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

SL AVERY.

Mr. AGLIONBY begged leave to give notice on
behalf of the Hon. Member for Gateshead (Mr. Hutt)
that on Thursday, the 10th of February, he would
move for a Select Committee to consider the best means

that can be adopted by Great Britain for tnitiga ing
the horr. rs of the sieve trade, and providing for its
final extinction. lie also wished to give notice, in
his own name, for a copy of any correspondence that
had taken place between her Majesty's Government
and the Lough Corrib Improvement Company.
PRESIDENCY OF BOMBAY

On the motion of Mr. G. THOMPSON the fol-

lowing returns were ordered :—Copies of the annual
reports of the superintendent of roads and tanks
within the presidency of Bombay, from the first to
the latest received in this country : Of all corre-
spondence, instructions, and reports, since 1835, of
the Indian Government, or any of its subordinate
Governments, departments, or officers, relative to
the proposed road from Vingorla to Belgaum, in the
presidency of Bombay : Returns of the cost of the
construction of the More or Kundalla Ghaut road ;
with the rates or tolls thereon, and the annual pro-
duce of the said tolls, from their first imposition :
Of the engineering particulars and cost of the road
from Bellary to Sirsee, in the presidency of Madras,
and of the import and the export trade, and of the
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 forage
(viz , oats, hay, and straw) to each of the districts of
the metropolitan police ; stating the date of contract,
the quantity and price of the articles supplied by
each contractor, and the name of the district where
delivered, from 1840 to 1847: and of the supply of
coal to each of the districts of the metropolitan
police ; stating the quantity, quality, and price of
the coals supplied by each contractor, and the name
of the district where the same was delivered, from
1832 to 1847.
THE CASE OF THOMAS DRURY.
Mr. EWART rose to ask a question of the Right
Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home
Department concerning the administration of criminal
justice in this country. He referred to the case-°f
Thomas Drury, who was tried at the NVakefield ses-
sions in December, 1845, on a charge of atealing'3l
horse. The man was, unfortunately, too poor to enable
him properly to defend himself, and he, therefore,
failed in proving an alibi, although he was in a P,c't
tion to do so. He was, consequently, sentencen
seven years' transportation, and for two years he wess
confined in Wakefield gaol, during which time inter-
cession was made for him at the Horne-oflices, but
without effect. The alibi was offered to be proved at
the Home-office, but he (Mr. Ewart) believed that no
evidence was allowed to be gone into at that offices
and the sentence of the man, therefore, remained un-
revoked. After two years' confinement the man was
transported to Van Dieman's Land, and it so happened
that when he got out there, a criminal named John
Weston, as he (Mr. Ewart) had been told, confessed
that he had stolen the horse, for which crime Drury
had been transported, and that in stealing the horse
he had assumed the name of Thomas Drury. He
(Mr. Ewart) believed that there was no doubt of the
truth of this story, and he believed that the man
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 been
brought under his notice by a memorial, which was
transmitted to him by the Honourable and Learned
Member for Hull (Mr. Baines). The account of the
case which had lately appeared in the newspapers was,
in several instances, inaccurate. It was quite true that
a person named Drury was tried in December, 1845,
and that a man in Van Dieman's Land had since con-
fessed that he had committed the crime for which
Drury was convicted. The matter was now under in-
vestigation at the Home-office. At the same time be
must caution his Hon. Friend against assuming that
the statement of the convict was true. Such state-
tnents were not unfrequently made. At the same
timA he was bound to say, that there were aircum
stances which gave an appearance of probability es;
the statement in this case, which circumetanc
though not sufficient to call for an immediate
commendation to pardon, would nevertheless be fulli
inquired into. He (Sir G. Grey) must correct one
statement of his Hon. Friend with regard to the case,
which had not been disposed of by him but by r
predecessor (Sir J. Graha-n), by whom a most care 0.:
investigation was made. When the man was triebde
two witnesses distinctly swore to his identity, and!
Honourable Member was quite right in stn ht
that the defence was an alibi, but he was not rig
in stating that the man was too poor to obtain a pr°;
er defence. The Leaned Counsel for the defers
fexamined a witness for the purpose of proving' t" e
alibi, but he altogether failed. Subsequently te
r,e,
persons offered to prove the alibi at the Home-ou'';;;
but it was discovered that one of those very perso
was in court at the time of the trial, and the couple
for the defence declined to call him. It was not alto
a-
gether correct to say that evidence was never reosiviebi
at the Home-office, but evidence respecting an,ac:pr
was always necessarily received with caution.
a full consideration of the case, two witnesses
deposed to the identity of the prisoner, and one 911-..
ness that was called for the defence on the trial hey'er
failed to prove an alibi, and the verdict of the Prilit,
having been entirely approved by Mr. IngbamstiAt,
•
chairman of the quarter sessions, the Right
Gentleman the then Secretary of State for the
Department felt it his duty Hot to recommend a P 360
don. Circumstances having since come to ligh,f,h a
inquiry had been instituted in this country wittota
view to ascertain the truth. He might farther 5, 4
that the prisoner was not transported as a conre';
but he went out with a conditional pardon, and 61ndja
his arrival he had been perfectly free, with the s'n?oe
exception that he could not return to this count*,
seven years.

Mr. EWART said they had been told the
THE RIVER PLATE. ottratt
night by the Noble Lord the Foreign Secretary to
r arrangements were being concluded with efereofete-
a
the ut.fortunate hostilities which had so long Noble
in in the River Plate. He wished to ask the
Lord whether, in the arrangements which were tit"h'''
place, measures had been adopted for oPening,„.,;l;
trade to the River Plate and its contributaries,
the Parana and the Paraguay. It was highs
portant to British commerce that measure ou
be adopted by her Majesty's Government for WI"
ing the trade of the vast continent of South America
Viscount PALMERSTON said that thereforet Rivet
Plate was in fact an estuary of the sea,
no question could arise as to its being oPen to O.
commerce of all nations. With regard to the internal
rivers, which discharged themselves into the Plate!
they were subject to the general law of nations, and
consequently were under the dominion of the coup:
and.e
tries through whose territories those rivers passeune
If the one bank belonged to one country sod t"0
other to another, the navigation would be subject t
both countries.
Mr. EWART wished to know whether any r.:
gulations had been made with the Argentine ROI°
lie to intercept the navigation of the river (as we 'ln-
derstood).
Viscount PALMERSTON repeated his state'
vias
ment, that the navigation of the internal as
had
subject to the g aiv
eneral law of nations, she
stated.
STOCK IN TRADE ASSESSMENT.
In answer to a question from Sir R. INGLIS,
Sir GEORGE GREY said that it was not his
intention during the next session of Parliament to
ade
bring in a Bill upon the subject of stock in tr
assessment.
POOR-LAWS (IRELAND).
Mr. KER wished to ask the Right Hon. Gentle
man the Secretary for the Home Department whetb_frl
in the case where poor-law guardians in Ireland de::
termined to confine themselves to in-door relief, 11'
was the intention of the poor-law Act to saddle tiom

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