fluence of party feelings. If the peace was broken-if excesses were committed, the government never had made, and never would make, a discrimination between the offending parties on account of their religion -they never had and never would enquire in bringing them to trial, in punishing or in pardoning, whether they were Protestants or Catholics.

"He thought the less subjects of this delicate nature were brought under discussion, the better. According to the speech of the honourable baronet, it appeared evident that his ground of complaint rests not on the oath taken by Orangemen, but in the public demonstration of certain feelings, and in the commemoration of events, of which the memory is justly dear to them.

"The honourable baronet might succeed in making the oath of an Orangeman, or any oath, unlawful, but can he hope to succeed in preventing, by any law, those processions, and those public exhibitions to which he refers, and to which, and not to the oath, he attributes the irritation that, he says, prevails? How can he hope to make it an offence against law, to walk in procession on the 12th of July, or to wear Orange lillies, or to drink the glorious memory of KING WILLIAM? He might as well attempt to expunge the 12th of July from the calendar!

"It would be very absurd, and, in his mind, very unwise, to attempt any such interference. While he said that he thought such interference would be very unwise, that it would be very absurd to prevent loyal men from commemorating events to which they owe their liberty and the blessings they enjoy, he would also say, that nothing can be more strongly the wish of THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND, than that such commemoration should be conducted without insult or just cause of irritation to others. He said JUST CAUSE, for he believed that there are many persons in Ireland of that peculiar sensibility, as to take offence without just cause; but he was sure that no loyal man, or body of men, can give a greater proof of their loyalty, than not only by a strict obedience to the laws, but even by shewing deference to the feelings of others, where it can be shewn without any compromise of principle, and where the consequences are favourable to the harmony of society and the preservation of the public peace."

It is remarkable that the Irish members, with the exception of Sir H. Parnell, were silent on this occasion. Sir John Newport shot his bolt on another day. The general feeling of Lord Donoughmore concerning the Orange Societies may be gathered from the following letter, addressed to Mr. Hancock of Lisburn, published in the Belfast Monthly Magazine.

"4, Bulstrode Street, London, 11th July, 1814.

"SIR,-In reply to your favour of the 4th of this month, I have no hesitation in agreeing with you in opinion, that more might well have been said during the course of the present session, as well upon the subject of the claims of the Catholics, as upon the grievances to which the community at large are subjected, from the too triumphant atrocities of that desperate Orange faction, whose existence, in any thing like a civilized society, is a disgrace to the executive government, in whatever hands. With these impressions on my mind, I made every endeavour to create a general discussion, by the line which I took on presenting the several Catholic petitions. BUT THE GENERAL FEELING OF THE HOUSE WAS

AGAINST IT.

"On the presentation of the petition set on foot by the very respectable body whom you represent, I was prevented by illness from attending in my place, or my feeble voice would not have been wanting in directing the attention of the House to the necessity of repressing, by the prompt and strong interposition of legal correction, those impudent and atrocious attacks on the peace of society, against which your complaints are so strongly pointed. I am still confined, and have little hope of being enabled to attend the discussion of any of Mr. Peel's present measures. Could I attend, I shall certainly endeavour to persuade those who feel as I do upon the general subject, how good an opportunity would be afforded to us upon the reading of these bills, of inculcating the necessity of the protection of the law, equally against the excesses of Orangemen, as against those of any other miscreants, by the existence of whom our country is disgraced.

"I remain, with much truth and earnestness in the furtherance of the objects of your public spirited society,

"Sir, your faithful and obedient servant,
"DONOUGHMORE."

"John Hancock, Lisburn."

We subjoin the address of the Sheriff and Grand Jury of Fermanagh to Mr. Peel, together with his answer, in which our readers will discover the motives by which that right honourable gentleman was actuated when he delivered his speech.

"The Right Hon. Roberi Peel, &c. &c. &c.

"We, his Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Sheriff and Grand Jury of the county of Fermanagh, assembled at Enniskillen, at the summer assizes, 1814, have unanimously agreed to return you our warm

est thanks for the manly and decided manner in which you vindicated the character of the loyal Orangemen of Ireland; at a time, too, when every thing that is honourable is assailed by calumny and misrepresentation. We feel that we should be unworthy of the blessings of a PROTESTANT CONSTITUTION, if we did not, with enthusiasm, and at the same time with that peaceable demeanour, characteristic of true loyalty, celebrate the anniversary of a day on which that blessing was obtained, and perpetuate the memory of the glorious and illustrious prince, who contributed so essentially to it.-Animated with the able support of you, Sir, who seemed to have studied the character of the LOYAL PROTESTANTS OF IRBLAND, and actuated by the same principles of constitutional loyalty, we will persevere in the same peaceable way of keeping alive, and transmitting to posterity, the memory of an event which brought a BRUNSWICK to the throne, and with it all those blessings which we have lately enjoyed, under the present wise and steady administration of his Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT.

"SIR, I have had the honour of receiving the address of the High Sheriff and Grand Jury of the county of Fermanagh, which you have been requested to transmit to me.

