Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

'i'n tin Editor of The Australian.
eItt__»The Australin'n' has been -pre-,
eminently laudable for itsfnithful discharge :
nf one of the most imperative duties ofn:
°[£n± I inmnnl. And It is gratifying to;
reflect tbnt th« acuteitess ami munnca.
'ih which it has closely 'witched nil pro
?ieedint's relative to the administration of
toft not only in the judicial department
Win 'the executive rrovurmnent, have
Uen attended with great success. On
several very important occasions its remark*,
dUtinguisired by sound knowledge, and
irrefragable argument, written with pathos
and eloquence, have arrested the attention
af tbe' Wti functionaries to whom they
indirectly «ppenled, ™-- were completely
available for, the p'urposes or justice ami
humanity for which they wore undoubtedly
ie.lsnecl. In several instances you have
denied' to detuil thu progress ot public
..pinion relutivo to capital,. punishment*—
'to .point/out- iUditflueune.iut , discerned .in
tin! i proceedingKof tire Imperial legislature
?lid of the executive government— and to
recapitulate the arguments with'ttlnch the
.bdlitionwts of 'the 'piinisihment'df death
have fortified the strong position ttfey have
taken' up. ' Several Wv instructive articles
'An »ho»e topioi.flppenred in your jo'nrnal. .
'?'-' iti berutiing the recent English purer*, I
'have attended. Sir, -with much . interest to '
ahe ample intellignnce they contain relative
Uo'the conviction of .Messrs 1- rost, Williams,
-and Jqpei i and by thu subsequent procee
UlDR!i thereon Tn parliament, as nlso by the
? jurlge-VbV the 'e xei'Mt ive',* and by t h'epubl ic.
*Aih6rie«-t'th«' numerous put h tons 'presented
1 to'Kcr Mnies-ty 'in behalf of the conVieted:
clinrtistii, I obseVVe that, no less than fifteen \
Wtltionx from fiirmiiiioham, declaring the'
'Wlefoftlty petitioners, that.' tlm punish'
.'miiut of death 'in nnv 'case i» contrary to:
,'thti benign principles of Christianity,';
-have been presented by Lord Brougham.
-Tl)ifteeii of those petitions woits fromthu
'ministers' and' congregations of various
denominations of Protestant Dissenters—
'?one from the Sdcifity of Friends, and the
oilier from a '.'benevolent society of the,
latliosof Birmingham. i
' In delivering thuir opinion on this tin-'
: lawfulness and impolicy of onpitiil punish
ment', tliu minister and con-rre-;ation of
Cannon-street address the following lan
guage to thfi Itpyiil ear : — lt That capital
ipuMthmonts are iiijurious to the moral foel-
»''£* ''fan onliglitenetl people' — art upponed
'to tlm spirit of Christianity — and utterly'
'.inefficient, as experience has proved, for;
Uhe repression of .brime.' ,
' I have been induced to select this quota
tion from the 'Oannon-btrebt' petition,
'because the congregation from which -t
-proceeds is one of the most respectable in
Great Britain. 1ft s' former minister was
?the' eminent Mr SnYnuel Pearce, the In'ti
' mnto' fiiend and cnlleagun in all public
;inhoiirs of the lit'te Reverend Robert Ilnll,
aiid second to him, alone in pulpit talent
.and oratory. ??
, You will, I hope Sir-, rfccupt this contri-.
billion to yunr jotirnnl.'as a hliinbli* tribute
? for the exertions of '/'Ah Australian in the
. cause of justice and humanl'tv.
?' muMl&JSS
$