The Sun. — 1857-07-04 (London, England)

THE MURDER OF MR. PRICE. Earl TALBOT rose to move for the production of correspondence relative to the murder of the late Mr. John Price, of Melbourne, inspector of convicts. He did not think it necessary to go into the details of this most barbarous transaction. Suffice it to say that Mr. Price was among the convicts in the execution of his duty when they set upon him and stoned him to death. From the best information which he could obtain he thought there was no doubt that this offence was the result of a plan among the convicts, and that they were induced to carry this plan into execution by the false and morbid sympathy which bad been excited by the case of a man earned Melville, who had committed a murder, but was acquitted on a legal point. Tile jury at the inquest found a verdict of wilful murder against fifteen persons, and appended to it an opinion cot. curred in by all but two of their number, that " one cause of the unfortunate occurrence has been the misplaced sympathy exhibited by a portion of the public, which has by some reason become known to the prisoners." He thought that this showed a case for investigation by the executive Government, in order that provision might be made that the men should be properly guarded and kept from influences such as these. This unfortunate relative of his bad been 15 years in Norfolk Island, where his character was unimpeachable, and where he performed his duties with great firmness, but with great kindness. When the convicts were removed from Norfolk Island the same duties of 'inspection were imposed upoe him as he had formerly discharged in that colony. The feeling wh:ch existed with regard to this matter was shown by a letter which appeared in one of the Melbourne papers, in which it was stated that the convicts had obtained some copies of the report of the citizens' committee, which was a selfconstituted body, which professed to inquire into the state of the prisons, and also some of the journals con.aining the report of a public meeting at which Mr. Price was held up to public indignation as a cruel monster. The result of this was the production of much insubordination among the prisoners, who alternately threatened and jeered the warders, reminding them of the citizens' committee, and threatening them with public indignation. At the inquest Mr. Blandford, the superintendent of the Lysander hulk, said that on the day of the murder Mr. Price's manner was very kind—almost fatherly. Since the Melville business they had had a very difficult time ; discipline bad been relaxed. Mr. Price bad made concessions, and the officers had lost control over the men. On the day of the murder Mr. Price was firmer than usual in refusing further concessions, although he did it in the mildest manner. It was stated that the officers were unarmed, and the reason given for for this Ras that as there were only 12 or 18 men to control 150 or 160 of these desperate ruffians, they were afraid that if they carried arms the convicts would seize them and turn them against themselves. He thought that the facts which he had stated were quite sufficient to justify him in moving for the production of this correspondence and in asking the Government to give an assurance that the matter would be inquired into and justice done to the memory of his late lamented relative, for whose widow and six orphans he was glad to learn that the colonial Legislature had made a handsome provision, and who had an additional claim upon this country owing to his having married a near relative of Sir J. Franklin. The noble earl concluded by moving for the correspon• dence.  Earl GRANVILLE was sure that their lordships would entirely approve the language in which the noble earl had spoken of this diabolical outrage. The Government had not the slightest objection to the production of this correspondence, which would give the detail of this most cowardly murder, and would also exhibit the circumstances which had led to it.