The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-21 00:00:00

LEICESTER COUNTY GAOL.

Mr. Welsby, Captain Williams, and Dr. Baly, the
commissioners appointed to inquire into the treatment
of prisoners in Leicester County Gaol, opened the com-
mission in the grand jury room, at the Castle, about
2 o'clock on Monday afternoon.
The appointment of the commission has excited much
interest in the county, and besides the visiting justices
(Sir A. G. Hazelrigg, Mr. J. King, and the Rev. H. J.
Hoskins) Earl Howe, Lord Berners, Sir F. G. Fowke,
Sir H. Halford, M.P., and seven or eight other magis-
trates, were in attendance.
After the formal opening of the commission,
Mr. Welsby said, that in accordance with the instruc-
tions they (the commissioners) had received, their in-
quiry would mainly be devoted to investigating the
nature of the hard labour imposed in the prison, the
punishments arising out of that hard labour, and the re-
sults of such hard labour and punishment. He thought
they could do nothing further on that day but inspect the
prison, and would proceed with the inquiry on the fol-
lowing morning.

THE IRISH ELEMENT IN AMERICA.—A New York
correspondent of an Irish Roman Catholic journal, in a
letter dated the 27th of August, writes, " more in sor-
row than in anger," to this effect :—" The Young Ire-
land party are still without a journal to represent them,
while the Italian and German exiles have each well cir-
culated papers. Their views will be shortly either ex-
tinguished or cushioned—ignorance, intolerance, and
bigotry may overwhelm their principles, as long as men
can close their ears, and refuse to judge for themselves.
The Irish portion of the inhabitants of this country are,
of all others, the least Republican. Their principles are
money, their views sectarian, and their integrity a
mockery ; ready to embrace everything that is novel,
everything that is strange, everything that affords them
a pretext to deviate from the tradition, patriotism, and
integrity that ought to inspire and cement them in one
great bond of brotherly love. 'Divide and conquer'
may be applied here as in Ireland. This country seems
to change, alter, and affect them more than any other.
From becoming a very great and powerful element, to
which their vast numbers would entitle them, they
dwindle into mere nothingness. Their pleas of patriot-
ism are rank apostacy ; and he who would endeavour to
bind them may as well try to make ropes from sand."
SUPPLY OF BOOKS TO WORKHOUBES.—The Poor Law
Board having issued a notice to the guardians of the several
unions and parishes under their control, stating that,
being desirous of promoting the introduction of suit-
able books into workhouse schools, they have made
arrangements with the several publishers to supply ]
books for religious instruction, lesson and text books,
and maps for the use of those schools, at a
reduction of 32 to 55 per cent., and averaging
43 per cent., on the charge at which they are
sold to the public. The works included in this arrange-
mentcomprise 185 volumes and 118 maps, and are in-
tended for the use of scholars, teachers, and assistant-
rfaegraherararabaering reading lesson books, and on the subjects
tion, vocal ;11
history,
drawing,
principles of arithmetic, geography, history, mensura-
agriusic, composition, writing, algebra, natural
and mental philcso
geonitteacryuhriauml
athcheenitnaisttirycs:
STEAM FIRE RITI3OIgR•
of destructive fires in X----
rally known,
application of what is
engine. In its form it is preservation
eocfohneoarthy:
g, political economy, astronomy,
The prevalence and progreis
diminished
is, it may not be gene-
motive, throws upwardsuvfer
2,000 barrels in an hour, in from
much by the use and
2ZohnPeete
.tsi
water. The machine may be put • 1
knowntathere as the steam fire
in operation
rode
streams
mna loco-
motive,
five
tf-
] minutes, requiring four men and four horses,
in
eac
ie
tin onhdrni 'l9ary
Ina sgt i e,
bauol ft-
Mated, it is said, to do as much as sixof
hand engines. At a fire in May last, at Ch., •
a large brewery, the engine discharged a cataract of
15,000 barrels of water in eight hours,
and the
this could have saved the entire square in which the
brewery was from destructiop.
The
commercial intelli-
INDIAN COMMERCIAL NEWS.
cience from India by the overland mail is less unfavoUr-
a'ble than for some time past. At Calcutta the business
in English manufactures had been extensive, although
at low prices, and at Bombay there had Chin a fair
speculative demand at former rates. From , how.
ever, the statements are discouraging,
Shanghai all
the
,fransactions
at Canton being very limited, while at
business in imported goods was suspended. The answer
of Governor Bonham, refusing the petition of a certain
portion of the English importers at Shanghai, request-
ing_
him to call upon the Chinese Government to suspend
the collection of customs' duties until the termination
of the rebellion, was obviously the only one that could
have been given.