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

EAALIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, July 2.
Ike ILIAso sat
Rto-day at /five o'crock.
ROYAL ASSENT.
The Royal Aseaut was given to-day by Commission
to tfie following seventy-three public and private Bills
Naval Mutiny - Bill—Naval Prisons Bill—Royal
Marine Service Bill—Quakers and Jews Mar-
riages Biil Masters in Chancery Bill Baths
and Washhouses Bill Cornwall Railway Bill
London and North-Western Railway (purchase of Earl
Ellesmere's interest, tic.) Bill—Vale of Neath Railway
Bill---General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Rail-
way Branches Bill—Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway
(Construction of Docks) Bill—East Lincolnshire
Grimsbyre Railway
(Deviation at Boston, and Branch to Great
and Sheffield Junction Railway at Grimsby)—Ambter-
gate, Nottingham, and Boston, andEasternu intoncton
Railway (Alteration of Line and Branches Junction
or near the Town of Nottinghain)—LlynßviirreVinagl-
ley Railway Extension—Shrewsbury and
bens Railway Act
Wales Amendment and Branches—
Bristol and South Junction Railway and Aust
Perry—Caledonian Railway, (Glasgow, Garnkirk, and
Coatbridem Railway, Branch to Glasgow and Station)—
Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway (De-
viation between Duntocher Lime-works and Bowling)—
Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland—Newry
and Enniskillen Railway Acts Amendment—Newport,
Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway (Deviations)—
Herneßay and CanterburyJunction—London andSoutis _
Western Railway (Widening, &c.)—Dundee and
p-rth
Railway (Alterations and Extension)—Glasgow,r Barr.rs
head, and Neilstun Direct Railway—Great Western
Railway (Bra neh to join the West London Railway, &c.)—
Eastern Counties Railway (Maldon, Witham, and Brain-
tree Railway Purchase)—Great Southern and Western
Railway Extension (Portarlington and Tullamore)—
Norfolk Railway (Branch from Wymondham to the
Norwich Extension of the Ipswich and Bury St. Ed-
mund's Railway, and the proposed Thetford and Reed-
ham Railway, near Diss)—Glasgow, Barrhead, and
Neilston Direct, and Glasgow Southern Terminus
Railways Amalgamation—Southampton and Dorchester
Railway, (New Forest Deviation and Branches)—
Lowestoft Railway and Harbour (Alteration
near Reedham) Norfolk Railway (Yarmouth
Extensions)—Dublin and Drogheda Railway Branch
from Navan to Kells—Southampton and Dorchester
Railway (Weymouth Branch)—Swansea Valley Rail-
way—Manchester and Lincoln Union Railway De-
viation—Manchester and Leeds Railway (Branch from
the Huddersfield Railway)—South-Eastern Railway
(North Kent and Bricklayers' Arms Junction)—
Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport Railway and Branch—
Dundee and Newtyle Railway—London and North-
Western Railway (Newport Pagnell, Olney, and Welling-
borough Branch)—North Staffordshire Railway (Altera-
tions and Branches)—South Wales Railway—Derbyshire,
Staffordshire, and Worcestershire Junction Railway—
Dublin and Belfast Junction and Navan Branch Railway
—Boston, Stamford and Birmingham Railway (Peter-
borough and Thorney Line)—East Lincolnshire Railway
(Louth Navigation Purchase)—London and North-
Western Railway (Coventry and Nuneaton Branches).—
London and South-Western Railway (Andover to the
Bishopstoke and Salisbury Branch)—Manchester, Shef-
field and Lincolnshire Railway (Branch at Bugsworth)
—York and Newcastle Railway, and Wearmouth
Dock Enlargement—Midland Railway (Leicester
and Swannington)—London and North-Western
Railway (Atherstone and Whitacre Branch)—
Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan Railway (Amend-
ment and Deviations and Branches)—Birmingham and
Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley Railway (No. °—
Shropshire Union Railways and Canal (Lease to the
London and North-Western Railway Company)—Swan-
sea Docks—Croydon Commercial Ghs and Coke Com
pan Dunfermline Waterworks—Falmouth Water-
works Macdutr Harbour Improvement Wark-
worth Harbous—London, (City) Small Debts—
Westminster and Part of Middlesex Sewers—Bristol
Building and Improvement Act Amendment—Bristol
Commercial Insurance Company—Wyndham's Estate
Estate Bill—Poyntzfield's Estate Bill—
Horne's (Ferguson's) Estate Bill—Hodgson Einde's
Estate Bill—Leigh's Betate Bill.
The Lords Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Spencer, and Lord Denman.
PUNISHING A SOLDIER IN THE SEVENTH
HUSSARS.
