The Sun. — London, England, 1851-05-21 00:00:00

IMPERI A MENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Miay 20. • Their Lordships met at Half-past Four. ROYAL COMMISSION. The Royal Assent was given this afternoon, by Cem, mission, to the following Bills: — Exchequer-bills (17,756,6001.) Indemnity. Apprentices and Servants. Ouseburn Bridge and Approaches in Newcastle-upon. Tyne. Leicester Sewerage. Dewsbury Gas. Pyecombe and Ilicketed Turnpike Road. Laird's Patent. Newington St. Mary Parish. Durham Markets. Reading Cemetery Company. Downham Market, &c., Drainag e . Cheltenham and Painswick Road. Cheltenham and Gloucester District Turnpike Road. Manchester Parish Highways. Scarborough Gas. Millthrop and Levens Turnpike Road. - Hartlepool Freemen's Lands and Harbour Dues. Tenterden and Woodchurch Roads. Appleby, Kendal, Kirkby Stephen, and Market Brough Turnpike Road. Mildenhall, Burnt Fen Road, and Lakenbeath and Hock weld Roads. Bangor and Caernarvon Railway. Wiveliscombe Turnpike Roads. Angerstein's Branch Railway. Stockton and Darlington, Wear Valley, and Middles brough and Redcar Railway Companies. Bristol and Exeter Railway. Heathcote's Divorce. The Royal Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Carlisle, and Earl Minto. Their Lordships then adjourned during pleasure. Their Lordships resumed at Five o'clock. CRIMINAL LAW AMENDMENT BILL. Lord CAMPBELL said that his Noble and Learned Friend (Lord Lyndhurst) and himself had gone through the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill and the Preven tion of Offences Bill, and having received some valuable information from Lord Denman on the subject, had agreed to certain amendments, and he would propose that the Bills should be committed and the alterations introdnced, and that the Bill should bo reprinted with the amend ments. Lord LYNDHURST acceded to the course proposed. Lord CAMPBELL had received intimations that it would bo desirable to extend the Bills to Ireland an d portions of them to Scotland. With regard to Scotland he thought that would be better done by the introduction of a separate Bill, which Bill he would introduce. The Bills as amended passed through Committ ee. PETITINS. The Earl of ENNISKILLEN presented several peti tions against Papal aggression. to the e Earl effec H Th of AR ROWBY presented severa l pet i t i ons Earl t. THE KAFIR COMMISSION. Lord WHARNCLIFFE asked if the Noble Secretary for the Colonies could explain the reasons which had induced the Government to appoint a Commission to proceed to the Cape of Good Hope to inquire into the cause of the Kafir war, after they had opposed a motion for the appointment of such a Commission in the House of Commons ? Earl GREY said that it was perfectly true that the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to proceed to the Cape had been objected to by the Government on the ground that it would interfere with the functions of the colony, but as a grant of money would be applied for to conduct the Kafir war, a Committee of Inquiry was proposed in the House of Commons in order to show the necessity for such expenditure. Him self and his colleagues who had opposed the Commis sion of Inquiry yet thought that some further assist ance ought to be rendered to Sir Harry Smith. When Sir 11. Pottinger was appointed governor of that colony, he was also appointed her Majesty's Commissioner to the affairs of the border tribes, Sir Harry Smith received the same appointment, and what was now intended was to appoint two Assistant-Commissioners to Sir Harry Smith. It was not strictly a Commission of iuquiry; he thought that the policy had been so well considered, that no inquiry would lead to any change in it; but although the general principles of the policy were almost universally concerned, yet the practical applica tion of that policy gave rise to difficulties which could only be got rid of through the intervention of the authorities on, the spot, and these Commissioners were to decide at once upon the conflicting rights of con tending parties on matters of which Sir H. Smith, whose whole time was taken up in his attention to the Govern ment and to his military duties, could not possibly , take cognizance without the assistance of other Commis sioners. The Assistan:-Commissioners were gentlemen who were well acquainted with the country. One of them, Major Hog, had taken an active part in the late Kafir war, and the other, Mr. Owen, had resided in the colony a considerable time, and was acquainted with the Kafir language. Lord WIIARNCLIFFE asked if there would be any objection to produce the commission ? Earl GREY would rather that his Noble Friend should not move for a copy of the Commission, but he would produce it with the papers relating thereto at as early a period as possible. The Elie of ELLENBOROUGH thought that the Noble Earl would render Sir Harry Smith more assist ance by sending him 2,000 more soldiers than by send ing two Commissioners. Sir Harry Smith was in a position of great military danger, and all civil considera tions should be thrown overboard. Earl GREY said reinforcements had been sent and other reinforcements were preparing, and al though he was perfectly aware of the ne cessity of military strength, ho thought that it was also advisable to provide for entering into relations with the Kafir tribes, so as to preserve those tribes in their allegiance who were faithful to as. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH knew something of the doings of what were called politicals, and they often interfered with great danger to the military. Napoleon had said that one indifferent general was better than three good ones if they differed. The Noble Earl had one good general, and he sent out two inefficient assistants to thwart him. Earl GREY said they were sent out as assistants, to act under Sir Harry Smith. He had yet to learn that even the Emperor Napoleon undervalued the aid of able assistants. The subject then dropped. REGISTRATION OF DEEDS BILL. Lord CAMPBELL, in reporting to the House the re !Mkt of the amendments made by the Committee on the Registration of Assurances Bill, begged briefly to state it the course adopted by t h em, particularly as a rumour ad be en industriously propagated by the enemies of the measure, that the Committee had quarrelled amongst themselves. The v er y reverse of this was the fact. They first took into consideration the petitions against the Bill. One was from the att orneys and solicitors of Lon don, who chiefly dwelt on the circumstance that, within their experience, very "few cases had occurred in which purchasers of estates had lost the property which they had bought through bad titles. But that was not the foundation of this measure; the foundation of this mea sure was the enormous expense incurred in taking the necessary precautions. Then came various petitions fro m the country attorneys calling for distinct registries, and he believed they would fain have as many registries as there were attorneys in Eneland, and could not help sus pecting that the hope of being appointed registrar or de puty registrar had something to do with this movement. It was his conviction that they must either have a metro politan registry for England and Wales, or abandon the measure altogether. All England and Wales might now be regarded as one great city, and the metropolis, in thepoint remote parts of a country than the county towns. For t hese reasons the mem b ers o f the Committ ee 1 / ... !r c e e unanimo us l y o f opinion that the reg i stration um questiooun ght to be in th e me t ropo li s . Th e nex t grea t able Commi ss they had to consider was hne on which the very ioners from w h om this measure emanated were divided in opinion —namely, be used, and on—nam e ly, w h et h er maps s h ou ld a resolunon was passed unanimously by the Committee that maps would be hi g hl y d es i ra bl e, b ut i t; that at present they lad not su ffi c i ent maps to start the measure, and if they e thewere to w a it f or t h ese i t would be necessar to ostpon measure for an indefinite pe had riod. o The Cpommittee ordered the Bill to b© drawn without maps, and in that shape he had then th e h onour of presenting it to their Lordships,He trust e d th e t i me had come when that great measure law with the general approve mento of f ohld be Members of both Houses of Parliament. The Nobl e and Learned Lord then presented the report of the Bill , and moved that it be printed for the purpose of being Consid ered on Friday next. After a few words from the Earl of Eettenoaotte Lord COLCHESTER, and Lord BEAUMONT, e xpressive 1 - 4: ] ) ( i their approval of the Bill , The motion was agreed to. The. Earl of HARE WOOD presented a petition f rom Leeds a ga i ns t P a pal aggression. THE PROPERTtYh -oTiloseffirLesLo.lving itself The order o f th e day for into a Committe on this Bill having been read, ThetEarl of ELLENBOROUGH said he wished to re ceive some ex pl anat i on o n the subject of the new mode of assessing tenant-farmers to the tax. it appeared that that class might henceforward ma k e th e ir payments on the amount of profits they should have realised; but he was at a loss to conceive how these profits could in many cases be ascertained. A tenant-farmer might have laid out a land, from whierre capital in the improvement of his or he might have l could receive no immediate return. unsnld, from which,a large quantity of corn or of stock no immediate retur n • ()ugh valuable, he would . derive ; or again, he might in one year ban© exhausted a great - • Portion of the value of his farm, end by that means have left it comparatively unprofit able. in future years. Now he (the Earl of Ellenborougl l i) wished to know by what rule th e sa C o o h m o inissioners cou d estimate the profits of a farm er i n that the as those? jffi The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said thae l ties to which the Noble Lord had referred •ht occur u in the case of a tradesman as well as in tsph,oar.stiszreoi,b_figraehbfaaatrltainhneec_rp: the Commissioners He apprehended . that h d no other rule to follow on snob Ic o a l s e io t ri ti s t, el f s a a i n i e t i, o t ;eta Th e tax might