The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-22 00:00:00

THE SEWEItS COMMISSION.

In reply to Sir B.' HALL,
Viscount PALMERSTON said he proposed to extend
the commission for twelve months longer. He hoped to be
able by next session to arrange a plan for the further con-
tinuance of this commission, with, however, a due propor-
tion of the representative element infused into it. It was
impossible to pass any measure on the subject this session.
There vas a certain quantity of works planned, for which
the commissioners could not find funds. These works did
not relate to such matters as arterial drainage, and the
question was whether such works should be postponed, or
whether Parliament, by an enabling clause, should put the
commissioners in a condition to give the different districts
that which the; urgently required. He should propose a
clause to that effect, and he would be glad to give the house
an early opportunity of discussing it at one of the morning
sittings.

In reply so, Alr. )3LAnuTT, who wished to know the
intentions of Government respecting the Crown property
known as Chopwell Woods,
Mr. WILSON said the decision was that the ground
should be cleared and planted with larch. The whole
question had undergone patient investigation, and the
determination arrived at was presumed to be best calcu-
lated to promote the profit and convenience of the public
at large.

Mr. PELLA TT asked Lord J. Russell whether the Go-
vernment hadreceived intelligence of the destruction of philo-
sophical instruments, property, and papers of the Rev.
Dr. Livingston, at the Baktalles, and also of the expulsion
of the missionaries, 'Messrs. Inglis and Edwards, from the
territory beyond the Vaal ; as also of the seizure of native
women and children for consignment to slavery by the
Transvaal Boors ; and if so, whether these aggressive acts
are in violation of the treaty made by the British on the
17th January, 1852, with the Boor authorities at Sand
River ; and what steps have been taken to obtain redress,
especially in reference to the 6th article of the said treaty,
that no slavery is or shall be permitted or practised to the
north of the Vaal river?

Mr. F. PEEL replied, Government had received com-
munications on the question. Those communications had
been printed, and if the hon. member referred to them, he
would find the information he required. Copies of all
communications to Government had been forwarded to the
Cape to Sir G. Clerk, who_would institute inquiry, and if
the allegations were proved to be founded on fact, would
use his influence to induce the Boors of the Cape to respect
the rights of the natives, and to allow the missionaries to
remain in the country.
Mr. HUME asked the First Lord of the Admiralty
whether the distribution of prize-money for the capture of
brass guns at Bruno, notified in the London Gazette of the
15th inst., should not be postponed until the report of the
commissioners agreed to be appointed to investigate all
matters relating to those transactions at Borneo, had been
laid before Parliament..

Sir J. GRAHAM, after detailing the circumstances of
the capture of the guns, which took place seven years ago,
and the claim which was made in 1851 by Sir Thomas
Cochrane on behalf of the captors to have the guns declared
lawful prizes and sold—and the amount distributed among
the captors—said, that this claim had been referred to the
law officers of the Crown, and had been decided in favour
of the claimants. Two years ago the guns were sold—the
proceeds realised were made over to the agents of the cap-
tors, and the amount now stood for distribution. He was
not prepared, considering the time that had elaped, and
the formal decision that had been given, to arrest the
course of law or to disturb the decision.
RECENT CAB CASE DECISION AT BOW-STREET.
Mr. BRIGHT wished to ask the noble lord (Lord Pal-
merston) a question with reference to a recent decision of
Mr. Henry, the Bow-street magistrate, which had been
much commented upon in the press, in which that magis-
trate had sent a cabman to prison for a month, because he
happened not to have ss. in his pocket to cover the expense
of measuring, a disputed distance. Such an event, he
thought, could have happened in Turkey or Russia, but
not in this country.• The complainant (Mr. Bond) said the
cabman was guilty of no incivility—the man treated him
with perfect respect throughout, and he was himself quite
shocked at the severity of the sentence. He merely wanted
to know whether the noble lord had had his attention called
to the case, for it was just such a case to which the atten-
tion of -the Home Secretary ought to be called. If such
cases were to occur, it would be necessary.to have an offi-
cer at the Home-office to read the papers in order to cor-
rect the inadvertency of magistrates.
Viscoun4 PALMERSTON considered it to be his duty
to inquire into the matter ; but he had no precise. infor-
mation at present on the subject. He would, however,
entreat the house to suspend their judgment, for though
newspapereports were generally accurate, yet errors did
sometimes take place, and lie could mention one iu which
stated to have given a woman
Mr. Serjeant Adams was
two years' additional punishment for calling an officer a
"pig." Mr. Serjeant Adams denied that this had taken
an error in that instance he hoped
place ; and as there was'
the house, in the present matter, would Suspend their
judgment until the facts had been investigated.
ACCIDENT AT BRAINE COLLIERY.
Mr. MITICEIINS inquired what steps had been taken
to ascertain the circumstances under which the late de-
plorable accident at Braine Colliery took place? •
- Viscount PALMERSTON was understood to way he had
read the proceedings before the coroner, and great neglect
appeared to have occurred on the part of the managers.
Further inquiry was being made.

SUCCESSION DUTY.—CORPORATIONS SOLE.
In answer to Mr. MULLINGS,
Lord J. RUSSELL said the Government intended to
defer till next session the introduction of the bill with re-
ference to the succession duty and corporations sole.
POLICE REPORTS.—SERGEANT ADAMS.
Lord.D. STUART said he wished to ask the noble lord
the Home Secretary a question in reference to what the
noble lord had said as to the occasional incorrectness of
police reports. He understood the noble lord to say that
there was no truth in the story that Sergeant Adams had
condemned a woman to an additional period of imprison-
ment because she had called the policeman of the court a
"pig." (Cries of order.) He wished to ask the noble lord
why he did net date there wo.B no truth in the story when

he gave an explanation on the subject at an early period
of the session?

Lord PALMERSTON said that the question put to him
by his noble friend reminded him of the question said to
have been put by Charles 11. to certain learned men, as to
the reason why the water in a vessel completely full did
not overflow if a fish were put into it. The learned- men
began by asking whether that was a fact. His noble friend
had in putting his question forgotten the fact. He (Lord
Palmerston) had stated that the ground on which Sergeant
Adams gave the woman an additional term of imprison-
ment was that she had behaved in the dock with great
violence, had struck some of the persons guarding her, and
that a rescue was feared. He had also stated that the
learned sergeant had said that he had heard nothing like
the words imputed as the cause of the additional punish-
ment. He thought, therefore, that, as in the question of
the fish and the water, the fatt in this case had been over-
looked.