The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-09 00:00:00

CON VIC rs.

Mr. SCOTT moved f,,r a return of the number of
convicts transported during each of the years from 1849
to 1855, both inclusive, di.tinguishing the sexes and the
places to which they have been transported ; anti, of the
number of males and fetnales sentenced to penal servi-
tude since the passing of the act.—Agreed to.
CHURCH, RATES.
Lord R. CECIL asked the hon. member for the Tower
Hamlets whether it was his intention to accede to the
changes which the Government proposed to make in his
Church-rates Bill ?

Sir W. CLAY said it was his intention to accede to
the amendments proposed by the Government.
BLEACH-WORMS BILL.
_ _ _

Mr. M. GlBSON.asked the hon. member for. York
what course he intended to pursue with respect to the
Bleach-works Bill ;, and, also, if he intended to make
any changes in the bill, whether he would make those
amendments public ?
Mr. I: BUTT said the bill stood so far down on the
paper to-morrow that he did not think he should be able
to bring it forward on that day. He intended to make
certain alterations in the bill, and those alterations
would be made public as speedily as possible.
ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.
Mr. W. E WART gave notice that on the 13th he
should bring an a motion on the subject of the abolition
of the punishment of death.

ITHE OT.
Mr: G. LANGTON, onBALL behalf of Mr. H.
,BerkeleY,
postponed the motion, standing in his name on the sub-
ject of the ballot, from the 22d till the 24th inst.
TIIE CRIMEAN MEDALS.
Major SIBTHORP asked the Under-Secretary for
War whether it was ever contemplated by the Govern-
ments of France or Turkey to give a medal to the
officers and soldiers.of the British army in the East ;
and, if so, whether such medal had been declined
by the British Government ? Whether the new medal,
Vie order of merit, was likely to be issued, and who
were to be the recipients thereof. Whether it was to be
given for future service only or to be accorded to
those officers and soldiers already mentioned in the
various despatches since the commencement of the late
wart Whether a claim made for the effects and medal
due to private No. 2,544, John Martin, late of the 95th
Regiment, who was engaged at Alma, and, it is be-
lieved, also at Taken:nen, who died in camp before Se-
bastopol on the 7th of November, J 854, had been refused
on the ground that the soldier was of illegitimate birth
and, whether the money and Crimean medal due to
private No. 3,310, James Blanchard, late of the Ist
battalion Rifle Brigade, who landed with the British
army in the Crimea in September, 1854, and who was
killed in the trenches before Sebastopol on the 22d of
August.lBss, had been refused on similar grounds ?
Mr. F. PEEL said the Government bad great satis-
faction to hear that it was the intention of the Emperor
of the French to confer a war medal upon the British
troops engaged in the late war. Those medals had been
received, and would shortly be distributed. The Sultan
also had.. declared his intention to bestow a similar
medal. With respect to the other questions put by the
hon. arid gallant member, he begged to say that acts of
gall try, performed since the commencement of
thQ war, would be considered a sufficient
claim for the decoration of the new order
of merit. He could not say when the decorations
would be distributed, but no time would be lost in pre-
paring for such distribution ; and the circumstance of
the withholding of the medal from the two privates was*
owing to the causes mentioned by the hon. member in
his question.
WROUGHT-IRON GUNS.
Captain L. VERNON asked whether the trial at
Shoeburyness, between Mr.. Holroyd's 12. pounder
wrought-iron gun of a particular metal, and a 12-pounder
brass gun of the service, had shown results satisfactory
to the comparative endurance and tenacity of the metal
composing the wrought-iron gun ?
Mr. MONSELL said the experiments at Shoebury-