In Committee on the Penal Servitude Bill on Tuesday night,
Sir George Grey, true to the policy of his departed friend Sir Joshua Jebb, made a dead stand against the adop- tion of the principle of surveillance for prisoners discharged on licence. But the House, which was very rebellious, and would scarcely listen to the Home Secretary at all, interrupt- ing his excuses for repudiating surveillance with cries of "Try it," " Try it," forced upon him the measure which has been found so efficient in Ireland by a majority of 28,-148 to 120. Sir George Grey and the Times (which for some reason inexplicable to us has a bitter hatred for the Irish system) will no doubt try to defeat this amendment at some subsequent stage of the proceedings—probably in the House of Lords. But we hope Lord Carnarvon, who knows more about the subject than any one in the Government, will save the measure. To give conditional licences, and then refuse to enforce the conditions, is one of those pieces of folly which can only be explained by the obstinate prejudice of departmental traditions.
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