The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-03 00:00:00

ro-vrinry 41111 t
,

_ .
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1848•

Although anythin-, in the shape of a collision and
conflict between different classes or parties must ever
be deplored, thegroeocdeartesouieturrrernce at Limerick will at
least have one
byh advocates of physi-
cal force will have been taught,the most. convincing
evidence, how repug,nant artebtehesaiguinary doctrines
feelings of the great
they have promulgated to
body of the people, and how utterly hopeless any
attempt on their rat of armed resistance to the
authorities, must prove, while they are anote
merely
unsupported, but actually opposed by the -Treat
majo-
rity of the Repeaters themst-Avca. Any doubts which
might formerly have been entertained on this point
must now be wholly removed. It is an indisputable
fact that the Confederates, with the chosen triumvirate'
at their head, have been assailed in the district which
had been supposed to be the head-quarters of " Young
Irelandism," that their principles were repudiated,
their inflammatory harangues despised, and that
they actually owed their personal safety to the pro-
tection of the military and police, the very bodies
against whom they had so often hurled defiance.
The people are well aware of the miseries and
wretchedness that would be the inevitable conse-
quence of listening to the insidious advice of the
agitators. They know the awful sufferings to which
Chair families and friends would be exposed if the

torch of civil war were lighted in their unhappy
land. Not all the prestige attachable to parties
under prosecution by an ex-officio information,
sufficed to render the would-be martyrs po-
pular, or to obtain for them the slightest
appearance of sympathy or condolence. The
people might, however, have been satisfied with
testifying their disapprobation by groans and hisses,
and other expressions of contempt and disgust, but
their passions were excited to the utmost by the pre-
sence of the calumniator of the deceased Liberator—
the man who furnished the most modern illustration
of the fable of the living ass and the dead lion—the
war editor of the United Irishman. The disturbance
commenced immediately on the arrival of Messrs.
MITCHELL and MEAGHER. in Limerick. It was with
great difficulty that they succeeded in getting
to the hotel at which they intended to re-
side during their sojourn in the town ; pistols
and daggers were produced before they could
make their way through the assembled multitudes,
who received them with hootings and execrations.

It was then seriously debated by the Confederates
whether the then intended banquet should take place.
The more discreet recommended an adjournment
sine die, believing that in the face of so unequivocal
a demonstration great disturbance would be the
necessary result of an unwise perseverance; pru-
dence, however, is not the characteristic of the Young
Inlanders, and it was accordingly resolved (by a
very small majority) that the soiree should take place
despite of every opposition. They were, however,
speedily convinced of the folly and recklessness of
their conduct. The proceedings had scarcely com-
menced when the anticipated riot broke out. The
mob paraded through the town, carrying with them
a burning tar barrel on which was placed an
effigy of Mr. MITCHELL. This was brought
so near the premises where the Confederates
were banquetting, that they speedily became ignited
and the greatest consternation prevailed. This, how-
ever, was not all—the windows and doors were
demolished, and stones and missiles hurled in through
the dilapidated sashes. In the meantime the Con-
federates were not disposed to yield an easy victory—
seats and forms were torn up, and converted into
weapons of offence and defence. The " Queen of
Weapons' was put in requisition on behalf of its
laureate, guns and other firearms were resorted to,
and several shots fired on either side. At length the
police and military came to the rescue, but not until
much damage had been inflicted on the belligerents
—cut heads, black eyes, and bruises and contusions
were displayed on every side. The illustrious
" Martyr of the Cellar" was one of the chief suf-
ferers ; he is said to have had one of his ribs broken,
his head severely hurt, while his frontispiece was dis-
figured by a most undeniable black eye, which was
painfully conspicuous on his appearance in the Court
of Queen's Bench on Monday. It was not until the
Police were strengthened by detachments of horse,
foot, and artillery, that the rioters were dispersed,
and the flames extinguished. Even then the reckless
and infatuated party were not contented—they would
have continued their meeting, breathing their
seditious defiances of, and fulminating their
puny threats against, the authorities, and dis-
claiming the British connexion while under
the protection of British guns and British
bayonets; but they were speedily called to a sense of
their position. The High Sheriff was resolved that
he would not be made the sport of the sedition-
mongers. He announced that if the assemblage did
not immediately disperse, the military and police
would be withdrawn, and they would be left to the
tender mercies of the infuriated multitude. Then,
indeed, consternation reigned supreme. Saute qui
peut became the order of the day, and the three
valorous advocates of physical force, the clamourers
for an armed multitude, betook themselves to flight
with all convenient dispatch. Mr. ..vlrrcuELL himself
was forced to admit that "discretion is the better
part of valour," and he gave his unconditional adhe-
sion to the truth of the couplet—

