into
the island whose greatness and whose glory shall be ever associated with
his name. In your love of justice; in your love of Ireland; in your
love of honesty and fair play, I place my confidence. I ask you for an
acquittal, not only for the sake of your country, but for your own. Upon
the day when this trial shall have been brought to a termination;
when, amidst the burst of public expectancy, in answer to the solemn
interrogatory which shall be put to you by the officer of the court, you
shall answer, 'Not guilty,' with what a transport shall that glorious
negative be welcomed! How will you be blessed, adored, worshipped! And
when retiring from the scene of excitement and of passion, you shall
return to your own tranquil homes, how pleasurably will you look upon
your children, in the consciousness that you will have left them a
patrimony of peace, by impressing upon the British cabinet that
some other measure beside a state prosecution is necessary for the
pacification of your country." On the thirteenth day Mr. Moore addressed
the jury on behalf of the Reverend Mr. Tierney, and Mr. Hatchell for Mr.
Ray. On the fourteenth day Mr. Fitzgibbon spoke on behalf of Dr.
Gray, his address occupying two days. In the course of his address an
extraordinary scene took place, in consequence of a challenge which the
attorney-general had sent to Mr. Fitzgibbon to fight a duel. Of this
circumstance Mr. Fitzgibbon took every advantage. After handing the note
to the judges which contained the challenge, he said that he left him
to their lordships to answer for his conduct. Mutual recriminations
and explanations followed; but the matter resulted in Mr. Smith's
withdrawing the note, which was allowed by the consent of all parties.
On the four following days, Messrs. Fitzgibbon, Whiteside, M'Donnah,
and Henn, successively addressed the court for different clients. On the
nineteenth day, Mr. O'Connell commenced his defence. He began by showing
that he had a right to demand from the jury a favourable verdict; after
which he came to the consideration of the case itself; in doing which he
retraced, with more or less of variety, arguments already employed. In
referring to the indictment, he said that it was the history of the last
nine months; and that he defied the most brilliant imagination to grasp
the monstrous accumulation of matter. Its entire strength rested on the
meaning of that cabalistic word, "conspiracy." He continued:--"If, my