The Express.
London, England, 1847-11-18 00:00:00

COURT OF EXCHEQUER.

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S"lsis in Banco.
Ton PitiOILEOII Or i
rAILLIAMENT.—GOI.7DY V. DUN,
COMBS, M.P.—At the sittings of the court, the Lord Chief
Barna proceeded to deliver judgment in the above cause.
Mr. Willis had applied to have the order of Mr. Justice
Williams discharged, on the ground of the privilege which
the defendant bad claimed from arrest, he being at the time
he wes so arrested • member of parliament. The learned
counsel had, in support of his application, contended that no
such privilege existed as had been claimed, the only protection
which the house had established for its member' being a
convenient time to enable the member to come to
parliament. As it was essential that so important • point
should be settled, the court had looked at the whole of the
authorities on the question of privilege of parliament. Black-
stone. in his " Commentaries, has laid it down that the
privilege of parliament existed for a period of forty days after
the dissolution of parlisment and for forty days before the
meeting of parliament. Bum, who had collected all the autho-
rities en the subject, also declared that the period was forty'
days before and after the meeting of parliament. There was
an old Irish statute, passed in the 3 Edward IV., c. 1,
which expressly decline that the privilege of parliament ex-'
tends to forty days before the meeting of parliament and for
forty days sitar the dimolation. The 4of Charles 11., passed
in 1672, the same period wu laid down ; and Jenkins, who
published a book in 1761, cites • ease which warred some
time is the reign of Charles 1., when the question
of privilege was mooted. " Deedes' Journal " also expresses
the time to be forty days, and this period bad been admitted
to be the time for some centuries, and slthough Dudes himself
did not define the time, he said that twenty days was within
the limit. In the 13 Wee. 111. •• statute was passedre/s-
-tirs to the privilege of parliament, but it did not define the
period. The 4th Geo. 111., cap. 21, see. 11, fixed the period
to be forty days, and this was further confirmed by the 24th
Geo. 111., can. 37, sec. 7. Taking, therefore, tha whole of
the nuies,theie could be no doubt that the privilege of par-
liament extended to its member' forty days after the dissolu-
tion of parliament, and for forty days before, sad this had
been so established for at least two centuries. Such being
allowed, the court was of opinion that the defendant was
properly entitled to the privilege, and the order of Mr. Jun.
tics Williams was good.—The role was therefore refused.

THE Etecratc TELEGRAPH.—There are at pre-
sent 1,050 miles of telegraph in daily operation, 262 miles
in progress, and 928 miles about to be commenced, making
a total of 2,240 miles, the whole of which, it is expected, will I
be completed early in the ensuing year. The lines com-
es leted are follows, vis. :—On the South Eastern Railway,
144 miles, including the Ramsgate, Margate, Maidstone,
Tunbridge Wells, and Bricklayers Arms branches. South
Western, 99 miles. Eastern Counties: Colchester line, 61;
Cambridge line, 88; Ely end Peterborough, 29; Hertford
branch, 7; and Thames Junction branch, 3. Norfolk Rail-
way, 38; Yarmouth and Norwich branch, 20; Wolverton to
Peterborough. 67. Midland Counties; : North line, 73;
South line, 47; West line, 41. York and North Midland,'
123. Hull, Selby, &c., 40. York and Scarborough, 43.
Great North of England, 4.5. Richmond to Bridlington, 9.
Newcastle to Darlington, 39. Ditto to Sunderland. 5.
Ditto to Shields, 8. -Preston and Wyre, 20. Sheffield to
Manchester, through Woodhead tunnel, 3. Paddington to
Slough, 9. Great Western Railway, 18. South Devon, 20.
London and Croydon, 8. Derby to Lincoln, 41; f healed
branch, 5; and Durham branch. 2 miles. Those works in
progress are, on the Norfolk Railway, Lowestoft branch, 10
miles; Dereham breach, 13. Syston to Peterborough, 40.
Leeds to Bradford, 15. Leeds to Manchester, 61. Hull to
Bridlington, 27. Newcastle to Bridlington, 60. South
Devon, 27. And Deal branch, South Eastern Railway, 9.