The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-16 00:00:00

BRIGHTON SHAREHOLDERS.—Before the from the humanity and justice of Parliament. It
South Eastern Railway Meeting to-morrow, reflect, and is gratifying to reflect that measures have at length
you will then withdraw your assent to the partnership proposed with ..
that Company in a line from Lewisham to Croydon and Bromley (to been taken by the Hon. Representative of Lewes
dap, no doubt, by further branches, &c., by-and-bye, our Hastings
d crystal Palace traffic) ; for weuld not many travellers on the for the improvement of the law in this particular,
North
Kent Line, 'rem points below Lewisham, use this line if only
re-
setting them down near Anerley, rather than go round by London- and the course adopted by him has already
ceived the approval of the popular branch of the
London-
ridge in order to pay the Brighton Company toll ? as to Hastings
through traffic the present agreement to halve it is determinable at
short notice, and the moment it suited them the South Eastern Legislature.
would give it.

many acts of appalling ferocity as were brought
forward by Mr. FITZROY in evidence of the need
of the proposed alteration, should have been re-
counted to the national representatives. Unhappily,
the existence of the evil was already sufficiently
notorious. Scarcely any one can find it difficult
to recal a variety of similar atrocities to remem-
brance, for unfortunately there is scarcely any one
but must have read accounts like these again
and again in our own columns, and in those
of our contemporaries. Nevertheless, it was,
perhaps, after all, quite as well, everything
considered, that the Member for Lewes should
at once make out the strongest case that was
possible, in order that there might not remain
among our legislators the slightest chance of mis-
apprehension. After the speech delivered by Mr.
FITZROY upon this subject, we cannot imagine for
a single instant, that any of those who listened to
his statements, could hesitate to acknowledge that
the bill proposed by him was otherwise than abso-
lutely requisite. Enough was said on Thursday
to show in the clearest light, that there has long
been a very grievous want of some such resolute
effort to suppress the continuance of those execra-
ble abominations. Outrages of the most inhuman
nature are repeatedly occurring, the people know
but too well by this time, committed on members
of the weaker sex by persons whom, as Mr. FITZ-
ROY justly remarked, we must all blush to regard
as Englishmen. Outrages, moreover, very many
of them, not confined to members of the weaker
sex, but perpetrated, we might almost say, in
the majority of instances upon helpless chil-
dren. All that is now asked from Parliament, in
this matter, by the originator of the suggested
measure, is, as lie himself observed, the same pro-
tection for unfortunate females and children, al-
ready afforded to dogs, and cats, and donkeys.
At least, it is reasonable to hope that the preven-
tion of cruelty may at length not be witnessed
only in regard to animals, but in regard likewise
to our hitherto almost wholly undefended fellow-
creatures. We may then perchance hear some-
what less frequently of women being left insen-
sible on the floor of their home, their " clothes
saturated with blood," and the rings on their
fingers " beaten into the flesh to the very bone"—
according to those painful descriptions which Mr.
FITZROY conceived it to be his duty to submit to
the consideration of his brother representatives.
Agreeing though we do very cordially with the
Hon. Member for Bath, in regretting that the
bill introduced by the Member for Lewes
could not go farther than is actually
intended, we cannot coincide with him or
with the Hon. Gentleman the Member for
Leominster, in aspiring to witness the application
to these ruffianly offenders of the degrading pen-
alty of corporal punishment. In reference to that
punishment, we conceive that the Hon. Gentle-
man the Representative of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
was fully justified in questioning its efficacy. Sup-
posing its efficacy to be demonstrable, we should
exult in its application to the assailants of women
and children, for none could more richly deserve
to fall under the weight of that punishment. But
experience has proved plainly enough before now,
in a countless variety of instances, that evil, in-
stead of good, is invariably the result of corporal
chastisement. It was the recognition of this fact
that called forth the clamour several years since
against its continuance in the army and in our
public schools. It was seen that the ill-
disposed who fell under the lash, were only
rendered thereby more stubborn and incor-
rigible. Instead of correcting offences, it only
multiplied them ; and, in the case of the military,
no soldier who ever bared his back to the thongs
of the cat was ever known afterwards to reflect
credit on his profession. His position among his
comrades became altered, and he was never known
fully to recover from the degradation. He either
fell into worse habits, and was ultimately drummed
out of his regiment for some more flagrant repeti-
tion of his offences, or, falling into a state of des-
pondency, quietly left the service at the earliest
available opportunity. Equally ineffectual, we
doubt not, would prove the application of this
punishment to the unmanly assailants of unfortu-
nate females and helpless children. The fear of
it would not be enough, in the first instance, to
frighten them from the luxury of giving way to
their ferocious bursts of passion, and application of
the lash afterwards would only render them, if pos-
sible, still more lamentably brutalised. We cannot
but think, therefore, that the bill introduced by the
Member for Lewes goes quite as far as was advis-
able under the circumstances ; and we say this
advisedly, even while coinciding most cordially
with Mr. PIIINN and Mr. PHILLIMORE, that the
class of offenders about to be dealt with by tl,e
new measure should be brought under the pressure
of the heaviest penalties and the most degrading
punishments.
It is lamentable to reflect, that as matters have
hitherto stood in reference to acts of cruelty to
our fellow-creatures, a man might brutally as-
sault a woman or a child, with only the danger of
having to pay 51. penalty or be imprisoned for
two months, whereas, for stealing a lady's lap-
dog he is liable to be mulcted of 201., or be re-
quired to undergo s'7.- months' imprisonment.
Hitherto, indeed, there has in all this been a dis-
graceful disproportion in the distribution of pe-
nalties and punishments. Fortunately there is
now fair prospect, as we have shown, of at least
one great error in this disproportion being very
speedily rectified—namely, by means of the hu-
mane bill introduced by the member for Lewes
for the prevention of aggravated assaults upon
women and children.

THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI.
Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste.
THIS EVENING, MARCH 16,
Will be presented the Drama of THE GREEN BUSHES ; or, a
mmdred Years Ago. Supported by Messrs. Paul Bedford, Honey,
G. a nalth, and Parselle ; Madame Celeste, Miss Woolgar, and Miss
y. ol &c. SLAVE
To conclude with (positively the last time but three)
LIFE ; or, Uncle Tern's Cabin.
Door 4 open at hall-past six o'clock.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET.
Under the Management of Mr. C. Kean.
THIS EVENING, MARCEL 16,
Will be produced Shakspere's Tragedy of MACBETH (as acted
et Windsor Castle, by Royal command). Principal characters by
Mr, and Mrs. C. Kean.
To conclude with A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER.

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. Farren.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. COMPTON.

THIS EVENING, 3IARca 16,

Will be presented THE POOR GENTLEILIN.

After which, THE ETON BOY.

To conclude with THE ILLUSTRIOUS STRANGER. Sup-
ported by Messrs Leigh Murray, Compton, W. Farren, jun., Hos-
kins, Cooke, Shalders, Edgar, and Bender; Mesdames Anderton,
H. Gordo,, and E. Turner.
Box-office open Prom Eleven till Five, under the superintendence
ot. Mr. E. Chatterton.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tuts DAT —Morning 39 rain. after 5 I Evening 56 min.aft. 6
To-Momaow—Morning 13 min. after 6 Evening 31 min.aft. 5

THE WEATHER.--SuN Orrin, IVlAacu 16.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
47—highest since noon yesterday.
32—lowest this morning and during the night.
38— this day at noon.
BAROMETER, 29.69.
WIND, N.E.—Dull, cloudy weather.

THE COURT.—It is now determined that the Court
will prolong its stay at Buckingham Palace until Satur-
day next, when it will take its departure for Windsor
Castle. Preparations are making at Frogmore Lodge
for the reception of her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent, who is expected to arrive there on Friday next.
PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is
about at par (according to the tariff), which, at the
English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 104 d. per ounce for
standard gold, gives an exchange of 25.17 ; and, the
exchange at Paris on London at short being 25.071, it
follows that gold is about 0.38 per cent. dearer in Paris
than in English. By advices from Hamburgh the price
of gold is 429 per mark, which, at the English Mint
price of 3/. 17s. 10!,d. per ounce for standard gold, gives
an exchange of 13.7 ; and, the exchange at Hamburgh
on London at short being 13.6, it follows that gold is
0.47 per cent. dearer in Hamburgh than in London.

BURFORD'S PANORAMA ROYAL, LEICESTTR-SQUARE.---
The public will be glad to find that on Saturday next
Mr. Burford opens a View of Granada and the Alham-
bra—that ancient city of the Moors. This has been
long a desideratum, not only on account of its un-
rivalled beauty, but of its historical interest, and as a
spot pronounced by the late Lord Dudley and Sir David
Wilkie to be the finest they had ever met with during
their extended travels.

THE REFORMATION.—At St. Matthew's, Great Peter-
street, Westminster, the Rev. R. Malone, incumbent,
received into the Protestant Church six males and two
females, who publicly and formally renounced the errors
of the Church of Rome. This solemn and impressive
ceremony took place during Sunday evening service.
The six male converts were the inmates of the London
Colonial Training Institution for the Reformation of
Adult Male Criminals, but the females were from the
district in which the church is situated. The rev. gen-
tleman also, during thesevening, baptised an adult Jew.
Altogether the evening service was of the most character.impres-
fsrho-emthebok
of
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SEVEN
N PERSONS aßntiieml,elthroicahnitehieiirie„vl.
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been giving for soiree
—Again we have to report a frightful collieryE
KILLED BY A COLLIERY Xexplosion
.
,seveanr Newport, in the county of Mon-
niiii.otuhtli,Rbisycaw-Vhi3cilie
g mifluedernna thirteen
an
tde men she
were sud-
denly hurried into eterynoiunt
injured, so that four of they'una ta°
re
notor leexs s-
i fnr °
wr
last, h re"
pected to survive the frightful bofrnmgswhich they
h tkihiis ex-
are now suffering. The seam
se., Esq., the
plosion took place on Saturday eveningc
this same seam that, aboutes
Rsuupsplilidltshe—ownt
nioseion took place, when be-
as the Black Vein, from which John Russell,
; and since that
Ipnrodpiarisentaoirl,..b
ohaatss.
afoglrrteswaotamseexipntil
seven years ago,
ptwereieond,3ooccaansdiol4laolpeexrpsloonssionwseorfe
akmilliendor
character
have ,
taken place, by which one or two lives each time beam
been sacrificed. It is to the negligence of a cohier, who
fortunately survives to admit the truth, that thefresent
frightful catastrophe is to be attributed,