The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-23 00:00:00

DRUMMOND to furnish a statement of the transaction, i
as far as regarded Colonel BONET ?
Sir R. PEEL said such a statement, as a matter of
course, would be furnished to the Admiralty ; and he
took that opportunity of expressing his horror and
disgust at the sanguinary proceedings which had
been sanctioned by the constituted authorities of
Spain in that quarter. Barbarous nations, he be-
lieved, would observe greater humanity in their con-
tests than had been observed by both parties in Spain
Sir JAMES GRAHAM moved the Order of the Day
for the third reading of the Factories Bill, and said
the discussion on the Bill, he trusted, would take
place on the House going into Committee.
After speeches from Mr. ROEBUCK, Mr. T. DUN-
COMBE, Mr. AGLIONBY, Mr. M. Puturs, and Mr.
FERRAND, which exhibited great excitement on this
difficult question, the Bill was read a second time.
On the motion that the Bill be committed, in
order that it be postponed, Mr. ROEBUCK put a ques-
tion to Mr. FERRAND. lle said, that Hon. Member
had stated that a Minister of the Crown had used his
influence to induce a Poor-law Commissioner to
make a false return, in order to crush an Hon. Mem-
ber of that House. He wished to know who that
Minister was, and what Member he intended to
crush ? This question led to a very amusing discus-
sion, which we have adverted to in a separate article.
These Tory Members will be the death of their
friends.
After the uproar was over, the Committee on the
Bill was fixed for Friday.
Dr. NicnoLL moved the second reading of the
Ecclesiastical Courts Bill.
Sir G. GREY moved as an amendment that the Bill
be read a second time that day six months. Consi-
derable discussion followed, and on a division the se-
cond reading was carried by a majority of 69.
The County Courts Bill was read a second time.
In answer to a question from Lord J. RUSSELL,
Sir R. PEEL said that he did not mean to bring on
the Irish Registration Bill before the 6th of May.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed
of, and the House adjourned at a Quarter past Twelve.

The discussion, of which the Member for Knares-
borough—the Honourable Member we presume we
ought to call him—his speeches and statements, formed
the subject last night in the House of Commons, gives
a most instructive lesson to the gentlemen of the
FERRAND school, and not only to gentleman scholars,
but to gentlemen teachers and instructors in such
schools. For it cannot be denied that Mr. FERRAND
is the chosen pupil, and the first class representative,
of that body, by which, at the general election of
1841, the Liberal party in this country was run down.
Abuse, misrepresentation, falsehood, in short, every
vile art that the ingenuity of the most thoroughgoing
partizanship could suggest, were resorted to on that
occasion. The actors were cheered on by the loud
acclaims of the Tory party ; they delighted in the
melee ; " they cried havoc, and let slip the dogs of
war ;" they worried their game, and gloated in the
triumph. But, the chase over, the dogs would not
return to kennel quietly; and the greatest curse to
PEEL, since his advent to power, has arisen from the
furious bloodhounds that his own party reared, petted,
and pampered.
What a specimen of a British Legislature does
last night present—humiliating in the extreme, and
yet how deserved is the humiliation. Sir JAMES
GRAHAM is no favourite of ours—renegades deserve
no favour; but if Mr. FERRAND did not feel the cas-
tigation which Sir JAMES inflicted, he has the skin of
the rhinoceros. Let us just look at the proceedings :
After a debate on the Factory Bill, in which Mr.
DUNCOMEE, as usual, unmasked hypocrisy, and spoke
forcible common sense, Lord ASIILEY shuffled, and
Mr. HINDLEY received a well-merited flagellation
from Mr. MARK PHILIPS, the Bill was read a second

