TOPICS OF THE DAY.

RAPHAEL, O'CONNELL, AND THE TIMES.

IN a previous column we have given a letter addressed by Mr O'CoxNELL to the Electors of Carlow, in reply to the attack of Mr. ALEXANDER RAPHAEL, and another from Mr. VIGORS to O'CONNELL on the same subject. RAPHAEL'S own statement convinced us, that the charge of had faith amkpecuniary extortion which he endeavoured to fix upon O'CONNELL was groundless. We now learn from O'CoNNELL's letter that, in preferring it, RAPHAEL has been guilty of direct falsehood. The facts of the ease, as it stands at present, are these.

I. it APHAEL, being desirous of getting into Parliament, repeatedly applied to O'CoNxia.r. for his aid ; and he especially solicited it while the Cotmnittee which unseated Biters: and KAVANAGH for Carlow County was sitting.

2. Upon the decision of that Committee against the sitting :Went- hers, o'CoNNELL informed R APHAEL that now NVaS his time; that he would undertake to have him nominated, with every prospect of being elected for Carlow, upon his paying WOOL cash immediately for the preliminary expenses, and another WOOL upon being returned.

:3. it APHAEL demurred about paying the money ; and O'CONNELL, in order not to lose precious time, guaranteed him against all payments over the -.2010/.—arbminst the expenses of the election, and even of a pe- tition should there be one.

4. B APHA EL paid the 1000/., and was returned with :ltr. •Vrcoes. petition against his return was presented. The second 1000/. was then required ; mud, in violation of his agreement, RAPHAEL refused to pay it for some time; and actually did not produce the money till several weeks after his return.

5. It was soon apparent that the ence of Vmotts and RAPHAEL was in a had way. We can state on the best possible authority, that it had become useless to proceed with it for some days before O'CoNNEt.t. consented to stop the proceedings. The sitting Members were un- seated, and Itaellam, lost his 2000/.

6. Every fitrthing of the money which API( AFL paid to O'Cox- mai. was handed over by O'Cossaaa. to Mr. VIGORS; who expres:ly acknowledges the receipt of it.

7. It thus appears that O'CoNNEr.t., acting on behalf of the Carlow Liberals, became guarantee for them to HAItIAn. that the latter should not be called on to pay more than '2000/. : this he did for the good of the cause, not having himself any personal or pecuniary interest in the matter.

S. RAPHAEL had all he bargained for, (though he shalobily tried to escape from performing his share of the contract): he was nominated and returned ; and his seat was defended against a petition, not only until, but after the defence became hopeless. Thus O'CONNELL Was most fully discharged from the obligation under which he placed him- self. Mr. VIGOICS was privy to the whole proceedings ; and declares that O'Cosxect.'s conduct throughout was "the most liberal, upright, and honourable."

9. RAPHAEL has acted throughout with indescribable meanness,— fawning on O'CoNseu. for aid ; prof..ssing supereminent patriotism, sparing no pains to drive a trnly Jewi,h bargain, and then skulking from the perform:nice of it. lie has violated the confidence unwisely reposed in him, by puhlishie:,' most private correspondence; and has stated direct falsehoods to make good his miserable case.

On a review of these facts, we can only come to the conclu.iiou which our contemporary the C■nrier, so distinguished for the ability and boldness of its kite strictures on Irish questions, has come to—that " Mr. MONNE!. L'S hands, so far as this transac- ' tion is concerned, are, unless the testimony of Mr. VIGORS be • absolutely false, as pure as those (or any public mail who er:r esisted."

The Times—which has now little else but abuse of O'CON.. NELL and the Irish Priests to subsist upon, from the danger of bating its old sayings cast in its teeth in refutation of its new professions—the Times, no longer " leading," but lying, shuf-

fling, and spiteful, struggles violently but feebly to bolster up RAPHAEL'S accusation. It professes inability to imagine what

motive O'Coaraient. could have had to put Ra.raAEL into the representation of Carlow, seeing that be neither knew nor cared any thing about him. Is it not very usual for constituencies

to look out for a candidate, of their own polities, who can

defray at least a portion of the election expenses ? and was not RAPHAEL, apparently, such a man—ready, anxious to get

into Parliament, and rich ? True, O'Crearsio.r. was deceived

by him, notwithstanding that be bad been warned of hia slippery character : but it is no discredit to a man's honesty, thiingh it is

