The Sun.
London, England, 1828-10-20 00:00:00

IRELAND.

(From the Freeman's Journal of Saturday.)

Ma. LAWLESS.—The arrest of this gentleman naturally
forms the principal topic of public affairs. With regard
to the consequence affecting the individual, however, we
attach little importance to this. True it is, if Mr. Law-
less be tried in Monaghan, he has no chance, the juries
there will soon send him to gaol. What we attach im-
portance to is—not the arrest of Mr. Lawless, but the
non-arrest of others. When we see some of the leading
men in a county—the Magistrates and the Clergy—
aid and abet a furious faction, armed with muskets and
bayonets—wearing the insignia of their order, with drums
and fifes and colours, parading and marching through the
country, insulting, offending, abusing, assaulting, and beat-
ing, and firing at, and into the houses of the Catholics,
discharging vollies of musketry, and threatening the
lives, and making light of spilling the blood of their fel-
low countrymen, merely because they are Catholics—we
conceive that these are the real rebels, and the real dis-
turbers of the peace—that these are the men wild spread
terror among his Majesty's subjects—who violate the law
and tread under foot the Proclamation of the Lord Lieu-
tenaßt—in short, we attach much snore importance to the
acts of 2,000 infuriated Orangemen in arms, than to those
of 20,000 unarmed and timid beaten down Catholics.
One party has been proceeded against, and time will show
whether the other party will be rendered amenable to law.
They have so long outraged, violated, and defied it, that
we have our doubts. However, no exertion should be
omitted, and every facility and encouragement afforded, to
procure redress for those unprotected and forlorn peasants,
and Catholics, and catholic Clergymen, who have been
assaulted, beaten, abused, fired at, wounded, stabbed, and
killed, by the loyal and peaceable Orangemen of the North.
Let England look to this, and read the above. To the
mad people of the North we would not make an appeal ;
a lunatic asylum is their proper place.
(From the Dublin Evening Post of Thursday.)

_ .
STATE OF THE COUNTELY.-It must not be disguised
that the policy which it is judged expedient, for wise pur-
poses, perhaps, to pursue with regard to Ireland, have pro-
duced resents, which we really think, will baffle the wisdom
of those who devised such a scheme of Government for a
country so circumstanced. The impenetrable secrecy with
which the Duke of Wellington has deemed it judicious to
envelope his designs—if any he really have—has released
the people of this country from that reliance upon the Go-
vernment which in former times it was fudged expedient
to inculcate almost as a duty. There are many who
think that Government, particularly one administered
in a popular form should not be a puzzle. It might
answer very well in the Constitution of Venice, or the
Court of Dyonisius, of Syracuse—but then in those
famous states, though the people were kept in the dark, they
were kept quiet at the same time. Had the people of Ireland
lived under a close Oligarchy, or under the tutelage of a vi-
gilant despot, we should at least have been at peace amongst
ourselves. We should not have a free press, perhaps, nor
would we be allowed to discuss public questions. But then
we should not be compelled to read the denunciations of lay-
men and churchmen against the lives of their fellow crea-
tures.—None would dare, as the Rev. Dr. Romney Robin-
son has dune, to the House of Commons, to tell the Council
of 'Ten that they were the creatures of the people, and that
they should be scattered to the winds—none would tell
Dyonisius, as the Rev. Mr. Homer has told the Duke of
Wellington, that he would exterminate nine-tenths of the
people of an island entrusted to his care. But we have a
Constitution, the wonder of the world, and the envy of sur-
rounding nations ! But in that Constitution, publicity to a
certain es ttnt, at least, is necessary. What is politic ar►d wise
in monarchial or aristocratic governments may, and must be
mischievous in a mixed government like ours. We need not go
far for an example. It is furnished by the present state of Ire-
land. In consequence of the taciturnity observed so unaccount-
ably by our Rulers, one portion of the Irish people have de-
clared a sort of civil war against the remainder. This portion
consists principally of Churchmen and their inunediate
followers--of Orangemen and their partizans—of Corpo-
rators and their creatures, of certain Lords and certain
public functionaries. These persons talk openly of the
formidable array of their numbers—of their armaments,
of their organization, and of their enthusiastic readiness to
rush into the horrors of a civil war. This language is
held to the Government without rebuke--this military
organization is suffered to go on—these insults are offered
to what, in old times, used to be called the Majesty of the
Laws, and the most vigorous and decided man in England
not only does not act, but does not even indicate by a sign,
how he means to act. And what has he gained in cha-
racter or reputation by this obstinate taciturnity ? How
has the Government been bsnefitted ? It is au unpleasant

