The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-25 00:00:00

the patient. He at once gave a certificate of his danger,
which, together with a memorial from the family, was
laid before the Secretary of State for the Home De-
partment. A. reply, in the form of a printed notice, has
been sent, to the effect that no sufficient ground exists
for Sir James Graham to interfere."

Deeply affected by the disregard here evinced for
human life, his family awaited with patient but har-
rowing anxiety the result of a few weeks, apprehen-
sive of the consequences which had been predicted by
his physician. The symptons displayed themselves in
a still stronger form, and a consultation was held, at
which it was determined that several of the most emi-
nent physicians in London should separately visit him
and, with his own medical attendant, deliver their
own individual opinions. This step was ta-
ken, certificates were written by nine medical
gentlemen, all giving it as their decided opinion that
the patient's lungs were affected ; that since his in-
carceration disease had gradually been stealing on
him ; and that, if he be not removed from prison to a
more healthy situation, where he will have pure air
and exercise, good diet, and a tranquil mind, the
disease he is labouring under must advance, and ulti-
mately destroy him. Another states, after a length-
ened description of his case, " that every day of his
confinement in prison must greatly add to the danger
of his situation ; and if it be much prolonged, that he
must inevitably fall a victim to his disease." Nine
certificates, agreeing as to the precarious state of
his health, together with another memorial, were
laid before the Home Secretary. After waiting
for twenty-one days in a state of the most ha-
rassing anxiety, another printed form was returned
again, stating that " no sufficient grounds existed
to justify the interference of Sir James Graham."

It -is certainly difficult for uninitiated persons to dis-
cover the grounds on which Sir James Graham has
come to so very extraordinary a conclusion. When
the man is actually dying by slow degrees, it would
appear, according to the common dictates of humanity
and justice, that there was but one course for him to
pursue. It is quite clear that the law never intensled
that the sentence passed upon him should be the means
either of engendering a fatal disease or of accelerating
the progress of it. And when such appears, upon the
most incontrovertible evidence, to be the effect of it,
surely it is the bounden duty of the Home
Secretary to interpose his authority, in order to
prevent such an event taking place. To permit the
sentence of the law now to go on in its regular course
is absolutely to sanction the greatest possible amount of
cruelty and injustice. No matter how great or how ag-
gravated Mr. Gregory's offence may have been, still the
punishment which he is now suffering, and the fatal re-
sults to which that punishment, if it be allowed to go
on, must necessarily lead, is manifestly not that
which is in accordance either with the letter or the
spirit of the law. Even supposing it to be just
(which we altogether deny) that convicted libellers
should be subjected to the same severe and rigorous
mode of imprisonment as that which those convicted
of other crimes are necessitated to endure, yet, in
the present case, there are qualifying circumstances
which call for the prompt interference of the proper
authorities ; an interference, indeed, which, under
similar circumstances in the case of other criminals,
has never been withheld. Let the case be supposed of
a man sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for
sheep-stealing, if it were found that the severe prison
discipline was operating upon his constitution in
such a manner as seriously to injure his health,
surely in such a case the Home Secretary would feel
imperatively called on to interfere. Indeed, such
cases of interference are not by any means of rare or
unfrequent occurrence. How, then—with what plea
of justice, or on what ground of polity—setting hu-
man'ty aside—can Sir James Graham refuse to inter-
fere in this instance ? We do trust that this matter
will he taken up by the press generally and warmly.
It is a case in which they all ought to feel almost
personally concerned. The fate of Mr. Gregory to-
day may be theirs to-morrow. If a man on a cri-
minal information be found guilty of a libel at the
Old Bailey, he must be sent to Newgute, ani there,
if the sentence of imprisonment be for any lengthened
period, that sort of rigorous and cruel discipline
awaits him to which transportation at once would be
far preferable. As the Home Secretary has already
resisted the force of two appeals to him, we trust
that some Liberal Member of Parliament will take the
matter up. The law should not, and we trust will
not, be allowed to continue in its present state. Let
those convicted of aggravated libels be punished, and
punished severely, but not let their punishment be of
so inhuman and cruel a nature as to change their

position materially, by enlisting upon their side the
feelings and sympathies of the public. This would
have the effect of bringing the law into contempt,
and of causing the framers of it to be looked on not
as public benefactors, but as tyrants and oppressors.
We hope we have said enough to show that some modi-
fication of the present rigorous, cruel, and inhuman
system is now imperatively called for.
[The writer of this article imputes blame to the
new libel law which it does not deserve. The crime
of which Mr. Gregory was convicted was committed
before Lord Campbell's Bill came into operation and
he could not be tried on an ex post facto law. If the
statements regarding the treatment of convicted felons
is correct, no language can be found too strong to
denounce such horrible punishments. Better to recur
to the old system of hanging men by scores, than mur-
der them by slow torture. Persons convicted of
serious crimes deserve condign punishment; but
there is a wide difference between condign punish-
ment and ahorrible infliction like this.—ED. Sun.]

