The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-03 00:00:00

S, 1847.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
ROUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 2.
GLASGOW AND GREENOCK (CALEDONIAN)
RAILW AY BILL.
It was reported that the standing orders, so far as
this railway is concerned, ought to be dispensed with.
ROCHESTER AND MILTON RAILWAY BILL.
The standing orders have been complied with.
ROCHDALE WATERWORKS.
The Bill for these works was introduced.
EXETER, YEOVIL, AND DORCHESTER
RAILWAY.
The Bill for this line was read a first time.
THE ANDOVER UNION.
Mr. ETWALL gave notice, that on Tuesday, the
16th instant, he would bring under the consideration of
the House the evidence taken before the Andover Union
Committee last session, with the report made upon the
same.

Mr. VILLIERS, for the Hon. Member for Durham
(Mr. Bright), who was absent, begged leave to postpone
the motion of that Hon. Member, which stood for con-
sideration to-night, till that day fortnight.
CHARITABLE TRUSTS.
Lord JOHN. MANNERS gave notice of his inten-
tion of bringing in a Bill relating. to charitable trusts.
THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONER 6.
Mr. MACKINNON gave notice of his intention of
bringing under the consideration of the House the corn-.
position and mode of management of the Ecclesiastical
Commission.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.
Mr. DUNCOMBE renewed a motion, notice of which
he gave last session, with respect to the infliction of
corporal punishment in the army.—Agreed to.
TURNIP STEALING.—CONVICTION OF TWO
CHILDREN IN ESSEX.
Dr. BOWRING wished to draw the attention of
the Right Honourable Baronet the Secretary of State
for the Home Department to the. following state-
ment, which had appeared in the Times :—On the
2d of January two children, the son and daughter
of a poor man named Lee, who, for the last
three years, had occupied a cottage in the parish of
Chingford, in Essex, for which he paid 2s. 6d. a week,
were detected by the foreman of a person named Green
picking up turnips. They were taken by the man to
Chingford, for the purpose of being given into
the charge of a police-constable, and to Waltham
for the purpose ofgetting a magistrate to hear the case.
Mr. Preston, a magistrate, heard the case, and before
him the foreman swore that the turnips were worth 3d.
The children were convicted in the penalty and costs,
amounting to 1/. Os. 6d. In default of payment
they were to be imprisoned for fourteen days
in Ilford gaol. They were taken there in the
course of a day on which a severe frost prevailed,
fifteen or sixteen miles. On the following day they
were liberated, in consequence of their father having
borrowed the money and paid the fine and expenses.
He (Dr. Bowring) had been informed by the father and
mother of the children, that they were ready to
swear that from the Saturday to the Sunday
the children were released, they had nothing to
eat save a two-pound loaf. 41e was also informed that
on the following day, the 4th of January, a man and his
daughter were convicted by the same magistrate of steal-
ing a few coals, which were valued at one penny. They
were released from custody, however, as the grand jury
ignored the bill. Now, he wished to know whether the
conduct of this magistrate had excited the attention of
the Right Hon. Baronet ?
Sir GEORGE GREY said, in conseqaence of the
notice of the Hon. and Learned Member, he had caused
an inquiry into the circumstances as detailed, which
were similar to these which had appeared in the news-
papers.—(Hear. hear.) In the Times of to-day,
however, the Honourable Gentleman would End a
letter from the Rev. Mr. Reed, the Rector of Ching-
ford, which gave a very different version of the matter.
The only information be bad been able to obtain, in ad-
dition to that furnished by the Rev. Mr. Reed, was derived
from the Commissioners of Police, within whose limits
the case had occurred. Theso statements went to show
that the gentleman who first directed attention to the
subject was mistaken, and that therefore the occur-
rence had been greatly exaggerated. It appeared
that the ages of the children were ten and thirteen—
that they were convicted of stealing turnips, and were
sentenced and fined in the way mentioned. There
were statements in the report of the Com •
missioners with respect to the conduct of the
parents which he did not wish to read ; it appeared
however that they were gipsies, and that the father was
the owner of a pony, so that they were not in the state
of helpless distress alluded to. He should feel happy to
place the report in the hands of the Hon. Member ; and
on reading it he could not fail to be of opinion that the
statement was highly coloured, and consequently far
from correct.

IRISH DISTRESS.
Sir ROBERT PEEL presented petitions from se-
veral places in the county of Longford, setting forth
that the population of the county amounted to 27,950,
three-fourths of whom were upon the verge of starva-
tion, and that 8,150 of them were employed upon the
public works; that the land in all the baronies
of the county was divided into very small
divisions, great numbers of which remained until the
present time, and the petitioners prayed that the im-
mediate attention of the Government should be called
to their condition, and such measures adopted as should
prevent the disastrous results of such a state of things.