The Express.
London, England, 1865-02-24 00:00:00

It% FEB RU

THE BIM TO AMEND THE LAINApT EEL,
The folio fallout. is a copy of the biltif de
filid ah
kw of libel mom offeatually recurlag llbowbA
the prom, prepared .nd brought into the House of Hod*
oak by Sir Oelesaa O'Lcibisa, Mr. Laagheld. sod Xt.

Hennessy :
„whams it Is expedient to •mend th• law of Mil, sod
to memo more effectually the liberty of the pros : be it
emoted by the Queen's Mad Exeellent lf•}esty, by and
with the advice and oeoee•t of the lords spiritual and tom
petal, and Gommene, in this present parliament eseembled,
and by the authority of the mem as follows :
"AB To Omuumz. Piocummum roe Lusm.
"1. It shall not be lawful for • private prosecutor, with-
out the sanction of her liajeety's Attorney-General, or, in
case that office be meant, of her fffisiesty's Bolisitor-
General, to prefer an indictment for the publication of osi
defamatory libel, other than • libel published with intent
M dated say mossy or security for mosey, or say nimble
Min& hem such print* prosecutor, or say Ohs pima,
or with Latent to induce such private prosecutor, or any
Miser pesos, to confer or procure for any pawn say
appointment or office of profit or trust.
" 2. On the trial of any indictment or informatics for •
defamatory libel, the defendant shall be allowed, if be or
she shall so think fit, to offer himself or band! es •
witness on his or her behalf, and the husband ar wife of
such defendant Mall be allowed, if he or she shell so think
fit, to offer Monett or herself ae • witness on beludf of the
I defendant.
" As To OIVIL PBOCUDINOB FOB IBM.

"3. In any 'Lotion far an alleged libel in any public
newspaper or periodical publicatim, proof that the alleged
libel was a true report of a speech or pert of a speech spoken
at any public meting lawfully assembled for a lawful
purpose, open to repack's' for the press, sad that the
said report was published in the said public aewepeper
or other periodical publloatke beet Ade without
actual maliom and in the ordinary come of badness, shall
amount to a defence, unless it shall be proved that the
defendant declined or omitted, if required so to do, to publish
in his said public newspaper or other periodical publitatioa,
and in a portion of the same m conspicuous as that in which
the said alleged libel was published, as explanation or con-
tradistica of the said illegal libel, of not untameable
length, immediately after Inch contradiction or explanation
shall have been furnished to the said defendant by or on
behalf of the pasty complaining of the said alleged libel.
"4. In any action for aa alleged libel in any publicatioo,
proof that the defendant believed the alleged libel to be
true, tad that the same was published without any defa-
matory intent and with a lawful object, or bosh Ede as •
fair comment on a matter in which the public were inter-
ested, shall amount to a defence, unless the plaintiff shall
prove that he be restated actual loss or damage by the
publication .4 the said alleged libel, or emboli the jury at
the trial shall be of opinion that the alleged libel is such as
is fairly calculated to cause actual loss or damage to the
plaintiff by ita publication.
"5. In all actions for libel the defendant shall be at
liberty to pay into court • sum of mosey by way of
amends for the injury sustained by the publication of such
libel, and such payment into court shall be of the same
effect, and available in the same manner to the same
extent, and shall be subject to the same rules and
regulations, as payment of money into court is now avail-
able sad subjected in other personal actions.
"6. In all actions for libel where the jury shall give
damages not exceeding 20s. the defendant shall be entitled
to his costa as if the verdict had paved for hies or her,
and maims the jury shall give damages exceeding 405., the
plaintiff shall not be entitled to more costa than damages.
" GLIERAL PBOVOHOSS As TO BOTH CIVIL AND 01111HBAL