The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-20 00:00:00

PRIZE FIGHTING.

Mr. W. EWART inquired of the Secretary of State for
the Home Department, as to the state of the law respecting
6, Prize Fighting." He denounced strongly the recent fight
for the championship. It had been contended that prize-
fighting was favourable to the development of the national

character, but the same had been asserted seine time sines
by an hon. member in respect to bull-baiting, who added
that its continuance was favourable to the connection
of Church and State. (Laughter.) Notwithstanding
the abolition of that brutal practice, there was no diminu-
tion in the courage of their soldiers and sailors. He be-
lieved that the continuance of those brutal exhibitions
would be most prejudicial to the national morality, and that
steps should be taken to suppress it. (" Hear, hear," and
" No, no.")

Mr. SCULLY said that the house, in the questions put to
the Home Secretary, had gone from pitch and toss to man-
slaughter. (Laughter.) With reference to the fight for
the championship, he contended it was a disgrace-
ful exhibition to see two human beings pummel-
ling each ether in the brutal manner that the men
engaged in that encounter were represented to have done.
If such an exhibition had taken place in Ireland, that coma-
try would be denounced as a nation of savages. (Laughter.)
He repeated the statement. He did not bring any charge
against the national character of England on account of
this fight, and he was informed that Heenan and Sayers
were Irishmen—(laughter)—and that Mr. Morrisey was
also an Irishman—(renewed laughter)—but, if so, they
were a disgrace to their country.
Sir G. C. LEWIS said, with respect to the complaint
relative to the imprisonment of boys, it appeared
that the majority of those committals were for the offence
of playing at games of chance in the streets of London.
He had communicated with the Chief Commissioner
of Police on the subject, and he stated that the
administration of the law in regard to those street
offences was not carried out with strictness. lion, members
must be aware that in the crowded state of the streets of
London the practice of boys playing was attended with
great danger, and had caused serious accidents to pedestrians
and equestrians, and it was indispensable to the public
safety that it should be repressed. He thought the best
mode to deal with boys guilty of these offences would be to
inflict on them a slight corporal punishment and then
liberate them, but he was not aware that such a course
would be legal. As respected prize-fighting, those who
were favourable to such exhibitions considered that they
afforded a model for conducting fights between persons
who engaged in pugilistic encounters. (Hear, hear.)
It was considered a preferable mode of settling
disputes, to resort to such fights, than to adopt
the.practice of the stiletto, or the knife, or that mode of
fighting common in Ireland by the use of the shillela.
(Great laughter.) He had no hesitation in stating that
such fights were illegal, that those present at and
abetting them were an unlawful assemblage, and
might be indicted for misdemeanour. (Laughter.) With
respect to the present site of Smithfield to which his
attention had been called on by an hon. member, an ar-
rangement was proposed by her Majesty's advisers, which
would be submitted to the Corporation of the City, and which
he trusted would have the effect of settling the matter.
As regarded Roman Catholic charities, a bill introduced on
the subject on a former occasion would be renewed, with
some alterations.