The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-06 00:00:00

Mr. Alderman wton defended tpe principle of the treed-mM,
but thought the Secretary of State alight not to allow wawa to la-
bour there.
The Bill was then read a second time.
CATHOLIC BUR' ALS.
Mr. WYNN gave notice, on the part of Mr. Phirkett, that
the Catholic Burial Bill would be !nought forwent on Monday
Deft.
THE MUTINY BILL.

On the motion that the House resolve itself into a Committee on
the Mutiny Bill,
Mr. HUM ruse: he referred to a former circumstance Mohr:: to
the power by which his Blajesty could deprive an officer of his com-
mission without a court menial, and said that • Noble Lord I Pal.
mermen) on that occasion used more wit th..a argument. Ilia (Mr.
Hunte's chief object now was, to oppose the Bill, which rendered
73.1.1110 of our fellow_subjects 'table to corporal punishment. He re-
ferred to the circular issued by Lind Bathurst to the colonies, in
which he called upon them to abolish flogging, and asked, why the
same principle did not actuate his Majesty's Ministers towards the
army and navy of this country ?—why they had extended justice
and mercy in the one instance, and withheld it in the other ? Ile
argued that in no army of the continent was the cruel system pus.
sued, that it was not necessary to military discipline, and that the
most beneficial results would follow its aholitiou. lie 'tad been
informed that in a very public part of the town the inhebitants
were in a continual state of alarm in consequence of the frequent
beat of the drum accompanying the flogging of the soldiers, and if
no pity ware shewn towards the individuals, he thought it should
be to those who were subject to witness such disgraceful scenes.
He (Mr. Hume) had been for five years with the army of the East
India Company. and, during that periul, never saw but one man
flogged out of 10.000 me' . It was a very difibreut ease with the
British army in India, where scarcely a week elapsed but fire or
six persons were thus punished in every regiment. He would al-
lude to another circumstance, which tended to degrade the officers,
as flogging did the men—Every officer was obliged, en purchasing
his commission, to declare, upon his honour, that he gave no more
than a certain sum for his commission, when every body well knew
that such a statement was untrue. He trusted, therehire, that the
Bill now pending would be printed, and that such absurdities as
those he had mentioned would be struck out of it ; lie hoped that
his Majesty's Ministers would, at least, adopt some other system
' than that of flogging, for a veer, and see what effects it would pro-
duce. Ile understood that it had been abolished with success in
one regiment—the Blues ; and why not in all ? There was
another circumstance to which he would allude : in some regiments
the men were placed in solitary confinement, and their pay stop-
ped during the period, which was put by the oliicers into their
pockets. (Cries of No, no.) He understood sot but he should be
glad to find it was not the case. He should, therenwe, under all
these circumstances move, dun instructions be given to the Coin-
mittec to abolish corporal punishment in the army.
Sir HENRI' Ilita DING, on the part of the officers of the
Guards, who hail been aliutla: .o, declared no such circumstance
had ever occurred • and that the neighbourhood of the barracks
could not hare been alarmed, because only one man had been
flogged there during the la.; !9 months.
Mr. tll'3lE stated that the feelings of the neighbours were hur-
ried as much as if there were.

