The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-01 00:00:00

He knew as a fact, that many persons coming from the
country, who were extremely desirous of seeing the Bri-
tish Museum, were disappointed, because they happened
to go there on a day on which it was not open.
Mr. HAWES trusted that the Museum in future would
be kept open during the Easter holydays.
Mr. BARING agreed with the Right Hon. Baronet
opposite, that it would be most desirable that a distinct
and general notice should be given to the public of the
days and hours on which they could get access to the
Museum ; but not only during the holyday s would any
person applying for admission, either for scientific pur-
poses, or any known artists, be admitted, but any person
from the country, stating that he was obliged to leave town
the next day, would find the most ready access given.
Mr. WILKS said that as to the Museum being open on
Sundays, Good Fridays, and days of that description, he
must confess, though he was no extreme puritan—(Hear,
hear)—he should be veiy sorry to see any lengths gone to
of that description.—(Hear, hear.)
The SPEAKER having put the question, the clause
was agreed to without a division ; and the Bill, as
amended, was read a third time and passed.
Mr. HAWES moved the second reading of the Thames
Tunnel Bill.

Sir J. GRAHAM presented a petition from the Dept-
ford Bridge Company, against the London and Greenwich
Railway Bill
Sergeant PERRTN brought in a Bill to consolidate and
amend the laws relative to the retail of wine and beer in
Ire!and, which was read a first time.

Mr. COHBETT presented a petition from the Pro.
testant Dissenters of the borough of Oldham, praying that
their places of worship might be exempted from
rates ; and for an alteration in the present state of
the law as regarded marriage and baptismal registrations.
The second petition was from the members of the society
calling themselves the National Political Union of the
workine'classes, which met at Saville-house on March
27th, 1833, complaining that the whole of the taxes were
p irtial in the extreme. They prayed also for a repeal of
all taxes on articles of consumption ; and an equi-
table property tax. The next was from a hair-dresser in
Long Acre, against the better observance of the Lord's Day.
The petitioner represented that if he was obliged to shut up
his shop on Sunday he should be ruined in trade and that
the people could not appear decently in the places of wor-
ship —(A laugh.) The next petition was from James
Ragwell, a soldier in the Royal Dragoons, complaining
that after serving faithfully his country for a number of
years, and having received three dreadful wounds, he was
discharged with a pension, which, however, had been
taken from him; also a petition from the inhabitants of
Wigham, in Kent, complaining of the stamp duties ;
The next was from Jo-eph Cliff, of Bradford, complaining
of the weight and oppression of local taxes. Hon.
Members were quite unaware of the distress which these
taxes caused. He himself knew a little of it, and would
tell the House of one instance. For the pavement before
his house at Kensington he was taxed to the tune of 51. a
year. He appealed against that, and threatened to peti-
tion the House upon the subject. his tax was then re-
duced to about 31. 10s. The next petition was from
Joseph Slow, against the emancipation of the Jews. He
would not go further in reading those petitions. He
had done his duty by laying them upon the table
of the House. There were three, however, to which
he wished to call the particular attention of the House.
One was the petition of James Dunn, a barrister, who
complained of the conduct of some of the Magistrates of
Cheshire. He would not now read that one, as he was
informed it could be called for, and produced at any fu-
ture time. The other two were the petitions of the sol-
diers. The first was that of Richard Newson, which
stated that he was a soldier in the 51st regiment, in
March, 1831. On the 10th of that month he was dis-
charged from the hospital, where he had been confined by
illness, and on the 13th was desired by the sergeant to show
his kit and ammunition. He was asked why his am-
munition was not wrapped up. He answered, because he
had not got the proper paper—that he went to the canteen
for the paper, but could not get the proper kind there—
that the case was reported to Captain Shakeapear Phillips,
who ordered him three days' drill. The petitioner stated
that lie had been unable to get the proper kind of paper,
when the Captain used some very blasphemous language,
and ordered the sergeant to send him to drill. The peti-
tioner said that such language should not be used to any
man, upon which the Captain ordered him into confine-
ment, from which he was taken to be tried before a gar-
rison courtmartial which sentenced him to receive 500
lashes, hut General Donn, who was the Governor of
Gibraltar, thought the offence so slight, that he
mitigated the sentence to three hundred lashes,
which he received, and from which he suff•red most
severely—that while he was lying in the hospital he
reported the case to Lieutenant-Colonel Constantine, who
promised that a courtmartial should be held upon Caput n
Phillips, but that of that he never heard more—that af-
terwards he applied for leave of absence to Captain
Carnaghie, which was granted ; but as a non-com-
missioned officer was not present at the time, Cap-
tain Carnaghie afterwards denied that he had given
such leave, and he was reported as being absent
without leave, for which he was called before a
regimental courtmartial, and (*reared to receive 300 lashes.
At the trial he was asked whether he had any objection to
the Court, and he being under feelings of great irritation,
said " No, nor to that," showing a razor which he had
in his hand, having been carried away from the
guardhouse while in the act of shaving,—that he was
confined for 39 days to the hospital, from which he was
sent again to the guardhouse, and again brought to trial,
and sentenced to be transported for life—that be arrived
at Chatham as a convict, from whence he petitioned the
King and was released—that he then was ordered
to join another regiment in the North ; shortly
after which, he applied to Major Butler, the Com-
mander for the minutes of the courtmartial—that the
Major answered him with oaths, and, in order to frighten
him, stated that if he mentioned the subject of the
courtmartial again he would be brought before another
one, and most severely punished—that be made a report
of the case to General Bouverie, the General of the district,
who promised that a courtmartial should be held upon
Major Butler, but of that be had never heard more.
Finding that he could get no redress from superior officers,
being at Stockport, he applied to an attorney there to see
what redress he could procure for him. The attorney
wrote to Major Butler, demanding satisfaction on the
part of the petitioner, upon which the Major sent for him,
and demanded to know what satisfaction it was,he wanted.
Tne petitioner was afraid of committing himself by any
answer, referred the Major to his attorney, till at last,
goaded on by the orders of the Major, he said, " Sir, you
must find it out," for which expression he was confined
fourteen days on bread and water; from that con-
finement he was released by General Bouverie himself,
but, however, as yet, had received no redress—(Hear.)
The petitioner prayed the House to take his sufferings into
consideration, and to investigate into the conduct of
Captain Phillips and Major Butler. Affixed to the peti-
tion was the certificate of a Magistrate of the town of
Kingston-on-Hull, from which it appeared that the
petition had been read over to the petitioner, who
had sworn to the facts contained in it. The Honourable
Member said he should on another occasion give notice

