penny towards any purpose for the use of the Irish."

66

Why so, my lord?" demanded the priest. "Because," replied the peer," they subscribe 14,0007. a-year to that O'Connell for coming over here to create riot and disturbance."

Soon afterwards we learned that this peer was Lord Petre.

"The ungrateful fellow!" exclaimed O'Connell. "Only for me, he would not have been emancipated. And, moreover, I saved him 30,0007. last week, by insisting that the Committee for making the railroad through his property should adhere to their original engagement with him, instead of procuring a new Act of Parliament to enable them to obtain his ground for 30,000l. less than the valuation first agreed upon."

This circumstance was one amongst the many proofs that convinced me that the English hostility to Ireland was less directed against our creed than against our nation. "No Popery" meant, in point of fact, "No Irishry." The fact that the Irish were principally Catholics, elicited English enmity against Catholicism. Had the Irish belonged to any other religious persuasion, then some other rallying cry against us would have been adopted. No nation which hates another is fit to legislate for the party thus hated. The jealous hatred evinced towards

Ireland by a powerful faction in England, although not the leading reason why Ireland sought the Repeal of the Union, was yet undoubtedly a strong stimulant to Irishmen in the pursuit of self-government.

On the 31st of May, a procession of Methodists walked at an early hour along Pall Mall, bearing banners, upon one of which was a portrait of the Methodist apostle-John Wesley. This banner was borne high aloft, and the disciples of the personage whose likeness it displayed formed a numerous and very imposing array. Just as they reached Waterloo Place, they were met by a Catholic procession of teetotallers, bearing an enormous banner, upon one side of which was a full-length picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary; St. Patrick, in pontificals, figured on the other. The Rev. Dr. Magee, seated in a coach, which was drawn by six greys, called at Pall Mall to take up O'Connell, who accompanied the procession through the city. The collision suggested ludicrous ideas; it seemed like "John Wesley versus Saint Patrick." Notwithstanding the proximity of the somewhat incongruous elements of Popery and Methodism, the respective parties passed each other quietly; the Methodists filing off into Regent Street, while the Catholics took the direction of Trafalgar Square, on their city-ward route.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Abolition of Slavery-Visit from` Dr. Hare, an Advocate of Slavery-Atrocious Cruelty-A "Good-natured" Bishop.

O'CONNELL'S aid was eagerly sought by the advocates of the abolition of Slavery. Joseph Pease (senior), who, with Joseph Sturge, of Birmingham, Thomas Clarkson, and others, took a prominent part in the good cause, appreciated most warmly the powerful and zealous assistance of O'Connell. I was amused one day at an effort made by a Doctor Hare, an American, to induce O'Connell to relax his anti-slavery agitation. Doctor Hare was a stout thick-set Yankee, with a cadaverous face, grizzled hair, and an easy intrepidity of manner that nothing could daunt. He commenced by declaring that, although not a native of Ireland, he had ever entertained the warmest affection for the Irish. He had known and admired in especial, a young Irish girl, who was quite an epitome of all the warm

affections and estimable qualities characteristic of her country; she was, indeed, a charming creature, and had acquired a lasting place in his esteem. Moremuch more, to the same pertinent purpose, did the worthy doctor utter with great volubility. O'Connell was desperately bored, but sustained the infliction with smiling resignation. At length, when the visitor conceived that by his extravagant encomiums upon Ireland, he had sufficiently conciliated O'Connell, he ventured to open the object of his visit by assuring him that he was taking a very injudicious part in his opposition to slavery. Abolition would be productive of a thousand inconveniences and evils, which no one could appreciate who was not personally acquainted with American society; and, if O'Connell, with his mighty and penetrating mind, were himself to visit America, he would be one of the first to recognise the impracticability of granting freedom to the slaves. The American doctor furthermore reproached O'Connell with having made extremely harsh national reflections on his countrymen.

"You mistake me very much," said O'Connell, "if you think that in any thing I may have said of the Americans, I have neglected to draw a marked distinction between those among them who are slave breeders, and those who are not. My censure

is not bestowed on the American, but on the slave breeder. If the American be a slave breeder, I am not to spare him. Your slave system is atrocious and abominable. It cuts at the root of Christianity, which teaches us to do to others as we would they should do to us; but here you inflict on the slaves that which would rather die than suffer your

you

selves. America is placed in a most disgraceful and anomalous position by her slave system. Your Declaration of Independence asserts the broadest democratic liberty; and with the language of freedom on your banners and on your lips, you condemn your coloured population to an existence of bondage and misery. Why, it is but a few days ago, I was revolted and horrified at seeing in one of your newspapers an auction of slaves. Human flesh and blood put up to be sold for money, and to be knocked down by the auctioneer's hammer to the highest bidder, just as we would sell cows or horses in this country. There was one lot, a woman and a child; a bidder proposed to divide them, in order to escape the expense of supporting the child, but they were finally knocked down in one lot. Talk to me of not opposing this foul blot on human nature! I promise you, sir, I shall never relax my opposition."

"But, Mr. O'Connell, you ought to recollect that