]830.] Affairs in General. 583 



Iiis paltry, pitiful lawyerlings, puts his vile name to his paltry proclama- 

 tion putting down freemen. I would rather be a dog and bay the moon, 

 than the Irishman who would tamely submit to so infamous a procla- 

 mation. I have not opposed it hitherto, because that would implicate 

 the people, and give our enemies the English Major-General and his 

 lawyerling staff a triumph. But I will oppose it ; and that too, not 

 in the way that the paltry Castle-scribe would wish by force. No ; 

 Ireland is not in a state for repelling force by force. Too short a period 

 has elapsed since the cause of contention between Protestants and 

 Catholics was removed ; too little time has been given for healing the 

 wounds of factious contention, to allow Ireland to use physical force 

 in the attainment of her rights, or the punishment of wrong." 



This too is capital. The abuse thrown on the Irish secretary is so 

 much thrown on the Lord Lieutenant, who throws it on the English 

 government, who put it up among their memorials of the grand measure 

 of conciliation ; and all this was cheered to the skies by a full audience. 

 No man stepped forward to doubt a syllable of it. The whole was as 

 true as the mass-book, and the multitude of patriots rejoiced in the full 

 declaration of their sentiments. Even for the Parliament, into which, 

 by the help of his grace of Wellington, and Sir Robert Blifil Peel, he 

 led his fellow patriots, his admiration is not too enthusiastic. His ten- 

 derest word for it is the " rotten, boroughmongering Parliament." 



But Sir H. Hardinge, not being yet accustomed to the polish of the 

 patriot oratory, was boyish enough to be angry, and send his friend the 

 adjutant-general to ask, whether the orator were more mad, drunk, or 

 patriotic, when he drew his picture. Colonel D'Aguilar, as true a gen- 

 tleman, and as gallant an officer as any in the service, performed this duty 

 with the good sense characteristic of him ; and the Grand Agitator was 

 obliged to repeat, for the fiftieth time, his determination to use his 

 tongue without the hazard of his teeth. He fights not ; but, as he says, 

 reserves himself for that forthcoming period when there will be some- 

 thing to fight for. However, this shewy style was not comprehensible ; 

 and a pen being put into the Agitator's hand, the following document 

 appeared, which we preserve for the purpose of recording in the archives 

 of this country for ever. 



" Mr. O'Connell does not feel himself called on either to avow or dis- 

 avow any thing attributed to him by the public papers. At the same 

 time, that if any allegation of fact be pointed out to him attributed to 

 him which is not true, he will readily either disavow the assertion if 

 untruly attributed, or contradict and atone in every way possible for the 

 allegation if he made use of it. No man living is more ready than Mr. 

 O Connell to disavow and atone for any error in point of fact which he 

 may have fallen into. Mr. O'Connell will not receive any kind of com- 

 munication with reference to a duel. He utterly disclaims any reference 

 to such a mode of proceeding, be the consequences of such disclaimer 

 what they may, repeating his readiness to retract and atone for any fact 

 alleged by him not founded in proof. He spoke of Sir Henry Har- 

 dinge in his public capacity, as an instrument of despotism. He did not 

 say one word of him in his private capacity. As a public man, he did 

 speak of Sir Henry as he would of any other man who trampled on 

 the liberties of Irishmen ; and he must say, that fighting a duel would 

 be a bad way to prove that Sir Henry was right or Mr. O'Connell 

 wrong." 



