The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-11 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-(THIS DAY.)

The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.

Mr. TFIORNELY presented a petition from Bays-
water, praying for the enfranchisement of the London
University.
Similar petitions were presented from Warwick, by
Mr. Green, and from Canterbury, by Mr. Pellatt.
Mr. BIGGS presented a petition from the Isle of
Wight inTfavour of the ballot and other electoral reforms.
Mr. PENNANT presented a petition from Caer-
marthen in favour of the County Rates and Expenditure
Bill.

Capt. SCOBELL presented a petition praying for the
improvement of the management of lunacy.
Mr. 0. GORE presented a petition from places in
Salop against the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sunday.

ELECTIONS BILL.
Mr. G. M. BUTT moved the second reading of this
bill, the object of which he explained was to lessen the
expense of elections, by shortening the time which, ac-
cording to the present law, must elapse, both with re-
gard to counties and boroughs, between the receipt of
the writ or precept and the nomination. There was
also a provision limiting the time of polling at the Uni-
versities to five days.
The bill was then read a second time without further
discussion.

SHERIFF COURT (SCOTLAND, No. 2) BILL.
Mr. CRAUFURD presented petitions in favour of
his bill.

Mr. E. ELLICE, jun., presented a petition from the
Convention3ir.
eRA of Royal
u Fu RDBurghsthen
nof Scotland
m ov
ea
the
se againstco
second
reading the
f.
the bill. The hon. member then proceeded to enter into
a history of the courts up to the present time. The
sheriff courts occupied the place of the county courts in
England, and the object of this bill was to graft on the
Scotch courts allek nth advantages which had been con-
ferred onEnglish courts by recent legislation, with-
out to Anglicise the courts. The
at
all theo
e seeking
evils of the present Scotch system were these : The
sheriff substitute performed, in Scotland, the dif-
ferent functions of county court judge, criminal
judge, police magistrate, and had also testamentary and.
Admiralty jurisdiction, and to perform all these func-
tions, of course he was obliged to reside on the spot.
The appeal from him being not only on points of law,
but also of fact to the sheriff principal, who was gene-
rally a practising barrister residing in Edinburgh, and
all the proceedings before him were carried on in
writing. They were generally very expensive. The
great evil complained of was this appeal to a
non-resident judge, and he proposed by this bill to
do away with this appeal upon points of fact,
and to give an appeal on points of law to a court of law,
and not to the Sheriff. They would be fax cheaper and
snore satisfactory. He also proposed to give parties the
power of trying the case by a jury of five on the decision
of the majority. The great mass of those classes of the
people of Scotland were the suitors in this case,
though he would allow that there was a great diversity
of opinion on the subject among other classes. He
wished to have this bill read a second time, in order that
it might be referred to a select committee.
Mr. COWAN said that when the subject first began
to excite the attention of the people of Scotland, he
had felt favourable to the principle contained in the
bill, but after consideration and inquiry, he had come
to the conclusion that the abolition of the double system
would be very prejudicial to the administration of
justice. He did not deny that the Sheriff's Court
greatly needed reform, but he was quite satisfied that
the bill of the learned Lord Advocate would do all that
was required, and he should therefore oppose this bill
as unnecessary, and even prejudicial to the interests of
the Scotch
tmipee thisopl day six i
months.
people he move that it be read
a second
Lord DRUMLANRIG brought up the answer
.of her
Majesty to the address on the subject of K ilmamham
Hospital,
LEFT SITTING.) Monajtheeetysubjeeucltd.
cause m immediate inquiry informing
the
toh e bu se
e instituted that
her