The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-15 00:00:00

ADDRESS TO SIR DE LACY EVANS.

The leading members of the Marylebone vestry assem-
bled yesterday at the residence of General Sir De Lacy
Evans and presented to him the following address :
"TO GENERAL SIR DE LACY EVANS, K.C.8., M.P., &C.
" Sir,—We, the vestrymen of the parish of St. Mary-
lebone, on behalf of the inhabitants, gladly claim the
privilege, which your long residence in this parish affords
us, of congratulating you upon your safe return to
England.
" Fresh from the applause of an united Senate, we
fear that our feeble expressions of gratitude must fall but
tamely on your ear, but we are encouraged to persevere
in our resolution of addressing you by the belief that the
voluntary approbation of a body representing 160,000
inhabitants can never be indifferent to
" In referring to your deeds in the present campaign
the only difficulty that has occurred to us is that of
selection, for from the brilliant victory on the Alma to
your heroic defiance of death at lnkerrean, in its twofold
aspect of battle and disease, your career has been one
continued harvest of laurels.
"'We will content ourselves with directing attention
to your gallant defence on the 26th of October, when by
your arms you successfully protected the allied position ;
and, next, to the fact that, could your sagacious counsels
have been adopted, you would again have saved the
army from the perilous surprise at Inkerman.
"During many previous years your name has been
familiar to your country as a zealous reformer of civil
abuses, and we would now venture to express a hope
that the same energy nay be applied to the improve-
ment in the organisation of our army.
" In conclusion, we beg to assure you of our perfect
knowledge that your late campaign has been but the
brilliant end of a long career of military glory, and to
express a fervent hope that your lite may yet be spared
to us to aid, by your wisdom and experience, in con-
ducting the war to a speedy and honourable termina-
tion.
_ .

" Signed by order of the vestry. ,
" CLEMENT GEORGE, Churchwarden, Chairman. '
General EVANS, in returning thanks for the address,
referred to the present war, and said, that in his opi-
nion there was no doubt of the earnest and united de-
sire of the people of Western Europe to see this great
and important contest carried out properly and ener-
getically. (Hear.) He did not desire to touch upon
political questions, but he must say he had lamented to
see a man as Prime Minister, who, although he bore a
most unexceptionable character in other respects, .o as
wholly and entirely unqualified to perform the duties of
that office so as to insure a proper and energetic conduet
of the war. (Hear.) It was, therefore, with no small
amount of gratification that he found a change of Go-
vernment bad taken place. He was not one of those
who thought that any very great advantage would be
obtained by the removal of the War Minister. He
thought among his class there were to be found very few
better men than the poor Duke of Newcastle, who had,
in his (the gallant General's) opinion, been somewhat
victimised. They had, however, now at the head of
the Government one whose energy was well known, and
one to whom he thought it would bo the duty of Par-
liament and the public to give their most cordial sup-
port. (Hear.) He hoped, and he bad no doubt from
the feelings which had been so strongly indicated, that
the people of England and France would see that no
unsatisfactory peace was patched up, which might in a
few years again lead to a still more severe contest.

LORD BROUGHAM'S BILL FOR THE
SPEEDY TRIAL OF OFFENDERS.

Lord Brougham's new bill for the speedy trial of
offenders has just been printed. It contains 16 clauses,
and recites that in orier in certain cases to insure the
more speedy trial of offenders, and to avoid the evils of
their long;
pedient to allow of such offenders being proceededr
against in a more summary manner than is now by law
provided. In simple larceny cases, where the same is
riot tided with aggravation or violence to property
or the persen, or not committed by a servant, and where
the offender shall not be charged with having been pre-
viously convicted of larceny, the justice in petty ses-
sions, or one magistrate in a metropolitan police court,
may proceed under this act, or may send the offenders
to trial if they elect to be tried by an indictment. They
are to be cautioned as to what they say, and their im-
prisonment is not to exceed three months with or with-
out hard labour. Proceedings under this act are to be
a bar to other proceedings. One justice may remand
and take bail. Witnesses may be summoned, and if
they refuse to attend, a warrant may bo issued to com-
pel their attendance. An allowance for costs, expenses,
and compensation may be made to the extent of 40s. in
each case. The same is to be paid out of the county
rate, and a provision is made with respect to boroughs.
All convictions under the act are to be returned to the
quarter sessions, and the clerk of the peace is to trans-
mit to the Secretary of State a monthly return of the
names, offences, and punishments mentioned in the con-
viction, and such other particulars as may from time to
time be required. Proceedings against persons acting
under this act are to be commenced within three
months. This bill is not to affect the Juvenile Offenders
; Act, or to extend to Scotland or Ireland. In a schedule
annexed to the measure is a form of conviction to be
adopted for offences to be tried under the new law. The
bill is waiting to be read a second time in the House of
Lords.