A Memoir on Ireland Native and Saxon Author:Daniel O'Connell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3CHAP. VII. The Year 1800. § 1. This year would justify a volume to itself. It was the year that consummated the crimes which, during nearly seven centuries, the English Government perp... more »etrated against Ireland. It was the year of the destruction of the Irish legislature. It was the fatal, ever to be accursed year of the enactment of the Union. § 2. The Union was inflicted on Ireland by the combined operation of terror, torture, force, fraud, and corruption. § 3. The contrivers of the Union kept on foot and fomented the embers of a lingering rebellion. They hallooed the Protestant against the Catholic, and the Catholic against the Protestant. They carefully kept alive domestic dissensions, for the purposes of subjugation. § 4. Whilst the Union was in progress, the Habeas Corpus act was suspended —all constitutional freedom was annihilated in Ireland—MarTial Law Was Proclaimed—the use of torture was frequent—liberty, life, or property, had no protection—public opinion was stifled—trials by court-martial were familiar—meetings legally convened by sheriffs and magistrates were dispersed by military violence—the voice of Ireland was suppressed—the Irish people had no protection. Once again, I repeat, Martial Law Was Proclaimed—thus the Union was achieved in total despite of the Irish nation. 5. But this was not all—the most enormousand the basest corruption was resorted to. Lord John Russell is reported to have lately stated at a public dinner, that the Union was carried at an expense of j£800,000. He was much mistaken, speaking as he did merely from a vague recollection. The parliamentary documents will show him that the one item of the purchase money of rotten and denomination boroughs, cost no less a sum than one million, two hundred and forty-five thousand pounds.—The pecuniary corruption amoun...« less