CHRONICLE. 



277 



removal, or an alleviation, of these 

 evils, and upon a fulfilment of the 

 promises made to the nation, de- 

 pend the safety of Ireland — its fu- 

 ture attachment to the Crown of 

 Great Britain, and tlie ultimate 

 security of the empire. 



That your petitioners, in con- 

 clusion, beg to state to this honor- 

 able house, that having, from 1782 

 to 1800, experienced the benefi- 

 cial effects resulting from a resi- 

 dent and independent parliament, 

 and having now for ten years felt 

 the operative influence of British 

 legislation, are impelled, from the 

 recollection of the past, and sad 

 experience of the present, to ex- 

 press their conviction to this ho- 

 nourable house, that the very se- 

 rious distresses of the Irish people, 

 and llie dangers to which the coun- 

 try is consequently exposed, are 

 principally to be attributed to the 

 want of a resident legislature, as 

 yourpetitioners, in expressing this 

 conviction, areconfident thatif ad- 

 mitted to the bar of the House of 

 Commons, they shall be able to 

 prove, to its full satisfaction, 

 that such is the real source of 

 the national distress ; and that 

 to the repeal of the legislative 

 union can the people of this 

 country look as the only efficient 

 means of obtaining it present re- 

 lief, of procuring it future prospe- 

 rity, and securing its permanent 

 connection with Great Britain. 



iMr. O'Connell seconded the 

 motion. 



After Mr. O'Connell had con- 

 cluded hisspeech, sir James Rid- 

 dall put the question separately, 

 that the address and petition 

 should stand as the address and 

 petition of the meeting, which 

 was carried unanimously. 



Mr. Hutton then proposed that 

 a committee of twenty-one be 

 chosen, as a standing committee, 

 to co-operate with the other 

 meetings throughout the kingdom, 

 which was unanimously agreed to, 

 and a committee was appointed 

 accordingly. 



Mr. N. Mahon, after a very 

 handsome eulogium upon his 

 grace the Duke of Richmond, 

 whom he wished particularly to 

 consider as distinct from the 

 present administration, moved a 

 resolution of thanks to his grace, 

 for his conciliating and impartial 

 conduct as chief governor, and 

 for the encouragement he had 

 afforded to the manufactures of 

 Ireland. The resolution was re- 

 ceived with very distinguished ap- 

 probation, and was carried unani- 

 mously. 



The thanks of the meeting were 

 unanimously voted to Sir James 

 Riddall, and a piece of plate, va- 

 lue 100 guineas, is to be presented 

 to him. 



Lord French, Messrs. Keogh, 

 Randall, M'Donnell, Plunkett, 

 Hay, and many other leaders of 

 the Catholic body were present, 

 and appeared to assent to the 

 speech of counsellor O'Connell ; 

 who, it was reported, spoke the 

 sense of the Catholic body, when 

 he asserted that Catholic emanci- 

 pation was only a secondary con- 

 sideration to the repealof the union. 



6. A fatal duel was fought on 

 Thursday morning upon Wimble- 

 don Common, by two gentlemen. 

 At half-pastfive o'clockthreepost- 

 chaises were noticed passing over 

 Putney bridge, and at half-past six 

 one of the chaises returned to the 

 Red Lion, at Putney, with awound- 

 ed gentleman, of the name of 



