The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-21 00:00:00

IRISH SYMPATHY WITH FRANCE.

Many of the loyal and peaceable citizens of Dublin were
no doubt astonished on Tuesday night when they found
the. appeal for a show of sympathy with France,
issued by the Nationalists, so largely responded
to as it was. Great, however, as the mob
were who surrounded the French consul's house,
and hearty as their shouts of " God save France
and Ireland " may have been, the demonstration must
not be considered as exhibiting the views of
the citizens proper of the Irish metropolis.
The so-called National Party there—or, as they
are better known, the Fenian Amnesty Party—
have at their command a standing body of processionists,
and a certain number of bands, whose appearance in the
streets is now looked forward to as a matter of course,
whenever a show of patriotism or sympathy, with those in
prison, can possibly be made. There is, however, in every
Irish heart, whose memory is keen upon the subject,
a feeling of gratitude towards the French for the
effort they made in 1798 to assist the Irish rebels to throw
off the English yoke. From the 28th of August to the
Bth of September, in the year of the Irish rebellion, the
French Auxiliaries were the cause of great trouble to the
English Generals in Ireland ; and although they were
happily vanquished on the two occasions that they rose in
open war against the Royal soldiers, the memory of their
work at Castle-bar and at Ballinamuck on behalf of Ire-
land, in many a breast is still unforgotten. It is
quite possible that the bands of men and women who
diverted themselves in Dublin on Tuesday, seized the
opportunity of chewing sympathy with France, more for
the sake of the procession and the pleasure it gave them,
to exhibit unity of purpose in a large body of the
people, than for other reasons ; but it is quite
certain that the remembrance of the French
aid tendered in 1798 first prompted the demonstration.
" The French are on the sea," said the Shan van Voght
in the old time. A section of the lovers of the Shan van
Voght now think that it will give the French some plea-
sure to know that at least the prayers of the Irish for
their success are with them " on the sea " at this crisis.

The Pall-Mall Gazette says :—" A correspondent writes
that popular sympathy in Dublin is with the French,
though not from any considerations arising out of the
negotiations between the King of Prussia and the French
Ambassador. France has, always to the Irish public
mind, represented almost exclusively the valour of the
Continent ; and the general belief here is that the Em-
peror will have a series of triumphs. Among the better
informed, however, there are many strong partisans of
Prussia, and believers in the superior capacity of her
generals. The Germans resident m Dublin betray con-
siderable excitement, and are amongst the most earnest
besiegers of the newspaper offices for " late editions" and
" special telegrams." An extraordinary rumour, credit-
able to the inventive powers of somebody, has run
through Dublin that James Stephens, the original " head
centre," who has of late lived in Paris; has held a meeting
of the " exiles" in that city, and at their instance under-
taken to supply the Emperor with a formidable contin-
gent .of fighting Fenians, of whom Ireland would have a
happy riddance.

COMIC PAPERS.
(From Punch.)

A DUEL TO THE DEATH. —France (to Britannia, inter-
vening between her and Prussia) : "Pray stand back,
madam. You mean well ; but this is an old family quar-
rel, and we must fight it out /"

NOT MORE FREE THAN WELCOME.—" A free breakfast
table 1" sighed Mr. Punch, as he laid down his newspaper
and chipped his second egg, " Ah, that will be when one
is free to eat one's breakfast without having to wade
through a parliamentary debate !"
AN AMERICAN EXAMPLE.—An American correspondent
of the Times says that "the income-tax is doomed," the
Senate having stricken by a decided vote all the sec-
tions providing for its collection out of the Tax Bill."
The provisions for the collection of the income tax in the
United States must have been very cleverly contrived if
they in any measure answered their purpose. Fancy a
Yankee confessing the amount of his income in order to
have it taxed. The machinery required to make him do
that must, one would think, be of a material nature.
How mnch conscience money, on an average, is the Ame-
rican Finance Minister accustomed to receive in the course
of the year ?