The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MON DAY

MR. SALOMONS.

The SPEAKER said, before the orders of the day
were read, he wished to inform the House that he had
received a letter from Mr. Alderman Salomons, inform-
ing him and the House "that two actions at law had been
commenced against him to recover penalties for sitting
and voting in that House, as Member for Greenwich, on
Monday last, and that any resolution come to by the
House would bo used in evidence on the trial of such
actions."
Sir B. HALL rose to move that the electors of the
borough of Greenwich should be heard at the bar of the
House in support of the right of Alderman Salomons to
take his seat as a Member for that borough. This was a
simple resolution, based on strict justice, and founded
on equity, and he hoped the House would not deprive the
electors of what they considered their just rights and pri-
vileges without allowing them to be heard at the bar. In
1832 the House determined the great importance of the
borough by placing it among those in Schedule A which
returned two Members of Parliament, and ever
since then the borough had exercised that right.
One remarkable feature connected with the borough was
that, though there had been several contested elections,
there was hardly a single instance in which a gentleman
not holding liberal opinions had been elected
for it. The Hon. Baronet then detailed the cir-
cumstances under which Alderman Salomons had
been returned at the last election, and the
subsequent events in reference to his taking the oaths
in the House, all of which have been repeatedly brought
before the public. Alluding to the differences between
the legal authorities he thought the resolution of last
year was most ill-advisedly passed, and he hoped the
Noble Lord would not put another such resolution upon
the paper, because the time would come when they
would be forced to rescind it.—(Hear, hear.) The
House had a precedent for rescinding the re-
solution of last year in the case of Mr.
Wilkes. Hon. Members were no doubt familiar with
the circumstances of that case. Mr. Wilkes was elected
for Middlesex, but as he had published a libel upon the
King, and an immoral essay upon woman, he was expelled
the House. At the next election, however,
Mr. Wilkes was again returned, but upon petition
his opponent was seated, and then followed a contest
between the House and the constituency of Middlesex,
which strongly resembled the contest that was now
going on in reference to Greenwich. The result
of that contest was that the House was com-
pelled eventually to rescind its resolution, and
allow Mr. Wilkes once more to take his seat. Now the
petitioners, whose case he was now advocating, urged
upon the House the fact that the Member was under no
legal disability whatever which could prevent his
sitting in the House. The Noble Lord at the head
of the Government was very fond of precedents
before adopting any particular course in reference to
eases of this nature. Well, then, he should have them.
There were the two cases in the city where Alderman
Salomons was twice elected to an aldermanio gown,
but the Court of Aldermen refused to let him
take his seat; and, in the first instance, Alderman
Humphery, and in the second Alderman Moon were
seated instead of him. The Court of Alderman, how-
ever, afterwards rescinded their resolution against Jews,
and allowed Alderman Salomons at a subsequent elec-
tion to take his seat. Now, why could not the Noble
Lord follow the example of that now reformed corporation.
Ho saw no reason against it, but many reasons in its
favour, and in order, as a preliminary step towards giving
the Noble Lord an opportunity of retracing his steps, he
would move that the electors of Greenwich be beard by
counsel at the bar in support of the claim of their Mem-
ber to be allowed to take his seat.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL did not think that
any further light could be shed on the subject by taking
the course suggested by the lion. Member, and he
thought it would be a waste of time if they went fur-
ther. The cases which had been quoted by the Hon.
Member were not analogous; and the Hon. Member had
studiously refrained from giving the House any tangible
reason for hearing counsel.
Mr. ANSTEY was astonished at the course taken by
the Attorney-- General. If the petitioners had attempted
to afford additional information, they would instantly
have been charged with a breach of privilege for al-
luding to proceedings in a former debate of that House.
In his opinion, one well-considered speech of a Learned
Counsel would afford greater information to the House
on the subject than twenty speeches of Hon. Members.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

