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Northern Star (1837-1852), 17th November 1849, Edition 1 of 3, Page unpag, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      Xn * & **** & > FME 3 SDS , ? -V * JZ I l was ex 3 ied from m Y native laud , yoffadopted me ; and for now siventeeh years 1 hav e recaved kindness , affection , and gratitude from your order , and to such an amount ^ t you may rest assured , that , wherever I 3 hw ver i ° ay be my fate » * ™ t ? 12 yoUj nor deserfc y ° « ig ^ wMsaii -SS ^ tutfiiai

      neither despot , oppression , persecution , class , nor villain , shall destroy . . Ihave received the warmest and most pressing invitations to be present at the forthcoming Conference , and I an also going to attend the Irish Universal fcuftrage Association meeting , on Sunday nert , the 20 th . And you may rest assured , t&at neither excitement nor enthusiasm shall ! . ! Sf m l ? fte commission of a single indis-CTeet act * for , as I have told yoa many a time aad oft , I would rather ne a drununi in the SL ° £ ress &an the Commander-in-Lhief of a retrogade or stand-still movement

      . My beloved friends , had it not been for the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act , and from the conviction that Clakesdox , the Gaoler-general of Ireland , would have put it infull force againstme , I would have visited my country when her defenders were persecuted , and you may rest assured that I Trill now protect myselfagarast the harpy fai ^ s of what is termed the law

      M } beloved Mends , I look upon this fraternisation between the people of both countries , as the solid foundation of such a . union as tjyranny-eannofc destroy ^ or subttety . impede . At foot of my letter you mM find a requisition sent to me by my countrymen , in' 1847 , and you , -who understand my tactics , inow that I always "bide my time ; " and now , thanks be to Almighty God , the time to come .

      in this week ' s " filter" you will read the narrative of my Father ' s trials , sufferings / and persecutions , extracted from " Coblett ' s Register of 1810 , with that writer ' s grapliic comment upon it ; and in next week ' s "Star " you shall have a faithful narrative of all that transpires in FATHER-LAND ; and , upon my retain you shall hear all ; t ill when , Believe me , Tourjever Fond , Faithful , andTJncompromising Friend , Feakgus O'Couxoh . "TO FEARGTJS O'CONNOR , ESQ . " Respected Sib ,

      " We , your fellow-countrymen and citizens of Dublin , having learned through the public Press , and heard through other channels , of the great and lasting benefits which you are conferring upon the working people of England , whose cause you have esponsed and advocated through good report and through evil report , and for whom you have suffered long imprisonment and great loss of property , most respectfully ixyite you to' return—even for a short time—to your native country , to hold public meetings there , and to develope those political principles and plans for the redemption of the working classes ofyour own countrymen , which have been so eminently successful in England .

      - " Sir , it is almost needless to state—for the whole world knows it—that after forty-seven years of suffering and struggling for liberty , our condition is twenty-fold worse now than when we commenced . Disfranchised , turned out of our holdings , sent adrift upon the world , forced for years past to live upon lumper , potatoes , which the very pigs reject when they can get a better sort ; our numbers diminished by some three or four millions , instead of having increased like the inhabitants

      of every other country ; and now , after all our persecution , we are deserted by those in whom we confided so long ; left at the mercy of every tyrant— 'of every reckless political charlatan —who look upon us as things to be used up for then : interests . "We are left without rudder or compass , or even a single plank to keep U 3 from sinking—to rise no more . Under these circumstances , which are but a mere outline of our abject condition , we hope and trust that you will accept of this our hearty invitation .

      " Rest assured , Sir , that you—and such of your English friends as may chance to accompany you—shall receive from us a cordial welcome—a cead miUefalte . "Dublin , March 27 th , 1847 . "

      Untitled Article

      HUNT'S BIRTHDAY AT ASHTOX-UXDERLYXE . On Saturday evening , November 10 th , a large number of the disciples of the immortal Hunt met at the house of Mr . James Dewsnap , Yictoriastreet , to celebrate the seventy-sixth anniversary of that noble patriot . The large room was tastefully hung with all the portraits of the principal Chartist and ° republican characters , who have moved on the political stage during our time—amongst which appeared conspicuously a large oil painting of Messrs . Hunt , Frost , and O'Connor , meeting in the realms of happiness , and being surrounded with caps of liberty as crowns of glory , greeting each other by the hand , and conversing of the fallen state of their country , and of times past . Frost is made to sav in the course of conversation ,

      And must I see my o » vn—my native land . Sink at the will of a despotic hand . 0 yes ( says Fcargus ) in a mind serene , { Britannia ' s rains in the distauce seen ) Old Britain's isle , the for renowned , the hrave , "Will slwrtly sink beneath corruption ' s -wave . Peterloo and other paintings met the spectators eve amongst which was Widdin < rton Farm situate oil Salisbury Wain , the house where Hunt was horn . After doing justice to the good things pro-Tided which reflected great credit on the worthy liostess , and the clotli being removed , thai sterling democrat , Mr . Edward Hulma , was called totho chair . The chairman opened the business of the

      evening H relating some passages m the memoirs of Mr . Hunt , and concluded by proposing , The Maicstv oi the People , the only source of power , ¦ which was drank enthusiastically . Mr . John Smith , of Hurst Brook , responded in a very neat speech . The next toast was , " The Immortal Memory of Henry Hunt , the man -who never deceived people . This toast was responded to by Mr . Samuel \\ alKcr , of C barlestown , who gave an historical account of the life of the patriot since the year 1312 , until the time of his death . He concluded by saying that this was the 29 th anniversary he had met to celeand that he

      ura'e the birth of this great man , was instrumental in forwarding the monument erected to hL memory in Manchester . Song , "In Wiltshire fair a child was born , " by James Ashworth , of Hurst Brook . Toast , " The Charter , an Englishman ' s birthright . " Responded to by Benjamen Dewsnap . Song , " Ye wealth producers , by Mr . George Drinkwater , a man who has grown grey m the cause of the people . Toast , " Feargus 0 ConnoF , Esq ., and the Land Plan . " Responded io by a member of the Land Company . Song , " Peterloo , bv John Stafford , the Charlcstown poet , being one Of his own compositions after having been at the pjerloo massacre . Ita * " The 3 . 730 ElectW Preston who voted H . Hunt in foibanwsnt . jSong , tv James Schofield , -Henry's Ghost . " The next £ »< t . was « Robert Emmett , and all the spirits of

      W recited Emmett ' s speech as delivered before l , crerecirea _ c . r Emmett ' s no more , " nor and the Charter , the meeting broke up .

