The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-16 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED ARMISTICE IN DENMARK.

Mr. DISRAF.LI—Sir, in the total =ems at papers relat-
ing to the state of our foreign relations, lam obliged to
trouble bar Majesty's government with more questions than
I should otherwise wish. I and's-Mood the other eight from
the noble lord the First Minister that bees Majesty'sgovere.
meat bad =do a proposition of sa armistice between the
contending parties in Denmark. It will be wormiest to
know whether her Majesty's government have received any
answer to that propeatiee, especially u, from the coelldest
tone of the noble lord, it appeared to have bete made under
very favourable circumstances. (Hear.)

Mr. LAY ARD—Sir, is the 'below of the noble lord, I
ley vegan to mower the question put by the right hen.
gentleman. I may state that aa answer has been received
by her Majesty's government, that that answer is not
satistactory—(ironitel cheer from the opposition)—and I
have no reams to believe that say armistice is likely to be
entered iato at the precast time. (Hear.)

THE lONIAN ISLANDS.-FIITMO OUT CRUISERS
DT LIVERPOOL.

Mr. GREGORY begged to ask the hoc. gentleman tho
Under Becratuy for Famine Affairs three wisdom of which
be had given him notice—whether he was prepared to lay on
the table of the boom, copies of all communications
which bad been mad* by the GPM gomarasat so to the
demolition of the fortresses is the Imam bleeds ; also of
all ommuoicatione which had been received from the time
protecting powers on the sam subject. He further wished
to pot • question with reforest* to a rumour which pre-
vailed at Liverpool, but in which be himself pat so faith.
The rumour wee that vessels, or a vassal, were Wag 'Mod
oat at that present maws* is Liverpool, or ems other
British port, with a view of mustang the Alabama, Ma-
much as the Americana themselves could not succeed in
capturing that vesseL He wished to sib his lion. friend
whether be had received any information on the subject,
and whether he considered that the moo protostioa aauagght
to be extended to a country to which !we had
bolligonot rights, as had been exercised oa behalf of the
Federate? (Chem.)
Mr. LAYARD—The treaty on the subject of the maim
of the Liaise Islands has not been signed. It has boon mot
to Athens, sod we shall shortly know if the Greek govern-
ment agrees to that treaty or sot Until the treaty bra
been signed. we cannot lay the correspoisdorms an the table.
In reply to the mood question, the only informatics I have
received is from what I have soon in the newspapers, which
thernestres suggested that this may be a wily contrives°,
cm the part of the Co Confederates. (A laugh.) Of come the
law will be applied equally to ess party as to the other.
(Chem.)
THE MURDER OF MR. GRAY.
Mr. FITZGERALD, is order that the house might know
whew they might expect an answer to the dispatch relative
to the murder of Mr. Gray. begged to ask what was the
date of hatclespateh, tad !rhea it was mat.

Mr. LAYARb Will he had only received *Mies of the
hoe. gentleman's question a few minutes ago. He had swat
op to the Fareigiverdlee to meartais the date, bathed not
yet received the information. He bawd the ham gentle-
man to repeat the question to-marrow maisday).
INSANE PRISONERS ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Oa the motion for the wood reeding of this bill,
Mr. G. HARDY stated that in his opinion the bill did
sot provide as adequate remedy for such • case se that of
Townley, whbeh bed given rise to its iutrodsetios. He
suggested that the bill should be left u it wan, so far se
paean seeitonosd to penal servitude were concerned ; bet
in the case of potions sentenced to death alleged to be is-
mer a communion should inns, or some public joilicial
inquiry should take place into the mental state of such
persona, and We might be made quite coesistint with the
exercise of the prerogative of the crown in relanmes to the
commutation of sesiteeees.

Er. MAODOMOOR was of opinioo that the existing law
did not take away the diarretloo of the fierretary of abste '
to act in latch cease as that of Townley, and therefore the
present bill was not necessary to give such a diametien,
AU that was required was a &clinical act pettier; an end
to any doubt as to the construction of the present law.
Sir C. OIAGHL RN, in a maiden speech, said that he
would have preferred an enactment by whicha public judicial
*airy should be held in the mete to which the bill applied,
but he should not oppose the 1
11111181101.0. 1111aosild not
but object that the bill was confined to as wine
It pawed there would be a difference batmen law is
this respect in Ireland and Scotland.
The bill was further critically disarmed by Mr. ficonrleld,
Mr. Digby Seymour, Mr. Hunt, Yiscouet Enfield, Mr.
Montague Smith, Mr. Evans, Sir G. Bowyer, Sir F. Gobi,
amid, Sir W. Jolliffe, Mr. Alderman Rose, and Sir F. Kellyiy
who expressed a striate opinion against the discretionary
power exercised by the Secretary of State in criminal mu
after the decides of a court of law, and 000 tended that in
all cognate oases to that of Tessler, supervision should be
made cooly by a judge and jury ; aod therefore that the vice
of the preimmt law, which gave that power of the visiting
justices instead of to two oedinary justices, was retaieed.
Sir G. GREY mid, with reforest* to the seggestioas
which bad bees made, they would be doll considered, and
as to the main suggestion, that in cases Ilk* those alder
discuseioe inquiry into the state of a criminal's mind should
be judicial in its nature, it was better to retain with the
Secretary of State the power of deciding on the tribunal
which should take cognisance of the matter, experiesoe
haring show. that on inquiries before juries is conizaimiess
of lunacy greet delay and uncertainty arose; at the eases
time, he was rep!red to discuss in committee the propos'.
tioe that the inquiry should be before a judge and jury. If
he had attempted to make the law uniform in the United
Kingdom it would have involved a ooesolidatioe of • etas-
her of statutes, and thus would have prevented the ap-
plication of a prompt remedy to a defect in the law of
Eiralsod.