The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-03 00:00:00

• partia 16 • intieduced, I hope, convince you of-the
utility of this olamg,e. :Fur 1647 it amount to 77E9/.
Isb &lie also to ask you for a supplementaryvote for
the expenses of the estubliShment, -from its commence-
ment up to the close of the,,preAent year.
Tlae•only remaining item which I have to explain is,
that 0t5,-000/. for the curistruc,.on of water tasks in the
country d strict, • I am desirous thai the mode cif pre-
serving water which is prac4ed with- pi:rfe.c.,t success in,
othtr dry countries should he„afompted in this colony
on a consirierable scale. It it vicpeeds here, as I have
no'reaton t doubt, it i:1 rtli.eve tig:_peatest agricul
ttiral want. It seems desirable' t ty the GrOverarnent. •
shoulcrfake the matter iii hand, anAlNat, .least set'are
example for private enteriSrise.. If,,y(u,,approVe this
view," you will probably concur _.with. uort, iu thinking, r
that the route thrthigh the 'Gr6i.t liiiroa country, hy—
which droves of cattle are brought t 9 markets; is on4.of-
the most important tracts which we can select for our
experiment. Under these impressions; I submit for
your consideration vrhethei we cannot afford to
,devote
5,0001. of the revenue for next year to this important
object.
(Signed) P: MAITLAND.

ABOLITIOR OF THE.. PUNISH-
• MENT. OF DEATH.

A pUblic.Meeting was h lastevening- at the London
Tavern, Bishapsgate-street, to promote the abolition of
the punishment of death. There was a numerous at-
teidance, the large room being filled to exCess. Alder,
man Sidney filled the chair. Aznongst those present
were Rev. Dr. Mortimer, Mr. D. W. Wire, Mr. W. Thorn-
borqw, Mr. J. Meredith, Mr. H. Vincont, Mr. Flank H.
Leuthall, Mr. T. A. Tagg, Mr. F 7. Rickman, Mr. C. Gil-
pin, Mr. J. W. Greene, and Mr. JoSeph Marsh.
The Ch AIRMAN Said 4.194 hadisome 'experience of
the effect of capital punishapent -upon the great mass of
see-kV, and he had tome to the opinion, after the most
mature deliberation, that the continuance of 'the system
_was not justified ; that it was unnecessary in theapreseat
state of society,- as such exhibitions, instead .of ,inculcat-
ing a deeper moral .lesson, brutalised _those who wit-
nessed- them: He thought they were, therefore,
justifiA 'in demanding , its abrogation from.. the
Legislature, - or,. at least, its suspension; for seven
years,—(Llear, hear.) Not - many years. ago, from
i 150 to 200 offenceS were punishable by death, but_sinee
the extreme penalty of the law had-bon abolished. with
respect to all, save the crime of murder, not only had
those'crimes diminished
-in magnitude, but in numbers.
On the grounds of expediency, morality, and, above all,
on the higher ground of Christianity, they were per-
fectly justified in calling on the Legislature to abolish
it. 'The omniscience of the law was often vaunted .but
lie had the authority of Sir Fitzroy Kelly for stating
that during the last few, years fifteen innocent persons
had heen hung---7-how many more might have died whose
innocence it might not have been in the power
of man to trace ;. it was impossible to tell.
The commandment, !‘ Whoso sheddeth man's blood by
man shall his blood be shed,"l was susceptible of afore
meaning than the one generally received; but he could
not go to the length of stating that it was wholly un,
justified by scripture. • • - •
Mr. D. W. WIRE eloquently dealt with.the scriptural
Ajectitms to the abolition nf .tha. punish meni of death,
and held that there was no authority in the. Scriptures to
justify such vindictive justice. Eveti if the Scriptiiiit
gave the power to inflict it where it was found -beyond
doubt that the great end of punishment—the reform's,-
den .of •the criminal was destroyed; and no example 'en-
forcid, it was wholly unnecessary to_ continue it. The
time was coming on when juries would shrink with re'
pugnance from finding men guilty of '.reurder on tic-
count of the punishment. He qtioted 'the -opinion
of Alderman- Harmer, to show this reluctance to con-
vict on the part of juries, who were .glad to find
oat any crotchet through .clisch "they might acquit him:
If the punishment was exemplary, why nut, •to quote
froM Punch, bring all the charity schtials and children to
i)ehold tt ?—(Oheers,) Example torsooth ! it had bten
"ascertained that out of 164 executions which had taken
place, 162 of the malefactors had witnessed capital
punishments. It rather stinaulated than deterred.
Thieves knew that murder Was the only crime visited
aith the extreme penalty of the law, and abstained
tromit ; but when robbery was so punished they 'hul.
(feud to screen their crimes.—(Hear.) Thousands of
punishments might be adopted more severe than the
punishment of death.—(Hear.) If a man were
imprisoned for life—if his, name . and .-memory were
blotted out—he would be living, a terrible example
to others. In Tuscany and Belgium capital punish-
ment had been abolished with excellent effect.—(Cheers.)
He concluded by moving a.resolution to the effect that
the punishment of death is opposed to the spirit of
Christianitythat it does not answer its deSign—that
its effects are demoralizing—that it sometimes involves
the,destruction of the innocent by judicial process, and
at others favours the escape of the guilty, thus foster‘
ing the crime it was meant to suppress.
The Rev. Dr. MORTIMER seconded- the motion. He
referred to an assertion made by Lord 'John Russell,
that the treatment of criminals was a problem yet to be
solved—:and contended that capital punisbmeht was op-
posed to the true interpretation of the holy Scriptures
—that it cut off a sinner in the. Midst of his sin
—fhat it gave him no Opportunity for true
repentance, and was opposed to the very
essence of punishment which ought to be remedial and
not vindictive. As the treatment of prisoners was yet
a problem, there was no reason that solitary punishment
should be alone adopted. There was great reluctanCe
in juries to find persons concerned in fatal duels guilty
on account of the penalty, but if there was a minor
punishment the reverse would occur. The same might
be said with respect to the crime of infanticide, as
nineteen out of every twenty charged with this crime
are acquitted of the higher and found guilty of the
minor offence.