      Untitled Article

      SABRATIVE RELATING TO MR . O'CONNOR . ( From "Collete , We ^~ Political lUgitor" of May 12 th , 1810 . ) The public will not have forgotten that at the time when the forcible entry was made at Sir Francis Burdett ' s house , at the time wnentfc army was called forth to execute the warrant of the Honourable House-at the time VA 1 > 1 p fLTITE IlLi .. . irn ^ * -- - ___ 1 - * l V

      wnen the soldiers , in pursuance of this object , entered Sir Francis ' s dwelling—forced this true En glishman ' s castle , and with muskets loaded , bayonets fixed , swords drawn , and the match at the touch-hole of the cannon , succeeded in forcing him to a prison ; at that time Mr . Roger O'Connor was in Sir Francis's house . The public—or at least that part of the public who have been , for the last fifteen years in the habit of attending to political matters—know that about thirteen

      year * ago Mr . Arthur O'Connor , a , . younger brother of Mr . O'Connor , was charged with treasonable designs ; and after some vain attempts at producing a legal conviction of him , the government of Ireland entered into a treaty with him , agreeing tcidrop all proceedings against certain of his friends , and to put' ar Sal ^ the ' JFgrEiLofHhe " armyjigiwut the people—to whomfie was ' known to be attached—upon condition ^? his giving them whatever information he might possess relative to the views and resources of the people in insurrection ; and upon the further condition of his emigrating to any country not at war

      with England . In consequence of this treaty Mr . . Arthur O'Connor emigrated , and is at this time understood to be the conductor of a celebratedprint called the "Argus , " published at Paris in the English language—a print which it is supposed , and perhaps truly , has done , andisdoing—agreat deal of injury to this country . When the peculators and boroughmongers , and their abettors , are hard pushed , when they are driven into a corner , when they have no defence to ofier , and when even then * arts of shuffling and lying , and false swearing and canting fail them—when thui hemmed up they have ( as the attentive

      observer must well know ) always recourse to charges against those from whose powers of detection and exposure they meet with annoyance . These public robbers , like private robbers—and indeed likereal criminals of every eort and descriptien , always , instead of thinking about their own defence , think about nothing but of the manner in which they shall attack the motives , or the character , or both of their accusers . They do not say " the charges preferred against us are fa lse ; " they dare not say "the things alleged against us are not crimes . '' But unable to deny either the

      criminality of the deeds , or that those deeds have "been done by them , they say nothing at all about the charges against themselves , but fall to the preferring of charges against their accusers ; charges , too , which have nothing in common with , which have no sort of connexion with , the charges preferred against them , and which they do not attempt to repel only because they cannot repel them . In default of truth they never scruple to resort to falsehood , in these their charges ; but their more common -way is to make up that sort of mixture of both , which when applied to a purpose like

      that here spoken qf , is called misrepresentation , and which is perhaps the basest of all possible modes af hostility . To this mode of attack the boroughmongers and their hirelings had recourse upon the occasion of Sir Francis ' s committment to the Tower . They saw him in prison—they saw that physical force had prevailed over him . This they -would have liked well—tins -would have delighted them—thil would have flattered their guilty souls with a promise of cessation , at least of those deadly

      hostilities which Sir Francis , at the head of the people of England and of the whole kingdom , was waging againt them . But they saw , to their inexpressible mortification—they saw , at the same time , that the soldiers had been called out—they . saw that horse , foot , and artillery had been marched to London—they saw that it required on army—ay , a larger army than I believe we have nmo in Spain and Portugal —to take the unarmed Sir Francis to that prison to which a vote of the honourable House had doomed him : thev saw that it

      required THE CO-OPERATION OF THE ARMY to enforce the Orders of the honourable House against the avowed and well-known enemy of injustice , cruelty , corruption , and public robbery . All this the boroughmongers and their hirelings saw—all this they knew right well the nation and the world would see too—they were fully aware of the effects of such notorious and striking facts ; they knew well , they felt , they were taught by instinct , that in minds even the least cultivated and

      accustomed to reasoning , the right , tho true , the inevitable , and to them tho dangerous conclusion , must be drawn from those facts , —and , in due time be acted upon , —unless the public could by some extraordinary effort bo instantly misled by falsehood , or intimidated by alarm . Accordingly , soon after the Piccadilly exhibition had been crowned with success , the boroughmongering crew set to work in their vehicles of falsehood . First , they Would fain have persuaded the world , that it was nothing but " a contemptible rabble" who opposed the-imprisomnent of Sir Francis ; but

      then there was the army , there were the cannons planted in the streets and squares , there were , the armed boats brought up the Thames and stationed opposite the honourable House . There was no getting rid of these facts ; and unless they could be gotten rid of , it was , the boroughmongers saw , in vain to attempt to cheat the world into a belief that the friends of Sir Francis were " a contemptible rabble . " The next fetch was to accuse the friends of Sir Francis with violent and murderous actions ; with firing off pistols in the streets at the army , and with having formed a design to block up the ends of

      streets , and tumble down the bricks and tile * upon the heads of the army . If this had been true it would have afforded nothing in support of the assertion , of the friends of Sir Francis being a " contemptible rabble , " but it was notoriously false ; and we have now pretty good proof of the falsehood , ia the failure of the offer of £ 500 to bring forth any evidence of a transgression of the law having been committed by the peoplt , while it has been proved , upon the oaths of two juries , that some of the Life Guards did commit wilful murder upon two , at least , of the people . There is no getting over this . Soldiers are sent to aid in executing an order of the

