The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OP LORDS—Last Evening,
The LORD CIIINCELLOR took his Bost OD the woolsack
at five o'clock,

PRIVATE BUSINESS,

The Millwall Canal, Wharfs, and Graving Docks Bill,
was read a second time.
THE AUGMENTATION OF BENEFICES BILL.
The Earl of DERBY asked the noble lord on the wool-
sack for an explanation, touching the Augmentation of
Benefices Bill, under the recent act, of a point upon which
there was some misunderstanding. There appeared to be
an impression that a large sum of money, de-
rived from the sale of a number of livings, was
now in the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
All the Commissioners had to do with the matter was to
receive the money and appropriate the interest arising from
that money to the increase of small livings.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the moneys
received under the act were devisable into two
moieties. The moiety arising from the sale of two
livings appliable to the augmentation of small bene-
fie,!Ei was paid to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
simply as trustees, they to pay the interest at the rate cf
£3 10s. per cent. to the incumbent. The second moiety
was also paid to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, to accu•
=late in their hands and to be invested by them. With
respect to the second moiety they were trustees both of
capital and interest. With regard to the money arising
from the sale of 100 livings, that did not go into the hands
of the commissioners unless ho (the Lord Chancellor) re-
quested them to take charge of it, and then they only were
to act as trustees.

THE PLOT TO ASSASSINATE THE EMPEROR
NAPOLEON.
The Earl of 'WESTMEATH referred to the trial of
Greco and his fellow conspirators in Paris, and asked if the
Government had a moral conviction that the evidence in,
and if it would take measures
criminated M. Mazzini,
Nvith regard to it?
Earl RUSSELL replied that any one guilty of conspi-
racy in this country to assassinate the Emperor of the French
was guilty of a indictable crime. Ho had no evidenco
that any one was so engaged, and consequently he could
not take the matter up.

THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY COMMITTEE.
Earl GRANVILLE laid upon the table the report of the
joint committee of the Houses of Lords and Commons that
had been considering the question of metropolitan railways.
He had great pleasure in stating that the committee had
been unanimous except upon one point.
• THE DANO- GERMAN WAR.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH gave notice in a
future day of his intention of asking her Majosty's Go-
vernment whether any steps were to be taken to afford ma-
terial aid to Denmark ?
INSANE PRISONERS' ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
Earl GRANVILLE moved the second reading of this
bill. In doing so he explained its provisions; but, as these
have so lately been under discussion in the House of Com-
mons, it is unnecessary to enter into a detailed statement of
them,

Lord ST. LEONARDS said the house was aware that
this bill had been rendered necessary by the Townley case,
and it was therefore necessary to refer to that case. After
showing the absurdity of supposing that Townley was in-
saneapof which, he added, not a single particle of proof had
been adduced—the noble and learned lord commented
severely upon Dr. Forbes Winslow's evidence, which, he
said, was opposed to both law and justice, and was calcu-
lated most mischievously to unsettle men's minds. The
doctrine of uncontrollable impulse was an absurdity; bgt
unless they had recourse to it, there was no pretence for
saying that Townley was insane, for there was no trace of
any delusion on his part. What had happened in Townley's
case had taken place several times before within the last few
years, without the crime attracting particular attention.
Nor would such attention have been attracted in this case
had the criminal been a person in low life. Having received
the certificate of two medical men and two magistrates that
Townley was insane, the Home Secretary considered that,
under the Act of 1840, he was bound to respite the crimi-
nal; but he (Lord St. Leonards) doubted whether that act
was imperative. Moreover, in previous eases, when a
man having been respited had been ultimately relieved
from the execution of the capital sentence, the criminal
had really become insane after his sentence. But in
this instance the criminal never had been insane, and
there was not, therefore, the same reason for commut-
ing his sentence. He trusted that the course taken in
this case would not become a precedent. This bill would
be a great improvement upon the present state of the law,
for it distinctly conferred upon the Hot= Secretary a
discretion as to acting upon the certificate of the justices
and the medical men. There was, however, one defect in
it—it omitted to say what was to be done with the man if
the Home Secretary declined to act upon the certificate and
to issue a warrant for his removal to a lunatic asylum.
Was he to remain in prison, or was he to be hanged ?
Lord WODEHO USE thought it doubtful whether the
machinery of the visiting justices should be employed in the
case of a prisoner sentenced to death. If the visiting jus-
tices were to put the law in motion in such a case, it might
be possible that some one or two gentlemen might be found
who would not posiess the requisite knowledge or discre-
tion. The medical officers whose advice they took might
also not be persona whose opinion was worthy of respect.
It would be much better that, whenever a prisoner was re-
ported to be insane, the Home Secretary should issue a cow-
mission to such persons as he might deem most worthy of
his trust, and thus institute an inquiry of his own, upon
which he might act with confidence.
The bill was then read a second time, and the house ad-
journed.