for the production of a copy of the petition, and when
that was produced he should move for copies of the pro-
ceedings of the several courtsmartial. He had another
petition from a man who resided in Oldham, named
James Rothwell, whose case every man, he thought, must
admit to be peculiarly hard. He would not pretend
that Newsom did not behave ill, because he thought that a
man would not be punished without some motive or
other ; but those were severe punishments-500 lashes on
his naked back for not having his ammunition wrapped
up in proper paper, and 300 for giving a rude answer to
an officer.—(Hear, bear.) The petitioner, James Roth-
well, stated that he had been bred a weaver, but in
April, 1812, he enlisted in the Royal Dragoons, and joined
his regiment in Spain. He was present at the battle of
Waterloo, where he received three wounds, one of whisk
he had felt the effects of up to the present period. He
was discharged in 1816 with a pension of 9 I. a day for h a
wounds, and he continued to receive it until November,
1819, when he was called upon to join a garrison bat-
talion. Thinking, however, that be could earn his
livelihood at weaving, and having then a wife and family,
he neglected the call and was struck off the list. The
Hon. Member said that when this case should be brought
forward again he would compare it with the case of officers
who were pensioned. At that period the price of
weaving was 11 id. a yard, but it was now reduced to
4id., and he was unable to obtain a livelihood, and lie
therefore wished to obtain a renewal of his pension. He
(Mr. Cobbett) and his colleague had applied to the War
Office on behalf of the petitioner, and were referred to the
Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital, who, it seemed, had
some rule laid down that prevented them doing anything
in the matter. He had, therefore, been obliged to come to
that House, praying for a restitution of his pension.
Lord J. RUSSELL felt it necessary to say a few
words with respect to the two last petitions. As to one
of them, having pledged himself to inquire into the cir-
cumstances connected with, and as to the other, knowing
some of the circumstances himself with regard to the first,
trugh not perhaps so well as his Right Hon. Friend near
him (Mr. R. Grant), be begged to say that he had made
inquiries at the Horse Guards, and the result of which was
sufficient to satisfy him that the petitioner bad no