      " representatives of tlte peop le ; and in this execution tho said soldiers commit murder upon the jicople , while it has not in any case been proved that the people , though some o f them were niurdered by the goldiers , committed any act of violence upon the soldiers . What then were the boroughmongers and their hirelings to do ? Why , resort to their old expedient , namely—abuse , defame , -vilify , the person * by wlioni this exposure had been produced . For tins purpose the accident of Mr . O'Connor ' s being in the house of Sir Francis at the time of its being broken open , was eagerly seized on , particularly by

      one writer , who , in his conduct upon this occasion , has discovered a degree of malignity andof cowardice rarely to be met with even in the crew to -which he belongs , and never to be found in any other description of men . The baseness of this man ' s attack upon Mr . O'Connor is truly unspeakable . Xo words can do justice to it . It was hot merely a wanton attack ; Mr . O'Connor was not only an unoffending party in the case , and it was not only attacking him for the alleged crimes of his brother since he left the kingdom , as well as while he was in it . In addition to all this there was the reflection that the assailant

      Untitled Article

      fo ^ ISSS * 7 VS ? 1 * popuhr PWdice existing ! w ? n ? 2 mSt the W" ™* of O'Connor ; aua the assailant , however deficient in point of underthrtfil , ! - !? ' , « " ?» % enough to perceive that this prejudice would in some deffreefat any rate , work for him and his abominable' cS ivSS Th ' f Tr « sometuing so detestably unjugt m the attack that very few persons wei-e influenced 2 rfL t ?^ , ] ra 8 the feelinS that it generally ^^^ raawiiri S ^ f ^ e ^ t ^ i ^ St h t 0 / urni 5 h «> e with a Sarratire of £ m hv I ™ 3611 m re 3 P ° Cfc t 0 MOUMtWM ftgauut f was the Tn nrrnra ? nt ~ Whi 0 h nm ^> ^ deed ' l was the more anxious to possess , from having . ™ l ™ 0 UK& bj Wrong VomternrtMJirAWstmif

      neara tnat liberal . mmded , kind and honest man ° ™ wnSTO ° ' - tl ' $ ? ever was treatment more SveS S thatwh ^ this very gentlemen had dS « nf concermD & * «> h treatment the tiKfiSNr ° T ?**?* durin ? theadmmistra-Sp ; , f ' n Xand ^ . Grenvilfe .- Thiscircum-Xw ? ? I / 5 ? - ? t 0 the othei i m ° tives ; whichi led me to desire to possess Mr . O'Connor ' s narrative , which having obtained , I here present it tci my ^ readers mMsownwords . Upon reading this narrative , where is the just man who will not ioin me in execrating the recent attempt to excite , to renew asusplcion of his character and his motives ? WeUmay he set out with observingthat the people of England know worse . than nothing of Ireland . But this is not

      strange : "Diride and oppress" is an old maxim ; and it woiddJiWviftraiage- incleed if thisi maMin ^^ , fo rggfeai ^^ their hirelings . Hencey the ' never ' ceasing- dalummes upon the ' Irish people . Who , upon observing the manner m which Mr . O'Connor has been spoken of since the affair of . Piccadilly ,, would not ima » ino that he was a low desperate adventurer , or at least a man living upon Sir Francis—a sort of hireling patriot—in short , a man almost as despicable as if he were a tool—a gulper of false oaths under a boroughmonger—almost as despicable as if he were a journeyman m the work of corruption . 'Yet is Mr . O Connor a gentlemen of ancient family and of independent fortune , having his possessions in lands , being one of the owner * ot his native country , and havingof ll the motive

      , course , a s that a man can possibly have for preventing that country from being robbed—for preventing property from being t att »/ roro . rte miners , of whatever description the robbers may be , or under whatever name they may approach . With this preface I shall submit the narrative to my readers , beseeching them to reflect that Irishmen are not only men as well as themselves , that they have not only feelings as well as Englishmen , but that Englishmen possess norights to the enjoyment of which Irishmen are not fully entitled , and that to deny this proposition is to declare open war against the people of Ireland ,. and fully to justify every act that they have , or may , commit in hostility to England ; a denial , therefore , which no one but a traitor to his king and country will ever attempt to

      MR . O'CONNOR'S NARRATIVE . From a desire to make the people of England acquainted with Ireland , of which they know worse than nothing , receiving as they do , all their accounts through the medium of a description of persons ia the constant habit of calumniating that people : and from a wish to give the people of England the means of forming a judgment between tfe government of Ireland ( during the residence there of Lords Camden and Cornwallis ) and me , it cannot , especially at this mement , be thought obtrusive in me to lay before a just , but prejudiced public , a faithful narrative of those facts which took place in my particular commencing on the 27 th of December , 1796 , and ending on the 8 th of May , 1803 , a space of

      ucany seven years , during the whole of which time , a continued fire of persecution was kept up at mo . Connorville , the former . place of my residence , it situated about fourteen miles from Bantry Bay , where a French fleet made its appearance on the 23 rd of December , 1790 . To oppose a landing of the troops on board this fleet , about 5 , 000 of the Irish militia had advanced and occupied the villages about me . For the manner in which my tenants , my friends , and myself treated these men , I refer to tho panegyrics in the Houses of Parliament in England and Ireland at the time . We cheered them in their distress ; we administered to their wants , of which they had no ordinary share . On the 27 th of December , about nine o ' clock at

      mghtr-sucha hideous . night as . my remembrance cannot parallel—I was informed that my . porter '« lodges were full of soldiers in quest of quarters . I went to them . They were in a sad plight . I found them to be two companies of the "Wexford militia , with seven or eight officers . Day or night , rough or smooth , my countrymen were welcome to me . I had then a largo house well stored . I was in the midst of plenty , full of happiness . I brought all the men to my house . My mind has no register of the time they remained with me , nor what I did for them . My tenants were very good to those with them . M y friends ( that was the whole country far and wide ) opened their doors to this native army—let them want for