Mr. HENRY BROOKS proposed an amendment to the
effect that the meeting deeply deplored and commiserated
the distressed condition of the people, and considered
that capital punishment ought to be abolished,
but the meeting, with but one dissentient, voted the
first part of the amendment irrelevant to the•object for
which the meeting had been called.

Mr. HENRY VINCENT submitted to the meeting a
petition to the Legislature, praying for the abolition of
capital punishment. He held, in a speech' replete with
fervent eloquence, which was listened to and received
with great applause, that the scriptures did- not justify
the taking away of human life—that Christ 'did 'not
come to the earth to preach revenge—to strike blow
for blow, but mercy and forbearance, and it was
pious in fallible man to step in between the created and
the Creator, instead- of allowing the '.lO-411 to "l 'e his,
natural period" and to meet his' God; and to receive
sentence at His hands. Murderers were notterrified by
the punishment which would be inflicted upon theta' if
they were discovered and found guilty. The actuating'
principle was the fear of detection. He drew a vivid
picture of the neglected outcaA, children of London; time
children of the•depraved and the criminal, being led by
curiosity to an execution, and of being thus perverted
and brutalised, -and fitted for the course of life. which
their parents were pursuing. There was a strong Wand
growing feeling in favour of the abrogation of 'capital
punishment, and the people, if they spoke out, would
have their wishes complied with. Lot. them continue to
agitate, and let them take 'Lord John Russell at hiS
word, and teach him how to solve the probleur of 'al-.
minal punishment.

