§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURYAs I see the noble Earl (the Earl of Derby) in his place, I will take the liberty of calling his attention to a paragraph which appeared in The Times of Saturday last, in which it was alleged that six young Roman Catholic ladies who had escaped from a convent at Glossop, in which they had been very ill treated, arrived after a very long walk of upwards of twenty miles at the police office at Sheffield, and that the police authorities, after hearing their statement, directed that they should be taken back to the place from which they had escaped. I merely wish to ask the noble Earl whether 378 his attention has been directed to that paragraph; whether any instructions have been issued in consequence of it; and whether convents are places of detention recognised by the law of the land, in which persons can be received and lodged against their will?
§ THE EARL OF DERBYMy attention has been called to this paragraph, which I saw in The Times of Saturday last. On that day the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home Department had been down to Osborne, and on his return I had the opportunity of seeing him only for a moment, when I requested him to direct his attention to this matter. I think, however, that the noble Earl opposite has somewhat mistaken the statement which appeared in The Times, which is, in fact, the only source from which I have derived information upon the subject. The noble Earl seems to suppose that the young ladies had escaped from a convent in Sheffield, and that they were sent back to the place from whence they had escaped against their will; whereas the paragraph stated that they had escaped from a convent at Glossop, which is twenty-five miles from Sheffield. Arriving in Sheffield about midnight, they went to the police-office, and asked where they could obtain lodging for the night. The police authorities thereupon went to the Superior of a convent at Sheffield to ascertain whether the young ladies could receive shelter and protection in that establishment for the night. On the Superior expressing her willingness to receive them, the young ladies were taken there, but not at all against their will. I must confess that I do not see what other course the police could have taken for the protection of these young ladies than to procure their reception into that institution. I have, however, requested the Secretary of State for the Home Department to make inquiries into the subject.
§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURYI merely wished to ascertain that the attention of the Government had been called to the matter.