The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARL.

ROUSE OF LORDS—Last Evening,
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
ai
the usual hour.

ROYAL COMMISSION.
The Royal Assent was given by commission to the fol
lowing bills :
Exchequer Bonds (81,000,000)
Consolidated Fund (R 20,000,000)
Inclosnre
Local Government Act (1858) Amendment
Workington Dock
Van Dieman's Land Company
Aylesbury Markets
Denbigh Water
North Brierly Gas
St. Asaph Road
Vale of Llangollen Railway
Peterborough Cattle Markets
Caledonian Railway (Carstairs and Dolphinton Branch:
Candonian Railway (improvements &c.)
Baby Railway
Pet &trice anti St. Just Roads
Cleeve and Evesham Road
Hamilton Water
Flint, Holy well, and Mostyn Roads
Cleveland Railway
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Rugby Water
Whittle Dean Water
Great Grimsby Water
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The St. Luke's (Middlesex) Workhouse and Vestry Hall,
the Loughborough, Ashley de la Zouch, and Rempstone
Road, the Norwich Poor, the Cheltenham Roads, the Mer-
sey Docks and Harbour Board, and the Llanelly Railway
Dock Bills were read a second time.
The Vale of Neath Railway Bill, the Buchley Railway
Bill, the Metropolitan Railway Bill, the Wear Navigation
and Sunderland Decks Bill, the Marshland Smeeth and
Fen Drainage Bill (amendments) were read a third time
and passed.
THE CASE OF MR. BISHOP.

