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Leader (1850-1860), 10th September 1853, Edition Town of 2, Page 867

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      Untitled Article

      Captain Williams- —How many cranks had you in the I p Witness—At first only two , but about four months before he left the gaol , against his will , they increased the number to twenty-two . Had once sentenced a man to 10 000 rounds on the crank . Witness said that in con » sequence of the visiting justices , for some ' reason which he did not understand , prohibiting his wife and daughter from visiting the female wards , and instructing the prisoners ,

      he found his moral agency much deteriorated , and the prisoners became more violent . I have put men to work on the crank in the dark . On one occasion I ordered a man to perform 15 , 000 evolutions on the crank , but I did not expect that all the task would be performed in one day . I never ordered water to be thrown over any prisoner . I think it a very improper punishment . At an early period Mr . Austin wished to make the punishments more severe , and he got directions , from the visiting magistrates , much to my annoyance , to effect such . Before my leaving the gaol I requested from the magistrates a public investigation of my conduct , but I did not obtain ft .

      Welsby—Did not the visiting justices give directions that a system , of close separation should be esta ^ blished ? Witness—They did . Captain Williams—What was its effect upon the prisoners ? Did it improve the prisoners in the juvenile ward ? Witness—I found it did considerable injury . The hopes of the prisoners were diminished , and their stimulus to exertion destroyed . Dr . Baly—Do you think that Lieutenant Austin had any other motive in increasing the severity of punishments than the reformation of prisoners ? Witness— -I think he had a direct gratification in their punishment . Respecting the crank at which the prisoners worked , the following evidence was given : —

      Mr . Underbay , from a metropolitan engine factory , swore that his firm received an order from . Lieutenant Austin for a dozen cranks for the use of this gaol . The order was for the cranks of the construction which was very defective . This was pointed out to the governor , who however persisted in having them without the improvement , so that a five pound weight on the handle of the old crank was equivalent to twenty pounds . Any persons working a fire-pound crank as in use in this gaol would have to exert a force four times greater . Was of opinion that with such a crank 10 , 000 turns a day would be excessive for a boy ; with our new crank , a strong , healthy man would be able to do 15 , 000 turns a day .

      Alfred Webb , a boy fifteen years old , but , judging from his appearance , not more than twelve , was put on bread and water , and sentenced to the strait jacket for saying " good bye" to a boy in the next cell . He had a leather collar on his neck , and his legs were strapped together . Mr . Welsby—Are you sure you had nothing to eat all day ? " Witness—No ; nothing . Dr . Baly—How much bread did they give you when

      you were taken from the cell at night ? Witness—Sometimes six and sometimes eight ounces . Dr . Baly—And you had nothing to eat all day ? Witness—Nothing . Mr . Welsby—No gruel , little boy ? Witness—No , none . Mr . Welsby—Did you ever have the strait jackot put 011 w- Cr you had beon afc tue crank tiu ten afc night ? V \ ltness—Yes ; it was put on by two of them . Mr . Welab y—Did they pull it tight ? Witness

      —Yes ; ray arms were strapped , but I was not strapped to tho wall . I lay on tho floor on my bed ; it was on all night , and in the morning they took it off and Rent me to the crank . I had had no sleep . I was " in such agonies and pains , " and was so hungry : they had given mo nothing to cat all tho day ; they put eight ounces ol bread in tho bed . My arms were bound . I bit at tho bread as well as I could . Dr . Baly—Are you quite euro you had had no food before that day ? Witness—Not a bit . They would not give mo a drop of water . ^ apt . Williams M ost mnnstiviiiu nnrl nlinnlrinrr f

      Mr . Welsby—It ' a the most diabolical thing I over hoard o » m my lift ) . fa Cttpfc . Williams—Hero ' s ono day ho doen nil his work um i , vo hundred turns , and they give him bread and water at night . Other facts of tho same- kind wore proved . Wo K j- 'L'ct tho cases exemplifying the general treatment of ' ¦>»< : prisoners .

      Untitled Article

      FUNERAL OF SfR CHARLES JAMES NAPIER . r « M last march of tho fine old noldior has boon taken , bor « 1 ! fctin S ' y Himplo and solemn rites ho has beon 1 ; . to } m ll ( »»« by his brother , liis friends , and tho « iem llo led nnd loved ko woll . Tho funeral took to ' I > ° !* 1 * ortHIno " * on Thursday . From tho mansion ' ortHinouth in seven miles , and u . s » fho hoarse was ¦ * " "UVlJll JllHl . M , Ullll lift « 11 IU IHIRIriO W 1 UJ 10

