The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-28 00:00:00

advocates, may well utter joyous paeans. But there
were other subjects introduced in his speech, which,
although of less vital importance to the public
generally, and having less influence on the national
wealth, cannot but prove deeply interesting to the
philanthropi,t, to the man who feels himself concerned
in anything relating to the welfare and happiness of
his fellow-men.

First in importance and interest amongst topics of
this class stands the question of military flogging—a
system the horrors and atrocities of which are now
fully understood by the nation, against which the
voice of public opinion has been most loudly uplifted.
Dr. BowarsG had long been the opponent of that vile
description of punishment which, in nine cases out of
ten, destroyed the moral character, the feeling of in-
dependence and honour of every man who had been
subjected to the deep degradation of the lash, and
whf:ch, often inflicted for the most trivial and insig-
nificant cause, occasioned an untimely and painful
death to the unfortunate victim. Had Dr. BOWEING
rendered no other service to the public, had he been
-an indolent and careless man, negligent of the great
dirties which every representative of the people takes
upon himself on entering the Senate-house, he would
have gained immortal honour for the course he
adopted on that question. He seized the golden
moment, he availed himself of the intense enthusiasm
pervading the public mind, which had been thoroughly
aroused by the horrors detailed at Hounslow during
the proceedings of the inquest held on the body of
the martyred WHITE. He gave notice in the House
of Commons of a motion for the total and immediate
abolition of the abomination, and firmly resisted all
solicitations to relinquish or delay his motion until the
public mind was less excited and less sensitive on the
subject; he was told that he might embarrass the
authorities if he brought forward so ticklish a ques-
tion, and assured that if he would only wait every-
thing that was possible under existing circumstances
would be done ; but the Learned Doctor was too well
aware of the real value of suet' as:llrknops to Ic't err
the favourable opportunity ; he knew that every
valuable and important reform has been obtained by
the pressure from w ithout, that he might never again
find a moment so propitious, and gallantly and un-
hesitatingly he persevered. His answer to the so-
licitations so made to him is deserving of the highest
credit, and should be a model to every independent
senator under similar circumstances. It was, " that
if any fragment was left of the system, that system
he would still denounce and endeavour to overthrow?'
His firmness and perseverance were not thrown away.
A vast improvement was effected ; new rules and
regulations were promulgated, by which the number

of lashes which could by any possibility be inflicted
was reduced to fifty, one fourth part only of the
number that was formerly sanctioned. The oc-
casions, too, on which the cat could be called into
operation were greatly restricted, and the greatest
precaution directed in every case, in order to ascertain
that the victim was in such a state of health as to
enable him to endure the torture without danger to
his life. lied the Doctor been satisfied with the as-

surances so made to him, it is, to say the least of it,
probable that the measure of reform would have been

more tardily granted, and of a more stinted character.
lie was asked if he would be satisfied with these re-
gulations ? but his answer was, "No; while there
is a power to inflict on single lash on the back of the
soldier I will still protest, and divide the House ;'
and to that pledge he continued faithful; he brought
forward the subject in a speech of the most thrilling

pathos, the highest eloquence—one that will not

speedily be forgotton by any person who had the
good fortune to hear it, and which, although he failed
on that occasion in obtaining a majority, planted the
good seed that must speedily come to maturity and
bring forth its fruits in due season. We need not to
urge the Honourable Gentleman 'to persevere in
this course ; we doubt not that :he will do so,
and bring all the energies of his enlightened
and powerful mind to bear on the questior,
wheresoever and howsoever it is suffered to exist.
We would remind him that our naval brethren are
still exposed to the cat, that to them its horrors have
not been mitigated, that a commander may still at
his mere will and pleasure sentence any one of his
seamen to the gangway, where four dozen lashes,
fully equivalent in point of severity, it is said, to two
hundred lashes, as administered in the army, may be
given without his being 'permitted to speak in hil
own defence, or even to inquire the cause of his
punishment ; we would urge him to inquire into the
manner in which the cat is still used in some of our
prisons, where children of eight or ten years old have
been flogged in the most cruel manner—where a boy
of twelve years of age has fainted during the course
of the flogging, and been declared by the surgeon
unable to bear any more. These things cannot be
suffered to continue unnoticed, and they will afford
an ample opportunity to the Learned Doctor for exert-
ing himself in the cause of humanity during the
ensuing session—exertions which we most sincerely
hope may be crowned with well-merited success.
The other views put forward by Dr. BOIRRING
were of the most comprehensive and liberal character.
Full and equal justice to Ireland—the same rights, the
same laws, the same recognition of privileges which,
in every free country, ought to belong to every free
man—the education of the people—improvements in
ventilation and draining, and in the recreations of the
people, were all touched on in the most masterly
manner. There was one subject, however,
which he omitted, and for which he might
justly have claimed credit. We allude to
the absurd and unjust quarantine laws, by which
trade and commerce are fettered, free intercourse with
other nations restricted, morality injured, and vast
sums of money annually wasted and thrown away.
Dr. BowErsn has called attention to the anomalies of
the present system, explained the true theory of con-
tagion as adopted by the persons of talent and ability
who have recently directed their attention thereto,
and proved how useless ,as well as vexatious are
the existing precautions, and through his exertions
we may reasonably hope for a speedy amelioration
therein. We trust that many other legislators may
imitate the example of Dr. BOWRING in rendering an-
nual accounts of their conduct ; and if they as well
deserve the approbation of those they represent in the
Legislature as the Learned Doctor, they may fearlessly
meet the people, and be certain of being greeted with
the same unanimous applause that was accorded to
the Honourable Member.

The Diet at Frankfort has voted a recompense of
100,000 florins to Dr. SCLIONBEIN and Dr. BCETTIGER,
the inventors of the gun-cotton, provided the federal
military commissioners and the authorities of May-
ence, after seeing it tried, should pronounce it to be
a substitute for ordinary gunpowder, and to possess
advantages that the latter has not.

The Diet afterwards adjourned to the 14th of
January, when the question of the Duchy of Schles-
wig-Holstein, and that of the liberty of the press,
will come under discussion.

Basle city has followed the example of Geneva.
Exasperated at the temporising conduct of the Grand
Council on the subject of the Jesuits, the people rose
on the 22d in open insurrection, and commenced un-
paving the streets. The Grand Council immediately
resigned, and henceforth Basle city and Basle
country will form but one canton. This, with the
vote of Geneva, will secure in the Federal Diet a
majority sufficient to pass an enactment ordering the
expulsion of the Jesuits and the dissolution of the
league of the Catholic cantons.
The elections at Geneva took place on the 24th.
Upwards of 7,000 electors voted. The result has
been to give an overwhelming majority in the Grand
Council to the Liberal party.

I Madrid papers of the 19th have arrived. The
mails of the 20th and 21st are still due. They have
been detained by the floods in the south of France.
The French Ambassador's ball, on the 18th, had
gone off very brilliantly. The QUEEN and the IN.
FANTA, who were present, treated the daughters of
CHRISTINA and Muxoz with such marked attention
as to attract general notice.
Mr. BULIVER was still at Aranjuez.

The British squadron was to leave Cadiz on the
17th, to re• enter the Straits, and cruise along the
eastern coast of Spain.
The Duc D'AUMALE was to leave on the 20th, and
the Duke and Duchess of MOISTPENSIEB on the 22d,
for France.

These papers contain important news from Por-
tugal. The intelligence from Lisbon is to the 14th.
This news fully confirms the intelligence of the