IRELAND.
Mr. Shell was again elected for Tipperary, on Monday last. He was proposed by Mr. Cornelius O'Callaghan, and the Catholic Archdeacon Laffan seconded the nominatim. We take a few passages front Mr. Shell's speech; which, however, was by no means one of his most brilliant efforts. lie referre i to the support he received front Mr. O'Callaghan as proof that he we.., not returned to Parliament merely by the ilk snimate excitement of tits popular masses. He dwelt with sa- tisfaction on the weakness of the Tories in Tipperary, and then pro- ceeded to defend the Government from the charge of having performed
little for the people ; as an excuse for their slow progress, the great diffiaulties they had to encounter, especially in the opposition of the House of Lords-
• "There are many measures for the benefit of Ireland which the Ministers are most anxious to carry, but which the state of parties has unhappily re- tarded. Archdeacon Liam tells you, that you ought not to condemn the Governmsnt for not achieving what it is out of their power to accomplish. There is one other subject to which A releleacou Laffau adverted, and to which I think it right that your attention sle-ibt be called. He has spoken in terms of Rat ursi and well-deserved condemns t ion of the course pursued by the Tory faction in the House of Lords ; and, while lie has expressed a hope that no one of the ancient constitutional institutions of the country should be swept away, he has intimated his apprehensions that the rashness of faction may so far pre- vail in the House of Lords. that, under the influence of a just resentment, the people of England may at least conceive that House to be worse than surplus- age in the constitution. For my part, strongly as I reprobate the factious proceedings adopted by the predominating factions in the House of Lords, I am convinced that that assembly will ultimately give way to the imperative de- mands of the Irish people ; and that, whatever resistance they may hitherto have offered, they will yield, as they before have yielded, whenever the will of the country, cooperating with a constitutional exercise of the prerogative, shall have expressed itself in a peremptory and decisive manlier. Remember what befell on the passing of the Reibrin Bill, and with what facility the House of Lords was coerced into an acquiescence with the demands of the country. Look even at a more recent, far less important indeed, but still exceedingly illustrative incident. In the last session of Parliament, the Post-office measure was denounced by the Tory party, with the Duke of Wellington at its head ; and yet, because the popular feeling had been unequivocally manifested, after a great de II of idle protestation, the House of Lords succumbed to the necessity which bad been imposed upon then,. Bit what need have we to refer to events in which the conduct of the Lords is ts he referred to the operation of public opinies in England, when we may appeal to the extortion of our own great emant:i,ation, from the sense of dire t.,:e,,sity which we awakened in that party who hive always predominated in the Upper House of Parliament As we then succeeded, so shall we hereafter prevail ; and bear in mind, that we bring additienal means of success in the vast and augmenting power with which the people of Ireland have been invested."
Had not the Whigs given them Normanby for a Lord-Lieutenant ? (Load cheers.) "I rejoice to witness the entim-:Lsm, and I may say the affection, with which the utterance of a name that will be dear to us as long as we have hearts in our bosoms has been received by you. Nor is this feeling confined to the locality in which I am at this moment speaking. In no part of Ireland could ten men, deserving of the name of Irishman, be collected together, who
at the utterance of the name of Normanby would not feel as you do. He it
was wino first introduced that wise and salutary policy which has won the heart of Ireland. His magnanimous and elevated character made him sympathize
moat deeply in wrongs ; and while the generosity of his disposition prompted
him to take part with tine Irish people, his sagacity taught him that he should best consult the interests of England by asserting Irish rights. He deter-
mined on carrying emancipation into full practical effect, and between all
classes of Irishmen he abolished all religious distinction. No man on account of his peculiar sect found favour in his eyes ; but no man, on the other hand, was disqualified in his judgment by the religion which he professed. It is a calumny, never was there a fouler one, that Lord Normanby, in order to ad- vance the Irish Catholic, depressed the Irish Protestant. God forbid that he or any other man should ever do so. No 1 Lord Normanby did not lower the Protestant, but he raised the Catholic to that just level with the Protestant to which by emancipation the Catholic had been theoretically exalted. But there are those who think that their elevation depends on the depression of these below them, and who conceive themselves to have descended because they see others lifted up. This is the meaning of the factious exclamation about the poor persecuted Protestants of Ireland.'" Mr. Shell declared his perfect confidence in the stability of the Government-
" I go back to England; and if I had nothing but the success of the Govern- ment in this country to rely upon, 1 might rest on that success as aground of perfect confidence in the stability of the Administration. You have lost Cam-
bridge,' said a Tory to me in London. Yes,' I replied, ' but we have kept Ireland, and Ireland we shall always retain.' How could the Lords govern this country ? They must resort to coercive measures, which the House of Com- mons would probably not carry ; and if the House of Commons did carry them, then the army in Ireland must be doubled. There were in Ireland 23,000 troops in 1834 ; there are now only 13,000; and since 1834 the police has only been increased by 300 men. Would such a military establishment be sufficient if the Tories came into office? Rightly did Sir Robert Peel exclaim when he gave his famous explanation—' My great difficulty lies in Ireland.' " He drew a picture of the condition of affairs under a Tory Adminis- tration— " An Opposition of a character more than progressive—an Opposition united and consolidated, as oppositions always from their nature must become—a Gos vermin:lit made up of the representatives of discordant sections of Conserva- tism—foreign powers emboldened in aggression by the internal distraction of the country—Ireland organized and discontented, with argunmenting power and increasing, resentment—more troops, nore taxes, more Chartism, more of all that good and wise men concur in deprecating—these would be the result of a Tory Administration."
He concluded by declaring, that although he went to England to support Ministers, lie would always vote in accordance with the ex- pressed wishes of a majority of his supporters, though iu so doing be should find it necessary to relinquish office.
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