The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-18 00:00:00

DEFENCES.

Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition' from the
Earl of Dundonald, on the subject of the National De-
fences, praying the House to order an inquiry
to be made into the merits of his plans
for the defence of the country. Those plans were for
off n‘ivt and defensive warfare, and had received the
approbation of
plansathn ed m
we
infinitelyes tr e d
adopted
ds
et
mi
pn
otger ude i set
hhc
oee
ydn 0
wmo
offii
cu cal
del r stb
he
ai
fnno
u t
thenh
de
ge v
i 'e fitlye e.
s u Ipfe superior
constructiondtheestro adoptionoyi.dd ,ispaonuo
fdtf i fortificationshnfigosrpwe iga nnhsus
saotstiht
oiaelnenssdflu
would
eroaetursoll
weloa toicbuyresl
door
fefi theed
effectually
sgeoeicea.t
.0 a
HBI l
inca-
pableyy
felt it a great honour to have the petition com-
mitted to his care. The Noble Lord, after expressing
the great joy he felt at the failure of the
Chartist demonstration of Monday, explained that
he had applied to be naturalised as a citizen of France
solely for the purpose of protecting his property, if by
such means he could protect it.
Lord LYNDHURST said that his Noble and Learned
Friend had expressed to him his intention of malting
the explanation on Monday week, but had deferred
making it by his (Lord Lyndhurst's) advice.
IRELAND—ARREST OF THE MEMBERS OF
THE TRAINING SOCIETY.
In reply to a question from Lord BEAUMONT on
the subject of the statement made last evening with re-
gard to ihe proceedings of the Governmetnhtait nnlo arelsasnodc.ia.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said
c sanctioni at o ns couldof
the
L
be legallyorL Lord-Lieutenant; ena nd.armed in ;
Ireland a
tw itthheo uLt
Lord-
Lieutenant had decided upon giving arms to certain
e t and
loyal societies, or to authorise them to take arms. The
arms that had been sent over had been so sent,
not for any particular society, but in order to have
a stock of arms in Dublin which should be
at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant to be distributed
as he might think proper. With regard to the training
societies to which the Noble Earl had last night alluded,
the attention of the Lord-Lieutenant had been drawn:to
the subject, he had consulted the law officers of the
Crown, and last night warrants bad been issued
against all persons who had joined those societies.
1 in their illegal proceedings, and those persons who were
members of those training societies in Dublin were at
this moment in custody.—(Hear, hear.) By the Dub-
lin police any person firing at a target within the boun-
-1 dames of the City of Dublin was to be considered as
guilty of a misdetneatiour and was to be punished
I accordingly, and the Lord Lieutenant A ould take
'I
care that the law should be rigidly enforced.—(Cheers )
:PETITION S.
Lord BROUGHAM. then rose to present several
petitions, and was

(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
THE GOVERNMENT PROTECTION BILL.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)

