The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-05 00:00:00

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SLAVE TRADE.
Sir G. PECHELL, in moving an address for returns
of vessels seized on suspicion of being engaged in the
slave trade, and of her Majesty's ships employed On the
coast of Cuba for the prevention of the slave trade,
said, as the traffic was now concentrated into one point,
the coast of Cuba, it was not too much, he thought, to
uromrge th
thate Acoasdmiralty not to withdraw any of the vessels
ft.

Mr. HUME observed, that it appeared in the evi-
dence before the committee of last session, that all now
required to put an end taoeteenslt with this country.ave trade was to call
s
upon Spain to fulfil her en
g 3fr. BAILLIE denouncged
Spain. the faithless conduct of
Sir T. GRATIA3I said, the Governmentax bad not
their efforts
the
deemed it consistent with their duty
to r
beentuppress
either on the coast of Africa or that of Cubaa
this traffic, He did not believe that there had°
reduction of the number of our cruisers on either e ana y
On the whole, the supply was confined to Cuba, Brazil°s
t.
now co-operating with us in honest endeavours to put an
end to the trade, and Lord Clarendon and Lord Howden
had made the strorgesp representations to the Spanish
Government to enforce the observance of its engage.
ments upon the Cuban authorities.
Mr. COBDEN observed that, without wishing to as-
sist the transfer of Cuba to the United States, he thought
it would be an advantage to humanity if the United
States or some other Power had possession of the island,
which had been so scandalously abused.
After a few words from Captain ScoBELL, the motion
was agreed to.

RAY CONTRACTS.
Sir W. &MUTH, in moving for returns with regard
to the supply of hay to the navy, said he held in his
hand the proof of the innocence of one of the accused
'pities,. whose name had been brought before the public.
Di understoc4 however, that the hon. secretary to the
's: Adniiizalt
to hi y
m.
had acquitted this party of the charge in-
uted
:". Mr. B. OSBORNE explained that he did so, as far as
"...e" the fraud was concerned.
/ Sir W. SWUM -said that, on looking over the'cor-
d r4apondence with the;Admiralty. he -could not imagine
how 4 person who/was not guilty of fraud could be at'

tr r J ~
.~,L k .

