIR-I should pass over in silence the mention lately made in parliament of my name, but that I think it may be injurious to the cause of anti-vetoism, if I did not contradict one assertion which appears to have been made there.

"Mr. Martin of Galway is reported to have said two things of me: first, that I had endeavoured to procure a requisition for a Catholic aggregate meeting in Dublin, and was unable to obtain more than nine signatures; secondly, that I have no chance of a place, or, in his own words, not less true than facetious, that if it rained places, not one would be given to me.

"The first of these things Mr. Martin spoke from information, and I beg to inform him that his informant entirely deceived him. There was not the slightest foundation whatsoever for the story. The tale was a pure invention of the person who related it to Mr. Martin, and I presume he will be glad to know how little credit ought in future to be given to the person who misinformed him.

"When I left Dublin there was not the least notion of an aggregate meeting. The resolutions in the committee of the whole house, as proposed by Mr. Plunket, were so vague, general, and unobjectionable, that no aggregate meeting could be held to oppose that veto, which was carefully concealed, until the bills were brought in, and until it was not possible any longer to conceal it. But at that time the circuits had gone out. It seemed as if there were a very dexterous management to keep back the veto until after the Catholic lawyers and country clergymen had left Dublin for the assizes. The consequences which were, I believe, foreseen, have actually taken place, and Dublin, instead of giving, as it formerly did, and as it naturally ought, the tone to the clergy and laity of Ireland, will now receive its own impulse from the clergy and laity of the provinces.

"With regard to the second allegation of Mr. Martin, I admit its force and its truth. I receive it as unmixed praise. If I am not looking for place or office, it furnishes a strong argument to

prove that I am honest. In religion I am a sincere Catholic ; in politics I am a sincere reformer. I come, indeed, within the class of radicals, and owning myself a radical, I cannot be surprised or displeased to hear it said, either that I am not suited for office, or that office is not suited to me.

"Avowing these principles-looking upon reform as absolutely necessary, and the repeal of the union as a measure without which Ireland cannot prosper, I am pleased to have obtained the censure of Lord Castlereagh. May I never live to sustain the infliction of his lordship's praise. He says, 'I have not cultivated the peace or tranquillity of Ireland. The species of cultivation in which his lordship has been engaged, and the fruits it has produced are, indeed, apparent. I think that the peace of Ireland would be promoted, and her tranquillity ensured by a reformed and a resident parliament. His lordship is of that class of politicians- ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.' My plan would be different. I would people our solitudes with a free and happy nation; and the bloodless revolutions on the Continent of Europe prove that my daydream for unhappy Ireland may yet be realised. This hope may the more confidently be entertained, as we neither wish for, nor want any revolution. All that is necessary for us is restoration and reform.

"I am glad to find that those who deem a public meeting to be only a farce,' are getting up a protest: That is quite right. We shall now be able to count our vetoists. In Limerick they were, I think, nineteen. One has since deserted. We can easily count them-but could they count us?

"I have the honour to be,
Your obedient Servant,
"DANIEL O'CONNELL."

The divisions which had once more become thus painfully notorious in the Catholic body, prevailing during the spring and summer of 1821. They manifested themselves strikingly in the dispute which occurred respecting the terms of a requisition for a meeting, which took place in July, about the time when it was first known with certainty, that the king would visit Ireland..

Mr. O'Connell drew up the first form of requisition which invited the Catholics to take the occasion of their preparations for the king's visit, to assemble and consider also of the state of their affairs, and what line of conduct it might be their interest to pursue in the then depressed and gloomy state of their prospects.

Lords Fingal, Netterville, Gormanstown, and Killeen, with Sir John Burke, Mr. Bagot, 2nd other commoners, published a protest against

"Connecting in any manner the general question of Catholic affairs, with the object of voting a congratulatory address to his most gracious majesty, on the auspicious event of his visiting this country."

They accordingly got up another requisition "for the SOLE purpose of addressing majesty.

Mr. O'Connell, anxious for unanimity, readily yielded his own views and adopted their requisition.