GLASGOW, DUMFRIES, AND CAR-
LISLE RAILWAY.
A meeting of shareholders in the Edinburgh, and
Glasgow Railway Company, and of parties friendly
to the proposed line from Glasgow to Carlisle, by
Dumfries, was convened by circular, and held at one
o'clock yesterday in the ex-committee room, in order
to meet the Chairman and a deputation from Glasgow
of the promoters of the proposed line. Amongst the
gentlemen present were Messrs. J. B. Smith, Joseph
Crewdson, M'Connel, Samuel Walker, G. Grundy,
Peet, Higgin, Cardwell, Standring, John Ogden, John
Duncuft, &c. The deputation consisted of John Lead-
better Esq., Chairman of the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Railway Board,!and also Chairman of the Provisional
Committee of the proposed line, and Mr. William
Logie of Glasgow, interim Secretary. Mr. G. Grundy
being called to the chair, Mr. Leadbetter entered
into a statement, with a view to show that the pro-
posed line by Dumfries was the one most for the
interest of English shareholders in the Glasgow and
Ayr line, and in the Edinburgh and Glasgow line, to
support. He noticed the survey four years ago by
the Government engineers, with Sir Frederick Smith
at their head, and their instructions being, in con-
formity with a resolution of the House of Commons,
to report as to which was the best line of communi-
cation from England with Edinburgh and Glasgow
(which instructions did not leave them at liberty to
decide between the merits of an east and west coast
line) ; they reported in favour of the centre line (the
Caledonian). But since then circumstances had
changed; the East Coast Company had got up their
capital and went into Committee yesterday, for a line
as far south as Berwick, and it was understood that
capital was made up fer carrying it on as far as
Newcastle, Mr. Hudson giving the latter por-
tion his powerful influenoe. The Caledonian,
or centre line, was backed by the Grand Junc-
tion, North Union, Preston and Lancaster, and.
Lancaster and Carlisle Companies, which he . be-
lieved subscribed a portion of the capital for it, and
which supported it, hoping thereby to get a portion
of the east coast traffic ; but they would have that ad-
vantage if the east coast line were carried, and the Bill
for it was not impeded by the efforts of the Caledo-
nian Company. This reduced the question to this :
Shall Glasgow have its intercourse with Lancashire
and other parts of England, carried round by Edin-
burgh ? Ile thought every one would see the neces-
sity of a west coast line, and then the question arose,
what ought that line to be ? There could not be a
doubt that a line coming upon the Ayrshire line
at Ayr, or Kilmarnock, must be beneficial to the
interests of the Ayrshire shareholders. Then, would
it pay ? The proposed line would pass through a
very rich part of Scotland, with i
a considerable
town population, besides abounding n agricul-
tural and mineral wealth. One part of it would pass
through a large bed of coal and of the most valuable
iron-stone (the black-band). It was therefore more
likely to pay than the other lines. The Caledonian
line had much less favourable gradients ; its recent
alterations gave it a gradient for some distance of one
in 75, besides 18 miles more at an average of one in
128. The 7 would have to pass over the Beattock
summit. raking the statement of the Caledonian
Company, that line would be 24 miles shorter than
that by Dumfries ; but the Ayrshire line would have
much more favourable gradients, be less expensive in
forming, and the engineer said, would be wixaced in,
the same time as the Caledonian. Up to Wednes,,,ay
last, nearly 5,000 shares, or 120,0
Company, at 001., had been
subscribed in Glasgow ; the Ayrshi
a meeting, on Wednesday, ar:eed to subscribe
200,0001. to the undertaking. fn London they had
had applications for 2,000 she-xes (50,0000, and there
was the fairest prospect cd the subscription being
taken up. He was aware of the great array of names
on the. Committee of 'clit Caledonian line, and that
they were backed by the chairmen of the English
lapels ; but for this line it was preferred to have a
1 'provisional committee of merchants, who would work
like men of business. Lord Eglintoun (a large pro-
prietor in Ayrshire) was to be the Governor or
Chairman, and Lord James Stuart (representing the
Bute family), the Deputy-Chairman. They hoped
also to have the assistance and interference of the
Portland family. He hoped, therefore, the Ayr-
shire Railway shareholders in Manchester would
give the proposed line their substantial sup-
port. Then the Edinburgh and Glasgow Rail-
way Company, whose capital was almost en-
tirely in England, would have their interests vi-
tally affected by the decision between the Cale-