The Sun. — 1847-03-10 (London, England)

ABOLITION OP TRANSPORTATION, &C.  RAI Alderman COPELAND took the opportunity, after the Remembrancer had stated the proceedings in Parliament by which the city of London was likely to be effected, to call the attention of the Court to a subject which he considered to be of the greatest importance to the social interests of the country—he riat ant the abolition of the penalty of transportation.—(Hear, hear.) lie recommended the attentive perusal of Lord Denman's speech to all who wished for the soundest views upon the great theme of the punishment of criminals.—(Hear, hear) He begged also to draw the attention of the Court to the projected measure for the 'removal of Smithfield market, and he represented the necessity of obtaining all the information connected with the profits arising from that market preparatory to opposition. Sir PETER LAURIE said that no man possessed more profound knowledge on the subject of the punishment of criminals than the high authority quoted by Alderman Copeland. He was delighted to find that Lord Denman and Lord Brougham were earnestly engaged in investigating mstters of such importance to all society, and he hoped that amongst the changes which were to take place, the disgraceful practise of sentencing criminals to punishments which they well knew themselves they could not be subjected to would be put an end to. Alderman WOOD condemned in very strong terms the plan adopted in Millbank prison, which he considered to be governed upon the principle of the most perfect contempt of the lives and reformation of the wretched creatures confined within its walls. It was not long since the public feeling was outraged by the history of an exhibition of military flogging. That scene did not surpass the punishment inflicted upon a prisoner confined in the Beadle Penitentiary, where it appeared, from the late returns, twenty of the inmates had attempted suicide, and four had succeed, d in destroying themselves.— (Hear, hear.) Alderman Wood proceeded to enumerate the cases of rigid punishment to which the returns referred, and said that while such a system existed it was absurd in Englishmen to talk of the revolting instances of suffering in the French Bastile, which that of Millbank equalled in horrors. Alderman SIDNEY differed from those who had preceded him. He considered that Alderman Wood had taken a very exaggerated view of the evils of the Millbank Penitentiary, and had charged persons with inhumanity who were really specimens of charity and kind feeling. He insisted that the congregated plan as to prisoners was the sure mode of preventing the possibility of reformation, and he regretted to be obliged to say that one of the City prisons still afforded evidence of all the evils which spring up amongst the most abandoned criminals, who were huddled together to expiate their delinquencies. Alderman CuaLers, as Sheriff, and constant visitor of the City prisons, denied the accuracy of Alderman Sidney's statements, at the same time that he gave that gentleman every credit for sincerity, and for the purest desire to benefit hia fellow-creatures.—(Hear, hear.) The RECORDER said, with reference to he alleged ind fficacy of transportation, that in his opinion that inefficacy arose from the want of a proper system abroad. Here the conversation dropped.