The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-16 00:00:00

*trollb -r
F,./itittton

SUN OFFICE Three o'Cloeh.

Captain BERNAL'S motion in the House of Commons,
last night, for the abolition of flogging in the army
during the time of peace, save for offences committed on
a line of march, or for theft, was lost by a majority of
128—only 59 Totes being given for relieving the soldier
from the degrading punishment of a brute, while 187
voted for the retention of this badge of disgraceful
serfage. The Gallant Captain. supported his motion
by an able and conclusive speech, which will make
a far deeper impression upon the country than
it did upon the House. He reminded the House
that the opinions of professional men respecting
the expediency of changes were always to be received
with caution. Judges were humane, educated, expe-
rienced men, and yet such was the force of professional
bias that they were the most opposed to any relaxation
of the criminal code—a measure now universally
admitted to be most conducive to an improvement in
the morals of the country. He would educate—not flog
the soldier; and he contended that education would do
away with any pretext for having recourse to the lash.
Sir HOWARD DoucLAs, although he opposed the motion,
admitted that the diffusion of education would render
the lash unnecessary. He shuddered to think how
frightfully prevalent flogging was in the army, even
within his own remembrance, but it was consola-
tory to think that it was falling into disuse owing
to tho improvement in the morals of the
army, and ho looked forward to a time
when it would cease altogether 'We can tell
the Gallant Officer that it will only cease when courts-
martial are deprived of the power of inflicting it. So
long as Parliament allows such courts the power of sen-
tencing men to be flogged, they will exercise it, were it
only to show that they have it. Where the question at
issue is the degradation of a human being below the
level of a brute—for an Act of Parliament secures im-
punity from the lash to costermongers' donkeys—we
contend that nothing should be left to the discretion of
a tribunal, notoriously constituted by persons having no
sympathy with the accused.
But the Right Hon. Member for Edinburgh, whom to
our great surprise we find voting with the majority,
pleads the necessity of the public service. What is the
meaning of this ? If the discipline of the army cannot
be maintained without corporal punishments, it is be-
cause the existence of such punishments in the army
prevents any but the dregs of society—or the
desperate in circumstances—from entering it. No
educated young man of spirit would enter a ser-
vice in which he might be condemned to a punish-
ment which would for ever degrade him in his own
eyes, and disgrace him in the opinion of his comrades,
his family, and his friends. Abolish corporal punishment
in the case of all recruits who shall henceforth enlist,
and mark the different class of men which shall soon
compose the ranks of England's defenders. Fear never
contributed to make a good soldier, and never will the
British army be brought to any degree of perfection
while dread of the lash is substituted for the principle of
honour in the breast of the British soldier.
The most miserable exhibition of the evening was
made by Captain BOLDERO, who, now that his friends
are in office, shamefully abandons the protective
flag which he himself was ono of the firs'
to raise over the heads of the British sol•
dicry. He has changed his opinions, forsooth !
and now regards flogging as by no means the evil thing
which he formerly represented it. General EVANS,
while directing the "Isle of Dogs Expedition" against
Don CARLOS, made a eonrert of him to the efficacy of
a judicious application of a cat-o'-nine-tails to the
backs of such vagabonds as serve their country for
the moderate sum of 181. a-year. The Gallant Cap-
tain, with unabashed effrontery, told the House
that he claimed a full and perfect right to change his
opinions upon this or any other question. We at once
concede such right. 'We have no power to withhold
it. But we too claim a right in exchange. It is the
right to despise—to regard with utter contempt, the
political weathercock whose vanity induces him to
accept the popularity of sincerely advocating mea-
sures while he has no hope of carrying them,
but who abandons them the instant he reig!it
claim for them the support necessary for their
realization. Captain BOLDER() can no longer hum-
bug the country, and so he now throws off the ma: k,
under the miserable, and, to the soldier, most offensil
and insulting pretext of recognising in General EVANS,

raggamuffin squad at St. Sebastian a fair specimen of a
British army I But enough of Captain BOLDER°, to
whose ctnstituents we recommend the following letter,
received by us this morning, relative to his speech and
vote last night :—.

