The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-31 00:00:00

Mr. P. THOMSON said that as there was no ques-
tion before the House, he could only say that if the Hon.
Member foe Middlesex would bring forward some plan, er
suggest a plan, he (Mr. Thomson) would be prepared to
show that this case had nothing whatever to do with that
which had been brought before the House last year, and
whkh bad been alluded to in the course of the evening. If
the Hon. Member would make a motion on the subject, he
(14e. Thomson) would be prepared to meet it.
Mr. R. WASON wished the Right lion. Gentleman
would adopt some mode which should meet with the sanc-
tion of the whole House.
Mr. P. THOMSON said that a motion had been made
for referring these questions to the Committee which sat
for the revision of the Standing Orders- fie thought,
however, that it would be extremely unadvisable to impose
fresh labours on that Committee. He could give no
pledge whatever on the subject.
CHURCH-RATES.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY wished to ask the Noble Lord
the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was
the precise form of the motion which he intended to submit
to the House on Thursday next respecting Church-rates ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he would postpone his
motion to Thursday s.e'nnight. The words of the motion
were quite ready, but he would consider them further before
he put the motion on paper.
Mr. HARVAY said that when the Noble Lord brought
forward his motion he would move, by way of amendment,
‘• That it is the opinion of the House that the collection of
Church-rates do altogether cease from a particular day, to
be deternaLiecl by law."
LEGION IN SPAIN.
Mr. P. BORTH WICK wished to put a question to the
Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, whom he saw
in hi; place. He wished to ascertain whether the Noble
Lord had received any official information, either in confir-
mation or in contradiction, of the reported massacre of several
defenceless prisoners in the fortress of lrun, said to have
been committed by. the British Legion, under the command
of General Evans--(Loud cries of " Oh, oh !")—he begged
to add, contrary to General Evans's orders, and his anxious
and praiseworty exertions ?
Lord PALMERSTON said that he was sure it must
lo a satisfaction to the Hon. Gentleman to hear that the
report had not the slightest foundation.--(Loud cheers.)
On the contrary, the troops of the Legion, though they
knew that at the previous capture of Irun five or six of
their countrymen, who unfortunately fell into the hands of
the C.irlists, had been shot, the men of the Legion, ne-
ver.heless, showed the most exemplary and praiseworthy
forbearance ; and after the confusion of the first assault
all the prisoners were trated with that courtesy and kind-
ness which had always characterised British soldiers.—
( Loud cheers.)
Mr. BORTHWICK said that the information was so
far satisfactory.—(Loud cries of " order, order," and
" spoke.") He rose to give a notice. He was satisfied
with the information he had received in the first place ; and
in the next he begged to give notice to the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, seeing his (Mr. Borthwick's) Hon. and
Learned Friend the Member for Oxford (Mr. Maclean)
had given notice of a motion for the repeal of the Four-and
a-Half per Cent. duties—(Loud laughter)—in as far as
the island of Barbadoes was concerned, he (Mr. Borth-
wick) would move, on the bringing up of the Budget, the
repeal of those duties as far as concerned the Leeward Is-
lands alto.4ether.
Mr. MACKINNON begged to say that he had given
precisely the same notice a quarter of an hour ago.
GLASGOW ELECTION.—BREACH OF
PRIVILEGE
On the motion of Sir J. GRAHAM, the Order of the
Day was read, by which the messenger of the Crown-office
and the Deputy Postmaster-General were ordered to attend
at the Bar of the House, to be examined on the subject of
the Glasgow Writ of Election. The parties having appeared
at the bar,
The SPEAKER proceeded to examine the first in
the following terms. What is your name?—William
Sparrow.
What situation do you fill ?—I am the Deputy Messenger
of the Great Seal.
Sir J. GRAHAM then proceeded to examine the wit-
ness as follows :—Do you recollect the 17th of May last?
---i do.

Were you on that day sent with a writ from the Crown
office ?—I was.
By whom were you sent ?—By the Clerk of the Crown.
office.

where were you sent ?—To the Lord Chancellor's, to
get the writ sealed.
What hour did you leave the Crown-office at ?—At six
o'clock, or five minute's after.
Where did you go from the Crown-office ?—To the Lord
Chancellor's private residence.
Did you find the Lord Chancellor there ?—No.
From the information you received where did you then
go ?—To Wimbledon ?
To whom did you there deliver the writ ?—To the foot-
man.

