The Sun. — 1869-04-22 (London, England)

PUBLIC PETITIONS.  --~ - The rourteenth report on public petitions has just been issued. The same subjects which predominated in the former report reappear in this one. The number of petitions in favour of the Ballot reach to thirty-six, with nearly 17,600 signatures. The ladies who are ambitious of possessing the franchise have succeeded in representing their claims pretty strongly, for they have presented sixty-five petitions with 4,335 signatures. When we come to the ecclesiastical department we find that the advocates of opening the British Museum and similar institutions on Sundays, are sadly outnumbered by their opponents. The former send twenty-seven petitions bearing 2,105 signatures; the latter 433, with 51,462 names. In this division come the Irish Church petitions. Against the bill there are 1,069 petitions, with more than a quarter of a million of names ; in its favour there are 136, with 50,000, besides others for alteration. For and against disendowment there are many more. The temperance party have been advocating their cause with vigour. Besides twenty-four petitions for prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sunday, there are 208 for an alteration of the law of licenses, and 116 for a restriction of the sale of liquors. In favour of the Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill there are 178 petitions, with more than 10,000 signatures. The New Law Courts, as might be expected, have produced s good many appeals to the wisdom of Parliament. The Carey-street site has 390 supporters, who send a joint petition ; the Thames Embankment has 204, who send two petitions in its favour.  THE LABOUR QUESTION IN POLYNESIA  Some terrible revelation are coming out respecting the atrocities committed by captains in the act of " recruiting " these poor islanders in the southern seas, under the British flag and the license of the Queensland Government. A case has just come to the knowledge of the authorities of Sydney which compelled them to put the law in force against the offenders. The captain of the Young Australia and one of the erew stand committed to take their trial for the murder of three natives of one of the New Hebrides group of islands. The supercargo, who is also implicated in the affair, Las been caught at Melbourne, and is coming up. Briefly, the particulars arc as follow :—The vessel mentioned, chartered by a Sydney firm, sailed in September last or thereabouts with a cargo for Fiji. The cargo being discharged, a raid was pr3posed among- the New Hebrides islands for " niggers, as the Polynesians are called, to work on the newly-established plantations at Fiji. The vessel was five weeks gone, and when it returned landed 230 natives, including six women, something like £1,200 having been cleared by the transaction. The vessel returned to Sydney. While here, intelligence was received from Fiji, which was made known to the Government. It appears that during that voyage off the island of Palma, three natives were forced on board, who, breaking open the hold in which they were confined, fought for their liberty, and were shot down and tumbled overboard by command of the supercargo, and under the silent sanction of the captain. The vessel was just on the point of starting again from Sydney on another expedition when the captain was arreste.l.