The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-03 00:00:00

sauces. He trusted that the whole subject would receive the
serious attention of the Government, in order that they
might not have this scandalous system acted all over again
by their election agents, in the event of another general
election. These persons were scarcely to be blamed, for
they were acting strictly within the letter of the la w. It
was the law that was defective, and it required am end-
ment. For his own part, he believed the Grenville Act
was a great blunder, and that the housee ought to
la have
kept. these matters in their own hands. H did not b
Mr. Brown, he was the solicitor and agent for the Carlton,
and it was doubtless his over zeal for the
e party that em-
ployed him, that had led him into themi. It
appeared, however, that his services were fully appreciated
by the party, for it had come out in evidence that he was
afterwards appointed by the late President of the Board of
Control as the solicitor to that department, purely out of
wnsideration for his services to the Carlton Club and the
tory party. The right hon. gentleman the member for
3tamford (Mr. Herries) was not present, but if he were he '
would ask him whether he remembered, in the whole
course of his long experience, any Government having
made so profligate an appointment. (Hear, hear.) What
would be said by gentlemen opposite if Mr. Coppock had
been appointed solicitor to the Home Department or to the
Treasury ? Why, they would never have heard the last of
it. (Hear, hear.) He believed the right hon. baronet who
was now at the head of the Board of Control had so far
retrieved the mistake of the right hon. member for Stam-
ford, that Mr. Brown was no longer the solicitor to that
board. He had been let down as easy as possible by the
office of solicitor to the Board of Control being merged into
that of some other department. (Hear.) But with regard
to the Carlton Club, he had heard since he came into
the house of certain conduct of theirs which showed that
they were the most ungrateful people he had ever heard
of. Some correspondence, it appeared, had taken place
between Colonel Dixon and the conservative party in Nor-
wich as to what had become of him (Mr. T. Duncombe)
and his motion ; and in one of his communications, the
colonel said he was glad to say that Mr. Brown had not
only been dismissed from his situation at the Board of
Control, but also from his situation at the Carlton Club,
and that a friend of his had been appointed in his stead to
fulffi the duties at elections which had hitherto been so dis-
gracefully performed by the gentleman of the Carlton Club.
He had never heard any good reason for this decision of
the club. Some said it was became they had got a coali-
tion Government, and that there were as many members
of the Carlton Club upon the Treasury bench as of the
Reform Club. (A laugh.) He did not know how that
might be, nor whether the Carlton was on a visit to the
Reform, or the Reform to the Carlton ; whichever way it
was he hoped the visit would be short, for he believed the
would be very little chance of parliamentary reform tl it
was concluded. (Hear, and a laugh.) He again urged
upon the Government to consider the subject to which he
had called attention during the recess, with a view to the
introduction of some measure early next session.
Lord J. RUSSELL would not enter into the subject of
the Norwich petition ; but with regard to the subject the
hon. gentleman had brought under discussion he agreed
with him that there was great abuse in the withdrawal of
election petitions under the existing law. (Hear, hear.)
And he had to state further that the matter would be ma-
turely considered by the Government, and that a bill for
the amendment of the present law for regulating the trial
of controverted elections had been already drawn, and after
consideration (and there were some important details which
required to be considered carefully) would be introduced in
the next session of Parliament. (Cheers.) He wished,
while upon his legs, to call attention for a moment to the
notice given by
.his hon. friend the member for Oxford
University, to bring under consideration the report of the
select committee upon the office of Speaker. He was em-
powered by her Majesty to give her consent to the proposi-
tion recommended by the committee • but as the matter
was important, and might require discussion and as it
could not be brought on to-day at 6 o'clock without
inter-
fering with the arrangements for the Government business,
perhaps his hon. friend would not object to defer it till
Thursday or Friday next,
Sir R. INGLIS would fix it for Thursday, and hoped he
should be permitted to bring on the motion the first thing
on that day.

THE METROPOLITAN POLICE.
Lord D. STUART called attention to a motion he had
on the paper for a select committee to inquire into the
cost, maintenance, and general administration of the me-
tropolitan police. He complained that the cost of the
police had increased by 100,0001. within the last five years.
The number of police had been increased by nearly 1,200,
there being now 5,500 men in the force. The inhabitants
of the metropolis did not think it necessary to have so
large a force, and the metropolis was not a bit better
watched now than it used to be when there were fewer men
and the expense was less. He had reason to speak on that
point, because his constituents contributed one-fifth of the
expense of the police ; and, as well said by the hon.
member for Devonport on a former occasion, the cost of
the old watchmen of Marylebone was 10,0001. a year,
while that of the police was 25,0001. a year, the number of
men being the same, namely, 211—and under the old
system Sir Robert Peel had eulogised that borough as
being a model of public regulation. Although population
might have increased, yet the number of policemen was
out of all proportion, as they had increased 50 per cent.
since their establishment. The expense of the police was
complained of, and it had been admitted to be too great
by the government of the noble lord (J. Russell), for the
right hon. the member for Morpeth, when Home Secre-
tary, had introduced a bill to decrease the police rates;
but he suddenly altered his mind, and at one o'clock one
morning discharged the order for proceeding with the bill;
and that without notice, thus being guilty of a breach of
faith towards the inhabitants of -the metropolis ; and he
gave no reason, except that it was notorious that there
were apprehensions of disturbances at that time (184).
Were there any such apprehensions now ? The people
never were so prosperous, tranquil, or well disposed, and
the Government ought not to disturb that tranquillity by
refusing an inquiry on this subject. All he asktd was a
select committee to inquire if the police force was greater
than was required, or if any reforms were required in its
management, and if it was true that the expenditure could
not bo reduced, that would be shown, and the peoplewould
be satisfied. He believed that the result would be diffe-
rent, and that it would be proved that the police might
be as efficient as they were now, and more so, with a re-
duction of the amount which was paid for it. It was said
by some persons that the police could not be improved,
but he did not subscribe to that opinion, for, although
they were efficient, yet they might be made still more so,
and one mode of doing it would be to increase the num-
ber of their officers, and give those duties to a better
class of men, who would be more fit to command the men.
