The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH, Nov. 2.

This being the commencement cf Michaelmas Term,
the Queen's Counsel appeared in full dress. Among those
present we observed the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-
General, Sir Frederick Thesiger (the late Attorney-
General), Mr. Sergeant Taifourd, Mr. Andrews, Mr.
Watson, Mr. Whateley, Mr. Stuart Wortley, and Mr.
Alexander. The attendance of the bar was unusually
large, and the Court was very crowded, a great number
of ladies being present.
The Lord Chief Justice, and Mr. Justice Coleridge,
Mr. Justice Wightman, and Mr. Justice Erie, took their
seats on the bench shortly before two o'clock.

APPLICATION FOR A CRIMINAL INFORMATION AGAINST
W. B. FERRAND, M.P.

Sir F. THESIGER said lie had to apply for a criminal
information against Mr. William Busfeild Ferrand,
on account of two letttere which he published in
the Times newspaper of the Bth and 11th of August last.
Mr. Ferrand had admitted writing and publishing the
letters. Before he proceeded to refer more particularly
to the letters themselves, it would be necessary that he
should shortly detail some matters which took place
some time before they were published, and which it
was absolutely necessary their Lordships should be in
possession of. In the West Riding of Yorkshire there
was a poor-law union entitled the Keightley Union, of
which Mr. Ferrand was, and probably then was, the
chairman of the board of guardians. At the beginning
of the year 1842, the Poor-law Commissioners received
information that various irregularities were practised by
the guardians of the union, and that the new Poor-law
was not properly carried out by them. In consequence
of this Mr. Lewis wrote to Mr. Mutt, an assistant-corn•
missioner, in whose district the Keightly Union
was situated. It was dated the 22d of Fe-
bruary, 1842, and stated the nature of the
information which had been received, and desired him
not to make a special examination, or to let it be
known that he came there for a special purpose, and to
draw up a report with respect to the allegations brought
against the guardians of the union. On the following
day Mr. Lewis wrote a letter to the Poor law Commis-
sioners, saying that he believed there was too much
truth with respect to the irregularities in the Keightley
Union, and adding that similar charges might be made
with considerable truth against other manufacturing
unions. Mr. Mott, it appeared, visited the Keightley
Union and made a report on the 23d of
April. Mr. Mott reported that he attended a meeting
of the guardians on the 13th of April, and that he found
they conducted their proceedings in a very irregular
manner ; in short, that they entirely set at variance the
provisions of the Poor-law—that all the errors of the
old Poor-law were carried on, the poor claiming out-
door relief as a right, and that the rates were conse-
cluently very fast increasing ; and the guardians, on the
23:1 of April, issued an order for an out-door labour test
and for abolishing the payment of rates in certain
cases. On the ?6th of May Mr. Ferrand gave notice,
in his place in Parliament, t move for an
a ldress to i-er Majesty to rescind the order
of the union of the 23d. In order to test the
accuracy of Mr. Mott's report, Sir John Walsber was
sent down to make an inquiry, and the report which he
made confirmed it in its most material points. A Com-
mittee of the House of Commons was appointed on the
23th of June, 1842, to inquire into the allegations con-
tained in the reports. The Committee, after examining
witnesses, also held that tFe reports were correct in all
the material allegations, although they stated they con-
tained some expressions which required qualification.
Now, in the course of last session a Select Committee was
I;_lepointed to inquire into the condition of the Andover
Union, and Mr. Lewis was summoned to give evidence
before it. Immediately afterwards the letters referred
to appeared in the Tinter. The first letter, which bore
date the Ist of August, stated that although ill health
had prevented him from attending to his Parliamentary
duties, he had watched the proceedings of the Andover