undoubted( e cases, and might op en a do Y evils which it would, h o ' D o e r 'olllolre. trough Committee, and their COMMONS, May 20. `le Chair shortly before Four READING. Railway Bill was road thlid the prisoner, who was an advertising agent residing at Lewisham, was her nephew, and she reposed great con fidence i❑ him. A gentleman named Green died, and bequeathed to her 1,000/., leaving the will to that effect in her possession. In 1848 she deputed the prisoner to take the will to Basingstoke in order to make some in quiries respecting it, and he subsequently returned it to her, when she deposited it in a drawer, and the prisoner knew that she kept it there. He had no interest in the will. On Thursday last she missed the will from the drawer in her bedroom. She suspected the prisoner, and requested Mr. Cheltnam, a re lation of hers, to have an interview with the prisoner and to question him upon the subject, when he said it might be among some of his family papers at Lewisham, and afterwards that it was in the possession of Mr. Hookhana, of Bream's-buildings, Chancery-lane, and h• would have to pay 21. for its restoration. She consulted with the police and gave the prisoner into custody, 5134 he was brought to this conrr. Mr. Robert Charles Cheltnam gave confirmatory evidence. Mr. COMBE cautioned the prisoner that he was not bound to say anything to the charge. If he chose to do so, what he said would be taken down in writing and might he used against him at his trial. Tne, prisoner persisted in making a long statement, in which he was stopped by Mr. COMBE, who remanded him for the attendance of other necessary witnesses. TAES. STRAY BANK-NOTES.— H Dan M iel Horn, 35, a ropemskeF, of 2, Sun Tavern-fields, Ratcliffe, and Caroline, ili a wife, ag e d 37 , were brought up by Potter, 212 K f ud der the following circumstances:— It appeared that between three and four o'clock On Thursday last, Mr. Thomas Biddulph, whilst Pastin of through Ropemakers'•fields, droEd four 5 1 B ail- England not es f rom his pocket, and about the sam e time a woman named Stevenson, residing near the place' 8 i n a person very lik e t h e female prisoner, and dresse d the same manner, pi c k up a small parcel, which sh e ua folded, and which a pp eare d to witness to be bank-not e r ; After looking at them very attentively the woman ra n away. Information was given to Potter, who subsequen: discovered that the male prisoner had offered four 51 tr iche d to a fellow ropemaker named Friereks, for the lu rn iin - 2 . 15/., accounting for his possession of them by 01 " - a up. Friere ks adYi°,e_ that his wife had picked them him to wait till a reward was offered, or to ta ke them to the station-house; but the prisoner said was no harm in disposing of them. Frier h c an kept them a day to see if there was a reward, and I: returned them to the prisoner. Potter went morning to the prisoner's house, and asked his Ails whether she had not found four 51. notes, telling ue.h-e -rewardoffered for their restoration, 13 °, 1 ; denied all knowledge of the matter. He then went and saw her husband, who also denied knowing I° l . thing of the notes, on which he took them both to the station-house. After lodging them there he returned!: yestel search their residence, and found 61. concealed UP Pi s chimney, on which he went back and mentioned the ;s c . to the male prisoner, who said, " Well, there is no us e in denying it. I sold the notes to a man named 130 1511 for 111, or which he gave me the six." John Brown said he met the prisoner on Friday Is i t at the Dake o f K ent . H orn mentioned the fact O f s notes to him, offering to sell them, and w i tness pnrc-s‘, them next day f or 12/. H e had since passed the note' a Potter—He told me ,: your Worship, that he change d them at several shops in the City. The case was remanded to afford the constable sn opportunity of trying to trace the notes. TH E COUNTRY MARKETS. IPSWICH, MAT 20. The market was very scantily supplied with wheat this cisP Sales were made at same prices as last week, and rather no r ° demand was exhibited. The market was entirely confined to wheat. Wheat red .... PER QUARTER. I PER QUA 3II O 7 I ; , .... . 38s to 40s 1 Peas oos to Ditto, white.... 42s to 48s Oats oos to 003 Barley, malting ... 24s to 28s Rye Ditto, grinding ... 00s to 00s Malt. oos to ° CI Beans .. 2tis to 28s Flour, per sack AVERAGES FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 17, 1851. Wheat Barley Oats ........ ...... • 20 „ 20s Od Beans. 32 „ 28s 5d Peas ...... ...... ..... . „ 00 s od HULL, MAY 20. Messrs. Taylor and Bright's Circular states :—With th e exception of some ;heavy showers on Sunday and y es terda): , we have had fine weather since this d a y se'nnight. Arrival! have been moder a t e d ar i ng t h e week, but no extent of bus t ' ness has been transacted. At to-day's market we had a bettor_ show of wh ea t, an d b est samples were free sale at fully I t week's rates, and in some instances more money was paid ; 38 ' to 40s is the value of good C 3lb red; anything inferior ITO neglected. More inquiry for foreign at late prices. In bit' ley we note no alteration—the demand is only moderate. 00 in brisk demand, and each arrival goes off readily as it comes to hand. Beans and peas are without change. The Linseed market is quiet ; cakes may be readily bought at our quota tions. Rapeseed and cakes remain as before. Bones are in good demand at our quotations. The following are the present prices of grain ;- 8. 8. 8, 8 ,.. Wheat, English, red 38 t o 41 P eas, wh i te and yel. 26 3 ' Do. white Dantzic and Ko- Linseed, Black Sea. 48 50 nigsberg 4O 45 Do. Petersburgh ... 42 4 6 Pomeranian and —4:: Hamburgh Danish, Holst e i n , & Par ton Friesland ......... 35 37 Lins. c,Hull 61 17$ 6d to 01 Os Russian and Odessa 32 —3B Do. fine foreign ... 6l 65 Oats, Engli s h Do. Dani s h 20 22D0. inf. foreign... 0/ to 51 15e 18 20 1 Rapeseed Do. Friesland 2O 22 Rape cakes...Bos Od to OW Od Do. Russ. & Odessa 00 Oo Tares, English ......363 003 Barley,malting Do. grinding........ 21 22 Guano 6/ to 101 105 Beans 2B 30/ Bones, do 100 s odtoOs Od Do., foreign 26 29, Rye Meal 6l Os CORK, MAY 19. Barrels. Currency. 0 White wheat oos Od to 00s Od 00s 0,1-20 'toe* 0 Red wheat 00s Od to 00s Od 00s Od-20 de 0 Barley oos Od to 00s Od OOs Od-16 dog 0 Bere .. Os Od to Os Od 00s Od 63 Oats los 6d to lls 6d 00s Od—l4 do • 0 Pigs oos Od to OOs Od OO s O d per cw t Quantity sold at the Highest Prices:— 0 barrels whit e wheat ; 0 r e d ; 0 barley ; 0 bore; 29 eitil; 0 pigs. might consider on the W, 1ea1,1644c0f gains. ••- • in some • i • e were le to re et4taase I t] ' ll A.T.4 'n6, ;2 OF ti y , took thi t a EfIRD . ctishire Ri filiajekrt'ased. THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 21, 1851. CONSIDERATION OF BILLS. The followi ng Bill s were considered and agreed to: Birmingham Improvement. Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe, and West Yorkshire Railway. Manchester and Salford Extension Railway. Alalmesbury Turnpike Roads. Thames Haven Dock and Railway. Waveney Valley Railway. Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway. PETITIONS. Mr. J. O'BRIEN presented a petition against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. Mr. AIASTERMAN presented a petition from the inhabitants of Dal s t on aga i nst t h e remova l o f Smith field-market, and praying to be heard by counsel against the Government Bill. ROYAL COMMISSION. Mr. Palman, the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, appeared at the table and. summoned the House to attend at the bar of the Lords to hear the Royal assent given by Commission to several public and private Bills (for which see Lords' report). The SPEAKER, on his return, announced the names of the Bills to which the Royal assent had been given. PETITIONS. ants he e Alderman f C .Nr O a P n E u L i e A in N e D n fij r e a s u e d n , t epdr praying n e g t i t i f o o n r ftrhoem diet me A rc l h d continuance of transportation to that cclony. Mr. MURPHY presented a petition from Cork against the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. Mr. M'CULLAGH presented several petitions from Ireland to the same effect. Mr. HUME presented a petition from Montrose, com plaining of the duty on spirits imported from Scotland. Captain DUNDAS presented a petition from Scotland praying for the equalisation of the duty on homemade spirits. Mr. M. GIBSON presented petitions from Manchester and London against the stamp duty on newspapers. NEW WRIT. On the motion of Mr. HAYTER, a new writ was ordered for the borough of Harwich, in the room of Mr. Prinsep, whose election had been declared void. POOR LAW (IRELAND). Mr. REYNOLDS gave notice that on the sth of June he would move an address to her Majesty for the ap pointment of a Commission to inquire into the adminis tration of the law for the relief of the destitute in the provinces of Ulster and Connaught. DERBY' DAY. Major BERESFORD moved that the House at its rising should adjourn until Thursday. For the last few years the House bad always had a holiday on the Derby day, and he saw no reason why they should not adopt the same rule.—(Laughter.) There was no bu siness whatsoever on the paper, and he trusted the House would agree to his motion, not so much for the convenience of Members as for the officers, who must re main in attendance daring the whole day if the House sat.