" The man who fights and rune away,
'Will live to fight another day k
But he who is in battle slain tfr
Will never live to fight again!'

lie, therefore, sought the friendly shelter of his
hotel ; and having, with difficulty, succeeded in
attaining its hospitable walls, along with his confrere,
the redoubted MEAGHER, with no worse consequences
than a few kicks and cuffs, and an inordinate quan •
tity of groaning, they succeeded in inducing the
landlord, who, unfortunately, was much injur,d
by a blow of a stone on the head (in
tended for Mr. MrrcuELL), to make provision for
their flight. The mail coach for Cork was (contrary
to the usual custom) packed, and the horses attached
in the hotel yard, the gate of which, being kept
barred and closed prevented the approach of the
people, was suddenly thrown open when all was
ready, and the discomfited heroes, having ensconced
themselves in the interior of the vehicle, they were
whirled off as rapidly as four horses could bear them
to another locality. In the meantime, the store in
which the banquet was to have taken place was com-
pletely dismantled, and the appendages of the feast
smashed and broken by the indignant crowd.
We trust that this rough lesson will not he lost
upon the parties, but that they may at length be
awakened to a sense of the folly and the
wickedness of their conduct. Mr. SMITH
O'BRIEN has stated his intention of resigning
the representation of the county, and has left an
address to his constituents, announcing his reasons
for such a step. If this is preparatory to his aban-
doning the course he has recently pursued, and re•
tiring into private life, we shall gladly hail those
indications of returning sense, and give him the full
benefit of his tardy repentance. We shall anxiously
look for this address, and also for the next publica-
tion of the United Irishman, that may be printed
without being exposed to the censorship of a lawyer.
Until their appearance the real feelings of the parties
cannot be known. Mr. MITCHELL has again resorte3
to a dilatory plea to the information exhibited against
him ; this would seem to indicate that he is not now
quite so anxious to precipitate the crisis as he pro-
fessed himself to be a short time since. Time, how-
ever, will tell, and we must patiently bide the course
of events.

M. LEDRU ROLLIN is by means disappointed of
the results of the recent french elections. Al. LEDRU
ROLLIN is in no degree jealous of the honour which
all France has combined to shower upon the head of
M. LLMARTINE, and the acclamations with which all
Europe has resounded in honour of that illustrious
man. Neither is M. LEDRU ROLLIN in anywise in-
dignant at the universal opprobrium which has been
heaped upon himself, nor is he grieved by finding
the name of the Minister of the Interior so very low
in the list of the representatives of Paris. So far
from being humbled or disappointed by the signal
failure of his plans, M. LEDRU ROLLIN has found in
that very failure a source of consolation which does
credit to his ingenuity. lle has discovered that
the indifference of his countrymen and the detestation
of foreigners, that all the indignant upbraidings and
determined opposition which have greeted him since
he avowed himself an advocate of physical force, are
in fact only so many attestkatioonfshoonf
ohnirsl genius—
are in fact only sol manntiyn
marks
his fallen hopes, or-
" stalking apartjoylessg reverie," to avoid hearing
fore, instead of
the constant
praises
the Interior has just published a
ina'mese of his successful colleague, the
bulletin, vvhether o
with the following sentence from
which commences
French Minister
fficial or not we are not informed,
magnanimity of the disappointed
the modesty and
applicable to himself: " When
JEAN PAUL—a sentence which singularly evinces
patriot who considers it
.stiii\gls.
this
LEDRU ROLLIN
PAUL RICHTER, SO it ig that
the tongue of the Repubnc you," says JEAN
begins—"console yourself by
wasps do not choose the worstfruits."
of life," he proceeds, "proves each day how true is
reflection, that
manner by one
this idea, expressed in so original a .
.3
"The experience
of the greatest writers of Germany. Yes, it I the
best fruit that insects seek without ceasing and with
avidity. Yes, it is the citizens who have best served
the holy cause of liberty and democracy, who are
exposed to the most cruel and bitter attacks."
We are much indebted to 111. LEDRU ROLLIN for
this application of the saying of the German philo-
sopher—an application :which, without his disinter-
ested assistance, neither we, nor most probably the
majority of the French people, would ever have
dreamed of. Now, however, our eyes are opened
For the future we shall be enabled to recognise in

