The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-08 00:00:00

:

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVE4NING, JUNE 8, fB5B.

LINES LEIS S!:

IMPERIAL PAR LIAMEN T.

examination had taken place to the fullest extent, the
conduct of Rajah Brooke, in the judgment of every im-
partial person, was perfectly justified. (Cheers.) The
charge ought to be brought forward in a definite manner
or entirely withdrawn.

HOUSE OF LORDS. —( rESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at 5 o'clock.

Lord KINGSTON made a remark which did not reach
the gallery, (Loud cries of " Withdraw, withdraw.")
Lord REDESDALE said the questions had in point
of fact been answered by the noble lord at the head of
the government, and if Lord Kingston intended to bring
forward any charge, he ought to do so in a proptr man-
ner.

The Earl of HARD WICK presented a petition from
Sheffield, signed by upwards of 3,000 persons, praying
for the reiteration of the royal family of Oede.
Lord PANNIURE said as the nohlti lord the Under-
Secretary of War was present he . begged to put
a question to him. I-, would be recollected that during
the mutiny in India, a considerable outbreak took place
at a station (Jelindhur, as we understood), which was
under the command of Col. Johnston,.of the 87th Regi-
ment. This offie2er Lad been :wound of a great derelic
lion of duty. In the first place, he bad been accused of
not having in proper time disarmed the mutineers ;
and, secondly, of great remissness in not following
them up after they hail mutinied and murdered several
of their officen. He had heard that a fell inquiry into
all the circurnstanee3 had been taken, first, by the De-
puty Judge Advocate-General, then by the Judge
Advocate-General himself, and, laetly, by the Com-
mander-in• Chief, Sir C. Campbell. His reason for asking
the question was because he found there was no means
in this country of officially promulgating the decision
that had been arrived at. To a mdit-try man he need
not say nothing was dearer than his reputation ; and,
under those circumstanc?s, he begged to ask whether it
was true that Col. Johnstone had been acquitted of all
the charges brought against him ?
Lord ILA tWINGE said be had great pleasure in
answering the question put to him by the noble lord.
A most searching investigation had been made into the
charges, attended by the Commander-in• Chief, Sir Colin
Campbell, and the result was that Cd. Johnston,: had
been hay and honouraliy acquitted of the charges
brought against him. He had great pleasure in making
this announcement, because he believed Col. Johnstone
was a gallant and energetic officer, and hack been most
unjustly attacked.
Lord PANMURE thanked the noble lord for the
answer.

Lord CAMPBELL augzested that the clerk should
be directed to omit the notices from the votes. (Cheers.)
The Eirl of WICKLOW said that was the fourth
time the notices had appeared on the paper, zed it wool
reffict, great discredit on the house if it should be in the
power cif any individual to place libels on the notice
paper, and then refuse t bring the matters forward.
After a few words from Lord ROME and Lord DUN-
GANNON,
The Dake of BUCCLEUCH thought the suggestion of
the noble and learned lord (Lord Campbell) a very proper
one in the present case, but said their lordships ought to
be very careful before they formed such a precedent.
Would it not be better to move a standing order of the
house,
_
in order to prevent such a course being taken in
future.

Lord CAMPBELL did not think that would bo neces-
sary, as be hoped it would be many years before such an
occasion as this recurred.

Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY hoped the noble
earl would h.el that it was the sense of the house that if
he had any charge tl make ar.raiost Sir James Brooke
it was competent to him to bring it forward specifically
by a motion ; but I.e was sure the noble earl would also
feel that it was not desirable to persevere in the °nurse
be bad taken, of giving notice of questions which in-
ferentially brought charges against an individual.
The Earl of KINGSTON addressed a few sentences
to the house, which were quite inaudible.
Lord PORTMAN said it could not but be obvious to
the noble earl that it was not the wish of the house that
be should proceed in the course he had adopted, and
knowing the wish of his brother peers, he was sure he
would defer to it, and at least for the present altogether
withdraw his notice.

