The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-08-07 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY.

The Earl of SHAFTESBURY informed the house that he had
received a letter from the Marquis of Dalhousie, the Governor-
General of India, in which the noble lord stated, that the votes
of thanks which their lordships Ind agreed to had been re-
ceived and read to Lord Gough, the officers, and in the pre-
sence of the whole Indian army, in reference to the late victo-
ries in India; and in reply, Lord Dalhousie said that Viscount
Gough, the officers, and the army had received with pride and
gratitude the distinguished mark which had been conferred on
them.

The Earl of RODEN rose for the purpose of offering explana-
tions with regard to the tragic occurrences at Dolly's Brae on
the 12th of July. There was no individual who more sincerely
regretted the collision which then took place as the melancholy
result of the occasion. In another place his conduct had been
greatly misrepresented in relation to this melancholy occur-
rence. He would state to their lordships the circumstances of
the case as they really occurred. About a fortnight before the
12th of July he was informed that the Orangemen were desi-
rous of visiting Lim on that day. He endeavoured to dissuade
them from assembling or calling on him. The gentlemen said
they would be most disappointed, and that if they did not call
upon him, they would meet elsewhere. He took two days to
consider; and considering that they wished to manifest their
attachment to him, he told them further that he thought, if
they were determined to assemble, they would be safer in his
park than elsewhere, and he would not shut his gates against
them. On the 12th of July 2000 Orangemen, accompanied by
tlrir wives and children, arrived in his park and defiled before
him in the most orderly and quiet manner. No doubt some of
them were armed, but he knew not that one of them was armed
until he saw them there. He did not think that it was any
wrong for them to be armed. On the 17th of March the Rib-
bonmen appeared armed, and had fired a volley as they passed
his gate, and no attempt had been made to stop them ; and
had he entertained the idea that the fact of some of the persons
being armed made it an illegal procession, he would not have
suffered it. The number armed only amounted to about 200
out of 20A. The procession went to the end of his park; and
he felt it his duty to go with them, in order to prevent the
commission of indiscretion, and to show them that the gentry
were willing to stand by them. It was said that he feasted
tbem with beer, porter, and whisky—the only refreshment
supplied to them was bread and cheese and small beer. It was
also said that he harangued them. He had addressed them,
and he would read totheir lordships what lie had said—it had
Veen taken down at the time. The noble lord here read the
speech, in order to .show that it was the very reverse of being
inflammatory, and concluded by expressing a hope that their
lordships would be now satisfied that he was not guilty of the
charges which had been made against him.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE had listened with the attention
it merited to the statement of the noble lord in exculpation of
his own character; but having said this, he hoped the noble
lord -would excuse him when he stated that he wished to be
understood, as neither assenting to, nor dissenting from, that
statement at the present moment. The transaction in ques-
tion had led to an amount of irritation that it was not easy to
describe. It had also Jed to loss of property, loss of life, and
deep injury to a large class of her Majesty's subjects. It was
therefore a fit subject for inquiry, and as such inquiry was in
progress, he was not prepared to anticipate it. Whatever
might result from it should be laid before the house to enable
them to judge of the matter.