STATUE OF KING WILLIAM

It was at this time that the old Orange Corporation of Dublin, held out; for the first time, very fair seeming, but what, ere many months elapsed, were proved to be very false colours to the Catholics. The king, driven, as it were, from England, by the execrations of his people, and the cowardice of his own evil conscience, was coming to Ireland, heralded by vague and deceitful promises and assurances, put forward to conciliate the Catholic Irish, and ensure him, at any cost, a good reception. The leaders of the Catholics were not blinded either by the treacherous advances of their corporation enemies, or the deceits with which the way was sought to be smoothened for the king's approach. Still key were true to the policy of their lives, and resolved to interpose no check to the popular feeling, and to seem to entertain no doubt of the lavish assurances which were being heaped upon them. Even a direct breach of engagement on the part of the corporation authorities, in a manner seriously affecting Catholic feeling, was allowed but to create a momentary irritation.

There had been a kind of promise given, that the annual insult to the Catholics of bedecking King William's statue, in College-green, with orange ribbons, &c., should be omitted this year, to favour and forward the conciliatory movement which was said to be taking place. The promise was, however, broken, and the customary insults took place upon the orange anniversary of the 12th July.

The following report, given by a paper then adverse to Mr. O'Connell (The Dublin Evening Post) will show that he was not the most eager to allow this incident to have any lasting effect:

CATHOLIC MEETING.

"There was yesterday a numerous and highly respectable meeting at D'Arcy's Corn Exchange Tavern.

Shortly after three o'clock O'CONOR DON was called to the chair.

"The report of the committee appointed to wait on the lord mayor on Wednesday, and his lordship's letter to Lord Fingal, being read

MR. O'CONNELL addressed the meeting. He said that heretofore much had been done, and that the conduct of the Catholics had been not only pure, but unimpeachable. They had much to forget they had been greatly injured by insult and taunts; yet, when an offer was made towards conciliation, they hailed it with shouts and gladness.

Mr. Wadden (said Mr. O'Connell), one of our Protestant fellow-Irishmen, our brother Christian, was the person who came and said the olive branch was offered, that it was held out, and the Orange should be kept back. Such was the promise, but

scarcely had the air in which that promise was uttered ceased to vibrate, nor was the ink dry upon the letter which conveyed it to Lord Fingal, when those insults were renewed, and the shouts of triumph resounded through Dame street. I do not (said Mr.

O'Connell) condemn the lord mayor as being a party, but I blame him for not preserving the public peace. If he had put constables' staffs into our hands, he would have had a force sufficient to prevent midnight outrage. The lord mayor is the chief magistrate, and therefore, instead of going to wait upon the first inagistrate of police, he could have commanded him to his Mansion-house, and could have required his co-operation, and that of every magistrate and officer of the establishment, as well as that of every citizen.

We have been told that an application was made to the castle, and from thence to a high legal character. I wonder (continued Mr. O'Connell), if we were to exhibit a wooden horse, with a wreath of green and shamrock about him, whether there would be all this going about; in considering ourselves insulted, the best way to do is not to leave anything in the power of our enemies. My object (said Mr. O'Connell) in shouting when the proposal was made, was not that I sought emancipation for any particular sect, but that I wished for a repeal of the Union; it has been said, that it never can be repealed; but that is a libel against God and man. The Union grew out of our dissensions, and it will cease within twelve months after they shall cease. Mr. O'Connell then proceeded to state, that Lord Fingal had intended being present, and taking the chair at that meeting, but was prevented by indisposition. He (Mr. O'Connell) therefore proposed, that a committee should be appointed to ascertain what the entire substance was of the communication which had been made to Lord Fingal, and that the meeting should adjourn to Monday.

"MR. MAHON in a few words seconded the motion.

"MR. SHEIL opposed the motion. For what were the committee to adjourn? Was it with the hope of uniting with the corporation? The late insult offered the Catholics in College-green was too broad and open to admit of such a thing. A promise was held out, a pledge was given; they were both violated, the Catholics had been insulted, and it would be weakness to procrastinate. The meeting should decide at once on what was proper to be done. Let the meeting act as individuals would do in ordinary cases-let them resent the affront at once, rather than revolve it in the mind for ever. The lord mayor had in.. timated to Lord Fingal at the last meeting, that unanimity was much to be desired, and hoped that its blessings, now attained, would extend to the future. These sentiments were hailed as favourable symptoms, but THE VERY NEXT DAY after their promulgation, the OBNOXIOUS STATUE in College-greeu was COVERED