The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

MAY 16, 1857. Mr. HOPE expressed a general approbation of the hill, which enunciated, be said, one great truth, that a convicted criminal forfeited his time and his labour to the country, which might turn it to use either at home or abroad. Mr. MARSH—who claimed experience upon this question from having " just returned from a penal colony "—suggested that a convict settlement might be established in the northern part of Australia. The bill was then read a second time. INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS BILL. Mr. ADDEIILEY moved the second reading of this bill, which he said was verbatim the same as had been recommitted pro fornul in the last Parliament. He stated briefly the object of the bill, which was a supplement or complement to the Reformatory Acts. He anticipated and replied to an objection that it was a proselytising measure. Mr. BowvEn opposed the bill on two grounds— first, that it introduced principles new to the judi cature of the country, anti interfered with the parental authority of the poor; secondly, that the effect, though not the intention, of the measure was to proselytise, since Roman Catholic children would be sent to Protestant schools. Lord R. CECIL def..nded the bill. Mr. Pans, not dissenting from the principle of the bill, protested against the levying a compulsory rate upon the agricultural parishes for the purposes of the bill. Mr. BARROW opposed the bill, on the ground that it sanctioned an interference with parental authority which ought not to be tolerated, and because the provisions of the bill went beyond the necessity of the case. Sir G. GREY said the bill required very careful consideration in committee, but he hoped there would be no objection to reading it a second time. Upon a division the second reading was carried by 177 to 18. _ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved for the reappointment of the select committee to inquire into the operation of the Bank Act of 1844 (7th and Bth Victoria, c. 32), and of the Bank Acts for Ireland and Scotland of 1845 (Bth and oth Victoria, c. 37, :)t4).—The motion was agreed to. Sir G. GREY obtained leave to bring in a bill to make other provision for the exercise of the powers of the General Board of Health ; and Mr. FiTzaEßArai a Bill to Consolidate and Amend the Acts relating to Bankruptcy and Insolvency in Ireland. HOUSE OF LORDS-TUESDAY. TRE4THENT OF CHINESE PRISONERS. The Earl of CARNARVON directed attention to the account given in the China Mail, published at Hong Kong, of the barbarous treatment of the Chinese arrested on suspicion after the poisonings. Fifty prisoners were crammed into a room sixteen feet long by fifteen feet broad, furnished with a small aperture fur ventilation, and were kept for twenty days in this confined space, without beds, and having to perform in it all the requirements of nature. But this was not the only case : In the China Mail of the 12th of February there was another account of the apprehension a 150 men, all of whom were liberated after a short time, except half a dozen, who were left in prison without food fur twenty eight hours. Yet he was told that no one was responsible for this. Surely no one could deny that the responsibility attached to the authorities in Hong Kong. He could only say that if this was the spirit in which English justice was administered abroad, he was not surprised that the Eng lish Lame was hated wherever it was known, and that people rose in insurrection to put an entity) it. He begged also to move for all the papers relating to the trial of the baker and others on the charge of poisoning; and in ad verting to that subject he felt it his duty to bring under their lordships' notice the line of conduct which the Attorney General for the colony took upon that occasion, and which appeared to him most extraordinary and unpa ralleled. On the trial of the men in question the Attorney- General was reported in the Hong Kong journals to have said, " If tectnicalities of the British law procured their release the Chinese authorities would be encouraged to repeat their diabolical attempt." Again, "In a case of poisoning the tuercy of the law should be restrained, not relaxed." In England, on the trial of the most hardened ruffian, the prisoner was invariably told that he was not bound to say anything to criminate himself ; but at Hong- Kong, a British colony, the Attorney-General, on the trial in question, deported himself in such a manlier that Mr. Bowra, one of the jurymen, thought it his duty to complain of the learned gentleman's conduct as being harsh and tin- Au. towards the prisoners. The Attorney• General ap pealed on the occasion, not to the justice of the case, but to the political contingencies likely to result from the pro ceedings. It was, in truth, one of the most monstrous cases of which he (the Earl of Carnarvon) had ever heard. He trusted the Government would think it their duty to produce all the papers bearing on this subject; and if the statements he had read to the house, so lowering and debasing as they were to the English name, should be sub stantiated by official