THE WESTPORT PROCESSION.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 197, 18 March 1868, Page 2

THE WESTPORT PROCESSION.

Yesterday was a day to bo chronicled in the annals of Westport as a red letter day, it being the anniversary of St Patrick, and the day appointed for the celebration of the funeral demonstration to the memory of Gould, Larkin, and Allen. The procession started from Addison's Plat about half-past eight o'clock, under the guidance of Messrs Cluue, Denovan, Williams, and others, and numbered about GOO persons, including women and children. About twelve o'clock tho public attention of Westport was directed to the arrival of boats from Packer's Point, and for about half-an-hour afterwards the river presented quite a gala appearance with boats moving to and fro between that point and Westport—the procession being nearly four hours reaching Westport, and playing the " Dead March, in Saul" and other music. Having arrived at Westport, we in accoi'dance with our usual custom, accompanied the procession to the new chapel, where mass was celebrated, the music of which was performed by Messrs W. Pitt, Winstanley, Parer, Arenas, Singer, Schmidt, Mr Berry, Miss Burns, and others of the Church of England congregation. The celebration of Mass was a success, and should have conveyed a lesson to the Episcopalians of this district, as we understand a sum of over £3O was collected on this occasion. After forming at the steps near tho National Hotel the majority proceeded to the rear of the Court-house, where they formed under ■ the guidance of Messrs Cluno, Williams, and others. Between one and two o'clock the procession got into something like order, and about two o'clock the procession—headed by a band of music, and a banner representing Ireland in chains, with a motto descriptive of the objects of the procession—was formed. The great majority then proceeded to tho new Catholic Chapel which was tastefully decorated with flowers and evergreens, the Eev. Father Walsh celebrating, assisted by several laymen. The choir performed part of Mozart's Twelfth Mass, including the Kyrie Elesion, Sanctus, &c, after which the congregation quietly dispersed. Mass having been celebrated, tho congregation proceeded to dinner, after which the miners and their freinds assembled in front of Hamilton's Hotel, where a procession, headed by the banner before alluded to and a band, was formed, and after traversing the length of the town wended their way to tho cemetery, after encircling which, the leaders of it mounted a platform, which had been erected a short distance from it.

Mi* Clune, who appeared to be head centre, said they were met there that day to perform a solemn duty, and that was to devote some portion of their time to the memory of Allen, Larlcin, and O'Brien, who had perished on behalf of the cause in Manchester. They had assembled there that day to pay a tribute to their memory. The means they had employed to gain their cause was undoubtedly a rash one, but if it was rash was it to he condemned. It was rash because.they had not succeeded in their attempt, but if they had done so would it have been deemed rash. He had seen the time when people had to fly before the will of an absentee landlord, and when people had emigrated to foreign lands to avoid the pains and penalties consequent on a residence in their native lands. The consequence of this, was that they had met death on behalf of their country, and had enlisted in thousands in another land. He had seen the miseries of 1847 and 1848, and had seen whole families turned out of house and home, by what was termed the " Crowbar Brigade," which was fostered under the protection of the Irish police. Ho had seen men and families turned out on the highway to die and starve, the remembrance of which he could not forget. He had seen men at home suffering from hunger and cold, merely because they had objected to the decrees of an absentee landlord. But this had done its work, and tho I

