IRELAND.
Lord Edwin Hill was elected Member for the county of Down, at Downpatrick. on Tuesday, in the room of his brother, the Earl of Hillsborough, now Marquis of Downahire. There was no opposition.
A grand central conference of Protestants of all religions denominations, de- puted from various parts of England and Ireland, was held in the Rotunda on Wednesday, to petition against the Maynooth College Bill. Mr. S. Maxwell pre- aided; Sir Culling Eardley Smith was among the deputies; and about two hun- dred clergymen and ministers were present. Divers resolutions and a petition were passed, as well as a memcrial to the Queen, praying her to withhold her assent from the bill.
Friday the 30th May, the anniversary of Mr. O'Connell's imprisonment, was celebrated in Dublin with imposing effect. The city was thronged from an early hour, as in the case of any great national holyday. The shops in the route of the procession that had been arranged were kept closed; and in other parts busi- ness was suspended throughout the day. The only thing we read of resembling coercion, is the compulsory stoppage of some work at the quays; where the coal- porters interfered to prevent the unlading of some goods.
The procession seems to have been formed in the first instance in the Circular Road, where stands Richmond Penitentiary, the prison in which Mr. O'Connell was confined. The body comprised all the Trades of Dublin, 'each with its band; and is computed by the Repeal calculators to have amounted to 200,000 persons. Its conduct was intrusted to Mr. Reynolds, the City Marshal, and Mr. Steele, "" Head Pacificator,"—who rode on a splendid charger, at the head of two hun- dred dairymen! What with the glitter of semi-military uniforms in which the bands were clothed, the trappings of the horses, the banners of the Trades, (poli- tical emblems, however, being forbidden by the Repeal authorities,) the " Dutch concert" kept up by the music—each band playing its own tune, and the frequent cheers of the people, the show and bustle were most exhilarating and satisfactory to the worthy Repealers of Dublin. A sympathizing and admiring reporter de- scribes the aspect of things in general, when Mr. Steele on his charger passed through the turnpike-gate beyond Dolphin's Barn, as being " grand indeed.' The procession made for the Rotunda, its numbers increasing at every step; inso- much that when the Rotunda was gained, " there were at least five hundred thousand persons present." The ceremonies of the day began within the Rotunda. The members of the Eighty-two Club met before noon in the Pillar-roam--Sir Colman O'Loghlen in the chair—and adopted an address to Mr. O'Connell and his fellow-prisoners. Soon afterwards, the deputations from the provincial Corporations and towns poured into the room. They consisted generally of the Mayor or other head civic officer and the leading members of each Corporation, with other respectable inhabitants' and professional gentlemen. "Many of these bodies had their regalia (!) with them: they were the elite of our commercial communities." All having assembled, Mr. Smith O'Brien proposed the following resolution and 4' pledge "-
Resolved, That in commemorating this first anniversary of the 30th May, we deem It our duty to record a solemn pledge, that corruption shall not seduce, nor deceit cajole, nor intimidation deter us, from seeking to attain for Ireland the blessings of self- government through a National Legislature ; and we recommend that the following pledge be adopted and signed.
" ' We the undersigned, being convinced that good government and wise legislation tan be permanently secured to the Irish people only through the instrumentality of an Irish Legislature, do hereby solemnly pledge ourselves to our country and to each other, that we will never desist from seeking the Repeal of the Legislative 'Union with England, by all peaceable, moral, and constitutional means, until a Parliament be restored to Ireland.'" "The whole assembly," we are told, "raised up their hands, slowly and im- pressively repeating these words= We are pledged—pledged for ever" "; followed by a cheer, loud and long. Another resolution was passed, that the pledge be presented to Mr. O'Connell
Mr. O'Connell, accompanied by his fellow-prisoners—Mr. Barrett, Mr. Duffy, Mr. John O'Connell, Dr. Gray, and Mr. Steele—arrived in a carriage about twelve o'clock, and entered the Pillar-room; his approach announced by deafening shouts, reechoed by the people by whom the building was filled. Mr. O'Connell wore the Irish cap of green fringed with gold, and the uniform of the Eighty-two Club; in which also his companions were dressed. A correspondent, not unused to the sight of royalty, tells us that he saw much of it in the Liberator's aspect; and compares him—strangely enough considering the difference of the men, though not unnaturally if we remember some of their personal characteristics—to George the Fourth.
