The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-30 00:00:00

lEEE.

BEPTE:

Bedford
22
Richmond 22
*Lincoln
Newmarket, F. O. 28
Sandbach
BER.

Newmarket, H 25

:BEL
Tarporley

The meetings against which we have placed an as-
terisk have not been officially announced, but in all pro-
bability will take place at the time mentioned.]
IRISH RACES TO COME.
Curragh April 20 Kilcock Aug. 16
Tullow May 4 I Cork Garrison
Bellewstown June 1 Curragh
Wicklow 8 I Lusk
Curragh
Killarney 3O 1 Fermoy
The Heath July 5 Tuam
Mallow
Down Royal Corpora- Curragh
flan
Carlow 2O tion
Ballyeigh 29 Kilkenny 2l
Phoenix Park Aug. 10

A BAREFACED THIEF.—An Irish lumper, named
Thomas Maguire, was brought up on Saturday, charged
with stealing rum from the ship Raver. It appeared
that the prisoner with others were discharging rum
from the ship, and afier they had fleished their work,
Mr. Shaw, the shipping clerk, found that two puncheons
had been broached, and a portion of the contents ab-
stracted. When the men were being paid, Mr. Shaw
offered a reward of 10s. fer the discovery of the thief,
when Paddy, as soon as he had got his comrades away,
said that if the promised doceur were handed over
he would give the required infOrmatiiin. Mr.
Shaw immediately began to count out four half
crowns; but, before giving them, and in order to make
" assurance doubly sure," he asked, in another whisper,
" You're certain, of course, that you know the right
man ?" "Oh ! beger, I am as certain of ir," was the
reply, " as I am of my own existence; I know him better
than I know my brother!" Mr. Shaw was satisfied; and
in less than a minute the half-crowns were jingling in
Maguire's pocket. Mr. Shaw then listened for the grand
rfvela,ion, and Maguire speedily sati:fied and astonished
him by exclaiming, " You see the thief afore you. I am
the man. Me own four bones broached the casks and
drank the rum; and faix, betune you and the and the
wall, blow the betther gallon of it I had for the last
twelve months! It's not my saying alone; all the neigh-
bours in the street will tell you the same thing, for they
all had a nip." Mr. Shaw called a policeman, and the
fellow was given in charge ; and, on being brought to
bridewell, the turnkey booked him as being drunk. Sir
Joshua Walmsley said he had never heard of a more
barefaced act in his life, and ordered him to pay a fine
of ss. and costs; The fellow was about to pay the five
shillings out of the ten shillings he had re-
ceived from Mr. Shaw, when the latter claimed the
money as his property. Sir Joshua said he had no
power to order it to be refunded ; and Maguire having
paid the fine out of the reward, he was discharged.—
Liverpool Mercury.
TILE MARQUIS OF LANSDOWNE.—We are happy
to state that the Noble Marquis is progressing favourably,
but it will take some days before his Lordship will be enabled
to take amy active part in public business. The Noble Marquis
is able to receive communications, and, in a measure, trans-
act the lighter duties attached to his office in the Govern-
ment.

BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET.—The sales of West
India during the week have been limited to about 200 Mids.
of newly landed Demeraras, and for which a further decline
in prices was accepted; good middling clean refining descrip-
tions 468. to 475. In Mauritius, the business has been con-
fined to some second• hand parcels at easier rates. No trans.
actions reported in Bengals. The rum-market—Refined
goods fully support the late advance.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY.—The Marquis of North-
ampton, as President of the Royal Society, gave his last
soirée this season on Saturday evening, at his residence in
Piccadilly; and on that occasion was honoured by far the
largest number of scientific friends that we have hitherto
noticed, for not less than 800 persons congregated in his
Lordship's saloons. His Royal highness Prince Alftert, at-
tended by Viscount Ciifilen, Colonel Bouverie, and Captain
Francis Seymour, arrived at twenty minutes to ten o'clock,
and was duly received by the noble president, who con-
ducted his
_utcte,l his Illustrious visitor to the principal drawing-room.
ilniteeredifferent rooms afforded considerable pleasure to those
in scientific pursuits, and in the arts, by the i
variety
objects sulbairigtiotitse,d
previousfur the inspection ptehcot i
reception
eopftiothne, audi-
noble
enter-
tained several of the members of the council of the Royal
Society at dinner.
THE \V EATuER.---NEW
late mildness of the sea.ionhaB
omN ay, MARCH 23.—The
proved most favourable for
she graziers in this
,winallv a present good, and, t neighbourhood. The fall of lambs is
Kvitish Oisfrver. unattended with loss.—

