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

( 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
he
rethme public, and
ta t e m whetheren tin thethe
oDukether house, was
Newcastle,
when
entirely ignorant of what he was talking about. (1
s
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 the imputation 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 already given 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 contract 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,
admirably suited for 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 Sep-
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 thgre 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-
Comrnandin, 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-
scription—mouldy 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 hand another report
from the victualling department, at the head of which
was Captain Martin, who presided over Deptford Dock-
yard, and whom it would be impertinent in him to
praise. (Hear. hear.) He reported that Messrs. Stur-
geon had sent in 581 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.
He, 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 far 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
could 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
improperly and indiscreetly in a disreputable transaction.
After some 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
to 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.
ASir J. PAKINGTON 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. ACLAND 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 person; 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 he might be enabled to receive from
the First Lord of the Admiralty an answer as satisfac-
tory as that which had been given with respect to ti ,e
Government operations in the right hon. baronet's de-
partment in another part of the globe. The quest:4oa 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, 00. were about
esty's ships
tnoe
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Ac orme
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e was aware
4.0 the Arctic seas
itnhasteasrecvhereafl
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'At was also aware
that, though no one of them had 13`Jen successful in the
main object for which it was disPP',Gched, 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 b a found there. Thirty years
ago, when Sir Edward Parry entered upon what was
called the great Arctic Ilighway, a considerable tract
was left for future invest'ig,ation and discovery, and two
years ago the expedition. now in the Arctic seas, under
the command of Sir :PI Belcher, was despatched to a
quarter of those seas. as yet unexplored, and which was
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 t'ais 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 unconipleted, 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 e
expedition, incur, generally speaking, any additional
expense ; but—that th'e instructions issued to the come.:
menders of Heri Majesty's ships engaged in the Ardtic
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. Inglis), who, he said, had always shown
himself extremely interested in this matter, and who,
had he 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
feelings which had prompted the observations of the
hon,lentloman, and 'stated that, though it was an un,