Page:The Irish in Australia.djvu/284

 Victoria; and the followers of King William, under the pretence of demonstrating their ultra-loyalty, seized the opportunity to once more outrage the feelings of Irish Catholics. Outside their hall they exhibited a most offensive design, which naturally provoked a counter demonstration This was resented by the Orangemen within the building and the murder of an inoffensive boy was the result of their indiscriminate shooting amongst the crowd below. By a regrettable miscarriage of justice, the ringleaders in this disgraceful affair escaped the punishment they so richly deserved. The Protestant chaplain who accompanied the Queen's son, was himself deeply disgusted at the misconduct of the Orangemen on this occasion. At the 245th page of his narrative of the Prince's travels, he thus severely comments on the occurrence, and shrewdly philosophises on the evil results of the Orange organisation from its beginning:

"A serious disturbance, resulting in the loss of life, too place in front of the Protestant Hall in the course of the evening. On the night of illumination the front of the hall had been decorated with a large transparency, representing William III. crossing the Boyne, with a figure of Britannia on one side, and the motto, 'This we will maintain.' This exhibition of a design of such a decidedly party characters had been generally condemned as likely to provoke the animosity of an opposite faction, and the authorities tried but without success, to prevail upon the Orangemen not to exhibit it. On the night that it was lit up a few of the more excitable Ribbonmen loudly expressed their indignation at the party emblem, and threatened to destroy it, but contented themselves with throwing a few stones and slightly damaging it. On Wednesday night, however, a large crowd collected in front of the building, abused the Orangemen