documents, he hoped the Government would not shrink from visiting the parties who were to blame with such an amount of censure as would meet the justice of the, case. The Earl of HARROWBY said that Government had written out for information, and would present any TILE •PRESS. papers on the subject that might arrive. Meanwhile, the house might presume that Sir John Bowring and the parties out there were not men to disgrace the Government by acting in the way that had been re presented. He must say that he thought such charges ought not to be brought against British officers unless there was a reasonable presumption that they were well founded. The Earl of MALMESBURY defended Lord Carnar. von from Lord Harrowby's rebuke, and hoped the Government ,would cause a bona fide inquiry to be made, and lay the results before the house, however long it might be before they were arrived at. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH also hoped the Go vernment would think it right to make the fullest inquiry into the conduct of their officers. The motic.n was agreed to. HOUSE OF COMMONS—TvEspAr. Her Majesty's gracious reply to the Address was brought up by Lord Castlerosse. EXCHEQUER CHAMBER (IRELAND). - - Mr. FITZGERALD, in reply to Mr. J. gland as to whether her Majesty's Government intended to bring in a bill this present session to assimilate the Court of Exchequer Chamber in Ireland to that of Eng land, said that, having consulted with the Irish judges during the recess on this question, he had drawn up a bill with their almost unanimous con currence, which he should shortly lay before the house. CITY CORPORATION REFORM. Sir G. GREY, in reply to Mr. Laurie whether Government would proceed with the Corporation Reform Bill thin session, said he could not give a decided answer to the question until he had seen what progress was made with other and more impor • tant business. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. Mr. CAIRD asked the Vice• President of the Board of Trade whether the Government intended to take any steps fur collecting agricultural statistics in England? Mr. LowE said he was not aware that the Govern ment had any such intention. THE KING OF GUM'S DEBTS. Mr. V. SMITH, in reply to Mr. Fagan, said that all the public and bonafide debts of the King of Gude would be referred to the Government of India, and, though he was not prepared to say that any particular sum would be allotted for the purpose of defraying them, yet any debt which was shown to be public and bona fide would no doubt be paid out of the ordinary revenues of the country. SHIPPING DUES. Mr. LOWE, in reply to Mr. Hudson, said that it was the intention of the Government, when the state of public business would allow, to introduce a bill for the abolition of passing tolls, founded on some of the recommendations of the commissioners for inquiring into the subject of the shipping dues, who reported in 1854, but it would be more convenient if he were to reserve a statement of its details until he asked for leave to introduce the bill. THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION. Sir G. GREY, in reply to Lord lt. Cecil, said that he hoped soon to be able to give notice of a bill founded on the report of the commissioners. HOLIDAYS. The Marquis of BLANDFORD said that, looking at the state of public business and the probable short ness of the session, it would be very convenient if the noble lord et the head of the Government would state on what day he proposed that the house should reassemble after the Whitsuntide holidays. Lord PALMERSTON said he would rather postpone his answer until the period referred to was nearer. The Marquis of BLANDFORD said he would put the question on a later day. THE UNITED STATES AND CENTRAL AMERICA. Lord PALMER.:TON, in reply to Mr. Wyld, entered into a brief explanation of' the origin of the recent dispute between the United States' Government and that of Granada. With respect to the intentions of the United States' Government in fitting out a powerful squadron to obtain " redress for the past and security for the future," Lord Palmerston said:— We have been in communication with the United States' Government upon this matter—a matter which evidently concerns not merely the interests of the citizens of the United States, but also those of all other nations whose people are in the habit of traversing this isthmus. I am happy to say that the United States' Government profess the most just and honourable intentions. They disclaim any desire to occupy or take possession of any portion of the territory of New Granada, or of the railway. That which they are naturally entitled to expect is secunty for their citizens in passing and repassing the isthmus by railway ; and they naturally also require some redress for the injuries which were sustained upon the occasion to which I have referred. lam happy to say that their re• quirements are such as would be made by any Govern- ment in a similar position, and that they entirely disclaim any intention of taking advantage of this quarrel for the purpose of putting forward any unjust or aggressive demands against the Government of the State of New Granada. 