truth ; but it is a truth which must be told, that his
Grace, ivithont obtaining the confidence of one party, has
forfeited the good opinion of the other. More bitter
and inure galling things Fare been said of him
in the Brunswick Clubs tha❑ in the Citholic Association.

(Prom the Freeman's Journal of Saturday.)
LIMERicr: BRONtWicKEns AND Loan GoRT—ExTRA.
ORDINARY AND UNEXPECTIVD CONvEnsiON.—On Wed-
nesday, at two o'clock in the. afternoon, a General Meeting
of the county and city Brunswick Clubs, was held at
Swinburne's Hotel, Limerick, Edward Croker, Esq., in
the Chair. Lord Viscount Gort entered at the moment,
and was received with every mark of applause. His
Lordship immediately addressed the meeting, He had re-
ceived a letter from their Secretary some days ago, by
which he was apprised that a resolution had been unani-t
mously agreed to, requesting him to accept the office of
President of the Limerick Brunswick' Club. It would he
readily admitted by all his friends that he took no part or
interest whatever in the formation of this Club, though
urgently solicited to do so. The reason which prevented
him was this—he understood that his Majesty's Ministry
have it in contemplation to introduce a Bill in the
ensuing Session of Parliament, having for it objects to sa-
tisfy men of all parties in this country. It was the inten-
tion of the Duke of Wellington to legislate for Ireland
without consulting the violent of either party. What may
be the exact nature of the Bill in preparation by the Noble
Duke, he (Lord Gort) could not take upon him to say,
but if the heads of it were such as he had heard, he thought
the measure one likely to satisfy the mode►ate of all parties.
Moreover, from the faith he reposed in the tried political
character of the Duke of Wellington and Mr. Secre-
tary Peel, he considered it highly j►rabable the Bill
would be of such a description as to induce him (Lord
Gort) to lend it his countenance and to give it his
support elsewhere. The Noble Lord stated that his
principles were well known to the country, but if he
thought they could be maintained and Government could
yet satisfy the desires of the reasonable Roman Catholics,
he hoped it would hot be deemed inconsistent or regarded
as a dereliction of those principles. If the spirit of discon-
tent, now so prevalent, could be allayed, he should wish
every man to join in promoting such a measure; for, iti
his opinion, instead of weakening, it must only tend to
strengthen and consolidate the Protestant interest in
both countrit a, to which he would be ever attached.
Under the citcumstances • now explained, Lord Gott
concluded by saying, lie would cheerfully accept the
office of President of the Limerick nrunsttich Club.
After a pause of some moments, and a silence
which the Chairman alone offered to interrupt, the
question was put and carried that Lord Viscount Gort
become President. His Lordship then took the chair and
• returned thanks. The meeting dissolved in a few minutes
after.—The above is by far a more explicit and atetmite
statement of his Lordship's sentiments than will appear in
the public prints. The disclosure, unexpected, of course,
has created a profound sensation in Limerick. The effect
it had upon the faces of the Brunswickets in the roam was
One of visible chagrin and disappuit►tlt:ent. Lord Gort is
known to have been all his life a thorough-going Chinch-
and-State-and-Ascendancy man, and his family, it is noto-
rious, have forfeited the representation of Limerick by his
steadfast devotion to those principlas. These are uuequi-
Vocal signs of the times.