on the occasion; but the discussion gave the coup de grace to the New Reformation, for all that; and those itinerant polemics who swaggered through the land, sending their challenges before them, as travelling show-men do their bills, found their occupation gone, and so had to retire from that line of business. There were two chairmen appointed each day of the discussion; O'Connell was Father Maguire's chairman on the first day. CHAPTER VI. Bold Resolution of the Catholics-The Clare Election-O'Connell's Address to the Electors-Speeches-Canvassing-Anecdotes-Progress of the Voting-Close of the Poll-O'Connell's first Frank-Speech of "Derry" Dawson-"Jack" Lawless's Mission to the North-The Duke of Wellington's letter to the Most Rev. Dr. Curtis -The Marquis of Anglesey recalled-The "Catholic Relief Bill"-Large Majorities in both Houses for it— O'Connell at the Bar of the House-The "Doneraile Conspiracy." The eventful year of 1828, now claims our at tention. As in the two or three previous years, the political campaign began with the fourteen days' meetings, during which Sheil's proposal for simultaneous meetings was brought forward and adopted. Two thousand meetings were convened for the 13th of January, and it was computed that five millions of people attended them; the numbers could not, of course, be ascertained with accuracy; but what was beyond all doubt, the whole of Catholic Ireland met on the same day, at the same hour, and with the same object to demand their rights. Catholic Church Wardens were also appointed at this time, and their duties assigned them. Each Churchwarden received, gratis, from the Catholic Association, a copy of the Weekly Register. : At an aggregate meeting held in Dublin in February, the Catholics of Ireland adopted this bold resolution "That we will consider any Irish member an enemy to the peace of Ireland, who shall not declare his determination not to support any administration who shall not make Catholic Emancipation a Cabinet measure." The Catholic question was brought before Parliament in May, but the people did not watch its progress with the absorbing interest of previous years; they had lost confidence in Parliament, and began every day more and more to confide in themselves-their organization-their unanimity-their electoral strength-aye, and their physical strength, too. The bill got a first reading in the Commons by the narrow majority of SIX; it was equal to a defeat; at which the Lords took courage and threw it out by a majority of FORTYFOUR. On this occasion the Duke of Wellington coolly and patronisingly told the Catholics to desist from agitation, as their only chance of having their claims favourbly considered; to which their answer was-THE CLARE ELECTION. The necessity of a Catholic being returned to Parliament whilst the penal law excluding Catholics was still in force, was, for a long time, John Keogh's idea. Taking into account the nature of the English mind, he believed this palpable way was the true way to put before it, the tyranny under which the Catholics suffered. When the Catholic who would be returned, was rejected at the bar of the House, because he refused to take an oath, which it was wickedly absurd to expect him to take, the practical, constitutional-minded people of England would see and feel, how unjust a thing it was to disfranchise a constituency, because the man of their choice would not swear his own religion was DAMNABLE AND IDOLATROUS! Such was John Keogh's view; it was the view of a clear, keen intellect O'Connell, perhaps, never heard of the idea at all. it certainly does not seem to have occurred to him, that the thing was feasible, until it was put before him in 1828. Sir David Roose, who had been High Sheriff of Dublin the previous year, and a Tory in principles, save when O'Connell was personally in question, when, for solid reasons, his views were essentially modified, met P. V. Fitzpatrick, at seven o'clock on the morning of the 22nd of June, in Nassau-street, and started the idea that O'Connell ought to offer himself for Clare. Roose was, unquestionably, the first suggester of this important movement, and Fitzpatrick the first to whom it was communicated. It happened by an extraordinary coincidence, that, when about twenty years of age, Mr. Fitzpatrick frequently accompanied his father, Mr. Hugh Fitzpatrick, to visit John Keogh, of Mount Jerome, who, on these occasions, made it a point to impress upon Mr. Fitzpatrick his strong conviction, that the return of one of their own body to Parliament, was a condition that would be found almost indispensable to the achievement of Emancipation, and for the reasons given above. Fitzpatrick, remembering what he had heard Keogh say so often, flew to O'Connell, and impressed upon him the necessity of allowing himself to be put forward. He at length succeeded in bringing him to the office of the Evening Post, wire on Tuesday, the 24th of June, the address was written in his presence, and that of William Frederick Conway, before ever the Catholic Association was made aware of it.* Immediately after, O'Connell declared publicly that if no other candidate would go forward, he would go himself. Five thousand pounds were voted by the Association, as a first instalment towards the expenses of the election; and it being ascertained beyond question that M'Namara declined the contest, O'Connell at once came forward amidst the utmost enthusiasm, and addressed the electors of Clare. But election expenses in these times were very heavy, and O'Connell's purse could not, to any appreciable extent, sustain a contest for so vast a county as Clare. Fitzpatrick undertook to sound the wealthy Catholics on this essential point, and £1,600 were subscribed in a single day by sixteen leading Catholics. The country followed the example, and £14,000 was raised in a week, and money continued to flow in during the contest in great abundance. Cork city subscribed £1,000 in an incredibly short time.t On the day of his departure for Clare, O'Connell's carriage and four horses drove into the east yard of the Four Courts about two o'clock, at which time *The writing of this address is the subject of a very spirited picture by Haverty. †The boldness of the Clare-election-move amazed and stunned the Orange faction. "Mr. O'Connell, a Member of Parliament, indeed!" said the Evening Mail, with a sad, feeble attempt at a sneer. Its kind patronising grief over the subscriptions raised in Dublin for the expenses of the |