The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PA2,LIABIENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS-THIS DAY.
The SPEAKER did not take the chair. till 25 minutes
past 12.

PETITIONS

Mr. Cox presented a petition in favour of the opening of
the British Museum and other public institutions on Sun-
days ; also another from certain Indian officers, praying
for a redress of their grievances.
Mr. LEFEVRE presented a petition in favour of the bill
for amending the law of libel.
RIOTS IN IRELAND.

Mr. D. GRIFFITH said to-morrow he would ask a
question whether certain observations of an Irish judge that
certain Roman Catholics who had taken part in a riot
should be prosecuted, while the Protestants were allowed
to escape, had come to the knowledge of the Government,
and whether they intended to take measures for the im-
partial administration of justice in Ireland.
PUBLIC-HOUSES ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Mr. COX said he should postpone proceeding with this
bill, which stood on the paper for to-morrow, until that
day week.
JURIES IN CRIMINAL CASES BILL.

Sir C. O'LOUGHLIN moved the second reading of the
bill, the object of which was to settle the law at present in
existence with rogard to the powers of the judge to dis-
charge in criminal cases when they were unable to agree to
a verdict. One of the enactments of the bill was to enable
judges to order refreshment to a jury after they had retired
to consider their verdict. At present the jury were locked
up without meat, drink, or other refreshment, fire and
candle light excepted. This he considered the remains of
a very barbarous law, and if anything could show the ne-
cessity for such a change as ho proposed he had read in one
of the newspapers lately that at a trial during the present
assizes a jury was locked up for 30 hours without refresh-
ment. Another amendment he proposed was that juries
in cases of felony should be allowed to separate, as was
now allowed in cases of misdemeanour; and he further
proposed to enable judges to discharge juries before evi-
dence, and to postpone a trial. There were other clauses
in the bill declaring that a judge might discharge a jury in
case of illness of one of the jurors, which he believed was
the law at present, but he also proposed that the judge
should have the power to discharge a jury without giving
their verdict after they had been detained together for a
reasonable time. There were various other matters of
detail which could be dealt with in committee, and he was
firmly of opinion that if the bill became law a great im-
provement in the system at present in existence would be
the result.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL opposed the bill on the
gaound that it was merely declaratory of the existing law,
and also because he considered it a piece of unnecessary
legislation. He further opposed the measure because the
Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench and the Chief
Justice of the Common Pleas were unfavourable to it.
There was, however, one part of it which he approved,
and that was the allowing juries, after they had
been locked up, a certain amount of refreshment
in civil as well as criminal cases, but that could be
effected by' the introduction of another short bill.
He highly objected to the power being given to the judge
to discharge prisoners where sufficient evidence was not
produced. It would be no doubt very convenient where
any Government or other trial broke down to make an
application to the judge to discharge the jury, and thus
enable the prosecutors to try the case again, but he consi-
dered such a proposal open to very grave constitutional
objections, and he for one was opposed to such a pro-
ceeding. Tho bill, on the whole, was so full of
objections that he trusted his learned friend would not
press it to a second reading, but that he would
withdraw it and introduce another measure of a more
limited extent, ono giving the power to the judge to order
refreshment to juries whilst considering their verdict.
Mr. D. GRIFFITH thought that common juries were
treated in a very unfair and unjust manner. They were
at present locked up for hours without any kind of refresh-
ment, in addition to which they were generally persons
engaged in trade, and, in fact, were the only persons en

. . -
gaged in trying a cause who received no remuneration for
their services. It was comparatively but a short time that

prosecutors and witnesses wore paid their expenses, and
he supposed these matters were only to bo arrived at by
degrees ; but he hoped the day was not far distant when
common jurors would be paid like other people for their
trouble, loss, and the inconvenience to which they were
put to on serving on juries.

Mr. LONGFIELD counselled his friend to withdraw
the bill, after what had fallen for the Solicitor-General.
....

Sir C. O'LOUGHLIN assented to the suggestion, and
he bill was withdrawn.

METROPOLITAN MAIN DRAINAGE EXTENSION
BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
CHELSEA BRIDGE.
Sir J. SHELLEY obtained leave to bring in a bill to
abolish the toll taken for foot passengers passing over or
on Chelsea Bridge.
The bill was brought in and road a first time.
SPIRIT DUTIES.
Mr. PEEL moved for a copy of report of Board of In-
land Revenue to the Lords of her Majesty's Treasury,
dated Feb. 28, 1865, regarding the rate of the spirit duty.

-Ordered.
T 1 house then ,adjourned.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This clay.

LONDON', March 15.—Wind this day at noon—North-
Easterly; moderate breeze and fine weather, but rather
cloudy. _ .

PENZANCE, March 14.—Wind N.E.—Arrived—Marquis
of Chandos, from Quebec.
OFF Eu.mourn, March 15.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—

Torquinhall, from Calcutta.
CLYDE, March 14.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Britannia,
screw steamer, from New York; Morning Light, from

Demerara.

PORTSMOUTH, March 15.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Her
Majesty's ship Orontes, from Galle ; loft Cape of Good Hope
Feb. 4.

OFF PORTSMOUTH, biaroh 14.—Arrived—Defianc.s, from
London for Bombay.

COWES, March 14.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—Gustav, from
Guayaquil.

OFF PooLE, March 14.—Arrived--Northumberland, from
Singapore.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Wednesday Morning.
Arrived, March 15—Olga, from Fjalbacka ; Neptunie,
from lirageroe.