The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-27 00:00:00

FLOGGING IN THE 211311 AND NAVY.

Last night a crowded meeting of the inhabitants
of Southwark was held in Taylor's South London
Repository, St. George's-road, near the Elephant
and Castle, for the purpose of petitioning Parlia-
ment to do away with the disgraceful and degrad-
ing practice of flogging in the army and navy, as
one unworthy of a Christian community. Mr.
Lavard, M.P., in the absence of Mr. C. Buxton,
M.P:, was called to the chair amidst the most en-
thusiastic cheering. The chairman in opening
the-business said it was urged by the members of
the Army and Navy Club that it was impossible to
abolish the lash, or they would have the whole
army and navy in a state of mutiny ; hut that
was the old story. At one time it was said that if
the services of the privates were mentioned
in the despatches it would destroy discipline; but
he should like to know what would have been their
condition in the Crimea had it not been for the pri-
vates. He had the honour of being in the Crimea,
and had seen wl_at the privates had done there, and
had it not been for the exertions of the privates at
the battle of Inkerman the British army must have
been driven into the sea. Then why should there
be a distinction between the officer and the private ?
" What was good for the goose was good for the
gander" was an old proverb, and therefore, if flog-
ging was good for the private it was good for the
officer. But he contended there was no necessity
for flogging at all. In the French army it would
not be submitted to, and the only other armies in
which it was retained were those of Austria and
Russia. Even in India they did not dare to flog
the Sepoy, and yet they flogged the British soldier
and sailor. The hon. member here displayed the
naval and military " cat," which excited a feeling
of disgust, and he said he hoped that the time was
not far distant when such disgusting things could
only be seen in the British Museum, which was the
only proper place for them. He said it was no
use to petition parliament to do away with flog-
ging unless they took up the subject with a
determination, and if they did so he had no doubt
that the voice of the people would be heard and
respected, and that they would rot dare to con-
tinue a punishment which was opposed to the best
feelings of human nature. (Hear.) Mr. M'Beeth
moved " That it is the opinion of this meeting
that the abolition of flogging would be a great
benefit to the army and navy of this country,
and hopes that measures will be adopted by
the legislature to cause that system to be at once
and for ever abolished." Dr. Murdock seconded
the resolution, which was carried unanimously, as
was another in favour of the formation of local
societies to obtain the abolition of flogging in the
army and navy. It was also agreed. that petitions
should be presented to Parliament with the same
object.

ATTEMPT _ED BURGLARY.-TEMPO-
RARY CAPTURE OF 50 THIEVES.

Shortly before two o'clock yesterday morning
three men were detected by a policeman in the act
of attempting a burglary at the house of Mr.
Alfred Turner, in Johnson-street, Queen's-road,
Smedley, Cheetham. The policeman was near the
house when he heard a noise at the back. 'He
went quietly to the spot, and saw three men, two
of whom were in the act of cutting open the
cellar window. He made a sudden and unexpected
descent upon them, and whilst he was struggling
with the first he could catch, the other two came to
their companion's assistance, and knocked the
policeman down, besides tearing his clothes. Of
course the thieves made, their escape immediately,
leaving behind them a shoemaker's knife which
they had been using. The officer, however, has a
a pretty good recollection of their appearance, and
they may yet be captured.
Consdquent "upon the above attempt, and in
order, if po=sible, to find the rascals, the police
of the B division, in which Smedley is situ-
ated, "ran in," as the term is, or tem-
porarily apprehended, last evening, all the known
thieves who were met with in the public streets
on that division. The result was the cap-
ture of no less than fifty well-known thieves,
seventeen of whom are returned con-
victs. They were all lodged in the Livesey-
street Police Station, and underwent the scrutiny of
the detective and other police officers of the city,
and of several gentlemen who want to make the
further acquaintance of one or two men who have
recently been their uninvited midnight guests.
The motety crowd was divided into groups of four
or five, and then placed in adjoining cells ; and the
coarse language of some, the reckless laughter
or whistling of others, and the protestations of
innocence on the part of the many, created a noise
which might have been mistaken for a mixed ool-
lection of birds and wild beasts. One thief, an ex-
pert, and quite " an exquisite" in his way, ventured
to complain of the conduct of the police, and asserted
that it was quite beyond his comprehension what it
all meant. This nest of thieves and burglars is, ere
now (except one or two who may be identified),
let loose again upon society. There are, however,
three other divisions, where a similar surprise on
the part of the police might be .productive of even
more sport. The sum total of thieves, burglars,
and returned convicts located permanently in Man-
chester is therefore enormous ; and what is worse,
is the fact that instead of diminishing, they will
doubtless be greatly increased next winter, by the
return of a large number of convicts from penal
servitude about this time next year.

FAILURE IN THE IRON TRADE.—BIRMINGHAM,
Feb. 26.—The failure of Messrs. Beesley and Farmer, of
the District Ironworks, Smethwick, near this town, was
announced to-day. A petition has been filed under the
Private Arrangement Clauses. The liabilities arp'estimated
at from £25,000 to £30,000.
THE BOROUGH OF SUDBURY.—The Sudbury
town-council have prepared a petition to Parliament
against the disfranchisement of the borough proposed by
the bill of Sir Geprge Lewis. It is contended that Sudbury
his been no worse than many of its eleetora
to rettirn
P lly orrupt
c
neighbours, which have still been permitted
members. A statement has also been prepared to show the
now
to done to the trade andproposed
long-continued disfranchisement, whichprosperit yorieftPtashnew town by it
to make a" rule absolute."
FATAL ACCIDENT BY FALLING FROM A WINDOW.
—Yesterday a fatal ace.idednitnenccurred to Mary Ann Reeves,
over-street, Picadilly. She
aged 38 years, who reside
was cleaning the windows upstairs when shoe was seized
with vertigo and fell, fracturing her skull in a most fright-
ful manner. She was conveyed to St. George's Hospital,
where death ensued.
T„, LATE HURRICANE.—PLYMOUTH, Tuesday.
—When the American ship Hiawatha, Captain Hall, was
driven ashore in Batten Bay on Thursday last, the Coast-
guard boat was in the boat-house on the eastern beach in
Catwater, and Mr. Bath, chief officer, finding the weather
too heavy to attempt to row round the promontory of
Mount Batten, determined to carry her across the isthinus
—about a quarter of a mile. Her crew of 10 men were will-
ingly assisted by the inhabitants, and the boat, which is 18
feet long, was soon on the western beach. In addition to
the fearful character of the storm, which was right in their
teeth, the brave Coastguardsmen had to contend with a
number of dangerous spars and yards alongside the stranded
ship. Notwithstanding these hazards, Mr. Bath, in three
trips, rescued the whole of the crew, 13 men, and brought
them safely ashore. Commander Phelps, Inspecting Com-
mander of Coastguard, who had been obliged .to make a
difficult detour by land to leach the wreck, was presmt,
and directed the men, and afterwards adopted strinrnt
measures to protect the ship's gear from pillage. Mr. Bath,
it will be recollected, was in the Coastguard boat in Yam,
18.57, when the homewardbound West India Mail steamship
Tyne was wrecked. He then saved a large amount of
specie and 43 lives, being all her crew and passergerF,'one
of Whorri presented him with a purse containing £5OO.
The .Etnperor .of . Austria has just conferred the
i
great gold medal for science and Art upon M. Pausuere9a!
gentleman well known and highly esteemed in the in I
world.
and Philadelphia
The Liverpool, New Y
Company's steatAL,r Etna, which
York, took '450,000 dolt, in specie.
fork,
sailed tu-d a y for New