‘I

one walnuts! metals.

. . > ‘ ' ' - first reception cti'jt i

. I . .' , . w: the shock that Within two seconds from the lliSI-tilnil H N . ‘ . y _‘

POETR Y' hme 0' inoihmg. .lms iie:?,,d,0:11,?g Egggflfiigi: \V‘Illi'll‘la\::)UIII felt the I looked up and saw the whole building; com‘ man‘le’lzd bythe “on; buggy and all the pan;

A BALLAD fingethiiztiiiolihdlietdmi;tlilaccilamatiou in an Irish letiislature. menClng 3‘ “'9 furlhe" endrlnlllng “P6” the People—4m conceme i are we ~ P ‘PPI‘Obttion; as . . a , a ~

BY TOM noon, JR. ‘Tbere lived an honest fisherman, _ I knew him passing well—- “’ho dwelt hard by a little pond, \Vi'tliin a little dell.

Agrave and quiet man Was he, Who loved his hook and rod—' 80 even ran his line oflife, His neighbours thought it odd.

For science and for books he said He never had a wish; 7 No school to him was worth a fig, . Except a “ school of fish."

This single-‘tiiinded fisherman, A double calling had——

To tend his docks in winter time, In summer, fish for shod. ‘

In short, this honest fisherman, All other toils forsook, - And tliougb no vagrant man was be,

He lived by “ hook and crook.”

All day this fisherman would sit Upon an iincicntlog,

And gaze into the water, like Some sedentary frog.

A cunning fisherman was he, His angles all were rig/it— I

And when he scratched his aged poll, You'd know he'd got a bite.

To charm. the fish, he never spoke-— Although his voice was fine;

He found the most convenient. way “’3: just to “ drop a line.”

'And many a “gndgeon” of the pond, Ifmade to speak to-day, Would own, with grief,tliis angler had A mighty “ taking way.” One day, while fishing on the log, He mourned his want ofluck— When suddenly he felt a bite, And jerking—caught a duck.

Alas! that day the fisherman Had taken too much grog, And being but a landsman, too, He couldlnt “ keep the log."

In vain he strove with all his might, And tried to gain the shore—-

Down, down he wont, to feed the fish He'd baited oft before!

The moral ofthis mournfiil tale, To all is plain and clear—-

A single “drop too much" ofi'urr. May make ti watery bier.

And be who will not “sign the pledge," And keep the promise fast,

May be, in spite of fate, a sttf Cold water-man at last!

$52553:

MR. SMITH O‘BRIEN ON IRISH AFFAIRS.

. .

Subjeined will be found a letter from Mr. \V. S. O’Brien,

' M. P., in answer to a communication from the town clerk of

the corporation of Limerick, requesting him to support the prayer of their petition to the House of Commons for a re— peal of the-legislative union :— “ London, May 1911., 1843. ( “DEAR Stat—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter ofthe 15th, iii which you state that you have been di- rected by the mayor and council ofthe city of Limerick to request my support to the prayer oftheir petition for a repeal ofthe union. _, f. “Entertaining a sincere respect for that intelligent and ‘1 patriotic body, it is not without much regret that I feel my- Self compelled to decline compliance with their request; at . the same time, as they are fully entitled to know on what grounds I find tnysell'unable to unite with them in pursuing 3 no object on which the desires and hopes ofa large portion ' of the Irish nation are now concentrated, I shall not shrink 7 from expressing my views with as much brevity as the sub- ject will admit. “If it'liad been my misfortune to have occupied a seat in the Iriin House of. Commons at the epoch of the union, 1

have no doubt that I should have follmed the exusriple of

my beloved and lamented father in recording my protest against that iniquitous measure. Under existing circum- stances, however, I am deterred from seeking its repeal—«on the one hand, by a conviction that the attempt to procure its dissolution mitst be attended with much risk to the peace timid security ofboth countries; and, on the other, by a persua- "sion that if Ireland were admitted to enjoy the advantages ', of‘u perfect union with England—ofnii union founded on . equal participation ofall civil'rights and political advantages,

accompanied by a due regard to the peculiar circumstances

of each country—there would result from such an union many benefits. to Ireland and to the empire at large, which could 'not be obtained under separate legislation and govern- ment.

“If, indeed,I were to judge ofthe future by the past, I should not hesitate for a single moment to embark in the cause to which you now ask my support.

“ When I am told that the union has produced to Ireland great financial injustice, and that, whilst it has augmented to a most injurious extent the manifold evils ol'abscntecisni, it has also stripped our country ofall those advantages cnii- nected with the expenditure ofthe public revenue which go for to compensate taxation, my investigations confirm the as? sertion. ~

“ When I am told that to Ireland has been denied ,herjust proportion ofrepresentatives in the imperial parliament,mtd

-tbu‘t her mutilated and inadequate franchises have been en- cumbered with harrassing and vexatious restrictions, I resent as warmly as yourselves this national injustice.

