The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-15 00:00:00

THE POLICE coma

GUILDHALL.
rroifte, a warehouseman in the employ of
Mean. Leaf and Sons, of 39, Old 'Change, was placed at
the bar before Alderman Hale charged with stealing 137
yards of moire antique silk, value AY., and other silks and
goods, value yet unknown, from the warehouse of the
prosecutors.
Mr. liumyhreys prosecuted, and Mr. Wontner, jun.,
watched the case ou behalf of the prisoner.
Mr. Humphrey. said the prisoner stood charged with
stealing a quantity of plain and moire antique dresses
from Messrs. Leaf and Co.'s premises. He was in connee-
Mon with four other prisoners who were now under re-
mand on a charge of committing a large robbery from the
warehouse of Meagre- East and Co., No. 2, Fell-street,
Wood-street, and he would have to offer so much evidence
as would justify the magistrate in remanding that prisoner
to come up with the others. This was done, and the pri-
soner remanded; bail refused.
BOW-STREET.

Kr. Flowers announced his decision upon an application
made to him by Mr. Rigby Wason for a NUMII3OI3I against
the proprietor of the Morning Pod newvpaper for an
alleged libel.
Mr. Wason, wben making Lis application, presented him-
self at the attorneys table.
Mr. Flowers observed that Mr. Wenn, being a barrister,
was entitled to take his seat at the table placed upon the
bench fur the accommodation of counsel

Mr. Wason, though obliged to the learned mmistrate
for the courteous suggestion, preferred the position in
which be should be best heard. His application was similar
to one which he had recently made to the alderman sit-
ting at the Guildhall in the City of London, for • sum.
moos against the proprietor of the Tillat newspaper. But
the "Great Unpaid " could not lice the distinction between
the slander which a member of either house of parlia.
mint is privileged to utter and the conversion of
that slander into libel by publication in a news-
paper which is not privileged. The uttering of
a slander, even in parliament, if it went no
further, could do no great injury to character, but its pub-
lication and circulation throughout the country might
indict injury of a serious and lasting character. unless met
by proceedings similar to the present. A bill was now
before parliament which would put a stop to such pro-
ceedings, but only on condition that the paper which
had circulated the libel should publish a contradiction or
explanation if required so to do. He did not approve of
that bill, because he thought that the member of either
house who uttered, slander, which he knew would be con-
verted into libel by publication, should alone be liable.
Yet, if the editor of the Morning Post should think proper
to Insert the statement he was about to make, nothing
more would be beard from him (Mr. Wason) in the matter.
The libels of which he complained were statements pur-
porting to be speeches of Earl Burial, Lord Chancellor
Chelmsford, and Lord St. Leonardo, and which most un-
truly stated that in a petition which be had presented to
the House of Lords he had brought charges against the
Lord Chief Baron which were false and unfounded, and
which be bad fabricated.
Mr. Flowers asked if Mr. Wason intended to assert that
the report in the Morning Post was incorrect.
Mr. Weser meld—Certainly not. The report was the
*erne, substantially, as in the other papers. But as he
could nit proceed against the noble lords who had uttered
the slanders in the House of Peers, he wished to proceed
against the newspapers that bad published them. His
application at Guildhall being retuned be wished to pee-
' ceed in the metropolis, and he selected the Morning Post
because its publishing office was in the district of the chief
police court. He had not the slightest ill feeling against
the Morning Poet, its proprietor, or anybody connected
with it. Mr. Wason then proceeded to state the nature
of the speeches of the noble lords above mentioned in re-
ference to his petition, and to his charges against the Lord
thief Baron, which speeches, as reported in the Morning
Po 4, be alleged to be libellous. In making this statement,
Mr. Watson repeated his accusations against those noble
personages, treating all their denials of his allegations as
so many imputations of dishonesty and untruthfulness to
I himself, therefore as slanders, and therefore as libels when
Mr
in • newtmaper
Mr. Flowers asked Mr.. Wagon whether his own stabi-
-1 meat was not libellous.
Mr. Watson—Certainly libellous if not true. Under the
old law—an iniquitous law—" the greater the truth the
greater the libel ;" but under the law as it stands since
Lord Campbell'. Act the false statement is libel and the
true one is not. Mr. Wason then referred to twoplunphlets
which be had published, embodying his emulations
against the Chief Baron and the noble lords alluded to, and
also to the newspaper report of his application at the
Guildhall against the proprietor of the Times newspaper.
Mr. Flowers having taken time to consider gave his
decision in the following terms:—Mr. Wawa, I have looked
into all the authorities, and, considering the very peculiar
circumstances, I am satisfied that the criminal law could
not be put in motion against the proprietor of the
Morning Post newspaper, and I really cannot grant a sum-
mons which I am certain would, upon investigation,
inevitably be dismissed.

RAILWAY AND OTHER BILLS BEFORE PARLIA-
MENT.- Yesterday, in Lord Redeadales committee of the
House of Lords, the following bill. passed through :
The Itarneldswick Railway ; Bourton-on-the-Water Rail-
way ; Holborn Valley Improvement ; Hem Bay Water;
Wootton Gas • Keighley Water, &a. ; Launceston Reeds ;
Greenock Harbour ,• Broxburn Railway ; Ford and Le-
wick Roads; Manchester Corporation Water, kJ. ; Se".
kirkshire Roads ; Hartlepool Gas and Water; Horsey
Island Reclamation ; Ipswich Fishery ; Stalybridge Gas;
Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Gateshead Gas ; Norwich and
Spalding Railway; Tendring Hundred Railway ; Cam-
brian Railways (extension of line, &c.); Farnsworth Park and
Improvement; West Hain Local Board of Health; Lampeter,
Llandysil, Aa, Gas ; Wells (Somerset) Gas ; Edinburgh Im-
provement and Caledonian Railway (Branches), lce., Bills.
The Roes and Monmouth Railway, the T'ynesuouth Parish
Gas, the Waterloo and Whitehall Railway (extension of
time, &a); the Waterloo and Whitehall Railway (aban-
donment, &c.), and the Peterborough Water Bills were
postponed. Ia the standing orders committee their lord-
ships dispensed with the standing orders in the eases of the
Llanelly Railway and Dock,"and the Bunhill-fields Burial
Ground Bills. The West Riding and Grimsby Railway
awl the Wilts and Gloucester Railway Bills pamed through,
and were ordered to be reported. Mr. Palgrave, one of
the examiners disposed of the subjoined bills in the
House of Lords:—The Great Northern Railway, the East
Gloucestershire Railway, the Waterford, New Roes, and
Wexford Junction Railway. The Wolverha.npton, New
Water, and the Dundalk and Greedre Railway Bills were
declared to have complied with the standing orders. No
further standing °niers were applicable in the cams of
the Orkney Roads, the Sunderland Ferry, Aber-
-1 deen Police and Water, and the Thames Navigation Bills.
In the House of Commons' committees, in group 7, the
London and North Western Railway (new works, &a),
and the North Staffordshire Railway Bills were proceeded
with, and their further consideration adjourned. In group
8, the committee peeped the following bills, which were
ordered to be reported :—The Denbigh, Ituthin, and Cot.
wen, and Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway Companies
Amalgamation ; tn.:, Drayton Junction Railway ; and the
Wrexham, Mold, and Connah's Quay Railway. Mr.
Palgnme declared the standing ordese to have been com-
plied with in the adjourned unopposed awe of the Rims
and Poutymister Om Bilk