The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-04 00:00:00

PUNISHMENT OF DEATH.

Mr. FITZROY KELLY begged to ask whe-
ther it was the intention of the Government
to propose any measure fcr the further abolition of
capital punishment, and if so, whether it would
be as extensive as that which he had the honour to in-
troduce last Session ?
Mr. FOX MAULE said that it was the inten-
tion of her Majesty's Government to bring forward
a measure on the subject of the abolition of the
punishment of death. He was not, however, pre-
pared to say that it would be coextensive with
the measure which the lion. and Learned Member hail
formerly introduced. The Hoa. and Learned Member
would soon have an opportunity of becoming acquainted
with the measure, as he hoped it would be introduced
before the Impso of another month.

Mr. F. KELLY then gave notice that he ;mild, on
Tuesday next, bring forward the motion of which he
had given notice for leave to bring in his Bill.
REGISTRATION OF VOTERS—(IRELAND.)
Lord MORPETH stid that he confessed he arose
on that occasion with some anxiety, both on
account of the intrinsic merit of the question
itself as well as the special interest which had been
more recently attached to it, from its having, in fact,
served as a pivot on which the struggles of political
parties of late had materially turned, and from
its bringing him into something like rivalry with
the Noble mover of another Registration Bill on
the opposite side of the House in the way in
which riei l-y could alone subs:st between tl oat—that
was between the qualities of their respective
measures—certainly not bntween the proposers. He
would therefore beg that the House would follow him
on the occasion with indulgence and attention.
Whenever the subject had been before them on pre-
vious occasions, as they had been correctly re-
minded by the Noble Lord the Member for North
Lancashire on a previous evening, it had been
allowed upon all hands that great imperfections and
abuses attached to the present question of Registration
in Ireland, which both admitted and called fur remedy.
As to the precise extent of those abuses, as to the
degree in which any fraud was practised, and as to its
cowpara:ive extent either in this country or in Scotland,
there might be, and lie declared there had been diffe-
rences of opinion ; but still it had been admitted gene-
rally that great means and facilities for fraud existed
in the present system of registration in Ireland,
and it had scarcely been denied by any one who had
addressed himself to the subject, that occasional in-
stances of fraud had taken place. The point which
bed been most frequently adverted to, was a
system of certificates, and the facilities afforded there-
by for fraudulent personation of either dead or ab-
sent voters, and the retention of persons on the
registry, who, after they had once been placed on the
list were left then without any opportunity for subse-
quent correction or revision, during the whole period
for which the registry remained in force—that was
under the present Irish reform law for a period of 8 years.
Now those certainly were practices for which no one
would stand up, and which every one who had
spoken on the subject professed himself anxi tus
to correct.— (Hear.) In any measure, therefore,
which her Majesty's Government would bring forward,
they would endeavour to put an end to such palpable
and obvious abuses as those to which he referred. The
unequal and one•sided sy stem of appeal which was confined
to au appeal i❑ favour of the franchise, which
was limited to the claimant, and denied to the
objector, had also formed a subject of general
complaint.