The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-03 00:00:00

an inquiry into the operation of the relief committees in
Ireland.

EXCISE LAWS.
Mr. EWART presented a petition numerously signed
by wine and spirit dealers, praying for a revision of that
part of the excise law which prohibited the sale of more
than two gallons of spirit by retail ; also a petition in
favour of the Health of Towns Bill.
Ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. WARD moved that the Committees on public
and private Bills have leave to sit to-morrow.
Agreed to.
Lord J. MANNERS moved an address for copies
of the correspondence between the Lord Primate of all
Ireland and Sir Robert Peel, relating to education in
Ireland in 184.5 ; and also between the Lord Primate
and Lord John Russell, on the same subject, in 1847.
Agreed to.
PUNISHMENT IN THE ARMY.
Major LA YARD wished to put a question to the
Secretary at War respecting the death of John Rad-
cliffe, late a private in the 75th Regiment. The circum-
stances of the case, which he gathered from Saunders's
News Letter, were these :—" The man Radcliffe was
charged with shooting at his sergeant-major, but it
would seem that the man fired with a blank cartridge.
Nevertheless, Colonel Halifax, the commander of the
regiment, made a severe order of punishment, and the
man, in consequence, cut his throat with a razor. The
jury that sat upon the coroner's inquest returned the
following verdict We find that the deceaced came
by his death in consequence of having inflicted a
wound upon his throat while labouring under
temporary insanity, produced by the severity of the
order made by Colonel Halifax." The order alluded to
in thi, verdict, was to the effect that the hair of Radcliffe
was to be cut close, that he was to be kept in strict
confinement, and if any man spoke to him be was im-
mediately to be put in confinement. He was to be
paraded before his comrades, and then marched to Atli-
lone, to take his trial before a district court-martial.
Now the question he wished to ask was, had the Horse-
Guards received any report upon the subject?
Mr. FOX MAULE said Colonel Halifax was a gen-
tleman of high military standing and honour, and a man
suited in every respect to be placed in command of a body
of men. Radcliffe, who was a private in the 10th Hussars,
fired at his sergeant-major, not with a blank cartridge,
as stated by the Hon. and Gallant Member opposite, but
with ball, and Colonel Halifax being naturally jealous
of the honour and anxious to maintain the high cha-
racter of his regiment, made the order in question.
From the inquiries he had made, however, he did not
think that under all the circumstances, the man com-
mitted suicide in consequence of the order, for on a
former occasion, after he had been found drunk upon
the march, he made an attempt upon his life; and on
another occasion, while anticipating the result of bad
conduct, he threatened to put an end to his existence.
IRISH LANDLORDS.

Sir D. NORREYS wished to know whether the No-
ble Lord would have any objection to comply with the
following motion :—On going into Committee of Supply,
to move that there be laid before this House so much of
the correspondence or reports of the inspectors under the
Act 10 Vic. c. 7 (with the name, rank, and residence of
the parties referred to), as sustains the statements made
by the Commissioners of Relief in their third report,
condemnatory of the conduct of committees, or of indi-
viduals in carrying out the provisions of the said Art.
Lord J. RUSSELL could not hold out to the Hon.
Baronet that he should consent to give the name and rank
of the parties. The Lord Lieutenant had directed that
extracts should be made from the various reports, im-
pugning the conduct of magistrates and others ; and
according to the replies he received the Lord-Lieutenant
would determine what course he would adopt.
Sir D. NORREYS emphatically, and with much ex-
citement, asked the Noble Lord if he thought that the
Irish nation would be satisfied with such a reply?—
(Cries of " Order.") He appealed to the Speaker
whether he was or was not in order.

The SPEAKER was understood to say that the Hon
Baronet was not in order.
MRS. TAWELL.

Dr. BOWRING wished to ask the Attorney-General
whether the property of Tawell, who was executed for
murder, and respecting which a❑ official inquiry has
lately taken place, will, instead of escheating to the
Crown, be restored to his widow?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL wished to undeceive
Hon. Members and the public with respect to the state-
ment which had appeared in the newspapers respecting
this matter. The House was, no doubt, aware, that
when a person was convicted of a criminal offence,
his property was forfeited to the Crown ; but
the practice had uniformly been to grant the property
to the relations who might petition the Crown for it. In
this case Mrs. Tawell presented a memorial to the Trea•
sury, praying inquiry, and to have the property vested
in the Crown for her use; and an inquiry had been made,
and it would be disposed of for her use.—(Hear, hear.)
He was rather surprised that a statement should have
gone forth in the newspapers imputing the grossest in-
humanity to the Crown, especially when it was borne in
mind that the inquiry was made at her own request.
MALTA.

Dr. BOWRING wished to ask the Under Secretary
of the Colonies whether the memorials and petitions
from Malta on the subject of the grievances of that
island have received the attention of the Government,
and whether any measures are in progress for their
redress ?

