Representative British Orations Volume 4 (of 4): With Introductions and Explanatory Notes
History
Representative British Orations Volume 4 (of 4): With Introductions and Explanatory Notes
Speeches, addresses, etc., English
has given to the Empire, in the truest, the largest, and the highest
sense an Imperial City.
ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES.
NOTE 1, p. 10.--The allusion is to the preliminary proceedings of the
trial--in which some days were devoted to legal fencing about witnesses
and challenged jurors.
NOTE 2, p. 12.--The gentleman thus elegantly arraigned was William
Saurin (1757?-1839). Saurin was sprung from a French Huguenot family
settled in Ireland. He was a lawyer of considerable ability, but one
who had not risen rapidly. He seems to have been a fairly honest,
bigoted Protestant; moreover, the duties he was called to perform
during his long term (1807–1822) as Attorney-General were such as to
bring him almost officially into sharp friction with the Catholic
population. Consequently he was cordially hated by them. He was openly
charged with using his position to repress Catholic agitation; and,
later than this trial, it was publicly known that he had written to
Lord Norbury, urging that as a Judge on circuit he should attempt to
influence grand juries in favor of the Government. These are grounds
palpable enough for a basis to O’Connell’s accusations; but these
were the ethics of the time. After a perusal of this speech, it will
not surprise the reader to learn that before the Magee trial was over
O’Connell had gone so far as to threaten the Attorney-General with
personal violence.
NOTE 3, p. 21.--The Catholic Committee of Dublin was an organization
for the purpose, so to speak, of agitation by resolution. These
resolutions were framed and passed at meetings. The influences thus
set in motion O’Connell had tried to enlarge and make more national
in their scope by adding to the Committee members from other parts
of the country than Dublin. Now the Convention Act of 1793 had made
representation by delegation, such as was here contemplated, illegal;
and the Government was quick to avail itself of the statute. There was
much trouble, and of course the question was had to the courts, where,
in the test-case of Dr. Sheridan, O’Connell and the Committee lost.
Chief-Justice Downes declared (1811) that the proposed reorganization
of the Committee fell under the provisions of the Act. Thenceforward
all agitation permissible was to be conducted by a non-delegated
Catholic Board. In view of these facts O’Connell’s statement in
the text cannot be accepted literally. Perhaps it may be called
_rhetorically_ true.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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