time.
Mr. ROEBUCK then put a question to the Hon
Member for Knaresborough. That Hon. Gentlemat
had stated that a Minister of the Crown had used hi
influence to induce an Assistant Poor-law Commis
sioner to make a false return to that House, for the
purpose of-crushing a Member of that House, and
Mr. ROEBUCK said he was justified in asking who
was that Minister of the Crown who had thus used
his power ; who was the officer whom the Crown
employed; and who was the Member sought to be
crushed ?
Mr. FERRAND, after a deal of beating about the
bush, at length ended by charging Sir JAMES GRA-
HAM as the party using his influence—Mr. Morr
the officer employed—and himself as the Member
sought to be crushed. Upon which
Sir J. GRAHAM said, until the last words which
fell from the Hon. Member, he had looked with great
indifference both to the charge and to the discus-
sion itself. The Hon. Member had deliberately as-
serted that which he (Sir J. GRAHAM) had hardly
thought he could have taken upon himself to assert
of him, much less in his presence and before that
House, viz., that he (Sir JAMES GRAHAM) had used
his official power to obtain a false report. IL
(Sir JAMES GRAHAM) did not think it worth whip
to move that the words be taken down, whicl,
was the usual course in such cases. But there was
no mistake that the Honourable Gentleman had
distinctly stated, after some deliberation—because he
avoided unnecessarily the question in the first in.
stance, and the question was then repeated—that h,
was prepared to assert that he (Sir J. GRAHAM) had
used his official power and influence to obtain a falst
report for the purpose of crushing him (Mr. FER-
RAND). He thought it would be impossible, con-
sidering that assertion, and considering the position
which he (Sir J. GRAHAM) held by favour of her
MAJESTY—considering that the assertion was deli-
berately made—he was quite sure the Hon. Member
would, as well as himself, feel that it was impossible
to demand redress then ; but he hoped that the Ho-
nourable Gentleman was prepared to take the proper
course to substantiate the charge.
Mr. HumE said there was another question which
he deemed of greater importance. It had been
asserted that the Right Hon. Secretary of State had
made use of his official influence to induce Mr. Hooa,
when Chairman of the Nottingham Election Com-
mittee, to commit perjury.
Mr. FERRAND denied that he had so asserted.
Mr. WARD then alluded to a statement made by
Mr. OASTLER, that such was the sense entertained by
the House respecting the Factory Bill, that the Right
Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government had
stated on one night, when leaving the House after a
discussion on this Bill, that the Christian feeling of the
Muse had beaten the Government on the factory
question.
Upon which Mr. FERRAND remarked, that he was
not Mr. OASTLER'S keeper, and made a slight explana-
tion of his remarks, as to Mr. Hooo,'s conduct.
Mr. HOGG, in a tone of manly indignation, replied :
" Sir, it becomes incumbent upon me no longer to treat
the matter with indifference or contempt, but to call
upon the Hon. Gentleman to substantiate his charge.
Ido not want him to substantiate the charge. I call
on that Hon. Gentlemen to rise in his place, and leave,
if he can, upon the mind of this House a doubt
—or leave upon this House the slightest suspicion,
that in the discharge of my public duty, I was in-
fluenced by dishonest or dishonourable motives.
If he should raise that doubt—if he should raise that
suspicion—let me be covered with well-merited ob-
loquy, and let me depart this House as a man no
longer worthy to take his seat, being no longer
worthy of confidence. But there is another view of
the question. If that Hon. Gentleman cannot raise
that doubt in the minds of this House—if he fail to
satisfy this House as to his grounds for doubting my
honour and integrity, then let that Hon. Gentleman
be branded as the asserter of foul and false calumnies
—let him stand convicted as such before this House
and before the country, and it will be then for him to
consider whether he is worthy longer to sit in this
assembly, or command respect as a gentleman."
Mr. FERRAND writhed under this rebuke, and,
after again explaining, Sir J. GRAHAM rose and said :
" Sir, there is no haggling,' or Niggling' here. We
are in the British House of Commons ; and the Hon.
Gentleman has accused me, as a Minister of the
Crown, of having exerted my influence as a Minister
to obtain a false report for the purpose of crushing
him. There shall be no surprise. . . . To
morrow I will not appeal to the generosity or the
fairness of the Hon. Gentleman, but I will appeal to
the generosity and the fairness of both sides of the
House, and I expect that to-morrow the Honourable
Gentleman will come down with a specific charge
against me—not only as a Minister of the Crown,
but as a Member of this House, whose honour ho