d, it could be assumed that for the few places
obtained by his friends, and others, some of them honourable men, he
surrendered the lofty and nearly impregnable position he occupied in
1834, and which, in one sense at least, he never afterwards attained.

From whatever cause, his influence over the Whigs visibly declined, and
his counsels no longer swayed their Irish policy. Once more they relied
on the false expedient of yielding to their enemies and allowing them to
wield the _power_, while they were themselves content with the spoils of
the country. Again the quarrel with Mr. O'Connell became bitter and
personal, and again had he recourse to Repeal.

From the time of the first Repeal Association to that of the Precursor
Society several other associations or societies were established, which
have left behind them scarcely the memory of their very names--that of
the second association alone excepted. Yet each had an ample treasury,
and was composed of the same or nearly the same elements, and the same
members. There is many an honest man and many a fool, whose boast it is
that they contributed a pound to each of them, and had their respective
cards.

At last the late Repeal Association was formed. Its birth was received
with sneers. Mr. O'Connell's sincerity was questioned, and his motives
canvassed with vindictive vigilance. The warmest Nationalists looked on
with doubt and coldness. Not one man of rank, outside the members of the
defunct society, joined its ranks. The routine of business, the receipt
of money, the resolutions, the speeches, were exactly identical with
those of its predecessors. The Government seemed neither to dread it nor
care for it. It lingered on, unsustained by the country and despised by
its enslavers. The contributions of the members did not suffice to pay
half the ordinary expenses of its machinery. Debts accumulated, and the
revenue did not increase. While the body was thus situated, Mr.
O'Connell had recourse to an expedient at once singular and decisive. It
was to build Conciliation Hall. The Association was at the time
seriously in debt, and he proposed to multiply that debt four-fold by
engaging in this costly undertaking.

While persons who affected to be in his confidence were amazed at this
step, the Government regarded it as an evidence of purpose which it was
indispensable at once to check. They saw that their opponents had
formerly menaced and coerced in vain, and they determine