—(Hear, and laughter.) He saw more reason for tho House agreeing to the adjournment over to-morrow, as they would be deprived of one holiday this year in con sequence of the Queen's birthday falling on a Saturday. Mr. HUME rose, amidst cries of " Oh and laughter," and said he could not congratulate himself on the success which had attended his opposition, for the last few years, to the motion of adjournment. His object in wishing the House to sit to-morrow was to enable him to ask the Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and Forests who had induced him to allow a "ride" to be made in Kensington -gardens, which had always been preserved for pedestrians and plebeians. Ho had no ob jection to horses going to the "Derby ;" but he was strongly opposed to their entering these gardens— (Laughter)—but he would not put the House to the in convrnaience of dividing on the present occasion. Sir J. PAKINGTON thanked the Noble Lord for his kindness in affording convenience to the public to take equestrian exercise in Kensington-gardens. Ho offered his thanks to the Government for the ac commodation of allowing him to ride in Kensington gardens. Mr. W. PATTEN also presented his acknowledgments to the Government for the same boon. Lord SEYMOUR contended that the interest of the public was best consulted by the arrangement that had been made, for there could be no doubt that when the charge of admission to the Exhibition was reduced the crowd would be so great that many of the horsemen would be driven from the park. Sir E. BUXTON, as ono of those who both walked and rode iu the park, was rejoiced that the change had been made, for it had proved a great convenience to the public, without injuring anybody but those who wished to make the gardens a private lounge of their own. The motion for the adjournment of the House was then agreed to. ENNIS WORKHOUSE. Mr. REYNOLDS wished to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland a question respecting the general manage. ment of the Ennis Union Workhouse, county of Clare, and whether he was aware that the number of inmates in that workhouse during the week ending the 3d day of May instant was 915, and the deaths during that week amounted to 63, and that the workhouse was so over crowded, that several applicants were refused admission ? Sir W. SOMERVILLE said the number of the deaths the Hon. Member had mentioned was perfectly correct, but he greatly understated the number of inmates, for, on the 3d of May, instead of there being 915 there were no less than 4,782 inmates in the workhouse. Mr. REYNOLDS asked whether the numbers the Hon. Baronet had named were not taken from the Clare Journal, the proprietor of which was ono of the guar dians? Sir WILLIAM SOMERVILLE knew nothing of the Clare .Journal He took his figures from the returns which he then hpld in his hand. DISTRESS IN SCOTLAND. In reply to Mr. COWAN, Sir GEORGE GREY stated that a Commissioner who had been down to inquire into the cause and extent of the di , tress prevailing in the western islands of Scot land was now preparing a report of the result of his enquiries. The name of the commissioner was Sir John 11'.'Neil. PORT EDEN. In reply to Lord MAHON, Mr. WILSON stated that information had been re ceived from Port Eden of the murder of a British officer by an Arab, but there was nothing connected with the attack which could give it a political tinge. TRANSPORTATION TO VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. Sir W. MOLESWORTH then rose, pursuant to notice, to move an humble address to the Throne, pray ing for the discontinuance of transportation to Van Die men's Land. He said—Sir, I have lately presented to the House two important petitions for the abolition of transportation to Vela Diemen Land. They were unani mously agreed to at numerously attended public meet ings, which were held last year iu the northern, southern, and central districts of that island. Similar petitions have been presented to the other House of Parliament, and similar ones have been addressed to her Majesty the Queen. The statements contained in these petitions were of so grave and serious a description, and rested upon such high and trustworthy authority, that I felt it my duty to move that these petitions, and all similar ones which have been presented since the year 1338, should be printed, in order that I might bring their con tents under the consideration of the House. I find that these petitions have been most numerously and respect ably signed—for instance, by the Bishop of Tasmania, 'by the Archdeacons of Launceston and Hobart Town, by the majority of the clergy of the Church of Eng land, of the ministers of the Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Independent denominations, the magis tracy, the gentry, the merchants, tradesmen, me chanics, fathers and mothers of families, and, in short, by almost every one of note and respectability among the free colonists of Van Diemen's Land. All these petitioners allege " that accumulated and appalling evils, moral, political, and social, have resulted from transportation to Van Diemen's Land"—(Hear)—that the existence of such evils has been admitted to the fullest extent by her Majesty's Ministers —and that the free colonists of Van Diemen's Land have repeatedly petitioned the Queen and Parliament that transportation to their colony should be discontinued for ever. Every one of these petitioners asserts that on the 20th of July, 1847, their Governor, Sir William Denison, did an nounce, in the name of her Majesty's Government, to the Legislative Council of Van Diemen's Land, that the wishes of the colonists were to be complied with, and transportation was to be abolished. They also state that, notwithstanding this announcement, transportation has been continued up to the present moment; and the bishop, the clergy, and all the free colonists of Tasma nia declare that "the non-fulfilment cf this promise is a breach of faith derogatory to the honour of the British nation, and calculated to weaken, if not to de stroy, the feeling of confidence and attachment which Van Diemen's Land has hitherto entertained towards the Imperial Government." They solemnly protest against this breach of faith. They indignantly con tradict a statement said to have been made last year by a Noble Earl in another place, to the effect that they had become less averse to transportation than they were in 1846. They assure the House that they are still utterly hostile to the reception of convicts under any system. They, therefore, claim the fulfilment of the bourearns imperial promise, and pray the House to enforce the has hese:n(l Performance of that promise as speedily as possible. of n d have also addressed her Majesty for the abolition transportation to Van Diemen's Land. The thereofmechanics complain that the labour market overstocked with convicts; that in consequence dpeonlleodf thousandsttoiaieesand 'of l free labourers have been com pelled svglthat if transportation continue, the follow, till the island become ono huge year 1837 the p optiloa n ft n io e n . - - o • f (H v ea a r i; ) Di l em ti o n n d ,s th L a a t ud in co th n e . 25,200 were free, and 1 4 7 2 ' 000 sisted of upwards persons, of whom about bond. Of tho free three-fifths, and of the eightholieCs(e)(lninths, were men. In the same year a Committe House was appointed to inquire into the efficacy et Puraizoral state of the the Noble Lord nishment, and its effect upon tha"portation as a pa penal colonies. The late Sir R. the Prime Minister, the Noble the State for the Colonies, the Right Hon. Secretaryßaronetti(lef Secretary of State for the Home Department, &c , were Members of that Committee. They reported at tile end of the session of 1838. They agreed that assom. Wage f a large number of convicts in New South Wain and Van Diemen's Land, and the disproportion between the sexes in those colonies, had produced, and were certain to produce (to use the words of the Bishop and clergy of Tasmania) complicated and appalling evil s , moral and social, which outweighed beyond calculation the lucrative advantages from convict labour to the penal colonies. They therefore recommended that t ransportation to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land should be discontinued as soon Eta possible. On the sth of May, 1840, I took the lib erty as Chairman of that Committee, to bring 1:1 rec ommendation under the consideration of the °u " ),. and on the 22d Of the same month an order in Council was issued, revoking the order in Council by which New South Wales had been appointed a penal colony. For this great and inestimable boon New South Wales was indebted to the Noble Lord the Prime Mi nister, who was succeeded by Lord Stanley, in 1841, who disregarded every one of the recommendations of the Transportion Committee with regard to Van Diemen's Land. To that colony, previously over crowded with convicts, the Noble Lord transported an nually twice as many convicts as had been transported to it in any previous year; and he subjected more con victs to a system of punishment—namely, the gang system—which the Transportation Committee had espe cially condemned as the worst form of transportation. It is calculated that on account of this influx of convicts, and the consequent overstocking of the labour market, 12,000 free persona were driven out of the colony in the interval between 1841 and 184 L I find on comparing the census of the 31st December, 1842, with that of 1847, that in that interval the criminal population, in cluding the convicts who had become free, had increased more rapidly than the non -convict population had in creased by births and immigration; that in 1847, of the whole population of the colony above the age of 14, more than two-thirds had been transported; that of the non convicted portion of the population one-half were under the age of 14; and that of the criminal population only one -sixth were women. The consequence of this congregation of convicts and disproportion of sexes were even worse than the Transportation Committee had an ticipated. In December, 1845, Lord Stanley left office. lies successor, the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for the University of Oxford, did not place the same ex plicit faith in the statements of the Governor of Van Diemen's Land. An inquiry was instituted into the state of that colony. The most appalling discoveries were made. It was found that the chain gangs and pro bation parties were, to use the words of Sir James Ste phen, "nothing else than schools of advanced depravity, by which every remaining trace of virtuous habit or sentiment was completely effaced from the mind of the convict." Sir, before a full account of the state of Van Diemen's Land reached this country the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for the University of Oxford had very properly recalled the then Governor of Van Die men's Land, and determined that transportation to that colony should be suspended for