The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-11 00:00:00

REPRIEVE OF THE CONVICT
RUTTERFORD.

With reference to the case of James Rutterford, now
under sentencd of death in the prison at Bury St. Ed-
.nunds, the Pall Mall Gazette is authorised to state that
Mr. Bruce, not having the power to give effect to the
sentence by any but the ordinary means, and finding by
the following report from a board of medical gentlemen,
that the risk of a very revolting spectacle was imminent,
had no alternative but to reprieve the convict.
" County Gaol, Bury St. Edmunds, April 8, 1870.
" We, the undersigned, John Kilner and Thomas Coe,
two duly qualified medical practitioners, being duly ap-
pointed by James Johnstone Bevan, Esquire, visiting
justice of the said gaol, in pursuance of a letter from Mr.
Secretary Bruce, bearing date the 7th day of April
instant, have, together with Dr. MacNabL the
surgeen to the gaol, proceeded to examine James
Rutterford, a prisoner now lying under sentence of
death, and the cicatrix which he has in his neck,
do hereby report that in our opinion he cannot be hanged
by the ordinary means, for to secure against the risk of
failure and a prolongation of suffering, it will be neces-
sary to use a very considerable and unusual amount
of constricting force before the rope can be adjusted
in such a manner as to sustain the weight of the prisoner's
body.
(Signed) " JOHN KILMER, F. R. C. S. Eng. , &c.
"THOMAS Cos F.R.C.S., Eng., &c.
"ROBERT M`NAB, M. D. , F,R. C. S. , Edin., &c.

SKETCHES IN PARLIAMENT.

►SATURDAY.

Are we never to have a half-holiday again ? Surely we
have all deserved it, from the Speaker down to the door-
keeper. We never worked harder; we never had drier
work. Yet we have not once had a count out, though
the session is two months old. Certainly, if we did not
got it last night, I don't see when we are to expect it.
The House was nearly all green leather, and Mr.
Samuda was talking about cattle markets. Surely
Ministers would think themselves at liberty to stay at home
for once. Nothing of the sort. True the front Opposition
benches were empty, but Mr. Bruce, Mr. Forster, and Capt.
Vivian kept guard on the Treasury bench, thereby let-
ting it be understood that they meant business, and that
if necessary they would tell the whips to do their duty.
Moreover, Mr. Charley was present, and as a divinely
commissioned Attila he was equal to at least forty ordi-
nary members, and so a count out was hopeless. He, I
am sure, lives on the piemises. Not Mr. Denison or Mr.
Dodson, not Lord Charles Russell or Colonel Forester, is
so constant an attendant as this messenger of divine ven-
geance against the People's William. The truth is the
Government dare not suffer a count out. They have robbed
private members of one night after another, until the barest
remnant is left, and if they did not make a House and
keep a House during the few hours that they have left to
M. P.'s, let them never again expect the House to cheer the
Ministers. This I can understand. What I cannot understand
is that anyone not on duty should have cared to be present
during the earlier portion of tho night. Yet the
strangers' and the Speaker's galleries were as
full as though it were Budget night. The Peers
have too much of dulness in their own house to
make them voluntarily endure the dulness of ours. At
first there was not a single peer present, for the only occu-
dant of their benches—the only peer—was not a peer.
Pardon the bull. Is this not an Irish Session ? More-
over I speak of an Irishman. Sitting alone in his
capacious apron and gaiters was the Bishop of Derry. I
may be forgiven some confusion about him. He was a
peer, but he has been disestablished, and is no longer
a member of the Legislature. That fact may
account for his presence here last night. Blessings
brighten as they take their flight, and Bishop Alexander,
remembering last session's eloquence, last session's orators,
quorum pars magna fuit, last night haunted the House of
Commons, and sat patiently while the member for the
Tower Hamlets talked for nearly one mortal hour in the
forlorn hope of inducing an economical Government to
spend a hundred thousand or two in purchasing the
property of some of his constituents. Before the
honourable shipbuilder bad finished, a little party
entered the Peers' Gallery, and the Bishop was
no longer alone. One was a . noticeable - looking
man, with abundance of dark hair, and semi-
olive complexion. Clearly not an Englishman, and quite
a different race from those who accompanied him. He
was an American clergyman, I was told, and his friends
were introducing him to the first Legislative Assembly in
the world, " bar one," of course.

