The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-06 00:00:00

Extraordinary Scene,

Yesterday a very extraordinary scene took place
before the Lords' committee to whom had been re-
ferred the Belfast Improvement Bill. In 1855 a
suit was instituted by the Attorney-General for
Ireland, at the relation of Mr. John Rea, solicitor,
against certain members of the Belfast corporation,
for having exceeded their borrowing powers, and
the Lord Chancellor declared the defendants re-
sponsible for the sums overborrowed, amounting
altogether to £133,000. Since that time several
attempts have beet made by the corporation end Its
friends to obtain the consent of their opponents, who
are ail of the Liberal party, to a bill of indemnity,
out Mr. Ilea and these woo act with him have de-
clared that, inasmuch as the corporation has hitherto
been exclusively in the hands of the Tories, who
have used their influence to disfranchise their oppo-
nents, the only terms on which they will consent to
en Indemnity Bat are the complete political reor-
ganization of the Town Council, to be followed, as
they confidently assert it will, by the return of Li-
beral representatives for many of tha constituencies
in Ulster that now return Conservatives. Several
bills introduced into Parliament to legalise the ex
cessive expenditure have been vigorously oppo-ed
the Liberals, and up to this time not less than
£30,000 has been spent on either side in a contest
which has now lasted over nine years. In 1860 the
matters in dispute were submitted to arbitration,
the Right Hon, the Colonial Minister, who was the
Chief Secretary for Ireland, acting as umpire, and
bill was introduced during the present semen and
passed through the Commons, confirming the award,
on condition that a public bill should be introduced
to prevent if possible the further disfranchisement
of Liberal ratepayers, and to remedy the other
grievances complained of. The public bill intro-
duced by Sir Hugh Cairns being considered wholly
inadequate, no fewer than five petitions were pre-
sented to the House of Lords against the Private
Indemnity Bill, and referred to a committee, con-
sisting of Earl Grey (chairman), Lords Nelson,
Rivers, Wrottesley, and Melville.
When the committee met,
Mr. BREWSTER, Q.C. (of the Irish bar), objected
to the opponents being heard, on the ground that
they were parties to and were bound by the award.
Mr. Phinn, Q.C., Mr. Forsythe, Q.C. and Mr.
Austin argued that their clients, Mr. John F. Fer-
guson, D.L., Dr. Denvir, the Roman Catholic
bishop, and others had not signed the deed of sub•
mission, and that Mr. Rea, who did sign it as re-
lator in the Chaneery Quit, had no power to bind
them.

Mr. M'KENNA, who appeared on behalf of the
40,000 Roman Catholic inhabitants of Belfast, was
heard on the same side.

Mr. REA claimed to be heard, but
The CIIAIRMAN declined, as he was a party to
the submission. -
The room having been clearod the committee
deliberated, and when the parties were again ad-
mitted the Chairman said they were of opinion
that the arbitrators had heard the case fail, and
that they would not hear any objections to the award.

Mr. REA.—I must now respectfully claim my
right as relator in the Chancery suit to mid my
petition, and then if your lordships order me to
retire I will do so. I refused X 20,000 in order that
I might appear before the Lords' Committee, and
yot. will not bo doing me justice if you refuse to
hear my petition. It Is quite impossible for me to
exaggerate the respect I have for the five peers of
the realm who compose this committee, and I con-
sider it a great privilege to have suffered for ten
years to be allowed to address them.

Lord GREY—Mr. Res, your petition is before us,
and we have looked at it. We think that id quite

sufficient.

Mr. REA—It must be read either by the clerk or
by myself. You are bound on your oaths as peers
to enter it as read on the minuses. 'Witnesses must
also be produced to prove the deed of submission,
for I do not admit I signed it.
EArl GREY—I must insist on your being silent.
Mr. RED—And I must insist on your removing
me by force from the room.

