The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-30 00:00:00

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ELECTION.

Yesterday morning the election of a knight of the shire
to represent the county of Buckingham, took place in the
County Hall, Aylesbury.
The candidates were Mr. R. B. Harvey, in the Conser-
vative interest, and Dr. Lee on the Liberal side. There were
no demonstrations in the town, for although Mr. Harvey
was met at the George, formerly the scene of county political
gatherings, he was only escorted by a select band of friends
to the County Court. Dr. Lee was also met on his arrival
by many of his friends, who gave him a hearty welcome.
The venerable doctor, who is 82 years of age, was habited
in the old " Whig blue and buff," and presented, as may be
well imagined, a very venerable appearance.
The High Sheriff having opened the proceedings,
Sir PHILIP DUNCOMBE, Bart., came forward to nominate
as a fit and proper person NI represent the county of Bucks,
Mr. Robert Bateson Harvey. He said that, on the part of
himself and his friends, he deplored the melancholy event
that had called them together. For himself and for them all,
he offered their sincere condolences to their late member,
who was a gentleman respeoted by all classes of politioians.
On several occasions he (Sir P. Duncombe) had stood be"
fore them to recommend candidates for the representation
of Bucks, and he was happy to say that it had always been
with the same unvarying result. (Loud cheers.) He was
sure, also, that the gentleman he proposed that day would
be equally successful. It was true that he could not recom-
mend him for his past services, inasmuch as this was the
first time that he had offered himself for the representation
of his native county. For honesty of purpose, however
and for high character, he was sure he might recommend
Mr. Harvey to the electors of the county of Buckingham.
Never, perhaps, was there so great a lull in politics on the
one hand nor, on the other, a greater unanimity ; but at
the same time he did not think that it required much fore-
sight to see that there were many tnrbulent spirits amongst
us who would, if they could, plunge us into all the difficul-
ties of a Litter party warfare. If returned, he should not but
regard it as a triumph of a great constitutional principle.
In the course of his address the speaker alluded to the fact
that the only domestic calamity we had to regret was that
arising out of the distress in the manufacturing districts—
that distress arising out of principles of government which
we in this country had been asked to adopt. [No, no.)
Mr. R. R. CLAYTON seconded the nomination. He spoke
of the urbanity, forbearance, and kind disposition which
had endeared Lord Chesham to all parties in that county,
and elsewhere. He was happy to know that the son, who
succeeded to his titles, also inherited his virtues. (Cheers.)
On the last occasion on which he (Mr. Clayton) stood on
that platform—(A. Voice—" Yes, you were very queerly
treated then")—he was a candidate for the suffrages of the
electors of Aylesbury. On this occasion he had no personal
ambition to gratify, and he had no hesitation in recommend-
ing Mr. Harvey. That gentleman was no friend of abuses,
and no enemy to reform ; on the contrary, he was deter-
mined to support the manufacturing and commercial bate-
rests of this great empire. He wished to say that he be-
lieved a better man than Dr. Lee could not exist ;
but at the same time he thought he entertained
such ideas as rendered him totally unfit to re-
present the county of Buckingham in Parliament.
In fact, the learned doctor's political views were as eratic
as the heavenly bodies he was so much accustomed to
watch—(laughter)—he would have no wine; he could not
bear the fumes of tobacco ; neither a pipe nor a cigar must
come "betwixt the wind and his nobility." He believed
that if Dr. Lee were returned he would do his duty; but
that at the same time no man could be more disappointed
than himself at his success, and no one could be more com-
pletely overwhelmed by sitting in the House of Commons
day and night engrossed by his senatorial honours. Of him
it might indeed be said, in the words of our great poet,
" The wine of life is drawn—mere lees is left."

He sincerely hoped that by the return of such men as Mr.
Harvey, Conservatism -would become the ruling principle
of the Government of this country. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. STUCIIBERY proposed Dr. Leo, whom Mr, WARD
seconded.
The show of hands as in favour of Dr. Lee, and a poll
was granted.

The Recorder of Birmingham on Crime.

