The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-15 00:00:00

LORD BROUGHAM'S BILL FOR THE SPEEDY

TRIAL OF OFFENDERS.

Lord Brougham's new bill for the speedy trial of
offenders has just been printed. It contains 16 clauses,
and recite, that in order in certain cases to ensure the morel
speedy trial of offenders, and to avoid the evils of their long
imprisonment previously to trial, it is expedient to allow of
such offenders being proceeded against in a more summary
manner than is now by law provided. In simple larceny
cease, where the same is not attended with aggravation or
iielenee to property or the person, or not corn.
milted by a servant, and where the offender shall not
be charged with having been previously convicted of
larceny, the justice in petty sessions, or one magistrate
in a metropolitan police court, may proceed under this set, or
may send the offenders to trial if they elect to be
tried by an Indictment. They are to be cautioned as to
what they say, and their imprisonment is not to
exceed three months with or without, hard labour,
Proceedings under this act are to be a bar
to other proceedings. One justice may remand
and take ball. Witnesses may be summoned, and if they
refuse to attend, a warrant may be issued to compel their
attendance. An allowance for costs, expenses, and com-
pensation may be made to the extent of 401. is each case.
The same is to be paid out of the county rate, and a provi-
sion is made with respect to boroughs. All convictions
under the act are to be returned to the quarter sessions, and
the clerk of the pesos is to transmit to the Secretary of State
a monthly return of the names, offences, and punishments
mentioned in the conviction, and such other particulars as
may from time to time be required. Proceedings against
persons acting under the act are to be commenced within
three mouths. This bill is not to affect the Juvenile Offen-
ders Act, or to extend to Soothed or Ireland. In a
schedule annexed to the measure is a form of conviction
to be adopted for offences to be tried under the new law.
The bill is waiting to be read a second time la the House of
Lords.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

A very full meeting of this society was held on
Monday evening; Rear-Admiral Bitchy, F.H.8., Ho.,
in the chair. _

The papers read were :
1. On the Sources of the Puma, a great Tributary of the
Amason. By Mr. Clement R. Markham, F.R.O.S.
2. Report on the Arrival of the Chadds Expedition,
under Dr. Beate, R.N. ;" communicated by the Earl of
Clarendon. The general results of the expedition are :-
1. 260 miles of new river examined, and the identity of the
Chadda and Blau established. 2. The navigability of the
river during the rainy season ascertained. 3. Several
new tribes discovered, the friendly disposition of the
natives proved, and the resources of the countries in-
quired into. 4. Positions of former charts corrected, and
new places laid down from numerous utronongeal ob-
servations. 6. Materials for a complete chart of the rivers
have been collected, and also for a map of the surrensd-
log regions. 6. Much information has been gathered con-
cerning the various countries visited, and the periods striae
and fall of the rivers anomaly noted. 7. The general desire
of the Retina to open trade and to receive instruction has
been ascertained. 8. The existence and extent of slavery have
been examined. 9. A favourable report can be made of the
climate, as little sickness showed itself, end not a single life
wu lest. The Pleiad entered frem the sea on the 12th July'
and visiting, among other places, Ab 6 end Iddi, reached the
continuos on the 4th August, and on the 18th the town of
Digbo, the furthest point of Allen and Oldfield in 1833.
After this, the principal countries reached were Mitshi, Re-
mota, and some Faith provinces, and also a very barbar-
ous rue named Bkibal. The expedition commenced the
descent on the 30th of September, with a felling river, and
arrived again at Fernando Po on the 7th November, after
an absence of fear months, of which 118 days were spent
in the R win and Chadda.

3. Account' bun the Central African Mission, by Dr.
Vogel : ocammtniceted by the Earl of Clarendon. From
Dr. Vogel's paper it wu understood that while Dr. Barth
was to have started from Timbuctoo to proceed via Sokoto,
to meet Dr. Baal and the Chadds expedition, Dr. Vogel,
with the Sappers and Miners, was to have proceeded from
Huta in the month of Jane for the same purpose, bat
nothing had been beard of them by Dr. Bathie.
After some observations from Sir George Seymour, Mr.
M'Oregor Laird, Mr. Dalton, Captain °swell, and Mr. An.
demon, the MOWN' adjourned to the 26th inst.

THE COMMISSIONERS AT VIENNA.—Lord John
Russell will probably perform his journey by way both of
Paris and of Berlin. It is said that M. Their, who was for
many years Ruda& Ambassador at Constantinople, will be
. .

by the Coax to act with Prince Giortehakoff.

THE COMIAir D OP THE FEDERAL ARYY.—The
fed•pendanes Bilge states that if the Diet decides to pet
the whole Federal army on a war footing, Austria will lea?*
the appointment of a oonunander-ia-chief to that body,
Prussia, by not joining in the alliance for war, being of
wane ineligible. Bat if that army is not organised, Austria
will of her own accord assume the command of her own
troops, and of the troops of those states which voluntarily
join bar.

ADMIRAL DIINDAB —YesterdayViee-Admiral Dun-
du visited the Admiralty, and had a lengthened interview
with Sir James Graham and the other members of the
board. There is a report that the admiral hu called upon
Mr. Layard for a retraetation of the accusation of cowardice
made against him In the letter "from the maintop of the
Agamemnon," sad that in the wrier of the demand not
being yielded to, the admiral will proceed by a criminal
infoneatien. _

RUMOURED CHANCES IN COMMAND.—The Scots.
maw, of yesterday, says:—" Lord Raglan will, we have
some reason to believe, return home immediately, though
under what circumstances, i. e., what degree of compulsion,
may be disputed. Lord Lucan, the commander of the
cavalry, and who is supposed to be chiefly blameable for the
mad and diaastroua chugs of the Light Cavalry at 13slaklava,
will certainly be recalled ; and there are grounds for saying
that the letter of recall was despatched from London on
Tuesday last week. Several of the superior officers in the
departments of the Qeartermuter General and the Com-
missariat have, we thick we may state, been also removed
from their commands and ordered home. Sir Charles
Napier, we bear, is about to publish a letter he addressed
some time ago to Lord. Aberdeen ; but it is the opinion of
those who have bad opportunity ofjudgicg, that the Ad_
miral, though he may cause some annoyance by using pri-
vate letters from Sir James Graham, will oply farther
damage his own position."

1 -
GENERAL REPORT.—General Niel, aide-
d* camp to the Emperor of the French, Las writhe. to the
Emperor an account of his inspection of the lines before Se-
bastopol, and of the state of the army. These letters state
that the situation, on the whole, was good ; the state of the
works favourable ; the French army as w ell u could be ex-
pected ander the edretunitanese • and the English army
hotter them he had expected from; preview scoeunts.