e Irish Catholics--His address to the electors of London--Its
vagueness--Addresses of some of the other new Ministers--The Irish
difficulty greater than ever--Young and Old Ireland--The _Times_ on
O'Connell and English rule in Ireland--Overtures of the Whig
Government--O'Connell listens to them--The eleven measures--Views of
the advanced Repealers--Lord Miltown's letter to
O'Connell--Dissensions in the Repeal Association--The "Peace
Resolutions"--O'Connell's letters--He censures the _Nation_
newspaper--Debate in the Repeal Association--Thomas Francis
Meagher's "Sword Speech"--The Young Ireland party leave Conciliation
Hall in a body--Description of the scene (_note_)--Reflections--Sir
Robert Peel's Speech after his resignation--Lord John Russell's
speech at Glasgow--His speech on the Irish Coercion Bill--His speech
after becoming Prime Minister--The Potato Blight
re-appears--Accounts from the Provinces--Father Mathew's
letter--Value of the Potato Crop of 1846--Various remedies, theories
and speculations--State of the weather--Mr. Cooper's observations at
Markree Castle--Lord Monteagle's motion in the House of Lords for
employing of the people--Profitable employment the right thing--The
Marquis of Lansdowne replies--It is hard to relieve a poor country
like Ireland--Lord Devon's opinion--The Premier's statement about
relief--The wonderful cargo of Indian meal--Sir R. Peel's
fallacies--Bill for Baronial Sessions--Cessation of Government
Works--The Mallow Relief Committee--Beds of stone! high rents on the
poor--The Social Condition of the Hottentot as compared with that of
Mick Sullivan--Mr. Gibson's views--Mr. Tuke's account of Erris
(_note_)--Close of the Session of Parliament.

Sir Robert Peel's defeat on the Irish Coercion Bill made it a matter of
course that Lord John Russell, the leader of the Opposition, should be
called upon to form a Government. In fulfilling this task his first
anxiety seems to have been to conciliate every section of the Liberals.
Important offices were given to several Irish Catholics. This fact was
accepted by some as a desire on his part to act justly towards Ireland;
while others looked upon it with suspicion; regarding it as an attempt
to buy up independent liberal representatives, corrupt the national
leaders, and thus crush the agitation for a repeal of the Legislative
Union. Richard