      nothing—and oven when the terror of invasion had subsided my tenants and myself presented the poor fellows with the billet money to which we were entitled , to buy them shoes and stockings . I did my utmoat to make thesituation of the officers as comfortable as possible , and this I will say , that I received from all more thanks than wredue , and experienced their gratitude far exceeding the obligation . I learned afterwards that these officers—strangers heretofore to me—had been directed by some agitators to my house , in the expectation of my not admitting them , which was the opinion also of all tho officers in the army , I dare say such of them as live at this day will acknowledge that they received a more hearty welcome at Connor Villo than at the

      house of tho most "loyal" man in Ireland ; that is , the man that has the largest pension , or most lucrative sinecure or post in the kingdom . Whilst this division of the army was in their cantonments m my neighbourhood , when the men lost their muskets , bayonets , and ammunition—which frequentl y happened—they came to me , and I had the things restored to them . The soldiers became attached to me . Long—indeed always before these events—I had been an object of great jealousy and hatred ; I bad ever been in the habit of committing a cryin » sin in Ireland . I had borne myself so to all ' the people , that they were greatly attached to me . I had appointed arbitrators iu every parish through an immense district , who decided all controversiesthe

      , occupation of the pettyfogging lawyer was nearly gone . I curbed the vice of drunkenness—I prevented riots—I did all the good I could . It will not , therefore , surprise any person in the least conversant with the character or complexion of the rnling fictions in Ireland , that I was an abomination to them ; and , when to these vices in their eyes the thanks of the poor soldiers were superadded , my crimes were not to be endured , and I became an object of suspicion and distrust . In this state of things—the French force having loft the coast—a young man , from my neighbourhood had gone , in the beginning of March , to see some friends of his at Bantry , where he was arrested for administering the Oath of Union . On being questioned , he

      acknowledged that he had received it from my steward , a lad not more than eighteen years of nge , who was also arrested ; and both were conveyed to the prison of Cork , where every means were used to extort confessions from them to implicate me . They . declared , however , that I was the last person to whom they would disclose anything of tho kind . Their honesty and persistence in truth were called treason to their country and attachment to me , and a council was called together in Dublin , at which it was determined that I was very dangerous , and a warrant was issuedto arrest me on suspicion , the act of Habeas Corpus being at the time suspended . Tho secret , however , was not well kept . I discovered the plot .

      I lay down in my own house the nighi on which I knew that an attempt was to be made to Beize on me by a large detachment of horse , attended by lords , esquires , and generals , and their staff—and beforo they had marched half a mile from their quarters I was ( at a distance of twelve iniles ) apprised of their having set out . They made their search for mo , and a considerable depOt of arms , which they wero informed were secreted in the lofts and collars of my house ; neither were there , and they marched bacli . The next day I wrote to the jud ge , who was then holding the assizes at Cork , saying , that "If he would give me assurance of a TRIAL , then for

      anything that could bo alleged me I would go to him , otherwise that I would not surrender . " As ho wa « not authorised to g ive mo the assurance I demanded , and as I preferred the liberty of the comnwm air and the use of my own limbs to unlimited imprisonment , I stood out till the latter end of April , when , finding my health somewhat hurt from the manner of my living , particularly from damp , 1 left home , and came to England on the 27 th of April , where I remained till tho middle of June , when Ireceived advice from home that several of my tenantsand othersof the poor people , to theamount of fifty- one , had been flung into prison , and that two unhappy men had been induced to swear against

      Untitled Article

      ! & hJi ? iT ° - cket also contained a proclama-Tthnf Ll t P een 1 ? 8 ued ^ Lord Camdeh on the nlntt / on / 01 ' , mvUin S every Pe « on to come K ™ Urrender 'A S security for the peace »« " ° fbein V f ^ her questioned . Very mftoit-& , rtUnity ^ Proclamation afforded mnSotTfndl - ™» Pfr » qr against the people nS ^ Troi V ? their defence , I re . SS ! ' ^* nte ( i mys < tf ** Mallow to SSffl ? / ames CottoD « on the faith ot nu -whwKS ? ' ? erf ? rmed the terms required of me , which-was to give bail to bo of the peace for an " ^ Be £ l Whic ! } \ fPP risS « CamS home on thn SrW " ' From MalIow I ™ nt Sted bv \ r h S- - £ ' and on th 0 "H » "as arrested . oy Bnmdier Gen . Rvi-o rw * „ + i ,: « ?? £ thfim II

      as ^ i s « s dated the lBt of if ^ J f ° ' as he sai ( 3 > «» order , dated tne 1 st of July , to arrest me . On his having doneBohewasatalosswhatto do with mo 5 attended me to B audon , where I was to reSSn till he . Bhould hear from Dublin . . On the third dav of m ^ 7 in £ an don I received a letter from M ? Pelha ^ ' ? & Dublin tho samo day I SS wrested ,. aUhe camp , near Bandon , 180 mLa from tow ?» » a W l Lord-Pamden wished muclTb ? me inDubhn , and that if I would comply I m \ kt ft ? ffinl TT , , *« fecUy ^» fe S arrest , and th | t I should be permitted to'return home lmmediifl&lv : Tka lotfS&'ti- - ™ - ^ ' - ' :. , * . —— - 9

      . rr „ - -. gKV .. ' . ~ , " * * lK % ' ;" t'WuiiuuuiaaTCU-IO H ^^^ i ^^^ PS - -

      - ness from me to him would save his life ; I superadded a word of esteem . Capt Roche was not molested We arrived in Cork fcTvenL J whS we halted for the night . A man of the city ot access to me . Corli is the place of my nativity ; I have friends there ; would that every man couU 5 say the * ame . wler . e he 1 S be st kn ° r ! I discovered that it n ~ t ni tV ? V 1 Oence t 0 ^ Pt- R °° he , I prevented it . I took him in safely to Dublin . On Z w » r ^ TJ- 'V ^^ tArdfinnan where the Wexford militia ay . All the officers requested Of Capt . Koche to toll Lord- Camden the services I rendered them and the thanks they owed me . We arrived in Dubhn and saw Lord Chichester , who lifw *? ! , M , rrest ' , wrote t 0 Mr- Cooto that I was not to be molested atrain . T n > f .,, m , H

