The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-10 00:00:00

impala! 4,3arliamtnt.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY.
The Earl of RIPON, having taken a review of the state
of affairs in the Kingdom of Lahore previous to the inva-
sion of our territory in India, and having previously de-
tailed the military operations of our army in the late bril-
liant contest with the Siks, moved a series of resolutions
voting the thanks of their lordships' house to the corn-
wanders, officers, and men of the British and East India
service engaged in those gloriously fought operations.
The motion was warmly seconded by the Marquis of
LANSDOWNE.
The Duke of WELLINGTON eulogised the conduct of
Sir Henry Hardinge as eminently gallant and chivalric;
and in vindication of the 62d Regiment, his grace said :
" I really must say that I have not, for some time, heard
of an action which has given me such unqualified satisfac-
tion, except in one case—l allude to that of the regiment
to which the word panic' is attached. My lords, I have
minutely examined the circumstances attending that regi-
ment, and I find by the returns that it has lost 5-12ths of
its numbers, a great many non-commissioned officers, and
I hear that in the first quarter of an hour of the firing one-
third of its officers fell. My lords, I cannot question the
report of the operations, but I wish the officer who had
written it had sat down and written a more elaborate re-
port, and referred to the extent of the killed and wounded.
The loss in that regiment must have been very great, for
it 'is said that as they were moving on they were mowed
down in great numbers by the severity of the fire. My
lords, I have made inquiries respecting the state of the
regiment, and I find that it has been fifteen years in the
East Indies, and that in the course of forty years it has
served abroad thirty-three years. and seven years in vari-
ous parts of the United Kingdom. I also find that dur-
ing the fifteen years which it has served in the East In-
dies, it has been in all parts of India, and that it has been
recruited twice since it has been in that country. I like-
wise find that three-fourths of the men who made the at-
tack and suffered the loss, had not been seven years in the
service."
After an interesting discussion, in which the Marquis of
Londonderry, the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Ellen-
borough, and Viscount Auckland took part, the resolu-
tions were agreed to unanimously.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY.
Mr. C. BERKELEY called the attention of the house to
a petition that he had received, purporting to come from
Cheltenham, though in fact it came from Manchester, and
moved that it be referred to a Select Committee, to in-
quire into the manner in which the petition was got up
and the signatures attached to it.
The motion was agreed to.
Sir ROBERT PEEL was about to proceed with his mo-
tion of thanks to the Indian army, when he was inter-
rupted by
'Mr. BRIGHT, who said he had a petition to present
from 560 inhabitants of the town of Reading, expressing
great regret that war had broken out in India, and remon-
strating against the award of thanks to the army engaged
in what they believed a very impolitic and unchristian war.
Sir R. PEEL then said, that until he was interrupted
by the member for Durham, he was not prepared to be-
lieve that it could be possible that any body of Englishmen
could be found, who, seeing what were the circumstances
of unprovoked aggression which called forth the exertions
of these men—who, seeing what in a just cause was their
devotion to the interests of their country—he said, he
could hardly have believed it possible that, in this country,
arty body of men could be found to sign a petition grudg-
ing such an acknowledgment of courage and devotion as
that which he propose to offer. (Loud cheers.) The
right hon. baronet then took a review of the state of the
Funjaub since the death of Runjeet Singh, and of the
aggressions that forced the Governor-General of India
into hostile operations, and moved a series of resolutions,
similar to those voted in the Lords, granting the thanks
of the house of Commons to the commanding officers and
men engaged in the late brilliant achievements on the
banks of the Sutlej. The right hon. baronet stated that he
proposed the vote simply for the military services per-
formed, totally irrespective of the policy of the Governor-
General, and he intimated that he should propose an ad-
dress to the crown, praying her Majesty to have a suitable
monument erected to the memory of Sir Robert Sale.
The motion was seconded by Lord John Russell, and
supported by Sir R. Inglis and other members.
Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS said, he would make some pro-
fessional observations on that victory for which the house
was now to return thanks. It was a consolatory conside-
ration to the nation and to surviving friends that the
serious sacrifice of life which was made—and many most
valuable lives were sacrificed—that they fell in defence of
their country, and that they bled to uphold the honour of
the British name. They fell not in the violation of the
rights of others, either personal or territorial. On the
contrary, they exercised so much forbearance and patience
as to expose Sir Henry Hardinge to the surmise that his
extreme indulgence allowed that advantage which was in-
consistent with the science of a good tactician, or with
those strategetical manoeuvres which ought to have been
observed. But the wish of the Governor-General was,
and he enjoined the instructions, that the most scrupulous
forbearance should be observed, and that they were not to
provoke aggression—his policy was decidedly pacific. But
he would show that professionally with the greatest for-
bearance, -$ error was committed. Here the gallant
member entered into a military statement as to the pro-
gress of the army, the principle of the passage of rivers,
and the concentration of forces, which he illustrated by
reference to a map, and from the whole be concluded that
Sir Henry Hardinge adopted the wisest course—a course
which was in accordance with the best rules of military
science. (Cheers.) There was no doubt but gallant offi-
cers were placed in great difficulty on that important
occasion ; the troops were brought up under peculiar cir-
cumstances, but they advanced under the guidance of a
man whose mind was well stored with that energy and
with those intellectual resources which that crisis de-
manded. Those difficulties which he had to encounter
were all surmounted, the movement was conducted with
great military skill, and the result had been a victory of
vast consequence to the British name, British character,
and British interests. There never were military opera-
tions conducted with more intelligence—with more energy
or with more vigour—and which were well displayed under
severe privations. And that distinguished regiment, the
Sixty-second, although greatly inferior in numbers, having
gone into the action with only 21 officers and 700 men,
faced the foe—exposed to their tremendous fire—to their
iron storm moved on with unexampled steadiness,
riot shrinking, although at one time seventeen out of the
twenty-one officers and half their men were struck down.
Yet they attacked the enemy with the greatest confidence,
and stood their ground until the most dreadful havoc was
made in their ranks. But if there were any error com-
mitted as regarded that distinguished regiment he thought
with the right hon. baronet, the gallant deeds and success
of that day should obliterate the recollection of any tem-
porary casualty. Not wishing to occupy more of the
time of the house, he would express his entire concurrence
in the vote of thanks and his deep sympathy for the loss
of those brave men who fell in the midst of a victory so
brilliant and so glorious.
The resolutions were then agreed to unanimously.
The house went into committee on customs and corn
importation, and the resolution respecting corn was moved
by Sir R. PEEL.
Mr. VILLIERS moved as an amendment that the duties
on corn should immediately and totally cease.
Colonel SIBTHORP, in a humorous and spirited speech,
met the amendment with a direct negative.
The debate finally merged in an angry discussion, full
of personalities, in which Lord J. RUSSELL, "`lr. PER-
BAND, Lord C. 1-I..stieToN, and several other members
took a part. It was at last terminated by Lord JOHN
RUSSELL'S observing that in the then temper of the com-
mittee, the best thing that could be done was to move
that the chairman report progress, and ask leave to sit
again next day.
This proposition was acceded to.