What hour was it then ?—.lt was five minutes past seven
o'clock.
How long were you detained there ?—lt was a quarter
past seven when I left the Lord Chancellor's house.
Did the same person return to you the writ to whom
you delivered it 7—No; it was a person who sealed it that
returned it ?
Were you present when the writ was sealed ?—Yes.
Was it done in the presence of the Lord Chancellor ?--
No,

Who gave you the writ before you left the house ?
The sealer.
Were there any directions given with it 2—No direc-
tions were given.
Had directions been previously given at the Crown of-
fice ?—The direction was, that when a writ was delivered
to me, it was my business to get it sealed and deliver it at
the Post-office,
\Vas that all the instruction you had ?—Yes.
Was any special instruction given ?—No.
The writ was delivered sealed to you at a quarter past
seven—what did you then do ?—I went direct to the Post-
office as fast as I could.
What time did you arrive there ?—At twenty minutes
past eight o'clock.
Were the mails gone?—They were.
Al! of them ?—I believe so.
Upon your arrival at the Post-office for whom did you
inquire ?—For the clerk in waiting.
Had you no other instruction of any kind ? I had no
instructions at all.

Had you instructions providing for the mails having
gone ?—Not any.
Did you act under general instructions, without any
special direction ?—Quite so?
Upon your arrival at the Post office for whom did you
Inquire ?—For the clerk in waiting.
What is his name ?—John Drew.
Were you shown up to him directly?—l was.
When you came into the room what did you do ?---I gave
him the writ.
Did he give you a receipt ?—Yes.
Have you got the receipt ?—Yes.
The receipt was handed in to the cleric of the House and
read ; it was as fr;dows

1h of May, 1, 20 mnutes afr 8.
" Received 'from the Deputy 837
Messeng minutes after 8.
Received from the I)eputy Messenger of the Great
Seal a writ, addressed to the Sheriff of Lanarkshire, for the
election. of a burgess for the city of Glasgow.

" JOHN DREW."
The witness was then ordered to withdraw.
The next witness was then called, and examined by the
SPEAKER as follows :
What is your name ?—John Drew.
How are you employed ?—ln the Post-office.
What situation do you hold ?—I am a clerk.
Sir J. GRAHAM—Arc you the deputy appointed by
the Postmaster- General to receive writs ?—On certain
nights I am.

What is the nature or the appointment—is it in writ-
ing ?—I wait there one night in the week.
Are you appointed by the Postmaster-General to receive
writs ?—I am.

Is the appointment for life ?—lt is only part of my duty.
The SPEAKER—Is your appointment in writing ?—lt
is not expressly in that way.
Sir J. GRAHAM—Are you the officer appointed in
all eases to receive writs ?—No.
Is there such an appointment, or does it vary ?—There
is no special appointment to receive writs.
Do you remember the 17th of May last?—Yes, very
vrell.

Were there any special directions given with regard to
the receipt of the writ that day ?—There was a note writ-
ten by Mr. Stanley to Colonel Moberly, which, in the
absence of Colonel Moberly, I opened.
Have you got that note ?—No.
Who has ?—I gave it to Colonel Moberly.
When ?—Thc., morning after the writ was sent off, on
Thursday.
What was the substance of that note, do you recollect ?
Mr. O'CONNELL—Have you a copy of it ?—No.—
(Cries of " order," and cheers.)
Si. J. GRAHAM—Can you state the substance of
the note ?—lt said that a writ was to be received that.
evening, and that if it were not received before the Glas-
gow mail bad started, to forward it by express, if prac-
ticable.

Is your memory so correct as to say these were the pre-
cisewords ?—Yes, I think so.

Was there anything else There was something else,
but it was of no importance.
Did it relate to the subject of sending the writ ?—Yes.
Will you state what that addition was ?
Sir J._ WROTTESLEY made some observations, and
the witness was ordered to withdraw,