The year 1857 saw the first of the great riot commissions which provided much source material for Belfast history. It should be read as a continuation of the street conflict of that summer. Careful reading shows the skill with which the weak Catholic/Liberal alliance of the city managed the flow of witnesses and the naiveté of the Orange/Protestant lawyers. The Catholic/Liberal side ‘won’ the inquiry, achieving their aim of convincing the Dublin government that the local police force was ineffective if not sectarian and that Orange Order culture and evangelical street preaching was responsible for the disorder. Practical outcomes were limited. Resources were limited due to demands in other parts of Ireland and the process of taking first-class troops from Ireland to deal with the Indian mutiny. Considered in light of theories of ‘civil society’, the court was a means of countering the imperfections of representative government. Considered in the context of Ireland as a whole, events demonstrated the weakness of the Dublin authorities, their ignorance of Belfast and the importance of the resident magistrate. Much was concealed from the inquiry. The following months revealed evidence of an active Ribbon-style organisation, and the animosity of the local police and the constabulary. Attention to working class sectarianism diverted attention from elite failure to manage the class relationships of a fractured civil society.

中文翻译：

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阅读防暴委员会：贝尔法斯特，1857

1857 年见证了第一次大骚乱委员会，为贝尔法斯特的历史提供了许多资料。它应该被解读为那个夏天街头冲突的延续。仔细阅读可以看出该市软弱的天主教/自由联盟管理证人流动的技巧以及奥兰治/新教律师的天真。天主教/自由党一方“赢得”了调查，达到了说服都柏林政府的目的，即当地警察部队如果不是宗派主义的话，也是无效的，而橙色秩序文化和福音派街头布道是造成这种混乱的原因。实际结果有限。由于爱尔兰其他地区的需求以及从爱尔兰派遣一流部队应对印度叛乱的过程，资源有限。考虑到“公民社会”的理论，法院是对付代议制政府不完善的一种手段。在整个爱尔兰的背景下考虑，事件表明都柏林当局的软弱，他们对贝尔法斯特的无知以及驻地治安官的重要性。调查中隐瞒了很多事情。接下来的几个月揭示了一个活跃的丝带式组织的证据，以及当地警察和警察的敌意。对工人阶级宗派主义的关注转移了人们对精英未能管理破裂公民社会的阶级关系的注意力。调查中隐瞒了很多事情。接下来的几个月揭示了一个活跃的丝带式组织的证据，以及当地警察和警察的敌意。对工人阶级宗派主义的关注转移了人们对精英未能管理破裂公民社会的阶级关系的注意力。调查中隐瞒了很多事情。接下来的几个月揭示了一个活跃的丝带式组织的证据，以及当地警察和警察的敌意。对工人阶级宗派主义的关注转移了人们对精英未能管理破裂公民社会的阶级关系的注意力。