The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-16 00:00:00

Filf ft ddri.

WINDSOR, MONDAY. —The Queen held a privy
council at half-put 2 o'ciock this afternoon. It all
,ended by Prince Alhert, the Marquis of Linolonise, du
Earl of Minto, Lord John Russell, S:r George Grey, Btrl
Grey, Lord Campbell, the Merquis of C.anne woe, the
Right Hon. H. Labour here, the Earl F. rescue, as I the
Marquis of Breadalbane. The Riaht His. Sir F. T.
Boring, Bart., had the honour of belt g pr. seni,d to her
Majesty sad kissed hands on being appointed Fret Lori
Commusiooer of the Admirety. The right lion. baronet
took his seat at the round.. board. The holding of a court
of sessions at Glasgow passed the council. The Hon. W.
Bathurst was the clerk of the council in waiting Ilit
Majesty gave audierces to the Marquis of Lana:lout
and Lord John Russell. Most of the minim
and officers of state travelled from town to attend
the council by a special train on the Great Wising
Railway, leaving the Paddington terminus soon Ow est
o'clock, and arriving at the Cast e at two o'clock. A dije;oter
was served in the Carle to the noblemen and putt/ors
sa.isting at the councils—After the Privy Council Lord J.
Russell, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir
G. Grey, Earl Grey, Sir F. Baring, Lord Caliphs 11, the
Marquis of Clanricarde, the Marquis of Breadalbane, and
the Hon. W. Bathurst, left the Castle for the Slough statue,
and teturned to town by a special trrn. The Earl Fortune
and the Right Hon. H. Labouchere also took tbiir departure
after the council.
_ _

Her Majesty and Prince Albert dined this evening
with the Duane of Kent, at her resiclunce, Frosmote
House. Her Majesty and his Royal Highnen wee a' tended
by the Duchess of N. rb.lk, the Mails of Honour in Waiting,
the Eonl of Morley, Colonel the Hon. A. N. 11401:1,
'he lion. C B. Piiipps, Captain the lion. A. °onion, and
Major.Oeneral Bowles.

Despatches were received yesterday at the Colnnisl-
office from the Governors of the Gold C 4.t a A the
Gambia.

THE CHIEF POOR-LAW COMMISSIONER.—At the
sitting of the Bait Court, yesterday morning, Mr. Baines,
Q C., took the usual oaths, on tie appoirtment to the aim
of Chief Commissioner of the Poor Law.

MR. CHARLES PEARSON ON PRISON
DISCIPLINE.
Mr. Charles Pearson delivered a lecture yesterday
evening at the Literary Institution, Alderaga e-street, epos
the relaik us between punishment and crime, end apps
prison discipline and prison reform, preparatory to an opal
discussion on the same points on Monday and Tuesday uem.
The chair wee taken at seven o'clock by Matthew Daven-
port Hill, Erg , Q C., who expressed his gratification at the
respectable and numerous assemblage, upon a Bebe et which,
• short time ago, would have attracted very tittle attention
—by no means commensurate with its real importance.
This was a subject which required preliminary discussion—it
required that the people of this country should have formed
an opinion upon it, for if they looked forward to any chants
in the administration of the criminal law, they must look
forward to those changes being received by an unequivocal
majority of the pesple.
Mr. C. PBABSON then proceeded to explain the objects
which he had in view It was the right of th.. gem vales
power of the state to call en all its subjects to aid in enforcing
the law, and every member of the community had a nett to
require that his person and property should be protected at
the least expense by the most effectual means consistent with
reason and the divine law. His businese in this lecture was
to. prove that, by a sound system of penal disciplee, the
criminal gaols in this country might be made to maintain
themselves, without taking cut of the pockets of the honest
portion of the community one single shilling. He referred
to the system that formerly prevailed in this country; to the
cruelties practised in the time of Henry VIII., during who,'
reign 2,000 victims fell a sacrifice to the savage laws of the
age. John Howard had well described the horrors of
dungesn baptiser went of that day ; and even as late as
1789, within a fcw yards of the spot on which he was stand-
ing, a woman had been burnt alive by the laws of the land.
At the present day the mass of mankind seemed
to shrink with fear and trembling, humid Of
grappling with the difficulties with which the gun-
tion of prison discipline was beset. The object of
Howard was, not to improve the condition of the prisoner,
kl
bettering his physical and moral state, but to ',were sn't
praect society against the inroads of those who ha I violated
its la vs. This plan, however, was not carried out by the
system adopted at the present day. In Amt ries the prisons
wets made to pay their own expenses. In Belgium they
returned a large profit. He then adverted K Oetai
and proceeded in a strain of irony to show that the prisoners
wihagereuwpewreuthum woeills6tre4ted.
whilstT he cese
wtagofeessconf prisoner then
varied from 7s. to 10s. per week. He found iu the scounts
an item of receipts for produrtive labour anoreantal
to
11. Bs. 6d. When a person was sentenced by the law Iff..W•
land to hard labour, it was a sentence which no one 1",..,11
right to interfere with, but in R. ading, out of 450 sentom't.
there was not One who bad hard labour, except that of wort-
irg at • pump, which could be worked by two min, and yet
ten men were placed upon it Pearson entered at rat

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