The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-11 00:00:00

PRISON DIETARY.:

Mr. BUXTON asked the Secretary of State for the Home
Department whether his attention had been drawn to a
statement recently made by Mr. E. Chadwick, before the
Society of Arts, that "taking 104 prison returns, which
enabled a comparison of the twenty gaols where the expense
and the quantity of the diet were the lowest, the twenty
where the expense and the quantity of the diet were the
highest, and the twenty where they were intermediate, the
results came out as follows :

20 Loweot 20 Inter-
Prison mediate 20
Diets. Diets. Highest.
Ounces of solid food per week 188 213 228
Cost per head per week
Sick per cent 3 18 231
Deaths per 1,000
and whether he would cause any inquiry to be made on the
subject'

Sir G. GREY said he had not seen the statement re-
ferred to, and he could not say on what grounds it had
been founded, but the subject should be investigated.

RIFLE VOLUNTEERS.
Mr. BENTINCK asked the Under Secretary of State
for 'War, upon what grounds the prayer of a petition to the
War-office from four companies of Rifle Volunteers, viz.,
the sth, 16th, 17th, and 23d, raised in the county of Nor-
folk, the petition praying that according to the War-office
regulations these four companies should be formed into a
separate administrative battalion, and having been pre-
sented to the War-office by the Lord Lieutenant of the
county of Norfolk was refused ?
The Marquis of lIARTINGTON said that under the
present regulations battalions should be composed of six
companies.

SUB-INSPECTORS OF FACTORIES.
Lord J. MANNERS asked the Secretary of State for
the Home Department what steps, if any, had been taken
to comply with the requests contained in the memorial of
the sub-inspectors of factories presented to him last year ?
Sir G. GREY said that the subject had been brought
under the consideration of the Government, and on a future
occasion he would make a statement on the subj ect.
CONCENTRATION OF THE COURTS OF
JUSTICE.
Mr. A. MILLS asked the First Commissioner c f
Work; whether it was intended to introduce any
measure during the present session for the concentra-
ration of the courts of justice: And whether his atten-
tion had been called to the serious depreciation of property
on the site recommended by the Commissioners of 1859, in
consequence of the uncertainty which had prevailed during
the lasi; three years as to the intentions of the Government
on the subject ?
Mr. COW PER said that he was unable to give a full
explanation on the subject at present, but hoped shortly to
be able to satisfy the hon. member.
Mr. TRACEY asked the Secretary of the Admiralty
whether, having regard to the demand for lieutenants as
gunnery instructors having become so much greater than
the supply, that during the last five years no officer had been
allowed to remain in the school of gunnery long enough to
obtain a competent knowledge of the subject, it was the in-
tention of the Admiralty to hold cut any inducements to
officers to qualify as instructors ?
Lord C. PAGE I: said that at present he could not state
the intentions of the Admiralty, but he trusted he should
be able to do so on a future occasion.
Sir R. CLIFTON asked the Under Secretary of State
for War, by whose authority an order has been made in the
storekeeper's department of the R )yal Military Clothing
Depot at Pimlico, by which the pensioner clerks, non-
commissioned officers, are required to apply for a pass for
the police on accidentally leaving the building, the same
order not existing in the other branches of the establish-
ment ?
The Marquis of HARTINGTON said the clerks were
not required to apply for passes, and they had only to give
their names to the porter's clerk in passing through the
building.
THE RECENT CASES OF ALLEGED STAR-
VATION.
In reply to Lord ROBERT CECIL,
Sir G. GREY said he could not then state what
measures would be adopted in reference to this subject.
REGIUS PROFESSOR OF GREEK IN THE UNI-
VERSITY OF OXFORD.

Mr. G. CLIVE asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Government
to make any provision for placing the stipend of the Regius
Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford on a proper
footing, he being appointed by the Crown.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
there was no fund at the disposal of Government available
for this purpose.
THE PENAL SERVITUDE BILL.
In reply to Sir J. PAKINOTON,
Sir G. GREY said the further consideration of this bil
should stand over until Thursday next.
THE GOVERNMENT ANNUITIES BILL.—STATE-
MENTS OF THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EX-
CHEQUER.
Mr. SHERIDAN drew the attention of the house to
the statements of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in regard to the British Provident Society, which
he opined were quite unfounded. That society was estab-
lished only eight years, and had regularly registered their
balance sheets. The action to which the right hon. gen-
tleman referred was not an issue sent to a jury, but merely
a question tried before the Court of Chancery between the
official manager and a shareholder, and there was no
foundation for the statement that the shareholders of
the society were obliged to apply to the Court of Chancery
for protection for their policies. He vindicated himself from
personal allusions which had been made to him, and he
trusted he should not again be called on to make any
further statement on this subject.
The CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER said he
would refer to the documents on which his statements had
been founded, and, if in error, he would be prepared to cor-
rect himself.

THE STATE OF THE NA.VY,
Mr. H. BERKELEY drew the attention ot the house
to the defective state of the armament of the navy. He
said that an improvement had taken place in the building
of ships, but he could not say the same with regard to their
armament, which he contended was in a defective state.
He contrasted the superiority in this department of the
Russian and American nations, referring particularly to
the feats performed by the Alabama and of the Russians
during the Crimean war. He strongly condemned the
wholesale adoption of the Armstrong guns, and entered
into different details in illustration ot his views.
THE PRINCE CONSORT AND THE LIVELY.
Sir J. ELPHIN STONE asked the Secretary to the Ad-
miralty the circumstances under which her Majesty's ship
the Prince Consort was ordered to Liverpool in November
last, the state of the ship when the orders reached Devon-
port, and various other particulars. The host. baronet also
asked some questions relating to her Majesty's gunboat the
Lively, which had been ordered last November to the North
Sea, to relieve certain vessels which were blown about by
the heavy gales which prevailed at that time. The result
was what might be expected would befal a vessel so totally
unfit for performing such a duty as the Lively. He wished
to know who was responsible for the loss of this vessel, and
for sending the Prince Consort to Liverpool, when in an in-
complete state, by which she was put in jeopardy. He be-
lieved that both vessels were sent on those expeditions, the
one to oblige probably a member of Parliament, and the
other for the purpose of "bunkum," to show the Americans
that there was a determination to detain the steam rams.
(A laugh.)
CASE OF HENRY CARLETON THOMAS'

Sir J. PAKINGTON called the attention of the house