and fortunately happens, that in the blindness of our prejudice, we deny to him those very qualities, which he is known by his intimate acquaintance to possess in a very superior degree. Mr. O'Connell's opinions on the subject of duelling are well known to accord with the generality of those who move in the same sphere of life as himself; as a christian and a philanthropist he may decry and reprobate the custom, but as a man constrained to conform to the common usages of society, he could not depart from them without exposing himself to the imputation of being under the influence of cowardice, a weakness never overlooked in the individual who pretends to the character of the well bred gentleman. The enemies of Mr. O'Connell, however, denounced him as a sanguinary, bloodthirsty Catholic, as a man who took delight in the shedding of the blood of the Protestant, and who was ready to draw his sword, or fire his pistol, against all who professed a faith differing from his own. If, however, we follow Mr. O'Connell into private life, where the real character of the man truly and accurately exhibits itself, we there find him a man of much goodness of disposition, possessed of much benevolence, domestic feeling and kindness for the human race. There is scarcely one relation of life which Mr. O'Connell does not fulfil with exemplary rectitude; for although we in charity may overlook some of those indiscretions which are the concomitant of youth, we should not feel disposed to avert our view from them, were they exhibited at a riper age. In no instance did Mr. O'Connell ever, as a youth or a man, forfeit his claim to the character of a philanthropist or a moralist; and if such be the case, and there is no reason to doubt it, for his public career does any thing but contradict it, his being the instrument of the death of a fellow being, must have afforded him no little serious uneasiness; and, in fact, that such was the case, is evinced by the solemn step which he took of making a vow, which, he says, is registered in Heaven, that under no circumstances, nor under any provocation whatever, will he ever fight another duel. This circumstance has, however, been seized upon as a handle by his enemies to offer him the greatest insults, at the same

time that they allege against him, that he allows himself an unlimited excuse in his attacks upon others, from the consciousness that he is not to be called upon for that satisfaction, which an individual, under any other circumstances would be called upon to give. Frequently has it required an impurability of temper, a positive stoical apathy, to bear the taunts and sarcasms which his opponents in the House of Commons have levelled at him on this account. If, in the warmth of debate, he uttered a sentiment not exactly within the limits of parliamentary courtesy, he was taunted with the remark, that he would not have dared to make use of the offensive expression, if he did not know himself protected by his vow in heaven. Mr. O'Connell had, however, scarcely recovered from the effect of his duel with Mr. D'Esterre, than he was involved in another hostile affray with Mr. Peel, (now Sir Robert Peel) then Secretary for Ireland. It must be admitted, that in the present instance, like that of Mr. D'Esterre, Mr. O'Connell had called down upon himself the hostility of Mr. Peel, by the intemperance of the language, which he used at one of the meetings of the Catholic Association, where he was too prone to employ his unrivalled powers of eloquence in the attack on the character of individuals who had rendered themselves obnoxious to him by their political or religious opinions. The passage in Mr. O'Connell's speech, which gave offence to Mr. Peel, was as follows::

"All I shall say of him (Mr. Peel) by way of parenthesis, is that I am told, he has, in my absence, and in a place where he was privileged from any account, grossly traduced me. I said, at the last meeting, in the presence of the note takers of the police, who are paid by him, that he was too prudent to attack me in my presence. I see the same police informers here now, and I authorize them carefully to report these my words, that Mr. Peel would not dare, in my presence, nor in any place where he was liable to personal account, to use a single expression derogatory to my interest or my honour."

On this expression of Mr. O'Connell coming to the know

ledge of Mr. Peel, he obtained the interference of Sir Charles Saxton, who published the following account of his proceedings. -On the morning of Thursday the 31st of August, I called upon Mr. O'Connell, and informed him, that Mr. Peel, having understood that he expressed a wish, at a public meeting, on Tuesday last, that some communication should be made as from him to Mr. Peel, was desirous of learning the purport and terms of that communication, and that I had waited on him, from Mr. Peel, for the purpose of obtaining them.

"To this application, after ascertaining that what he should say would not subject him to any consequences, either of law or parliamentary privilege, Mr. O'Connell stated the expressions used by him on the occasion referred to, in terms so substantially the same as those contained in the report of his speech at the public meeting before mentioned, in the Dublin Chro-' nicle, that I was induced to take that paper from my pocket, and read from it that passage which related to Mr. Peel, remarking to him its similarity with what he had just stated; to this remark he assented, admitting that it was what he had said.