two years. In July, 1846, the Right Hon. Gentleman left office, and was suc ceeded by Lord Grey. On the 30th of September of that . year the Noble Lord transmitted to Sir William Denison his appointment, with a letter of instructions. In that letter the Noble Lord said he would confine his instructions to the coarse to be pursued with regard to the convicts in the colony—that on another ee -1 casion, which he trusted would not bo remote, "he would be able to explain the views of her Majesty's Government as to the whole system of transpor tation ;" but, wrote the Noble Lord, " the resumption of the plan of pouring into Van Diemen's Land such an annual flood of transported convicts as has recently been sent to that island I regard as altogether impossible. ' Whether any more male convicts will ever be transported to Van Diemen's Land, or to any other place, is a ques tion on which, for the present, I will reserve my opi nion." Sir William Denison left this country, therefore, with the distinct instruction that there were two ques tions with regard to transportation which were un settled; first, whether any more convicts were ever to be transported to any place; secondly, supposing trans portation to be continued, whether any more convicts were ever to be transported to Van Diemen's Land? Sir William Denison arrived in ' Van Diemen's Land about the beginning of the year 1847. Soon afterwards, in the month of March, he took steps to ascertain the feeling of the inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land. He issued a circular to 161 magistrates of the colony, asking for an answer to this question—" Do you consider it desirable that the transportation of convicts to this country should cease altogether?" As soon as this circular was issued, the colony rose to answer it in the affirmative. Sir W. Denison, in an address to the Legislative Council, also pledged himself that the transportation system should not be resumed. Great was the joy of the inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land on receiving this announcement. In reference also to portions of dispatches sent home by Sir William Denison (from which the Honourable Baronet quoted), it is certain that Sir W. Denison did consider that he had pledged, and that he was entitled to pledge, the Imperial f a i th to the abolition of transpo r t a ti on to Van Diemen's Land. Now I have heard rumours of insinuations to the effect that Sir W. Denison was not authorised to give that pledge; and it is reported that the Noble Lord the Se cretary of State for the Colonies has, in another place, laid tne grounds for such insinuations, by quoting an isolated extract from a letter, written by the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Depart ment. Ido not know whether such quibbles will be re peated to-night; if they are, I shall have an opportunity to answer them in my reply. For the present, I chal lenge the Hon. Gentleman the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies to assert and prove that Sir William Denison exceeded his authority in declaring that trans portation to Van Diemen's Land should not be resumed. If in so doing Sir William Denison had exceeded his au thority, it was the duty of the Colonial- office, as soon as it was informed of Sir W. Denison's proceedings, to have publicly disavowed him, and to have reprimanded, or even re-called him, for having pledged the Imperial faith to a promise which was not to be performed. The Co lonial-office did nothing of the kind, they merely ac knowledged the valuable information contained in, Sir William Denison's dispatch. I beg the House to ob serve that, on the same occasion, Lord Grey announced that he intended to resume transportation to Van Diemen's Land, and thus do the very thing that his governor had promised that the Noble Lord should not do. Therefore, on making this announcement, the time, if ever, was come when Lord Grey should, if he could, have disavowed the proceedings of his governor. The condition of a transported convict in a penal colony depends mainly upon rules laid down by Secretaries of State for the Colonies. Those rules have constituted three distinct classes of convicts. The assigned convicts were those who were given to private individuals as ser vants, and were compelled to work for their masters without receiving wages. The gang convicts were those who were employed in parties on the roads and other public works, under the superintendence of officers of the Government ; and the ticket-of-leave convicts are those who are permitted to work on their own account within certain districts specified by the local govern ment. Of these three forms of transportation i think the least objectionable was the assignment system, where the assigned convicts were scattered over the interior of Australia, and not congregated in the lows. By far the worst form of transportation was the gang system, which, in the interval between 1841 and 1846, pro duced so horrible a state of things in Van Diemen's Land. Between these two forms of transportation stands the ticket-of-leave system. Because a form of transportation is more or less objectionable in propor tion as it more or less congregates convicts together. Now the ticket-of-leave system does not necessarily herd convicts together as the gang system - did nor does it isolate the convict, as was the case under the best form of the assignment system, but it leaves the convict to a consid era bl e extent at liberty to associate with those p ersons w h om he likes or who will associate with him. U n f or t unate l y, however, in Van Diemen's Land the persons with whom the ticket-of leave convict can associate are chiefly ticket-of-learn men, or persons who have been convicts. First, because the felonry, as they are called, constitute the majority of the population; secondly, because the free settler will riot associate with the felonry, whom they despise as a Parish caste, with feelings similar to, but more intense than, those of the Americans towards the negro. Now, the invariable consequence of the association of convicts is to harden the corrupt in corruption, and to induce back to crime those who have been partially reformed; therefore, if convicts be sent in crowds to a penal colony it matters little to the colony, as far as morality is con cerned, what form of transportation be adopted, provided it be not the worst form of the gang system. This was the opinion of the Transportation Committee. It was also the opinion of Sir William Denison. A similar opinion was expressed by the Right Ilon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in a letter to Lord Grey, dated 20th January, 1847. On the sth February, 1847, Lord Grey expressed his entire concurrence with the views of the Right Hon. Baronet; and on the same day Lord Grey wrote to inform Sir William Denison that it was not the intention of her Majesty's Govern ment that transportation to Van Diemen's Laud should be resumed. Some time afterwards Lord Grey changed his mind, and, disregarding the promise which he knew had been made by Sir William Denison, the Noble Lord, on the 27th April, 1848, wrote, as I have already said, a dispatch announcing that exiles, and ticket-of-leave convicts, after their punishment in Pentonville, Gibral tar, and elsewhere, were to be transported collectively to Van Diemen's Land. This dispatch was laid on the table of the Legislative Council of the colony on the 12th of September, 1848. From that period up to the present moment there had been a continual series of public meetings, addresses to her Majesty, petitions to both Houses of Parliament, memorials to the Colonial office, memorials to the Colonial Governor, and protests against transportation, showing a unanimous, energe tic, and dogged determination to compel the Colonial office to keep faith by discontinuing transportation. — (Hear, hear.) The year 1850 commenced with a public meeting at Hobart Town, on 30th January. From that meeting I presented last year a petition to this House, signed by 1,424 persons. The petitioners, in addition to their usual complaints, referred to a statement which was made by the Noble Lord, in the dispatch in which he announced the renewal of transportation to Van Die men's Land. That statement was, "That her Majesty's Government considered it absolutely necessary that the addition to be made to the population of Van Die men's Land from the mother country should not consist entirely, or even principally, of those who have been tainted with crime, but that arrangements should be made for sending free emigrants in sufficient numbers to neutralise the evil effects of a continual accession of per sons who have incurred by their offences the sentence of transportation." In April, 1850, an event occurred which doubled the excitement in Van Diemen's Land against transportation..lt was the arrival at Hobart Town of the ship Neptune, with its cargo of convicts, which the colony of the Cape had rejected. This event pro duced the deepest indignation amongst the colonists of Van Diemen's Land. They looked upon it as an insult as well as an injury. Sir, as I have already said, the bishop, the clergy, and the free colonists of Tasmania have declared, in contradiction of the statement of Lord Grey, iastuma t u h t at t u. hey are utterly hostile to rece i v i ng conv i cts anyudpnreetdisetsireosnsto to the the Qu system ; and w ith t h e v i ew o f proving Lord y ' di Gr es assertion to b e erroneous, i n each of the three stri cts of th ec E o ore l to o ehm n e y r largetThlelhsoee m us publie meetings w e r e h e ld d o n n a at of Land is e qu i valent to v g a s r ti ra t a he e r s n e p to, e e o e e f c t in t P m nie the convicts of thel2. British e mpi re t o Van all the Aus tralian coloni es , for transportati on to retmaatnaid Diemen's there are two causes in operation i n those convict, when h e , o coi onies—one attracting the nen t of -Australia e- the • ether rep 111 n th'a expires from T b cause .is to the th b e ou conti- Vann Diemen's La n d , e e h c a na fi r e gst extent of unoccupied land in Australia, of the best qua lity, containing millions of fertile acres, naturally cleared, waiting only for hands to cultivate them. The demand for these hands attracts labourers from every quarter, and especially from the nearest point, namely, Van Diemen's Land, where a large portion of the li mited extent of the best land is already occupied.