      Jj ulong tho road tho peasants lined tho ways , and "iitiy uncovered their hciuln us tho corpso of tho nioiH 1 > aHHC ( 1 bv - On arriving at the Landport of Ports . " M U I > VOC 0 S 8 ion WflS formed . Ueonuso ho wan u faithful tho - mm / - tll ° 1 > rotbron of tho IWtsmoutli Lodges wero ofu' ClV 1 C llol ) iK * y waf ) testified by tho attondanco fun - \ ° ln ! lyoraud corporation of Portsmouth ; tho united «« no 1 lhO Nw P UiPB ' thft Vico-Admirnl , tho Lioutoimntwh"l r '""* ° ' ' ° * tnii fA" » ily , ciuno on mourners , Koiu . i l . ° nl ) W 0 « K » . 1 ^>« 1 Hardingiy Colonel ll { Juy , Major Tnivora , and other companions in

      service of the dead warrior , swelled the train . The Lords of the Admiralty , with Sir James Graham , also joined the procession . All the shops were closed , and in the streets of Portsmouth there was silence , save the measured tramp of feet , and the slow booming of the death bell . The coffin was borne into the plain garrison chapel . On the lid were the General ' s hat , with plume , &c . of the-deceased . There wore two swords upon it also ; one of them was worn by the General for many years , and memorably in tho last India campaign . The guard was torn up and bent backwards towards the blade from the hilt . This was the work of a musket or ginjal ball at Hyderabad . The second was a sabre d'honneur , a very richly mounted and handsome weapon , presented to the General by Lord Ellenborough when Governor-General of India .

      When the coffin was lowered into the grave—a plain bricked-up pit , sorne ' five or six feet deep , by the side of the path from the gate to the church—and the solemn words , " Earth to earth , ashes to ashes , dust to dust , " were pronounced , not a few of the old soldiers present were unable to restrain their emotion . As soon as the service was concluded , Sir W . Napier , standing by the side of the grave , turned round to the soldiers , who formed three sides of a square around it , and , as well as we could hear , said : — "Soldiers ! There lies one of the best men—the best soldiers—the best Christians—that ever lived ! He served you faithfully , and you served him faithfully . God is just . "

      The gallant brother could proceed no further . He had evidently intended to speak something at greater length , but was unable to command his words , and slowly and sadly the group around the grave broke up , and the military filed awav .

      Untitled Article

      MR . ROEBUCK AT SHEFFIELD . Everybody will be glad to greet the appearance of Mr . Roebuck again in public life . We have greatly missed him in Parliament , where , in a session like the last , he would have been of much use . On selfish considerations alone , and setting aside the wide public sympathy with his recovery , we are heartily glad to « ee him in his right place once again , the chief guest at the * Cutler ' s Feast , which took place at Sheffield , on Thursday , September 1 . This happy and annual festivity not only elicited a speech from Mr . Roebuck , but brought forth speeches from Lord Wharneliffe , Mr . Denison , M . P ., and others . Lord Wharneliffe felt it a rolief to " tell gentlemen to their faces that they

      were prosperous , " and referred with laudation to the friendly manner of present strikes in comparison with such movements of old . Mr . Denison stated an eloquent fact : the exports of hardware and cutlery have been one-third more in 1853 than in 1850 , an increase mainly contributed by Sheffield . And the agriculturists are equally prosperous . " I am in one of tho happiest families in the world—the population of the West Riding of Yorkshire . " He added with special pleasure , that in tho militia enrolled at Doncaster , no men behaved better than the men from Sheffield . Mr . Roebuck , " not as a death ' s head at a feast , " but as a sincere friend , warned his hearers that the present prosperity may cease , either through our own conduct or the conduct of parties abroad .

      " I was present at tho groat peaco mooting tho other dfty—the meeting of tho fleet of England . Depend upon it that meeting had more to do with tho maintenance of peaco than all ' tho meetings you can collect of persons who profess to be tho promoters of peace . ( Choors . ) Tho man who boars an injury tamoly , is ho on whom all tho bullies around him will fasten , and if you give tho world to understand that you will submit to insults and injuries , every bully in Europo will heap them upon you . ( Cheers . )" He added , with omnhnsis : —•

      "On England , at tho present timo , aro centred tho hopos of liberty throughout tho world . ( Cheers . ) In this corner of Europo liberty now has its refugo and homo . If England wero broken down , Belgium would follow , Sardinia would bo nothing . Tho despots of Europo would walk over tho whole , and liberty , freodom , and constitutional government would tako refugo in that great Republic which omanafcod from you . Hut having coniidonco in tho spirit of our country—behoving that you aro what your ancestors wero , I beliove in tho future of England . I look to it as tho groat harbinger of civilization . Tho world looks to it for tho benefit of mankind ; and depend

      upon it that it roquiros you to maintain tho glory—though that in a hard word to use— tho honour , nnd tho liberties of England . If hor liberties wero broken down , Europo would bo proHtrato ; civilization would bo hurled backwards instead of progressing , and wo cmoitld not bo what wo aro , worthy descendants of our groat predecessors . I told you I was weak , and I fool so . Tho fow sentiments I havo uttered havo shakon mo with emotion . It j H not nimulatml ; it is what I deeply feel . I will act on those principles ; and in your name I . will ondoavouv to maintain tho power , the honour , and tho integrity of this great country . " ( Cheers . ) [ In a lettor from Lord Fitzwillinm , road jit tho beginning of the fount , there wuh strong warning as to

      the necessity of meeting Russia , without compromise or weakness . ] Mr . Peto was the last speaker of note , and he was very peaceful and commercial in his anticipations : . " They saw in France indications of a desire on tho part of the Emperor to consolidate his own power by making freedom of exchange contribute to the prosperity of his empire . What would be the effect upon the trade of Sheffield if files , iron , and cutlery , should be admitted at a nominal duty into France , and the wines of France on similar terms into England f Europo was becoming indoctrinated with the principles of free trade , and when they looked at the fact that the United States contained a third less people than France , ho need not point to the great hope it afforded to Sheffield when France should consult her true interests . "

