The Press.
London, England, 1858-02-13 00:00:00

C3NSPIRACY TO MURDER DILL.

Lord PALMERSTON, pursuant to notice, moved for
leave to bring in a bill to amend the law relating
to conspiracy for the commission of murder.
Having referred to the recent atrocious attempt
against the life of the Emperor Napoleon as a con-
spiracy apparently concocted in this country, and
baying explained the regret of the Emperor at the
appearance in the Moniteur of certain violent pas-
sages in the military addresses, Lord Palmerston
proceeded to say that on examining the state of our
law it appeared that it treated conspiracy to commit
murder as a misdemeanour, although in Ireland it
was a capital offence. He thought it would be an
improvement to make the law of the United Kingdom
in this respect uniform, and he proposed to render
conspiracy to commit murder a felony punishable by
penal servitude, at the discretion of the court, for
life or not less than five years, with imprisonment
with or without hard labour for three years. The
bill would apply to all parties, British subjects and
foreigners, and whether the object of the conspiracy
were English or foreign, resident in this country or
abroad. It was due, he thought, to the character of
thi• country to go as far as we could, without violence
to the Constitution, in showing our feelings regarding
the late atrocious crime in France.
Mr. A. W. KINGLAKE moved, by way of amend-
meat, a resolution to the effect that, while the house
sympathised with the French nation on the atrocious
offence in question, it deemed it inexpedient to legis-
late in compliance with the demands made in Count
Walewski's despatch of the' 20th of January until
further information is before it of the communica-
tions between the two Governments subsequent to
the date of that despatch. He objectei to the
motion, he said, because he declined to alter our
municipal law at the suggestion of any foreign Go-
vernment. Either the measure was a portion of
our law reform, or it was a political action suggested
from abroad. If the former, it should have been
incorporated in the projected law reforms of which
the Attorney-General had given notice.
This amendment was seconded by Mr. HADFIELD.

Mr. BOWYER supported the original motion. Thc:
house, he observed, was not asked to alter the law of
this country, but the penalty ; to make our law more
effectual for the protection of other nations.
Mr. Fox said his principal objection to the bill
was that it. would alter our law in compliance with
external suggestion. Should this measure pass,
political refugees would say, " If this be done to
oblige France to-day, what will not be done to oblige
Austria or Naples to-morrow ?" We should thereby
set a bad example to weak nations, and there would
not be a spot in Europe on which a political exile
could set his foot.

Mr. GILPIN opposed the bill, and indulged in much
violent personal abuse of the Emperor of the French,
especially with reference to the Boulogne expedition,
in which the hon. member declared the Emperor to
have deliberately committed murder.
Sir J. B. WALstx supported the bill, and defended
the character of the Emperor of the French from
the abuses so freely lavished.
Lord ELCIIO could vote for neither motion. Two
things, he observed, were to be considered—first, the
state of the law ; secondly, the time at which it was
proposed to make this alteration. The house would
act hastily if it passed the measure without being
fully satisfied that the existing law was insufficient,
and if it legislated at this moment, after the ad-
dresses published in the Moniteur, it would create
an erroneous impression abroad.
Mr ROEBUCK likewise considered the motion as in-
volving two questions—whether the law required any
alteration, and whether this was the time and the
right mode of making it. He argued that the pro-
posed alteration of the law would have neither pre-
vented the crime in question nor facilitated its dis-
covery. But, supposing the alteration to be re-
quired, was this the right time, after the Emperor of
the French had insulted the people of England and
by his satellites threatened them? How came the
,addresses into the Moniteur? By the order of the
Emperor. It was he, then, who through the Moni-
teur had insulted the people of England. This was
not the time at which the House of Commons ought
to consent to such an alteration of the law, sup-
posing the alteration to be a good one ; for if the
great people of England altered their law upon a
threat, it would be a humiliation and degradation,
and therefore he opposed the bill.
On the motion of Mr. WARREN, the debate was ad-
journed.

The nomination of the Select Committee on the
bank Acts was agreed to, after a brief discussion. It
was agreed that the committee should consist of