The Sun. — 1849-12-06 (London, England)

CLARENDON—they have eminently succeeded in acquitting him, and convicting themselves. If ever a doubt rested on the mind of any sane person unbitten by the mania of Orangeism in reference to the flagrant and unblushing charges made by the Irish Orangemen and their organs against the Irish Viceroy, he need but read this stupid report to see every one of those charges disproved and utterly refuted by the evidence brought forward to sustain them. If a copy of this precious document should be forwarded to his Excellency, we think Mr. CONNELLAN would be, in gratitude, bound in his own most courteous style to thank the " right worshipfuls" for making the amende honorable. We think he should acknowledge his obligations to the " Select Committee" for having removed every shadow of doubt that in unthinking minds might have been thrown on the fair fame of Lord CLaansDoN by the over-zealous organs of Orangeism. Never was triumph more complete than the Viceroy's, never was defeat more humiliating and degrading than that of the Orangemen; failure we expected and anticipated, but such damning proofs of the utter falsehood of every count in the long bill of impeachment we were not prepared for. This wise emanation from the Irish Orange " Council of Clarendon" commences with a sort of apology for troubling the public with the secrets of the lodge-room, by informing us that there are occasions on which the " Orange Society" departs from its usual reserve, and enlightens the world with statements usually communicated only to the happy brethren of the " mystic tie." And that " Such an occasion (they say) now demands the speoial attention of the Grand Lodge. The proceedings of our scciety have been misrepresented; its purposes and principles have been defamed; its actions have been partially and untruly described; and the very activities by which it was made an instrument under God to avert from our country the calamities of civil dissension, have metwith that recompense of calumny and invective with which , loyal (?) exertions have been at various times ungratefully rewarded." . . . • • " These considerations, rendered more grave by circumstances of recent occurrence, vitally affecting the character of the institution, made it imperative upon the Grand Lodge at its present sitting, to appoint a COMltlittee of investigation fur the purpose of examining into and reporting upon certain transactions which took place between the Government and members of the institution in 1848, and into circumstances connected with the events of the present year, which still engage public attention." _ .  The most paltry pettifogger that ever attempted to mystify a bad cause at the " Old Bailey," never put forward a more unmanly, uncandid, and sneaking statement. All Orange-land was made to ring with the foulest slander against the Irish Government. The Lord-Lieutenant was charged with secretly encouraging insulting processions, which kept alive angry feelings, and frequently led to conflict and bloodshed ; he was charged with secretly organizing and arming an exclusive faction, which has been the curse of Ireland ; he was charged with supplying the arms to those miscreants who did the deeds of murder at Dolly's Brae. These charges were grumbled forth by titled ninnies and insignificant squireens ; they were preached by "surpliced fanatics ;" they were brawled out by the rabble. And now, when put to the proof, these vile slanders are fined down by the " Select Committee" into " certain transactions" between the Government and the Orangemen! How mean, how dastardly, is this shrinking from the real question. Their timidity, and mysticism, and evasion would almost lead us to conclude that  they were affected by a consciousness that they were about to commit an act of suicide in publishing their own condemnation. A more full, clear, and satisfactory refutation of every Orange slander against Lord CLARENDON could not have been supplied than has been so industriously furnished by this tiresome "report." We should be almost disposed to doubt its authenticity were it not for the medium through  which it reached the light, and some little internal evidence of a willingness without the power to wound, which is evidently current through its tedious length; yet this little angry feeling may but be assumed, it may be but the cunning trick of some secret enemy, who just put in this little grain of spice while he was leading the dolts on to their own destruction. We are not quite sure that some waggish friend of his Excellency did not escape the vigilance of the " tiler." We cannot well otherwise reconcile it with the acts of men of ordinary understanding to put in proof evidence which not only fails to prove their case, but proves the direct contrary. They hava not only failed to show that Lord CLARENDON, either by word or deed, recognized or encouraged, organized or armed the Irish Orangemen as a body, but we will show by their highest authority, the Grand Master of the Orangemen, Lord ENNISKILLEN, that Lord CLAIRENDON flatly refused to do any such thing. The report states that— " On the 21st (April, '4) Colonel Phaire called on the Earl of Enniskillen and Mr. Samuel Yates Johnstone (Grand Master and Deputy Grand Secretary for Ireland), and informed them that the Government officers were in communication with him relative to the organization of Dublin in case of an insurrection; that certain houses were to have depots of arms, and that an officer of the army would command each post; that the arrangement of all these matters had been confided to Captain J. T. Kennedy. Colonel Phaire also informed Lord Enniskillen that the Orangemen had agreed to an address, modified from the original one; but that they were insisting on being recognized as Orangemen by name." Early on the 22d, it appears Major TURNER met Mr. DAVID STUART, the Grand Master of Dublin, and endeavoured to induce him to prevent the adoption and presentation of the address by the Dublin Grand Lodge, as his Excellency's reply v, ould " not be satisfactory to the Orange holy." The report goes on to state that— " About the same hour that Major Turner was engaged in conversation with Mr. Stuart, Culunel I'haire had an interview with Lord Enniskillen and the Deputy Grand Secretary of Ireland. LORD ENNISKILLEN