APPREHENSION of the CHESHIRE
BURGLARS.
The daring robbers who attacked the house of Mr. R.
Hine, a QuL.ker gentleman at Hockley, near Macclesfield,
have all been apprehended, and on Saturday were brought
before the county magistrates at Macclesfield for exami-
nation. The leader cf the gang, Jonathan Bradley, was
taken in Congleton, at the shop of Mr. Drakeford, watch-
maker, to whom he offered Mr. Richard Edmund Hine's
gold watch very shortly after that gentleman had re-
ceived a placard from the police, describing the rob-
ber). Mr. Drakeford at once gave this man in charge,
and the county police in the course of the following
day discovered and apprehended his accomplices. The
names of these men are Jacob Dean, James Middle-
ton, .Joseph Middleton, and Thomas Ridgeway. Hay-
jug been placed at the bar of the police court, the
first witness called was Mr. Richard Hine, sen., who
described the attack on his house on the morning of
the 16th instant by men who, when he opened his front
bedroom window, demanded the money and other valu-
ables in the house, presenting a pistol at him as he re-
monstrated. He afterwards saw them at the back of
the house break open the back door, and his daughter
having been down stairs and told him one of the
panels of an inner door had been burst out, he advised his
son to give the robbers his watch if they would consent
to go away. At the close of his examination he was
asked it he could identify any of the prisoners, and they
were ordered to put on their caps. With this order
Bradley complied very unwillingly, and though his be-
haviour was bold and impudent in court he partly turned
trom the witness and averted his face. After looking
steadily at them for some time, Mr. Hine said he could
not speak with certainty to any of them, though he
thought the voice of one of them (Bradley, whom he had
before known) was familiar to him. They either wore
black masks or had their faces blacked.
Mr. R. R. Hine, jun., next repeated the account of the
attack. He said, finding they were likely soon to suc-
ceed in forcing the second door, he again presented him-
self at the back window, and was received with oaths by
the leader of the party, who presented his pistol with
an oath, and again demanded his money, threatening to
take his life. lie asked this man if ho would go
away if ho gave bim his gold watch, and he promised
that they should; but no sooner had he dropped the
watch into one of their hats than the leader ordered
two of the party to renew the attempt to force
the door, telling one of them with an oath he
would run a knife into him if he was long about it.
Witness demanded what further they wanted, and the
leader said they must yet have his money. Reminding
them of their broken promises, be dropped six to ten
shillings into their hate. They then retired, the leader
observing that they might think themselves "d
—d well
(a" The prisoner Jonathan Bradley, to the best of his
belief, was the leader, who twice threatened to stab his
men if they did not " do their duty;" and the two Mid-
dletons were the men who broke open the back door.
He had a better opportunity of observing them than the
others, because they both held their hats up under the
window for the watch, and also for the money, and their
faces were then turned upwards close under the window.
The other prisoners he believed also to be of the party.
Mr. SwaNyvrea, the chairman of the bench, asked
the prisoners if they wished to put any questions to the
witness?
James Middleton—l wish he had told a little more
truth.

Bradley—You said I threatened to run a knife into
you if you did not give me your watch, How was Ito
do that, if you were at the bedroom window?
James Middleton—l wish to ask if me and my brother
were the parties breaking open the door?
Mr. H. E. Hine—To the best of my belief you were.
The prisoner—To the best of your belief ! Are you
sore ?

w hereon" Ipliw a aM bi de
al ektionng—o pi ieand
I
one
ofHyoinueh—adiroaucraonwd.yboaru! brother were together, and
Joseph Middleton—H9 said, gentlemen,
we both of us
the daor? anything
in my hand
had something in our hands.
MAIIISTRATE—NO, I think not.
Both the Middletons
Sarah Baddele (vehemently)—Yes, he did !
Dean
a. young woman who had lived with
were all
the prisoner
at his soner bean, stated that the other four prisoners
house all the afternoon and evening up
to ten o'clock, the day before the robbery. She believed
they
they had no were awa two h
clock iours, and returned about twelve;
but n the house by which she could
tell the time. The prisoners, when they returned,
itcrped it their house all night.