The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS—TnuaspAy.

Lord GRANVILLE, in reply to the Marquis of Salis-
bury why the office of Admiral of the Fleet had not
been filled up since the death of Sir Byarn Martin
by conferring that office on the senior admiral on
the list or some other deserving officer distinguished
for his public services, thought it inconvenient to
discuss individual instances of promotion, and first
deolined answering the question, but afterwards, on
being pressed by the Duke of Northumberland, said
the Government were of opinion " that there was no
person particularly marked out at the present
moment to fill au office of this sort."

THE SECOND READING of Lord Redesdale's " Adul-
terers' Marriage Bill," by which the guilty persons in
a divorce case who desired afterwards to be married
should be married only by the registrar and not by
the clergy, was opposed by the LORD CHANCELLOR
and supported by the Archbishop of CarrEanuaT,
but rejected by the house by a majority of 62 to 23.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHARITIES BILL was referred
to a select committee.

THE SECOND READING of the Sound Dues Bill,
whereby England agrees to pay to Denmark
1,125,0001. as her portion of the 3,890,000/, claimed
by Denmark in compensation of the dues, was pro-
posed by the Earl of CLARENDON, the noble earl
explaining that since April last, according to the
treaty, no shipping dues had been levied by the
Danish Government, and that the transit dues
were to be reduced by four-filths. It was not in-
tended by the Danish Government to remit any part
of the money to Denmark, but that for objects of
their own the Danish Government would invest it in
this country. The motion was then agreed to, and
the bill was read a second time.

Several other bills were advanced a stage, and
their lordships adjourned at half-past seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—MuRsDAY.
STATUTE LAW COMMISSION.

On the motion tor going into committee of supply,
Mr. L. KING called attention to the large sums of
public money which had been expended by the
Criminal and Statute Law Commission without the
consolidation of any branch of the criminal or
statute law, upwards of 60,0001. having been spent
since 1833. He affirmed that the commission had
not only done no good whatever, but was practically
a sham and delusion practised upon the country ;
and moved an address to her Majesty to dispense
with the Statute Law Commission.

Sir F. KELLY warmly defended the commission,
explaining the nature of the wurk and the magnitude
of the undertaking, which, he observed, had baffled
committees and commissions without number, and
the most energetic of law reformers. Far from de-
serving the censure cast upon them by Mr. King, the
commissioners, he insisted, ware entitled to the con-
fidence of the house and the gratitude of the
country.

Mr. WHITESIDE objected to the consolidation of
the statute law of each part of the United Kingdom
into separate sets of statutes.
Sir F. KELLY said it was the desire of the com-
missioners to avoid those distinctions.

Mr. NAPIER pressed for the appointment of a
Minister of Justice.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, after observing that a
more unreasonable proposition than Mr. Like
King's could thirdly be submitted to any assemb:y,
said there was no subject upon which he was more
anxious than the carrying into effect the formation
of a I)epautnent of Public Justice, and he had pre-
pared a plan, which was now before her Majesty's
Government.

Lord J. RUSiELL said he was prepared to give
further time, but thought the matter did not stand
M a satisfactory position. The present, he believed,
was a fitting time for the amendment of the law,
which should precede its consolidation.—a mea,ure
that should not be entered upon prematurely.
The motion was negatived without a division.