The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-15 00:00:00

The Orange Riots in Belfast.

In a special edition issued on Friday morning, the Nor-
thern Whig says The rioting, which has been going on
every night during the week, culminated to an alarming
pitch this morning, and several hand•to-hand fights oc-
curred between 2 and 5 o'clock. Stones, brickbats, blud-
geons, and even guns were used—and before the police,who
had gone home for the night, came upon the scone, a num-
ber of houses were wrecked. Several men going to their
work were seriously injured. One girl was knocked down
and severely maimed by a blow from a policeman's gun—
and a man was shot through the leg and severely wounded.
At 5 o'clock this morning murder seemed to be the point
aimed at by the contending parties. One man was barba-
rously set upon, and in a few minutes left for dead. A
gentleman coming ug had him conveyed to a medical man's
establishment. After a minute investigation the doctor
pronounced the sufferer in a very dangerous state, and
begged of the parties in charge of him to have him conveyed
to the Belfast General Hospital. Many other people were
more or less injured. The nunnery on the Dublin road has
been wrecked. The St. Patrick's Burial Society in Dur-
ham•street has had every window smashed, and many
other private houses have been more or less injured by the
mobs. The district is still in a most disturbed state. The
workers in the neighbouring factories are out on the streets
and cannot be prevailed upon to go to work. There is every
prospect of dreadful rioting this evening, and the authori-
ties are holding a consultation as to what is best to be done
to preserve the peace of the town. We understand it is in-
tended to call out the military."
The Whig in an earlier edition of the same day gave the
following as to the state of the streets on Thursday night :
Yesterday evening the streets in the disturbed districts were
in a very disorderly state—more so than on any night dur-
ing the week. Durham-street to the Boyne Bridge was
crowded by people, most of whom had no business there, as
they do not live in the locality, but were the riff-raff of
every district in the town, who had collected for an hour's
stone throwing. The police were present in large numbers.
It seems a curious arrangement that the policeshould march
or stand at corners in large bodies, when they could be far
more effective in putting down disorder by patrolling, two
or three together. Some of the local and county police did
most effective duty in plain clothes, as, in consequence of
the mob not suspecting their business, they were enabled to
rush among the rioters and arrest some 20 or 30 of them,
which would not have been the case if the fellows had been
warned off by the appearance of uniform. The mobs of
Belfast are getting even more cowardly than ever, for their
mode of warfare last night was to congregate about entries,
throw volleys of stones, and then run off. Once or twice
the opposing mobs did attempt to meet each other, but their
attempts were frustrated by the police, which made them
furious, and they turned upon the authorities. Mr Orme,
R,M., who was the only magistrate we saw on the spot,
was struck with a stone by some cowardly fellow, who after
throwing it ran off, and made his escape. Betty een 8 and 9
o'clock the two mobs met, and the police being absent at the
time, they sent several volleys of stones at each other. Am-
munition being rather scarce among the Pound mob, a man
was observed to bring a horse and cart, the latter filled with
brickbats, and deposit them among the mob, who were
thereby enabled to keep up a good fire against the Sandy-
row party. About this hour the Pound party burned King
William in effigy, and we understand a similar demonstration
is contemplated to-night, the 12th August being one of the
days celebrated as an anniversary by the Orangemen, Of
the persons arrested last night about two-thirds belong to
the so-called Protestant party, who, when brought to the
office, had the appearance of a lit of idle scamps, there no t
being a respectable-looking man among them, They will be
brought up to the police court this morning. At about 12
o'clock the police were discharged from duty in the dis-
turbed districts, at that time all being in quietness. How-
ever, this state of things did not long continue, as at about
1 o'clock the Pound force came down Durham-street in full
strength, in order to attack their opponents. The alarm was
at once given, and in a very short time there was a strong
muster of the Sandy-row party—not, however, until a great
number of the houses in Durham-street between College-
square and Barrick-street sustained very serious injury by
the throwing of stones and brickbats. About two o'ctock a
number of the local force, .under Chief Constable M'Kit-
trick, arrived at the scene of action, and were stationed at
Mr Collins's Meeting-house. Up till four o'clock no fur-
ther meeting of, the rioters took place—no demonstrations

