The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-21 00:00:00

CAPTAIN DENMAN.

Mr. URQUHART gave notice that he would
move, on the Bth of February for " Copies of kill cor-
respondence between the Hon. Captain Denman,
R.N., and her Majesty's Government, relating to the
undertaking given by that Government to defend the
actions now pending in the Court of Exchequer
against the said officer, for the destruction of pro-
perty on the west coast of Africa."
AMENDMENT OF THE LAW.
The ATTORNEY- GENERAL gave notice that
on Thursday, the 3d of February, he would move for
leave to bring in four Bills, with the object of amend-
ing and reforming the duties of magistrates at quarter
sessions.

FOREIGN POLICY, icc.
Mr. C. ANSTEY said he wished to fix Tuesday,
the Bth of February, for the notice of motion standing
in his name, for papers relating to the foreign policy
of this country, and Wednesday, the 16th of February,
for the second reading of the Roman Catholic Relief
Bill.

DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Mr. MONSELL begged to give notice that on the
15th of February, he would call the attention of the
House to the state of the labouring population in Ire-
land.

THE CURRENCY.
Mr. lIERRIES said he would beg: to name the
Bth of February for the motion which he had already
mentioned, his intention of bringing forward.
THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.
Mr. HORSMAN gave notice that, after the re-
cess, he would move a resolution to the effect, that it
is expedient that the distinction between the episcopal
fund and the common fund should cease. He also
wished to give notice, unless the subject be taken up
by her Majesty's Government, that he would, on a
future day, bring forward a motion respecting
admission to the Universities of Oxford and Cam-
bridge.
PRISON DISCIPLINE.
Lord NUGENT gave notice that it was his inten-
tion to bring under the consideration of the House, on
the 10th of February, the highly penal nature of our
prison system with regard to untried prisoners, with

the object of moving for leave to bring in a Bill for
the repeal of so much of the Act of 2d and 3d of
Victoria as rendered the separate system applicable to
prisoners before trial.
JEWISH DISABILITIES BILL.
Mr. STAFFORD gave notice that, on the motion
for the second reading of the Jewish Disabilities Bill,
he should move that the Bill be read a second tium
that day six months.
THE WEST INDIAN INTERETS.
Lard GEORGE BENTINCK begged leave to
withdraw the motion which stood in his nEme for
Thursday next, in order to substitute another mo-
tion, which, he hoped, would be found worded in
obedience to the wish expressed by his Noble Friend
at the head of her Majesty's Government. Ile
wished to alter the notice to one for a Select Com-
mittee to inquire into the present condition and pros-
pects of the coffee and sugar colonial possessions in
the West Indies, with a view to consider whether
any and what measures can be adopted by Perlis-
meat for their relief. lie would wi3h to Dome
Thursday, the 3d of February, for bringing it for-
ward.—(Hear, hear.)
SANITARY IMPROVEMENT.
Lord MORPETH gave notice that on Thurelisit
the 10th of February, he would ask for leave t°
bring in a Bill for promoting the public health.
• MASTERS IN CHANCERY.
Mr. AGLIONBY gave notice that on Tuesdsit
the Bth of February, he should move for certain re-
turns connected with the appointment and the rear-
ing pensions of Masters in Chancery.
111 r. G. THOMPSON begged to postpone until
Tuesday, the 15th of February, the motion Which
stood in his name in the motion book for Thursday'

