THE O’CONNELL CENTENARY AT WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3886, 7 August 1875, Page 2

THE O’CONNELL CENTENARY AT WELLINGTON.

[By Telsgbaph,] Wellington, August 6. The O’Connell Centenary dinner last night was very successful. About 150 persons were present, including the Governor, the Mayor, Sir George Grey, Sir J. Richardson, Mr Stafford, Captain Chapman (H.M.S. Dido), Hon. 0. C. Bowen, and numerous members of both Houses of Parliament. Mr W. T. L. Travers, F. L.S., presided, and the vice-chair was filled by the Provincial Solicitor (Mr P, A. Buckley).

His Excellency, who. on rising to respond to the toast of his health, was cheered vociferously, thanked them cordially for the way they had received the toast. Daniel O’Connell had entirely at heart the welfare of his mother country, and by his eloquence and perseverance effected great good for that country. They had Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, Welshmen, and son»6 other nationalities here, but they were all New Zealanders, and to New Zealand they well might turn their attention and consideration —it was a country anyone might be proud to call his own. They had a Constitution as free and liberal as any in the world, for it was constructed on the model of that of Great Britain, and nothing more than that possibly couhibe said in its praise. It had been the principle of the mother country to encourage her colonists to govern themselves, and if changes were required, they ceuld make such changes without any violent or revolutionary movement. Let them work out any political change# in a quiet and constitutional manner, and express their own views without imputing unworthy er improper motives to those who differed from them, recollecting that every man has a right to his own opinions. Whatever was best for the country should be worked out by its own inhabitants, and they should be quiet and contented with the existing state of things until they were sure that they had something better in view.—(Cheers). Captain Chapman responded for the navy, and the Hon. Col. Brett for the army, the latter wishing H.R.H. the Commander-in-

Chief could have been present to witness the enthusiastic way in which the army was drunk (aio). —(Laughter.) The Chairman, in proposing “His Honor the Superintendent,” expressed his regret that the latter was not able to be present. He had been invited, but perhaps thought it would net be an appropriate place to nic hie political opinions. However, they would drink his health as an estimable and kind-hearted gentleman, although thev might think It would hare b**n better had he beta fchfrt,—(ApphtUH.)

The Ohaltman then proposed the toast of the evening—“The memory of Daniel O’Connell, ” and gave a very interesting outline of his life. The toast was drunk with loud cheers instead of tli* “ solemn silence" usual when memorial' toasts afo proposed) Sir d-eOrgi Grey (whose rising was the sign*! lor A tempest of frantic cheering, which lasted some minutes) proposed—" The land we live in.’* 1 lie real pith of this toast was men—the men who lived m the land and who made thS lahd What it wftßj ftflct* ehdollnitinhg much toil, many difficulties, and even danger, which some of those present had shared with himself. From this htf might wander naturally to pass a eulogium on the great; man whose memory they now colebratedi He had seen that great nun, add had had the privilege of hearing some of his greatest speeches. One of O’Connell’s chief gifts seemed to be his power of estimating the necessities of mankind, a fact only recently acknowledged by modern politicions. found kls country depressed and with little education according to modern notions, but he detected, lying dormant, a power which, properly exercised in the development of political rights, might be rendered of service to mankind. He believed that his countrymen might be fitted by education for noble actions, and so he educated them until political knowledge became political power, and those without heard that voice arising from the beleaguered millions within, which told it was not a voice to keep them longer imprisoned in that prison of religious disabilities, and so they let them go forth into the world, O’Connell taught the great truth—a truth whose value now is felt by mankind—that they who are not allowed full political rights must sink in the scale of humanity.— (Enthu. i istic cheers.) A number of other toasts were proposed, but they were of no public interest.