The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-16 00:00:00

BILL.

On the motion of Sir JAMES GRAHAM the fur-
ther consideration of the report of this Bill was deferred
to Tuesday, the 28th May next.
Sir G. CLERK presented a petition from some place
in Argyleshire, praying for additional Church Extension
in Scotland ; and also praying for the establishment of
additional schoo's in the Highlands.
Mr. PRAED begged to ask the Noble Lord the
Secretary for the Home Department, whether he would
have any objection to the production of the proceedings
of a Cabinet Council held on Saturday last ? The Noble
Lord had placed the House in possession of a portion of
the proceedings that then took place ; it would be most
desirable to place upon the table of the House the
whole of the minutes of that Council.
Lord J. RUSSELL objected to lay the document
to which the Hon. Member referred upon the table of
the House.—(lle.i, hear.)
COLONEL PRINCE.
Mr. HU 'ME begged to ask whether any answer had
b'cn received as to the inquiry into the conduct of Colo-
nel Prince, who was reported to have shot some prisoners
in Canada ?

Mr. LABOUCHERE regretted he had not been
previously apprised of the question. As the question
was one of the greatest public importance, and which had
caused a very great degree of excitement in Canada and
the United States, and as great exaggeration and misre-
presentation existed, he trusted the House would allow
him to state exactly what the fiws were.—(Hear, hear.)
The House would recollect that in the month of De-
cember last the province of Upper Canada was invaded
by 4U) armed men. from America, who committed the
greatest excesses within. the colony. They began by
shooting and setting fire to the houses of the peaceable
inhabitants. They committed barbarities and atrocities
wiaieh would have disgraced any country in the world.
) MC persons whom they killed they mangled in the most
1 cruel and sl:ocking manner. Such was the conduct of
Ithat body of men, the militia of the United States, under
time-orders of Calonel Prince turned out to oppose the
1 ievasioa. Alter a short action the invaders were de-
-1 flidted, and the outrages suppressed. After describing
the events of the action, Colonel Prince said that four
prisoners were brought in and shot by his orders. Be-
si .C 3 tiiii statement, a representation was made and
signed by a considerable number of the inhabitants,
adding that they were put to death, with many circum-
stances of great inhumanity. The consequence was,
that the Lieutenant-Governor referred the whole sub-
ject to a Court of Inquiry, presided over by officers of
the'regular army. The result of that inquiry had been,
that while all these circumstances of aggravation and
inliumauity had been disproved, and it was further
'stated that these imputations were not only false, but
fOurided upon personal ill-will towards Colonel Prince,
the fact remained undisputed that Col. Prince did,
after the engagement, order these four persons to he
summarily put to death. He would not enter into the
question which had been raised whether it was strictly
'legal that persons who had committed such atrocious
acts, who had invaded a friendly territory, were or were
not beyond the pile of the laws of order
which regulate the war of civilized nations.—( Hear,
hear.) But this he was prepared to say, that
having stated these circumstances of palliation which
might be justly urged, that not one word of defence or
justification of such conduct should ever pass his lips.
He deeply regretted that such an event should have
happened, and he trusted the House would be satisfied
with a pledge, on the part of the Government, that no
means should be left untried to prevent the possibility of
such an outrage being committed again.
Mr. HUME merely asked whether the papers de-
tailing this transaction would be laid before the House,
as it was a transaction not only affecting the honour of
the army, but which had produced an intense sensation
throughout the United States.
Mr. LABOUCHERE was not prepared to lay
.those papers before the House.