Mr. HAWES said the memorials had been received,
and were now under the attention of the Noble Lord at
the head of the Colonial Department, and until he came
to a decision, he thought it would be imprudent to say
anything more on the subject.
SUPPLY.

Mr. HUME inquired when the Noble Lord proposed
to go into Committee of Supply?
Lard JOHN RUSSELL—I intend to bring on the
supply on Monday.
SITTING OF THE HOUSE TO-MORROW
(THIS DAY.)
In reply to Mr. SPOONER,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated that he did not think
it would be necessary for the House to sit to-morrow.
BORNEO.

Mr. EWART wished to inquire of the Under Secre-

tary for the Colonies, what measures have been adopted
for the establishment of a settlement in the island of
Labuan, on the coast of Borneo, ceded to the British
Crown in December last.
Mr. HAWES said her Majesty's Government were
fully aware of the importance of the island ; but there
was no desire on the part of the Government to mag-
nify the colonial establishments ; parties, however, had
been appointed, who were competent to give the fullest
information, whose reports would shortly be presented
to the Government~
IRISH LANDLORDS.

Sir D. NORREYS adverted to his motion on
this subject. He considered. that he had been badly
used by the Noble Lord in this matter, as he had refused
to reply to his question. He said if any parties had
been guilty of misconduct they should be held up to the
scorn which they deserved, and he called upon the
Noble Lord as an act of justice to say whether all were
to be implicated in these disgraceful proceedings or not.
Surely the innocent ought to be discriminated from the
guilty.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the report of the commis-
sioners stated that there were 1,700 committees, and
that amongst them some abuses bad occurred; but the
Hon. Gentleman would have it that that inferred that
all were equally guilty.—(Hear, hear.) He did think
that it was impossible to state this more clearly than
the commissioners had stated it. He thought that the
publication of all the names, and the institution of an
inquiry, for both of which the Hon. Baronet asked,
would be productive of great evil.—(Hear, hear.) The
more prudent course to adopt would be to take the
statement as it was, and when the parties who had acted
improperly were appointed to the magistracy that an in-
quiry should be made into their conduct.
Mr. B. OSBORNE said if a Committee were ap-
pointed, that it could not accomplish the task which
would be assigned to them under a year, and that the re-
sult of their labours would fill one of the largest blue
books that has ever been printed.
Lord CLENIENTS supported the view of the Hon.
Baronet, and considered that the motion ought to be
agreed to.
Lord J. RUSSELL explained that the cases referred
to were the exceptions.
Mr. WAKLEY considered that an inquiry was due to
those who had not been guilty of the abominable prac-
tice which had been imputed to many landlords—
namely, placing their servants for support upon the rates.
The matter then dropped.
COLONIAL IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.
In reply to Mr. NEWDEGATE,
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that he would make inqui-
ries respecting the returns for which the lion. Gentle-
man had moved.

HONG-KONG.
In reply to a question from Lord SANDON,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL stated that seref--7T1,-1---insults
having been inflicted on the British Resident by the i
Chinese, in this island, he had sought the aid of the ,
naval force, for the purpose of obtaining redreass from
the Chinese authorities, and that naval force had a y
discharged the duty to which he had felt it his duty to
call them.
HEALTH OF TOWNS.
On the order of the day for going into Committee on
this Bill,
Mr. HORSMAN wished to put a question to the
Noble Lord (Lord MorPeth) with respect to interments
in crowded cities. lie wished to know whether the
Government intended to take any measure for the pur-
pose
of putting an end to such interments, which
he said not only demoralised the people, but
physically- deteriorated them. This and the past session
mention of a measure on the
subject,
sae
and
dbays withouttepub public
attention was becoming every
day more and more directed to it, he thought that the
Government ought to give an xplicit answer to his
question, and if they were not disposed to introduce any
Bill on the subject, to state what secret obstacles
pre-
vented them from doing so. The Bishop ofLo ndon2
years ago, when he was a poor rector, stated that no one,
unless devoid of humanity, would hesitate to do all in his
power to put an end to such an obnoxious system ; but
notwithstanding the increase of the population, they
were as far from any measure of r&orm as they were 25
years ago.
Mr. HUDSON said he had been repeatedly among
respectable inhabitants of York to call a meeting on the
subject. The inabitants were altogether adverse to in-
terment in the City.
Lord MORPETH—As soon as I shall have succeeded
in passing this Bill with respect to the health of towns, I
shall feel myself b,,und to mature and introduce a mea-
sure, and hope to carry it, for the prevention of burials
in towns; but I must say, I shall despair of carrying this
measure if you do not at once go into Committee
upon it.
Mr. WAKLEY said the subject was most pertinent
to that of the health of towns, and strongly urged upon