The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-07 00:00:00

LORD DERBY AND THE ORANGEMEN:

The following is the reply of the Earl of Derby to
the memorial presented to his lordship by the Im-
perial Grand Council of Loyal Orangemen of the
Empire, which met in London on the 17th of July
last. The reply is addressed to Lord Enniskillen,
G.M.

" Knowsley, Oct. 11, 1867.
" My Lord,--There was transmitted to me some
time ago, by your lordship's desire, a copy of a
memorial, which I had unfortunately mislaid
in London, from a body styling itself " The
Imperial Grand Council of the Loyal Orange-
Order." The long and severe illness from which I
have since been suffering, and from which I am only
now slowing recovering, will, I hope, be accepted as
an apology for my not having sent an earlier answer.
The memorialists apply for a repeal of the Party
Processions Act ; and in support of this application
they appeal to the " ready loyalty which has always
distinguished" the Orangemen as a body; and to the
experience of Canada, where it has been found pos-
sible to repeal a similar enactment; aud, finally, they
complain that, practically, a one-sided operation
has been given to the act, whereby its provisions
have been brought to bear upon the Orange pro-
cessions alone. Ido not for a moment dispute the
loyalty of the Orange Association ; and lam con-
vinced that, in case of emergency, they would rally
as one man around the 1 prone and the institutions
of the country; but the most fervent loyalty
to the Crown, and the:most devoted attachment
to their religion, are not inconsistent with an
abstinence from all demonstrations as may, justly
or unjustly,woundthe susceptibilities ofjthose who
differ from them in politics or religious creed. I
may go further, and say that genuine loyalty in-
cludes a conscientious obedience to the laws of
the country, whatever they may be. I readily
admit that the Party Processions Act is one of
an exceptional character ; but, unhappily, religious
and political animosity in Ireland is so virulent
and so excitable, each party is so ready to seek for
occasions of giving and taking offence, that an ex-
ceptional amount of supervision is required on the
part of the Government for the prevention of demon-
strations which threaten the disturbance of
the public peace, and too often lead to bloodshed.
Nor do I see what justification can be found
for the repeal of the act, so long as the
influence, however sincerely exercised, of the leaders
of parties is insufficient to prevent their followers
from engaging, in defiance of the law, in those
very acts which it is its object to prevent, and
to which its repeal would give fresh encourage-
ment. On the other hand, as long as the law re-
mains on the statute book, it is the earnest wish aud
determination of her Majesty's Government that it
shall be equally and fairly applied ; and I think that
the course hitherto pursued by the Irish Execu-
tive may give satisfactory assurance that, under
the present Lord-Lieutenant, it will be firmly, tem-
perately, and, above all, impartially administered.—
I have the honour to be, your lordship's obedient
servant, " DERBY.
" To the Earl of Enniskillen."

THE COLLISION ON THE GREAT
NORTHERN RAILWAY.

A very alarming accident, involving injury to
several persons, happened on Tuesday evening on
the Great Northern Railway, near the
Welwyn
Junction, where the Hertford line branches off from
the main line. It appears that shortly before five
o'clock a goods train was brought to a stand in order
to detach or take on some trucks, and through some
inadvertence the goods engine and part of the train
of waggons were being shunted across the road on
to the down line of rails just as the Cambridge
train, which had left King's-cross terminus at ten
minutes to four, was approaching. The distance
between the two engines was not sufficient to en-
able the drivers to prevent a collision, and the
engines came together with terrific force. The
shock is described to have been something fearful,
and, considering the character of the accident, it is
most remarkable that a serious loss of life did not
ensue. As it was, however, the consequences were
most deplorable. Both engines were thrown across
the road, blocking the traffic, and the three car-
riages of the passenger train nearest to the tender
were much shattered. Fortunately there were com-
paratively few passengers in the train, and
although the company only report five to
have been injured, doubtless several others must
have suffered from the concussion more or less. In
the third carriage, a first-class, a Captain Ferguson
met with a fearful injury, having both his legs
broken. It is stated that the next carriage was so
jammed into that in which Captain Ferguson sat
by the force of the collision that it was some time
before he could be extricated. The escape of the
engine-drivers seems somewhat marvellous, but one
of them, it is believed, has sustained a fracture of
his collar-bone. The guards took means most
promptly to stop all approaching trains, and then
to remove the injured passengers and obtain medical
aid. The chief officials of the company were soon
in attendance with a large number of labourers,
who were soon set to work to clear the line ; but
some hours elapsed before the obstruction could be
removed, and the trains were necessarily much de-
layed. Captain Ferguson was removed by the
officer of the company to Hatfield, where he lies iu
a very precarious state. At present it is difficult to
say what may be the result of his serious injuries.
Last evening he was reported to be going on favour-
ably. It is stated that the unfortunate gentleman
was about to proceed to India. In the course of
yesterday the officials of the company instituted an
inquiry into the circumstances of the collision, but
the result has not transpired. The usual informa-
tion of the accident has been forwarded to the rail-
way department of the Board of Trade.

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