Lord BROUGHAM wished to ask his Noble Friend
a question with respect to the punishment of a soldier
of the 7th Hussars, named Radcliffe, who had
been charged with a very grave offence, namely
shooting at his sergeant with a pistol loaded
with bait. If the charge was true it was a very
grave one. He wished to ask his Noble Friend (the
Duke of Wellington) whether he had received any in-
formation that the colonel had ordered him to he
marehed to his trial on the following Wed-
nesday "to receive the greatest punishment
that could be inflicted upon him." This was an extra-
ordinary letter, but he (Lord Brougham) supposed that
it referred to the punishment he should receive if he was
found guilty.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he had received
information of the transaction. The fact of the matter
was this. A soldier of the 7th Hussars, of the name of
Smith (not Rsdcliffe) shot a sergeant-major of the same
regiment by the aid of his fire-arms. This was an infa-
mous and atrocious Act, and was particularly deserving
of notice in Ireland, where it was too much the practice
of the country at large to connive at the escape of mur-
derers.—(" Hear, hear," from Lord Brougham.) It was
an Act deserving of the notice of the commanding officer
of the regiment ; and it was incumbent on him to mark
his sense of its atrocity, not only on account of the regi-
ment, but of the country where it occurred. The sol-
dier committed one of two military offences, and the
commanding officer was right in ordering him to be con-
fined, and in the other step he took to mark his sense of
the atrocity of the crime which hail been committed.
The fault, however, which he (the Duke of Wellington)
found with hiln was, that he did not say, when he ordered
the soldier's hair to be cut, what was the reason for
which he had given that order, for this might lead to the
supposition that he was prejudging the case. He was
of opinion, Lowever, that in the main the commanding
officer had acted rightly in the course he had taken.
Lord BROUGHAM said that his Noble Friend was
quite right in describing the offence as a grave one, but
his objection was against what had t iken place before
trial, and also to the tesms of the order.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that the man was
not tried fbr being concerned in the murder, but for im-
properly using his own ammunition, or for purloining
that of another.
The subject dropped.
QUALIFICAZION OF PEERS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of ROSEBERY, this Bill
was read a third time.
The NOBLE EARL then moved an amendment, giving
power to a foreign consul to administer the oath of alle-
giance in those cases that came under the provisions of
the Bill.
The Duke of BUCCLEUCH opposed that clause, as
he thought no such power ought to be conferred.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw; no division,
however, took place.
The amendments were then agreed to, and the Bill
was read a third time and passed.
POOR-LAW ADMINISTRATION BILL.
On the order of the day for going into the Poor-law
Administration (Ireland) Bill,
Lord BROUGHAM said that he should not give bis
support to this measure, for in his opinion it was not im-
portant, in the administration of a law of this nature, to
have an officer connected with it in Parliament, to whom
any questions concerning it could be addressed. But
there was one very serious objection to the method in
which it was proposed to connect that officer with the
general administration of the country. In all ministerial
questions which were proposed, there must be one of two
ternsinations to the question—either the defeat of those
who opposed the Government, or of the Government
itself ; and as this poor-law officer would be connected
with the Ministry, every question which was proposed
by the fifinistay and disputed in Parliament, must affect
him and his office, as one Of that Ministry ; so that, in-
stead of having a calm and unbiassed administration of
these laws by that officer, the poor-law and its adminis-
tratinn would bo shaken or affected by nearly every ques-
tion which wits discussed in Parliament. Let them once
agree to any such connexion with the Ministry, and every
sort of cry that could be raised against the Ministry
would be faised, and every act of the Poor-law Commis-
sioners, though done with the very best intention, would
be Urged against them in every possible way. Acts
'bieh might be really humane in themselves, and have
for their ttimate object the alleviation of the sufferings
4 th: °poor, would for their apparent severity be caviled
at 'n Paylianient, and furnish a constant matter of com-
plaint agablat the Government of the day. The exist-
ence of
would furnishelk officer in connexion with the Ministry
political intriguerhor
aas additional and fruitful source of
question of the Combinations, and
.while the
be in reality a clues law W5I nominally raised it might
would be in agitation, basor
be, the poor-laws must meet' -
Whatever
different sort that
the question plight
-heel known a Government to gil'olY be affected by it. He
one or two years
with a small majority, and such asi4risrtri
moment he would
defy to pursue a steady course with
to the poor-
ttio hindrahce
law. It might be said that there could D;
to the commissioners doing their duty;
might be " fiat justitia, mat ccelum"—meinTgl)ey motto
in
the heaven of Downing- street, but it would be c
impossible to hinder the most serious obstacleusttfersr,'
being thrown in the way of this officer. This would
be
the consequence, and the inevitable consequence of the
introduction of this officer into Government. Supposing
that at the present time—when the country was upon the
eve of a general election—that such an officer were in
existenoe, and had laid down with the consent of the
Government, a particular mode of administering the
roar-laws, co si" it be expected that if the existing
Government had a small major*, they would attempt
in conjunction with this commissioner to carry into effect
so obnoxious an order as the one upon which they were
beaten the other night—namely, the separation of the
sexes? The Government had been defeated the other
evening in attempting to enforce this principle—a prin-
ciple which was a most proper one—and lie for one
tendered them his hearty and sincere thanks for resist-
ing the opposition which was brought against it. He
thought that this Bill, if carried, would give a very
unfair meons of annoying the existing Government,
without any cotazespording benefit to.
the.
not indeed think that such an officer was necessary, and
He did
it would be very-difficult to get one
with the knowledge
of the class over whose interests he would have to preside,
and with the firmness which would be required
to wry as effect that which it would be
his
duty to do. Supposing that this officer were in office,
and just as he bad acquired all these requisitessuffi-
ciently for the discharge of his manifold duties, that he
should be compelled to go out of office by a change of
Ministry, woulettillant involve the necessity of placing
he had learned all
another offi.: lffice, "wlidacs as
that his pr erEanfoquiredetnight leave his office
Kt the 3: *r. . period? - These were his reasons
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