The Sun. — 1860-10-18 (London, England)

HENEAGE—I wish to know if any notice has been taken of the conduct of either.  sidering the nature of the subject, he should be sorry to allow it to pass by without discharging what appeared to him to be a duty, in making onec or two remarks; He undertook to say that the whole of the magistrates in the county had taken the deepest interest in the case, and he could not see that those who were officially connected with the district where the death took place had failed in making the mast constant, the most vigorous, and the most assiduous investigation into the whole of the circumstances of the case. He did not know that Mr. Saunders had imputed any lathes or neglect to them ; but it appeared that he desired a further investigation under the cognisance of magistrates other than those who had already taken part in the proceedings. Now, he confessed be did not see what good was likely to arise from the adoption of such a system ; neither could he see why in this case they were to depart from the ordinary rules which guided them in others. The only thing peculiar about the case was its atrocity, if it was a murder, and the remarkable mystery in which it was enveloped. The magistrates of the district had taken every pains to investigate the matter. They had examined every person likely to throw the slightest light upon the occurrence; some of them had event gone to London to ascertain the opinions of those who were competent to give advice • and they adopted a further step which commended itself to the good opinion of all, by t inviting the attendance of Sir John Awdry to assist hem in conducting the last examination. (Hear, bear.) What good, then, would result from having another and a separate inquiry. Having read the report of the last examination, he was at a loss to conceive what fresh witness could be put into the box, or what fresh clue there was to follow up. But even suppnainaa further inquiry to be necessary, why should it not be be connucted by the magistrates of the division in which Road-hill was situated ? What was there to prevent them the moment a fresh a clue Was offered from following it up? The real difficulty in the case was that there was no clue at all. Every man might draw his own conclusions, but those conclusions were not evidence. Mr. Saunders had intimated something as to the impropriety of allowing the nurse to leave the county, but who, he would ask, had a right to stop her!' (Hear, hear.) What power was there even in a Secretary of State to do such a thing ? Until there was some reasonable ground, likely to lead to evidence, they had no right to imprison any single person, and he could not therefore agree with those who thought that the nurse should have been prevented from leaving the neighbourhood. (Hear, hear.) No man. could say that pains had not been taken in endeavouring to arrive at the truth of the matter. He believed that one public body had suggested a commission from the Crown, but he wished to know what such a commission could have done more than the magistrates on the spot ? It was the lack of evidence, the want of any clue, that formed the real impediment in the case. There had been no sluggishness or unwillingness on the part of the local authorities. His own opinion with regard to the case was that, inasmuch as the parties who committed the deed were probably limited in number, and as by banding together they had the chance of depriving the officers of justice of the means of making out a case against them, the best course to be pursued was not to keep up a coptinual agitation, not to go on irritating, as it were, the minds of those from whom they might hope eventually to obtain positive evidence, but rather to allow them to pursue their ordinary occupations, and to trust to some incautious word or deed on their part hereafter. When public suspicion was supposed to be subsided something might turn up which would furnish a clue to the mystery. (Hear, hear.) He contended that Sir George Lewis had acted rightly. in declining to recommend a Royal commission, or to authorise such an inquiry as Mr. •Saunders had suggested. He was of opinion that the Secretary of State had no power to authorise such an inquiry. Mr.