Specially bound volume entitled ‘O'Connell's Letter 1833’ presented to ‘the Jesuit Fathers of St. Francis Xavier’s Upper Gardiner Street For their Library. In grateful memory of much kindness received from them for nearly forty years’ from ‘W.L.' '. Includes colour poster of Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847) and O'Connell's name and address (written in his own hand) attached to the frontispiece. Contains two letters:
4 April 1833
Letter from Daniel O'Connell, London to Richard Barrett, editor of the 'Pilot' newspaper, Suffolk Street, Dublin, to be published as an open letter to the people of Ireland. ‘This is the first of a series of Letters which I intend to publish on the present state and future prospects of our Country including the best suggestions I can give for regulating your conduct in the manner most calculated to mitigate the evils of the one and to insure the amelioration of the other.’ (Letter is divided into five envelopes, each containing nine pages. Franked 6 April 1833.) 45pp
Richard Barrett, editor of the Pilot was prosecuted by the government for having published on 8 April 1833, the last letter. He was tried and found guilty, imprisoned for six months and fined £100. During his imprisonment, O'Connell paid Barrett a total of £656, consisting of his £100 fine, £150 in American subscriptions and weekly sums amounting to £406.
18 February 1840
Private letter from Daniel O'Connell, 16 Pall Mall, London, to David R. Pigot, Solicitor General, concerning the Municipal Reform Bill. Letter published in full in Maurice R. O'Connell’s (ed.) 'The Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell, Vol. VI, 1837-1840' (Blackwater Dublin for the Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1977) p.308/9 (2687a), where the source is given as ‘Jesuit Fathers, Gardiner Street, Dublin.’
2pp