The Express.
London, England, 1865-05-13 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—FamAy, MAT 12.
Ti• LORD Ca•Nomuat took bb seat o• the wooing:4M
Ilve ceolook.
TEI BRITISH MUSEUM.
Tk• larl el SHAFTESBURY propostod • gotiVoi tom
of Southwest, pasyiaig Hoot the British Hems
arill'aesiaticool Chillory might to opined throe @noisy •
west

MB INDIAN ARMY.
Lord BERNF.BB ptessatast • petition frotn Indian mil.
let 7 elm% praying for the redress of wish' grieve:woes.
THE " 00:49011INOB CLAIII113."
The Bishop of WINOMD3TKEt presented • petition from
the sit hatenoary of Battey spinet the ipo oonecieeoe
dams.

PRIVATE BILLS.
The following bills were read a esoond time :—Ellion's
Trust Estate ; fluaningdeleeard Cambeidgelosra Railway ;
Galway Water; Wiadatenth Roads; SLJella s Chapel (Pon-
ie): Prestos Oss ; Brialy-kin Gee ; Newport Nandi Rail-
war and iletropolitan sad St. John's-wood Railway
The followiag bills ware read a third time sad
Puma :—Hydrpark-gate Estate; Llanelly_Railway and
Doak (Extenden to Mumbles) ; Boehm Water_i Luton
Water ; Whedader Waite sad Gas • OweerSeld Water
and Gas ; St. Anen's Water; and TyLdeslq with Shaker-
* Lead Board Bills.
COUNTY COURTS EQUITY JURISDICTION.
Earl DE GREY ad RIPON presented a petition tram
the Huddinfiad Chaimber et Ocammace, an favour of the
bill entitled "An Act to wafer as County Cowes limited
Juriadidion in Equity."
AGRICULTURAL GANGS.
The Earl at SHAFTESBURY rose to move that ea
bumble address be presented to her Majesty to request that
her Majesty would be graciously pleased to direct that the
counneries appolatedia answer to an &darer of this housece
the 18th of Pebraary, 1962, to inquire into the appointment of
&Una and young persoos In trades and manufactures not
shady regulated by law, should haled, in its inquiries
children sad young pawn, employed in awe parts
of the mushy under an organised system known as t at
of ItTituiturti gangs
The Bishop of LINCOLN expressed a hop. that their
lordship' would accede to the motion of the noble sea He
had received communications from the clergymen with rh
foresee to the oortheestera portious of his dioceekekkh
wanly bore out the 'enemata of the noble eel. He was
aware that the *airy was cot to embrace female Labour in
pineal, but the two branches of the subject were inn-
anatelpat oxected. Parents who had bean brought up to
wore sot only unfitted, but they were
indisposed for demonic duties. Once having head what
they called the sweets of liberty, they preferred
field to house work. Hie correspoodeuts had informed him
that the gang system bad the most demoralisieffct upon
the youth of both ease, and fostered th most vicious
habits amongst them. He trusted that the attention which
the noble earl had directed to the subject would have the
effect of putting a stop to the evil, sod if so his lordship
would add another to the many claims he possessed on the
gratitude of the country. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of HAB.ROWBY inquired what parishes the
right rev. palate had spoken of.
lb The Bishop of LINCOLN replied that he referred to the
Werth-eastern portion at his diocese, and more particularly
to the Fea district.
After • few words from Lord Beams,
Earl GRANVILLE said that although he had heard of
cases in which the gang system when carried oa under proper
repletion' was of edvantage to boys, he did not thick on
the whole that it ought to be ewoursged. He therefore
weenned in the propriety of the inquiry.
The motion was them agreed to.
THE REV. MR. WAGNER IND THE
The Marquis of WESTMEATH 'squired if the public rt.
port of promeediep in the magistrate, court at Trowbridge,
as held co Thursday, the 4th of May, was authentic,
whereby it would appear that the Rev. A. D. Wigwag
described as perpetual curate of St. Paul's, Brightea, was
a witness before that court when • ponw was
under examination on • charge of murder, and that to
a question made by the went, with six magistrates Mani,
the said A. D. Wiper declined answering a question per-
tinent to the ease, damn that what he haw was seder
the Neel of oonfamion ; also whether web an outage to the
court, totally unknown to the laws of this errantry, should
have been paled no
over ; she whether the said A.D. Wager
should net be made amenable for the mine :led whether
the magistrates should not have thereupon committed him.
The noble marquis said that although the facts of this caw
were well known to the public, he thought it right to in.
quire from the Lord Chancellor, the highest legal authority
is the realm, whether any witness, whether a clergyman or
not, was justified is refugees to answer a question
legally put to him as the plea that he received his infer-
melon in coafeenea.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that he had read the
notice of the noble marquis. As to the find mastics. it
was quite beyond his power to swim it, as haled little
time to read the werspapers. With regard to the remaining
question or questions—for whether there were ea* or more
he could not well make out—(a laugh)—he must emirate-
late the noble marquis cm the industry with which he en-
deavoured to make himself acquainted with the law of
England on this abject. (A laugh.) The sable
marquis had enquired • knowledge of the questioa
which rendered it wholly uneetemery for him to make
such an inquiry of the Lord Chancellor, and he had pro-
duced a greater profusion of authorities than it was in the
power of the Lord Chastener to furnish. There could be
no doubt that is a suite • criminal proceeding •
of the church of Beggared was not privileged to=ara
to
waver a question legally put to him, on the posa that
wie.h wearer would reveal somethiog which had been aide
known to him through confession. He was compelled to
answer every such gonna, sad the law of Eoglaud did
not even allow a privilege of the kind to be extended to
Roman catholic dery men who obtained the information in
the confessional from persona of their own perwasiom
There could be no doubt that Mr. Waiver was under
an obligation to have answered the question put
to him if it bad bees iodated upon. It was certainly
matter of regret that the magistrates did not insist on the
question being answered, be use, though there could be so
doubt on the matter, the fact of the magistrates not insist-
ing on an answer being given was calculated to lead to the
impression that a privilege of this kind did exist. It ap-
pared, however, that the order for the commitaisot of the
prisoner, Mime Kent, had been made out, and therefore
there was no failure of justice. Under thew circumstances
be did not think a woemary to take thy further Donee of