“When Iain told that for twenty-eight years four-fifths of

our population were debarred by the anti-Catholic and anti- Irish prejudices ofthe‘English people, from the attainment ofthnt equality ,of civil rights With their Protestant fellow- counti‘yme'n which was promised at the. union; that the Church ofone-tenth’ofthe people has been kept in a posi- tion ofasaeudancy degrading and ofi'ensive to the retriaindcr ofthe population; that the Roman Catholic clergy, instead of being recognised as the ministers ofthe Irish people, have not only been repudiated from all connection with the state, but have also been perseveriugly vilified by the leaders ofthe ‘party in the British Parliament, and calumniated by the or- guns ofI‘higlish opinion as indicated by the press; that, in- stead ofgiving effect to the Emancipation Act by the ap- pointment of Roman Catholics in due proportion to the ad- ministrative offices ofthe state, the present government have proscribed them by an offensive exclusion, whilst they have at. the same time selected as objects of ministerial favour every one who has distinguished himself by reviling the re- ligion, the clergy, and the people of Ireland—l participate (though a Protestantiin the indignation which such treat- ment of the majority ot'our population naturally calls forth.

“ When I am told that in the distribution of public offices not only are Roman Catholics systematically excluded, but that in their own country Irishman ofall creeds and parties are practically held to be incapable of managing their own

have been coldly put aside or scornfully rejected—I am in)" selfn witness to the truth of the assertion.

.“ When I am told that, though the population ofIrcland has greatly increased since the union, their means of enjoy- ing the commodities ot.life.bave not increased in'equal. pI'O- portion—that notwuhstautling that her poorestinhabitants have imposed upon themselves the sacrifice ofan indulgence, inimical to industry and frugality, and which sorrietimestemp- ted them to excessos—yet the labourer remains unemployed ——that many branches of trade which formerly flourished, now languish in decay, whilstothers have been wholly anni- hilated—that foreign commerce rarely visits our shores, 1 ‘am tempted to say with you, that such would not have been our tale ifthe fostering care ofai'i Irish parliament had con- tinued to watch over these interests. _

“Seeing all these things, I am not surprised that: the Irish people look to the restoration oftheir legislature as the only effectual security against that system of misgovcrnment un— der which they have suffered since the union. Often, indeed, have I been' induced to doubt, not under the excitement ofa. national enthusiasm, to which Iain not inseiisible, but in the calm meditation oftimes less ruffled than the present by popular agitation, whetherlliave beeiijustified in indulging hopes for my country of whicl. every hour’s experience conv tinnes to prove the futility ; ,nnd whether it Were not my du- ty to cast aside every personal consideration, and, iii despair of obtaining good government from a Britiin parliament, give up the remaindcroftny life to an attempt to persuade my fellow-countrymeii of every class and creed to unite in one great national effort to obtain the restoration of our 'le- gislature.

“] hesitate to take this step, because it seems to me that the same means which alone could accomplish, without bloodshed, the repeal of the union, may equally obtain for us the redress of our national wrongs.

“A civil war may be kindled by a spark ; but be assured, that the union will not be dissolved, until the whole Irish tia- t’ion, with a voice nearly unanimous, demands its repeal. To effect such an object, Protestants must coalesce with Roman Catholics—landlords with their tenants—the merchant with the shopkeeper-y—the ti'miiiiliicttii'ei' with the artisan—the sol- dier with the seaman—tbc judge with the juryman. The Irish people must, as in 1782, be consolidated into one mass, and animated by one common impulse.

“If such unanimity could be obtained, would not every grievance of which we complain be instantaneously redres- sed? Notwithstanding the pompous declarations and impo- tent i'iienaces of the English Prime Minister, I hesitate nut to assert that there is no power on earth which could resist the unanimous determination ofthe Irish people.

“So long, then, as a hope of obtaining good government through other means than a severance of the legislative con- nection ofthe two kingdoms remains on my mind, I shall adhere to the union. \Vl‘ien that hope is’extiiiguished, I shall not fear to contemplate the' remaining alternative; but be assured, that by whatever name luiay be called, my sym- pathies will he enlisted with the fee‘iiigsoi my countrymen, and my efforts will be devoted to the interest of my native land. ,

