ORANGE RIOTS.—The narrative of the events of the 12th of
July, though less lamentable than that of last year, is disgraceful to the coun- try of Ireland, and doubly disgraceful to its governors. At Armagh,
notwithstanding the exhortations of the Magistrates, and the request of the Lord Lieutenant, the Orangemen made their appearance with all the confidence of men engaged in a just and legal act. A party of military had been sent for, to repress their violence; but, after detaining the offenders for a short while, the officer in command dismissed them with an admonition : they marked their sense of this lenity by immediately reassembling and recommencing their march. They were again sur- rounded by the troops ; and again permitted to depart to their lodge- rooms, to celebrate the triumph over the people and the authorities. In the middle of the day, a fresh party marched into the town, and dared
the troops to interrupt them. Two men, who were exceedingly zealous in insulting the soldiers, were taken prisoners, and the remainder were
filloweiltego as bravely as they had come. At Newry, where there were no soldiers to awe the people—for there is not the slightest appearance of their wishing to awe the Orangemen—the consequences of the annual exhibition were not so slight. In that town, the procession consisted of about fifty lodges. It is to be observed that Lese people perpetrate their insults grossly and wantonly. They are not content with passing di-. wetly to their place of meeting, or with parading through one street ; they must go up and down all manner of streets, sedulously seeking out and provoking hostility. They had passed through Kildare Street, Hill Street, William Street, and Boat Street, with but small opposition, and so far had been disappointed. They then proceeded along Market Street towards High Street, where some stones were thrown by the crowd. One of the flags, which had been purposely or accidentally flapped in the face of a female, was laid hold of and torn, and in the scuffle more stones were thrown. The brave Orangemen now seemed to have thought they had advanced too far ; and, anxious to extricate themselves, they began to fire their pistols at the mob. Two bails took effect : one shattered the hip-bone of a man named Ryan, and another -entered the fleshy part of the thigh of a beggar who was standing near. Ryan is dangerously ill. Now we do not stop to discuss the propriety of pelting processions or tearing their flags ; were a band of Catholics to march through an Eng- lish village in mockery of its church-loving, or through a Scotch village in mockery of its kirk-loving inhabitants, they would be beaten to death; —still we do not defend nor excuse the violence of the Irish Catholics of Newry. „But who began the mischief ? By whom were the waters of bitterness,let out ? The cuckoo-note of a party is, that all that Parliament has done to the Catholics is vain—that they will not be re- conciled to their Protestant brethren. The events of the 12th of July
afford a ,finespecimen of the sentiments of conciliation entertained by the Proteetants. But we blame the madness of these men much less
than we blame the drivelling of that Government which permits its un- controlled exercise. Why are not these displays put down ? Are they legal ? Is it legal to provoke to a breach of the peace ? Is there a Ca-
tholic in Ireland who does not regard the Orange processions as an in- sult which his honour as well as his religion calls on him to repel ? Is it possible to exhibit them in any town in Ireland without the risk, with- out the certainty of a riot ? But if they be legal, why are they suffered to continue so ? Are Ministers so weak that they cannot pass a law to make them legal no longer ?
This Orange mania, we may observe, is spreading in England itself. At Manchester, on the 12th, several displays of flags were made by the pseudo Protestants, which the Catholics, not to be behind-hand in ah- :surdity, set upon and tore. Such exhibitions in England are merely childish. The Prince of Orange did not triumph over us, and the ex- hibition of his colours here calls up no remembrance of humiliation and defeat. The flag-tearers of Manchester were properly taken in cus- tody ; and we hope they will be taught to moderate their excessive zeal -on future occasions, by the proper punishment which it receives on this.
DISTRESS IN IRELAND.—The Kilkenny Journal states that many miserable creatures in and near that city have perished, from want and the diseases which long-continued abstinence have produced. The cor- respondent of the Times represents the distress as exceedingly great in the more distant parts of Cork and Kerry, particularly on the sea-coasts. Cow, pig, potatoes, every thing is gone ; the men are wandering through the country seeking work, and the women and children crowd the high- ways imploring alms. The Globe says—" The misery in some parts seems to have attained its height ; the inhabitants of particular districts having actually dispersed themselves in search of charity and food." Food they may find, but charity, we rather think, is among the ab- sentees.
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