TOWN COUNCIL PLEASANTRIES.-A WARNING TO WELLINGTON TOWN BOARD.

Colonist, Volume VII, Issue 664, 8 March 1864, Page 4

TOWN COUNCIL PLEASANTRIES.-A WARNING TO WELLINGTON TOWN BOARD.

Theke has been rather a keen and personal fracas between a couple of the Wellington Town Board the result of which was that one of them retired with a pretty marked indentation in his hat, while the other had a piece taken off his nose, not by a bite, but something like a scratch, the prominent organ being considerably marked. As a warning against little amiable pleasantries of this sort we copy the following from an English paper received by last mail:— At the monthly meeting of the Belfast Town Council on Tuesday, in the course of a dicussion on 3 motion for the re-election of the Mayor (Mr John Lytle)—

Mr. Rea, after speaking in strong terms against the Mayor, and the manner of his original election, said—Perhaps he had said too much in the presence of a corporation which might be honest now, but which was originally called into existence and kept in power by the action of perjured valuators and perjured collectors, who were suborned to that perjury by the men they served. (Applause and hisses.) At a farther stage of the debate, Mr. Rea made some personal allusion to Mr. Preston, which led to the following scene:—

Mr. Pkeston—This individual should not mention my name. It is only an individual opinion expressed by an individual, and he should not mention my namo. Mr. Kea—This individual, blackbeaned at the Ulster club, will not, be taken notice of by me unless he deserves it. He has got notoriety enough. Mr. Preston—l am perfectly regardless of any thing this individual may say. The Ma yon rose to put an end to these observations. Mr. Rea—lf he would call me a hippopotamus I would not care much. That would not anger me sir; but to be always called by him an individual ' Mr. Preston—There is not an individual in the town but expresses that you are an intolerable nuisanco.

Mr. Rea—Trying to get into genteel society, and blackbeaned.

Mr. Preston—You are sajing what is not true, on your oath.

Mr. Robert Lindsay—Mr. Mayor, I was reading the other night in the Apocalypse "Woe! woo! upon the earth and upon the sea, for the Devil is come down in great wrath, because ho knows that his time is short." (Great laughter.) I don't think, sir, Ido great violence to the text by giving it a present ap-plication-(loud laughter)—and in stating that the speech made here to-day by Mr. Rea for violence and vulgarity

Mr. Eea—l call the speaker to order not with regard to the Apocalypse, but he has no right to charge any member ot the Council with vulgarity (To Mr. Lindsay)—You are pale in the face now! You will please lay down that ruler or poker • you always have it up. ' (Mr. Lindsay had a great thick ruler, about a yard long, tightly clenched in his hand.) Mr." Lindsay—The speech which you have all listened to is the speech of a disappointed man; for on no other ground can I account lor its violence, its ignorance, and I again say its horrible vulgarity. Mr. Hea—A verdict has been obtained before now by perjury, and innocent men before now have been hanged by perjury. Mr. Lindsay—And one of the best men in the County Down has been hanged upon the evidence of a relative of Mr. Rea's.

Mr. Eea (apparently much excited)-That's a lie, sir, and in the presence of the ruffian that uttered it, I tell luui that's a lie. I ask this vuffian when was any person convicted on the testimony of any member of my family ? and the scoundrel dares to say it in the presence of the Chief Magistrate of Belfast—he who would not be believed by any Magistrate in

[Here an almost indescribable scene occurred • every member of the Council rose to his feet the Mayor imploringly requesting them to sit down. Mr Uea, livid with rage, appearing about to attack his adversary, and Mr. Lindsay, steadying his position appearing to await the " coming struggle." Ihe Mayok—Do sit down, gentlemen. _ Mr. Rea—l will not sit down, air, till you call that infamous ruffian to order who maligns a relative of mine in his grave. The Mayor—l will not permit thia. Mr. Green! (calling to the chief constable.) [Mr. Green and Mr. M'Kittrick here entered the room, amidst the most indescribable confusion.] Mr. Bae (shaking his fist at Mr. Lindsay) -_T call you a l.ar, a coward, a villain, a ruffian, a felon, who will be transported for Hie on the evidence of AlderTxr p '? e> ]*«? P-' CSenf ' Of y°m" own bookkeeper, of Mr. Richard Waring, of Mr. Langtry Hewitt, Ld of a dozen other witnesses to your guilt The Mayor got up again to try to pacify, and asked them all to sit down, looking imploringly at Mr Rea and begged of him to desist? ' Mr. RAB-My dead relative, who was engaged in the rebellion ot '98-1 cannot sit down, sir.fvlfen he is hero charged and slandered by a living felon me Mayor- I again require you to sit down Mr-Bea—l have nothing more to say, and nothing to add to characterise the infamy of the ruffian I have assa.lod I suppose, sir, your relatives took part in that light, and I am sure you would have-eaid what I said if anything so infamous had been uttered with respect to them.

1 he Mayor rose up again to call them to order. Dr. linowNE said he was no political friend of Mr Kea. But Mr. Lindsay's conduct could not bear one moment s reflection; and, if Mr. Lindsay had uttered the same with regard to his relatives, he would have done more than asked for retraction of the words m Mr. DnFFiN-And so would I. The language was

A partial reconciliation was effected between Mr Rea and Mr. Lindsay, and the business of the ineetinc was allowed to proceed. «oM«t,