The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-05 00:00:00

Under the old act a person was sent back to the country
from which be had escaped. It was often put in motion
against debtors—a creditor went to the Alien-office
and denounced his debtor, and the man was at
once shipped eff. If such a power was to
be given again, they ought to allow tl • per-
son a choice as to the country to which he would be
sent. He was quite sure the law of this country was
sufficient severely to punish such acts as those most com-
plained of, and he trusted her Maje Ity'a Government
would see the necessity of putting it in force as soon as
they had proof to support an indictment.
Lord CAMPBELL said he bad the honour to be the
head of the criminal jariedictbm in this country, and he
should most sincerely deprecate any change which would
extend the power of the Government over aliens. The
law as it stood gave the Government as much power as it
ought to have. If these men committed a crime, let
them be punished ; hut until they did, let them enjoy
the hospitality of this country. There was no doubt that
as the law now stood a conspiracy in this country, be-
tween British subject, or aliens, to assassinate a foreign
sovereign, to commit murder abroad, or disturb the peace
existing between this country and any other in amity
with the Queen, was a misdemeanour liable to very
severe punishment, and not merely a conspiracy, but
even the act of individuals'. Thera was no doubt that
exhorting by word of mouth to commit a crime would be
a misdemeanour ; to exhort by words to commit murder
or to raise a riot, was certainly an offence ; and any
speaker doing so might at once be apprehended and
prosecuted. It was an offence to recommend a crime,
and on that ground the law of libel rested. He had the
honour to be a law officer of the Crown for nine years, and
the only information he filed ee officio was against Fer-
gus O'Connor for having, by hie publication in the
Northern Star, exhorted the people to plunder their
superiors, stating that the land was the property of the
nation, and ought to be divided ; he was convicted
and sentenced to two years' imprisonment; no doubt
to do the same by aid of another would be
an offence. There was no reason for a change
in the law unless it was intended to give increased
power to the Government; if it was desired to em-
power the Government, on the requisition of any foreign
state, immediately, without any proof of complicity, to
expel an alien, then the law must be changed, but God
forbid it should. In this country, aliens and native born
subject are all considered subjects of her Majesty ;
while they remain hero and obey the law, no distinction
is made between them. This country had always been
an asylum for the oppressed, and he hoped it would
never lose that character. If there were some anomalies
in the law, or some diversity in the laws of different
parts of the United Kingdom, he would not resist a
change in those respects ; but if any proposal was made
to take away from aliens the rights they now eej )yed,
he would most strenuously resist it.

The Earl of HARD WICICE said that if the Secretary
for War was in his place he would have made some
inquiries as to the state of the defence of the country.
°They had lost an army in India, and had boon obliged to
replace it by the army which was required for the de.
fence of this country. He believed the army in India
was hardly sufficient for the work before them, but to
supplyit the country had bean entirelydenuded of troops.
The Government ought to call out the whole of the
militia, as It was required tor the defence of thecountry,
and it would also be necessary to form a new army id
England to provide for the extencies of the service.
The state of the navy, which, with the militia, was the
natural defence of the country, was contemptible, but
instead of keeping even this small force at home, they
were occupy4lg it in a contemptible war, a war the most
contemptible and disgraceful the country had ever been
engaged in. The war commenced with a sham, and after
the spirited minister had succeeded in hie object and got
his Parliament, he did nothing for a year : but now it
appeared, probably to please that Parliament, that they
were about to bombard Canton--that bombardment
would be the roost criminal Bud disgraceful act ever re-
corded in the history of this country. They proposed
then to held that place with 1,000 marinee and 600 tio ps
against the Chinese. Of all the coutemptible proceedings
ever attempted, none was more so then the attempt to
hold the place with such a force against a great though
an unwarlike nation. They could not expect to gain any-
thing by such a step ex • i.t to rob this country of a
portion of its trade, and toe defence of a portion of its
navy. He regtettei that the noble lord (Panreure) was
not in his place, as he meant to ask what be intended to
do with regard to the defences of the country, because
those defences were not in a condition they ought to he
in even under the most ordinary circumstances, He
feared that none of the noble lords opposite could mach
enlighten him as to the state of the army and navy, and
should therefore wait for a future opportunity to put a
question cn :he eubject of the national defences.

Toe subj-ct then dropped.
BISHOPS' TRUSTS SUBSTITUTIO2T BILL.
On the motion of the Bishop of OXFORD, the Bishops'
Tructs' Substitution Bill wal read a firgt time.
THE VOTE 01? THANKS TO THE INDIAN
ARMY.

In reply to the Earl of ELLENBOBOUGII,
Earl GRANVILLE sail that he would lay on the
;able the terms of the vote of thauks to the Indian army.
Tile house adj iuraed at a quarter pact 7.