The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-20 00:00:00

PENAL SETTLEMENTS.

The Pall Mall Gazette remarks that the American press
has already taken up the notion of utilizing Alaska by
by establishing in it convict settlements. The citizens
already complain of the troublesome criminal population
which has become domiciled among them, especially in
the great Atlantic centres of commerce. And
now, notwithstanding the unrivalled scope which
their country affords for the development of
home industry, they already talk of transportation
as a mode of disposing of superfluous criminals.
Alaska—so it is urged in the journals to which we refer—
is in truth only a continuation of Siberia, with which it
communicates by a narrow strait. Russia, similarly cir-
cumstanced with the States as to its abundance of unoc-
cupied land in its central region, has nevertheless found
distant Siberia of the greatest possible value as a place of
exile. For criminals of the worst kind, or for refractory
exiles Siberia has its mines : and forced labour in these
is probaly among the most dreaded punishments which
can be admininistered short of corporal torture. In
plain language, America, so far as these journals repre-
sent public opinion, seems inclined to take up the experi-
ment which we, with more means for trying it than any
other country possesses, deliberately abandoned ten or
twenty years ago in deference to the wisdom of doctrin-
aires and the indolence of Governments. It had become
impossible to continue transportation to Australia for
special reasons which we need not recount. New penal
settlements were required. But at the same time arose
the fashionable philosophic outcry of the day against
transportation in general. Ministers were only
too happy to be relieved of the infinite trouble and un-
popularity which would have attended the choice and
preparation of new receptacles for convicts. So they
sided, rejoicingly with Whately and the ideologists;
they promised us wonderful results from cunning contri-
vances in the way of graduation and apportionment of
secondary punishment at home, with what consequences
time has shewn ; for, if general expression of opinion is to
be received, we are more encumbered with an " halalt ual
criminal population " than at any former period.

MR. MURPHY.
The Post observes that if it is necessary to discuss the
doctrines which form the subjects of Mr. Mur.phy, s
lectures, by all means let them be discussed ; but y the
sole object of their discussion is to create a feeling of
hatred in the breasts of one part of the com-
munity against another part, . we cannot think
that that is a legitimate object, or that the
right of freedom of speech would he in the least
imperilled if such a restriction were placed upon the
use of public assembly-rooms as would prevent men like
Mr. Murphy from abusing the patience of the community
and imperilling its safety. How this is to be done is a
matter which we need not consider at present. Nor will
it be necessary to consider it at all if the owners or
trustees of public lecture-halls will close their doors
against a lecturer who is so offensive to a considerable
portion of the community that he cannot pass from his
lodgings to the lecture-hall without a body-guard of
police.

A NEW POSTAL SYSTE3L—A new mode of postal
communication is being employed in Austria for short and
insignificant messages. Cards are sold for three centimes,
and the sender writes the address one side, the message on
the other, and throws it into the nearest letter box, thus
economising the expense and trouble of envelopes. The
postal 'lards are stamped and circulated by thousands
dyer the Austrian Empire, 9tnd Viey arc
universal use
at railwaY atati9o. ausliQr onvanangilw 94116.

The very extensive Distillery now being erected
at Belfast, with all recent improvements for the manufacture of
Irish whisky, by ➢less's. DUNVILLE & Co., who have gaiziod
a world-wide celebrity for their fine old Irish whisky, is to ►e
called "The Royal Irish Distillery."