'William III. was a wise and moderate, &c.' Of course, but he is set up there by a penal law to insult the Irish race. You have given up celebrating the battle of Waterloo to conciliate Louis Napoleon; is it indispensable to continue celebrating the battle of the Boyne to insult Irish Catholics? What an insignificant, what a sentimental grievance! I daresay it is, but in conciliating a people you can scarcely leave sentiment out of the calculation. And I don't propose you should undertake the task to-morrow; but place it somewhere between you and the goal you intend to reach. "I do not wish you to write, but make your Secretary send me, from time to time, any speeches, correspondence, or documents in which you disclose, or defend your policy.—Always yours,
"C. Gavan Duffy."
I proposed at this time to some of my political friends especially to two or three ecclesiastics of remarkable ability a project which I greatly fancied. I suggested that we should hire a hall in Collins Street, and deliver a weekly lecture on the subjects on which Catholics and Irishmen were most habitually assailed, opening the door freely to all comers. The project was taken up eagerly, but it is an Irish failing to be more ready to project than to perform, and in the end, as I found nobody else was ready, I delivered a lecture I had prepared for the series entitled—"Why is Ireland poor and discontented? " It had considerable success in Australia, but still more in Ireland. John O'Hagan wrote to me:—
"My dear Duffy,—I read with pleasure your lecture on the Land Question. Never were you more vigorous, eloquent, or true, nor your language more terse and choice. The Chancellor gave it to Lord Spencer to read bound up with Hoey's article, and the L.L.[1] said he was especially struck with the clearness of your English style. As to the substance, it was truth itself. But is not the passing"22, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin,
"Oct. 5, 1870.
- ↑ Lord-Lieutenant.