      Untitled Article

      A SCOTCH REVIEW OF THE SE SSION . Me . Monccieit , Lord Advocate of Scotland , has been down among his constituents , speaking of himself and of the House of Commons in the usual style of members meeting once more the old familiar faces of their friends , the electors . The Lord Advocate ' s speech has some judicious remarks , and conveys some interesting information . Like a lawyer and a Scotchman , he praised Scotch law . "Although our system has , like all other judicial systems , need of reform , and although , like all other systems of law , expenses and delay must accumulate , and do accumulate to an extent that requires to be remedied and checked , yet wo have in Scotland , so far as the machinery of it goes , and so far as the principles and philosophy of it go , an infinitely superior system to what they have on the other side of the Tweed . The English system is a system artificial to the last degree . It is a great system , of law in the way in which it is administered —in the way in which it is worked , it is a system full of the spirit of liberty , which takes care of the freedom of the subject ; but for all that , it has grown out of very barbarous materials ; it is full of strange , odd , and inscrutable fictions , and is altogether different from the simple philosophic system which Scotland possesses . The result of this is , that the law of Scotland can be informed very easily , without necessitating a judicial change in its

      principles , while in England they cannot even obtain the local jurisdiction of County Courts without the introduction of a new tribunal . In Scotland , on the contrary , we have had for years and generations our local jurisdictions , which , whether well reformed or not , are infinitely superior to what formerly prevailed . The reforms in the law of England which have been going on so rapidly for the last twenty years , arc in a great measure founded on the principles which characterised Scotch law ; and there is one great principle that I hope to see adopted in England before long—namely , the conjoining of law and equity , which in that country are divided , but which in Scotland have never been so divided , and , in my opinion , never should . Tho Sheriff Courts Bill has been called but

      a miserable modicum of reform , and for this reason , that it does not go so far as tho County Courts in England . It should be remembered , however , that the English County Courts havo yet to be tried to seo how they work . What is wanted is a combination of economy , rapidity , and soundness of decision . These are the three things required . England is now provided with economy and rapidity , but the real vice of the system—and a vice which I believe will bring it down—is this , that suitors have to depend on tho judgment of one man , and that , too , of a man removed from tho courts of law , while their only appeal lies with tho courts at Westminster . Now , by tho Sheriff Courts Bill , thero was an appeal at onco to tho sheriff-principal . "

      In this stylo Mr . Moneriefl' proceeded to compurt English with Scotch law , very much to the advantage of the latter . Then , after describing the harassing' duties of a member of Parliament in such a session as the lastthere being , with the exception of Saturday , no breathing time during the week , and asking if if ; was a wonder that , under such circumstances , things would sometimes slip out of mind , tho Lord Advocate Maid : "After all , it is a noblo thing to look at tho Housu of Commons . 1 ' ooplo may talk about the bribery and corruption of tho constituencies , but in that 11 ouho is to bo scum a sight that van bo noon nowhero else in Europo , or

      in tho world . You will see thero a man not an aspirant to oflico —> not a man looking out merely to hoo what he can got for himself—not a man , a mere delegate , paid by tho nay- —but . you will see a man with everything that ntntion , wealth , and rank can purchase for himself , and who may spend his davs in luxury—vet Micro lie will bo neon , from winter to dog-days , toiling from < lay to day , and upending laborioun nights , scorning all tho caso ho might otherwise enjoy—and you will mto 11 man do this , not from any aspiration of a personal kind , not from a

      wish to aggrandise himself or to obtain any pecuniary reward , but for nothing oxcopl ; that ho might < lo his duty to his constituency and bo of use in bin tiny and generation . This is the glory of our constitution , anil long may it remain so . It in ' tills which distinguishes uh from ovory country jin tho world ; and , whilo wo havo men of station and of wealth who spend their time and devote their norviees to tho laborious business of tho country , without reward , and without tho wish or hope for it , I , so long nn this in tho spirit of England , Scotland , and Ireland , havo no fear of tho Hrilish Constitution . " ( iimat applauso . )

      Mr . Moncrieil" was thon asked sonic questions , nnd his replies gavo gonornl Hatisfaotion . iftiHiiid that , ho had purposely ' absented himself from tho NunnorieH Hill debate ; ho wished to hold himself quite clear to judge the question whould another ocaujiou arise .

      Untitled Article

      September 10 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 867

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 10, 1853, page 867, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2003/page/3/