— (Hear, hear.) The second cause which repels the free labourer from Van Diemen's Land is the perpetual influx of convict labour which has already overstocked the labour market of Van Diemen's Land. Therefore, every fresh convict who arrives in that colony still further de presses the labour market, and tends to drive out a free settler or an expiree; and this process has been so long carried on that three-fourths of the adult male popula tion of Van Diemen's Land are, or have been convicts. In consequence of this preponderance in numbers, the felonry, as they are termed, of Van Diemen's Lind have become rampant and insolent. Relying on the authority of Lord Grey, they claim that colony as the patrimony and freehold of the convicted felons of England and the paradise of thieves. Through their organs in the colo nial press, I see they threaten " to kick out of the co lony the free settlers," whom they denounce as" intru ders" and " Puritan moralists." In opposition to the Anti-Transportation League,and in support of Lord Grey, the felonry have formed a Criminal Aid Society, or Tas manian League. They have rallied round the Govern ment, and, in feet, the only devoted friend and stanch allies upom whom the Colonial-office, can count through out Tasmania, or even Australia, are the felonry of Van Diemen's Laud, under the leadership of the insane rebels from Ireland. I beg the House to observe that the ques tion upon which I ask for a decision to-night is, not whether there shall or shall not be such a punishment as transportation —upon that question I have repeatedly ex pressed opinions, which are unchanged—the question for the House is, not whether any more convicts shall be transported to any colony, but whether any more con victs shall be transported to Van Diemen's Land with out the consent of its inhabitants? You have laid down the rule with regard to your southern colonies that no convicts shall be sent to any one of them without its con sent. You say that Van Diemen's Land shall be the one exception to that rule ; that you created a colony for convicts; that it has been, is, and shall be, a penal colony. Then, I say, you have committed an act of in sanity in giving them free institutions, and arming them with the best weapons to' resist your will. I therefore call upon you to keep faith with them, and to extend to them the rule that no convicts shall be transported to them without their consent. I have proved that all classes of free settlers in Van Diemen's Land, that bishop and clergy, magistracy and gentry, tradesmen and labourers, fathers and mothers, are utterly hostile to the receiving of convicts under any system. I have shown that accumulated and appalling evils, moral, political, and social, have resulted from transportati on to V an Diemen's Land. Th at in consequence of the existence of those evils, which you have repeatedly acknowledged to exist, the Colonial-office did promise—first, in 1846, to suspend transportation to Van Diemen's Land for two years; secondly, in 1847, to discontinue transportation altogether to that island; thirdly, in 1848, that the ad ditions to be made from this country to the population of that colony should not consist principally of convicts. I have proved from your own dispatches that every one of these promises has been distinctly made, and not one of them has been kept—(Hear, hear)—that in 1846 you did not suspend transportation to Van Diemen's Land; that in 1847 you did not discontinue transportation to that colony; that since 1848 you have poured into Van Diemen's Land four times as many convicts as free emi grents.—(Hear.) I have shown from resolutions agreed to at numerously attended public meetings, and by peti tions signed by every one of note and respectability in Van Diemen's Land, that your faithless and vacillating conduct has produced throughout the whole of Tasmania and Aus tralia the deepest indignation and discontent; that it is destroying the attachment of Van Diemen's Land to this country, and is producing an Australasian league against transportation.—(Hear, hear.) I believe such a league amongst colonies with free institutions, situated at the antipodes, cannot be resisted. It appears to me, there fore, that it would be not only just,.but wise and prudent, to take steps to bring about as speedily as possible the discontinuance of transportation to Van Diemen's Land. I exhort and warn the House to suffer no delay in this matter if you hold dear our Australasian dependencies. For many years I have taken the deepest interest in the affairs of those colonies. lam convinced that they aro amongst the most valuable of our colonial possessions, the priceless jewels in the diadem of our colonial empire. I believe they can easily be retained with a little common sense and judgment on our part—that well governed, they would cost little or nothing, but offer us daily im proving markets for our industry, fields for the employ ment of our labour and capital, and happy homes for our surplus population.—(Cheers.) That Australian empire is in peril from the continuance of transportation to Van Diemen's Land; and it is, therefore, that I now move " That an humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying that she maybe graciously pleased to discontinue transportation to Van Diemen's Land."—(Loud cheers.) Mr. HUME seconded the motion. Sir G. GREY said that the Hon. Baronet had, both at the commencement of his speech and at its conclusion, reminded the House that his motion did not affect the continuance or discontinuance of the system of trans portation generally. He stated, and it was true, that his motion related simply to transportation to Van Diemen's Laud, and that if the House should agree to it, it would not affect the question whether transporta tion as a system should be continued or not. But he (Sir G. Grey) must remind the House, before ho came to deal with the specific grounds upon which the Hon. Gentleman rested his motion, that the greater part of his arguments against the continuance of transporta tion to Van Diemen's Land applied as strongly to trans• portation to any other British colony; and that if the House was prepared to agree to his motion on those general grounds, upon which, apart from the specific grounds, he had based the motion, they must be pre pared to encounter the wider and more important ques tion of what they were to do with their criminals, and what secondary punishments they should substitute for the abolition of transportation. But ho would not en large upon that part of the subject then, because the Hon. Gentleman had not asked the House for its opi nion upon it. He presumed, however, that the Hon. Gentleman was not prepared.to advocate the entire abo lition of the system of transportation; and he must re mind the House, before it decided upon the question be fore it, of the opinions repeatedly expressed by this House on the continuanca,of transportation, and the opi nion expressed by the Committee of 1837, in which the Hon. Baronet took so able and so active a part, and which consisted of Hon. Members who had paid very great attention to the subject, but who, in their report, expressed their opinion that it was essential that there should be, as part of a system of punishment, the ulti mate removal of convicted criminals from this country to some portion of our colonial possessions. The report of that Committee stated that it was necessary to continue the system of transportation under a modified form, on account of the great advantage it afforded of enabling convicts, under certain conditions, to commence a new career in another land, and to obtain a livelihood which the state of the labour market in this country prevented their doing. Subsequently to that period the question had been frequently before the House, and an opinion had been uni formly expressed by the House, perhaps not by actual votes, but in the frequent discussions which had taken place on the question, that transportation as a punishment should be continued—not as it was con ducted prior to 1846, but as it had been since carried on, under a modified system, after the convicts had un dergone a system of reformation in this country, so as to remove the evils which arose from the accumulation of a large number of unreformed criminals. In 1847 and 1848 a Committee of the House of Lords also recorded their deliberate opinion that transportation ought not to be abandoned. He recalled those reports to the recol lection of the House in order that, in dealing with the question, they might not so treat it as to prevent the Government carrying into effect the views both of Go vernment and Parliament with regard to transportation. But with regard to the narrower question as to the con tinuance of transportation to Van Diemen's Land, he would not contend against the evidence the Honourable Gentleman had adduced to the House, but would admit there was a general desire amongst the inhabitants of that colony for the abolition of transportation under any circumstances. The Honourable Gentle man had alluded to the petitions to that House, and the addresses to the Queen, from inhabitants of great respectability in the colony, praying that no convicts, under any circumstances might be sent out there. But he thought those statements were greatly exaggerated, and that justice would not be done to the colony if they were to take them as containing an accurate description of its condition. The Hon. Gentleman relies, as the chief support of his motion, on the alleged promises of the Government on the subject—on what he called the pledged faith of the Government that transportation to Van Diemen's Land should ultimately cease. If the Hon. Gentleman could prove that the faith of the Go vernment was pledged, it would certainly be a strong ground for his motion. But the Hon. Gentleman over stated the case when he said the faith of the Govern ment was pledged. The extracts which he had read only