The Sun. — 1849-11-22 (London, England)

CLARENDON. The purity of the administration of justice is at stake. The great and important question, whether Ireland is still to be governed by and through a faction, or not, is involved. These are questions which affect the interests of the community. The blood of the innocent has been shed. It concerns the public to know whether men can countenance scenes of massacre, and then use their high office to shield murderers from the vengeance of outraged law. These are the serious questions with which the public have to deal—these are the principles which that public requires Lord  CLARENDON to vindicate; his character demands no vindication. The absurdity of the Orange slanders carries with it its own refutation.  These fanatics would seem to say :—" My Lord CLARENDON, you gave us arms to aid in crushing rebellion, but our services were not required. The army and the police were found sufficient for the purpose; you deprived us, by your timely and ener• getic measures, of the pleasure of shooting the Papists under cover of the QUEEN'C troops ; you must, therefore, allow us to indulge in a little sport on our own account by burning a few cabins, and shooting a few old women. You allowed us, my Lord, to march in grand procession, in 1848 ; true, the game was scarce in the route we then took, we had not much sport. On that occasion we were only able to get a stray shot or two at a Popish priest ; you did not appear angry then. Why, my Lord, should you visit us now, in 1849, with our displeasure, for merely wrecking a few houses and shooting a few beggarly Papists ?" These are the absurd arguments with which these insane bigots would attempt to justify the revolting atrocities of Dolly's Brae ; these are the fatuous puerilities with 'which the Irish Orangemen would presume to insult the common sense of the British empire. At this moment the Orangemen are sitting in secret conclave in Dublin, every moral cloaca in that wretched land has discharged its inal-contents upon the metropolis. The evil spirits of the island are pent up within the walls of Leitrim House, whence is to issue the dread explosion that is to annihilate Lord CLARENDON as a statesman, and hurl him from his high office a disgraced and dishonoured man. But let not the members of the Leitrim House cabal delude themselves with the notion that they can, by insane resolutions, or furious invectives against Lord CLARENDON, shield themselves from public reprobation, while they avow themselves the abettors of the crimes of their bretheren of Castlewellan. They must purify themselves from the imputation of the blood of the innocent ere they can appear before the high court of public opinion with clean hands. The ravings of surpliced fanatics and furious bigots, who glory in such triumphs as Dolly's Brae, are but little calculated either to win public sympathy or dethrone a Viceroy. We believe many indiscreet but amiable persons have been seduced into the Orange Society. We have no doubt many young persons, otherwise rational and Christian, have, through curiosity, fashion, or the persuasion of friends, been drawn into the vortex of this absurd and mischievous mysticism. Now, we would seriously ask these persons, IVhat is the use of Orangeisni ? It is useless as a system of defence—the laws are sufficient to secure the life, liberty, and property of every British subject. It cannot be based on the principles of the Christian religion—the faith of CHRIST repudiates the sword, and enjoins peace, and love, and charity. It is useless as a manifestation of loyalty—true allegiance requires not the aid of secret signs and passwords. Uses, it can have none, but, alas !it has many evils. It is the nursery of evil passions, it is a moral pestilence tainting the young Protestant mind of Ireland, spreading hatred and all uncharitableness through the land, disgracing religion by assuming its garb, and putting humanity to the blush by the revolting misdeeds of its misguided votaries. There can be no peace or hope for Ireland while such a nuisance is tolerated, and we hope one of the first acts of the Legislature will be to put an end to it for ever.