The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-23 00:00:00

• . .
been brought forward. He considered Maclean's conduct
to he such as to deserve severe censure, and he doubted
much whether he ought to be continued in the service.
With regard to the conduct of the Commissioners in their
peremptorily dismi‘sing any person, he thought it was but
proper that they should have such a power ; and, look-
ing at Dean's conduct, he could not say that he had been
improperly dismissed. The Hon. Member for Oldham
had certainly proved a strong case of bold espionage against
Popsy and he was very properly dismissed. The reports
which that man was constantly_ making to his superiors
ought to have convinced them that he was greatly ex-
ceeding his duty, for it appeared that he reported the
speeches of one of the Non. Members for Southwark, and
another for Middl, sex at public meetings, and he ought to
have been checked in his course log ago.
Mr. HAWES said the House and the public ought to
feel indebted to the Hun. Member for Oldham for the
manner in which he had brought those proceedings for-
ward. There was no doubt that Popay well deserved the
appellation of a spy, and he thought that the superintend-
ent was very remiss in his duty fur not exercising proper
vigilance over Popay. He thought, however, it
was not proved that Pop)), had pryed into the
secrets of private life, but he certainly attended meet-
ings of the National Union and others. He defended the
sending policemen in plain clothes, but only as a
matter of occasional necessity. With respect to the
Commissionerl;, he knew of no two men of more
honourable characters.—(Hear.) He could not, however,
think that the superintendent M'Lean discharged his
duty efficiently in not checking Popay, and preventing
his attending public meetings. As to the expense of the
new police, the Hon. and Gallant Officer (Col. Evans)
had underrated the real amount of the old police, for the
Trustees of the Roads paid the expense of watching those
roads formerly, which the public did not know the
amount of, whereas those roads were now watched by
the new police.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he approved of the
dismissal of Popay, against whom such a case had been
established, that it would be disgraceful to continue him
on the police. He took issue on one thing, viz. that he
had never attended in the character of Chairman ();
a meeting of the Union of the working classes,
and it was distinctly proved that he had. Whether any
further punishment should be inflicted upon him or not,
was a different thing. The House should recollect what
a flagellation he had got from the Hon. Member for Old-
ham and others.—(Laughter.) He hoped, therefore, that
Hon. Member would see that all it was necessary to do
had been done.

Lord HOTHAM said, as regarded the blame attri-
buted to M‘Lean, the superintendent, it ought to
be equally shard by the Commissioners and the
Government, for it appeared that Pope), gave his
reports to the superintendent, who transmitted them
through the Commissioners to the Government.—(Hear.)
He would not pretend to say that the present police s)s-
tern was perfect, liwt the weight of testimony was de-
cidedly in its favour, and he only wondered that it could so
conduct itself as to render itself liable to so few complaints.
Mr. COBBET I', in reply, accused the Commissioners
of prevarication, but admitted that they m'ght have been
led into it purely from laziness, in not reading the reports
made to them. He only accused them of laziness, and
not knowing the nature of the wretch they were employing;
and, indeed, they had themselves confessed they had not read
all the reports sent to them. He did not find fault with
them for dismissing Dean, fur undoubtedly that man had
been guilty of great indiscretion in speaking of Lord Mel-
bourne and the C,lthorpe-street affair as be had done ; but
he complained of his dismissal for such a compirative trifle,
whilst the policeman who was now proved to have stolen
the milk was still retained in the force. The Solicitor-
General had said that it was too much to give both
" floggee" and "preachee" too; but he (Mr. Cobbe.t)
had had both "floggee" and " preach"e" too.—
Not very far from where he stood he had bad
" Preachee, preachee," for six hours, and afterwards been
imprisoned for two months for expressing his indignation
at the flogging of Englishmen, which every body agreed
ought now to cease.—(A laugh.) " But," said the Hon.
Member, " I don't complain ; here I am, I have outlived
twelve Attorney-Generals."--(Laughter, in which Mr.
Cobbett himself heartily joined.) He withdrew his motion.