      home and in the beginning of September I went to he assizes of Cork for the purpose of defending my rSJhKft n . ^ Wbefore mentioned 1 sent them all to their homes and prosecuted the S&e # who vvereboth transported for perjury to 5 $ I y + n ?? T * Oped t 0 en J ° y with Vtomily that peace to which innocence has always right to expect . I was cvueliy deceived . An unsigned , un-^ i 7 fh ° / LT as se " p t 0 the Gl > anS Jui'yon I a i i ? i ¦ the asslzes > when two . of the judges had left the country , and a bill of indictment was found against me for High Treason . On this paper I was united . and flung into prison , where in a dungeon nine feet square , filthy beyond description , I lay rotting for seven montha , never havinir felt

      rue mnuence oi the sun , nor breathed on by the air during the whole time ; at the end of which I was conveyed from this dungeon to the court , to go through " a trial " upon charges of every species of treason and rebellion . Two witnesses vcre brought up under a strong military eu * rd They were sworn . What did they depose ? That they knew not / iing of me ; that one of these papers was written without the knowledge of the witnesses that when it was read to him he declared it to be false , and refused to swear to it ; that he was offered ± 300 a year to swear to it , and threatened to be instantly shot , if he persisted in his refusal , and he did persist . Th , e other witness swore that what was called his information was all written down

      without consulting him-that when he refused to sign it he was threatened to be hung , and that at length he was prevailed on to put his name- to it on nis receiving an assurance that it never was to appear , and that it was . only a matter of form . 1 was acquitted instantly . All the people , all the military expressed their joy ; the judge trembled ; he was seen stretching out his imploring arms from the bench to me , in the dock , amongst robbers and murderers ; he was heard to cry to me for mercy to protect him ; and I did protect him , not a hair of Ins head was touched . On my being released I did not return even to my house ; I did not even take one day ' s repose . No , my beloved brother was a prisoner at Maidstone ; he is one year younger than

      I am ; we were reared and educated together , never one day or night apart for eighteen years . The thought of him banished every idea from my mind ; I set off to him that very night , arrived in London in four days , as quickly as I could travel ; I wrote totho Duke of Portland for permission to be admitted to my brother ; ^ received his answer at five o ' clock next morning , by four Icings messengers , ivith a warrant to arrest me ; and from my bed was I taken to the house of Mr . Silvester , and that evening was I taken off for Ireland . We landed about ten miles from Dublin at night ; I saved Mr . Silvester and the Bovr-street constable—my companion-from a watery grave , and conducted ' them safe to Dublin , where we arrived at three o ' clock in

      the morning . I now for tho first time since I left London lay down , and had not been in my bed more than three hours when Mr . Silvester awaked mo , to tell me that another king ' s messenger had that moment arrived from the Duke of Portland to take me back instantly to London . This was about seven o ' clock in ^ the morning ; about twelve , Mr . Silvester informed me that Mr . Cooto desired to see me at the Castle . Mark the instability of fortune . Behold O Connor , brought by a constable , to have the liberty of being admitted to tho presence of Mr . Edward Coote ! I did see him , the interview was not of long duration , tho conversation was not of many words , but it was important . I asked him the meaning of these proceedings , what post haste

      treason I had committed in tho four days that I travelled from Cork to London , above ' 100 miles . Hear his answer ; " U ' c do not pretend to have any charge against you , but vo know your power , and suspect your inclination ; had my advice been taken , you should not have been brought to trial in Cork . ' My opinion was , thntyoushould ' havebeonkeptinconniiement under the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act , and it now appears I was right . " Well , that afternoon about two o ' clock , I was obliged to set oft ' back again towards London , where we arrived the fourth morning—having been forced to perform journies of nearly 1 , 200 miles , and cross tlio Irish sea three times in thirteen days and ni ghts , during the whole of which time I never was permitted to

      take off my clothes , nor to lay down for more than seven hours . I was kept in custody at tho house of Mr . Silvester till my brother ' s acquittal at Maidstone , when we wore both taken to Dublin , whore we were lodged in the samo prison room on tho 2 nd of June , 1798 . In July , a spatial commission was opened in Dublin for the trial of all those against whom any charges had been exhibited ; amongst whom neither my brother nor I were . Three had been executed . Mr . Byrne , a relation of the Marclnoness ^ of Buckingham , was condemned , and was to be executed on the 24 th of July . On Sunday , the 22 nd , some negociation was set on foot , in a way never yet ascertained , between tho Government and some of the state prisoners in Dublinof

      , which it appears that neither my brother nor I had any intimation till Tuesday , wh cn Mr . Dobbs and the sheriff of Dublin entered our apartment , and showed us a paper purporting to be an acquiescenco on the part of seventy-three of the prisoners to give information of any arms , ammunition , and plans of warfare and to emigrate on condition of a general amnesty , and of pardon for Mr . Byrno , who was to die that day , and for Mr . Oliver Bond , who was at that moment on his trial , if he should be condemned . My brother and I declined entering into any agreement . Mr . B yrne was ordered for instant execution , which instantlvtook Dlace . Mr . Bond was to

      ; -n ° mi Frid « iy < We hoard no more of the paper till Thussday evening late , when the samo Mr . Dobbs , accompanied by Mr . Samuel Nelson—one of tne prisonsers from another of the prisons , came to that where my brother and I lay . All the prisoners were called together . ; Mr . Dobbs produced a letter ho liadjustreceivodfromMr . Cootc , stating "that if my . brother and I would enter into a treaty with the government , by which we should engage to give every information in our power of all matters relating to the rebellion , and particularly our relations with foreign states , there should bo a general amnesty—Mr . Bond should be pardoned , and -we should be permitted to emigrate to any . country not at war with England ; but that if wo per-