During the last session of Parliament, some petitions were presented praying for the interference of the legislature in the suppression of societies existing in Ireland, denominated Orange Societies, which appeared to me to contain exaggerated statements, and some unfounded charges. And in the course of a discussion which took place in the House of Commons, the principles and general conduct of those who compose the societies above-mentioned, were, as I conceived, in many respects, misrepresented.

"I deemed it but an act of common justice toward them to vindicate them from those imputations which I thought to be unmerited: and while I disclaimed distinctly the approval of any associations of a political character that are not under the control of government, I willingly bore testimony to the loyalty of the individuals who were alluded to, and to the dependence that might be placed upon their services in the time of danger, should the state require them. I expressed, also, a confident hope that in their peaceable demeanour at all other times, would be found a

refutation of the charges which had been directed against them, and a proof of that attachment to their sovereign and the constitution of their country which they profess.

"I beg leave to assure you of the satisfaction which I derive from the approbation which the Grand Jury of Fermanagh have expressed of my conduct on this occasion, and of the pleasure which I shall ever take in the confidence and good opinion of that body.

"I have the honour to be, Sir,

"The Hon. Col. Creighton,

&c. &c. &c."

"Your most obedient humble servant,
"ROBERT PEEL."

BELFAST RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING ORANGE SO

CIETIES.

CONFIDENT, as we are, that Mr. Peel's statements must have great weight on all unprejudiced minds, we were not surprised at the following resolutions which were passed at Belfast. We are much concerned to see the names of the Duke of Sussex, Sir Henry Parnell, Sir John Newport, Sir Samuel Romilly, Mr. J. P. Grant, and Judge Fletcher! * appear on the face of a document debased by the notorious name of Hamilton Rowan at the bottom. We copy the paper from the Belfast NewsLetter, (not very kindly treated, as appears from the heading prefixed to the resolutions of the meeting). An Irish correspondent of our's, refers likewise to "the Belfast Chronicle of Sept. 21, 1814,-the [Irish] Newgate Calendar for 1795,-and the reports of certain trials at Carrickfergus." We understand at whom his references are pointed.-The enemies of the Orange Societies mean to pursue the plan adopted by the petition. ing Papists-to worry Parliament year by year, and to spit their venom under the PRETENCE of petitioning.

"The following authenticated copy of the resolutions of a meeting beld in this town on Monday last, refers to matters of much public interest. It has not been ordered for publication in the Belfast News-Letter,

• We choose not to enter into an examination of this liberal judge's charge. It brings forward topics not immediately within the purview of the PROTESTANT ADVOCATE. After all, it has been repeatedly answered, and its ill-timed allegations have been ably refuted. A document now lies before us, which proves that in one instance, at least, the Judge must either have laboured under the disadvantage of a short memory, or have spoken against better knowledge, on the expediency of disarming the Orange Yeomen. We refer to a letter which appeared the other day in the Dublin Correspondant, signed Octavius.

but we are nevertheless induced to give it a place in our columns, as a document which many of our readers may wish to peruse.

"At a meeting of the friends of Civil and Religious Liberty and of Internal Peace and Concord! assembled from various places, and held in the centre room of the White Linen Hall, in Belfast, the 19th Sept. 1814, -Robert Tennent in the chair.

-

"Resolved, That as the evils of the Orange system still remain unabated, we will renew our petitions to both Houses of Parliament in the ensuing session.

"Resolved,-That a draft of the petition now produced be adopted; and that applications be made throughout the country to obtain a general co-operation in procuring signatures.

"Resolved,-That John Hancock having offered a renewal of his services, for the purposes of managing the correspondence connected with the petitions, he is continued as our secretary.

"Resolved,-That two hundred and fifty copies of the petition and of these resolutions be printed and circulated; and that the committee ap pointed last year are requested to procure subscriptions for defraying the

necessary expenses.

"Resolved, That the respectful thanks of this meeting be returned to the Duke of Sussex, to Sir Henry Parnell, and Sir John Newport, for presenting the petitions, and for their support of them.

"Resolved, That thanks be returned to the Earl of Carysfort, Sir Samuel Romilly, J. P. Grant, Francis Horner, and J. Abercromby, for their constitutional care of Ireland, manifested in the last session, for their opposition to measures of coercion, adopted without previous legislative inquiry. They are more especially entitled to the gratitude of Irishmen, because most of our Irish members refrained from all interference on the

occasion.

"Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting are eminently due to the Hon. William Fletcher, one of the justices of the court of Common Pleas in Ireland, for his excellent charges delivered at last assizes to the grand juries of the counties of Tipperary and Wexford, as containing a clear and well-founded! exposition of the causes which produce the distracted state of Ireland, and especially for his bold reprobation of the Orange system, which, in those parts of Ireland where it prevails, is the originating cause of ALL the disturbances of the public peace.

"Resolved. That these resolutions be published in the Belfast Commercial Chronicle-the Ulster Recorder-the Dublin Evening Post and Correspondent-and in the Morning Chronicle London paper.

"ROBERT TENNENT."