The SOLICITOR GENERAL explained that a mis
apprehension existed amongst Hon. Members as to an
opinion he had expressed upon the difference between
written and spoken words not being recognised
by the law of any country but that of Eng-
land. Honourable Membi rs appeared to labour
under the impression that he was of opinion that
a party could be punished for mere words spoken with-
out reference; whatever object the party had in view in
speaking them came within the scope of this Act.—
(Hear, hear.) No jury would convict, in his opinion,
unless they were satisfied that the party using the words
I had a guilty and traitorous design in view.—(Hear.)
Sir ROBERT PEEL said he had given his cordial
\
support to the Government during the progress of this
Bill, and he had marked that support by a silent vote. It
had not been from any wish to disclaim any portion
of the responsibility which attached to those who
supported this measure that he had hitherto
given a silent vote, but because he believed
that the importance of the Bill demanded that
it should be passed at as early a period as was consistent
with its due consideration.— (Hear, hear.) Before he
made any remarks with reference to what had passed at
former periods of this question, he wished to state that
he believed the Government were justified in proposing
this Bill, and, believing them to be so justified, he had,
up to the present time, thought it best to give
1 them his silent, though cordial, support.—(Hear,
I hear.) Now what did this Bill propose to do? In the
first instance, it reduced several offences which bad
hitherto been characterised as treason to the minor
offence of felony, and the Bill also proposed that
for two years, and two years only, the com-
passing of certain things, namely, the intimida-
tion of Parliament, or her Mejesty, or declaring war,
the compassing of those things by open and advised
rpesking was, for the period of two years, to be sub-
jected to the penalty of transportation. lie cordially
approved
of the first part of this Bill, while he thought
it nothing but right that men who had nut the dignity
of traitors should not be allowed to cover themselves with
the illusion that they were such.— (Hear, hear.)
He had no sympathy, no respect, no admiration for
those who involved the ignorant in the capital punish-
ment of treason, and contented themselves with
shrinking from all the responsibilities which attached
to their advice. (Hear, hear.) A more detest-
ttble character could not be conceived than that
man who, for the purpose of gratifying his personal
vanity, and in the hope of having his name placed
amongst those splendid names that were included in the
category of traitors, should urge his miserable, deluded
followers to acts of rebellion, but was never ready to
share the responsibility which- might result from his
conduct.—(Cheers.) It was right, then, that such men
as those should be reduced to the condition
of felons, for he liked to see the frog kept
down to its own natural dimensions without swell-
-1 ing to the size of noble animals—the bulls, who had been
bellowing treason.—(Cheers and laughter.) He thought
it was impossible to look at the speeches that had been
made in Dublinhe would not give them the circulation
or the importance of quoting them in that House—with-
out being convinced of the necessity of this measure.
Indeed, had the advice which some of those seditious
speakers given out been, followed, acts of open violence
would have been committed, which must inevitably have
resulted in great loss of life, a suspension of industry,
besides a paralyzation of the whole commerce of the
country ; and yet these miseries were to be brought
upon them simply for the purpose of gratify-
ing the private vanity of those who advocated
theirs—(Loud cheers.) He would, at the same time
that he said thus much, most willingly admit that it was
exceedingly dangerous to be influenced in their legislation
either by panic or by amen feeling of indignation for these
preachers of sedition, and he would concede that they ought
never to depart from the constitution without the gravest
consideration; but he really did not. believe that this Bill
deserved the character which was atCributed to it by the
Hon. Gentleman the Member for Oxford, whose conduct
in that House, and whose legal knowledge upon
these subjects entitled him to great. respect.
He readily allowed that the Hon. and Learned Member
for Oxford might be sincere in his belief that this Bill
deserved the character which the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman had attributed to it, namely, that for
the first tims these five hundred years they were
labout to attach certain consequences and certain
penalties to the offence of open and advised speakince
the counti(iarytia,ziaaeis.,
He had heard with regret from the hen. and Learned
Gentlemanof that it was perfectly new to the Constitution
maelltint - aehsetdaairbs.lt)iished for 500 years, to subject
to severe penalties the offence of open and advised
advised speaking and oeHtioenknheewtviteheant itohpeand beenitnd
and writing, and that contrary
and advised speaking for to this rule about to make the offence of open
the penalties of writing certain. purposes subject to
uleml itsehtai nhge ;
.butin
supposingthe on .
and Learned Gentlemanandevsi
indulged)
ine andi
that the same penalties had not been mistaken
ipli d to hiss
who, for traitorous purposes,
advised speaking, as were' - inflicted upon open writers
under the constitution of the law of England within the
last 500 years.—(Hear, hear.) . There was, for in-
itance, formerly an offence of the sort created by this-
Bill known as malicious and advised speaking; and he
apprehended that in this case the speaking which this
Bill took cognizance of was, that which would'
be for malicious and felonious purposes. Well,
then, by the lath of Charles the Second,