The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING. FEBRUARY 23, 1863.

charged with outraging the better feelings of
humanity, and who have exerted their strength for
the cruel object of crushing the weak and helpless
that the laws of GOD and man alike call upon them
to protect Really there never will be any check
to crime while such extraordinary notions prevail
in regard to criminals as abound nowadays, and
exercise such a pernicious influence on men from
whose sense and good feeling we should have ex-
pected better things. It would be well if the
Attorney- General and those who followed him in op.
posing this measure had looked from the immediate
object to the ultimate consequences, and have turned
their attention from the prisons, where the offenders
were to be treated with such leniency, to the homes
where the injured wife and cruelly treated child
were languishing. How encouraging for the con-
victed was it to know that Parliament will not in-
cress the punishment for their offences however
aggravated they may be, how sad for the victim,
to be told that care and consideration can only in-
fluence law-makers so far as they appertain to
the treatment of evil doers. Nothing could have
been more temperate than the means suggested
by Lord RivNilAm. After expressing his regret
that his numerous efforts to amend the law had
not as yet succeeded, he urged the desirability of
giving to magistrates the power of inflicting cor-
poral punishment on persons convicted of aggravated
assaults on women and children. In consideration
of the many adverse opinions en this subject, how-
ever, both in the house, and out of doors, his lord-
hhip only proposed that the extreme penalty should
be inflicted on those who were convicted for the
third time. Mr. BENTINCIE, in supporting the
measure, made a very sensible speech, and the
smartness of his repartees must have been any-
thing but pleasant to the Attorney-General. He
advised the hon. and learned member who ob-
jected so strongly to the reintroduction of any
bill into the House to turn his attention to the
members below the gangway, who were con-
stantly in the habit of bringing in the bills that
had been rejected. The remarks of the hon. and
learned member might be applied also to a new
Reform Bill. Mr. BENTINCY considered that
" there were people who could only be
taught the enormity of their conduct, and
the necessity of reforming by physical suffering."
Although again unsuccessful in his laudable efforts,
it must be a satisfaction to Lord RAYNHAM to have
entered anew his protest against such unseemly
violence on one hand, and such insufficient means
of checking it on the other. Many other questions
of more importance than this one, estimable as are
its ends, have had to be fought for, again and again,
until the good sense of the communi, y at last has
insured their success. So it will doubtless prove in
this instance, but in the meantime great merit is
due to Lord RAYNHAM for his praiseworthy per-
sistence in these endeavours to succour the feeble
and oppressed. To help those who cannot help
themselves, and to use every effort to rescue
the tyrannised over and trampled upon is
a worthy motive for exertion, and one with
which Englishmen have ever been ready to sym-
pathise. It is the lasting honour and abiding merit
of Lord SHAFTESBURY that ht! devoted so much
time and ldbJur for the protect ion of females and
children, and his efforts, though slighted and op
posed at first, were at last successful, and have
proved of great benefit to those concerned. Lord
RAYNHAM may beencouraged by his example to pro-
ceed in a like worthy course, and we trust that the
day may not be far distant when the voice of reason
shall prevail to make justice more efficient in put-
ting down cruelty, which is one of the most revolt-
ing crimes that can disgrace humanity, and for
which those most prone to make excuses for criminals
can find no excuse, and urge no extenuating cir-
cumstances.

It is stated that Mr. Charles Kean purposes
shortly to visit Australia ; and at the approach of the coo
season to extend his trip to India, where he proposes to give
a series of Shaksperian readings.

A French version of "Macbeth," by M. Jules
Lacroix, has just been produced at the Odeon Theatre, in
Paris. Its success is said to have been decided. "Romeo
and Juliet," translated by Alexander Dumas, is also about
to be brought out shortly at the Theatre Francais.
THE ACTON MURDER.—At the Hammersmith
Police-court, on Saturday, the two brothers, Joseph
and Isaac Brooks, charged with the murder of a policeman
at Acton, and Jane Lake, charged as an accessory after
the fact, were finally examined before Mr, Dayman. The
prisoners were committed for trial, and conveyed to New-
gate.