the very time when Queen Elizabeth was excommuni-
cated by Rome, and her title to the throne disputed, she
should have founded a university for the education, not
of persons of the Reformed faith, but of her Roman
Catholic subjects. He referred to the report of the com-
missioners on this subject, to show that while they recog-
nised Trinity College, Dublin, as a Protestant establish-
ment, in accordance with the views of its founders, they
at the same time declared that the doors of the uni-
versity had been thrown as wide open as they
could be to persons of all religious denominations
consistent with the intentions of its founders. He
also quoted a speech from Sir J. Graham, in
1825, in which the right hon. bart. declared that he
looked upon this University as a decidedly Protestant
establishment. With regard to the general tolerant
character of the Dublin University, he said no one was
subject to a test unless ho took a degree in divinity. He
showed the relaxations which had been made of the ori-
ginal restrictions, and the number of honours and offices
in the college open to Roman Catholics, the aggregate
emoluments amounting to 6,9001. a year. He enume-
rated some of the eminent persons who had been edu-
oated at Trinity College, and then proceeded to argue
%int the Act of Settlement (the 14th and 15th Charles
IJ.,and the act 33 George 111., chap. 21—upon which
31r.Fagan replied as affording authority for his scheme
—contained enactments directly repugnant to it.
Mr. HEY WOOD admitted that many beneficial modi-
fications had been made iu the college, but, although he
wished its constltution to remain as it was, he thought
snore modifications of its restrictions were desirable.
Sir J. YOUNG regretted this motion, which was one
of those attempts, he said, now made to change esta-
blished institutions in Ireland, and he looked at an at-
tack upon a Protestant institution as he would at an
attack upon Maynooth College. In examining the alle-
gations of Mr. Fagan, be accused him of greatly over-
estimatingthe revenue of Trinity College, and cited an
opinion expressed by the University Commissioners, that
fundamental changes in the college were not required.
Mr. HUME supported the motion, which, he said,
had been much misunderstood. It was not intended to
interfere with the educational purposes of Trinity Col-
lege, but to devisea better mode of expending its money
for those purposes.
Mr. WHITESIDE said, the object of this bill was to
take away from the University of Dublin funds given for
one purpose, and to apply them to another ; and this he
called confiscation. If Mr. Fagan succeeded in his mo-
tion, what assurance could he give that a college esta-
blished upon the principle he proposed would not be as-
sailed by the same interdict which had been issued from
Rome against other colleges in Ireland ?
Mr. J. FITZGERALD denied that the bill proposed
confiscation ; and challenged Mr. Hamilton to show that
there was one word in the charter of Elizabeth, which
excluded Roman Catholics from the college, or any con-
temporaneous document appropriating it to Protestant
purposes. The measure did not interfere with the educa-
tion of Trinity College, but would work out this object
—that, while a place of education was still preserved
for Protestant clergymen, incentives to exertion should
be opened to Roman Catholics.
Mr. NAPIER opposed the motion because its object
and scope were incompatible with the foundation and
continuance of the University of Dublin, which had gone
to the utmost length of liberality consistent with the
primary and lawful object of the institution. He an-
swered the challenge of Mr. Fitzgerald by quoting the
charter of Elizabeth, which made the teaching of "re-
ligion
" one of the objects of the institution, and the Fel-
lows' oath, which repudiated Popery. To establish an-
other college, and to ad.nit Roman Catholics upon the
foundation, would break up an institution which had
undergone an inquiry by commissioners (whose report
was highly creditable to the University of Dublin), by
giving birth to a struggle between two religious parties
as to which should get the emoluments.
Mr. I. BUTT likewise insisted that Mr. Fagan's
scheme would break up the whole University system ;
it proposed to establish a second college, and to endow
it out of the existing revenues of Trinity College, and,
if the present system were broken up, the end would
be disappointment, for the new college would not be
accepted by the Roman Catholic hierarchy or the Roman
Catholic people of Ireland.
Mr. GEORGE having spoken shortly against the motion,
and Mr. P. O'BRIEN in its favour, Mr. FAGAN declining
to divide the house, the motion was negatived.
PUNISHMENT OF ADULTERY.
Mr. BOWYE.R, moved for leave to bring in a bill to
amend the law regarding actions for criminal conversa-
tion, and the protection of women in such actions, in
order to remove what he considered a great blot on the
jurisprudence of this country. Our law treated adultery,
not like that of every civilised nation in Europe, as a
criminal offence, but as a civil wrong, for which a pecu-
niary compensation was awarded ; and this distinction
was itself presumptive evidence that our law was wrong.
He pointed out the abuses to which our mode of treat-
ing the offence gave rise, and proposed that in future no
damages should be given in any action of this nature,
but, where a verdict was obtained by the plaintiff, it
should be lawful for the court to impose a fine upon the
defendant. If it should be proposed to substitute an
indictment, he would support that proposal. Further
—at present, the wife was no party to the suit, and was
not heard ; the question was between the husband and
the paramour, and was one of money, whereas to the
woman it was a question of utter ruin. He proposed,
therefore, that she should he placed in the situation of a
defendant, and entitled to appear by counsel.
Mr.. FITZROY, on behalf of Lord Palmerston, ob-
served that Mr. Bowyer's object was of a very compre-
hensive character, arid, although he did not oppose the
introduction of the bill, it must not be understood that
its principle was adopted by the Government. At the
same time, there could be no diversity of opinion as to
the state of the law, which vies not satisfactory, and to
make an offence of this kind a question of damages was
exceedingly revolting to every Honourable man.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
POSTAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE
ISLANDS OF ARRAN.
Mr. BELLEW moved that a humble address be pre-
sented to her Majesty, praeine for the establishment of
the postal communic akin with the islands of Arran, on
the west coast of Ireland. He said that during the
recess his attention had been drawn to the fact that
these islands had no postal communication. They
certainly did not occupy a very important geographical
position, but he wished to impress upon the house that
they contained 3,000 inhabitants, who were cut off from
almost all communication with this country.
Mr. FRENCH seconded the motion.
Sir J. YOUNG begged to state that the Posmaster-
General had instituted an inquiry with the object of
giving postal communication to these islands if it were
possible to do so. it appeared the islands were on the
west
agi coast of Ireland, and contained 3,000 inhabitants,
a msate, three cleneymen, and a lihthouse. (A
laugh.) The estimateerevenue of theg islands was Of. 15s. a-year, while the employment of a boat twice a
week would cost 381. a year, and the cost
boat once a week would be
251. a year. Under these
circumstances the estabiislonentof a postal communica-
tion would involve a loss upon th country. The ques-
tion of giving these communications b sa to islands
glands a very large one, and might involyve not only the
Guernsey. of Arran, but many others, such as Jersey vide
Guernsey. He trusted the hon. gentleman would be
satisfied with the assurance that the Government would
give the subject their attention.
Mr. FRENCH said it must he recollected that very considerable sums were derived from carryinglettersbthe stages, and he thought it was but fair that if the
Government Government took the advantages of this they should
also be ready to put up with losses.
Mr. BAILLIE could not agree with the doctrine that
the Post-office authorities ought not to give postal com-
munication unless the addition required could be made
to pay. He had himself, on a former occasion, brought
the matter before the house, and he trusted it would
now take the subject into its serious csnsideretion.
Sir T. RARING concurred with the hon. gentleman
who bad just sat down, that it was not a sufficient answer
to be told that a sufficient remuneration would not be
paid. (Hear, hear.) The Post-office authorities ought
to furnish postal communication for the whole country.
Mr. 11. HERBERT said, only two days ago he re-
ceived a communication from Carlow, which stated that
an application bad been made to the Post-office autho-
rities to place them in precisely the same position they
were in ten years ago, before railways were in existence,
and when the country was amply supplied with stage
coaches ; and the only answer they received was, that
it would not pay. He trusted the Government would
now take a more liberal view of the subject.
The house then divided—
For the motion
Against..,
Majority against the Government..