The talk about cattle had been going on for five dreary
quarters of an hour, when two members entered the House
to see how things were going on, and what chance there
was for them. One of these was Mr. Newdegate, who
has been doomed to the fate of Tantalus, has gained
a notable victory ; but is denied the en-
joyment of its fruits ; has persuaded a majo-
rity of two to • sanction the appointment of a select
oommttee to inquire into the condition of convents—l beg
Mr. Newdegate's pardon, " Monastic and Conventual
Institutions," but cannot get his committee nominated.
Prior to this Mr. Whalley had taken up his position, one
which he greatly affects, a full length on one of the seats in
the member's gallery, where he sleeps, haunted by visions
of the Romish hierarchy, and dreaming that he is a Jesuit
in disguise without knowing it. The other member to whom
I referred is Sir George Jenkinson, who was down for
another tilt against the Home Secretary. The prospect
before them at this time was anything but cheerful.
Alter Mr. Samuda came Sir Selwyn Ibbetson ; after the
Essex baronet, Mr. Forster ; after the Vice-President of
the Council, Mr. Locke, who raised the first laugh of the
evening—a somewhat melancholy one—by calling Mr.
Samuda the member for Whitechapel. Then Mr. Card-
well looked in to see if he was wanted to reply to Sir John
Lubbock, who was down with a motion upon mili-
tary education. But cattle still stopped the way,
and the Bishop of Derry, fearing to degene-
rate involuntarily from a bishop into a beefeater
took his departure, leaving us, I fear, anything
but his blessing. Pardon me for saying no more on
this subject, the more so as it lcd to no result, and collapsed
of utter dulness after a hundred minutes, the climax
having been reached by Mr. Andrew Johnston who called
the Commercial-road a noble avenue !

At twenty minutes to eleven the recently-elected young
M.P. for Maidstone—banker, saran, and politician—arose
amid a friendly " Hear, hear," to claim the privileges of a
new member, and to make his maiden speech. There
was no need for maidenly bashfulness. Sir John was
something more than fluent. He was rar6d, and as the
subject—military education—was not particularly ex-
citing, I fear the clever young baronet was not at first
listened to with that attention which he might have
expected that his reputation would obtain for him.
Several times did the Speaker call " Order, order," but
for a time hon. members went on gossiping all the same,
lowering their tone for a moment, but soon raising
it again. At length, however, they began to listen,
for the speaker's arguments were cogent, and then they
began to cheer, and before he had finished, the House,
though still thin, was populous compared with the waste
of green leather which had prevailed for the first hour and
three quarters of the sitting. The first real hearty laugh
of the evening came from the Conservative benches, as Sir
John Lubbock read the list of subjects required from young
gentlemen matriculating at the London University. It
seemed to include not only the knowledge of all plants,
"from the cedar of the forest to the hyssop on the wall,"
but all sciences and learning which Solomon never knew. Sir
John spoke for 35 minutes, and was followed by Dr. Lyon
Playfair, who had been sitting next him during his
speech. Dr. Playfair never wearies the House, and he
did not occupy more than twelve minutes in discussing
with much force the comparative value of classical and
scientific education, whereas Mr. Samuda had taken 55
minutes in recommending a suitable site for a cattle
market. Dr. Playfair was followed by a speaker of not
quite equal calibre, Lord Eustace Cecil, who does not
share the gift of eloquence possessed by his brother,
the Marquis of Salisbury. Lord Eustace was greatly
troubled in mind on one point. How was he to describe
the last speaker? He first called him " learned," but
then that implied that Dr. Playfair was a lawyer, for by
common Parliamentary consensus the lawyers alone
possess any learning. So Lord Eustace described his
predecessor in the debate as " honourable." But then is not
Dr. Playfair a professor? How then could he be "honour-
able "? It was an exceedingly nice question, and at one
time it seemed as if the Speaker's intervention would have
to be asked and permission demanded to call the professor
by his patronymic. But those who know what fearful
results follow when a member is " named " will be
relieved to hear that that catastrophe was avoided.
Lord Eustace got out of his difficulty by calling Dr.
Playfair "honourable and learned," with an apology
for the latter adjective, which the Professor graciously
accepted. Lord Eustace was followed by Captain
Beaumont, a very distinguished officer, who came out on
the side of the anti-classicists. Major Dickson, who was
at the storming of the Redan and fought
against the Sepoys at Meerut, and by the side of
the solicitor to the Bank of England, at Dover, was very
scornful at the idea of soldiers learning political economy,
and proclaimed his wish that the time was at hand when that
great sham, competitive examinations, would be put down.
He was succeeded by Mr. Charles Stuart Parker, who
after triumphs at Eton and triumphs at Oxford, and
after serving as public examiner in his university, private
secretary to Mr. Cardwell, and special commissioner,
under the Public Schools Act, crowned his
triumphs by beating Sir Wm. Stirling Maxwell,
chief of the Scotch Conservatives, in his owa county
at the general election. Mr. Parker spoke well, but the
House was getting weary, and hinted to him that it was
not a time for multiplication of words, but for a divi-
sion of members. At last he took thehint and sat down, aur-
there were cries of " Cardwell." There was not a little dis-
gust when General Herbert got up to prolong the debate,
but l►e spoke less than five minutes, and then at last the
Secretary of State for War arose, at half-
PAs t midnight. He commenced by adding his
compliment to all those which had been paid to
Sir John Lubbock for his maiden speech, and then delivered
himself of much emphatic language, enforced by apostolic
blows and knocks upon the buhl decorated box. He
succeeded in satisfying Sir John Lubbock by the promises
of what he meant to do, and so another two hours' debate
came to an end, and we had the satisfaction of feeling
that had Mr. Cardwell spoken first instead of last, this
alcleVidgas tQQa liccd gl9t LAYO tOrAzi