“ Before I close this letter, allow the to add a lbw words by way of advice to those who lead the opinions and guide the conduct ofthe population oflrelaiid. Whatever direc- tion may be given to the course of national feeling, it is of paramount importance that the public peace should not be violated. It is only necessary to peruse the provisions of the Arms Bill which has been recently introduced by the government to see how gladly any pretext would be seized which could justify measures of coercion. So long as popu— lar assemblages limit themselvcs m the nirrc expression of opinion, they may defy every effort made to repress the out- poui'ings of indignant feeling; but the first act of violence which shall be committed in any tumultuous outbreak, will induce the friends oforder to rally in support of the law, and to strengthen the hands ofthe executive. The sympathies of disinterested ,spectators—(aiid of your conduct the whole civilized world is now an attentive spectator)—syuipatliies now enlisted in behalf ofthe oppressed, will be overruled by that condemnation which always awaits those who are the first in a struggle for national rights, to cast aside, for more destructive weapons, the not less powerful instruments of truth, justice, union, and resolution. _

“Shall I be accused of bearing in mind my own positioi as a land‘ord, ifI also suggest that nothingr can be more no- wise than the indiscriminate denunciations against the landed proprietors of Ireland, in which some ofthe organs of popu- lar opinion indulge? Far, indeed, aui Ifi'oiii depreciating the public exposure ofcuses of individual oppression ; still less do I regret the uiiceasing reiterations ofthe great moral truth, that ‘property has its duties as well as its rights’; but it oughtnlways to be remembered that the institution ofpro- perty itself has been supported by wise and good men, in all nations and at all times, on the ground that it is essential for the welfiire ofthe whole community tint to each man and to his children should be secured the films of his own industry and frugality; and if it be really desired that all classes slioiildpiiite for tbe' attainment of a common good, it is iiiipolitic,-as well as unjust, to alienate so essential a portion of society by exciting thci' alarms. or by rousing their ‘resentnient against indiscriminate and unfounded iin: putations.

“Still more important is it to cast into oblivion those by- gone disseiisions which have existed between Protestants and Roman Catholics between the Saxon and tho Celt. Good government by a British parliament, or self-govern- ment under the British Crown by an Irish legislature, can only be obtained by the con'ibiuation ofall who seek to make Ireland respected, whatever may be their creed or their race. The political servitude of Ireland has been too loin: protracted by these unhappy diffiu'enccs. ‘Let it no longer be said that we hate each other more, than we love and cherish our native country. lfcver this auspicious harmony

can be attained, it will no longer be necessary to petition I01"

a repeal ofthe union. “I have the 'honor to be, dear Sir, “Your obedient Servant, “WILLIAM S. O’BRIEN. “Joan F. RALEIGH, Esq., Town Clerk of Limerick.”

, (From the N'ew York Herald.)

Mosr EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE Fitoti THE GAUDALOUPE EARTHQUAits—Professor Risly, and his littlu son of six years old, made one ofthe most astonishing escapes iii the Gaudaloupe earthquake that was ever recorded in verse or prose. We give below some remarkable particulars ofthat great earthquake, as nearly as possible in Mr. R’s. own words. - i‘ V I and my little boy had been at Point Petra, Guadaloupe, four days previous to the earthquake, which occurred on the morning of Wednesday, the eighth of February. I was there on a short professional engagement. I was taking my lodgings at the American Coffee House, and my meals at the French Coffee House,. in different places, according to the custom ofthe country. Wednesday morning, the eighth,

was one ofthe most beautifiil that could be inmgined—the

sun shone out iii all its splendor, a soft and pleasmit breeze came in from the sea—and every thing seemed in a state of natural peace and quiet.

There was estimated to be about seventy—five persons in the French Coffee House, where l was taking my meals. We had all sat down to breakfast on that morning as usual,

joints opened and all began to come down with an awful crash. I instantly uttered the word “jump l"—-the man who sat opposite to 'me turned his head, and looked up sideways, but never rose from his seat—and‘at precisely the same moment, and without stopping to turn inysolfabout, lstarted limit my seat, and actually jumped sideways DUI of the window, through glass, sash and all, landing some tort or twelVe feet in the yard below. I think it could not have been over three to five seconds from the iiistnntI first felt the jar, to the instant my feet struck the pavement.

My impression on touching the ground was its undescri- bany rapid motion—I can compare it to nothing unless it be to that ofa sieve ofa thrashing mill in its most rapid rnotioti. I should judge, from the distance I was thrown, first one way and then the other, that the lateral motion of the_earth must have beenrfi‘om eleven to fourteen feet. Isuccseded, nothwithstanding, in retaining my feet for some eight or ten seconds, till I got away from the building to the distance of 30 or 40 yards into an open lot. of ground.

While I was walking this distance ofthirty or forty yards, I saw the buildings ofthe wliqlecity tumbling into one mass of ruins—and also the earth openingin the lower part of the town and spouting up immense volumes of water, to the height ofan hundred and fifty feet. The multitude of thoiights which passed through my mind during these few seconds is utterly inconceivable and incredible.