all implicated in the transaction complained of. It ap-
peared to him that he must either be distinctly guilty
or innocent. He hoped the house would think with
him that, if Mr. Sturgeon was not guilty of fraud, he
could not be guilty in any way whatever. It was right
they should know from the Government in what state the
case was in. In the first instance, whether there was
any foundation for the letter which brought the matter
before the public, and whether the Duke of Newcastle,
when he made his statement in the other house, was not
entirely ignorant of what he was talking about. (A.
laugh.) They ought also to know whether the hon.
Secretary to the Admiralty was justified in naming Mr.
Sturgeon to the house and the country. The house very
well knew that character was everything to a person in
trade. (Hear.) The hon. secretary himself must also be
aware how dangerously injured the character of that firm
must be by theitnputa,tion which he had cast 'on them.
In fact, he might say that, if their character had not been
above suspicion, they must have been ruined. He had
in his possession a testimonial, signed, he believed, by
nearly every shipowner in the port of London as to the
high character of the firm, and no less than 20 of the
persons whose signatures it bore had known them for
upwards of 20 years. These imputations were very in-
jurious, and he trusted the Government would deem it
to be their duty not only to set Messrs. Sturgeon right
before the public, but also to make that reparation to
which they were entitled. He held in his hand docu-
ments which proved the influence of that firm, and he
also held papers in his hand of another nature—
papers which showed, if not the gross mismanage-
ment, at least the very questionable management of
the Victualling-office ; and he was not sure that even
the Ordnance was not to blame. When the correspon-
dence was on the table, he would see whether or not
it would be his duty to move for a committee of
inquiry, and bring the whole case before the house.
The hon. baronet concluded with his motion for copies
of all correspondence between Government depart.
ments and the contractors for hay during the last two
months, and to bring under the consideration of the
house the delay that has taken place in investigating the
late alleged frauds in the supply of hay for Government
service. The hon. baronet also moved for some further
correspondence not in the printed papers, on the same
subject.

