The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-22 00:00:00

ivy

, . .
-..--.
- -•::.t.•.„.• - „
_ .
....41_ ,
: •-_.
.1,iil•r:;:.0.
0.....1 . :71 4.- 011 • . , .----,,,, 1 . ..'N\.
_ • , /
[• '''''.::g s•—•'''- - - ..,..-.53.'" •. R ..p.Vic-1.....,.A17,A1ti0A1wir,,,, .-.A.
1.- - . I ~:
.0 _ atc.
• ,Z rk1imw.........
......... .
_.„. ....,,, ,:tri
~,,,b,•4&,,,...
~.„..,,.......„

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 22, 1864.

THE EUROPEAN ASSURANCE SOCIETY
issue GUARANTEE POLICIES or BONDS, at re-
duced rates of Premium, on behalf of Officials in or under the
Treasury, Customs, Inland Revenue, General Post Office,
Board of Trade, War Offic,, Admiralty, The Home, Colonial,
and India Offices, Poor Law Board, Office of her Majesty's
Works, ac., and other Public Departments.
Every facility will be given to substitute the Bonds of this
Society in lieu of existing Securities.
Life Assurance in all its branches at moderate rates, with
or without participation in profits.
LIFE ASSURANCE COMBINED with GUARANTEE
on terms most advantageous to the Assured.

The Naval Fight off Cherbourg,

Several of the French papers contain descriptions
of the engagement off Cherbourg on Sunday last,
but they add little to the facts already known in
England. La France, however, publishes a special
account, from which the following particulars are
extracted—" The Alabama had been several days
in port repairing, when the first-class corvette
Kearsage, of the Federal navy, anchored in the
roads to watch her adversary. The next day some
provocation ensued, and Capt. Semmes, the com-
mander of the Confederate ship, decided that
although weaker the Alabama should accept battle,
which took place on the forenoon of Sunday, the
19th. On that day the Alabama was punctual. At
8 o'clock in the morning the captain assembled his
crew, and in a fervid oration announced that the
time had arrived for them to conquer or die. His
speech was received with cries a thousand times
repeated, of ' Hurrah for the South,' Cheers for
Lee and for his army,' Cheers for France, the only
nation who generously and impartially carries out
her neutrality Capt. Semmes then referred to his
recent letter on naval belligerent rights, and con-
cluded his speech by saying that that document
had been drawn up in order that the truth might be
' known in case he should perish.' At half-past nine,
after clearing for action, the Alabama, which was
under steam all-the morning, banked up her fires,
' and left her tinehOrage to take the open. The whole
population of Cherbourg was on the port, on the
breakwater, on the heights—in fact, on every
point where a view of the battle could
be obtained. When the Alabama, as she
got under weigh, ran up the Confederate flag at
her mainmast and saluted it with a salvo of guns,
innumerable cheers arose. The sympathy of the
population was evidently with the South. The Ala-
bama having left the port, at about half-past ten
was nearly nine miles out, and commenced the battle
by a daring movement, running towards the Kear-
sage to board her. The Federal corvette understood
the movement, and succeeded in turning and avoid-
ing her adversary. The Kearsage had been ar.
moured during the night with her chain cables, and
to this particular advantage she united that of a
heavier armament, and a more numerous crew;
notwithstanding which the Confederate ship
appeared to have the advantage, and again
manoeuvred to board the Federal corvette, when she
received a rifle projectile, which passed right through
her boiler and paralysed her movements." The
subsequent sinking of the Alabama and the saving
of the captain and crew is then described—" A short
time afterwards the Kearsage came into the port
bringing her prisoners. She anchored close to the
steamship Napoleon. She soon received many
visitors. The Kearsage has suffered much ; she has
twelve shots in her hull. Her crew was superior
to that of her adversary, who only mustered 134
men ; but the crew of the Alabama, used to boarding,
would infallibly have captured the Kearsage if she
could have been laid alongside. Captain Semmes
was adored by his crew and by his staff. The
wounded sailors from the Alabama, who were taken
to the Marine Hospital, where they have been well
eared for, said with joy, to everybody by the way,
The captain is saved, the captain is saved I We
shall soon begin again !' The animosity between
the sailors of the South and those of the North is
such, that yesterday they endeavoured to fight with
knives. The authorities found it necessary to put
on foot all the naval gendarmerie, in order to
prevent the spilling of blood."

Immediate Annuities granted at the undermentioned Ages
Jorevery £lOO of Purchase Honey c_.
A15708y.
6eir. s. Age
3s.
4d.
£l4 16s. 2d.
60 years. Age 70 years.
Annuity.. ....£?
d 7

Forms
o
may be obtained from the Head Office, 2, Waterloo-place,
Pall-Mali, fLPornodpoonsa. l, Pro pe^tusr 8, an d Agency Applications

MADAME RACHEL—AII that can enhance
and preserve the charms of woman, youth and
beauty, grace and elegance.-47A, New Bond-street.