SI it,-I trust that you will direct the attention of the public
to Captain Boldero's conduct on the amendment which was
proposed to the Mutiny Bill last night. The clause, whict,
was so well moved by the Gallant Member for Wycombe, ha!
for its object the abolition of flogging in the army during peace.
On April 13, 1636, Captain Bolder*, being in opposition,
seconded a motion for the abolition of flogging. At that time
" he put it to the House, if they persisted in oantinuing cor-
poral punishments, whether they would not render themselves
liable to the charge of having liberty on their tongues, and
tyranny in their hearts !" Vide Hansard's Debates.
April 7,1837 He again seconded a motion for abolition ;
it was then "his firm conviction that by increasing the com-
forts of the soldier, corporal punishment might be dispensed
with in time of peace."—Vide Hansard.
March 26, 1838.—He brought forward a motion having for
its object the possibility of finding a substitute for flogging in
time of peace. He then claimed " the vote of a Gallant
Officer (Evans), as he limited his motion to abolishing flogging
during time of peace."— Vide Hansard.
But on April lb, 1842, he having changed sides, and become
Clerk of the Ordnance, " he feels convinced of the necessity
of flogging, from the Report of the Commissioners who sat in
183.5 !" which Report he had before pronounced " proved that
flogging might be abolished with advantage to the service," on
April 13, 1836

Surely, Sir, this either shows that his love of place is
greater than his love of humanity, or that his previous exhibi-
bitions have been gone up for the electors of Chippenham.
April 16, 1842. EMERITUS.

MADRID BOURSE.—Thero was but little business
transacted on the Madrid Bourse, on the ith inst.
The Three per Cents. were done at 211, 21i, 22k, at
different dates.

There is no important news in the French or Spanish
journals received this morning. In the Madrid Chamber
of Deputies, on the 7th, Senor SANcUES SILVA brought
forward a proposition, calling on the Government to
bring forward during the present Session the supple-
ment to the tariff law relative to cotton manufactured
goods, according to the terms of the second article of the
law of the 9th of July, 1841, which was, after a stormy
debate, ordered to be taken into consideration by a ma-
jority of 110 to 10.

The Debats has a long article on the efforts the winegrowers
of France are making to obtain from the Legislature some
concessions in favour of their industry,, which, as our contempo-
rary states, is of vast importance, inasmuch as one twentieth of
the entire soil of France is devoted to it, and it yields to the trea-
sury, or in octroi duties, not less than 110 millions of francs an-
nually. The Debate admits that the complaints of the wine-
growers Are entit ed to the most serious attention ; but it charges
them with exaggeration, and, above all with having assumed a
menacing attitude, which is calculated rather to prevent than
promote the accomplishment of their object. this journal
denies that the exports and the domestic consumption of wines
have declined in the way stated by the growers. In 1829,
says tic Debats, the exports of wine were 1 million 84,699 hec-
tolitres, whereas in 1840 they were 1,330,000, and there has
been no falling off in the exports of brandies, although it is
tplite true that the trade in them has undergone no improve-
ment

An intention has been expressed in the Marine department,
immediately to convoke the members of the Hoard of Admi-
ralty, untier the presidency of Admiral Duperre ; we are as-
sured that this convocation is relative to the treaty on the
right of search. A letter from the Hague speaks of a project
to marry the second son of the King of Holland to the Princess
Clementine of Orleans. This Prince is said to be destined to
exercise the functions of Governor for the Grand Duko in Lux-
emburg. Will this plan be realised any more than that of
marrying the Prince de Joinville to a Dutch Princess? We
doubt it ? Commerce.
The presentation to the Chamber of Deputies of the Report
of the Railroad Committee is delayed, all the information re-
quirsd by M. Dufaure, the reporter, not having yet been