MR. OSBORNE MORGANasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the case of Edward Jones, who, on the 27th of January last, was convicted by the Llangollen Bench of Magistrates of illegal fishing in the River Dee, and sentenced to the full penalty of five pounds, with one pound for each fish, and costs, in all ten pounds fifteen shillings, and, in default of payment, to two months' imprisonment with hard labour, which sentence he is now undergoing, the Bench having refused an application for leave to pay the fine by instalments; and, whether, having regard to the high character which the accused received, and to the character of the evidence in the case, especially to the strong evidence of an alibi adduced for the defence, he will not advise Her Majesty to remit the remainder of the sentence?
MR. ASSHETON CROSS,in reply, said, that the matter had been gone into thoroughly by the Bench, who were perfectly satisfied, they had come to a right decision. The proper course would have been for the man to have appealed, when the whole matter would have been gone into by a competent Court. It was most inconvenient to make an appealad misericordiamto the Home Secretary. Since he heard from the Bench of Magistrates a Petition had been presented in which it was stated that somebody else had confessed to the deed; it was possible, therefore, that a mistake had been committed, and in such circumstances it was his duty to make inquiries. These had already been instituted.