HOUSE OP COMMONS--Last Evening.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock,
THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.
Mr. H. SEYMOUR gave notice that on an early day he
would bang on a motion on this subject.
THE MALT TAX.
Mr. MORRIT r gave notice that on early day he would
move a resolution declaring that the malt tax ought to bo
repealed.

RAILWAY COMPANIES.
Mr. ALCOCI asked the President of the Board of Trade
if he contemplated during the present session to amend the
83th clause of the Lands Clauses Act, which enabled rail-
way companies to obtain compulsory possession of land
Under order of magistrates.

Mr. GIBSON said ho had no intention to introduce such
a bill,

•DEDORTATION OF "PAUPERS.
Mr. ALCOC K asked the President of the Poor-law Board
whether he had any intention of proposing- an alteration in
the law of settlement, so as to prevent a recurrence of the
case which lately occurred in the deportation of a pauper
Adey), who, having passed 67 years in Guernsey
as a respectable labouring man, being worn out and unable
to maintain himself, was taken out of the hospital of the
parish of St. Peter le Port, and sent to the union of Christ-
church (the place of his birth) at the age of 77.
Mr. VILLIERS said the Poor-law department had no
nrisdiction in the matter. The present law pressed very
hard on the people of Jersey, and it had been recommended
that the lawrof Jersey should be assimilated to those of
England.

THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
Mr. VANCE asked what provision Was to lid niado for
tiler civil assistant in the ordnance survey branch of the War
Department whose services were dispensed with on the lat
of November last ?

Mr. PEEL said a small reduction had been made?
IRELAND.

Col. GREVILLE asked whether it was the intention of
the Government to separate the county Meath from the Mul•-
linger District Lunatic Asylum, which affords ample accora •
modation for the dangerous lunatics of the three counties;
and, if so, whether the whole burden of its support would
be imposed upon the counties of Westmeath and Longford ?
Sir R. PEEL said the question had been under the con-
sideration of Government.
THE DANISH GOVERNMENT.
Mr. DALGLISH asked, adverting to the statement that
a steamer, plated with 41-inch armour from stem to stern,
was launched on Wednesday from the yard of the buildrs
of the Pampero, and said to be the property of the Danish
Government, whether, if such should prove to be the case,
the Government would seize her, as they had seized the
Pampero, or would permit her to sail from the Clyde ?
Mr. LAYARD said that the Danish Minister had given
notice to t'no Government of the building of the ship, and
had suggested that the construction might of necessity be
stopped; but Lord Palmerston had consented that the
'met might be taken off the stocks, provided she did
`aVe the country, and that arrangement had bean made.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
MILES (fur Colonel W. Patten) asked the Pre-
Board of Trade whether he intended to pro-
'lls for the amendment of the private busi-
so as to enable parties to take:advantag e
resent session; and whether the Par-
e any communication to him with
system of counsel's fees ?
he had received a statement
-8 of the Parliamentary bar,

VL
not 1,

Sir w
eident of th.
ece4 with his b.
neve of tho house
of theta dur ,
ing the p
Earnentory bar had rim,
respect to 4 h4/Igo in the
Arr. G/13SON stated that
froin certain influenti4 ineulbe.
Pop a scale of fees.
Mr. lIADRIELD in whethc
bar did not settle the rcatter, the Gov,
it in hand.
Air. 0/1350.V thought it vvould be reach
the naatter in the hands of the bar.
TIIE 13 UDGET.
,141 r• G 013410) asked the Chancellor of tho xc.
Whet LLD
he Ns at present able to inform the haus.
what day before Ilaster ho would make his financial stalk,
meat ?
tic d
GREY said the
4nneial statement would be
Inade immediately after k:aster. The a4y would be slated ''
house,
o•morro W.
311 t. ST ANCSP.et b,
spotting
Mr. Co hare to put 1 question to the ho . über They
or Halifax (31r. Stansfed). I beg to ask hiel
wllhetzaheerz hh3 Government ,
attention has been called to What ham taken place i pa ria avd PerPiexitY.
during the recent trial and to what fell tron2 the
nevelt 'a Majesty's Governi
that occasion. The Crown prosecutor i s fruitless efforts, in a./.
propecutor upon roportga to bans liBell am WOrdB,:—.4 if Greco Wacted feroZiCo azould 1— L

'r, it the Parliamentary
,rnment would take

better to leave

twquer

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