Mr. a. MILLER seconded the adoption of the petition,'
which was unanimously carriod.
A vote of thanks having been passed to the Chairma4,'
which was suitably acknowledg•ed, the numerous asseit!
'olage separated. . -

CAPTAIN WARNER'S LONG
RANGE.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 2.—The ex,-eriments with Mr.
Warner's apparatus for destroying ships or other objects,.
at a " long range,"- have been tried, and, as was e2c7.
petted, terminated in their total failure.
. .
The officers selected by Government were _Captain.
Chads, C. 8., Colonel Chalmers, R.E:, and 'Colonel,
Dundas, R.A. The Master-General of the Orduaitee
(the Marquis of Anglesey) gave them a spot to try. the
" long range," on his estate, in the island of. Angl4ey.
It was a valley, eight miles in length, and at the-exitrenie;
end there was a solitary 'tree 2. of course this .coul4;
not be seen from the ground where Mr. 'Vi'areer,
was placed, but the (mace Welrings . were fniniiha,
Mr. Warner was reuested to file in that directiOn,,
and endeavour to strike the tf-Nv or proiciel shell
near it ; two of the officers Stationed theMselves
at proper, distances to observe the result; after soiree
time bad elapscq, in ISTr. Warner getting all..ready,
Match he kept -a profound secret, not being interfered
with by any of the committee, the explosion took
but the shell fell` very far short of the object ; several
other trials afterwards were made, but on no eeciSion,
'did the shell ever-reach three miles. After some time,
Mr. Warner admitted that he had failed in his ex-
' periments, and the investigation finished.
H The foregoing is a brief statement of the result of this
much agitated question. A sum of 1;5004 had been actt
vanced by Government to Mr. Warner, to enable
_sexpenses,'
hn'
purchase the'requisite materials and defray
._ N
twhhaitchthhee
Gwoaysetron
mreelnutndh
aifveth
' an imaginary
public that Mr. Warner's " longtrhaante,the
beye:LPies:emt;lt satisfiedaea the'
question is set
and impracticable scheme, d
-The offic;al report 'has been made
iffi
the Ordnance. One of the cers was sci
'tied, the repayment of the 1,5001. an Willripttobethperemsseadst.e
,general of
ltshaatitsfiheedsttoboadt tuhneder itohnegtrre7gdeurit; the explosion.

• , „
A CHILD LEPT A HAMPER AT MISS .IDITEDETT
Courrs's.-.—Yesterday an inquest was held before • Mr.'
'Bedford, at the Barley Mow, Mount-street, GrosvenoiY,
'square, on the body of a, male child, found under the ;
following, circumstances :—Mary Hanley, the Wife (4'
Miss Btirdett Coutts's coachman, said that on Saturday.
night she was going in by the coach-house gates, in-
Piccadilly, when she saw a
outside.hamper, A policeman coming by at tile'
S placed,tr a t tono -
n s ttrhepe t ,
moment, she called his attention to it, and he opened te
t was found to contain the body of a fine ale'ehild,4
wrapped up in a linen napkin, and a sheet in
of paper was
placed on the top. It was taken to the workhouse', but
there were no marks to lead to the discovery of the
parties. Mr. Bloxhnm, surgeon, bad optmed the body,
and.had no doubt-the child was born alive. On examin-
ing the head, he found effusion of the brain, which had
been produced in the labour, and was the cause of death.
Verdict—" Died from natural mutes." —
SUDDEN DEATH AT A RAILWAY. STATION.---tlu
Tuesday morning, a-gentleman; named' Francis, a soli-
citor, of Monument-yard, London, left Hastings, with
his daughter,' to go to 'London, but nn their arrival at
the Brighton terminus, Mr: trankis, who, we understand,
was bqwegif sixty Und'ilventy yvars'nf age, was taken
suddenly ill, and befare medical as. iskinee could.be pro-
ticor!,stt. •• •••-1 _

The last accounts from tie departMent Duldb d
speak of an almost general fall in the price of corn.—
Paris paper.