JURIDICAL SOCIETY,

A meeting of this Society was held on Monday
in the Society's chambers, St. Martin's-place, Tra-
falgar-square, Mr. Clarke in the chair.
The paper for the evening was read by Mr. F.
WORSLEY, entitled " Certain propositions for the
Relief of the Home Secretary from his present re-
eponsibility on the conviction of a person for murder,
and to substitute an improved procedure." The
paper stated that in most criminal offences the
judges had a discretionary power in awarding the
punishment to be inflicted on the prisoner, except
in cases of murder. Even in that crime there were
degrees of moral culpability. The power of altering
the sentence rested on the supreme power, by
whom convictions for murder used formerly to be
referred to the Cabinet Council, who found they
were totally incompetent to review the facts
elicited on the trial of a person for murder.
Instead of endeavouring to devise some better
tribunal they shifted the responsibility on to the
shoulders of one of their own members, the Home
Secretary, which was in point of fact going from
bad to worse. What choice had they ? Nothing
between the judicial and the executive. The execu•
tive had failed, and the judicial was the better
tribunal for formally retaining the prerogative of
mercy. But it might be said, if you would not cast
it upon an executive officer's shoulders, would you
endeavour to cast it on the shoulders of one judicial
functionary ? His first proposition was, that on a
trial for murder at the assizes, or at the Central
Criminal Court, two judges of the superior courts
should preside. Second,—On conviction of the pri-
soner judgment of death should not be immediately
pronounced, unless both the judges agreed that
the verdict was proper, and that such judgment
should follow. But if the said judges did not so
agree, or agreed that a sentence of penal servitude
for life be pronounced, it should be competent for
them to pass such sentence. The third point was,
that the judges should have power to adjourn the
sentence to the last day of the assizes, but that both
judges should preside at the passing of the sentence
of death. Fourth,—On the prisoner being called
upon to receive sentence of death, that he should be
allowed either personally or by counsel to state the
grounds of fact for mercy to the court ; and it should
be incumbent on the judges to take into consideration
such grounds of fact, or any petition laid before them,
and it should be competent to them to adjourn the
passing of the sentence of death for the considera-
tion of the said facts or petition. Fifth,—The
sheriffs should not execute the sentence of death
until ordered by the Home Secretary. Sixth,—lf the
said judges, or either of them, report to the Home
Secretary that an inquiry should be made into the
sanity of condemned prisoners, the Home Secretary
should cause such inquiry to be made by competent
persons, and upon their certificate of the insanity
of the condemned prisoner the Home Secretary
should grant an order for his removal to a lunatic
asylum.
Mr. LAWRANCE was strongly opposed to death
punishments, and fully concurred with the sugges-
tions made by Mr. Worsley, which, he believed,
were too limited• The prerogative of mercy did
not now exist in the Crown, but in a Government

official.
Mr. J. 0. GRIFFITS was also favourable to the
abolition of the punishment of death, and he con.
curred that no trial for murder should take place
unless in the presence of two judges, and that two
judges should be present when sentence was passed;
and if one was of opinion the sentence of penal ser-
vitude should be carried out, that the sentence of
death passed by the other judge should not have its
effect. He suggested that in case of murder a plea
of nat guilty should be always entered.

"
Mr. E. W EBSTER strongly opposed the proposi-
tions of -Mr. Woreley, urging that the multiplica-
tion of judges would render conviction difficult and
uncertain, and assuming that death punishments
were necessary for the prevention of crime, he would
leave the whole responsibility on the jury. He was
strongly favourable to the right of appeal in cri-
minal cases.
Mr. C. H. HOPWOOD objected to the introduction
of a second judge.
After some further conversation, thanks were
voted to Mr. Woreley for his paper, ana the pro-
ceedings were brought to a close.

- -75 "Z
ri(-

STAMPED:....Sd.

LAW AMENDMENT SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the department of j urispru-
deuce and amendment of the laws of the National
Association for the Promotion of Social Science was
held on Monday at the offices, 3, Waterloo-placs,
Pall-mall. Lord Brougham occupied the chair.
Mr. Randall, the assistant secretary, read the re-
port of the standing committee, which stated that
the union of the Law Amendment Society with the
Association for the Promotion of Social Science
would materially assist the general development of
the association. Since the union 11 meetings had
been held and six papers read. Sir Walter Crofton
read a paper on the present aspect of the convict
question, showing that the views consistently main-
tained by the society and the association had been
adopted by the penal servitude commissioners of the
House of Lords. A paper by Mr. Palmer dealt with
the present mode of reviewing the sentence of our
criminal courts in capital cases. A paper on the
abolition of capital punishment was read by Mr.
Webster. The County Courts Act Amendment
Bill had been fully considered by a committee of
the society. Mr. Hastings, in a paper read on the
18th of April last, proposed to abolish the unsatis-
factory jurisdiction still left to the Ecclesiastical
Courts, and advocated the establishment of a court
having probate, matrimonial, divorce, legislation,
admiralty, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The
concentration of the law courts had also been
brought under the notice of the department. With
respect to the Attorneys and Solicitors' Remune-
ration Bill, the committee thought that a measure
involving changes of that kind should receive the
early attention of the department. The question of
Law Reporting, the Transfer of Land, Partnership,
Law Amendment, Copyright, Justice Procedure
Bill, Corruption at Elections, the Bankruptcy Laws,
Chancery Funds Commission, and other important
questions had been brought under the notice of the
department, into the details of which the report
went at very great length.
On the motion of Mr. Pollard Urquhart, M.P.,
seconded by Sir E. Wilmot,
The report was adopted.
A vote of thanks to the venerable chairman
closed the proceedings.