surplus population had found employment in another land. The American war then broke out, and tho Irish population wavered for a long time as to which side it should-take, preferring rather to romaiir.ng neutral than to compromise its neutrality. The matter of the Trent affair then sprang up, in which Great Britain demanded the release of two Southern Commissioners —Messrs Slidell and Mason—from tho Northern army. The Irish in America saw probable embroilment of Britain in this, and Hew to take up arms in the cause. Confederate cruisers were being fitted out in English ports, and the Irish saw in this a general conflagration between England and tho Northern States of America. They believed that tho time had now arrived to rise against England, and that attempt had proved futile, as they all knew. The majority of the British press and the Colonial press had been against them ; and called Allon and his fellow patriots murderers. If they had been guilty of wrong, it was in a good cause, and one that would do honor to their name. The acts of Burke and Crowley were held up to them, but they were acts that a suffering nation might bo proud of, and would bear favorable comparison with men circumstanced like themselves. He deplored the sacrifice of life over the Clerkenwell affair, but although, the men were misguided and mistaken they had an object in view, and had endeavored to strike the blow where it presented itself; and if they made a mistake it was not so much their affair, but would show England that Ireland was not to bo trifled with. What Ireland desired was to mange its own affairs, for he considered that England had no right to interfere in Irish politics. There was one man, a noble-minded Englishman, John Bright, whom they all admired, a man to whom the working-classes looked up to,a noble type of an Englishman, and that man said at Rochester had been the custom to lay down all faults and blame—everything to Ireland, but let Ireland manage its own affairs, let legislation effect what was now endeavored tobe managed by force." If Britain had done this they would have made fifteen millions of firm friends instead of that number of enemies. They should work continually and constitutionally to serve their country. Mr Chine then went into the merits of the different journals of the Coast, and called upon all present to support a Hokitika journal. Dr. Denovan who was received with great cheering, said—They were there to bury the dead—that was imaginary. They had laid them in the cold earth, and it was supposed that they would be forgotten, as was Ireland's noblest patriot, Lord Edward Eitzgerald. Would it be supposed that God had designed the memory of those three noble youths to be forgotten, who had persisted in an endeavor to liberate Ireland. It might just as well be said, that all attempts to free Ireland from the iron yoke of Cromwell, or that of Elizabeth, had been vain and futile. Let them look at them, and in doing so, he would glance at the last first, and the last was called the soldier of fortune. Could it be supposed that the God of battle had allowed him to go through the whole of the American campaign without a scratch for nothing. No ; a higher and nobler fate was reserved to him. _ If he had been killed in the Americau war, he would have been put into a common grave, and there would have been an end of him; but as it was, he was reserved for something higher and nobler, and now his name adorned the page of Irish history, and would adorn it for centuries to eome. He had gone through the whole of the American war for nothing. He would now come to Larkius, of whom he would not say much ; but next came Allen, the youth of twenty—the darling of his mother's breast—who had devoted his life to his country, and whose last words were—forgetting kindred and ought else that was dear to him—" God save Ireland." And this prayer the Almighty heard; and he told Lord Derby from where he stood that Ireland would be free, and the same air that wafted his words around Mount Faraday would waft them round to England again. It was an old saying that conscience would make cowards of them all, andhow had it made a coward of England. The power of England was on the wane, and this was admitted throughout the the wholo of Europe. England dare not enforce its claims with the same high hand that it did hithortofore, for America had shown it its level, and this was particularly shown in tho Alabama affair. Jonathan had said " you may five at me for two hours, but only let mo get one shot in retnrn." This was all that America asked—just one shot in return and ho would allow England to fire away for two hours at him.

This had taught England a lesson which it would not forgot, and it was prepared to make concessions to every body except poor old Ireland, towards which, should any disturbance arise, its only thought was to send one regiment more to it. Before he concluded ho would allude to a small squib that had appeared iu a local journal, the Evening Star, respecting the increase of tho police force for Westport, in consequence of this demonstration. It was said that this information came from the Camp, but he had made inquiries, and had ascertained that the Camp had afforded no information on the subject. On the contrary, the police did not anticipate any disturbance, and what disturbance could be anticipated, when they had their wives and mothers among them—women who had walked all the way from Addison's Plat to join in the procession. When they had women like these to take the lead, who would daro to talk about disturbance. Dr Deuovan then concluded amidst tho cheers of the multitude, by reciting same verses in favor of Tipperary. Mr "Williams, in a long and able speech, advocated tho Ponian cause, but want of space only forbids us to give it in its entirety, and feeling assured that we coidd not do justice to it by by condensation, we prefer to omit it altogether, as we are certain that our readers will acquit us of any attempt to destroy its character. Suffice to say that the speech was a most eloquent one, and when it is known that it came from the mouth of a grandson of Zcphaniah Williams, of Chartist memory, we feel convincod we need not say any more. Mr Gallagher proposed a vote of thanks to the people of Westport, which was carried unanimously, and the meeting quietly ispersed.