The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-10 00:00:00

HUNGARY.

Prince Metternich is said to be much perplexed by strong
representations from Hungary against the encroachments of
Russia on the Danube. The "freedom of the Danube" was
a constant topic of discussion among all ranks in Hungary.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE IRISH EXECUTIVE;
MILITARY INVESTMENT OF THE NORTH;
ILLEGAL ASSEMBLAGES IN THE SOUTH.

Is it not an astonishing—a provoking thing, that this petit-
maitre Marquis of ours will not let the Protestants of Ire-
land be.quiet ? We have said it again and again that, but
for the insolence of his despotic measures there would be no
processions in the North—that but for the pretended alarm
which insults men with unnecessary precautions which
brings military force to bear on a people submissive to the
laws, loyal to the Sovereign, and actively engaged in the
virtuous pursuits of industry—there would be nothing what-
ever to justify even the suspicion of assemblages which the
authorities condemn. But really when freemen are treated
like slaves—when loyal men are dragooned like rebels—
when peaceful men are menaced and constrained as enemies,
it is not in human nature tamely to submit to such wanton
ill-usage—and we should not wonder if the Protestants of
the North, driven to the wall by the injustice of the execu-
tive, were to band themselves again into Orange Societies,
and rashly subject themselves to the penalties of the law, un-
der the idea of asserting their natural, legal, and constitution-
al rights. Doubtless, this is the very thing which our rulers
desire ; and, sooth to say, they are taking the most effective
way of obtaining their wish. The Bth Hussars have already
marched to the investment of the north, and reached their
quarters. The 17th Lancers leave Dublin for the same pur-
pose, marching in detachments, the first to-morrow—the se-
cond on Friday, and the third on Saturday. And all for
what?—to put down illegal processions that have no exist-
ence—to crush the loyal and constitutional celebration of an
event, the most glorious in the annals of empires—that event
which gave religious freedom and civil rights, and an unrival-
led constitution to the British Empire—that event of which
Mr Holmes, the able, the consistent, the unimpeachable
liberal—the consummate lawyer, and the consistent advocate
of Roman Catholic Emancipation, has said, and with refer-
ence to the Lord Lieutenant's Irish policy. :
" I am not the advocate fur Gray's political opinions here,
and I will say, as far as his demonstrations were not fur the
purpose of offending any of the people, but of celebrating
the anniversary of 1688—as far as his demonstrations were
for showing his veneration for the revolution, I could not
condemn them. I condemn these demonstrations as they
led to unfortunate results. As to the revolution, I rejoice at
it, and I rejoice the more that my Roman Catholic country-
men have lately, by an act of tardy justice, been enabled to
participate with Protestants in the benefits of that revolution.
From that revolution has flowed the liberty, the glory, and
the prosperity of these countries. By it the resplendent sun
of American liberty has been kindled; and I do trust that
the revolution will have the effect of diffusing into every
portion of the earth, and into all nations, the blessings af free
thought, free action, under the empire of reason, of religion,
and of law. And Ido say, if it was not for that revolution
there would not be in the world such a thing at this day as
liberty in its true sense. I say this more, that the editors of
public prints who have done anything to depreciate the value
of this revolution, assail that which every living being should
rejoice in, he be Protestant or be he Catholic."
It is, we say, for suppressing the celebration of such an
event—and for crushing the principles coucording with it,
that the military force of Ireland is annually poured into
Ulster, and the powers of the constabulary are strained and
abused in subservience to party political purposes.
But whilst the Irish Executive is employing all this vigour
beyond the law against the loyal and peaceful men of the
North—how fares it with the Southern provinces and coun-
ties—what are their population about—and what precaution-
ary steps have the government taken for the preservation of
the peace—for the security of life and property ?
Already have Tipperary, Waterford, and Wexford taken
their field days, with assemblages of from 50 to 100,(X)0
people, gathered together spontaneously (or only by orderjof
the priests) without the sanction of any legal or recognised
authority. Such assemblages, forsooth, the Lord Lieutenant
deems to be legal, and Captain Drummond cherishes; and
although the whole legal authority of the House of Lords has
pronounced such meetings not only illegal, but unconstitu-
tional and dangerous, no step has been taken for their sup-
pression—no military demonstration has been made to over-
awe disaffection; and even the constabulary have had orders
(as well as the soldiery present on one occasion), not to in-
terfere, nor even to use their offensive weapons to repel the
attacks actually made on them. We have in the Freeman's
Journal of this mot ning the report of "an immense anti-tithe
meeting, on Copenagh Mountain," (in the county of Kil-
kenny,) held on Sunday last, after mass, which is thus de-
scribed by the special reporter of our cotemporary :
"On the very summit were seated some hundreds of spec-
tators, while the field itself where the proceedings were going
forward was completely occupied, at the lowest computation,
by at least one hundred and fifty thousand men. A most im-
posing spectacle was presented by the appearance and de-
meanour of these people, for the most clad in the peculiar
garb of the Kilkenny peasanty—blue cloth coats; here and
there the Wexford men were observed by the gray frieze in
which they were habited ; Kildare and Carlow were also re-
presented by hundreds of the hardy peasantry, who had tra-
velled miles to signalize by their presence an unmitigated
hostility and hatred to tit hes, which they had not un frequently
denounced in theirown districts. An immense body of horse-
men flanked the meeting at either side, exhibiting the novel
but gratifying spectacle of the small farmer, the wealthy gra-
zier, and the country gentleman, all in friendly communion,
and all unanimous in their determination to do or die' for
the total abolition of tithes. Standing on the pinacle of the
hill, and sweeping the horizon with a glass, the gaze encoun-
tered groups of horsemen hastening along the roads, and hun-
dreds of pedestrians crossing the fields, or descending the
mountains, which were rising one over the other within `ken."'
Here is an illegal, an unconstitutional, a dangerous assem-
bly of 150,000 men, horse and foot—sworn, we are told, to
"do or die" in opposition to the existing law ofLthe land, or
any other which the legislature may choose to substitute for
it, if not conformable to the will of the assembly ! What has
our Marquis done to save the country from the perils of such
an incipient rebellion ? Where be his forces, military or po-
lice, to act against a sudden outbreak of such bursting in-
subordination? They are drafted to the North, forsooth, lest
the Orangemen should walk to church in bodies on the 12th
of July—lest any orange lily should be seen in the windows
of a Protestant in Ballibay or Tanderagee, on the day chosen
for the celebration of the glorious Revolution ! And who are
the persons that figure principally as ringleaders of the Kil-
kenny meeting ? Mr. Boyse, who was talked of for a peerage,
in reward of similar services in 'Wexford; Mr. Peter Purcell,
the Government mail-coachman; and Mr. Francis Hawshaw,
a Justice of the Peace!

We call upon the People and the Press of England to at-
tend to this state of affairs in Ireland? Will they permit the
Irish Protestants to be treated as rebels—dragooned by mili-
tary—and forced into discontent ? and will they suffer that
the disaffection of the Southern peasantry and their leaders,
be fostered and cherished by the Government into open re-
bellion—and magistrates continued in the commission of the
peace who head those illegal proceedings, and have afterwards
to administer between the Protestant clergy and the disaf-
fected Papist peasantry, the laws of the land pertaining to
church property?
This appeal, we trust, will not be made in vain.