The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-01 00:00:00

F 4

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT•

HOUSE OF LORDS.—ThussDAY, MAT 31.
The Loki) CHANCZLIAZ took his scot co the Imams& at
5 o'clock.
LAW OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AMENDKEN'T

- - -
BILL
On the motion of the LORD Ceertcruent their lord-
went into committee on this WI.
Clauses 1 2 and 3 were agreed tu.

On clause 4,
Earl GREY moved that the clause be emitted, on the
vound that it would establish two degrees of murder. He
should have no objection to the establishment of two
degrees of manslaughter, but he thought it better to
retain the punishment of death for murder in acoordance
with theetistinkstate of the law.
The LORD CHANCELLOR defended the clause, which
be said had received the approval of the great majority
of the judges. He thought it essential that a distinction
should be drawn between murder of an aggravated de-
scription and murder that was committed without preme-
ditation, such as where a shepherd took the life of a thief
who broke into his master's sheepfold in the night.
The Earl of LONGFORD supported the amendment.
Earl RUSSELL entirely agreed with his noble and
learned friend the Lord Chancellor, in dividing murder
into two classes, and he hoped that in time capital puniah-
meat would be abolished.
Lord ROMILLY opposed the clause on the round that
it would tend to diminish in the public estimation the
high degree of culpability which attached to murder. It
would be quite as consistent to divide manslaughter into
two classes.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said there were many eases
of murder in which the culpability was not so great as
when the original intention was to take away life. These
crimes should still be called murder, but the punishment
would not be capital if the clause were passed. If they
were known as aggravated manslaughter, there might not
be the same degree of horror attaching to them.
- - •

---
Their lordships divided, when there appeared—
For the clause
Against it
The CHAIRMAN of the COJIMITTEE, Lord Redes-
dale, declared that the non-contents had it, and the clause
was consequently rejected.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that, as the adoption
of the amendment would render necessary considerable
further alterations in the bill, he thought it better to ad-
journ the discussion.
After a few words from the Duke of RlCHnosp,
The house resumed, and the bill Mr 3 ort:ered to be re-
committed on Thursday next.
ECCLESIASTICAL LEASES (ISLE OF MAN) BILL.
This bill pared through committee.
BOP TRADE BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
COMPANIES ACT 08621 AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
- • • •

Their lordships adjourned at a quarter after six o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY, hay 31.
The SPRAYER took the chair s few minutes before
4 o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Bodmin Roads, Caledonian Railway (Greenock and Gou-
rock Extensions), East Barnet Gas and Water, Glasgow
and South Western Railway (Ayrshire Lines), Grange and
Cartmel District Gas and Water, Great Western Railway,
Greenwich and Woolwich Lower Road. London and North
Western and Cockermouth and Workington Railway
Companies, London and North Western and Whitehaven
Junction Railway Companies, Manchester Division Petty
Sessions Court, iSouth Essex Estuary and Reclamation,
and Tema Valley Railway Bills.