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      refused . We . said if there J anv charge ? against us , proceed upon them . Why proceed against others , ' because we will not enter into any negociation V We went to our ovrn rooom , whither Mr . Dobbs came presently Ho represented to us tho dreadful scenes of slaughter and devestation that would follow close upon our declaration . It appears that my brother was influenced by those considerations , and to save an unarmed-people ^ e consented to sacrifico himself ; but I heard these such proposals and threats

      with a very different ear . My answer was that I set at defiance all their machinations , that I was ready to meet any charge that could be brought againstme , , but that I never would enter into any agreement with tho Castlo of Dublin during my life . Nothimr now was left unattempted to induce me , by very fair promises , or to intimidate me bythe most alarming threats , to sign this agreement . All ivcrc unavailing At length Mr . Marsden came as if secretly and as a friend , to let me know what by chance he had hoard at the Castle . That it was determined to seize mi , estate if I did not comply . My answer was , that I was prepared against everything , that I was resolute never to comply . In consequence of which orders were despatched to the officer commandinf ?

      at liandon , to send detachments of horse and fool to take possession of my house , which they did to the amount of between two and three hundred men They expelled four of my infant children and my |^ vm ^ v ^ gifffl ^^<«» epei ( th y ^ ellars , drank * M ^^^^ 5 P ^« t vps : e ! iithe igennp kill fliy 'sbeea ana-oxen ; vofli . wBteE ; tKe- ^ converted my iron gates into shoes for { Meif horse ' s ; they made firing of windows , doors , and frames of the house and offices ; buvned all my farming utonsils ; destroyedimy gardens , tho wall trees , the hot house , green house , and all the plants ; turned all thoir horses out into young plantations which wero all ruined , stolo every thing moveable , and committed every species of devastation for eight or

      nine weeks that they remained there , for which I never received one penny as remuneration from that day to this . After this visitation it was again demanded of me to sign the paper . My answer was always the same . Still I was kept a prisoner ; and when those who had entered into the agreement were sent to Scotland , I was forced by Justice Atkinson and % company of Buckinghamshire militia , at the very point of tho bayonet , into a coach , conveyed on board a tender , and conducted to Fort George , in which military garrison I , was kept for a year and ten months , where by the lenient treatment I received I lost the use ot my limbs , and was reduced to the very verge of life ; at the end of which time I was brought to London , and let go

      on the 24 th of January , 1801 , upon a dheadfijl recognisance to some immense amount , not to return to Ireland , and to reside id such part of England as the King of England should from time to time appoint ( and Middlesex was named ) during the then war . I took a house at Southgato , in Middlesex , where I resided for half a year , but having no land there , I looked out for a place with land to occupy my time . I found one to suit me at Elstree . As 1 was a stranger , and as the rent amounted to £ 500 a year , I applied to my old friend and companion Sir Francis Burdett , who immediatel y became my security . There I lived for one year , when the treaty of Amiens taking place I was desirous of returning to my own country , and applied to Sir Richard Foi'd ,

      tne magistrate , betore whom I acknowledged tho recognisance , to get it up . In vain . After many fruitless efforts , he at length informed me that it was determined never- to give it up as long « s / retained the power of Iking in the south of Ireland . I judged it better to part with Connorville than be shut out from my country . I got A LICENSE to go to Ireland , and on the 1 st of May 1 S 03 , 1 let a lease for ever of the place of my earliest days . Whereupon I got up my recognisance immediately . I purchased , for £ 10 , 000 , from Lord Wcllcslev ' the Castlo and Estate of Danjjan , within a few niiles Of 'Dublin , where I have resided with my family ever since , coming over occasionally to visit Sir Francis Burdett and a few othor friends in England , where though I have estates I have . never been known , iircctly or indirectly , to interfere in any concerns

      of the country . I never attended a public meeting or a public dinner ; though I have many friends , 1 seldom associate with any one but Sir Francis Burdett and his family . My fortune is ample ; and neither I nor any one of my family , " -ever eat ono morsel that was not produced from our oimi ettahs . We never received any of the people ' s money in tlio shape of pensions and places , nor was any man ' s meal or comforts over diminished by one of us . Surely then I must be a most disloyal traitor ! In fine , many , very many , in Ireland love me ; the militia was attached to me . I surrendered on the solemn faith of a proclamation , which faith towards mo was broken ; I protected Capt . Roche , I defended tho Judge , I saved Mr . Silvester and tho

      bow-street constable . There is no kind of place that has not boon my prison ; my own house , camps , guard-houses , taverns and hotels , castles , wherries , packet-boats , messengers' houses , court-houses , bridewells , state priHons ( as they are called , ) tenders , garrisons , palaces ; and as a prisoner have I been travelled from my own house in the south to Carrickfcrgus in the north of Ireland ; from tho western extremity of Wales to Maidstone—nearly the eastern extremity of England ; from Dublin to Fort George in Scotland—within forty miles of John O'Groat ' s house to London ; in mail coaches , post carriages , and carts , on foot , and on horseback . And all because , ' ( for I know of no other cause ) that ten years before the French RevolutionI saw

      , the absolute necessity of a reform in the Commons in Ireland , which was acknowleded afterwards by tho factions of England and Ireland , and because 1 would not consent to a legislative union , which I regarded as equally ruinous to both parts of the kingdom . Outhe whole , then , let tho people of England , vow that they are in possession of their tola tenses , decide between my accusers and me whether the laws were infringed by me who have gone through every ordeal , who have always courted invoatipation and inquiry , who for voars KEVER CEASED TO DEMAND TRIAL or by THEM who sought the protection of a BILL OF INDEMNITY , passed by an assembl y of which they themselves made a part . "

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      ^/ O ^^ y ^ pt * u ^ £ / y a 2 W forgotten , and which nothing but borougUmongcr- : Jlnllli 1 Bnit ? oouIdhave ind « ced any one to V ^ ssw-- Wfl - ConnKir -

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      n , } o ^ 7 Hr ' mont municipal elections the Chartists of this town contested-moh of tho three wards , and succeeded in returning one of their number to tlio town council , namely , John i > errv for tho South Ward . Gray Hester , ( Chartist , ) for tho samo ward , was defeated by ei ght votes only Six years ago Chartist candidates for the same ward polled one vote each , this year they polled nearly four hundred votes each .:. In tho West Ward , Gurney , ( Chartist , ) polled eighty-three votes , and Peuody polled sixty-throe votos . In the East Ward

      uass , ( Chartist , ) polledforty-thrco votes ; and Wolls thirty-seven votos . Chartism in Northampton was never in such a healthy and vi gorous state as at the present time . On November the 5 th , there was a magnificent soiree held in the New Hall , Newlard ; JoU sat down to tea , and Jones' splendid band pertormod various boIos and quadrilles during tea . beven hundred wero present at the public mooting , to which a payment of threepence was required Gerald Masscy addressed the meeting , as did Messrs . Small and Gammage . Numerous soncs and recitations were given , and with throe tremendous cheers for liberty all over the world , this lar . 'c meetmg separated .

