The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-22 00:00:00

PUBLIC-HOUSES IN SCOTLAND.

Mr. COWAN wished to ask the Lord Advocate of Scot-
land if he had reason to believe that the act for the better
regulation of public-houses in Scotland, passed in 1853,
has been fairly put in operation within the Royalty and
under the jurisdiction of the magistrates of the city of
Edinburgh ; if he has received any complaints that beyond
these bounds and :in the Sheriff Courts and Justice of
Peace Courts this law is virtually a dead letter ; and
Whether in this case it!was his intention to apply a remedy
or to introduce any legislative measure in order to secure
a more fair and uniform administration of the statute re-
ferred tu?

The LORD ADVOCATE had no reason to think that

the act had not been thoroughly put in operation. With
regard to the latter part of tho question, it might become
matter for serious consideration whether any alteration
should be made in the la.w.
THE SLAVE TRADE.
_

Sir G. B. PECHELL asked if any information had been
received that the new Government in Spain had given effect
to those decrees relative to the abolition of the slave trade
and the registration of slaves in the island of Cuba which
were issued about the month of June last : Also, whe-
ther the number of cruisers on the coasts of Cuba had been
increased, as was promised last session and in conformity
with the report of the Select Committee on Slave Trade
Troaties.
Lord. J. RUSSELL said the Government of France had
done its best to put in force their desire, but as yet no ac-
counts on that head had been received from the now
Governor-General Concha. The General, however, CM
leaving Madrid, promised to do his utmost to suppress the
slave trade, and ho had no doubt the General would fulfil
his promise.
Sir J. GRAHAM, in reply to the second question, said
he had to state that since the end of the last session the
squadron on the coast of Cuba had been greatly augmented,
and the admiral had been entrusted with most ample dis-
cretion for taking such stops as he should deem necessary
for suppressing this hateful traffic.
RUSSIAN BLOCKADE OF MEMEL.

Mr. DISRAELI wished to know whether the First Lord
of the Admiralty had received an account of the blockade
of the port of Memel by the Russians ?
Sir J. GRAHAM said, so far from having received any
such information, he had reason to believe no such blockade
had beet established. Ho had received a despatch from
Admiral Chads, dated Elsinore, the 15th of December,
stating that our fleet was still in the Baltic, and if any
Russian ships had appeared off Memel, they would have
been inevitably attacked.
DUCHY OF OLDENBURG.
Mr. OT WAY asked the President of the Council whether
any communications had passed between her Majesty's
Government and oar Minister at Berlin relating. to the
acquisition by Prussia of a parb of the Duchy of Oldenburg,
and to the intention of the Prussian Government of form-
ing a naval arsenal in the Jande ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said her Majesty's Government re-
ceived some time ago information that Prussia had acquir-
ed part of the Duchy of Oldenburg, and that it was the
intention of Prussia to form such into a naval arsenal: The
Governments of Hanover and Brunswick were likely to
remonstrate against this alteration of pai. of the Duchy,
but the British Government had not thought it necessary
to make any representation to the Court of Berlin on the
subject.