Letter to James Haughton, (February 4, 1845)

Daniel O’Connell

Citation Information:  Daniel O’Connell. Letter to James Haughton, (February 4, 1845). In W. J. Fitzpatrick, ed. Correspondence of Daniel O’Connell. London: John Murray, 1888.

To James Haughton [1]

Merrion Square: 4th February, 1845.

My dear Friend,— I beg your pardon for not having sooner acknowledged your in sending me Charles Spear’s admirable work on the abolition of the Punishment of Death. May I beg of you, when you write to that gentleman, to present my respects, and to assure him of my gratitude for his kind present of the work, which I admire very much. There may be some shades of difference between him and me on certain principles enunciated in his book, none at all upon the practical abolition of the punishment of death, totally without reserve. With respect to the principles of President Tyler on the subject of negro slavery, I am as abhorrent of them as ever I was; indeed, if it was possible to increase my contempt of slave-owners and the advocates of slavery, my sentiments are more intense now than ever they were, and I will avail myself of the first practical opportunity of giving utterance to them, especially in connection with the horrible project of annexing Texas to the United States. But at the present moment the public mind is so engrossed by other topics of local interest, that an Anti-slavery speech would excite no such attention as it ought. I will, however, avail myself of the first favourable opportunity to express my indignation on the subject, so as to give my sentiments circulation in America.

Very faithfully yours,

Daniel O’Connell

1. Irish philanthropist, 1795-1873