The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-23 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF CANADA.

QUEBEC, JUNE 8.
Quebec has again been disgraced by an Irish riot.
Father Gavazzi, the Italian orator, accepted the
invitation tendered him a few days ago by several
leading citizens, and delivered a lecture in the
Wesleyan Church last week. On Monday he was
to deliver a second, on " The Ancient and Modern
Inquisition," and some time before the eloquent
padre entered the building—the new free kirk—it
was filled by a very respectable audience, of which,
perhaps, ladies constituted a majority. Groups of
suspicious-looking individuals were noticed both in
the church and in the neighbourhood ; but as one
of the Catholic papers had given a hint of what
might be expected from " les Irlandais, qui n'euten-
dent pas raillerie au sujet de leur foi," it was con-
fidently believed that the public were well pre-
pared to quell any disturbance. The padre was
heard in silence for nearly an hour. Then, as he
made some allusion to the intolerance and des-
potism of the Irish priesthood, a man in the crowd
called out, "That's a lie !" others chorused, "Put
him out !" and a scene of disorder commenced
which it is no easy matter to describe. Showers
of stones were thrown from outside, breaking the
windows, and scattering terror and injury among
the audience. A band of ruffians rushed into

the church, without molestation from the police.
The foremost made for the pulpit where Gavazzi
stood, and one fellow mounted the stairs. He was
instantly seized by the Italian and thrown over the
reading desk. Disengaging himself from his robe,
the padre then grasped the pulpit chair, and with
it felled three or four others who endeavoured to
scale his stronghold. It was a memorable sight to
witness the coolness and undaunted bravery with
which the Italian defended himself singly against
his assailants. The conflict would, however, have
been but brief, had not a serjeant of artillery,
named Lawson, and Gavazzi's secretary, forced
their way through the crowd to the assistance of
the preacher. For a space of twenty minutes these
three held some sixty wild Irishmen at bay. En-
furiated at the failure of their efforts, a reinforce-

ment of several hundreds of the rioters were sent
for, and quickly made their way to the scene of ac-
tion. Pao]i, the secretary, first fell. Gavazzi—
who had continued to deal terrible blows with his
stool, as the wretches assailed him, shouting, "Let
us murder him in the church !"—was seized by the
legs, and thrown from the pulpit into the crowd
below. Here he was trampled under foot. The
throng was too dense for his assailants to use their
sticks, and after escaping death by a miracle, he
contrived to crawl to the staircase which leads to
the vaults, and to effect a retreat by that issue.
During the whole of the melee a desultory fight
was carried on between the male portion of the
audience and the rioters. Several gentlemen,
among whom it is only right that I should mention
Mr. Buchanan (the emigration agent), Sheriff
Sewell, William D. Campbell, and others, fought
manfully, and were severely injured. No lives were
lost.

Englishmen may perhaps be disposed to inquire
what the police were doing during the battle. The
question can easily be answered. They were col-
lected outside the church, apparently enjoying the
scene, and, like Sosie of memorable renown, " pre-
nant courage pour nos gens qui so battaient." The
stipendary magistrate—an Irishman and a Catholic
unfortunately sprained his ankle early in the even-
ing, and was engrossed in applying lotions to the
wounded limb.

Gavazzi reached his hotel in safety, left Quebec
the next day, and is now in Montreal, where very
similar scenes are being enacted by the Irish popu-
lation of our sister city. The Irish mob, after
leaving the church they had assailed, proceeded to
the Parliament House, and called for Mr. Brown,
M.P.P., who has rendered himself peculiarly ob-
noxious to them by his strong anti-Catholic
opinions. Mr. Brown declined their invitation to
" come out that they might do for him," and they
dispersed, with a few mild threats of burning the
houses of some leading Protestants, and " reveng-
ing" the wrong done to them by the defenders of
Gavazzi.

As might be expected, great excitement per-
vades the city. A parliamentary commission has
been appointed to inquire into the outrage, and is
now sitting. Irishmen do not affect to conceal
their satisfaction at the riot, and their regret that

the padre escaped with his life. Many of the English
have armed themselves, and if a second outbreak
takes place, much bloodshed will ensue. I hardly
anticipate it, however. Irish mobs in Canada sel-
dom show fight when their adversaries are prepared
to meet force with force. They are prodigiously
brave when the enemy is a single individual, or a
church full of women and children ; but a fair
fight on equal terms with men is not to their taste.
The only comment I will venture on the above
is a single allusion to the antecedents of the rioters.
In 1849, when the cholera was in Quebec, the same
men, with the same leaders, attacked and gutted
the only hospital that existed in Champlain ward.
In 1850 and 1851 the same men, with the same
leaders, destroyed on several occasions the shipping
offices that were established to put a stop to the
crimping system. In December, 1851, the same
men, with the same leaders, attempted to capture
the polls at the election here, and were only pre-
vented by the determined resistance of the French
Canadians. The perpetrators of these outrages are
well known. Not one of them as ever been
brought to trial. And though several of the rioters
on Monday have been arrested, it is well known
that they will escape, as no jury can be empa-
nelled without Irishmen, and no Irishman will find
them guilty.
Parliamentary news in my next. Parliament is
expected to adjourn on or about the 16th.
The following is Gavazzi's own account of the
affray :
" LETTER FROM FATHER GAVAZZI TO THE EDITOR OF THE
NEW YORK L'ECO D'ITALIA.
" Quebec, Canada, June 8, 1853.
" Dear Friend—l only write a few particulars of the
shocking case which happened the day before yesterday ;
you will perceive it more amply described in the papers
I send, you. I will begin by saying that the appear-
ance or the assailants was most despicable, for they came
dirty, torn, and in their shirt-sleeves, the better to show
their origin. It was their aim to secure me alive, in
order to murder me without the
kill me
ebut
withinne not h
tahve-
churchng
church. c
idaendy,
wt 1
ei erye
when they had
led to attemptedbel i etvoeit,
by repeated blows felled Paoli to the ground ; for
believing him to be me, they said one to another, This
is the very man.' Another scheme of theirs was to
blow out the lights, by turning the gas keys, for by sc
doing, from their concerted plan, they would have more
easily succeeded in getting possession of me, seizing at
the same time every one present, mostly ladies and
children But man proposes, and God disposes, It