"Upon this, I observed, that as it was clear his speech alluded to something that had fallen from Mr. Peel in Parliament, I was empowered by Mr. Peel to say to him, that there was nothing which he had ever said, or that he had seen reported as said by him with respect to Mr. O'Connell, that he did not unequivocally avow, and for which he would not hold himself responsible.

"As Mr. O'Connell did not offer any thing directly in answer to this communication, but was proceeding to comment on Mr. Peel's conduct on this occasion as handsome and gentlemanlike, which he subsequently repeated, with a desire that his opinion to that effect might be conveyed to Mr. Peel, I took occasion to say, that I presumed Mr. Peel might expect to hear from him, in consequence of the communication he had just received.

"His answer was, that it certainly was his feeling that a communication from him to Mr. Peel ought to follow, but that he

must advise with his friends, for that, indeed, the nature of the communication with which I was charged, seemed to make that course necessary. To this observation I replied, that putting together the expressions he had then acknowledged, and the communication then made to him from Mr. Peel, the conclusion was easily drawn.

"On parting, it was settled, that whatever communication Mr. O'Connell should have to make in consequence of what had passed, I might expect to receive at the house of Mr. Ottley.

Mr. Lidwill having called there in my absence to inquire for me, stating that he came from Mr. O'Connell, and leaving word where he was to be met with, I went to his hotel, the moment I received notice of his visit, and on being introduced to him, began the conversation, by acquainting him, that I had called, having heard that he had some communication to make to me from Mr. O'Connell, in consequence of a communication I had made to the latter, Mr. Peel's desire, the particulars of which I began to state in the terms I had conveyed them to Mr. O'Connell, and had proceeded so far as to repeat the words in which Mr. Peel avowed, whatever expressions had been used by him in Parliament-when I was interrupted by Mr. Lidwill, desiring in the first instance to speak, as he came from Mr. O'Connell, and to inform me that having been made acquainted by Mr. O'Connell, who, he subsequently added, had placed himself in his hands, with what had passed between him and myself that morning, he had called on me, not from a conviction that any communication from Mr. O'Connell to Mr. Peel was necessary, but lest my conversation with Mr. O'Connell might have led me to expect a hostile message, which, it was Mr. Lidwell's opinion, that Mr. O'Connell was not called upon by the circumstances to make.

"Mr. Lidwill followed up this statement with a good deal of his own reasoning on the matter, which I do not consider it. necessary to relate, as it did not go in the least degree to remove the conclusion, that Mr. Peel was to expect no communication from Mr. O'Connell."

The foregoing statement was published by Sir Charles Saxton, in the Dublin Correspondent, and drew forth the following counter statement from Mr. O'Connell.

"To the Proprietor of the Freeman's Journal.

Sir,-The very novel and extraordinary course pursued by Mr. Peel and Sir Charles Saxton having terminated in a newspaper publication, I beg of you to publish for me the enclosed letter, which I received from my friend Mr. Lidwill.

The dexterity of my adversary, in publishing on Saturday evening, has given him, what, I suppose, he estimates highly, one day's talking at me. This paltry trick he resorts to, and yet he declares that he feels anxious for an early statement of a transaction which occured two days before.

The conversation between Sir Charles Saxton and me, is very inaccurately stated by that gentleman in the Correspondent. I will only notice two particulars; first, his omitting to mention that on my expressing my own opinion on the fitness of my sending to Mr. Peel, I added, "any friend would disappoint my hopes and wishes who should advise me not to call on Mr. Peel;" and secondly, his inserting the last reply, which he has attributed to himself, not one word of which did he utter in my presence. For the rest I leave the case to the Irish public. I have disavowed nothing,—I have retracted nothing,—I have refused the gentleman nothing. I have only to regret that they have ultimately preferred a paper war.

"I am, Sir,

Your obedient humble servant,

"My dear O'Connell,

"DANIEL O'CONNELL."

"Saturday, Sept. 2, 1815.

Kearne's Hotel, Kildare Street.

"The statement relative to your affair with Mr. Peel, made by Sir Charles Saxton, in the Correspondent of this night, in which he says so little and suppresses so much of what passed between himself and me on that subject, renders it necessary that I should communicate to you, in regular order, the