The deputations meanwhile proceeded to the Round-room, where the great ceremony of the " levee" was to take place. The room fitted up for this royal ceremony is thus described by the Freeman's Journal—" On entenng the room, a magic scene burst upon the view. To the left, against the circular wall, was an elevated platform, of an irregular figure, covered with scarlet, extending about forty feet in length and thirty feet in greatest depth. On the centre of its length, and towards the back of its depth, were placed in a slightly curved line, forming an area of a circle, seven distinguished chairs, for the Liberator and the other gen- tlemen who with him had suffered unjust incarceration. The chair placed for Mr. O'Connell was covered with rich green damask, the framework beautifully
carved and gilded; the carving on the to representing an Insh harp, beneath which were the figures 82,' encircled in shamrock." Other chairs in the same curved line were set for the Mayors of cities, another line behind for the members of the Eighty-two Club; the space in front being left clear for the deputations to present their addresses. Benches for the deputations occupied a large space be- fore the dais : accommodation was provided for 1,000 persons, but it is said that 1,500 squeezed into the space. Beyond that were seats for sisiters, estimated at 2,500, mostly ladies.
Mr. O'Connell entered the room about one o'clock, amid a new burst of cheers. The assemblage at length became composed, and the presentations began; the Corporation of Dublin taking the lead.: Next, the " pledge " was presented to Mr. O'Connell, accepted by him, and signed by many persons present. The pre- sentation of addresses then went on. This ceremony necessarily took up a great time, for there were deputations with addresses from about sixty different places. Some of the documents were addressed only to the " beloved Liberator " or " illus- trious Liberator"• some to his co-martyrs also; and one, from Sligo, spoke of his son John as " Ireland's hope,"—seemmg to regard him as being the Prince of Wales of Repeal. Mr. O'Connell shook hands with most of the people. in the deputations; but he made only one speech addressed to all. This he principally devoted to a contrast between the present day and the 30th May 1844, when he- and his coMpanions went, underan "illegal sentence," to prison.
After the levee, the deputations withdrew, reenteredcarriages, and joined the procession; which resumed its march, and set forward for Merrion Square. Be- hind the deputations came Mr. O'Connell, in his carriage, looking right royal. The procession was now of such length that it took two hours to pass any one' place. Haying thus paraded through divers streets, Mr. O'Connell was set down at his own house. He entered the balcony, and made a speech to the people; whom lie dismissed to their homes. It was seven o'clock when the last of the Trades repassed his house; and soon after the streets were " tenantless."
The meeting of the Repeal Association on Monday presents little for remark. Mr. O'Connell triumphed in the magnificent demonstration of Friday, deplored the prevalence of Ribandism, and diverged into a number of other topics not un- familiar to Conciliation Hall. The novelty was what may be called his nscanta- tion on the subject of the new banking bill before Parliament; against which Mr. Smith O'Brien preferred the charge that it would lay restrictions on some banks. in Dublin. Mr. O'Connell agreed that the new bill had much that was objection- able in it : it did not fulfil it Robert Peel's promises or statement; and be now retracted all that he had said in its favour. If this bill passed, he warned the farmers and others that prices would fall. Mr. O'Gorman Governor of the Hi-. bernian Banking Company, followed to the same effect. The rent for the week was 6431.
A fatal encounter between the Police and peasantry has happened, near Mobilin the county of Leitrim. A party of constables having gone in search of some
delinquents, observed a number of " Molly Maguires" collected in a field, and armed. Having obtained a reinforcement, the Police rushed upon the peasants, who fired upon their assailants; the officers returned the fire, shot one man dead, and wounded others; on which the country-people fled. The constables were re- moving the dead body, when the mob returned in greater numbers, rescued the- body of their companion, and put the Police to flight. Another account says,
that the peasantry attacked the Police-barrack at were, repulsed, and left the body of a companion who was killed in the hands of the officers.
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