The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-04 00:00:00

PARLIA MENT.

HOUSE OP LORDS7WONBSDAYi JUNE

Thj Earl of LAaDEaDALE objected to this Bill. heir

proceeded in at this late period of the Session, there not being
sufficient information before the flouse to enable them to
understand the subject: There was a power already vested
in the beritors to provide new Churches as occasion migitt re-
quire.

~',rd Viscount MELVILI:E observed, that the chief object
of this Bill wasio provide for the division of-Parishes, which,
in some parts.of Scotland, "were forty miles in extent, and pro-
viding with that view additional Churches, it being obvious
that one Church could not be sufficient for a parish of that
extent.
The Earl-of LAUDERDALE urged the difficulty of making
a sufficient provision for the Ministers of such new Churches
in partsiof the Highlands where the population was extremely
scanty. •
After a few words from the Marquis of LANSDOWNE,
stating, that in referring to Scotland on the English Churches
Bill, he did:not mean to prejudge the question as to the ne-
cessity for building new Churchei in Scotland, the conversa-
tion ended, the Notice bf Lord Melville standing for Friday to
suspend the Standing Orders, in order that this Bill might go
through its different stages on that day.
STATE OF PRISONS.,
The Marquis of L4NshowNe rose,.pursuant to
notice, to move for information •respecting the
State of the prisons. His Lordship, on entering
upon' this question, after observing upon its im,
portaoce, adverted to the official returns of the
number of persons committed upon different
cliaiges, and. of those convicted; by ,whieh
it appeared, that the amount of commitments
.lrad, during the _last ten years,. increased in
,n ,proportion rather more than double; and the
number of 'convictions in a ratio, nearly triple.
Respecting the causes of this increase of crime
there. were various opinions'; the duration of the
war, and the great change caused
,by the peace,
together-with the flnctuations thus arising, by
which Many pet sons were reduced train affluence,
to distress, the large paper currency offering.
temptations to forgery, these, with or her causes,
were assigned by different persons as reasons for
the increase of crime ; hUt whatever differences
of opinion might. exist upon jhis,Point, all were
agreed'that the state of discipline in, and !nonage,
lent of, prisons must have a mOst.materinl infit

ence with regard to the
,increase or decrease 0,
crimes. When it was considered that, he would
not say a number, but that a population of 14,000
persons were annually consigned to those man..
sions throughout the country, on different charges;
and that upon the average about 13,000 of those-
individuals were returned back into the bosom of
society, it was surely a consideration of the.
greatest importance as to the state of improve-
ment or otherwise in which these individuals
tre sent back into society, whether they were
in any degree reformed, or whether they were
not on the contrary initiated deeper into all the
mysteries of
.vice and crime. This, 'therefore,
was not a mere speculative questiOn, but a ques-
tion of the greatest practical importance, it.heing
nothing less than whether the prisons of the
country should be rendered the means of reform-
ing the prisoners committed to them, and of re-
turning them into society, so as that they might
become useful members of it, or Whether they
should be sent back, not only confirmed in their
vicious and criminal propensities, but with those
propensities increased and strengthened by means
of the society of still greater criminals, with whom
they had been allowed indiserimately to associate.
His Lordship then adverted to the different legis-
lative measures whiele had been of late years
adopted; for the purpose-of introducing a system
of reform into tlie prisons : to the journies of the
benevolent Howard; to the work of Mr, Neild ;
to the publications of Mr. Buxton, Which he high-
ly praised ; to the exertions made by Sir George
Patti, to establish a prison` updn those principles
in Gloucestershire ; to the most successful efforts
made by a lady (Mrs. Fry), in Newgate, to re-
form a number of the criminals confined there ;
and to the establishment of a Penitentiary at Mil-
bank, under the direction of Mr. Holford, and
other benevolent individuals, the system of which
he thought not yet perfect, but which was un-
doubtedly a step gained with a view to the object
of prison reform. He argued from these premises,
and particularly from the most successful exer-
tions of Mrs. Fry in Newgate, that tiled like her's,
and directed by sound judgment, could not fail to
bring about that system of reform in our prisons
which was so eminently to be desired ; for even
the most hardened criminal, as had been beauti-
fully illustrated by our greatest dramatic poet, had
Moments of distress of mind in which it was easy
to wot k upon his feelings, and lead him again back
to the path of rectitude. His Lordship adverted to
the actual state of some of the prisons, partiCu-
arly that of Bristol, which was most distressing
:o contemplate, and observed also upon the un-

MISCELLANEOUS.
The House was occupied for some time With
judicial business. The Judges delivered- their
• opinirons in the case of the Airly, Peerage against
the Claimant. •
The Royal Assent was notified by Com Mission to the Lot-
tery Bill, the Parish Vestries Bill, and some others.
The Commiisioners were the Lord Chancellor, the Duke
of 111ontrose, and Lord Redesdale. -• •
Bradbury's Invention Bill was brought up from the House
of Commons by Mr. progden and other Members.—Read a
first' time,-and ordered to be printed.
The Exchequer Bills' -Bill, the Irish Treasury Bills' Bill,
the Negotiable Securities' Bill, and other Bills, were read a
third -time, and passed.
Lord HOLLAND moved the second reading of the Pri-
vately Stealing in Shops' Bill, which, after a few words from
the LORD CHANCELLOR,. was negatived; it being under-
stood that there was not sufficient time this Session to con-
sider the subject.
On the motion of the Earl of LIVERPOOL, a n.Address.of
Conglatulatiiim. was ordered to be presented to his Royal
Highness the Prince Regent, on the marriage, of his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cambridge ; also a Message of Con-
gratulation to the Queen, and to the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge.
On the third reading of the Game Purchase Bill, the Earl
of- LIMERIC moved an amendment, to subject the purchaser,
in default of payment of the penalty, to three months' im-
prisonment for the first offence, and four months' for every
other offence, This gave rise to some conversation.
• The Ameodment-was opposed by. the Earl of CARNAR-
' VON. and Lord HOLLAND.
• The Earl of LIVERPOOL expressed a wish,-that instead of
•the-penal system of the Game Laws, game might be openly
allowed to be bought and sold. -
' After some observations from the Earl of WESTMOR-
-I,•,Np, in support of the Game Laws, the question was put
on the Amendment, and the Bar cleared'for a •division ; . tint
,we understood that rib Noble Lord went forth-content for the
Amendment, which was consequently negatived, and the Bill
was passed.
Lord Viscount MELVILLE moved tire second reading of
the Scots Churches Building Bill. The Bill having been read
a second time, his Lordship announced his intention of mov-
ing to take certain of the Standing Orders into consideration
on Friday, with the view of getting the Bill ou that day
through its remaining stages. .