showed that transportation as carried on before 1846 was not to be resumed—that the social evils re sulting from that exploded system were frightful, owing to the vast accumulation of convicts in the colony. The Government of the late Sir H. Peel, prior to leaving office in 1846, had resolved to suspend transportation to Van Diemen's Land for two years, on account of those evils, and when the present Government suc ceeded them in office, they on becoming acquainted with the decision of their predecessors, and of the great social evils arising from transportation as then practised, as well as the over -stocked state of their labour market in the colony, adopted that decision, 'and announced that transportation to Van Diemen's Land would be sus pended for two years. The Hon. Gentleman then charged them with a broach of faith, because in 1846 and 1847 a large number of convicts had arrived in Van Diemen's Land, but that arose from their having left this country in the beginning of 1846, prior to that de cision having been announced by the Government; but in 1847, as far as his information went, not a single con vict arrived in the colony; sit all events, if any did, it must have been a portion of those who left England prior to the suspension of transportation in August 1846. The Hon. Gentleman had referred to the views and intentions of the Government on the subject of transportation, as set forth in a dispatch of Lord Grey's to Sir W. Denison. But he (Sir G. Grey) admitted that those views and intentions were modified by 'the practical difficulty which they had found in the way of carrying them into effect. He regretted they shofild have experienced such difficulties, and that those vieiei and opinions which, in the abstract, he believed tolie• right, could not be carried into full operation on account of those practical difficulties. What Lord Grey pointed to in the dispatch quoted by the Hon. Gentleman was the ultimate removal from this country of convicts in an advanced state of probation to the Australian colonies generally, and ho indicated the particular advantages possessed by the Australian colonies for effecting the dispersion of convicts in that stage of their probation in which they would arrive there. The dispatch clearly pointed, not to the abolition of transportation, but of the severer portion of the punishment, as practised under the old system, and referred to the forced removal of exiles after their term of probation in Pentonville had expired. Lord Grey contemplated that the exile system should be extended to the great mass of convicts, and that when they arrived in the colony they might be free to obtain their own living, subject to the restrictions enforced under Lord Stanley's regulations, which were merely that they should not return to this country during the existence of their conditional pardon. In addition to that dispatch there was published a correspondence which took place in this country, in which it was distinctly stated that those were the views entertained by the Government. Sir W. Denison had put a larger construction upon those documents than they were meant to bear. He did not blame him for that, because the language used in them was the language of hope, and was of a more sanguine character than perhaps he (Sir G. Grey) would now use. Ultimately, however, the system of exile was abandoned, and substituted by oue in which the convicts ware sent out with tickets of leave. The exile system, though good in many respects, did not apply advantageouly to a large number of convicts, for the freedom from all control which it afforded to con victs was attended with evils of which the colonists had a right to complain. The tickets of leave, on the other hand, subjected them to a system of discipline to which they could not have been subjected when holding a con ditional pardon. In the dispatch in which Sir W. De nison had spoken of his general expectation that trans portation would be abandoned, he qualified his approval of the decision by stating that they should " make every possible arrangement, financial as well as administrative, by which the colony would be enabled to provide for the various difficulties arising from a change of system." Sir W. Denison pointed then to the dangerous conse quences likely to arise from the sadden abolition of trans portation, as there would be a great demand for labour, which could not be supplied. However, since that, statements had been made from time to time by Sir W. Denison on the subject of the suspending of transporta tion, by which it appeared there was a rising demand for labour. On the 20th February, 1849, be wrote that an annual supply of about 700 or 800 men per annum would satisfy the demand for labour; the next year that demand had so increased that he considered an annual importation of 1,500 men would not do more than ade quately supply the labour market. He (Sir G. Grey) mentioned these things to show that one of the evils of which the colonists complained—viz., the accumulation of convicts, had been removed by the suspension of transportation. With regard to what had been since done the Hon. Gentleman had been misinformed as to the number of convicts sent out. In a document on the subject which appeared in tho morning papers of that day, it was stated that 30,000 convicts had been sent to Van Diemen's Land since 1840. The Hon. Gentleman had also stated that a large number had been sent out of late years. The Hon. Gentleman's estimate, how ever, considerably exceeded the actual state of things. According to the records of the Home and Colonial offices there had been sent to Van Diemen's Land since 1840, inclusive of that year, 22,506 male convicts; of which number there were sent out during the first six years of the period, not including 1846, 17,675; and since 1846, including that year, 4,831. The year before last only 300 convicts had arrived in the colony; but he admitted that last year the number had been considerable. In July, 1846, the number of convicts in the colony was 30,507, male and female; in July, 1860, it was reduced to 21,405, being a decrease of 9,000, or one-third of the whole number. That showed the effect of the suspension of transportation for two years, and also how diminished were the num bers sent out since transportation had been resumed. He admitted, however, that Van Diemen's Land had reason to complain, and that it was the duty of the Go vernment to attend to those complaints, and to endeavour to relieve the colony from the aggravated pressure of convicts. But he thought before proceeding further, that it was justice to the colony to show that its condition was not so bad as had been represented. A dispatch of Sir W. Denison, dated November 15th, 1848, and another dispatch, dated January 15th, 1851, showed the prosperous state of the colony, and its improved condi tion in a moral and social point of view, in consequence of the better and more reformed class of convicts replac ing those sent out before 1846. The Hon. Gentleman said the moral taint was the same in whatever stage the convicts arrived in the colony. But all the evidence on the subject was opposed to that opinion.—(llear.) For instance, the report of the Pentonville commis sion, which had been signed by the Hon. Gentleman himself, declared that the greater number of the Penton villa exiles became good and useful servants; and the report of Kr. Boyd, the superintendent of convicts, spoke of the Parkhurst convicts as having turned out industrious in their habits and moral in their conduct; while those from Portland were described as decidedly superior to the hulk-men. Transportation might not be considered to be now what it once was under the old system, when the convicts taken, without previous care, were crowded together in gangs, without any proper or moral superintendence. Transportation, conducted as at present, under a modified system, must not be as sumed to produce the same evil effects. The opinion of Sir W. Denison was very explicit on the subject, as might be seen in his dispatch of Nov. 27, 1850, which had been lately laid on the table of the House. In that dispatch Sir W. Denison stated that the state of Van Diemen's Land, in all its social and moral relations, would not suffer by comparison with tho state of any one of the colonies on the main land of Australia. In another dispatch, in which he had transmitted an Address to the Crown from the bishop and clergy of Van Diemen's Land, Sir W. Denison stated that ho did not concur in the general statements of that Ad dress; that he still retained the opinion already ad dressed to the home Government, in which he took a different view of the moral condition of the colony from that of the clergy. The evils at present existing in Van Diemen's Land did not arise from sending out there a small number of improved convicts under the present system, but were the results of the too long continu ance of the old system. Though the views of the Go vernment as to the dispersion of convicts as widely as possible have been thwarted by the unwillingness of the colonists to receive convicts in any stage of their sea. tence, with a view to that dispersion, the Government were not without a means of meeting the difficulty. Had the system been carried out as it was originally proposed the solution of the difficulty would have been more easy.! In the present state of circumstances it was difficult and) dangerous to speak more openly on the matter, for the! expression of their views might create an opposition to their being carried into effect. However, he thought there were some means in view by which they might dispose of their convicts in a way to meet the wishes of the colonies. Western Australia had petitioned to have convicts sent out there, and ho thought the number that might be sent out there at present was about 500. In page 42 of the papers before the House would be found an account of a meeting of the inhabitants held on the 10th of July, 1850, in which they resolved to request from the Government the importation of convicts, which was ac ceded to on their undertaking the charges consequent on that step. The works, however, on which the convicts were employed