Sir It. %FILSON had always regarded enrpond punlsinnent in
the British Army as the Ereatast of all evils. It was 1111)M
strous that in this country, the freest and nosy enlightened in the
world, mum shwild be brought into an honourabl_• profession and
be subjected to the Loth. Such was not the C.LSC in any of the other
annies of klurope —nut even a nong the Prussians, where melt
could be hardly called men. Vet the Duke of York himself could
! not get rid of the system, because if any evils toll 'wed it, all the
blame would be thrown by the officers on hint. Nothing but a law
could effect the desirable end. At the Old Palley men were whipt
only till the blood came, bin in the army they were t?ygged until a
surgeon declared there was danger of destroying life. fie hoped
the House would try the experiment of abolishing the degrading
and disgraceful system. Ile would therefore second the maiion of
his Hon. Friend, Mr. Hume. As to the other subject alluded to,
he knew it was as clear as the sun at noon day, that in the pur-
chase of commissions, the buyer, the seller, and the Duke of 1 ork•
himself, were all aware that a much greater sum than the regula-
tion price was paid.
Col. WOOL) was of opinion that proper discipline could not
be kept up in the army without corporal punishment. He was
quite sure, that if the Hon. Member for Westminster, who first
brought the subject before the House, now saw it in the same light,
he would have been in his place in the House. There was consi-
derable difference between the principle of flogging blacks in the
West Indies and soldiers in the army ; soldiers could not be pu-
nished without being first tried by a coutt-martiid.
31r. JOHN SMtTII opposed the system of flogging, on the
ground that it was impolitic to torture men in the body for any
crane. The effects of such punishments were always to excite
sympathy among the spectators who witnessed them. Solitary con-
finement was a much better plan. The exertions of Mrs. Fry had
made humble, contrite, and comparatively satisfied lOU prisoners
within the wall• of Newgate.
Mr. MONCK supported the motion for the abolition of flogging.
His opinion wss, that in the British army there were too icw in-
citements to exertion.

The motion that the Chairman do leave the Chair was then put
and agreed to.
Lord PA L3IERSTON observed, that the remarks of en Ron.
Member oppusite (Mr. Hume) respecting the power of his Ma-
jesty to dismiss officers had been fully replied to at a former period.
The same Hon. Member had forgotten, in his comparison of the
soldier and the slave, that no soldier could he punished without a
court-martial. With respect to his objection ready, to the pur-
chase of commissions, he (Lord Palmerston) was not aware that a
greater sum than the regulation was given. On the subject of dis-
allowing pay to men in confinement, he would remark that it would
not be punishing at all to show a man to receive a large sum on be-
coming free, nor, on the other hand, to permit bins to live as well as
when doir.g duty with his re:di-Tient. It had always been the
custom in Large armies to introduce corporal punishment; and where
this was not used, punishments more severe were inflicted. He ar.
rued in favour of the continuation of this punishment, as bring
more mild and effe...tual in its nature than those methods of up,.
holding discipline in foreign countries. He said that every dispo-
sition was felt on the part of authority to cheek any abuse of this
necessary power. Ile considered that the Government of the army
was vested in the Crown, and that it was in some measure taking
back the power vested in the Crown, and in some sort an abuse
of their constitutional limit, to attempt to interfere by a sr:eeping
enactment of this nature.

Mr. W. SMITH thought the argument of the Noble Lord the
most extraordinary he ever heard. He contended that it was the
right, as it was the duty of that !louse, to interfere in the manner
DOW
Irleft then proposed a clause for abolishing the punish-
ment of flogging in the army, on which the Committee divided.
I'or the Clause . 24 1 Against it .
The other Clauses went through the Committee, and the Report
was ordered to be brought up on Wednesday next.
MR. SMITH, MISSIONARY.
Mr. BROUGHAM moved, that Copies of the Minutes of the
Trial of John Smith, the Missionary at Detnerara, be laid before
the I I °use —Ordered.

The Annual Indemnity Bill wRA read a third time and passed.
ANNUAL SUGAR DUTIES.

Mr. BUSKIS;46. on thr irartOr the Chanttllor of the Ex..
chequer, gave notice, that on Monday next these ditties would be
taken into their consideratinn. at as early an hour as possible.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS.

The ATTORNEY-111;Nk:itALT4obtaiirerliCarc to bring in a
Dill to amend the Insolvent Debtors' Laws, and brought it in ac-
cordingly. Read a tirat tithe; to be read a secuail time on Monday,
—Ordered to be printed.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at Two o'clock.

PRICES OF airefl;ii
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hong Annuities,
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cons. for Act. 944 4 j
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It YESTERDAY.
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