Star.
London, England, 1827-03-13 00:00:00

Lord on what authority General Fuller granted any
such commission as that to which he had alluded? It
marred to km (fek,Hunse) most extraordinary that a
al Officer, on a foreign station, should take upon
himself the power of superseiing the King's Se
Mantel, %Ouch, _in fact, _General Fuller bad done, in
placing Colonel Arthur over Colonel Bradley.
Lord PALMERS TON said, that •neral Fuller had
granted the Commission he did to Colonel Arthur, in
accordance with a power always vested is General Offi-
cers, commanding on a foreign station. That Com-
Mission did not supersede the King's Sign Manual- in,
any r.spect—(Hear, hear.) It was granted for a parts-
cigar local purpo.e. It was but an acting Commission,
and was iegularly forwarded to this country for con-
firmation or abrogation as might be seen 6t. As to the
power wiercised by General Fuller, it must be evident
to the House, that if General Officers, commanding on
foreign stations, were deprived of inch an authority, it
would be impossible for the Service to be carried on.
Lend NUGENT wished to offer a few remarks on the
voodoo properly before the House. He was quite
melded that every Hon. Gentleman who heard bite
wed be gratified at seeing the degrading and *boas&
jai system of corporal unishment done away, if it
could be shewn that the discipline of the Army could
be ataintained without it. He was sure that the cors:.
dmsance of the present quern was advocated Italy be-
cause Hon. Gentlemen proud that it would be 'impos-
sible to substitute any other effectual kind ofuotrectiott.
Es remembered that some years since an experiment
had been made in one of our foreign garrisons, and be
believed that it had been attended with the most happy
results. "As loisg siece 'be belieied, as eleven years,
Alexandet Doe had issued en order at Gibraltar,
by w'Nfh corporal punishment had been dOne away
with hs that garrison, and solitary confineraint substi•
toted in its place. If the information be bad received
was correct, the experiment 'had been most successful.
He thought it of impostastat that the cinch should be
clearly ascertained, and he therefore sbduld like to 'mow
if soy objection would be made tothe production of the
order to which he hid alluded. and also of the corres-
pondence which had taken place on the subject.
Lord PALMERSTON was really not aware that
there was any such order as the Noble Lord mentioned
in existence, nor did he know that any correspondence
bad taken place upon the subject, and therefore he
could not take upon himself to say whether or not
there would be any objection to their being produced.
Lord NUGENT said, that perhaps the Noble Lord
would state the office at which they would have been
reseSived?
Lord PALMERSTON said, that if the order had
been issued through the Governor. and any correspon-
dence had transpired between that Officer and the
Lieutenant Governor upon the subject, it was not at
all a matter of course that such order and correspon-
• deuce Should have been communicated to any of the
Government Offices.
Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that his Noble Pt lend (Lord

Nugent) bad remarked that the difficulty was to sub.
:finite some system which should prove as efficacious
as the present. That, perhaps, might be true; but he
(Mr. Hobhouse) was of opinion, that even the present
sfstem might be made less objectionable than it was at
present. Oa a previous occasion he had recommended
that unsnimittshould be necessary in every Regimental
Court Martial in the passing at sentence. When he bad
urged that alteration in the present mite of things, a
Noble Lord had found fault with the proposal, because
hi said it would tillable •ny factious subordinate officer
so curry favour with the soldiers of the regiment. H.
Hobliouse) did not very well understand how
them could be a factious tutwirdinate officer in his
Majesty's arnry—(Laughter)--bet even if ►here were,
he would beg to remind those who libje.ted to the site,
ration he proposed, that the same r fficers did not always
compose the regimental court martial, and also, that
a factious subordinate officer had at present as good
an opportunity of currying favour with the regiment
as he could possibly hue after the alteration suggested.
He urged the alteration to which he had alluded the
more, because, by the ordinary laws of the land, the
unanimous verdict of twelve persons was required be-

. .
fore may subject could be sentenced to the slightest tri-
o/nil punishment, sod smelt' it such was the cab. with

. .
reference to civil subjects, it was not too much to say,
that a Regimental Court Martial should be unanimous
in Its sentence, when it was coropo•ed only of five mem-
bers. He could not but remark that he had never
heard any argument in favour of the present system,
excepting that of its necessity ; and when it was asked
• why it was necessary, the only reply that could be
gained was,—it was necessary, because it was so. But
be would remind those Honourable and Gallant Gen-
tlemen who gave that reply, that the same was
said some years ago with respect to picketting.—
Experience, however, had amply proved that that de-
testable punishment was not necessary, and he had no
• doubt Bogging would share the same fate es &chatting,
if a fair trial was madate maintained that the results of
applying corporal punishment sheered that it ought tie
longer to be persevered in. The House bad been in-
formed by Hon. and Gallant Gentlemen, that so har-
dened bad some men become to logging, that they
were called 4. !lagging blocks." That fact in itself
proved that no good malted from corporal punish-'
sneat.which hardened aad depaded, but did not reform,
and should be done away with. In the French Army
corporal punishment was unkn we. and that army
might at least be termed the in Europe He 4re-
joiced in every opportunity *hi enabled him to Oa
test against the continuance of so vile a system ; be was
almost pleased that any modification had been rejected,
for the odious punishment should be swept away alto-
gether, and he trusted that every occasion would be
eagerly take* hold of to abolish it.
Sir JOHN REBBIGHT said, that • notwithstanding
. ..

'll', a full enasciousness of the unpopularity which would be
attendant oa giving any support to the system of cops
i; I'
F poral punisl ment, he felt it his duty to uphold it, and
from that duty be should not flinch. Dating the
tatter part of his life he had served in the army, and
hr would maintain that it was to the present system the
Bi itiAi soldier owed many of his comforts and much of
Ins bappinsss. He was perfectly satisfied that no soldier
could enjoy the comforts which a British soldier did
unless his regiment *as in a high state of di,cipliae,
and he nes also satisfied that the present state of disci-
!, one in which the British army was, could not be sus-
i mined were it not for the influence of corporal punish-
'
Mat. It was vet), easy for Hon. Gentlemen to talk
1 )1 WRIT of an experiment; but when so much was at
age, he thought all experiments should be viewed with
11 an eye of jealousy ; their consequences might be-most
dasgerowy and he therefose hoped the House would
1 not entertain them.
lihhhhiminiSir ALSKANDER HOPE was of opinion, flat the,