The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-24 00:00:00

PENAL SERVITUDE.

The Marquis of SA LISBURY eves to move that • bumble
address be presented to her Majesty for returns of the num-
ber of convicts wider @eateries of penal servitude confined
in gaols other than government prisons in the years 1862
and ; and to ask the government what steps had been
taken to carry out the recommendations of the Commis-
Mears on Pearl Servitude. The noble lord addressed the
house at considerable lenth, but the purport of his re-
marks did not reach the gOery.
Earl GRILNVILLE assented to the motion. Maly of
the recommendations of the recent commission bad been
embodied in • bill which had been introduced into the other
house, and be thought it would be well to abstain Irons dis-
cussing the details of that bill until it was before their
lordships.
The Earl CARNANVON said he quite agreed that the
best time for discussing this matter would be when the bill
which had been introduced into the other house was before
their lordships. He very much regretted this sort of
SWUM to which they bad been accustomed on the
subject for the last few years. He therefore said let
them adopt the one system or the other—either adopt the
system of ticket-of-leave coupled with its only
safeguard, strict police supervision, or on the
other hand abolish it altogether and adopt
some other system which would be practicable sod effective.
The right hon. gentleman had been trying to please every-
body, but his efforts would only end in giving satisfaction
to no one. He did not disagree with many of the changes
which he proposed in his bill ; but, on the other hand, IN
bad omitted from the measure that which was necessary to
make it really useful. (Hest.)
Lord WoIIEHOUSE thought that a simpler and safer
plan than the remission of sentences would be to reduce the
periods of sentence', and let • prisoner remain under
punishment the whole time, at the end of which he should
be an entirely free man. (Hear, bear.)

Earl GREY mid that in his opinion if convicts were dis-
!barged upon tickets of leave there ought to be some super
=tendon°, over them, but he admitted the extreme diffi-
Milty of making it effectual in this wintry. What, how-
ever, he wished principally to do was to remind his noble
friend opposite that to hold oat no hope to a prisoner of a
remission of his sentence in consequence of his conduct would
be to go back to a system which had bees unanimously
condemned by every single officer who had had charge of
convicts from 17Sit up to the present tiros. Since true-
prtation to the American OA:Min war abolished it had
been the uniform practice in this country, in some mode or
other, to grant convicts a certain remission of their sentences
on the ground of their conduct.
The motion was then agreed to.
Their lordships adjourned at twenty minutes to 7 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY, FIB. 23.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The following bills were read a mooed time :—Bristol
Central station and Railways; Dumfriesshire and Cumber-
land (Sol wa I Junction Railway ; Glasgow (City) Union
Railway ; Lynn and Sutton Bridge Railway (Cross Keys
Bridge' : Neeth and Brecon Railway (Extension, ac.);
North Eastern Railway (Leads Eztansion); North Eastern
Railway t Leeds New Central Station) ; Reigate and London
(West Rod) Junction Railway ; and Wolrerhanaptoa and
l3ridgnorth Railways.