473 AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS UPON WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Mr. Thr,r.wym moved for and obtained leave to introduce a bill to repeal the Act 10th and 17th Vic., c. :10, and to make better provision for the prevention and punishment of aggravated assaults upon women and children. He said that he did not intend his measure to apply to cases in which a mar. had simply struck a woman, although that was unmanly enough, or had reasonably chastised a child : The cases with which he wished to deal were those in which a man, infuriated by evil passions or by drink, knocked down, kicked, trampled upon, and dragged by the hair the unfortunate victim of his brutali y, or syste matically beat a young child. SALE OF DEER BILL. Mr. HARDY moved that the chairman do - move for leave to bring in a bill to amend the laws relating to the general sale of beer by retail, and to regulate certain places of public resort, refreshment, and entertainment, the main object of which, he said, was to require that licences for beershops should be granted by magi'Arates in the same way as public houses. Mr. K. SEYMER did not object to the introduction of the bill, but he should, he said, oppose the second reading upon principle, considering it a question of monopoly or free trade. Sir PPAKINGTON suggested that this subject should be taken up by the Cioveroment. Sir G. GREY did not oppose the motion. The enormous amount of capital invested in the beer trade rendered it necessary that the question should be dealt with with the utmost care : In answer to the right hon. baronet the member for Droitwich, he could only say that the Government had no intention to introduce a measure to regulate the sale of beer during the present session, nor could he make any promise with reference to the introduction of a bill next year which would justify him in asking the hon. gentleman opposite to withdraw the bill which he bad submitted to their consideration. The discussion which would take place upon that bill might clear the way for the proposal of a more satisfactory measure. PROPERTY QUALIFICATION. Mr. L. KING moved for leave to bring in a bill to abolish property qualifications for members of Parliament. Lord P. IN :- Sir, T thought it had been the understanding of the house that all questions connected with the representation of the people in Parliament and the organisation of this house should be postponed until next session, and should not be brought into discussion at present. At the same time, if my hon. friend is desirous, as he may well be, of laying before Parliament the ideas that he wishes to see embodied in a bill on this subject, I am not going to oppose his intention. It will be satisfactory to him, no doubt, to lay before Parliament the arrangement that he prefers to see adopted in the place of that which exists. Under these circumstances, I hope he will not take it amiss if I abstain from entering upon a discussion of the bill that he proposes, and if T say that he liss not stated any very conclusive grounds why we should agree to the change he proposes: It appears to me that my hon. friend has himself acted on the understanding that exists, that discussion on thesn subjects is not desirable during the present session. I trust, therefore, he will not complain if I follow his example; and if, while he has not given us any reason in favour of his bill, except that there are anomalies at every point in our legislation, I should, on the other hand, abstain from entering into a discussion or from offering any objection to the bill. I shall not offer any obstruction to the intro duction of the bill, but T hope my hon. friend will be content to let his bill lie on the table for consideration be• tween this and the next session of Parliament. Leave was given to bring in the bill, which was read a first time. lIOLSE OF COMMONS—IVEDyEsDAY. JUDGMENTS EXECUTION DILL. Mr. CRAUFURD, in moving the second reading of this bill, which had been repeatedly introduced and discussed in the last Parliament, explained its üb ject—namelv, to remove an anomaly in our law proce dure, by making a judgment obtained in any court of competent jurisdiction in the United Kingdom available for execution, by simple registry and notification, without action, in any other such court in England, Scotland, or Ireland. Colonel FRENCH opposed the bill, which, he con tended, would afford facilities to fraudulent credi tors, and he moved to defer the second reading for six months, which amendment was seconded by Mr. BLAND. Mr. Whiteside, Mr. Napier, Mr. Ayrton, and Mr. ➢l'Mahon opposed the measure. Mr. HADFIELD and Mr. STEUART supported it. Upon a division the second reading was carried by 137 to 99. • The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and agreed to. CONVEYANCE OF VOTERS AT - - Lord R. GROSVENOR moved for leave to bring in a bill to alter the law in reference to the payment of the conveyance of voters to the poll and the hustings' expenses by the candidates at elections, observing that his proposition was based upon a recommenda tion of a committee of the house in 1834, and was