The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-06 00:00:00

OATHS ,IN UNIVERSITIES.

Mr. BLACKETT give notice that on Thonday week he
should move for leave to bring in a bill prohibiting the ad-
ministration of oaths in the university of Oxford.
RETIREMENT OF THE CH4
_ MITTBES.

OF COld-

Mr. WILSON PATTEN begged the indulgence of the
house while he mentioned a circumstance which concerned
himself personally as well as the business of the house. At
tho emateseseleat of the present session the house had
aft NM tin Mom to sleet him chairman of committees
sf moye awl Nene I but be was merry to say that his health
111111141111 d h Dante to the performance of the duties
et the dim He dm& It more respectful to the house to
man diet unenneemat ■oow, as he could do so without

mules so muds lessavoisas• o If kh retlsetaenttook
ghee at a later Fried ef the aesdeo He lied handed to
Min setae ebeenaliess ea the ea** of the duties el the
oils, bet it weal be obelus* isaiserr is bin te de se
sew, sad be weal* oafs, hooch to ezpsemiag his
Chseem Mae isoldsmes whisk** hew bed plata la
eisa be mad V: Oat, la oder to moat try
hosamismao theft ohs, bewail lobeggy le Ansa
lemeM whoa est the cohlemse shrMa
tweak, The sigh be aggeiated to swim* hit.
a11aP117.111111111321 was sure that the lease bed Wad
sill* rer the oatmeal the hew goilissmau. (Head
abserlagg.)et Dude, tie dar•J t thee the leo Fathoms led
bid the *Mee be led slew. se mash judgment sad
ll
as to enable the Miami dthe hems to be sorted eair:
very satishatery maser, and be was sure that the hem
would feel the lan they bed matelasi, when they moor
bored the sad jollier efthdefteas d
duties, u larks* the hon. gestimoso (Lead sham)
Mr. DlSAlMLlbtal:shat as he led bad the how*
propose the iso for the Woe lie West be per-
mitted to elm the theaks of bismeif sad et may
member of the Lie seveurasat for the kid same h
which he bad seweaded is setae forward whoa be we ow
Bible that it might be attended with injury to his bola.
He was ewe that the house would always allealable the
able sad silkiest meaner in which the bon gestlemes bed
discharged his duties, and that be weld nein es may
occasion from the home that soadderadea whish
high character entitled him. (Loud sheen.)

DESERTIONS IN THE NAVY.
Mr. WILLIAMS, pursuant to notice, begged to ask the
Pint Lord of the Admiralty whether the statements
which bad appeared in the papers were true that a large
number ofseamen in her Majesty's service had deserted,
owing to the disgust they felt at the flogging of a petty
officer in one of her Majesty's steamers.

fir J. GRAHAM, in answering the lusation of the hon.
gentleman, felt bound to state, that sums January last •
considerable number of desertions of seamen had taken
place from her Majesty's ships in the squadron on the home
station. It should, however, be remembered that so large
• squadron had not been assembled on that station for a
long time. He was not aware, until it was mentioned by
the hon. member, that the cause of those desertions was
imputed to have arisen from the fact of a particular punish-
ment. The result of inquiries which he (Sir J. Graham)
had made was that they were to be ascribed
to other causes. The unusually high rate of pay
at present in the merchant service, and the
most improper solicitations which had taken place
in various quarters, and the endeavour to induce seamen in
her Majesty's service to accept that higher pay, was the
Cause to which alone be ascribed those desertions. With
reference to the cases which had been stated by the hon.
gentleman, he had the satisfaction of stating that in conse-
quence of arrangements which had been =ads for more fre-
quent payments of seamen on the home station and for
granting a greater length of leave after those payments (and
he was sure the hon. gentleman would hear it with astis-
faction)—after protracted leave old seamenland those who
had served • long time and had had most experience of the
discipline and treatment on board her Majesty's ships, had
with hardly any exceptions returned to their duty with
the most extraordinary fidelity. (Cheers.) He could sot
sit down without referring to the ease of corporal punish-
ment which had been mentioned by the honourable gentle-
man. The cue had been fully considered by the board
over which he presided. It was a case of gross .nsub-
ordination on the part of • petty officer, and language
the most insulting was used on the quarter-deck to
the lieutenant of the watch, which was followed by
violence to this extent, that the sentry on duty on the
quarter-deck was knocked down. (Hear, hear.) He need
hardly point out to the house how :necessary was mainten-
ance of discipline is her Majesty's service—(hear)—and that
such an offence required punishment. Inman, foreign mere ices
serh conduct, which here is a capital crime, would have
been followed by capital punishment The punishment
was infticttd not by the officer in command, but by the sen-
tence of a court martial comrscd of officers of high charac.
ter and srzat ea:eriesme, and the punishment awarded was

disrating, the infliction of corporal punishment, not in
itself emissive nor exceeding that which a single *Meer in
command might have inflicted, together with imprisonment
in Exeter Gaol, and dismissal with disgrace from her
jesty's service. The disinter of the offender in other
'ships had been good, and the Admiralty considered that if
' the sentence was carried oat, dismissal from the
service with disgrace, would have deprived him of
a right to a pension, and prevent his entering
the service again. A portion, therefore, of the sentence
was cammuted—the term of imprisonment was reduced
from nine months to three, and the dismissal from the ser-
vice was set aside, and the man could return to her Ma-
jesty's service without disgrace. He (Sir J. Graham) hoped
that he would re-enter the service, and if ho did so, at the
expiration of his service he would be entitled to the usual
pension. (Cheers.)
Mr. WILLIAMS asked whether subsequent to the flag-
ging in question numerous desertions hail not taken
piece ?
bir J. GRAHAM—There has been no perceptible increase
whatever since.

IDOLATRY IN CEYLON.
Sir R. INOLIS moved an ;whims for copies of any des-
patch from the Right Hon. Sir J. Pakington to the Gover-
nor of Ceylon, dated in December, 1832, on the subject of
the connexion of the government of that island with the
idolatry of its native inhabitants; together with any reply
thereto which laLs been or shall be receivod from the go-
vernor.