THE CASE OF MR. WDERNIOTT.
The Earl of DONOUGHMORE laid on the table the
articles of charge against W. wDermott, Esq., as-
sistant barrister, of the county of Kerry, and moved
that they be printed and a copy of them be furnished
to Mr. e 1 Termott. Also that they be referred to a
committee of the whole house on Monday the 21st of
June. That the said committee have power to ex-
amine witnesses and to report thereon to the house,
and that Mr. M'Oermott have leave to appear per-
sonally or by counsel barna Me said aorntritttee. The
painful charges brought against Mr. M'Dermott
were that he hal been an insolvent debtor, that he
had been in the constant of borrowing money of
all officers and practitioners in his cutlet, and there was
scarcely one of them to wkom he was not indebted. Oa
the causes coming on f r trial the result, invariably,
was in favour of the person to whom he was indebted.
That in 1856 the interpreter of his court died, and it
was ascertained that. he had appoiLtel a successor, from
whom he had received the sum of 371.

The Earl of KINGSTON again made some observa-
tion!, not a word of which was audible.

The Marquis of CLANRICARDE said that with re-
gard to not printing any notices given by one t•f their
lordships, it might be remembered that the grandfather
of a noble lord actually laid a caricature on the table in
the shape of a bill, which he moved should be printed,
bat which was not printed, so that it was competent to
the bows to refns, to print improper matter.
Lord REDESDALE said it was the duty of the clerk
to have all notices printed, and it was not desirable to
proceed in the manner suggested of not having tLe
notice printed. He did not see that the notice• continu-
ing on the order book was any reflection on Sir James
Brooke, and if they did, the blame rested on the noble
earl, and not with Sir James Brooke,
Lord LYNDIIURST—I beg to move that in the
opinion of this house the questions of the noble earl have
been sufficiently answered, and_ought not to be renewed.
The question was put in that form, and agreed to
amidst cheers and laughter.

After a few words from Lord BROUGHAM and the
Earl of HARDWICKE the motion wa3 agreed to.

THE RIOTS AT BELFAST,
Lord DUNGANNON said their lordships were aware
that Belfast had again become the scene of riot and dis-
order, which had continued for two or three days. The
evil had originated at the funeral of a Roman Catholic,
who had been secretary to a political society. The fune-
ral was attended by a large number of Roman Catholics
who carried green boughs, a party symbol, in their
hands, and thrust thew into the faces of some Protes-
tants. During the riots one of the magistrates received
a severe blow from a stone ; and the property which had
been injured belonged exclusively to Protestants, with
tone single exception, and in that case the person had
married a Protestant. The police, it appeared, had not
discharged their duty efficiently ; and Lord Naas had
given notice of his intention to introduce a measure, the
object of which was to provide a better police for large
towns. He wished to know whether the Government
had received any information as to the causes which had
led to these disgraceful riots? (Hear.)
Tee Earl of DERBY had received from the Lord-Lieu-
tenant and the authorities in Ireland such information as
they were able to afford regarding the causes of the riots
in Belfast; hut in truth the only cause that could be as-
signed
was that lamentable state of religious rancour and
animosity between the two parties which was equally
to be attributed to the lower classes cf Roman catholics
and protestants, and had long made Belfast notorious
for disgraceful scenes of violence. There existed a
species of civil war between these parties, The slightest
provocation, the slightest insult by one party or the
other, was immediately taken up by the partisans of
the other side and made the subject of most disgraceful
riots ; and it did not reflect much credit either upon the
inhabitants or the local authorities of the most wealthy
and most thriving town in Ireland to let such proceed-
ings go unchecked. (Hear.) For several days and
nights the town had been in a state of confusion and
disturbance. The Lord-Lieutenan had used every means
in his power to restore peace, and a large force of police
and m:litary, both cavalry and infant,y, had been sent
into the town, n hich had been divide.' into four districts,
each of which was placed under the control of 'a magi,
['trate, and regularly patrolled by night. About an hour
ago he had received accounts stating that peace had been
for the time restored ; but looking at the time of year
and the cause of disturbance, the Lord Lieutenant
wouid keep in the district a considerable force—at all
events until the end of the next month. Of course the
people of Belfast would have to pay pecuniarily for the
injury which had been caused and' for the additional
number of the constabulary. (,sear.) He was afraid
there was considerable truth in the statement respect-
ing the inefficiency of the police, and it was the intention
of his noble friend the Secretary for Ireland to take the
earliest opportunity of introducing a bill, which had al-
ready received g' neral approval in Leland, for the pur-
pose of improvieg the character and constitution of the
police in great towns and incorporating +hem with the
constabulary. (Hear, hear.) However the government
might succeed in putting down disturbances front time
to time, it was for the respectable inhabitants of Belfast
to:prevent a recurrence of these disturbances. (Hear.)
The Earl of CARLISLE said, as the subject had been
mooted, he wished to make one or two remarks. The
unhappy and disgraceful riots in Belfast only served to
strengthen his conviction that the Irish government last
year acted in consonance with their duty and with strict
policy and prudence in taking the only step in their
power to show their disapproval cf exclusive religious
societies and organisations, by preventing any fresh ap-
pointments of members of the Orange Society to the
office of magistrate, (Hear.) Teat was the course
adopted in 1826, and received the approval of the House
of Commons and of his Majesty William the Fourth.
The subsequent abatement of religious animosities had
led to the suspension of that prohibition, but the events
which occurred last year made it quite plain that it trust
be immediately re-adopted. He was happy to find that the
present government had not made any objectionable ap-
pointments to the magistracy, and he trusted the scenes
now going on in Belfast would serve to confirm them in
that wise abstinence. (Hear) It was an undoubted fact
that last summer, at the very moment when reinforce-
ments were required for India, the movement of the
regiments was interfered with and delayed because one
set of persons in Belfast were keeping it in a chronic
state (of alarm, the one shouting "To hell with the
Pope l" and the other "To hell with King William the
Third !" (Laughter.) The utter childishness and folly
and anachronism of this proceeding—(laughter)—would
be simply ridiculous if it did not lead to such serious and
respeote to be the moat civilised and best
darkin results,
inany (Hear, hear.) The town of Belfast ought
organised place in Ireland, Whereas it was at present the
least so, and he believed the blame might be equally
divided between both parties, (Hear.) He very much
feared that the allaying of
these ebullitions of religious
hatred could not be achieved by any government ; but
he thought a material partial improvement might be
made by establishing the police upon a fair footing. • He
was glad that such a course Was in contemplation. An
alteration was contemplated by the late government,
lied he bad no doubt tha present government would use
every effort to soften that religious • lry which was
the source of such serious mischief.
(Hear, hear.)
Lord DUNGANNON doubted the assertion that the
recent proceedings in .Belfast was a proof that the late
government had acted correctly in refusing to appoint
Orange magistrates, because it remained to be proved
that Orangemen had anything to do with the recent
disturbances in Belfast.
The Earl of CLANCARTY did not at all approve of
the course which bad been adopted by the late govern-
ment in the exelu-ion of Orange magistrates.
PORTUMNA BRIDGE (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
CHANCERY AMENDNIENT BILL.
On the inolion of the LORD CHANCELLOR this bill
2LhEcoornFmiPttOeel.SONS, &c
~ BILL.
mittee.
STA
passed through
SSPOR,Ts BILL.
This
ippaospedu tThyrouogNh committee
This bill also passed through ooro„,ittee.
NON-PAROCHIALREGISTERS BILL.