The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petition
from the Rev. Alfred Bishop, rector of Martyr Worthy,
in the diocese of Winchester, and called the attention of
the house to the proceedings of her Majesty's Go-
vernment and their local agents in reference to the
case of the petitioner's son, Mr. James Bishop,
now a prisoner in the fortress of Alexandria undergoing a
sentence of 10 years' imprisonment. The noble lord stated
the circumstances connected with the arrest of Mr, Bishop
in the neighbourhood of Caprera a short time after he had
quitted Naples, on suspicion of being in communication
with Francis 11. He was forcibly taken prisoner by the
Italian authorities, and all requests for an interview with the
British Consul were refused, and all because he was sus-
pected of being an enemy to united Italy. The British
Consul, he said, on being made acquainted with the arrest
never troubled himself about the circumstance, but on the
contrary, treated the whole affair with studied neglect. Mr.
Bishop, he contended, had not received the protection
he had a right to expect and receive, and he hoped their
lordships would take the petition into their consideration,
the prayer of which was for further inquiry into the cir-
cumstanees under which the sentence was passed, or to
adopt such other steps for his son's relief as the house
might think fit.
The Duke of SUTHERLAND said he saw Mr. Bishop
in prison in February last. (Hear, hear.) He had a beau-
tiful view of the Bey f Naples therefrom, a bed, two arm-
chairs, and, best of all, a tub. (Laughter.) He was allowed
books ; and when he (the Duke of Sutherland) asked why
this indulgence was given him, he was told Mr. Bishop was
weak in the head and a friend of the Marquis of Normanby.
(Renewed laughter.) He would recommend the noble
marquis to go to Naples and speak with Mr. Bishop; he
would then take a less active part in defending him in that
house. (A laugh.)
The Earl of HARDWICKE thought if the noble duke
who had just slAken considered his language he would
admit it was worthy of condemnation. Might not the noble
earl the Secretary for Foreign Affairs urge that Mr.
Bishop had already received as much punishment as he
would have been visited with if he committed the offence in
this country ? If this prayer was not powerful enough
to release him for his light offence the influence of Eng-
land must be very smell in Italy. (Hear, hear.)
Earl GREY said he could not listen to his noble friend
stating this to be a legal offence without entering his pro-
test. If after the Revolution in this country an Italian had
been caught carrying letters from the Stuart Pretender in
the Highlands to the French Court at St. Germans, would
not the fact of carrying these letters be considered an overt
act of treason ? (Hear.) And would any foreign interven-
tion have saved the offender from the gallows ? (Hear,
hear.) If a prayer of mercy were addressed in the present
case it might be listened to ; but to say we should go fur-
ther, and claim a remission of punishment on the part of a
person who committed an offence of this kind was absurd.
He could make allowance for a person acting on behalf of a
Government which he considered a righteous one, but this
was not the case with Mr. Bishop. It was impossible for
any man who had at heart the freedom and liberty of man-
kind, not to take a deep interest in the experiment at pre-
sent going on in Italy. (Cheers.) When their lordships re-
membered how many years Naples was under a tyranny—a
tyranny the worst on the face of the earth—(hear, hear)—
which of them would not sympathise with the efforts of the
entire of Italy to unite herself under one free constitution ?
(Cheers.) Was not this a question as important for the world
at large as for the Italian nation itself? It was, then, hard
that the worst interpretation should be put on the acts of
the agents of the Italian Government. (Hear.) He confessed
he looked with astonishment at the rapid progress made by
that nation ; it certainly contrasted with the slow progress
made by Great Britain after the ti evolution of 1688. The
Parliament at Turin was now carrying on business in a man-
ner which commanded the admiration of the world. (H ear,
hear.) Steps were taken to consolidate the laws, and there
was much
.to inspire them with great hopes for the future.
He therefore thought that many of the observations made
in that house on the state of Italy were hardly fair.
The Earl of CARNARVON said he agreed with what
Earl Grey had said on the nature of Mr. Bishop's offence,
but thought that the Government of this country should
see that he obtained a fair trial, and that his sentence was
not disproportionate to his offence. He (Earl of Carnarvon)
thought there wasnonnfairness of trial, but rather a strain-
ing of the law in this case ; and looking at the state of Mr.
Bishop's health, and that he was an English subject and
could do no mischief, he ought not to have been condemned
to the galleys for ten years, which was equivalent to a sen-
tence of death.
Earl RUSSELL having expressed much sympathy with
Mr. Bishop's family, and detailed thenatureof Mr. Bishop's
illness, said that gentleman was a most unfortunate person
in mixing himself up in the troubles of Italy ; and, more-
over. in having his noble friend the Marquis of Normanby
as an advocate in that house. (Laughter.) The Italian
Government would naturally say, "We are obliged to
punish persons conspiring against our government. We
cannot show particular favour to Englishmen:or Frenchmen,
for we should lay ourselves open to the suspicion of giving
them a favour which we would not show to Italians." He
(Earl Russell) wished, however, to show that from the first
no exertions had been wanting on his part. On April 11,
1862, a letter from Mr. Bishop was published, showing that
he was anested. On the 15th, Sir J. Hudson got instruc-
tions to attend the trial, and urged that Mr. Bishop should
have a speedy trial. He wa- brought to trial, and found
guilty of conspiracy. The noble marquis said the offence
was not sufficient, and that he was convicted against
evidence. (Hear, hear.) Bat he (Earl Russell) begged
their lordships not to make that house a court
of review on the Courts of Italy. (Cheers.) There were
three questions put on the trial to the jury. Was Mr.
B:shop guilty of conspiracy ? Was he guilty of endeavour-
ing to make others enter into the conspiracy ? Did he use
outrage us language or not ? On these three points the jury
found him guilty. el gninst that conviction there was an ap-
peal lodged, and the sentence was confirmed. It was Lot
then right, on the faith of the counsel for the defence, to
arraign the conclusion arrived at by this jury. He had re
ceived a letter from Mr. Panizzi, of the British Museum, in
which he stated that he attended many trials at Naples_ and
was asteniehed at the impartiality of the judges and the fair-
ness of
.the juries, and that inquiries led him to think that
Mr. Bishop's trial wes conducted with the same fair-
ness on the part of the juries and impartiality of the judges.
As soon as Mr. Bishop was convicted, he was sentenced,
Sept. 6, to 10 years' imprisonment with hard labour. The
noble earl then referred to the attempt made by Mr. Bishop,
at the instigation of third partial,rtolinduce Prince Torelli, a
nobleman remarkable for his liberal opfintibons, to engage in a
conspiracy against the Government o
especially dwelling on the circumstance of the King
l(ing of Italy,
people en -
el ease, urin g to get Mr. Bishop to do what they we
the re afraid
dt
letter
do themselves. The noble earl ridiculed the ideaekfe
emanated
merely Mr. Bishop wrote upon the occasion havine
merely from an idle curiosity to know whether IPce To-
relli could be induced to commit treason. Such a view of the
easo might be put forward by Mr, Bishop's counsel, but it
could not proceed from any one else. The noble earl then re-
counted the efforts which her Majesty's Government had
made from the moment they heard of the condemnation of
Mr. Bisbep to procure, in the first instance, his pardon,
and then a partial remission of his sentence. 'I hey had sue-
ceded in releasing him from the galeys and in getting
rid of the addition i f bard labour to the term of impri-
sonment; they had induced the Italian Government to
al er the determination to confine him in the fortress of
Alexandria, at the foot of the Appennines ; and they in-
fluenced his removal to the infirmary, where he was at pre-
sent confined (so we understood) ; and, above all, they had
obtained an assurance from the Italian Government that
Mr. Bishop would be pardoned when the fitting time came.
(Cheers.) Web, that being so, how could her Majesty's
Government be accused of having been indifferent as to the
fate of Mr. Bishop ? hear.) On the other hand,
Mr. Bishop had undoubtedly engaged himself in a treason-
able conspiracy ; an i every one knew that the man who
engaged in a treasonable conspiracy did so at his own risk,
Oa that part of the case he had only to express a hope that,
in the interest of Mr. Bishop, the noble marquis, who was
r*etaaded as so formidable an opponent of the Italian Go-
vern
ment, would abstain for the future from all interference
in
the matter. (Rear, hear.) The noble earl then refer-
ring to the noble enamreocuisd's llusion to the society in which.
he (Eaei Russsell)
Italy together, said thatat a time when they were both in
there could be no doubt upon this
point, whatever there might be as to others, that,two
ofthe