the prooeed
Lord CHELMSFORD said that as he understood the
cue Mr. Wagner appearedvoluntarily with Miss Kent before
the magistrates, end it was rather extraordinary under those
circumstances that he should have refused to answer the
questions put to him. But it appeared to him that the msgis-
nate" had no power to enforce an answer from the witness.
Under the Justin' of the Peace Act, if a magistrate bad
raffia to believe that& Maas would not voluntarily attend
before him to give evidence, he might inns a summons to
compel him, and if that summons failed to secure bin
attendance, the magistrate might issue a warrant to email
his attendance as a witness. But the words of the art were
extraordinary with regard to a witness refusing to answer.
Tbe act then mid if a witness so summoned or brought
before the magistrate upon warrant refused either to be
sworn, orb affirm, or, having been sworn, refused to
miner any question put him, then the magistrate might
commit him and seed him to prison far seven days, there to
remain unless in the mean time he consented so answer the
question. Therefore it appeared that under the eireurutance•
of a voluntary attendance like that of Mr. Wagner, the
mosiltrate had no power to commit He thought it
right to mention that the magistrates had no power to act
as he thought they ought to have acted supposing that Mr.
Wagner had been bronot before them by warrant.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said he thought he bad seen
is one of the morning newspaper' a letter, in which Mr.
Wagner was made to say that he had received a subpoena to
attend the court.
Lord CHELMSFORD read Enaction of the act to which
be bad referred.
After a few words from the Earl of HAEROWBY,
Lord CHELMSFORD mid be would add his expression
of regret that the magistrate had not committed Mr.
Wagner.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH said that as the opinion
of the highest authorities in the law had bean mmulted, be
congratulated himself that the law could not be misunder-
stood, and he hoped that thine who bad an interest is
trading upon these delusions would be disappointed
in the result. He had to ask her Ma-
jesty's government another question, whether, as they
must know, or ought to know, what bad laser
going on in many pariah churches of this metropolle—he
would not say surreptitiously, inasmuch unit bad been ism
openly and audaciously —this barefaced attempt, which bad
Italy been made by several ministers holding peetannest
in the established church of this cottony, to warp the for-
mularies of the church of England to their own Romanizing
views, would be inquired into, or whether some enectiont
would not be pared to prevent their recarreme or con-
tinuation? He should not be justified in supposing these
grave matte,' to be substantiated, if he dui sot
give some proof of their existence beyond what was
furnished by the ordinary channels of information. The
noble marquis then mentioned some instances which had
come to his own keowledge.
Earl GRAN VILLE said, on the pui of her Majesty's go- I
yernment, he was not prepared to deny that the stemmata
of the noble marquis were true. He was neither in a po-
sition to confirm, nor to day them. He also was act in a
position to say that these innovations were as they ought to
be ; sad he was notprepared to deny that the right rev.
prelates had so remedy incept to put thew beads into their
pockets and pay for the wets of praysediap ; but be was
iiii=to say that so mann was under the cionsideratiou
sjesty's gennonion with a view of putting an end
to these proseadap.
The Bishop of LONDON said that be ought to explain,
se the noble marquis had alluded to hie diocese, the course
be had always thought right to puma He meld assure the
anis marquis that, 100 l at his gamine., he thought he
might say, speaking fee hi right rev. brethren as well as
himself, that if they were acquainted with a distinct viola-
' Mend Use law they would not be debarred by considers-
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