Ifthere could have been any first thoughts amid such an instantaneous flood—my first thought was my boy. In re- lation‘ to him he was not with me on that morning. _At about half past eight o’clock, Mr. Moutague,a friend ofiiiiiie, had, by previous arrangement, called for him and taken him away to breakfast with some friend of'his—wlicre or who it was-l know not, and neither does the boy know; But knowmg the reputation of' Mr. Montague I of'course felt that Master John Was safe,aml gave myself no uneasiness about him.

Master John tells his story thus: Mr. Montague took me to the distance of some six 0r eight blocks from the Coffee House where I left my father, to the house ofsome friend of Mr. Montague’s, whose name I do not know. There was a store kept under the house,aiid I was taken tip to the second floor. There was one young lady who was playing upon the piano, and several others were also present, who had been invited that morninn'. The whole party were Waltzing—l was also Waltzing with one ofthe young ladies. Breakfast was nearly ready, and we were just going to sit down to it. A minute or two before this a little boy, belonging to the lady ofthe house, went tip stairs with his grandmother, where we had before this been playing with it little waggon,

The first thing which called, my attention from the Waltz was hearing a noise, a sort of rumbling, which I took to be the little boy up stairs drawing his ,waggon over the floor which had no carpet on it. At the same moment I saw a very large looking glass which hung up against the wall in the room whereI was, fall upon the floor; it was broken to pieces; the sofa was upset, and the table too; and every- thing in the room was shaken and upset together. All the family, young ladies and all, fell on their knees or were thrown flat upon the floor. I instantly made for the stairs. And asI was going to the stairs I caught sight of a large church through the window—part ofit falling one way, and part the other; the steeple was the first thing which fell. Ithought of my father—but don’t remember of any thing more till I found myself'in my father’s arms. I had no sen- ses at all afterthat—I don’t know how. I got'down stairs at all ; nor do I know where I went after I got out doors, nor how long it was before I 'as in the arms of my father. I had no but on—tlie buttons were torn from my clothes, and my clothes too were considerably torn. I was not other— wise hurt.

Mr. Risley says:—V‘Vhen I recovered my consciousness I found the towel ring crushed in my hand, and my boy in my armsflmw he can'ie there I know not, nor does he know, nor are we evcij likely to know what brought us together, for at that time there was no living being in sight. We seemed to have been saved purely by a mi 'aculous preservation of the Almighty. As to my own clothes, my coat was literally torn offofmc ;—-—my watch tvassniashed in my pocket, both sides of it beingr broken iii—my vest open and torn, and my paiitalootis badly injured. Iwas obliged to borrow clothes to get our ofthe place. lily hair Was completely filled with lime, and I was altogethercovércd with dust and dirt. Ire-

vcry sore, and hardly able to use my limbs. By the time I had escaped to the distance of the thirty or forty yards which I spoke of, the violence of the first shock had seemed to abate a very little, but was almost instantaneously renewed again, with fur gi'catcl‘violence than before ; and then it was that I lost all consciousness, until‘I found my boy in my arms. When I thus partially recovered my senses, I first began to feel the arms and limbs of my child to see if any ofthem were broken, and finding that we were both of us safe, Igot up,aud began to look about me. I was still so entirely bewildered that I scarcely knew what had happen- ed, or whether it were not all a dream. Ithen began to look about me, and saw various individuals, men, women and children. ofall classes and ages, wandering about, half fran- tic, like myself. Some were in search o'fa son ora daughter ——others’of:i fiitlier or a mother—some of brothers and sis- ters—others offriends and relatives—all weeping or in the utmost conceivable agony—pitching and fallingr about among the ruins and dead bodies—They would go from one dead body to another, overhauling them to see ifthey .could find the person sought for; and ifiiot successful, pass on to ano- ther. ' j I .

At this time, the whole city was in one vast pile of ruins, the awful appearance of which it is utterly impossible to give even the faintest idea. Even the place and direction ofthe streets were iti many cases obliterated, and could not be found.

Subterranean fires now began to burst forth in different parts ofthe city, consuming everything combustible, and destroying a great number ofindividuals.

Every body immediately went to work, uegroes, sailors, and all, to dig out the dead and dying, from the ruins, wher- ever they heard cries ofdisiress. In one instance we stic- ceedcd in very nearly extracting a man from the ruins, hav— ing gotten him all out except his legs and lower part of his body, when the fire broke out and burnt him to death before

our eyes. At the same time and place we could distinctly bear the cries of eight or ten others who had been over- whelmed in the same ruins, and who were all consumed in the subterranean fire. lcall it a subterranean fire, because it broke out all Over the city, and it is well known that few of the houses in that country were likely to huVe any fire in them at the time. ‘