The Archbishop of Armagh gives so very different an account
of the proceedings of the Orangemen in Mr. Greer's church in Ulster, referred to lately by Mr. Gladstone in Lancashire, from that taken by Mr. Greer himself, that it is difficult to realize even that they are referring to the same set of facts. The Archbishop contends that there were no ladders at hand for taking down the Orange banners put up over Mr. Greer's church, and Mr. Greer maintains that the same ladders by the help of which they were put up, were there to take them down, "but in the face of a crowd of infuriated Orangemen, ircould not be attempted by unprotected civilians." While the Archbishop asserts that Mr. Greer deprived ' old and infirm persons' of the advantages of a Church ser- vice because the Orange flag remained over the church, Mr. Greer maintains that the ' old and infirm persons ' consisted of "a mob of Orangemen, shouting, cursing, defying the
Queen and her laws, and expectorating " [Mr. Greer means spitting, which, as it is a good enough word for the Bible, is surely good enough for a clergyman,] "on my wife and my- self." The Archbishop asserts that Mr. Greer's parishioners pro- ceeded against him for not officiating as usual under the Orange flag ; Mr. Greer says it was not any of his parishioners who took the initiative, but his Grace's own registrar and proctor, who " went among my people, urging them to make a complaint." The Archbishop asserts that Mr. Greer made his submission, and admitted he was i❑ error. Mr. Greer says he made no such submission of admission, and could not have made it, and that he did not reply to the charges at all. Finally, the Archbishop says he paid Mr. Greer's costs, and Mr. Greer says he wishes he had the receipts, as he had been compelled to " sell all he possessed to pay the ex- penses," and a part of the costs are still unpaid. In a word, we must say more absolute contradictories on all points than the Arch- bishop's statements and Mr. Greer's could scarcely be put on paper. May we account for the difference by the fact that while Mr. Greer was on the spot, and had the use of his eyes and ears, the Arch- bishop was at Baden Baden, and was wholly misinformed by his correspondents? Surely his Grace should be careful in contradicting facts which are related by persons on the spot, and only heard by him amidst the gaieties of Baden Baden.
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