TRIAL OF A NEW TRACTION ENGINE.—On Satur-
day afternoon a number of eminent engineers and
scientific men assembled at Rochester for the purpose of
witnessing some experiments made with a new traction en-
gine, manufactured by the firm of Messrs. Aveling and Por-
ter, of Rochester, the patentees. The engine selected for
the trial was one of several which are now t eing mar ufac-
tured for the Yudanamutana Cop?er and Mining Company,
Australia. Shorly after one o'clock the engine started ft om
the factory at Strood with four heavy waggons attached,
each laden with baulks of timber, the total weight of each
waggon, with its freight, being close upon five tons. With
this load the engine traversed the narrow streets of Strood,
turning the sharp angle at the turnpike and ascending a
long incline of about 1 in 12, for upwards of a mile, at a
speed of five miles an hour. The engine was then turned
towards a hill with a rise of 1 in 8--the steepest of the kind
in the neighbourhood—and, notwithstanding the exceed-
ingly soft, sloppy state of the road, ascended to the top with
the train of waggons at the rate of about three miles an
hour. After travelling some distance at speeds varying
from three to six miles an hour, the engine and train de-
scended the long inclines, and again reached the turnpike
roads, where two more heavily laden waggons were at-
tached, swelling the weight, with the engine, to upwards of
40 tons. Once more the engine was started, and, without
the least apparent difficulty, it dragged its load over every
variety of ground and through the streets, arriving at the
factory at about five o'clock, after an absence of about three
hours. The engine experimented upon was one of nominally
10 horse power, and was the first traction engine which ever
ascended a gradient of the steepness of that passed over oa
Saturctly with such a heavy weight. Jt is the intention of
the company to send out 20 similar engines to Australia for
the purpose of transporting the copper from their mines to
the port, a distance of 120 miles, over an unbeaten tract of
land. The cost of carriage is now £lO per ton, but by the use
of these engines it will be reduced to £2 per ton. The trials
on Saturday were considered very satisfactory by those pre-
sent, several of the most eminent engineers, pronouncing
the new traction engine in every respect the best yet con-
struct ed.

TICKETS OF LEAVE.—A Parliamentary paper
just issued upon this subject gives the number of
prisoners released on tickets of leave in Great Britain dur •
ing the last three years, and the number of " licence
holders" subsequently re -convicted. In 1860 the number of
convicts released on licence was 1,047, and 109 licence
holders were re-convicted, of whom 32 had been released
during the year. in 1861 there were 2,069 convicts re-
leased on licence, and 183 re-convicted, of which number
141 were released in 1860 and 1861. In 1862 2,297 con-
victs were released on license ; 285 were re-convicted, and
of that number 2:53 were released during the years 1860,
8108n6e1, rßanrclelleBa6se2 The
d.
onticrkeetturonf glievaevsealisno
Ithreelannudmdbeurrinofg ptrhie-.
three 'years ending June 30, 1862, to have been—males,
505; and females, 219 ; total, 724. The number re -con-
victed during that period was 51 males and 20 females,
giving a total of 71._

- Si. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.--The aidtajlouhrnled meet-
ingrs of
Alderman
Copeland io
pin the cehdai°rE Fri-
day,That the 'lwas
t
resolved after a very warm disoussion—.“
otfhteheg 20tho vine rsnt
propo-
sition for purchasing Bethlehem Hospital by St. Thomas's
Hospital should be entertained."
It is Stated that the Government have agreed to
bring in a bill to legalise a holiday for Saturday, the 7th of
March, the day for the arrival of the Princess Alexandra.
There appear at present in Paris no less than 576
journals and periodicals; among them 50 Moniteurs.
There is a Aloniteur de la Coiffure, a Moniteur de la tor-
donderte, &c. There is also a Joural des Commissaires de
Police, and a Journal de la Gendarmerie. _ _

THE FRENCH RHADAMAN TH US. —My great
k.,,randmother, said an old royalist, my grandmother,
and my great aunt were guillotined on the same day. My
great grandmother was 90 years old. When interrogated
she begged them to speak louder, as she was deaf.
Ecrivuz," said Fouquier Tinville, " quo la citoyenne
Noailles a conspire 60 urderaeut contra la Republique