CONVICTS (WOOLWICH;.
There has been issued by order of the Howe of Com- '
mons a copy of the report made by the Superintendent
of Convicts to her Majesty's Principal Secretary of
State for the Dome Department. respecting the treat-
ment of c, nvicts in the hu:ks at Woolwich. The docu-
ment (which with the appendix occupies about 30 folio
and closely printed pag..) was moved for by Sir W.
Somerville, and in consequence of allegations made in
the public prints of cruelty to those convicts. The fol-
lowing are ex•racts from the superintendent's report :
"To all these charges I beg leave to give a most posi-
tive and distinct contradiction. The general health of
the prisoners as a body of men, and the number of those
admitted in a state of sickness, who have, by the judi-
cious treatment they received, speedily regained health
and strength sufficient to enable them to undergo a long
sea voyage, furnish the best evidence to prove the
correctness of my assertion. The prisoners are not
hid from public view, as in a gaol, but work daily
and openly in the presence of hundreds of individusls,
both in the dockyard and in the Royal Arsenal, who
must of necessity be perfectly aware of any
acts of cruelty towards them. They perform their
work cheerfully, and reference to the officers
of the naval and ordnance departments will prove that
there is no complaint made by them, and that the
amount of labour performed is satisfactory. Strangers
are permitted free, access to both those establishments,
and have continued opportunities of witnessing their
treatment. The visitors, also, on board the hulks are
numerous, and they have invariably expressed themselves
in terms of approbation at the cleanliness and order
apparent to every I,ne.
•'lt cannot be said that the prisoners are overawed by
phys'cal force, for, in compliance with instructions I had
received, no vacancies occurring among the officers or
guards for the last three years have been filled up ; and
the prospect of the establishment being broken up in-
duced many to seek and obtain other employment. The
consequence has been, that for a long time past the
prisoners at Woolwich, averaging upwards of 600 daily,
have, as you, Sir, are aware, from reports which have
been laid before you, until very recently had a staff of
efficers and guards totally inadequate in point of num •
bers to overlook and superintend them by night as well
as by day."
The subjoined case is an instance of one of the charges
made, and the answers made thereto by the superin-
tendent :

" The next case of cruelty is that of James Brandish a
maniac. This man was admitted while in a fit, roaring
out very lustily. This was his second time of admission
into the hospital. When I saw him, he was shouting
out on each occasion. The first time when Mr. Bossey
saw him he began to laugh at him, and told him those
fits would not do there.' Brandish had a fit after this,
which appeared to deprive him of the power of opening
his jaws; Bossey placed his thumb on his cheek, and
pressed against his cheek; he then opened his mouth;
Bossey began to laugh, and said, 'lt's all gammon, Mr.
Brandish; I will have you well flogged if you do not
alter your course of conduct; I will have you sent to the
Justitia and well flogged.' After the doctor went away
I examined his mouth, and I found that his cheek was
cut opposite where he pressed his thumb. They fre-
quently handcuffed his hands to each side of the
bed, and kept him lying in this position, in his
dirt and water, until a large piece mortified out of
the bottom part of his beck, about the same place
as that of George Monk. He became completely
childish. The doctor frequently threatened to have him
flogged. He allowed him wine before he died, a part of
which he took off a few days before his death, with his
usual threat of having him flogged. He died 6th
October, 1844."
" The treatment in this case will be found detailed at
length in Mr. Bossey's own report, which it is believed
w.ll disprove the charge. I cannot believe that the sur-
geon laughed at this patient; and the officers are positive
that such a word as ` gammon' was never, on any occa-
sion. used by him.
" The charge about opening the prisoner's mouth to
feed him is explained by Mr. Bossey's own statement,
from which it is clear he fed this prisoner with his own
hand, when no one else could accomplish it. No restraint
was rf quits d.
" The threats of flogging, repeated more than once in
this case, are a mere fabrication; the very fact of the pri-
son, r being placed upon full diet, with wine and porter for
so long a period, and the entry in the surgeon's own hand-
writing proves that he thought him in a dying state on
the 18th of September, alter which date must have oc-
curred the ' usual threat of having him flogged' on the
day he took off his wine, which was the 26th, as the
patient died on the 6th of October.
" There is a record in this case on the hospital jour-
nals, that on one occasion the surgeon was compelled to
rebuke an officer for neglect of duty in not changing this
patient sufficiently often ; the reproof given had the
desired effect, and no further complaint was necessary.
I mention this circumstance to prove that the charge of
continued neglect in this and' a preceding case is without
foundation. The repetition here of the `large piece'
which ` mortified out of his back,' is also untrue. The
real circumstances are fully detailed in the surgeon's
report. All persons who have witnessed long sicknese
in their own families must be aware of the difficulty. ai
times, of preventing what is called a ` bed-sore.' "