having been made, with the exception of the firing of guns
and pistols from either side, and a few volleys of stones
from the Pound mob. Mr Orme arrived about half-past 3
o'clock with about 30 of the constabulary, who were also
stationed opposite Christ Church. We may mention that
this_was she second time the police were brought from their
quarters during the night.
In Saturday's edition the same journal says—" The riots
in Belfast continued with unabated fury—unequalled by
anything we have ever seen in this town. The magistrates
did not take the precaution we suggested, of patrolling the
streets with police, two and two breast, but placed them
at corners in batches of 20 or 30 to stand and
look on at the rioters. If this is the object for which the
police were sent to Belfast, they might as well not have
come at all, for in a guerilla warfare such as took place last
eight large bodies of men cannot act properly together•
Towards evening the districts generally known as the dis-
orderly parts of the town appeared to be assembling for a
grand encounter. Every street, from Divis-street on the north
to the Dublin-road on the south, was in array and ready
for the fray. We have seen riots which occurred in Belfast
tor the last eight or ten years, and have never seen the
people of the two districts more determinedly set fora party
encounter. Every artifice of warfare was in readiness--
stones were in heaps—brickbats covered the thoroughfares
—crowds of people were at every corner—and nothing was
wanted for a great party fight except the absence of the
police, who, fortunately for the peace of the town, were
present in as large numbers as their arrangement in Belfast
could afford, considering that there are not more than 200
men in the town. As stated, the workmen in the various
establishments in the neighbourhood of the Pound and
Sandy-row districts refused to work yesterday; and the
streets were crowded all day by those who sympathised
with the unfortunate people who were hurt in the terrible
riots of the morning. Some of those then hurt are not
likely to recover ; and it was supposed that the agitation
caused in the people's mind by the frightful encounters
with fire-arms which then took place would lead to dread-
ful scenes last night. We are glad to know that the pre-
cautions which the authorities took were successful to some
extent. Every policeman and every local constable in the
town was drafted to those districts where their presence
was required; and, in the middle of large crowds where
stones and brickbats were thrown, in which many of them
were wounded, they conducted themselves in a most credit-
able manner—in fact, showing a great amount of patience,
considering the abuse which they suffered. Barrack-street,
Pound-street, Hamill-street, Durham-street, Divis-street,
Sandy-row, and all the streets adjoining the place, were
in a regular ferment; nothing could be done in cense
queries of the presence of the police, and the wretched
cowards attacked ail the passers by they saw. They made a
sally from Durham-street to Donegall-square, and attacked
the meeting-house of Dr Cooke,breaking every pane of glass
in the windows facing Alfred-street, after which they broke
the windows of the Methodist church, Donegall-square, the
windows in Mr Shaw's meeting-house, Alfred-street, and
taking a rush down Arthur-street, broke every window they
could find—sparing neither friend nor toe. They broke the
windows in the houses of Mr Meenan and Mr Murray, in
Arthur-street, Mr Dunlop, Arthur-square,and a great many
others, and in their savage fury they struck Mrs Meenan
on the head with a large stone while standing at the door
of her own house. This mob then ran along Castle-place,
and joined their brethren in liing-street. About a quarter
to ten last night, a knot of rather decent-looking men came
up to the house, 8, Howard-street, the residence of the
Right Rev. Dr Dorrian, Roman Catholic coadjutor bishop,
and broke the fanlight over the hall door. At the very
time some of the Roman Catholic clergy who reside with
Dr Dorrian were in the Pound district persuading the popu-
lace to go home and clear the streets, At ten o'clock a great
row occurred in Barrack-street, when the police, with Mr
Orme, R.M., and Mr Taylor, J.P., made several arrests.
The prisoners, to the number of 11 or 12, were conducted to
the station in the middle of large files of police, and will be
brought before the court this morning.
Yesterday at the Police-court, 23 men who had Leon
arrested on the previous night and yesterday morning for
riotous conduct were brought up before Mr Orme, KM.,
and Dr Murney. The street outside the court-house was
crowded by the iritiada of the necused, J Wan tiQilwati Was