a slur upon his discernment, to have been duped. But then,

O'CONNELL wrote pressing letters to bring RAPHAEL to the point! To be sure he did': there was no time to be lost ; the money and the candidate were required immediately ; an answer " yes or " no" was wanted ; and it was then manifestly for the good of the cause that the answer should bc "yes." RAPHAEL did not pay Mr. BAKER, neither did Mr. O'CONNELL —" Does Mr. Baker work for nothing, or does Daniel never pay ?“ sagely inquires the Times. Ask Mr. Vmmts, good Timer, who paid Mr. BAKER: it was to VIGORS that O'CONNELL gave RA- PHAELS 2,0001.

But O'CONNELL said to RAPHAEL—" Send to Mr. Baker the particulars he wants of your qualification. I will stand between you and him for all expenses." Well—perhaps Mr. BAKER re- quired O'CoNNELL's guarantee, preferring it to that of RAPHAEL Int .Vtioas., At any rate, this does not look like an intention on the part of O'CONNELL to shirk the performance of his engage- ment to RAPHAEL.

Again, O'Corstsees writes to Mr. HAMILTON for the 10001. lodged with him for his use. This is merely a formal mode of

requiring payment. There was no need to tell Mr. HAMILTON

Low the money was to be applied. We know how it was applied. To show the real nature of O'CONNELL'S share in the transaction,

we may refer to his letter to RAPHAEL, ill which he says—" I send you Vigors's letter : return me thieletter, as it vouches 800/. for me." This proves that O'CONNELL only received the money as an agent, and considered himself accountable for the disposal of

it he paid the money to VIGORS, and wished to retain the voucher for it. A man does not want a voucher for himself, but to show to others. Yet the Times absolutely quotes this letter to substantiate the insinuation that O'CONNELL intended to pocket Raenweis 2000/. himself!

It is impossible, says the Times, that either VIGORS or O'CON- NELL can get over the fact that RAPHAEL was to pay 1000/. for being nominated—no expense legally attaching to the ceremony of no- mination. The Times has been desperate and absurd from the beginning—now it is positively silly : does it not know that the preliminary expenses of any county election—the advertisements, placards, &c.—are very considerable ? The "legal expenses" commence before nomination, and go on pretty rapidly immedi- ately after.

The Times assumes that the Liberal electors of Carlow were bribed with RAPHAEL'S money, and then makes a prodigious splutter about the sin of corruption,—quoting O'CONNELL'S de- nunciation of the Ipswich bribers. But where is the proof— except in the Times where even the allegation—of bribery ? Who ever thought of bribing a county constituency, and paying all the legal expenses of a contested election lesides, with 20001.?

We believe that we have not left a single quibble of the Times unnoticed. All its special pleading has merely made more mani- fest the weakness of RAPHAEL'S case, and the desperateness of its own. All that has been said and written upon it since the publi- cation of RAPHAEL'S statement, has only served to strengthen our first impression of the intrinsic silliness as well as baseness of the ishole case as a ground of attack on Mr. O'CONNELL. O'CONNELL says that RAPHAEL'S conduct is equally incredible and unintelligible. If what we have heard of the man is true, be is actuated in this affair by the same motives which generally influence his conduct. Mr. ALEXANDER RAPHAEL IS said to be Vain, ostentatious, avaricious, and wealthy ; strongly impressed with the idea that money can procure every thing, but grudging the disbursement of cash even for procuring what he especially Tongs for. The Standard insinuates that lie paid 2000/, to a City attorney for his election to the Shrievalty of Loudon : he was in hopes to have secured a knighthoodalso by the proper application of rmeicy ; and it is now said that he is to be rewarded for his attack on O'Coscssaa, by a baronetcy, should his new friends, the Tories' again come into office. As a candidate for a scat in Parlia- ment, Mr. RAPHAEL is known to some of the electors of Mary le- bone, who contemptuously rejected his advances, on the ground that be was "uninstructed "and silly : he is also known in West- minster, but not creditably as a political aspirant. Such is Mr. ALEXANDER Rapusee—at present a notorious person, for he has contrived to fasten his name to that of O'Consrees; but he will seen sink into obscurity as well as contempt. The Tories have rued him, but will never make a baronet of him.

But think of the ci-devant Leading Journal feasting from day ID day on such garbage !