SUEZ CANAL.
Mr. ROEBUCK gave notice that on Thur•lay next be
would ask the Coder Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether
the government would be willing to produce the following
tiorreepondeoce .—All letters between the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs and Sir H. Bulwer SUMO the 9th of
January. 1660, on the subject of the Sues Canal ; the cone.
epoodence between the Secretary of State and the Ottoman
Porte for the same time ; all letter, sad coriasPo*delt be-
tween the Secretary of State and all diplomatic or other
agents of ours in Egypt; and also all correspondence
between the Secretary of Slate and the Pecha on the same
subject.
PENAL SERVITUDE ACTS.
Mr. ADDERLEY gave Deface that on Thursday be would
move for leave to bring in • bill for the consolidation of the
Penal Servitude Acts.
SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS OF DUBLIN.
Mr. GREGORY gave notice that after Easter he would
move for • committee of inquiry into the condition of the
*subsidised scientific institutions of Dublin.
POLAND.
Mr. B. JOHNSTONE gave notice that on Friday
next he should move the following resolution :—"That in
the opinion of this house the conduct by her Majesty's
government
ia of recent negotiations respectiag Poland has
to diminish the just influence of this country."
(Hear, hear.)
PURCHASE OF BRITISH SHIPS OF WAR BY
CHINA.
Colonel SYKES gave notice of his intention to ask
certain questious respecting the alleged sale of the Africa
and other easels as well am warlike stores to the Chineee
etweromeat.
THE NAVY ESTIMATES.
Sir J. WALSH gave notice that on going into committee
of supply on the navy estimates he would call attention to
the inadequacy of the state of our naval preparetions in the
Prompt exigency of political affairs, and that ha would
move the following resolution :—" That in the opinion of
this Lon,, the great chimps in naval wart as, and the witi.
ail state of our foreign relations, rendered it necessary that
the most vigorous efforts should be made on such • scale as I
was calculated to =attain our maritime supremacy.*
VACCINATION OF SHEEP.
Sir C. JERVOISE wished to ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department whether the experiments in vac.
einatiog sheep were yet concluded ; and if so, when the
results wookl be laid before Parliament.
Mr. Li 'WE regretted to state that the experiments bad
pawed entirely unenceessfuL They were concluded last
Michaelmas, and the report would be ready by Easter.
The experiments were of two kinds. In the one the sheep
were vaccinated with lymph taken from the human subject.
That method had partly succeeded. The ghee, took the
disease, though in au irregular sod abnormal form. (Laughter.)
When they came to test the use of the vaccination they
found that the sheep took freely the variola by inoculation
or contact. The second experiment related to the Macula-
tics of cows. Cows were inoculated with matter taken from
sheep sulfuring under smallpox, in order to produce •
ne
vacci disease which should steed in the same relation to
sheep as cow pox to the human subject. They had entirely
failed is producing that disease io the cow. (Laughter.)
THE COUNTY FRANCHISE.
Mr. L. KING, who rote amidst some cheering to move for
leave to bring in • bill to extend the franchise to counties in
England and Wales to lilt. occupiers, said he did not think
any apology was due to the house from him for introducing
this question once more, the principle of the bill having
been admitted both in the country and in the house. But
he felt that some apology wee due to thescountry that either
this bill pure and simple had not been passed or incorporated
into a larger sod more comprehensive scheme, acid so become
the law of the land. He washold to say that the circumstauces
of the country demanded an extension of the franchise,
that the state of the county constituencies especially
demanded it, and that justice which ought never to
be lost sight of in that house demanded it also. (Hear.)
It was expedient to be unjust, and the longer this
measure of justice was delayed the greater would be the in-
justice. The hon. gentleman then proceeded to show that
the question bad gained in strength between 1814) and Irt:i9.
In the former year be was supported by 100 members, and
is the latter by 179. The measure had not oily palm'
strength in number', but had obtained the support of
f 01330 of the wet eminent members of that house,
amongst whom he might mention Sir J. Graham.
That right boo. baronet stated that the right of voting
ought to be given to holm numbers who had not that right,
bat were entitled to the pommies of the franchise. It had
been asserted that • difference existed between the interests
of the rural :tad the manufacturing districts, but such argu-
ments tended to set clam against clue ; their interests were
identical, for aviculture was one vast manufacture. If the
home adopted the measure he now staked leave to introduce
he believed it would he highly satisfactory to the great body
of the community. (Hear, bear.)
The motion having been seconded.
Sir C. GREY, on the part of her Majesty's government,
snouted to the introduction of the bill, the general discus-
sion upon which, he said, could more conveniently take
place on the motion for its mimed reading.
The motion was then agreed to, and leave given to intro.
duce the hill.
PUBLIC EXECUTIONS.
Mr. H IBBERD rose to call attention to the demoralising
effects of public executions, and to the disgusting displsy
which took place in the City on the preceding day, which he
considered • disgrace to our aviliatioo. Ho might
be asked what would be his proposal in place of
carrying out public executions. and for this be
woad refer to the report of the Lords' committee.
The evidence of the Prussian and American iunbae.
enders was taken, and it was strongly in favour of carry.
Nog out executions within the gaol ; and they said that so
evils had followed that plan ; the public feeling was so
much in its favour that a return to the old mode
of puoishnient would be condemned by all clams.
Re had recently received • letter from Mr. Adams, the
American minister in this country, in which be stated that
the people of America were quite satisfied with the system
as carried out io the present manner. In Australia also
exec.:Coos were in private, in the presence of certain officials.
He 'wished in conclusion to ask the right hon. ;mailman
the Secretary for the Hoene Department whether it was the
intention of the government to propose any alteration of
the law and to move for a copy of all the memorials which
had been addressed to the right boo. gentleman on the
subject.
Mr. HADFIELD seconded the motion. Prizefights
and public execution' were the two thiop which attracted
the largest crowds to witness them, and he believed that if
• prize-fight were to take place within 200 yards of the
Home of Commons the house would be coastal out is order
that the =where might go sod no it. (Lood feefghter.)