The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-02 00:00:00

THE CAB STRIKE.

On the question that the twelve o'clock orders of the day
be read,

Mr. FREWEN said he wished to put a question to the
noble krd at the head of the home department of some
tenet to the public. lie had learned this morning, from a
quarter on which be could place reliance, that another cab
strike was in contemplation. Now, of course, they all knew
the great iseoneenience that the public was put to by such
proceedings, and he wished, therefore, to ask the noble
lord whether the governmen. would cause directiJne to be
seat to the Inland Revenue-office, to allow person! •.:ho had
carriages of any sort in their poie.,ttton to use them without
a flosses, in order that the inconeeaienct to which the
public would be put by another strike might ha counter-
sated to Oa extent) (Rear, hear.)

Lard PALMERSTON had not heard that there was to
be a second strike, and he could not, therefore, confirm the
information of the bun. member ; but this he could say,
that if by a combination of cabmen or &sown the public
should be again deprived of the use of these vehicles that
were necessary for them, the government would endeavour
to make such arrangements as should obviate the inoonve-
nience. (Cheers )

14'%EYILE OFFENDERS BILL.
Oa the order of the day for the second reading of this

bill,
Mr. ADDERLEY, in moving the second 'lading, an-
nounced that it was not his intention to press the bill be-
yond that stage this session, and be only moved the second
reading now in the hope that if the bowie affirmed the prin-
ciple of the measure, government would be induced to
take the subject up the very first week in the
nest session. This bill was simply a measure of
a permissive character, and it proposed to empower
counties and boroughs to establish reformatory schools,
'to which young criminals should be sent, thus in-
troducing • new treatment to • certain extent for such
young criminals; namely, that of industrial training and
applying the principle of parental care and home influence
to criminal children instead of subjecting them to the
process of imprisonment in gaols. That was the simple
object of the bill, and it would be seen that the evil which
it sought to remedy was a great one. It was no less,
indeed, than the existence throughout this country, hut
more especially in large towns, of a class of children who,
being entirely destitute of parental care, were rapidly
falling into dissolute habits. 1 his class was not compesen of
children who had decent homes, nor of children who had

parents to keep them in better ways than habits of crime,
but was composvd of orphan children and the children of
infamous permits, or, m was most frequently the case, of
children using uoder the roof of a cruel step-father or
mother; or the children of sailors or miners, who were
concealed in the mines. In fact, speaking generally, they
were children who had no home but the wide streets, and
who were likely to lapse into criminals as they grew up.
Mr. M. MILNES seconded the motion.
Mr. BAINES, hoped he might be permitted to express
his full concurrence in the views expressed by the hon. gen-
tleman. The evidence taken before that committee he