Tliii bill was read a third lime and
LORD KINGSTON'S passed.
made NOTICES.
Lord KINGSTON having
a remark which did
not reach the gallery, but which
. aPparently related to
a further po-tponeinent of his question,
Earl STANHOPE rose, and p.rotoated az,ainst the
iun-
measured language in
which Rajah Brooke's name was
mentioned in the questions placed on the paper by the
noble lord. (Caeers.) It was
moat unbecoming and
improper to keep such notices longer on the minutes,
and he, therefore, c.il ed upon the noble lord to with.
draw them at once, or to proceed with them.
(Cheery.)
Earl GREY was confident that the more the conduct
of Rajah Broike was
..
discussed the
more proper would
it appear to have been.
The inquiry
respecting the
treatment of pirates had ended tinl,;
.3 triumphant ac-
quittal, and 10.1 was fully convinced that his conduct in
the Chinese affair would be found equally satisfictory.
The hou-e was perfectly ready t ) discuss any charges
which might be brought forward ; but
it was most im-
ps. ,per to place charges on the votes, and keep them
there day by day without affording an opportunity of
discussing the subject. (Cheers.
The Earl cf DERBY expressed a hope that Lord
Kingston would either at once brin, forward his
charges or abandon them. (Cheers.) The noble lord
had placed on the paper a most extraordinary string of
questions, and some of those relating to Rajah Brooke,
it was quite impossible fir the Government to answer.
For instance, how could they tell " the amount of his;
f )rtune when he first went out l" (Laughter.) With
respect to the last two questions, whether the oppres-,
sons and exaclona of Rajah Brooke did not lead to the
outrage committed by the Chinese,
and whether his
whole course and conduct 10 the East bad nit been such
as to desecrate the name of England for justice and
humanity, he could only say that, after inquiry and