Opinion Or tljc 131 . r.
sounrE AND EXTENT I ti o'CoNNELL'S POWER.
COURIFIt—itt England we have within a few years had such men as Mr. Cobbett, Mr. Hunt, and some few others, but we have not had, since the period of tile Revolution down to the mesent time, any individital trim has at all approacheal the possession of influence which would mak. him dangerous to the throne or the established institutions of the coital V. At meson, however, somewhat contrary to the general principle we have indicated hy these remaiks, there is one gentleman who possesses, as was truly said by the Duke of Wel- lington, more influence than any person since tlw Revolution. We copy, to- day, from the Tyne .11Irrenry, an account of 3Ir. o'Connelfs entry into Newcastle, and the addiesses which he there received: and how is it, we ask, that this gentleman should form such a striking exception to a generlal rule ? His great popular talents and his ambition led energies are mit stacient to explain this, unless ire take into cmisideration the injustice thole to his country. As Lord Plunket said of the Catholic Association, Air, ()'Comiell's lull u,uct,, " is the spawn of our own wrong." The injustice done to Ireland ha', both fostered evil passions and cherished the ignorance of the People. Tiny can perceive clearly, however, that they are ill-treated ; the sentiment arising from that is not diluted and weakened by tine emotions or intellectual enjoy. ments; the soul of 31r. O'Connell's countrymen is not diffused over a multi- tude of trifles ; it is all concentrated on the one hunting conviction of in- justice, and el that conviction Mr. O'Connell is the exponent :ma the emblem. Thfs is the explanation of his power in Ireland. But mankind naturally admire a display of energy ; and they It awl worship ins- hen it is em- ployed in their own favour. Now, Mr. ()Vermeil, in conquering for the Irish, 'fought the battles of many of our own countrymen. The half-pro- scrilxid Dissenter, the man forced to pay a church-rate to keep up an edifice to which he never repair., gained. through 'ii r I t'Connell, a victory over the power which he feels to be unjust and oppressive, when that gentleman con- quered Catholie emancipation. That is hitt the illustration of the manner in which Al r, O'Connell has, by his suceess in Ireland and his conduct in Par- liament, served the cause of large classes in England and Scotland, who, suffering under some similar injustice to tit it he so successfully resisted, now meet and honour 111,1 at 'Manchester, Nencast le, Edinburgh. awl Glasgow, as the most powerful political character of the illy. We have long and con- tinuously warned the clerical agitators of the Church of Ireland against the COUTse tiny were pursuing ; we wanted bishops and pens, and the late Pthne ilinister, against the fully of encouraging these agitators ; we told the Lords that they did themselves and their cause vast mischief by taking notice of Mr. O'Connell in Parliament, and attacking him as if he were an eiputl and match for the whole Peerage, and what are tile consequences? Why, Mt. O'Connell has become a match for the Peerage. Ile goes through England. agitaing, as he says, the onequestion of hereditary legislation, and he is followed and cheered by crowds. Attacked as a Catholic, he agitates as a politician, and inflicts deep and deadly wounds on the Irish Church—the odiousness anti injustice of which the 3I-Ghees and the O'Sullivans, aided by the Exeters and the Kenyon., have made common topics of remark, and have imprinted deep in the hearts of the People. Thus, at a period when, front the general diffusion of knowledge in England, we ought to look for the equalization and almost destruction of individual influence, Mr. O'Connell has been made by the continued injustice done to his Catholic country- men—by the injustice practised by the Church of England toward. the Dis. sentets—by the foolish attacks of certain l'eers—by the absuid projects of the itinerant agitators of the Irish priesthood, and by the ran-al of the Peers to zemedy many of the grievances complained of—a match for the whole Peerage and the Church of Ireland. Daily assailed by nearly half the journals of the empire, that does but rivet him in the attachment of one class of the People; and if he were nut modest and prudent, if he did not inculcate obedience to the law and frown down tumult and disorder, it is clear that his influence would be far more dangerous to the public tranquillity titan was that of Lord George Gordon, of Watwick the King-maker, or of Wat Tyler.—September 16.
THE BIBLE FESTIVAL.
G Lour—It is a pity that the approaching close of Simpson's summer reign at Vauxhall, and the ensuing interruption of the commerce of compliment as car- ried on betwixt that worthy and his " Eminent Sir" of the Times newspaper, should have driven the latter from jeer tresprit on "juvenile fkes " and " Waterloo nights," to fill his columns with anticipations of " an interesting commemoration," by particular desire, for the approaching 4th of October. We trust, however, that Simpson, whose services are now disengaged, will be
intrusted with the ordonnanee of this new festival businelat. The propriety of the Times being made the channel for the announcement of a " religious festival " (does our contemporary remember his language about the Fast?) can only he exceeded by the aptttude of Simpsou for the important function of toaster of the ceremonies on this occasion. We have already told our readers what the principal events are of the year 1535, which they are called upon to celebrztte in 1815. They are—first the decapitation of Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher. As we are not Simpsons, we cannot guess what his genius may evolve from these incidents. But then comes the buening of eighteen 'Anabaptists ! Alagnifique! What Site fireworks! We are quite for making Simpson Grand Metropolitan of the whole mummery. We are also quite satisfied that Simpson, whose mighty mind eau descend to dates, awl noue of whose transparencies of follow; victories ever displayed a false anno &mini—we are sure, we say, that Simpson- if' he gets the manageownt of the PM, will prevent the recur- rence of such blunders as have stigmatized its vet)' aunouneement. " As the printing of the first entire English Protestant version of the Bible," says the Nevelt:n(1 Alr. Hartwell Ilm ne, " executed by Alyles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter, (luring the reign of King Edward the Sixth, was finished on the 4th day of October, 15:35, it has been proposed religiously to celebrate that event on Sunday the 4th day of October le35." They have now found out that the reign of Ethvattl the Sixths did not contmetice till twelve years later. Pretty fellows to cater for centenaries for the lii lush public ! Simpson, we engage, would have succeeded better. The solitary fact, then, that is lea them to celebrate is, as we punned out yesterday, the translation of the Bible hy Cover- dale. We pointed out the extreme unimput tance of that one fact. We pointed mit the prior claints of Wickliffe to the mei it of first having made ktiown the Wind of Gtal to the English pt•ople. We pointed out that Coverdale's obscure translation was superseded the very next year by order of Henry the Eighth, and that it was not till 15:19 that the re 11y important iutci.huai t to tie Catholic ;Ind Protestant controversy took pate—the Royal warrant, namely, permitting private persons to read the :unlit), ize I (not (overdale's) version of the lade at their own homes. The latter has sunk in oblivion. The Caw Bishop of Exeter, 31vIes Coverdale, has no more beim temembered than tin.' present will he tin ee hundred years hence. hones have only been gruhhed ui for a fietioiN porposv,:by factious industry ; and the Reverend Alr. Hartwell Horne has done to 'Myles Covertiale a service scarce a grain more osehil than Cobbett did Toot Paine. We disclaim all idea of colnparing the
chat acters or the parties.—Siptember 16.
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