As it was, the officers were all raised from the ranks,
and were not sufficient in number to keep the men
to their duty, and that was one of the reasons why a
policeman was never to be found when wanted, but were
loitering about areas instead of being at their posts. Some
offences had been committed by the police which needed
inquiry. He had more than once mentioned in that house
a case in which some policemen attacked with their cut-
lasses an unoffending man, broke his arm, and then charged
him with assaulting them. The case was dismissed by the
magistrate, but the men were not brought to trial for the
offence by the commissioners, although they were dismissed
the force. There was another flagrant instance of miscon-
duct which occurred a month or two ago, when a respect-
able woman, the wife of a labourer, who was passing a
police office, was attacked by three policemen, who called
her a prostitute, and struck her a severe blow in the face,
and their treatment of her ended in a miscarriage. This
woman deserved protection as much as the wife of any
member of that house, and it was monstrous that such
an outrage should have been committed by the guardians
of the public peace. The men were brought before
the magistrate, and the one who abused the woman
was fined 10s. and 2s. costs, while the other, who had
struck the woman, and who was in court and heard the
matter going against his colleague, slipped off, absconded,
and had not been taken since. All this sort of thing in-
disposed the public towards this force, and there would
be a still greater indisposition towards it unless the Go-
vernment granted an inquiry. When the late Duke of
"Wellington lay in state at Chelsea there was great cause
to complain of the arrangements made by the police for
the management of the crowd ; the policemen on duty
were quite overpowered, and it was not until the guards
were brought on the ground that order was restored, but
in the meantime three lives wore lost ; and although the
police arrangements at the funeral were excellent, and
such as to induce the Queen to thank the police, yet at the
lying in state they were disgraceful, and the deaths which
occurred were chargeable on those defective arrangements,
For these and other reasons which he could bring forward
he thought there was very good ground for a select com-
mittee, but of course he should not move for it on the 2nd
of August. The Government had prevented him from
bringing forward his motion at an earlier period, and
all he could say was, that he would try it again
next session, and bring on his motion at a still earlier
period.
CASE OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS.
Mr. J. G. PHILLIMORE rose to move " That an hum-
te address be presented to her Majesty, praying that sheo
nid be graciously pleased to cause the case and memorial
of the Parsee merchants, Jevangee Mergee and Pestongee
Mtheereroait:iablecreferred for the examination and direction. of
The hon. ommittee of her Majesty's Privy Council."
, whogentleman then described the case of these mer-
chants,werehad native subjects of the British Govern-
ment, and had
management of certain cotton dis-
tricts in Berar, thehetteorrteries of the Nizam, as the most
cruel, short of injury
before Parliament. They life or limb that had ever come
complained, he said, that in spite
of solemn declaratrootlaynw
instruments
deliberately signed,
they had been
the Nizam, and the
East India Company had not only by
jain.ot interfered for their
protection, but were at this motile possession of the very
lands upon the mortgage of which theyinhad advanced money
to the Nizam, and that money hadexpended almost
exclusively for the support of the conlinnt,gent, composed of
support of his mo-
troops of the company themselves.
with great
lion Mr. Phillimore entered at much 1 e
pecuniaryn9.
with
his
minuteness, into the particulars of the
lions and the Nizam, and their correapondene tranac-
minister, Chundoo Lall, and the British resident
at
derabad, and stated that the balance due to the merchanHys.
was t 260,0001. In considering the law of the case, hear-
gued that, by every code, hypothecation carried its
burden
with it; that even had thesepersons been subjects of the
IsTizam, instead of being British subjects, the East India
company, having come
into possession of the districts in
question subject to all the Nizam's obligations were legally
liable to this undisputed debt.
ITH seconded the motion, and declared
Mr. J: A. -M
his convic
onthat the facts of the , which he reca-
otilated, were accurate and true, andcase he read a letter re-
written by General Frazer, formerly resident at
Clayto the Parsee merchants, strongly in favour of
Hyderabad,
their claims.
disclaimed all desire or intention to de-
Sir C. WOOD
b re were grounds for resisting this
predate the character of these Parsee merchants, but un-
dertook to show that e
f such ramount force that
claim, which had not been alluded to by Mr. Phillimore or
Mr. Smith, and which were of
ifhe did not conjure
he should grossly neglect his duty
to their feelings, and
salvation of o
chants
ur
the house to resist the appeal made
to maintain a policy which had been (beth
Indian Empire. The person by whom
the sole question
ese mer
had been wronged was the Nizam, and so _
was, whether the British Government were bound to com-
pel that :Prince to pay this debt, the British Government
owing these parties no money, and having done them no
wrong. The Nizam denied their claim ; but, conceding
that ho did owe the money, the claim was upon him- Sir
Charles gave a counter-history of the complicated dealings
between the merchants and the Nizam, who had assigned
not only lands as security for the advances, but moneys
due by certain zemindars ; and he argued that the com-
pany would not have been justified in interfering on be-
half of these parties. Recently an arrangementl had. been
entered into with the Nizam, who had
bbeendcnif in ay-
rear of his payments for the contingent,
districts had been, not conceded, but put iyncertain
Zit possession
a the British Government as a means of
these payments in future, and among those providing
was sfor
kortion of the lands formerly assigned to these parties. lie
then discussed the law of the case, contending that the
"gnment of land by a native prince to any British sub-
ject was contrary to cur inu:Licipal law,which these parties