The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-13 00:00:00

WIVE TO ENGL I.ND.

Mr. Alderman THOMPSON wished to know whether
the Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs
had revived any satisfactory answer from the Portuguese
Government to the remonstrance of the importers of
wine, the produce of Portugal, against the impost of 6Z
per pipe levied on wine exported to England, when 6d.
per pipe only was charged upon wine exported to
America. _ _ _

---
Lord PALMERSTON said communications had been
made to the Portuguese Government on the subject,
which was of considerable importance to the British
consumers, but ho was not able at present to state that
the Government had received any satisfactory answer.
There could be no doubt that this difference of duty
was not only a great injury to the British consumer,
but also a great ii,jury to th•s Portuguese wine
grower. The Hon. Gentleman might be assur•d that
her Majesty's Government would make those represen-
tations which they thought most likely to induce the
Portuguese Government to alter their intentions.
SUNDAY LABOUR IN THE POST-OFFICE.

Mr. SPOONER asked the First Lord of the Treasury,
whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Govern-
ment to lay before Parliament the report of the Com-
missioners appointed to inquire into the working of the
Post-office regulations respecting Sunday labour, toge-
ther with the evidence taken before those Commis-
sioners; also, whether permission would be given to
any pirties who might require it, to produce evidence
betore such Comrnissi,iners?
Lord J. RUSSELL said he would lay the report of
ae Commission on the table of the House as soon as it
was made. With respect to the other question, he did not
think that it would be necessary for that Commission to
talc, any evidence except of a documentary character.
_ _

TRIiiL OF PATE. - BARON ALDERSON'S
CHARGE.

Mr. G. THOMPSON rose and said—Seeing the Right
Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home
Department in his place, I rise to put some questions to
him on a matter, as I conceive, vital to the character
of the English bench, and the administration of
crimin4l justice in this country. In the newspaper re-
port of the proceedings at the Old Bailey yesterday,
during the trial of a person of the name of Pate, who
was found guilty (without any recommendation to mercy)
of a cowardly and brutal attack upon the Queen,
I find certain words imputed to Baron Alderson,
who acted as judge, and passed sentence on the
prisoner. The Learned Baron is reported to have
said, while in the act of awarding punishment :—" Con-
sidering the station of your family and your own posi-
tion, the Court will not inflict the disgraceful punishment
of whipping upon you. The Court has some respect for
you, though you had no respect for others."—(Eiear,
hear.) Now, Sir, as these are words of a most ex-
traordinary kind, and, if truly reported, do most se-
riously affect the character of one of our judges, and the
equal aod just administration of the law, I wish to ask
the Right H in. Gentleme i—first, whether he has seen
the reports to which I ri f,r? if he has, whether he pur-
poses to communicate with Baron Alderson, with a view
ascrtainie,g their accuracy; and whether, in the event
of their correctness being confirmed, he will consider it
his duty to advise the Crown upon the subject:, involving
as it does the honour, the dignity, and the impartiality of
the bench, and calculate 3, as the words I have quoted
obviously are, most seriously to impair the respect
hitherto entertained by the people for the administration
of criminal justice within this realm?—(hear.)
Sir G. GREY—Sir, in reply to the question of the
lion. Gentleman, I beg to state, that I have ri-al the
report of the proceedings at the trial to which the Hon.
Gentleman has referred, but still I have not telt it to be
my duty to call upon the judge for any explanation of
what he said in passing sent.-nce—(Hear, hear)—be-
cause I do not feel myself justifi.-d to call upon any,
judge to give reasons for what he does or says in the ex-
ercise of his judicial function,,.—(! leer, hear.)
The motion for the adjournment of the House till
Monday was then agreed to.
MONUMENT TO SIR ROBERT PEEL.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL then rose and said—Sir, in
rising to move that this House do resolve itself into a

Committee on the subject of an address to the Crown,
praying her Majesty to be graciously pleased to di-
rect a monument to be erected in Westminster
Abbey to the memory of the late Sir Robert Peel, I
do not think it necessary to recall or relate to the House
the political history of that Right Hon. Gentleman.—
(Cheers.) I take it for granted that this House would
be desirous to testify its sorrow at the loss the country
has sustained in the death of that Right Hon. Baronet,
—<Hear, hear.) I take it for granted, because
on the very first intelligence of that melancholy event,
the House spontaneously agreed to adjourn its proceed-
ingsfotrhae day.—(Hear, ear,hea r.)
pltraekveniiltson n
for
tgranted,issubject, be-
cause
has been very
deeply regret whichfelt and generally expressed.
(Hear.) I take granted,o because when I made
some observations, Pr
should be offered the family sing
that a public funeral of the late Right Honour-
able Gentleman, to show the respect in which he had
been held by the House, the observationsrrhl
.—.
h
Sir,seemed
may to meet
perhaps
allowedimous concurrence.—(Cheer oo used
that which
ence e
besides( ae me
ra shd.
general testimony of respect and esteem which t e
ra
been manifest in this country, in threewhiallhasforeign
countries there have been remarkable demonstr
atil's s of
a similar character—(Cheers)—and the event to which
the
the refer is considered to affect no leas the interest
of he
the United Kingdom than it does Europe and the world
at large. (Cheers.) Sir, I believe it is without
precedent that the National Assembly of France
agreed to enter the words of its President upon their
minutes to testify its respect for the character and
sorrow at the death of a British statesman.—(Cheers.)
Therefore, viewing these circumstances known to all
and felt by all, I cannot but believe that this
House, which has so often witnessed the exercise of
those great abilities with which he was endowed, will
be also anxious to place on record some permanseut tes-
timony of its respect for his worth and virtues. Sir, in
having stated these matters, it now remains to be consi-
dered in what way that testimony shall be conveyed.
I have referred to the proposal I made for a public
funeral, which was at once declined by a Right Hon.
Gentleman who was a near friend and coadjutor of the
deceased Right Hon. Gentleman. and who informed the
House that the late Sir Robert Peel had made a special
request that his funeral should be private.—
(Hear, hear.) Of course I cannot think that
in the present instance such public acts will
apply as were accorded by this House to
testify its respect for the memory of Mr. Perceval.—
(Hear, hear.) It would be remembered that the House
agreed to make some provision for the family of that great
man who had been so distinguished in'his publicservicea.
There remains, therefore, only what I mean to propose
—a public monument—by which we can show, or en-
deavour to show, our sense of the loss we have sus-
tained. Perhaps I may in this place state that her
asty,litiriag been allZi9ll4 to shot the sense the Crowa