SLAVERY.
Mr. AGLIONBY begged leave to give notice
behalf of the Hon. Member for Gateshead (Mr. nutiti
that on Thursday, the 10th of February, he viou'
move for a Select Committee to consider the best ruesll,
that can be adopted by Great Britain for mitigating
the horrors of the slave trade, and providing for .t 6
final extinction. He also wished to give notice, 111,
his own name, for a copy of any correspondence ths;
had taken place between her Majesty's Govern's°
and the Lough Corrib Improvement Company.
PRESIDENCY OF BOMBAY-
On the motion of Mr. G. THOMPSON the O.;
lowing returns were ordered :—Copies of the sant
reports of the superintendent of roads and tam'
within the presidency of Bombay, from the first t°
the latest received in this country : Of all con
spondence, instructions, and reports, since 1835, °,
the Indian Government, or aey of, its subordinate
'
Governments, departments, or officers, relative re
the proposed road from Vingorla to Belgium, in t,"O
presidency of Bombay : Returns of the cost of
construction of the Bhore or Kundalla Ghaut road;
with the rates or tolls thereon, and the annual P":
duce of the said tolls, from their first impealti°°i
Of the engineering particulars and cost of the r°'
from Bellary to Sirsee, in the presidency of Madr7;
and of the import and the export trade, and of t'
annual produce of the Customs of the port of
from the year 1838 to the year 1846, both inclusive*
SUPPLIES TO THE METROPOLITAN
POLICE.
Mr. FORSTER moved for tabular returns of the
names of the contractors for the supply of fora of
(viz , oats, hay, and straw) to each of the districts °
the metropolitan police ; stating the date of contract,
the quantity and price of the articles supplied be
each contractor, and the name of the district Whea,r/
delivered, from 1840 to 1847: and of the supply
coal to each of the districts of the metropo.lit :f
s
police ; stating the quantity, quality, and price us
the coals supplied by each contractor, and the asfsta
of the district where the same was delivered, fr°
1832 to 1847.
THE CASE OF THOMAS DRIJRY.,,ht
Mr. EWART rose to ask a question of the
Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the 11°.w.i
Department concerning the administration of criminol
justice in this country. He referred to the case ~,
Thomas Drury, who was tried at the Wakefield se's
sions in December, 1845, on a charge of stealiag,_,.
horse. The man was, unfortunately, too poor to ensure'',
him properly to defend himself, and he,
failed in proving an alibi, although he was nepdostoi
tion to do so. He was, consequently, senterlie Was
seven years' transportation, and for two years
but
cession in Wakefield gaol, during which time in u
cession was made for him at the :Horne-offices,
_bat!
without effect. The alibi was offered to be proved
(6)
therefore,
the Home-office, but he (Mr. Ewart) believed that ne
evidence was allowed to be gone into at that Oen:
and the sentence of the man, therefore,
remained
_furrevoked. After two years' confinement the man SI
transported to Van Dieman's Land, and it so happen!:
that when he got out there, a criminal named Jcw;
Weston, as he (Mr. Ewart) had been told, confesssu
that he had stolen the horse, for which crime Drury
had been transported, and that in stealing the hors
he had assumed the name of Thomas Drury. gs
(Mr. Ewart) believed that there was no doubt of the
truth of this story, and he believed that the coo
Drury was totally innocent of the crime for which he
had been transported. He (Mr. Ewart) desired,
therefore, to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman whether
he had received any information at the Home-office
of the facts of this case, and what measures were in.
tended to be taken with respect to it.
Sir G. GREY said that the case had lately bee°
brought under his notice by a memorial, which Ws;
transmitted to him by the Honourable and Lears
Member for Hull (Mr. Baines). The account of the
case which had lately appeared in the newspapers WI
in several instances, inaccurate. It was quite true tn.;
a person named Drury was tried in December, 18 p;
and that a man in Van Dieman's Land had since co
..P
fessed that he had committed the crime for which •
Drury was convicted. The matter was now under To
vestigation at the Home-office. At the same time
must caution his Hon. Friend against assuming ttr_,
inc_
the statement of the convict was true•At the Suchsi stet ;
meats were not unfrequently made.
time he was bound to say, that there
stances which gave an appearance of Pr°b„2„,,biaanYces,
the statement in this case, which coc",i,a—te re-
were
.hir.tcu
to
though not sufficient to call for an itaillei,e fully
commendation to pardon, would nevertheless one
inquired into. He (Sir G. Grey) must correcbc_s_
statement of his Hon. Friend with regard to the 7:d;
which had not been disposed of by him but hi_efiti
predecessor (Sir J. Graham), by whom a most ce:ried,
investigation was made. When the man was I'd the
two witnesses distinctly swore to his identity, arltiag
Honourable Member was quite right in anight
that the defence was an alibi, but he was no"
ir
in stating that the man was too poor to obtain sfs'o a
ce
per defence. The Leaned Counsel for the de to
examined a witness for the purpose of prolabree
alibi, but he altogether failed. Subsequently t c e
offi
persons offered to prove the alibi at the Horne- .130
but it was discovered that one of those very Per-niel
was in court at the time of the trial, and the 03111te,
for the defence declined to call him. It was lot!iel
gether correct to say that evidence was never recliibi
at the Home-office, but evidence respecting aukfter
was always necessarily received with caution. "-via
a full consideration of the case, two witnesses bewit•
deposed to the identity of the prisoner, and 0138 fieg
mess that was called for the defence on the trial
failed to prove an alibi, and the verdict of the -1 the
having been entirely approved by Mr. IngbenjoP
chairman of the quarter sessions, the Right mo
otos
Gentleman the then Secretary of State for the "'
Department felt it his duty not to recommend 5,, l
don. Circumstances having since come to lirit!b
inquiry had been instituted in this country /Foote
view to ascertain the truth. He might fartherogicti
that the prisoner was not transported as a I
'"jiocc
but he went out with a conditional pardon, enuailigle
his arrival he had been perfectly free, with the,,,, (of
exception that he could not return to this coup'

seven years.
said
aR It Rh a
beenPLATE.
told
Mr. EWARTTII
night by the Noble Lord the Foreign SecrewJtice to
arrangements were
being concluded with refer%i tea
the
unfortunate
hostilities which bad so long ei„ible
in the River Plate. He wished to ask the f•og
Lord whether, in the arrangements which were„;,..-kihe
place, measures had beeadopted the
place, for oPen
trade to the • na River Plate and its contributaries,
the Parana and the Paraguay it was highl);,,,-old
portant to British commerce Paraguay.
t measure 13. -
ti_he..ifett-teort
be adopted by her Majesty'sthat measure Government
for erica'
riclP
in g the trade of the vast continent of South Awe.
or
Viscount PALMERSTON said that the per
Plate was in fact an estuary of the sea, and there the
no question could arise as to its being openly o P.l
commerce of all nations. With regard to the tern;
rivers, which discharged themselves into the Flaj
they were subject to the general law of nations, el"
'
consequently were under the dominion of the ec'en
tries through whose territories those rivers Pessfho
If the one bank belonged to one country end he
other to another, the navigation would be subject
both countries.
Mr. EWART wished to know whether any
nr,e:
gulations had been made with the Argentine RePo'e-
lic to intercept the navigation of the river (as we
derstood).
Viscount PALMERSTON repeated his state'
ment, that the navigation of the internal rivers vaig,
subject to the general law of nations, as he 1111'
stated.
STOCK IN TRADE ASSESSMENT.
In answer to a question from Sir R. INGLIS,
Sir GEORGE GREY said that it was not 13°
intention during the next session of Parliament to
bring in a Bill upon the subject of stock in trade
assessment.
POOR-LAWS (IRELAND).
Mr. KER wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentle;
man the Secretary for the Home Department wbetke
in the case where poor-law guardians in Ireland de.,
termined to confine themselves to in-door relief,_.9
was the intention of the Poor-law Act to saddle tho"