thought proved incontestably that some such measure
was required ; but he did not think, looking at the
time when that committee repored, and the necessity
of well considering the details of any bill on the
subject, that the government were to blame in not
proposing to legislate upon it during the present session.
The great want, as proved before the committee, was a
reformatory institution for children who were the first time
introduced to crime. Prisons (or such purpose had been
tried and failed, and juvenile criminals committed (or the
first time generally came out worse than they went in. At
the same time, with the onineaion he had with the adminis-
tration of the poor-law, he could not consent to any proposi.
tion for providing for such criminals in workhouses, as bad
been suggested by some. (Hear.)
Mr. HENLEY remarked that the questioa was far too
important a one to be left in the hands of private members,
and urged the government to take it up.
Viscount PALMERSTON thought no one could doubt
the importance of the subject to which the motion and the
bill of his hon. friend related, and he hoped the house
would be unanimous is so far pursuing the course rearm.
mended as to read the bill a second time, upon the full un-
derstanding that it should then stand over wail the next
session of parliament. (Hear, hear.) Ile conceived the
best thing hon. members could do was to read with atten-
tion the evidence and the report of the committee, that they
might all be prepared when parliament again met to enter
into the discussion of the subject with a view to the adop-
tion of come practical measure. (Hear.)
Mr. IlUblE differed from the noble lord as to the prin-
ciple of this bill. He regarded that principle as bad, and
as adding another eleemosynary institution to those which
already existed. He was one of those who considered the
principle of the Poor-law was bad, inasmuch as it tended to
destroy the desire on the part of the poor to provide by in-
dustry and prudence for the maintenance of themselves and
their families. Ile hoped the house would not cons-nt to
the second reading of a bill which involved the principle of
a double poor-law establishment.
Sir J. GRAHAM rose to express a hope exactly ovosite
to that which had been expressed by his bon. friend.
(Hear.) He thought the house ought to affirm the prin-
ciple of this bill, which, as he understood it, was mainly
contained in the title—that was, " A bill for the better
care and reformation of juvenile off nders." His bon.friend
(Mr. Hume) said that it was a past of the principle of the
bill that the coat of these reformatory institutions should be
in part defrayed out of the Consolidated Fund ; but that
was not a part of the principle, but merely one of the details ;
and neither his noble friend (Lord Palmerston) nor himself
was prepared to admit that particular provision—(hear)
—and it would be open to the house to consider, when the
bill came before them in detail, from what source the pay-
ment should be made. He for one would with his colleagues
give his attention to the subji ct in the recess, and he hoped
that they would be able to frame a =swum which would
be consistent with the principle of the bill (although they
did not pledge themselves to its details), which he now
hoped the house would affirm.
Mr. M. MILNES supported tho principle of the bill, and
thanked the government for supporting and the member for
Staffordshire for bringing forward • measure of so much
so:ial imoortance.
Mr. DUNLOP expressed a hope that if any measure of
this kind was brought in, it would be extended to Scotland.
The bill was then read • second time.
NAVAL COAST VOLUNTEERS.
The house went into committee on this bill.
Sir J. GRAHAM said, in stating the objects of the bill,
he had to make an acknowledgment to the committee
which he was sorry not to be able to do in the presence of
his noble friend the Home Secretary, who had just left the
house. When the great question of raising the militia was
brought on, six or seven months ago, he was one of those
who did not believe that voluntary enlistment would take
place to such an extent as it had done. lie did not believe
that in the present generation, brave as be believed them to
be, that there would be such a martial spirit as to induce
volunteers to come forward in such numbers. They had on
a previous occasion heard • reference made by the hon. I
member for Rye to a plan adopted in France for recruiting
the navy. There was a large population on all the coasts
of France, alongthe coasts of the Mediterranean, the Atlan-
tic, and the other side of the British Channel, who were
liable to compulsory ureic* in the navy of France. There
was not a seafaring man in France who was not compellable
to serve in the public marine. The system was perfect ; but
it was compulsory. He, however, adhered to the principle laid
down by the hon. and gallant member for Bath, that every
endeavour should be eshsusted to obtain the services of
seamen by inducement rather than compulsion. They had
lately discussed a plan for obtaining seamen for the regular
service, and he was now anxious ZO draw the attention of
the house to a system of obtaining volunteers for the
naval service analogous to that pursued with the
militia. The bill now before the committee was
based on that principle. There were a number
of fishermen, bargemen, lightermen, end men employed in
the coasting service, who there was reason to believe would
enlist for short periods, and in each year be called out like
the militia, for training at the great gnu. Being men of
maritime habits, this training would be easy ; and not un-
congenial to their habits. He proposed to hold out the
same inducements to these men to volunteer as were held
out for the militia. There would be a bounty of 61. to be
apportioned as should seem best. The number of men it
was proposed to raise would be limited to 10,000 in the
first instance, who would be raised in the United Kingdom,
the Channet Islands, and the Isle of Man. The period of
training would be 28 days, and it might be carried on either
ashore or afloat ; but when afloat the men
were not to be taken more than 60 leagues from the coast
of Great Britain. The pa at that time would be the same
uthat of able seamen. The period of enlistment was not
to exceed five yea's, but power would be given to her Ma-
jesty,
in case of invasion or danger of invasion, to call out
the men for service afloat for a period not exceeding one
year ; unless the danger should extend beyond that time,
when, with certain exceptions named in the bill, power
would be given to her Majesty in council to extend the
period of service for asecond year, during which time there
would be an addition to their pay of 2d. a day. There
would also be an extension of the distance, to which they
might be taken during such service to 100 leagues from the
shores of Great Britain, but in no ease were they to be
asked to extend their services to a greater distance. There
was a provision in case of invasion to compel the service
idlest of pensioners, the coast guard, and riggers. In the
Great of their being required, this would supply some
WOO or 20,000 men in the prime of life, trained to arms,
and with all the characteristics of British seamen; which
force would, he believed, be amply sufficient for the defence
of our shores. He would not detain the committee further,
but proceed to go through the clauses of the bill.
The clauses up to the 24th were agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and the house re-
sumed.
JUVENILE MENDICANCY BILL.
In answer to Mr. T. Doteconms,
Lord PALMERSTON intimated that this bill (from the
Lords) would be postponed till next session. The bill was
closely connected, in object, with the Juvenile Delinquency
Bill, and the two subjects would best be considered toge-
ther next session.
The house then adjourned till 6 o'clock.
The house resumed.
THE CASE OF ROBERT TOWLER.

Mr. Nv7iifik:zi Robert
Towler, a prisoner in Newgate, who had been committed
for prevarication before the Clitheroo Election Committee.
The petitioner begged to assure the house that, having
n ,before been subjected to the ordeal of such a rigid
erosa ezamination, be was much confused, and really did
sot understand many of the questions which were put to
him. He lamented that any mental defect on his part
should have misled the committee, but he begged to refer
to his previous character, which bad
questioned, in support of his assurance that ho intended to
give his evidence fairly before the committee. Having
always ;been accustomed to a very active life, his health
had become greatly impaired by his intrisontrent,
and he feared that if bis incarceration should continue
longer, it would be irreparably injured. Fibally, ho begged
to express his sincere contrition for having unintentionslly
misled the committee, and to earnestly pray that the house
would sanction his discharge without payment of the fees.
Mr. G. A. HAMILTON, as chairman of the Clitherde
entoomittee, stated that Towler was evidently a person of
very excitable temperament, and that he seemed a good
deal agitated and confused by the nature of the adverse ex•
=lllation to which he was exposed.
One of the medical officers was then called to the bar, and
testified as to the health of the prisoner.
Mr. W. PATTEN thereupon moved that 'owlet be dis-
charged.