1829.] Affah-s in General. 201 



a black and dismal epoch that so contemptible an animal as Mr. Gerard 

 Callaghan could have presumed even to think of success. It was mon- 

 strous to suppose that a worm which could have crawled only in the 

 storm, should now be allowed to assume an important air in the calm." 

 This we quote from the account in the papers, of the meeting at the 

 Corn Exchange, Dublin. This we conceive to be as pleasant a specimen 

 of papist opinion as ever was visited on a candidate ; and unless Mr. 

 O'Callaghan shall find some method of vindication, we shall vote him 

 one of the most tranquil persons imaginable. But the speech contains 

 pubhc matter as well as private; and to this let tlie Dictator look. 

 " A Cork Election Committee is to be formed," says Mv. O'Connell, 

 " in Dublin immediately ; and this will be the fore-runner of a perma- 

 nent Election Committee, for every county, cH/j, and borough m 

 Ireland, which mill sit in Dublin, having the use of the Exchange rooms 

 for one year" — or, of course, for two or ten, as the occasion required. 



And we are now to be told that IVIr. Peel's bill extinguished the Asso- 

 ciation ! v/e shall next see how it has extinguished the Rent. " Although 

 the collection of the Catholic Rent is illegal," says JMr. O'Connell, "yet 

 the funds for can-ying on the present contest can be casilij procured with- 

 out violating any law ; and the moment a liberal candidate would an- 

 nounce his intention of contesting the election, that moment the neces- 

 sary fu?ids would be procured." 



Of course this boon is not the privilege of Cork alone, but would 

 be extended to every election ; and we presume that the funds would not 

 come out of ]Mr. O'Connell's pocket. The name of the Rent is easily 

 cast aside, and the " Election Fund" will do just as well — a fund which, 

 we will tell JMr. Peel, may be, and will be reinforced by the money of 

 every popish state in Europe. Let the Dictator look to the conse- 

 quences. Somebody or other ventured to say that the " old Rent" 

 ought not to be touched for the purpose. On this Mr. O'Connell pledged 

 himself, once more, that " whenever the funds for the election should 

 be required, they should be forthcoming." (Cheers.) And there can 

 be no doubt that they will be forthcoming, and that, in the course of 

 a few years, the Irish representation will be as much in the hands of 

 popery, as if the whole island were a college of cardinals, and the Pope 

 sat in 'full conclave in his good city of Dublin. All that the papists 

 want is a little time. When their finance is once arranged, the subse- 

 quent steps will be as easy as any other bargain. The member for 

 Sir Masseh Manasseh will, we have no doubt, be horrified at the idea of 

 this parliamentary commerce. But we have already supped too full of 

 this kind of horror to be startled by the advance of the sums which are 

 deemed essential to the grand victory of the faith. This is the day of 

 popish triumph, and why should it not be followed up ? We know the 

 moral life and the sublime Christianity of the cabinet ; but notwithstand- 

 ing our homage for them, and our utter disbelief of the stories that they 

 amuse themselves in their gayer hours with telling of each other, we 

 rely upon Mr. O'Connell's pledge that he will estabhsh a permanent 

 meeting in the Irish metropolis, which some will be invidious enough to 

 call a defiance of the grand duke and his law, and some will call an Irish 

 parliament ; that he will raise a regular revenue, which will rapidly 

 secure the delicate conscience of every county, city, and borough in 

 Ireland ; that a few sessions will have discovered to the minister that he 

 has brouglit a troublesome levy of orators into the English House, and 

 M.M. New Series.— Yoj.. VIII. No. 44. 2 D 