would remunerate the colony, while the advantages of the prosperity which would be created by the development of the resources of the colony would be reflected back on this country; and although we might incur some considerable charges in the first instance, he believed it would be all ultimately repaid by the bene ficial results that would flow from the measure. There was another district, also, which asked fur convicts to be supplied to it—not to be worked under the old system of gangs, but under the modified system adopted since 1846; that was Moreton Bay, the inhabitants of which had made an application to the Government on the sub ject, which would be found in the papers that had been presented to the House on the 6th of the present month. They had still more recent information on the subject in tho newspapers of the colony which arrived within the last day or two, and which were dated so late as January in the present year. Two papers which took a very opposite set of views —viz., the Moreton Bay Free Press and the Moreton Bay Courier, contained an ac count of a meeting at which resolutions were adopted, expressing in the strongest manner the sense of the in , habitants as to the absolute necessity of supplying the district with convict labour under the new system to which he had referred. Among those by whom peti tions had been presented were many men who, up to that time, had entertained opposite opinions on the subject, but who manfully came forward to bear the testimony of their own experience to the beneficial nature of the acts of the Government. They now stated they could take 2,000 convicts annually. In stating these facts he (Sir G. Grey) only meant to say that the Government hoped to avail itself of other outlets for convicts, and so to re lieve Van Diemen's Land of the pressure of transporta tion to that extent. He was quite willing to admit the disadvantages and the evils of the present system; and he sympathised with those who complained of the social and moral injury it inflicted on a colony; and it was, as he had stated, the desire and wish of the Go vernment, without giving any pledge on the subject in consistent with their dnty, to pay all due attention to the representations of the colonists on that point, and find other outlets, if possible, for convicts. He al luded to the letter of a retired Indian officer to Sir W. Denison, to be found in the papers laid on the table of the House, for the purpose of showing that a witness who came to the colony biassed bore testimony to his own disappointment at the state of morals in the colony, and also for the purpose of inducing an examination into the facts that emigrants might not be deterred from going thither. With regard to the motion before the House, he hoped the House would not by its hasty adoption impose on the Government greater difficulty and embarrassment than they had already to encounter in carrying out the sentence of transportation, or at tempt, by removing one evil, to create anoth er . H e hoped they would be satisfied with the desire of the Government to act justly and impartially towards the colony, and he, therefore, trusted they would reject the motion. Mr. A NSTEY was surprised at the authorities quoted by the Right Hon. Gentleman, inasmuch as Moreton Bay was the squatting district of New South Wales. The whole of the respectable inhabitants of the colony hail uniformly protested against the system of convict transportation. An Hose lUMBER here moved the House be counted. There were only 31 Members present; and the House stood adjourned accordingly at Half-past Seven o'clock. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURN. GLASGOW AND SOUTH-WWII:CNN RAlLWAY.—Traffic for he Week ending May 17, 1851: Passengers (22,912), Goods, &c., and Horses and Carriages ... £3,725 3 9 Corresponding week in last year for Glasgow and Ayr and Glas gow, and; Carlisle £3,323 9 9 Glasgow, May 19, 1851. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. THIRD COURT. (Before Mr. RUSSELL GURNEY.) William Day surrendered to take his trial for misde meanour, upon an indictment preferred against him under the statute known as the Bishop of Oxford's Act, for con spiring to procure the defilement of Harriet Newman, she being under 21 years of age. Mr. Horry prosecuted, and Mr. Payne defended. The Learned Counsel having stated the case, called The prosecutrix, who is rather a good-looking and quiet-mannered girl, who stated that she was just turned nineteen years of age, and lived with her father and mother in Manning-street, Newman's-fields, Limohouse, having received a letter, purporting to come from a young man named Richard Roberts, with whom she had for some time kept company, she went, in accordance with an appointment made in the letter, at about five o'clock in the evening of the 31st of March, to the Ben Jonson, at Stepney, where she saw the prisoner, whom she had not before known. He came up and asked her if her name was Harriet Newman. She said it Wd9, lie said, " Are you not waiting to see Richard Roberts?" She said ahe was. He then said he had come and would take her to him. She asked him why he had not come him self, and prisoner said, "He was ashamed to come," and witness added, " And well he might." She then followed him a short way down by the Ben Jenson, where he beckoned a cab, and taking her by the arm said she must go with him. She resisted, but he told the cab man she was his wife, and with the cabman forced her into the cab, and jumping in himself the man drove on. Prisoner then put a handkerchief over her mouth, and she became insensible, and when she recovered found herself on a sofa in a large house, she did not know where, or had ever been able to find out. A young wo man sat opposite to her and asked her if she was better. Witness said she did not know she was ill. The woman asked her if she knew where she was; she said she did not. The woman told her that if she was a respectable girl she had better leave the house as soon as she could, and gave her a knife to defend herself with. An elderly woman then came into the room and said she must stop all night, and should be made a lady of. She pressed some drink on her, which she said would make her better, the effects of which drink witness immediately felt, and made an attempt to get away, but the old wo man stopped her and made a noise, which brought three gentlemen down stairs and one put his watch and chain round her neck, made improper overtures to her, and forced her back upon the sofa. She took the watch off, and threw it on the floor, and with the knife cut the woman in the arm; she also threw the tumblers and glasses at them, and cut one of the gentlemen in the hand; and, finally, she dropped the knife, and they then tried to force her upstairs, but, finding that she still resisted, one of them called Day, and told him to get a cab and take her away ; and he said if she would go quietly he would take her home to her father. She felt much stupified and got into the cab with Day, and they drove off until they came to a dark street, when be got her out and said they would walk the rest; they got a short way down the street; she felt that the use of her limbs was going, and prisoner left her on the step of a door with a direction in her hand, and she then became insensible, and the next day found herself in the hospital. She was very ill, but recovered; and on the Saturday after she went with a constable to a beer shop in Holywell-street, and there saw the prisoner, who was differently dressed. The prosecutrix underwent a searching cross-exami nation by Mr. PAYNE, who failed to shake her testimony or elicit anything to her discredit. She positively de nied that she had got Mr. Woodfield to write the notes or the address found in her hand. She had never beg ged of Mrs. Woodfield " not to split, or she would be ruined." She first knew her from coming to their house to tell fortunes. Mrs. Woodfield came to them and of fered her assistance, saying that she would give a lift that would transport him (prisoner). Francis Hillyer, 47 G, said that he found the prose cutrix early on the morning of the Ist of April on a step in Sutton-street, Clerkenwell. She was quite insensible, and was obliged to be taken on the stretcher to the hospital. Mrs. Eliza Randall, nurse at the Free Hospital, Gray's Inn-lane, said that prosecutrix was brought in at about two o'clock in the morning. She was in a state of stu por, and did not recover until ten o'clock the next day. Her dross was torn, and her hands were bleeding, but she had no marks of violence on her person. As soon as she was conscious she told her the same story as she had all along. Mr. Tindal Robertson, house surgeon at the hos pital, deposed to attending the prosecutrix, who was in there for five days. He had examined her, and found her body quite free from any violence, nor had any liberties been taken with her, and she was a virtu ous girl. From the rest of the evidence it appeared that al though the prosecutrix did not know Day, ho was known to Roberts, her sweetheart, but he had not in formed him of their acquaintance or courtship. When she first made the statement to the police, Roberta was taken, but at once discharged; and after then he saw the prisoner at the Standard Theatre, and told him what he had been charged with, and the prisoner, in the presence of two or three companions, said that he had had a tine lark with a girl in a cab, and had been driving her about all night. Roberts asked him where he had left her,. and ho said near Sutton-street, Clerkenwell. Roberts made some remark upon that, and the prisoner got away from their company. When prosecutrix went with the policeman she at once pointed the prisoner out, and when he was taken and saw her he said, " Oh! that's you." Ou the police-constable searching his lodgings some clothes ens vrering the description given by the pro secutrix of those she wore on the night in question were found. After the first examination Roberts went to see the prisoner at the House of Detention. Prisoner said it was a bad job, and Roberts was the only one who could save him, if he c ould see the girl and "get her to try to make a flaw