      Bilstox . —At the usual meeting held in Hallstreet , on Sunday last several new members were enrolled . We wish to call the attention of our Waisail tnends to the object we put forward a few weeks a , { f ° 'i ! at they al 3 ° formed a part of this district llio friends of Dr . M'DouaU shall liave our earliest attention . Wiinmoiox and CiT .-At the weekly meeting it was resolved that the secretary callon tho various localities in the Hamlets , to send two delegates to the above hou 3 eon Sunday evening , November 18 th bhalf sixto devise

      , y -past , tho best means of carry * ing on the agitation . Tho meeting then adjourned . Manchester . —On Sunday evening last Mr . Williams , of Stockport , . delivered an animated lecture in tho People s Institute , on the War of Interest , which was listened to throughout with great satisfaction . After the lecture , Mr . Ambrose Tomlinson gave a recital of his sufferings while in York Castle , tho close of the meeting it was unanimously agreedthnt-tlrcj-eauntydelegato meetiiifi ; should be 5 OTld 1 h ^ ho ., HaU of SoriaeetCanip Field , on Sundav lU'the-mortiuig . •• . ..-. '¦ . .. >*;>¦ '¦¦' . ' . '

      IluDiinnsKiELD . —At the usual weekly meeting , hold at Air . J . Emsall ' s Temperance Hotel , Buxtonroad , it was resolved , " That the thanks of this mootiftg are due , and hereb y given , to Mr . Charles Larnsbaw , late treasurer of this locality , for his trustworthiness and indefati gable exertions in the cause of democracy . He retires from office with all the honour duo to an honest man . " BixGLET-On Sunday last Mr . Robinson , of v d ^' . > ew Odd-fellows' Hall , on Ancient Democracy—and m the evening on Temperance . Tho lecturer ravo general satisfaction . b Derby . —In accordance with a resolution unanimously passed at a public meeting held at the Town llall , ( the particulars of which recently appeared in

      the Northern Star , ) I forwarded the memorial , adopted in behalt ot all our imprisoned brethren , to Lawrence UcywortU , Esq ., U . P ., for presentation to bu ^ G . Grey , and have received the following letter irom that honourable gentleman in reply : — Vewtrce , near Liverpool , ¦ n „ T , November 5 th , ISiii . Dear Sir ,-I have had great pleasure in transmitting to isir George Grey the pttitwn irom the inhabitants .. > fJ ) . ? by in public meeting assembled , and which , by authority of the meeting , you have done me the honour of forwarding to me . 1 have expressed to Sir George Grey an earnest hope that the prayer of tins petition nmy be favourably reeeived by her Majesty , the Queen , and am , dear sir , nr t •• , ¦ ,. Vours truly , \ f . Lewis 1 aire . Lawkence Heywohth .

      Fihsburt Locality . - Tim members of this locality met on Sunday evening last at S 5 , Leatherlane , Holborn . Mr . Fuzzcn in the chair . The secretary read a letter which he had received from G . W . M . Reynolds , Esq ., and a vote of thanks was given that gentleman . It was then moved and seconded , — " That this locality hold a public meetin " on Tuesday evening , at the Queen-square Assembly Rooms , lljeobald-road , Nov . 20 th , for the purpose of electing four delegates to the metropolitan Conference . " A committee was appointed , and tho sectary was instructed to write to Mr . Kydd asking that gentleman to allow himself to be put in nomination for Finsbury . Three other delegates were nominated , after which a subscription was entered into for tho purpose of <» ettin « ' up the meeting , when the sum of 10 s . 4 d . was collected , ihe members then adjourned until Sundav evening next , Nov . 18 th .

      Westminster . —The Ensuixo Chartist ConfibkncE j —At a meeting of this locality , held at tho Iwo Chairmen , Wardour-street , Soho ; Mr . John Milne in tlvp chair . On tho motion of Mr . John Arnott , seconded by A . Piercy , it was unanimously resolved , — " That a public meeting be held for the purpose of electing four delegates to represent the city ' of Westminster in the forthcoming Chartist Conference . " A OOmmittoo having been appointed to effect this object : the meeting adjourned to Tuesday evening next , Nov . 20 fch .

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      TO THE DEMOCRATIC PUBLIC OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND . Brethren , —We , the undersigned , hoinsr a committee acting for , and on bolialf of , Dr . ll'Dcual ] , now a political prisoner in Kirkdalo-gaol , do most respectfull y return thanks for tho timely aid afforded by those localities who have boon ever ready to protect the patriot ' s wife and children from want . It is not generally known the great sacrifices that our friend M'Dounll has made , struggling for tlio cause of the people , against tyranny and oppression , during the last twelve years ; we arc certain , was it known , a greater number of his admirers would have come to his help before now . The amount of money , spent by him for the people ' s

      cause—the valuable time , and the extraordinary ta ! ont and genius , which might have been employed in providing a competency for old age , and the support of his family . But that is not the least ; he has suffered at the hands of Whig judges and juries near three years' incarceration lit a dungeon ' s gloom , with one hour ' s exercise daily in the company of murderers , robbers , and all other immoral inmates of a prison . From his lonely cell his prayer has been , next to bis wile and children , that the Supremo Power would change the hearts of the tyrants and oppressors , and that the poor may obtain the just reward for their labour they arc entitled to get .

