§ LORD DUDLEY STUARTsaid. he begged to call the attention of the noble Lord the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the case of Mr. Murray, now lying under sentence of death at Ancona, and he wished to ask the noble Lord if the Government had received any intelligence from Rome which led them to suppose their efforts in his behalf would meet with any success? The petition of the English inhabitants of Rome, praying for the remission of Mr. Murray's sentence, admitted his guilt, or at least threw no doubt upon it; but he was induced to call the attention of the Government to that question because he had received letters from Italy from persons who stated their entire belief in his innocence.
LORD STANLEYsaid, that Mr. Murray was still confined at Ancona, but that there was now every reason to hope that his life would be spared. With regard to the question of his guilt or innocence, that was one on which he could not give any positive reply at this moment. He could only say that both Sir Henry Bulwer at Florence, and Mr. Moore at Ancona, were using their utmost exertions to obtain such information on the real facts of the case as might enable them, and through them might enable the Government, to form a well-grounded opinion whether Mr. Murray were guilty or no. At present neither they nor the Government were in possession of sufficient information to enable them to decide that point.
§ LORD DUDLEY STUARTsaid, the next question he had to put was, whether the Government had taken, or would take, any measures to obtain the proceedings on Mr. Murray's trial, so as to enable the public to judge of his guilt or innocence?
LORD STANLEYsaid, he must remind the noble Lord that he was now putting a question of which he had given no previous notice whatever. The noble Lord had given notice that he intended to ask what information the Government had received respecting Mr. Murray's probable fate. To that question he had replied; and he could now only repeat that Government were taking every means in their power to get at the real facts of the case. Further than that he could not say.