The motion having been seconded,
Mr. OSBORNE said the Government had no objection
to produce copies of all correspondence, with the addition
just moved for by the hon. baronet ; but he thought the
hon. baronet would have exercised a wiser discretion as
the friend of Messrs. Sturgeon, his constituents, if he had
been content with the qualified answer he (Mr. Osborne)
had alreadygiven to his hon. friend the member for Car-
low—that Messrs. Sturgeon had committed no fraud.
He expressly guarded himself in giving that answer from
exonerating the Messrs. Sturgeon from blame, and he
could not now permit the hon. baronet to cast censure
upon the Victualling Department, the Ordnance, or any
other Government office. He (Mr. Osborne) would not,
like the hon. baronet, be satisfied with saying he held
papers in his hand without reading them, but would
read documents which would clearly prove that the
clients of the honourable baronet were far from blame-
less in these transactions. The question had to some
extent been understood—it was not one of coetract at
all. On the 17th of February last, the Victualling de-
partment of the Ordnance advertised for 750 loads of
hay by tender. Only one offer for 50 loads of hay was
received. The hay salesmen were then applied to by let-
ter for prime upland hay of the best quality. Messrs.
Sturgeon replied to these letters on the 18th February,
stating that they had the same sort of hay required—
clover mixture and Italian ryegrass, the growth of 1852,
admirabiy suited fur horses, and that they would deliver
50 loads on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Let
the house remember that prime upland hay was asked
for. Messrs. Sturgeon replied that the article they had
was admirably suited for horses. The hay was sent in
between the 21st February and the 26th of March. On
the 21st March a paragraph appeared in the United Ser-
vice Gazette, stating that the hay sent to Deptford vic-
tualling-yard was of the most infamous description--
that a dead lamb was found in a truss of hay. On the
following day a noble lord in another place made a for-
mal complaint, and questioned the Duke of Newcastle
on the subject. The duke at first declined to give the
name, but being very much pressed, asked him (Mr.
Osborne), who was standing at the bar of the house,
and he (Mr. Osborne) inquired of one of the officers of
the victualling department present (the comptroller) who
had sent the worst hay, when he replied Messrs. Stur-
geon and Son ; but there was some mistake made in the
name, on that occasion, it having been called Sturges.
The reports made upon the subject had quite borne out
this statement. It appeared the hay the Messrs. Sturgeon
sent in was so bad that it was rejected, and they were ob-
liged to send it back. The Quartermaster-General of the
Artillery, Quartermaster Steele, and others of equal re-
spectability, who were parties to the Ordinance report,
spoke as to the badness of the hay. The dead lamb was not
discovered in Messrs. Sturgeon's hay, it appeared from
the report, but the trusses in which the dead lamb was
discovered were those which were composed of the best
hay that had been sent in. (Laughter.) The Colonel-
Commanding the Royal Artillery reported that the hay
supplied by Messrs. Sturgeon and Son was musty and
foul, though there were no stones or shavings found in
it—that their supply had been rejected on the 27th of
February—that it was the worst of all that had been
sent in ; it was sedgy, and much of it of the coarsest de-
scriptien—moulcly and full of dust -(hear, hear)-it was
not even cow hay. (Hear, hear.) Such was the report
of the Ordnance. He held in his band another report
front the victualling department, at the head of which
was Captain Martin, who presided over Deptford Dock-
yard, and whom it would be impertinent in hint to
praise. (Hear. hear.) He reported that Messrs. Stur-
geon had sent in 5f loads of hay, every one of which
had been rejected as musty and full of dust ; it was not
prime upland hay—not fit for the consumption of horses.
lie, however, acquitted the 'Messrs. Sturgeon of all
fraud. There were no shavings, stones, or filth in their
hay, but it was full of squirrel tails—a species of grass
which grew on marshy lands, so that, said the hon.
gentleman, the Messrs. Sturgeon, there could be no
doubt, so fir from being blameless, were more than ordi-
narily culpable, though they had not been guilty of
any systematic fraud, and they had intended none. He
coud not go further than acquit the Messrs. Sturgeon
of fraud, and in this opinion he thought the house quite
agreed with him. There could be no doubt but that
they had been most culpable and remiss in their con-
duct. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. M. SMITH censured the organs of the Govern-
ment for mixing up the names of a respectable firm so
imp-operly and indiscreetly in a disreputable transaction.
After sonic remarks by Colonel Dunne, Mr. Hume,
and Mr. S. Herbert on the subject of the commissariat
arrangements for our troops in Turkey, the motion was
agreed to.