in the indictment." It was also proved that the prisoner had made statements to others about the lark he had had with the girl in the cab, and that he had been absent from his home all that night. Mr. PAYNE, for the defence, contended at some length upon the glaring improbability of the story told by the girl, and said that, not only should he prove an alibi, but that the whole affair was a trumped up fabrication for the purposes of extortion. The LEARNED COUNSEL then called a host of wit nesses to prove were the prisoner was at the hour the girl said she first met him; but they all disagreed about the time, and not one could account for where he was all the night. Mr. PAYNE then called Mrs. Woodfield, the alleged fortune teller, a dirty gipsy-looking old woman, and the instant she got into the witness-box she, without being asked, said that she had known the girl Newman from a child, and that she was 23 years of age. That she had written the letter, supposed to come from Roberts, at the direction of the girl herself, and also the address found in her band. Newman said they were going to have a lark. When she spoke to Newman of the serious nature of the charge she begged that witness would not split, as it would ruin her. She denied that she lived ley telling fortunes. She lived by writing letters and needle work. In cross-examination it appeared that she had acted as an attorney in getting up the defence. She had been in the House of Correction for an assault. A woman spit at her and she cut her head open with a quart pot. Wit ness got fourteen days in the prison and the woman a month in the hospital. Mr. Hoene . having replied, Mr. GURNEY summed up, and in doing so said, the zeal shown by the woman Woodfield was evidenced by the remark she had made about the girl's age, which, if proved, would have defeated the principal counts in the indictment—a thing she seemed to bo aware of. The jury having retired for a quarter of an hour, re turned a verdict of Guilty. Mr. GURNEY, in passing sentence, said the prisoner's offence was a very bad one, and had been aggravated by the defence set up. There could be no doubt but that girl had been drugged and taken to that house for the purpose of defilement, and he had now, by the defence, sought to blast her character by attributing to her perjury. He was then sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. The parties had scarcely left the court when the woman Woodfield was brought back by one of the officers, charged with threatening the girl Newman at the door of the court, Mr. GURNEY having heard her explanation, cautioned her as to her future conduct, and she left the court taking oaths as to the prisoner's innocence, and anathe matising the parties concerned in his conviction. The Common Sergeant sat in the New Court, and disposed of several cases unfit for publication; and the above case, which lasted from the sitting of the sour until late in the evening, ended the session. The next sittings are on Monday, Juno 16. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MARY LEBONE. FRAUDULENT ACT OF A PAWNBROKER. —FINE OF 101.—Yesterday Mr. Charles Walters, a pawnbroker, carrying on business in High-street, near this court, attended before Mr. Broughton, pursuant to a summons obtained against him by Charles Wyatt, the informer, charging him with demanding and receiving more in terest than by law allowed. Mr. Humphreys, solicitor, appeared for the de fendant. Moses Thomas deposed that on the 26th ult. h o pledged at the defendant's shop a gold watch for V. 10s., and redeemed it on the same day; the interest dem an d ed " was 10d., which was an unjust claim, but he paid it and brought the watch away. By Mr. Humphreys—l have since been to the shop and pawned a watch and zhain. I have not at any limo called upon Mr. Walters and told him th a t gime u — r price would be 5/. to put matters to righ ts. yatt's A ticket and a duplicate thereof Were produced relating to the watch. Alfred Hodson, assistant to Mr. Walters, examined the tickets brought forward, and said he had written them by direction of the foreman after the things had been re deemed. A great deal of evidence was gone into in addition to that previously given, and The MAGISTRATE Ultimately came to the conclusion that defendant h a d rendered himself amenable to a penalty in the full amount awarded by Act of Parlia ment. The tickets produced were sworn to as not being those which were issued at the time of the pledging, and he (the magistrate), looking at the trickery which had been practised, felt himself bound to fine defendant 10/. and costs. Wyatt had another case against defendant, but he withdrew it upon payment of his costs for summons. CLERKEN WELL. Edward Rogers, alias Clement Perry, a young man, was placed at the bar before Mr. Combe, charged by Mrs. Ann Golding, an elderly lady residing at No. 35, Upper North-place, Gray's Inn-road, with stealing a will, in which she had an interest of 1,000/. Mr. Humphrey attended for the prosecution. It appeared from tho evidence a the prong& that , Quantity of Grain and Number of Pigs sold last week:-. Wheat, 21. Barley, 18. Oats, 483. Pigs, —. PRICES OF BU TTER. CANT. CURRENCY . . First quality ... 82s First quality ... ......... .. 734 Second quality Third quality 63s Third quality Ms Fourth quality Fifth quality Sixth quality Return of Cattle sold for the week ending May 10: — Pigs, 326. Sheep, 365. Cows, 89. CORY. — Flour—First Its 6d to 12s Od; extra 12s 6d; seconds, 10s6d to 11s Od; households 9s to IN Od; thirds, Ti to Se per cwt. O a t mea l 10 s to l Os 6d; Indian meal 7s 6d to 8s 3 wheat— meal, 9s 6d to lOs per cwt. Indian corn 71 15s Od to 81 55 ad per ton. Bran 808 Od to 85s per ton. Hay—Farmers 23s to 50s; average 345; dealers 00s to ()O. Od; average 003 per ton. Straw—Farmers 25s Od to 28s Od; average 003; dealers ON Od to 00s ad; average 003 Od per ton. Bread—Wheaten loaf Sid to 6d ; household loaf 4id to 5d per 41b. Fresh butter, lad W 12d per lb. Eggs -35 4d to 3s 6d per hundred. Coals—. Newport 143 Od; Lydney 15s ; Landore 14s ; Neath Culm t 13s 6d per ton. Tallow 38s Od to 40s per cwt. Whisky, 25 o. p., 55 9d per imperial gallon. Meat —Beef 4d to bid; mutton 5d to 7d; veal 4d to 5d ; pork 4d t o Od ; bacon 7d to 8d ; sausages 6t03/ 5 d I)Zsr l b. Hops 6110 s t o 0/ O s per cwt. Bangor slates 31 2 3 n ton. Bark—B ar b ary 7 1 Os to 81 Os; Val 6/ Os ; Sp an i s h 0/ per ton. Fleece Wool herrings 19s to 00s ;r e d ° lia 151 to 01; French 41 to 15s per ston e . Hemp 321 t o 34/ per ton. Fi s h—S co t c h_ ditto, 26s to 00 s p er barrel ; per ton; red pine , 31 lOs ; yellowndlanpd, 10/ Os to 11/ per ton. Timber—M eme l, 803 123 to 155 per 100. Hid es— Marketd itto2/21455s to 345; salted deals, 25s to 34s per owt ; ca lf s ki ns 32d to 34d per lb. Po tatoes , white 9d to 10d; Alinions, 12d to 14d. Guano — Peruvian, 11l lOs ; I c h a b oe, 81 to 910 s per ton. Tar—Archangel, 19s per barrel. -eAs for.r'—A tEh a T Holloway' s Oi ntment and rEeo [ADVERTISEMENT.] Scrofula, Cance rous W ounds, and old a youth, the son o f M r. James Avory, of R amse y, w as severely afflicted with scro f u l ous wounds for three four years, and during that period many remedies were tried, PillsSo v s ßeCus Avory , m B orb utwithout the least benefit whatever being derived from them. In this deplorable state Mr. Joseph Sergeant, chemist, of Ramsey, recommended him to use H o ll oway ' s Ointment and Pills, and these invaluable medicines have been the means of effectually curing the boy of his shocking complaint in a very brief space of time, They are an efficacious remedy for bad and, o atld sores, gout, and rheumatism. —Sold b y a l l Druggist Professor Holloway's Establi s h ment, 244, Strand London. GLASGOW, Map 17.—This has been a very fever ish week in the cotton market from the continued news of increased supplies at the American ports. Under the in fluence of the panic prices fell in the early part of the week from 1/, d. to %d. per lb.; but yesterday and to-day a better feeling prevailed, transactions were effected to a consider ableab extent, and the loss in the early part of the week has nearly made up. Goods and yarns have been also very dull, and so few transactions in power-loom goods that prices cannot well be quoted. Production, however, is now much lessoned, and it is hoped ere long the market will right itself. Pig Iron —Our market has been very quiet during the week, and a slight decline in price has taken place, but w ithout any in crease i n the amount of business doing. To day the quotations are, No. 1 or 3,40 s. sellers; buyers at 395. 6d., e i t h er for warrants or against bill of lading; No. 1 Gartsherrie, 41s. cash. BIRTH.% OF A BOX. On the 16th inst., at Cheltenham, the lady of G. Suther land, Esq., of Fores, Caithness, N. 8., of an heir. On the 16th inst., in Queen Ann•street, the wife of Joh n Wickens, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn. OF A DAUGHTER. On the 17th inst., in Manchester-square, the Wile of Henry W. Fuller, M.D. On the 16th inst., at Elizabeth-street, Eaton -square, the wife of Edward L. Webb, Esq. AiARMEI. On the 15th inst., at Llancarren Church, Herefordshire, the Rev. W. M. Schnibben, curate of IVigton, Cumberland, to Charlotte; and at the same time and pl ace, Thornton G. East°, E sq., of Upper Tulse- hill, Briton, to Ha rr i ett, daugh- Herefordshire. ters of the late Thomas Pearce, Esq., of L langarren Court, On the 17th inst., at St. Katherine Coleman, Fenchurch street, Edward Ford, Esq., of King-down, Bristol, to Ellen, fourth deughter of J. Catling, Esq., of Eist Barnet, Herts. DIED On the 14th inst., at St. Cuthbert's, Bedford, aged 59, George Dance, Esq., formerly of the War -office. On the 16th inst., at York-terrace, Regent's -park, Charles Shillito, 111. D., late of Putney, aged 69. On the 15th inst , at Cheltenham, Harriet, relict of the late Colonel Andrew Glasse, of the Bengal Artillery, aged 77. On the 15th inst., i n Saville-rosy, Maj or -G enera l Sir William Mori:on, K.C.8., M.P. for Clackmannan and Kinross. London t Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the 00=4 91 bl i C 1 C 1100 ; Wadilitaday, gay 21, 1861., > ~X; 1 'Nay' • ra h I•