At the general quarter sessions of the borough, on
_ _ _

Monday, R. D. Hill, EEq., the Recorder, delivered
the following charge to the grand jury :

Gentlemen,—You have just heard that it is the commend
of her Majesty the Queen that the laws which prohibit idle
and dissolute persons, or indeed any ethers, from drinking
on the Lord's-day to excess must be put into force. I have
great satisfaction in stating that I believe in this borough
these laws are put into force with great rigour, and, I trust,
with corresponding success, but of that I cannot speak of
my own knowledge. I have before me the calendar of the
sessions, which contains 82 names, and I find that of these
82, 35 have been previously convicted. I find that of these
35 seven have had penal servitude, and I also find that, in
addition to the number of prisoners sent for trial at the ses-

alone, there have been since the last sessions 61 male per-
sons and 20 females convicted under the Summary Juris-
diction Acts—that is to say, those acts which give to the

magistates the power of disposing of cases, sentencing the
guilty and acquitting the innocent without the intervention
of a jury. It was very right and prudent on the part of th 43
legislature to limit the powers given to magistrates to exer-
cise them without the assistance and safeguard of a jury
within tolerably close restrictions, but I think we may new

say that the experience of many years has shown that there
is no disposition on the part of justices of the peace to
press the laws unfairly and with over severity against those
prisoners who are thus entrusted to their charge. And
could wish they were armed with more power—that is to
say, that the sentences which they can inflict should be of
longer duration than they are enabled to pass at the present
time. Gentlemen, I believe that the danger, as I stated at
the last sessions, is rather that justices of the peace should
not give way to their humane feelings too much than that
they should overstrain the laws with undue severity against
the prisoner. Whether it be the fault of the law which too
much narrows the power of the justices, or whether it be
from that sort of humanity to which I have just adverted, I
cannot say, but so it is, that the terms of confinement are
too short, and being too short, the result is that prisoners
come again, and again, and again, so that in this long list
which I have before me I find cases in which prisoners
have been previously convicted, either before justices or at
the sessions or the assizes, many times before they come
here on the present occasion for trial. I have before me the
record of a female prisoner who has been previously con-
victed eight times before she comes up on the present occa-
sion. Now, gentlemen, these facts show that punishments
as they are now administered are far from being so effective
for the repression of crime as we could wish, or, indeed, as
we have a right to demand, if there be any possibility of
obtaining it, for the protection of our families, ourselves,
our friends, and our neighbours. It is, indeed, melancholy
to think that more than one-third of the prisoners who are
waiting their trials have already been convicted. They
have already felt the visitation of the law; they have already
known what it is to be guilty, and to suffer punishment for
their guilt, but they are not reformed ; and, gentlemen, my
experience is that a prisoner who is not reformed by being
sent to gaol is made worse. No man, no woman, can come
out of gaol the same being he or she was when they went
iothutgr againe
greater piotwhe a
r
into gaol—they are either better or they are worse. If the
discipline which the law has appointed, and which has been
administered upon them, has not had the effect of preventing
a repetition of their offences, why they must become more
hardy, more ready to offend again; while they have gained
experience, through the previous offences which they have
as
committed, of how such offences are to be committed with
safety. The consequence is, they come
greater determination to do wrong, and
of doing wrong with impunity. Not but that they will be
at w
overtaken at last ; but my inquiries have lad me to believe
itandaetetdh,erine
eivsearylaortgheercicaosusutorfyp,
who
onhve kill and cunning
s always in this, and,
enough to commit crime with impunity for a very long time
--sometimes for years, sometimes for many years. Again,
there is an offence which it is thought is peculiar to the
town, of Birmingham, and that is the offence of passing bad
money. When I say peculiar to Ihe town, I do net mean
that it is supposed to be exclusiv y practised in this town,
but we have credit given us for a very large number of
offenders of this class. I believe there is some degree—and
some considerable degree--of popular exaggeration in this
opinion; and in corroboration of that view, I am happy to
tell you that on the present occasion there is not one single
charge of that kind to be brought before you. lam glad
of this, because I take rather a more serious view, perhaps,
of these offences than that generally held. I consider it an
a very nefarious kind. I consider that the passing
offence of
of bad money presses very hard indeed upon the poorer
classes of shopkeepers, who can ill afford such losses as I
have often seen it proved they have sustained in the trials
which have taken place in this court. Now, gentlemen, it
is satisfactory, and it is very much to the credit of the police,
that it should have been found SO dangerous to commit
these offences, at least in this town, that if the offenders
still persevere in their evil courses they, at all events, think
it necessary to go away from a place where they are ea
vigilantly watched. But, gentlemen, there is another
offence of a more heinous nature, more dangerous, and
producing more misery than the one I have mentioned,
and which I am sorry to say is very rife among the people
of this town—l allude to the offence of embezzlement.
I have in the present calendar nine cases of embezzle-
ment to be tried before you. When we remember that a
person who embezzles is one who, up to the period of his
being apprehended and brought under the cognizance
of the law, is a person of character—not one of that
class who is under suspicion, and carefully watched by the
police; but one moving among you, and, if he is in you-