§ MR. CLANCY (Dublin County, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the action of an Orange mob in Portadown on Sunday in endeavouring to break through a force of police with a view of stoning a body of Catholic processionists; whether his attention has also been directed to the inflammatory addresses delivered, some of them by Protestant clergymen from the pulpit, in Portadown and district for a full week previous to Sunday last in reference to Catholics and the Catholic religion; and whether, in view of that action and of those incitements to disorder, he will favourably consider the suggestion of retaining in Portadown for some days a portion at least of the extra force of police drafted on Saturday last into that town.
§ MR. WYNDHAMI am not in a position to reply at such short notice to the question, but on the point of the Government intentions I may say that the extra force at Portadown was reduced to 200 men yesterday. This force will be still further reduced at the discretion of the constabulary authorities, but not under fifty men without a special report to the Government.
§ MR. CLANCYIs not the telegraph office open to the Government?