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS.
Mr. AGLIONBY moved for leave to bring in a bill
,o amend the law of criminal proceedings, and to enable
justices in petty sessions to take pleas of "guilty" in
cases of larceny, explaining the evils which the bill was
intended to meet.
Lord PALMERSTON was ready to agree to the
motion, and to give the bill the best attention in his
power, without pledging himself to the details.
•4Sir J. PAKTNGTON recommended Mr. Aglionby to
engraft upon his bill a provision enabling magistrates in
petty sessions to deal summarily with cases of petty
larceny.
Doubts as to the expediency of parts of the measure
were thrown out by Mr. S. WORTLEY and Mr. HENLEY.
The LORD-ADVOCATE said the experiment, as far
as experience had gone, worked well in Scotland.
After a few observations from Mr. Bankes, Mr. Packe,
and Mr. Barrow, and a reply by Mr. Aglionby, leave
was given to bring in the bill.
THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
SirT.ACLA.ND moved for copies of any instructions
which either had been issued, or hereafter might be
issued, during the present season, to the commanders
of her Majesty's ships now engaged in the Arctic regions
in the search for Sir John Franklin's missing expedition.
He said the subject was one of such deep anxiety to
many persons, who had already for some years ex-
perienced the tender consideration and indulgence of
the house, that, as the period during which that anxiety
must be satisfied, if it could be satisfied at all, was now
rapidly approaching-, he thought it would be wrong
were he, even at that hour (12 o'clock), to postpone the
matter. He hoped ha might he enabled to receive from
the First Lord of the Admiralty an answer as satisfac-
tory as that which had been given with respect to the
Government operations in the right hon. baronet's de-
partment in another part of the globe. The question he
was desirous of putting to the right hon. baronet was
whether he would inform the house what was the nature
of the instructions that might have been, or were about
to be, sent to the commanders of her Majesty's ships
now engaged in the Arctic regions ? The house was aware that several expeditions had been sent to the Arctic seas
in search of Sir John Franklin, and it was also aware
that, though no one of them had been successful in the
main object for which it was dispatched, several had been
eminently successful in exploring the coast of America,
and in ascertaining that no traces of the expedition of
Sir John Franklin were to be found there. Thirty years
ago, when Sir Edward Parry entered upon what was
called the great Arctic highway, a considerable tract
was left for future investigation and discovery, and two
years ago the expedition now in the Arctic seas, under
the command of Sir E. Belcher, was despatched to a
quarter of those seas as yet unexplored, and which waa
recommended for investigation by a majority of the
Arctic officers appointed to consider the question, who
believed that Sir John Franklin had passed that way
and was yet to be found alive. The principal communi-
cation from this side the Arctic seas and the expected
exit of the north-west passage was through Wellington
Channel ; and as yet that quarter had not been entirely
explored until some investigations were made a few
years ago by Captains Austin and Penny. . An expedi-
tion in the same channel was still on its course, and,
though as yet uncompleted, it was known that it was
being pursued with indefatigable industry and zeal. Up
to the present moment, however, no official account had
been received of the results of that expedition. It was
not asked that the Government should send any new
exped, or incur, generally speaking, any additional
expense ; but that the instructions issued to the com-
manders of Her, Majesty's ships engaged in the Arctic
regions should not convey such a peremptory order to
them to return home as to prevent them from exercising
some discretion as to the expediency of their continuing
their efforts in case they should think there was any
hope of their being successful. The hon. baronet con-
cluded by referring to the late member for Oxford Uni-
versity (Sir R. Ingiis), who, he said, had always shown
himself extremely interested in this matter, and who,
had be been present, would have brought it before the
house in a much more efficient manner than he had
been able to do.

Sir J. GRAHAM expressed his sympathy with the
feeling 6 which -had -prompted the observations o€:-the
"hon. gentleman, and stated that, though it was an un-