The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-10 00:00:00

Society for the Prevention of Infanticide.

A meeting of the members of this society was
held yesterday, at the offices, 10, Craven-street,
Strand, for the purpose of considering the best
means to be adopted to suppress the evil in con-
nection with which the society had been established.
Mr. J. O'Neill occupied the chair. The Chairman
commenced the proceedings by reading a paper
having reference to the present state of the law as
regarded child murder. He contended that an ap-
plication should be made to Parliament for an addi-

tion to a clause in the Act relating to capital punish-
ment, which would enable juries to return verdicts
of guilty, with extenuating circumstances, in all
cases where a mother had killed her child in or
before the agonies of unaided parturition could,
have subsided. That system was adopted in France
and worked well. The case to be dealt with was
one of temporary insanity, and as in such cases cul-
prits were respited from the penalty of an ordinary
murder, so he thought should that act of mercy be
conceded to females under the circumstances he had

indicated. He argued, also, that the reeommenda-

tions to mercy under the present system were un-
certain in their results, and the frequency of a::
crimr_
quittals, originating in humanity, encouraged
The truth of that opinion was made manifest ever!.
day, and therefore it was he made the presentr!:a
posal. Mr. G. Brooke complimented the chairman
iinwaia
on his paper, but considered that one of theide was
causes of the present prevalence of infan.toebecame
the poor-law system. The poor girls n
~„r in
the work.
if :If,, this fact would
unfortunate,instead of finding a shen;couragement,
houses and receiving counsel
and;ed, treated as
were driven from them, or,
criminals and outcasts. He 012.1:07, Papers were
not be lost sight of by the 800
A '
'
lir. Fleming, and
0.
then read by Mr. A.ll "3iron,
the reception of females
whose main features
Mr. Duncan, the secrettar:,
-f asylums, under well-
were the establishm7
for
h,ebeohthildfarethnerbeainntd.
organised managcruel:y, for whom on their recovery
bast.thadardttoYnPoavvy
in a state of pregnan „trcical:Aitm
to contribute to their sup-
situationq should be r
mother being Compelled
also recommended an alteration in the
a larger sum for its mainte-
putati
"c"h" "
presenvto
After discussion, the Proceedings terminated with
a vote of thanks to the chaff: roan.
child _

TIlk; CR AWLEY CASE —SOUTHAMPTON, Fe iday.—
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Ceylon, which arrived here this morning with the Bombay
and nnuritius mails hnq amono.st her passengers 60 soldiers
and 13 officers who have arrived from Indiato give evi-
dence on the trial of Colonel Crawley by court-martial, for
cruelty to
Sergeant-Major Lilley. All the fore part of the
C.nylon was occupied by the soldiers. The non-commis-
gloried officers had first-class accommodation on board the
Ceylon. Some of the soldiers have been very ill on board,
and one private nearly died from dysentery. Another batch
of witnesses will arrive home in the Poonab, (Inc about a
week hence. Nearly 150 witnesses will come home fromldt
India to give evidence on the trial. Colonel Crawley 5
Alexandria for England in the Marseilles packet.anl,l
1,01.
described as a stout, tall man, with a grey beard,
sv_gabeen
tween fifty and sixty years of age. Complaintsi h
hfaedr tor every man
made that the Indian authorities had not
witnesses, the home government teleg P_
r'andirectly connected.
to be cent home who was directly or
Alley.
with the treatment of Sergeant-Msjo selected the