Earl GREY—You must withdraw.
Mr REA—I will not withdraw voluntarily.
Earl GREY—We must make you withdraw.

Mr REA—I am a subject of her Majesty, and a
belted earl shall not tyrannize over me. It is an
act of tyranny, for which I will hold you answer-
able. I impute no improper motives to you. I
will only be removed by force ; but a formal assault
will be quite sufficient. 1 got myself dragged from
the House of Commons because I thought the Lords'
Committee would hear me. It is illegal to remove
me except by the officers of the House. I did not
expect that Earl Grey's sou would outrage the laws
of the Constitution, after his father saving England
from a revolution; and I hope Earl Nelson, for the
sake of the name he bears, will prevent this outrage.
The police have no more right to remove me than
a Frenchman has to drag him from the deck of an
English man.nf war.

Two policemen were then brought in and caught
hold of Mr. Rea, who then went quietly with them
out of the room.

The bill then
Pasti3d through committee.
Mr M'KENNA said he hoped their Lordships
would make some suggestion in their report by
which 4,001 t awn, whose cruse they had not heard,
would be thide to keep toe pet.co, for he woulo reel
bound to tell them that they had been aggrieved
6t44 were the Ilea= of injustice.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Prince
and Princess of Leiningen dined with his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cambridge a: Gloucester
Houtte. Tne Marchioness of C..rmarthen and
Captain Grey were in attendance.

QUEEN'S VISIT TO THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL
GARDENS.—Her Majesty, accompanied by the
Princess Beatrice, visited the Royal Horticultural Gardens
yesterday, for the purpose of inspecting the progress of the
works and additional planting. The Queen entered by Mr
Ormson's new conservatory in Prince Albert's. road, and
inspected the stove-house adjacent made for the purpose of
exhibiting through plate-gla s orchids and other stove
plants. Her Majesty passed through the northern arcades
and the conservatory, and expressed her approval of the
decorations, and the means adopted fir lighting at the fel-
lows' evening comet sazioni. The skeleton of the great sus-
pension tent, with Messrs Waterer and Godfrey's rhodo-
dendrons, still on the banks, was next visited, and the
Queen returned to the gardens through the new conserva-
tory, with which it is proposed to complete ihe arcades on
both sides. The new plantations in the centre,and the bank
planted with a fine stock of rhododendrons, presented by
Mrs Hope, of the Deepdene, were examined. Minton's
majolica fountain received much attention. Her Majesty
desired that a specimen of the new g Irdeu umbrellas should
be forwarded to Windsor. Upon her Majesty's depart-
ing the Queen was pleased to express her entire approval
and great pleasure at the improvements recently carried
out.
The Duchees of Bucel6uch had a dancing party
last evening at Sefton House, Belgrave-square. A select
party was present.

The Earl of Derby was better yesterday; the
noble earl was more free from pain. He is still confined
to his bed, and there is not the leapt prospect that his
lordship will be able to attend in the House of Lords this
week.

The Earl and Countess of Cardigan entertained
at dinner, on Monday lust, the Earl and Countess
of Stradbroke, Lord and Lady Curzon, Lord Loughborough,
Hon. Mrs. Rous, Hon. George Fitzwilliam, Hon. Sc.
George Foley, Hun. Eliot Yorke, Generai Cotton, Captain
Bulkeley, Mr and Mrs Baring, Mrs de Horsey, and Mr
Henry Potre.

Tire Count and Countess Haniskorff and family
have arrived at the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, from
Paris.
Tne Lord Provost of Edinburgh has arrived at
the Clarendon Hotel from Paris.

Lady DieurbeCd oecond bail, announced for
gonday, the 11th inst., is Postponed to llrcdnesday, the
.3th inst.

A marriage is b take place (when the parties
come of age) between Robert Stapleton Cotton, son of the
Hon. Colonel S. Cotton, and Miss Fletcher, the ward of
Lord Kenyon, and heiress of Mr Fletcher, of Lancashire,