The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

All accounts represent Derry as wild with excite-
ment. The Apprentice Boys are resolved to hold
their celebration ; the Defence Association wish to
prevent them ; the Government, without interfering,
is accumulating masses of infantry, cavalry, and police in
the town for the purpose of keeping the peace. The Boys
will not give way. Their plea is that they exhibit no
party emblems andplay no party tunes ; that they only
flaunt the crimson flag of Derry ; that there is
nothing .n the celebration which ought to give
offence. 'The Catholics, on their part, are not lees in
earnest. Priests denounce the Orange celebration
from the pulpit. Placards have been posted
about the town entreating the members of the De-
fence Association to assemble at a certain place
this morning. Another and later proclamation put
forth by the same party is not at all calculated to
allay agitation. It condemns the celebrations of vic-
tories won by English over Irish centuries ago as dis-
graceful, insulting, and calculated to pro-vohe breaches
of the peace. Both Catholics and Protestants aro
called upon to unite against such injustice :--

Shew a bold front to the men who glory in the murders
of Drumaloor—a deed so infamous that the mind revolts
from it in horror, and men ask, Is it possible in the 19th
century that the British Government would allow this
nest of murderers and assassins to exist among us?
Catholics shot clown and murdered in the face of day when
coming from a peaceful meeting, whose paramount object
was the granting of "good things" to the wretched Orange
serfs who assassinated their best and truest friends in so
vile a manner. How-long is this to last ?
Meanwhile the Administration holds aloof. Pre-
parations are made, but no force will be employed.
unless the peace Lo broken. Earl Spencer has given
a reply tothe memorialists who have urged him to
prevent the celebration. his Excellency regrets that
an association has been formed for the express
purpose of preventing the . Orange rejoicings.
He warns the members of such an organisation
against taking the law into their own hands, Every
reasonable precaution, says the Lord-Lieutenant, will
be taken against disturbances.

THE CATHOLIC CLERGY AND THE FENIAN
PRISONERS.

Though the Roman Catholic priests of Ireland
have conjoined to a great extent in the condem-
nation of Fenianism, a strong party of them
is in favour of relea,in the Fenian prisoners.
1)r. O'Brien, Dean of 'Limerick, has in three
days received five hundreJ names to a declara-
tion setting forth that an amnesty to the Fenian
prisoners would be accepted as a boon by
the people of Ireland, and that the interests of the
empire are endangered rather than served by a continu-
ance of "the policyi' of severity." A declaration to
the like effect is in course of signature by "the Roman
Catholic clergymen in Ireland and Great Britain." The
priests say, " A thorough knowledge of our flocks
enable us to tvsure the Government that such
an act of clemency will be received by the Irish
people as a confirmation of the hope that an era
of grace and justice has been inaugurated, and will
tend to the consolidation and preservation of peace
and order in the country." Amongst the number is
Dean Mawe of Tralee, who has treated the
sympathisers with Fenianism very severely. A.
second list of names is to be published immediately.