The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-19 00:00:00

PARLIAME2

MMI TT

THE CASE OF MR. HENRY STONOR.
The committee appointed to inquire into-this cam Pt
a second tine yesterdaY
Lord ticho, M.P. for. Haddingtonshire'and a Lord
of the Treasury appeared on behalf of the Government.
The committee now oonsists of seven members—via.
Mr. Sotheron (chairman), Mr.- Milnea Gaskell, Mr.
Deedes, Mr. Horsnian Mr. Bonhain Carter, Mr. G. H.
Moore, and Lord.Ehilo, the lair; two members ap •
ing simply as prosecutor and defendant respectivelyti
with the power of voting,
Mr. Herman Merivale„, permanent -Under-Secrete*
for the Colonies, warl'ilamined by Mr. Moore, and re.
examined by:Lord Elebe. ireleeld'_ that he had lose
been acquainted with Mr. Stonor, and should, (*ruin's,
not hive recommended him to the Dike of Newcastle are
a fit person for the post given him; unless he had bees
satisfied of his fitness: the course of October oar
November last Mr. Stoner celled at 3he Colonial-office
on the subject of his brother, the Solicitor :General 4
Van Diemen's Land, who; having fallen into had health,
had been obliged to return.- He mentioned the W4OO of
the ..provisinnal . appointment then vacant, Alend mid if
would suit him exactly. By witness's advice Mr. Stone,
afterwards applied by letter for the appointment, enclosing
a number of testimonials and some papers about the Sligo
committee's report, all. which.. went . before his grace.
Witness mentioned casually, either to Mr. Roberts
'the *Dukeli private secretary, or to his Grace himself, is
the course of one of several conversations that took place
on the ante" irai) a very fit person*
had not this business of Mr, Townley been against him.
Whether or not he was justified in the courset,ha tookwar an inference • for the 'committee to draw for them.
selves. He .diclittotithink it teoessary to call the Duke
of Newcastle's attention more distinctly to circumstance',
which he understood to he notorious and well known to
every one ; besides, he had seen from the papers sent he
that three members of a committee of the House of Come
moons reported a gentleman guilty of bribery, while the
other two stated their opinion that there was nothing
whatever against him. It further appeared that this gee.
tleman had never been called before that oommittee, net
had been asked there to give any explanation; and tbs.s
when the report of that committee was brought before the
House of Commons, no prosecution was directed, not
proceedings of any kind taken upon it. He, therefore.
could not suppose that it was intended to place that gen*
timer, in the position of a man incapable of holding s
responsible aloe. No friend of Mr. Stonor's ever made
Ittt) wwait.,nensost a
tizecpormacntiiucielictoatituli)ne,ub,
jfk
theea tioyfooNewcastle's
aikindliipo o,
appointments
ni
hebnasetthstitiflvo..
obefficnei
made.
eo.t Vine
short,Cr.v Crown
had)n the
the
tion been particularly called to the Sligo Committee's
report, witness should say that everything had been dune
in the case in question that could possibly have been
Gone to insure a good selection.
Mr. Henry Roberts, private secretary to the Duke of
Newcastle, was the next witness—He said, be had been
for 12 Years chairman of Quarter Sessions and chief
judge of Common Pleas of the 1.-land of Jamaica. He
had held hi- present situation since the commencement
of January 1853. He was in England, on leave of ,ab•
settee, when it was offered him. Mr. Merivale never
made Tiny statement to him with respect to anyeoport
of a committee of the House of*Comininia affecting Mr.
Stotior, and he (wittier!) knew nothing whatever of that
gentleman. Nothing of the kind was ever mentioned
to him' by the Duke of Newcastle either, and, as far as
he could know, he was confident that, had his Grace
known, or even suspected, the true circumstances. of
the case, he would immediately have instituted an in.
quirt'. Had witness known the circumstances, and not
called his Grace's attention to them, he should have con•
sidered himself guilty of a gross dereliction of duty. Is
the ordinary course of routine witness ought to have
read Mr. Stonor's testimonials ; but, as Mr. Merivale had
accepted the responsibility in that matter, he thought
himself freed from what would otherwise have been a
duty. He understood Mr. Merivale to have satisfied
the Duke on all points relating to Mr. Stonor, and he
did not think himself bound to canvass a matter which
was already to a certain extent decided.
In answer to Lord Elcho, witness said, he was quite
sure that, since he had been connected with the-Nike
of Newcastle, that nobleman had made no appointment
at the instigation 'of any Irish member of Parliament, 'or
of any other member of Parliament.'
The committee then adjourned to I. o'clock to-day.

MEIWBANT SHIPPING BILL.'
The Liverpool Steam-ship Association have published
a series of remarks on the alterations proposed to be
effected by the Merchant Shipping Bill of 1844 as re-
gards the interests of the owners of steam-vessels. The
bill is divided into 11 parts, and the association point out
the various clauses of which they approve, or to which
they see no objection, together with those which they
consider calculated to cause injury.• Among the latter
the most important is a provision altering the tonnage
allowance for engine room, which, instead of being esti-
mated, as heretofore, according to the actual space occu-
pied, is to be at the rate of three-tenths of the gross ton-
nage for paddle-ships and two-tenths for screw. By
this means, it is contended, a serious addition will be
made to the register tonnage of almost every • vessel
sailing from the port of Liverpool, the evil falling moat
heavily on ships the power of which is large in popor-
tion to their size, and tbus operating as a direct dia-
couragement to speed and efficiency, since it will add
materially to all light, tonnage, dock, and other dues.
A number of criticisms are furnished on other parts of
the bill, which seems calculated in some instances to in-
troduce a needless system for interference, although,
on the whole, it is regarded with favour. At the
same time it is complained, that while the Baited of
Trade appear disposed to extend their power of decid-
ing with regard to the qualifications of masters and
crews, and of taking, in fact, tee entire superiiaendence
of merchant shipping, they show no readiness to relieve
the shipowners of the responsibility which under the ex-
isting law has to be borne in case of these qualifications
proving in any instance to have been wrongly certified,
or to have fallen short of what should have been de-
manded. On this point the association observe :
"The bill coutetuplates no alteration iu relation to the
respousibility of shipowners. At present, notwithstanding
all tin care employed by the owner in the selection of a
master and crew, there is a doubt whether, under Lord.
Campbell's act, he is not liable to the utatiiist penny of his
means to passengers and their representatives in the event
of accidents which he can in no way control or prevent,
and it is considered that the present time is peculiarly
suited for ureing upon the Government the propriety: of
settling the' raw in this respect, and of freeing the ship-
owner from the overwhelming responsibilities to which he
may be liable in the event of accident. Where every care
is taken by the owner that the ship shall be properly
manned and fitted, and where, moreover, she is navigated
by masters possessing the certifica'es required by this bill,
and under, rules and regulations made, or emanating from
the Board of Trade, and for the breach of which heavy
penaltieh are incurred, it appears utterly unjust and un-
reasonable that a shipowner should personally be liable, in
a pecuniary point of view, for the lives of pemont wham
loss he may lament as much as any one, and for whose lees
it can never be imagined he is amenable to a criminal
: court."