every attack. upon the character of M. LEDRU
ROLLIN, and in every animadversion upon the
conduct of the Minister of the Interior, only
another attestation of his extraordinary merits—
only the sting of the wasp, evidencing the goodness
of the fruit. On such occasions, namely, when
LEDRU ROLLIN becomes the subject of fresh censure,
" the people," so he concludes his bulletin, " will
smile with contempt and pity, for they know the
real value of the fruit and the wasps who attack it."
Such is the modest assurance which now gives con-
solation to the disaffected ambition of LEDRU ROLLIN.
It would be hardly fair, perhaps, to turn his own
weapons against himself—" I thank thee, Jew, for
teaching me that word "—and to apply his allegorical
illustration in a different way. It would, per-
haps, be hardly fair to compare LEDRU-ROLLIN
himself to the wasp he speaks of, and the " good
fruit" he preys upon to the well-earned laurels of his
more popular colleague. Whether unfair or not, such
a comparison is unnecessary. Let the Minister of
the Interior have the full benefit of his iniquity, let
him employ his leisure in composing bulletins, and
let him find consolation by crediting the suggestions
of vanity. Happily for France, he has only that
source of consolation left him. Happily for France,
no majority in the Assembly, or in the country, will
bear witness to his merits—their only attestation
must be the disapprobation which they encounter.
Locus a non lucendo must henceforth be the motto of
M. LEDRU ROLLIN.

SPAIN.

Our accounts from Madrid are of the 27th ult.

General RAFAEL LION had accompanied the Duke
and Duchess DE MoxTpENHER. in their journey
through Andalusia from Aranjuez to Cordova and
Seville.

A hostile meeting was considered likely to take
place between M. BORREGO, former editor of the
Espanol, and one of the directors of La Espana. The
Moderado journal, El Faro, was to cease to appear
on the Ist of May. The number of the Eco del
Comercio of the 26th was seized by order of the po-
litical chief.

The Three per Cents. were done at 311 for paper ;
the Five per Cents. at 13,-4' ; the Debt without In-
terest at 5 ; and the Coupons at 9.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

PROCEEDINGS AT PARIS.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
As Thursday (to-morrow) is the day definitively
fixed for the first meeting of the National Assembly,
the duty has devolved upon the Provisional Govern-
ment of providing for the regularity of the inaugu-
rative ceremonies. The subjoined decree has conse-
quently been published regulating the manner in
which the preliminary proceedings will be conducted
for the purpose of consolidating the institution of the
Republic, of pronouncing the legality of the new re-
presentation, and of proclaiming the formal constitu-
tion of the Assembly. The decree is partition©d into
twenty-five articles, as fellows :

" FRENCH REPUBLIC.
" LIBERTY-EQUALITY-FRATERNITY.
In the name of the French people, the Provisional
Government decrees:—

"Art. 1. O❑ May 4, at twelve o'clock, the representa-
tives of the people will assemble in the Hall of Sittings,
at the Palace of the National Assembly.
" Art. 2. At one o'clock precisely the members of the
Provisional Government and the Ministers will enter the
Hall.
"Art. 3. The President of the Provisional Govern-
ment will deliver an address to the representatives of
she people. He will afterwards call to the Provisional
Bureau—first, the senior member in age, as president;
secondly, the six youngest members to act as secretaries.
" Art. 4. The Assembly being thus provisionally
constituted, shall be required by the President to retire
in committees for the verification of the returns.

" Art. 5. The Assembly will be divided into 18 com-
mittees, each committee being composed of 50 members,
taken from the general list successively in alphabetical
order of the departments by which they were elected.
" Art. 6. Each committee will be charged with veri-
fying 50 returns, so that the 18 committees shall examine
the 900 returns.

Art 7. The returns submitted to each committee
will be divided by departments, in alphabetical order, so
that no committee shall have to decide upon any elec-
tions within the departments in which its members have
been nominated.

