§ Sir Edward Knatchbullwished to put a question to the noble Lord opposite. The noble Lord was aware that a considerable number of Soldiers had been from time to time confined in County Gaols, and that great inconvenience had arisen from such a practice. What he desired to know was, whether it was the intention of Government to bring forward any measure to correct that grievance? If the noble Lord should say it was, he hoped such statement would be better observed than the promise that had been made on this subject by a Member of his Majesty's Government on a former occasion.
§ Viscount Howickhad great pleasure in informing the right hon. Baronet, that arrangements for remedying the evil he had so justly complained of, were far advanced in preparation, and would be immediately completed. But he could not give that answer without observing, in reference to the latter part of what had been stated by the right hon. Gentleman, that last year arrangements were undertaken, and were in a very forward state, for meeting this evil. Certain clauses were introduced by 998 himself, while Under-Secretary of State, for the express purpose; and it was not because promises had been broken by Members of Lord Melbourne's Government that those arrangements had not been completed, but from reasons which the right hon. Baronet was probably better acquainted with than himself.
§ Sir Edward Knatchbullcould assure the noble Lord, that in putting the question as he had done, he had no intention of throwing any imputations on any one. He certainly had not put the question invidiously, but the noble Lord had said, the reasons for breaking the promise to which he had referred, were known to him. He could assure the House he was utterly ignorant of any such reasons. When he was in office he had used every exertion with a view to find that any thing had been done on the subject, but he certainly had not been fortunate enough to meet with any trace of the provisions or arrangements which the noble Lord had talked of; and it was only to night, for the first time, he had heard of them. He had received a promise from the Secretary at War, when Lord Melbourne was last in office, that they should be attended to. It had not been, and hence his present inquiry.
§ Viscount Howickwished to justify himself against the charge of the right hon. Gentleman. The right hon. Gentleman had given him notice of his intention to put the question, admitting at the same time that it was a difficult subject to deal with, and he was prepared to have answered it in the most simple and courteous manner; but, when the right hon. Baronet had appended to his inquiry, a hope that the answer to be given would be better observed than the promise which had been given before, he could not fail to feel some warmth. He had said he had found nothing in any of the offices to show that arrangements had been in progress to meet the evil. The right hon. Baronet knew very well, that until a thing of this sort was completed, all that passed, passed in conversation, and did not appear on paper. Three clauses were introduced by himself into an Act of Parliament in the course of the last year, and if Lord Melbourne had not gone out of office, the Act would have been passed into a law before this time.