It had this one effect, however, it induced Sir
George Jenkinson to defer his attack upon the
Home Secretary, and he announced a postpone-
ment. But what do those groans and shouts mean ?
Some one is talking, and if you glance down at him you
will think that Don Quixote has sent one of his windmills
into the House, and set it going, so rapid are the revolutions
of the speaker's arms. It is Mr. Whalley, and he has
awakened from his troubled sleep, and is now plead-
ing the cause of a peculiarly atrocious murderer. There
is a storm of discordant cries, but the Whalley
heeded them not ; he said his say, and sat down amid a
chorus of ohs ! Up got a gentleman among the back Con-
servative benches and gave a history of Mr. Whalley's
p;•otegJ. The historian was Mr. Greene, M.P. for Bury
St. Edmunds ; the protege was about the very worst villain
that ever disgraced the name of man. Mr. Bruce there-
upon rose, and, amid general "hear, hears," said that this
discussion shewed what extreme inconvenience was caused
by bringing forward subjects of this kind. At the same
time, it was so extremely inconvenient to have Sir George
Jenkinson's motion constantly postponed that he hoped
that hon. baronet would proceed with it. "No, no," shouted
the Opposition, and they were equally vociferous In their
negative when Mr. Bruce offered to make a statement.
So the subject fell through. Then Mr. Stansfeld moved
that a vote for the Civil Service be granted on account,
and gave the cheerful information that there was little
chance of these estimates being discussed before July.
Mr. Dillwyn didn't like it. He thinks that no Ministry,
however economical, is to be trusted farther than you can
see it, and so he made a rather feeble protest, which,
after a few words from Mr. Sclater-Booth, was with-
drawn. Next Mr. Moore appealed once more on behalf
of the Fenian convict Burke. Then the Attorney-General,
returned from his not verybrilliant victories over the bribers
in Bridgwater and Norwich, asked for leave tobring in abill
to disfranchise Beverley and Bridgwater. The House was
prepared to give leave, as a matter of course. Not so
Colonel Stuart Knox, who declared that the cases of the
two boroughs were very different, and insisted upon having
two different committees. In vain did the Attorney-
General point out that the gallant officer's purpose would
be fully met by putting the boroughs in different
clauses. In vain did Mr. Staveley Hill, a
staunch Conservative, advise Colonel Knox not to
press his motion to adjourn. In vain did members shout
" Oh !" at the idea of a division, and cry " Agreed, agreed."
Colonel Knox was firm, obstinate rather, and when the
Speaker asked who seconded the motion, up jumped a white-
haired man, and, taking off his hat with a bow, said, " I
do, sir." It was Mr. Moore, the advocate of Fenians all
and sundry. The House was cleared, and Colonel Knox
had the satisfaction of finding a few minutes later that
just seventeen members thought as he did. Sir Robert
Collier then obtained the necessary leave, and as it was
now half-past one, we all thought that the night's work
was over.

