IRELAND.
— At the usual meeting of the Repeal Association, on „Monday, a "mon- ster" letter was read from Mr. O'Connell on the present position of Fede- ralism and Repeal ; making a somewhat important declaration. He be- gins with chuckling over his victory in the State trial ; reiterates that the Objects of the Repeal struggle and the monster meetings were perfectly legal ; and enforces the necessity of conciliating every party in Ireland, and especially of winning the confidence of Protestants in all classes and all denominations. He parades a great number of "reasons" why that confidence should be reposed in Catholic Repeaters by Protestants of all -classes,—namely, first, the tolerant conduct of the Catholic people when three times in possession of political power ; secondly, the language, and thirdly, the peaceful conduct of the Catholic people during the struggle for Emancipation ; fourthly, his own principle, that every change in political institutions should be effected by exclusively moral and peaceable means—he possessing the unlimited confidence of the Irish people; fifthly, the conduct of the Catholics after Emancipa- tion, without insolence or triumph; sixthly, that conduct in respect to Parliamentary and Municipal elections, Liberal Protestants having in- variably been preferred to Catholics; seventhly, the peaceful conduct of the people at the monster meetings ; eighthly, the Temperance move- went; ninthly, the number and strength of the Protestants themselves, who would be supported against Catholic ascendancy by enlightened Catholics and Protestant England ; tenthly, the state of property in Ireland, which must give the Protestants a large number if not a ma- jority in the Irish House of Commons ; and lastly, the unirritating con- duct of the Repeal Association in this day of triumph. Reiterating some of his arguments in favour of Repeal, he refers to the speech of the Conservative and talented Dr. Maunsell, as proving the general agreement that there must be some change. The time is most oppor- tune to carry Repeal, peaceably, quietly, legally, constitutionally- " We are arrived at a time when, if the Protestant and Catholic Non-Re- peelers abandon their apathy or opposition, and join in the agitation for the Re- peal, the Union can be repealed without danger, difficulty, tumult, or force ; and without in any way disturbing the rights of property or the enjoyments of social life. A. bloodless political change, such as that of 1829, can now be achieved without difficulty; a bloodless political change, such as that of 1782, can now be achieved without the least difficulty." The Repeal Association do not require any O'Connellite party : they are willing to give up the lead in the great movement to the house of Leinster, the Charlemont family, Mr. Grey Porter, Mr. Sharman Craw- ford, Mr. Smith O'Brien, the Honourable Mr. Hutchinson, or to any other gentleman of talent and fortune, Protestant or Catholic. There is nothing revolutionary in the conduct of the Repeaters; there never was a period of more good temper and hilarity ; the very presence of a large military force in Ireland, sent to prevent Repeal, would be pro- tective of the peaceful settlement of the great question. Everything favours a combination ; even the prevalence of the hitherto scattered elements of Federalism facilitates the great object. Federalism has not yet displayed itself in the strength which he believes really to belong to
; and he proceeds to see how far" simple Repeaters" and Federalists can go together. They agree, first, in preserving a connexion between Great Britain and Ireland by the power of one sole Executive and the golden link of the Crown ; secondly, in a necessity of repealing the Union statute ; thirdly, in a necessity of reconstructing the Irish Par- liament ; fourthly, in the restoration of the Irish House of Lords. The real question between Federalists and Repeaters is the extent of the powers to be granted to the new Parliament-
" Both parties are agreed, that these powers should be sufficiently extensive to enable the Irish Parliament to protect the lives, liberties, and properties of the Irish People ; that it should have power to enact all laws to be of force in Ireland; in short, that it should be an efficient Parliament for all legislative, financial, and judicial purposes, within her Majesty's realm of Ireland. "The simple Repeaters are of opinion, that the reconstructed Irish Par- liament should have precisely the same power and authority which the former Irish Parliament had.
" The Federalists, on the contrary, appear to me to require more for Ire- land than the simple Repeaters do ; for, besides the local Parliament in Ireland baying full and perfect local authority, the Federalists require that there should be for questions of Imperial concern, colonial, military, naval, and of foreign alliance and policy, a Congressional or Federative Parliament, in which Ireland should have her fair share and proportion of representation and power. " It is but right and just to confess, that in this respect the Federalists would give Ireland more weight and importance in Imperial concerns than she could acquire by means of the plan of the simple Repeaters.
"If there were such a Congressional Parliament as the Federalists propose, one-third or thereabouts of the Members ought to be Irish ; giving to Great Britain the other two-thirds.
"But as yet the Federalists have not spoken out : Mr. Grey Porter has promised his project, but the time within which he was to produce it has not arrived. It is to be wished that some authentic statement should be made on behalf of the Federalists. This, at least, is certain, that any such plan will be received with deferential respect. and canvassed by every honest Repealer with perfect candour and earnest solicitude to arrive at a just and beneficial conclu- &ban.
"For my own part, I will own, that since I have come to contemplate the specific differences such as they are between 'simple Repeal' and ' Federalism; I do at present feel a preference for the Federative plan, as tending more to the utility of Ireland and to the maintenance of the connexion with England theft the mode of simple Repeal. But I must either deliberately propose or deliberately adopt from some other person a plan of a Federative Union, before I bind myself to the opinion which I now entertain. " We anxiously await their patriotic cooperation. But, should they allow the present favourable occasion to escape, they may hereafter regret not having obtained that influence in the Repeal cause which everybody is now ready to give them, but which they may hereafter find it exceedingly difficult if not impossible to obtain."
The rent for the week was 407/.
The Whig Dublin Evening Post makes an oracular announcement, that "a movement is now in operation which will bring forth opinion in a manner very imperfectly, if at all, anticipated by the whipsters of the Castle " ; and that it will be joined by Protestants of the upper and middle classes.
The affairs of the Reverend Theobald Mathew are said to be greatly embarrassed in consequence of liabilities which he has incurred in the promotion of Temperance : his difficulties are even said to be "urgent."
Four murders are reported in the South of Ireland, arising out of dis- putes respecting the possession of land : three of the men murdered were land-agents. Another man has also been beaten in such a savage man- ner that his life is in danger : his father nad seized a tenant's stock for rent.
A great slip of earth has taken place between the South front of the Dublin Customhouse and the Liffey, in consequence, it is said, of the recent storm. The rent in the earth is one hundred and seventy yards long, and in some places twenty feet deep. Fears are entertained that the quay-wall, and ultimately the Customhouse itself, may come down ; the building having been erected upon piles in a marshy ground. Steps have been taken, however, to repair the breach.
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