The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-25 00:00:00

RUGBY SCHOOL.

In reply to an appeal from Sir S. Northcote,
Mr. BRAND said he was quite willing to postpone bring-
ing. forward his motion, so as to allow the Public School
Commissioners an opportunity of more fully considering
the objections which had been taken to the statutes with
regard to the governing body of Rugby, provided he had
an assurance froth the Government that he should have
an opportunity of renewing the motion in the event of no
satisfactory settlement being arrived at by the Public
School Commissioners.

Mr. FORSTER said a full opportunity would be given to
the right hon. gentleman to proceed if he should think it
necessary to do so.
PUNISHING CHILDREN.

Mr. GRAHAM asked the Secretary of State for the Home
D3partment, whether his attention had been called to the
ease of Alexander Gillespie, a boy of ten years of age, who
had been committed as a vagrant to the Rottenrow Indus-
trial School, Glasgow, although innocent of any crime,
and being at the time resident in the home of his parents ;
whether it had been brought to his notice that such com-
mittal took place summarily, and without his parents being
even aware that the child was in the hands of the police ;
and whether he would not, under the circumstances, exer-
cise the power conferred upon him by the Industrial
Schools Act, and order the restoration of the boy to his
parents, who, although in humble circumstances, are
respectable persons, and able and willing to maintain and
educate him ?

Mr. BRUCE said the hon. member had been altogether
misinformed. The boy was taken up on a charge of being
about to commit a robbery, and his parents were made
acquainted with the circumstances, and told to attend at
the police-court. They did not, and the boy pleaded
guilty,and was without being convicted sent, under the 15th
Soction of the Industrial Schools Act to a reforma-
tory. The magistrate had the power to alter the sen-
tences upon proper representation being made to him.
PEACE PRESERVATION (IRELAND) BILL.

The House then went into committee on the bill.
The consideration of the measure was resumed on Clause
27, the subject before the chair being whether the word
" seditious " should be left out of the clause which gave
the power of suppressing newspapers publishing treason-
able or seditious matter.

Mr. MOORE objected altogether to the clause, and re-
ferring to what took place last night, he said he was quite
certain the opinion of the minority last night
represented the feelings of millions in Ireland,
whose feelings it would be dangerous to despise. All other
parts of the bill than those under discussion he looked
upon as pretences, and the enactment to protect lives he
thought merely a stalking horse. Before the Government
called upon the House to pass such a clause as that now
under discussion they ought to shew that the press was
in collusion with those who were acting in defiance of the
law. The National press only expressed the feelings of
the National party in Ireland, and he should most strenu-
ously object to have that party associated with murderers
and robbers.

The SOLICITOR GENERAL for IRELAND defended the
clause. The House last night had decided that the word
" treasonable " should remain, and now they were engaged
in considering whether the word seditious should remain
in the clause, he thought it absolutely necessary that it
should. In fact he looked upon it as of more importance
than the word " treasonable," and he would rather leave
that out than omit the word "seditious." It would give
the Government the power of dealing with a certain class
of offences ; but that power, he could assure the House,
would never be exercised unless the Government were
called upon to do so. The hon. and learned gentleman
then read extracts from a certain Irish newspaper to shew
exactly the sort of productions the clause would affect.
Mr. MUNTZ said he objected to clauses, and, in fact, to
all bills like the present ; but it appeared to be necessary
for the protection of life and property, which was looked
upon by all as the first duty of Parliament. He did not
like bills that were said to be merely tempo-
rary, as actual experience had shewn that where
a bill had been passed merely for the year, it had been
renewed again and again until it became, in effect, a per-
manent measure. He did not think much of the provision
that the bill was only for the year; he was afraid he
should see it renewed again and again, and that it would
become a model bill for England.

Mr. COGAN confessed that he would not take upon him-
self to give a definition of sedition, and so far as he could
he would endeavour to prevent the' arrival of the day
when it would be left to an individual minister, no matter
how able he might be, to decide what sedition was. He
believed that if the clause were adopted without the word
" sedition," it would enable the Government to deal
promptly and effectually with writings of a treasonable
nature, or which incited to murder, or the committing of
felony. He regretted that the exceptional circumstances of
Ireland required such a clause, but he thought they ought
not to give the Government greater powers with reference
to the press.

Mr. MayaHoN said it was clear that if the bill passed
as it stood, the Government would really seize property
in Ireland for acts which were not offences against the
existing law, He thought the Government should define
what sedition was, inasmuch as the Solicitor-General had
said that they would have no difficulty in the matter.
Mr. W. JOHNSTON supported the amendment.
Lord ELCHO thought the powers sought by the Govern-
ment were not only excessive, but such as no Government
in any coercive bill had ever asked for before. The argu-
ment against the exercise of the power was that it was a
question involving the liberty of the Press, but he would
rather call it an interference with the licence of the Press.
Although the powers were excessive, yet the responsi-
bility rested upon the Government ; and if they had found
the present law inefficient, he was not prepared to vote
astainst the bill.

After a long discussion,
Mr. C. FORTESCUE said the Government proposed to re-
move the words "having a tendency to promote " sedition
from the next clause; and, also, they were quite willing to
allow other alterations to be made, as they proposed that,
bofore the Government proceeded to put the law iu force,
they should give the paper about to be proceeded against
one warning.

The House divided on tho question that the words " or
sedition" stand part of the clause.
Ayes
Noes
Majority 977

CLEFT SITTING.)

LONDON GAZETTE—This Evening,

INDIA OFFICE, MARCH 21.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to nominate and
appaint Colonel Peter Stark Lumsden, Bengal Staff Corps,
Quartermaster-General of the Bengal Army, and Charles
Umphertson Aitchison, Esq., Bengal Civil Service, Acting
Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Depart-

ment, to be Companions of the Most Exalted Order of the
Star of India.

WitIrEnALL, 11Ann 25.

The Queen has been pleased to order a cong6 &Ore to
pass the Great Seal empowering the Dean and Chapter of
the Cathedral Church of St. Asai h to elect a Bishop of
that See, the same being void by the resignation of the
Right Reverend FaAlter in God Thomas Yowler Short,
late Bishop thereof, bud dcclarcd vacant by her Majesty's
Order in Council ; and her Majesty has also been pleated
to recommend to the said Dean and Chapter the Reverend
Joshua Hughes, 8.D., to be by them elected Bishop of the
See of Saint Asaph.
The Queen has been pleased to give and grant unto Capt.
William Gore Jones, R.N., her Royal licence and authority
that he may accept and wear the insignia of the Third Class
of the Imperial Order of the Medjidie, the Sultan having
promoted him thereto from the Fifth Class of that Order.