Not if Mr. Newdegate knows it. Amid a tumult
of interjections, he got up, and, in a sepulchral
voice moved that his committee on conventual and
monastic institutions be appointed. Mr. Charley seconded
the motion, fortunately without a speech. The motion
was met by Mr. Cogan, who made a good speech but
cruelly long at that hour, when the House
had been sitting the clock round. At last after
half-an-hour the cries of "move, move," became loud
and long, and at three minutes past two Mr.' Cogan sat
down. Sir John Simeon, a brown-haired long-bearded
man, the only Roman Catholic member for an English
constituency, seconded the amendment. He spoke for
eleven minutes with much fervour, and as he sat down,
horror of horrors ! up rose Mr. Newdegate, dark
and louring. Fortunately the Speaker did not or
would not, see him, and the word was given to Lord
Elcho. But the evil was only postponed—some one, Mr.
Dodds I think, proposed an adjournment, but it was not
approved, and at seventeen minutes past two the member
for North Warwickshire, whom Albert Diirer might have
taken as a study for his " Melancolia," began to speak.
He let us off in nine minutes, and he was answered by a
member on his Own side, Mr. Matthews, who though
avowedly a Liberal, sits with the Conservatives. He
made a most spirited speech, reminding Mr. Newdegate
of his famous cock and bull story of the nun " put away"
in the underground cellar of a convent, story without a
name, without a date, and which the teller thereof would
not attempt to prove. Mr. Bruce appealed to Mr.
Newdegate's humanity to allow the House to
adjourn, but was met with shouts of " No," They
were but a whisper compared with the frightful clamour
that resounded wnen Mr. Ay-toun, of Tea-room and 'Tiler
celebrity, rose to speak. He protested against the
acljorumment, and then there was such a scene as I have
rarely witnessed—members popping up all over the
Muse, and 'greeted with yells, which became
something fiendish when Mr. Newdegate rose .
again, and once more attempted to speak At
last, at a quarter to three, a division did take place on
the adjournment. There was a shout of joy from the
Conservative side when the paper was given to Mr.
Newdegate and it was seen that he had won.
Of ,courseithe Roman Catholic members did not mean to
Admit themselves beaten, and so immediately the adjourn'
ment was moved again. Mr. Newdegate was this time
willing to assent to it if the Government would give some
indication of its wishes. Mr. Bruce declined to dictate
to the Roman Catholic members, though he thought
it better to adjourn. Up got Mr. Synan;
his words still ring in my ears. I know •
•no word in the language which will convey
any idea of his stentorian tones. He was in a
white-heat passion. He declared that Mr. Newdegate had •

promised not to bring on his motion after half-past twelve•
This, he said, was the reason why many Roman Catholic
members left the House. This statement was corroborated
by other members. Heated tempers cooled down a bit as
Mr. Arthur Kinnaird made a speech full of jokes that had
a fine flavour of port. Mr. Maguire suggested a
solution of the difficulty by moving the adjournment of
the debate. Mr. Newdegate accepted it, and the Speaker
put the question that the House be now adjourned. This
was negatived, and then the motion that the debate be
adjourned was put. There were more speeches, but ati
last members took the matter into their own hands, °r
legs rather, and walked out of the House, as they well
might do at half-past three in the morning.

THE NEW CAB COMPANY.

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

Sir.,—ln your paper of Friday last appears the
following paragraph, under the head of " Metro-
politan Gossip Another attempt is to be made
to supply us unfortunate Londoners with new cabs*
A joint-stock company is announced, with Lord
William Lennox and Colonel Dickson, of Refors
procession and Tower .Hamlets' fame, among the direc-
tors. They call their association the Victoria, lien"
som, and Brougham Company." You have been,
wrongly informed on the subject. The chairman of
the " Victoria, Hansom, and Brougham Company,
of which I am a director, is Lieut.-Colonel AuchroutY
Dickson, late 13th Hussars, and late M.P. for
Limerick. He is a staunch Conservative,
and was never connected with any Reform
demonstrations or the Tower Hamlets. Under
these circumstances, I shall feel much obliged by
your inserting this letter. Our object is to furnish
44 unfortunate Londoners" with Hansoms, Victorian'
and Broughams of first-rate quality, and improv°
the cab system, which is notoriously the worst 1g
Europe. As the articles of association show that It
is a bona fide scheme, unfettered by any dead weight
e
of promotion money, we confidently look for Or
support of the presi and the public.—l remain, yo
obedient servant, WILLIAM P. LENNoS•
8, Prince of Wale:s-terrace, Kensington
Palace, April 11.

THE FRENCH FUNDS.

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