" Art. 8. If, by double or manifold elections, some
representatives form part of a committee called upon to
decide upon their returns, the committee shall decide
without their participations in the vote.
"Art. 9. If the distribution of the returns by depart.
meets shall reduce to less than fifty, or carry to more
than fifty, the elections to be verified in the committees,
these committees shall verify the number of returns that
shall be referred to them.
" Art. 10. Each proces-verbal of an election will be
examined by a committee of three members, chosen by
each bureau by ballot.
" Art. 11. At three o'clock the sitting will be resumed.
The uncontested elections will be immediately submitted
to the Assembly by a reporter, to be named by each
committee. The elections which shall give rise to dis,
cussion shall be reported after the definitive constitution
of the Assembly.
" Art. 12. The Assembly will decide upon the validity
of the elections, and the President proclaim to be repre-
sentatives of the people those whose returns shall be
declared valid.

" Art. 13. When the representatives of the people
proclaimed by the President shall amount to 600 at
least, if there shall remain no more reports of returns to
be immediately made as uncontested, the Assembly,
composed of representatives whose returns have been
verified, will proceed to the election of a President.
" Art. 14. In this purpose the President will draw by
lot nine sections of scrutineers, each composed of three
members. Each representative will write his vote on a
bulletin, and one of the secretaries will call on the
names. The representative called will receive from one
of the members of the bureau a ball of control ; he will
place his bulletin in the urn on the tribune, sad the
ball in another urn on the bureau of the secretaries.
" Art. 15. The secretaries will ascertain the number
of bulletins, and check this number by the balls. They
will then divide the bulletins in nine baskets, and each
section of scrutineers will receive one. The scrutineers
will examine the votes on each section, and transmit the
result to the first section, which will take the general
account of the votes.

" Art. 16. All the operations will take place in public
sitting ; the result will be transmitted to the President,
who will proclaim it.

" Art. 17. If any representative of the people does
not obtain 450 votes, a second ballot must be bad re-
course to.

" Art. 18. The representative who shall have ob-
tained the greatest number of votes shall be proclaimed
President.

" Art. 19. The Assembly shall then appoint by bal-
lot six Vice-Presidents, six Secretaries, and three
Questors.
" Art. 20. In case of an equality of votes, the prefer-
ence shall be given to to the eldest.
" Art. 21. The President, Vice-Presidents, and Secre-
taries are named for one month, and the Questors for the
whole duration of the session.

"Art. 22. The Provisional President will proclaim
successively the names of the persons elected. When this
is done he will call to the chair the Definitive President,

who, in his turn, will call to their places the members of
the definitive bureau.

" Arc. 23. The President will rise and pronounce the
following words:—"Representatives of the people, in the
name of the Republic, one and indivisible, the National
Assembly is definitively constituted. Vive la Repub-
lique."
" Art. 24. The President of the Provisional Govern-
ment will then ask to be heard. lie will, in a speech.
give an account of the situation of the state on the 24th
of liebruary, and of its present situation. In the name
of the Government, he will resign into the hands of the
representatives of the people the powers which the ac.
clarnations of the people had conferred on it.
"Art. 25. Each minister will give an account of the
acts of his ministry up to the day of the meeting of the
Assembly."
Another decree in reference to the formalities of the
new Republican Legislature appeared in the Moniteur
of Monday, and excited considerable ridicule among
those who are particularly disposed to be captious.
It is regulative of the costume of the representatives.
We give it
eTiphieePorf equalityovisional impliesGover uniformitynment,con of costumeideringhat forthe
representatives
irteeeisteiwzoaetniaststei
vcoeaaal called to theittthohsehi
a:pel
iposaptallmsse;esawhn functions,aedlal
wear
n th e dbeuctrteoens. :h—o hle o
gold fringe. They wtreiacroloaurbeldacskascrwtitha
n
the left side a red ribbon, in which shall be worked the
fasces of the Republic."
Some of the journals attempt to be especially face-
tious upon this very innocent proclamation. The
Presse, of course, is among the jokers. It inquires, in
3 tone of mock commiseration, what on earth is to
be done by the Bishop of QUIMPER, the newly
elected Deputy for. Finisterre ? It asks if the un-
fortunate prelate is to throw aside his cassock and
appear in the garb of ROBESPlERRE—forgetting
for the moment possibly that the coat of ROBES-
PIERRE was alternately sky-blue and blood-colour
inbl a similar vein of irony, " we
with steel buttons.. " Alas I" exclaims the
d i f
the exclamations prov n ormer
Journal
well remember
• , that persons going to court
days by the order given
sor in uniform. There
t dresses
should appear in court ng
des Debats,
• We ourselves, the
surrection of genii/horn/Aerie.
was no end in those days to the sarcasms at the re-