The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-16 00:00:00

Mostyn ; Ensigns Townsend, 3.0. Ellis, A. '
F. Lambe, H. K. Gould, D. du M. Gunton, C. Tut-
hill, C. F. Powell, J. Gillespie, and J. R. Lotthouse;
Adjt. E. J. Josselyn, Paymaster W. Thompson,
Quartermaster J. Jamieson, Surg. B. Swift, M.D.,
Assist.-Surg. H. H. Mitchel]. The families of the
officers embarked comprised :—Mrs. Major Brsy,
one child, and servant ; Mrs. Capt. E. J. Scovell
and servant, Mrs. Lieut. Grey and servant, Mrs.
Thompson, three children, and servant ; Mrs.
Swift, four children, and two servants; Mrs.
Jamieson, five children, and one servant. The
non-commissioned officers arid men and their
families comprised :-44 sergeants, 19 drum-
mers, 38 corporals, 680 privates, 82 women,
and 98 children. Major Grant, Captains
Kirk, Hogg, and Reid, and Lieut. Johnstone are
absent from the regiment
_on leave, pending ex-
change and retirement. Lieut. E. W. D. Gray is
also absent. It had been understood that the ship
would not sail before Monday morning; but the
embarkation having been effected in such a speedy
manner, and the ME,II, women, arid children having
at once settled down comfortably into their berths,
Capt. Lucy took advantage of the strong fair wind
prevailing, it being fresh from the eastward, and
sailed at 8 o'clock yesterday morning. On arrival
at the Cape of Good Hope the 98th will disembark,
and the Himalaya, receiving a7.1.-4her regiment on
board from the Cape, will convey-it to the Mauri-
tius to relieve a regiment on service there, which
will be conveyed in the Himalaya to the Cape, that
vessel finally concluding her round of service by
bringing to England a regiment from the Cape.
Col. Horne, 2d battalion, 13th Regiment, and wife
are passengers by the Himalaya, to the Mauritius.
The 61st Regiment will arrive at Portsmouth on
Thursday, and, embark on board her Majesty's
screw troopship Megtera, Commander S. H. Hen-
derson, for conveyance to the Channel Islands. The
Megtera will return to Spithead with the 2d batta-
lion of the 18th Regiment on board, which regi-
ment on arrival will be quartered temporarily in
the Parkhurst Barracks, Isle of Wight, and will be
embarked in hired sailing transports at Spithead
for New Zealand about the let proximo.

"' As an illustration of the manner in which this
rule will operate, the case may be taken of a man
sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude. If removed
to a colony he will be so removed after undergoing
about five years of his sentence in this country,
when he may entitle himself at an early period to
the qualified liberty of a ticket of leave, and ~übf3eq-
uewiv to a conditionil pardon ; while if retained
in this country he will be required to undergo at
le,..st seven years and six months, or three-fourths
of his sentence, in imprisonment with hard labour
on public woi ks.
" ' The case of sentences of life requires to be dealt
with separately. They will have to be considered
according to the special circumstances of each case.
Some convicts on whom a life sentence is passed
have been guilty of crimes of such an aggravated
character as to exempt them from the operation of
ordinary rules, and it may be ncesssary to retain
them under restraint during the whole of their sen-
tence. When, however, circumstances may justify
the application to them of the same rules which are
applied to other convicts, it is proposed that in the
event of their removal to a colony such removal shall
not take place until after they have undergone at
least eight years of imprisonment and labour upon
public works in this country; and that if not re-
moved to a colony they shall obtain no remission
until after they have undergone at least 12 years of
their sentence.
" Although there may be cases in which it will
be expedient, in the exercise of the power created
by section 9 of the 16th and 17th of Victoria, c. 99,
to qualify the remission of a portion of the sentence,
by the grant of a licence to be at large in the United
Kingdom or any part thereof, revocable at her Ma-
jesty's pleasure, it is not intended, generally, to
exercise this power in the ease of the remission of a
portion of the sentence to which I have referred.
" In stating the course which it is proposed to
adopt in ordinary cases in giving effect to sentences
of penal servitude, I have thought it unnecessary to
advert to those exceptional cases which must from
time to time occur, in which special circumstances
may justify the exercise of the royal prerogative of
mercy.
" As there is not at this moment any colony open
to the reception of female convicts, the course which
I have indicated as to the removal to a colony of
convicts under sentence of penal servitude is, for
the present at least, applicable only to male convicts.
"' I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedi-
ent humble servant, " G. GREY.' "

Sentence,
Penal

Proportion
which may be
remitted in
case of good
conduct.

Servitude.

Proportion to be undergone.

One sixth
One fifth

Do.
One fourth
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.

One third