IRELAND.
There was one of those exhibitions in the Rotunda at Dublin, on Mon- day, which are called "aggregate meetings " ; the present being a demon- stration against the legislative proceedings in the matter of convents pro- posed by Mr. Chambers and Mr. Whiteside. The Lord Mayor was chairman. Neither Dr. Cullen nor the Primate, Dr. Dixon, was present ; but the former signified his approbation of the objects of the meeting, and the latter deprecated the introduction of topics calculated to provoke dis- sent. Not without cause, it would appear, although without effect. For in the midst of the meeting, a Dr. Marshall introduced Prince Albert's recent speech at the dinner of the Sons of the Clergy, with such a com- ment that the chairman was compelled to call him to order. Then en- sued " uproar," "confusion lasting fifteen minutes." Mr. John O'Connell appeared, but nobody would listen to him ; the chairman had to repeat to the refractory, "I will adjourn the meeting if you will not sit down" ; but it does not seem that either event occurred, and Dr. Marshall spoke out his inflammatory and abusive speech. In the next row, Mr. G. H. Moore, Mr. Alderman Reynolds, and Mr. Lucas, were the actors—" a tumult of which no description could convey even a remote idea." Mr. O'Hagen, Queen's counsel, said he had come there much exhausted, but he was more exhausted by witnessing "the miserable spectacle of Ca- tholic arrayed against Catholic, and man against man," on an occasion when they should all be united. A petition to Parliament was agreed to, on the motion of Mr. O'Hagen ; and the disgraceful scene at length came to an end.
Previous page