      It is scarce six years ago , when this good man advocating the rights of the poor , by a slight word , gave offence to the possessors of power , whereupon they issued a proclamation offering one hundred pounds vowiu'd for his body , which forced him to seek shelter in a foreign land . In fine , wo know of uo man who has suffered more , and bomo it so patiently , as our friend Dr . M'Donall ; Uu havng spent his all , and sacrificed every domestic comfort and family interest for tho people ' s cause mid a dungeon ' s gloom ; and all for us and our order ! Then shall we over deserve to enjoy heaven-born liberty , if wo so basely deserfc him now ? We consider his claims on us can never be repaid . Thcrefoiv , with a view to assist him , we propose a National Testiuial , to be called

      " TI 1 K M ' DOUALL TESTIMONIAL , " to be raised by voluntary contributions , Irom all Chartist Democratic localities , for the express pur ^ pose of enabling this patriot to recommence bis own profession as a medical man . His talents have been admitted on several occasions , by the public press ; his abilities , as a writer and orator , are very well known to be pre-eminent . We therefore beg leave to inform ouv friends throughout the kingdom , who may be desirous of contributing to " The M'Dounll Testimonial , " that all subscriptions will be received by the Treasurer of tlio Committee , and acknowledged privately , or through the Northern Star , Wo are , Brother Democrats . On behalf of Dr . M'DouaU ,

      Yours Fraternally , "William L'Costine , John Waddell , Chairman , James Mercer , Andrew M'Fee , Treasurer , William Romksox , Jambs Sedhf , Secretary . I ' . S . —All Post-office Orders made payable ta Andrew M'Fec , G , Agustine-strcet , St . Martin ' s , Liverpool .

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      FUND FOll THE WIDOWS AND CHILDREN OF SHARP AND WILLIAMS . Tho following subscriptions have boon already received by the Committee : — Sh- Joshua Walmsley , M . P 2 0 0 Mr , James Ilarmcr , { WeeklyDispatch ) ... 110 Mr . Thomas Prout ... 110 Mr . William Williams I 1 () Mr . George W . M . Reynolds C > 5 0 Collected at a Public Meeting at Derby 0 17 0 Digby Arms Locality ... l o 0 Subscribed by the Clerks and Compositors in Jlcimokls ' s Miscellany Office ,,, 0 10 0 Mr . D . ' Huffy ... ' 0 5 0 Proceeds of Ball in the Tower Hamlets 0 10 0 T . W ., 2 s . Gd . ; per Mr . lllingwortli , Is . ; Mrs . and Miss Eagle , Is . ; Anonymous Correspondent of Ih'u ; iolds ' . i ilitcellany , Gd . ; Ditto , Gd . ; O . W ., Gd . j a Youth , 3 d . ; J . ll ! ( Shomditch ) , 2 s . Gd . William Davis , Chairman . G . W , M . Reynolds , Treasurer . John J . Ferbixando . Secretary .

      To; The English; People

      TO ; THE ENGLISH ; PEOPLE

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      Devox—Suicide at Asnmamw -A determined act of self-destruction took . place in ti « tm « Sunday morning List . An individual ,. described as Kv W . Wingfield , of 52 , TraMgar-stroot , Sheffield arrived on Friday nig ht from Torquay Ly 2 . , i " ; cOinb ' s omnibus , professing an intention of BrSding on Monda / for Oakhampton . After S ^ tnW where he was stopping , however , he ™ rided tohis bedroomfor thepurpose of dressing , SSTne cut Ids throat in a most alarmmg manner The cause for the commission of the act is not known .

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      Such , reader , is tho political history , such are the crimes of Mr . 0 'Cotmov ; such is the person to have had whom in his house at tho time when tho army stormed it , was—if the public had been still fool enough—to bo sot down to the account of Sir Francis , and as proof presumptive at least that he had wicked designs—designs against the peace and g aiety of the country ! Header , -if you be an Englishman , and have neither job nor contract , nor place , nor unmerited pension , nor defalcation in yom' accounts with the public , in short , if you profit from no species of public robbery say , how should t jow like to be treated as Mr . O'Connor was ? How should you like this sort of treatment ? How should you like to have your house , your gardensyour .

      , fields , your plantations laid waste and destroyed as his were ? How should you like to bo hurried from prison to prison , to be thrown into dungeon after dungeon , and when you demanded trial refused that trial ? But surely I need not ask these questions . Well , then , is there to bo no feeling for him because he is an Irishman ? Arc wo ready to avow this totho Irish people ? I trust not ; I trust that we shall prove to that unfortunate peoplo that we feel for them as for ourselves ; that we are as ready to resent their wrongs as wo aro our own ; that in a word , we regard tlicm us our countrymen , and that no aro resolved to consider their enemies as our enemies . This is the way to produce an union with Ireland , a veal union , an union of the hearts of the 1 ¦

      peojtl '\ uie whole kingdom , and this sort of union it' .. atthe boroughmongers and their hirelings would wish to prevent . Hitherto , indeed , they have prevented it . They have never missed an opportunity of misrepresenting the people of Ireland They have caused the people of England to believe that those of Ireland wore bent upon a surrender of their country to France , and that all their demands relating to political and civil liberty were mere preteneei . What evils have not sprung from this accursed source ? I beseech the reader to consider that it is not in nature , that the people of Ireland should not hate us , if we persist in our credence to these calumnies . It is , on all hands , agreed , that

      Ireland i 3 our vulnerable part . Does it not then become us to strengthen that part , to use all tho means in our power of regaining the good will of the Irish people , and to induce them to make common cause with us against the common enemy ? And what can be more opposite to this than reviving tho memoiy of those cruel times to which Mr . O'Connor s narrative refers , than tearing the skin from the liardly-healedand hardly-liidcleii wound ! What ho has said he has boen compelled to say . He lias been calumniated in the most foul and infamous manner . To remain silent mi ght have been constvued into a consciousness of guilt . His calumniators , therefore , arc answerable for the revival of the memory of that which he was willing should be

      Mwvxm Intrmntiire.

      mwvxm intrMntiire .

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      ^ JMiJAH ^ AL-TRAlis ' - JOURNAL . *

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      li ^ A ^ L LONDON , SATDBDAY , HOVEMEisBa - _ -JB *» n ^ ss ^—~ ~ ,. ^_*» W W . __ F ^ himag 9 aHd a ^ eace |) cr Qllnv ( cv \

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 17, 1849, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1548/page/1/