The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-26 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)

The house met five o'clock.
LIVERPOOL ASSIZES.

Lord CAMPBELL said he was instructed by that
respectable body—the Northern Circuit—to make a re-
presentation in his place in that house to the Lord Chan-
cellor. The judges, bar, attornesy, grand jurymen, &my
attending upon the assizes, for the county of Lancaster,
were all in a state of the greatest dismay, in consequence
of the intelligence they had received from the Mayor of
Liverpool that at the coming assizes in that town they
were to be turned out of St. George's Hai which had
been accorded to their use by solemn compact, and con-
demned to sit in a place which was situated in locality where
the cholera generally raged, and which he could say from
experience very muck resembled the black hole of Cal-
cutta. The reason for this proceeding, he understood,
was that St. George's Hall
was being decorated prior to
the visit of her Majesty to Liverpool; but he did not
think her Majesty would wish her visit
in to impede the
course of justice. He hoped his noble friend would in-
quire into the subject, and that, the event of no other
remedy being found, a bill would be introduced for
holding all the assizes for the county at Lancaster
Castle, where there was ample accommodation for the
courts of justice.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that was the first
time he had heard of the circumstance. He could hardly
suppose the visit of her Majesty was the real reason for
shutting up the courts of justice. He should direct a
letter to be written to the Mayor of Liverpool, request.
ing him to give some explanation of the matter.
Lord BROUGHAM sympathised with his learned
brethren on the Northern Circuit in the inconvenience
they would suffer by their removal to the place men-
tioned. This was another instance of the necessity for
the appointment of a public prosecutor, whose duty it
should be to watch over the administration of justice.
The Borough Rates Bill, on the motion of Lord STAN-
LIT of Alderley, was read a second time.
The Reformatory Schools (Scotland) Bill was also read
a second time, on the motion of the same noble
lord.

The following bills were also read a second time :
Sale of Beer, &c. ; Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction ; Stock-
in-Trade Exemption ; Inclosure, &c., Land ; Common,
&c., Rights (Ordnance) ; Friendly Societies (No. 2) ;
Spirits (Ireland) ; Burials beyond the Metropolis ; Ad-
miralty Court ; Land Revenues of the Crown (Ireland) ;
Highways Public Health.
The following bills passed through committee
Public Libraries, Registration of Births, &c. (Scotland),
Usury Laws Repeal, Returning Officers, Turnpike
Acts Continuance, &c., Jury Trial (Scotland).
MEDICAL GRADUATES (LONDON UNIVER-
SITY) BILL.
Lord MONTEAGLE moved the second reading of
this bill, with a short explanation of its ob)ects, which
have already been fully reported.
The Duke of ARGYLL approved of the principles of
the bill, but feared that it would settle the grievances of
the profession in a partial manner.. At present licen-
tiates of the medical schools of Edinburgh and Glasgow
were prevented practising in England, and their case
was not provided for by this bill. It was quite clear
that this exclusion could not be preserved, but that in
any general measure of medical reform we must have
free trade in doctors as well as anything else. Pending
that measure, he would confine the privileges conferred
on graduates of London, to a removal of the penalties
respecting vaccination and lunacy, which were provided
for by the second clause. He begged to remind the
house that this bill, although supported in the other
house by Lord Palmerston and Lord J. Russell, was by
no means to be considered as a Government measure.
He moved that the object of the bill be confined to re-
moving the pains and penalties inflicted for practising in
vaccination and lunacy cases.
Lord CAMPBELL asserted the claims of the Scotch
universities, but was willing to accept the compromise
proposed by the noble duke, pending a general measure
of medical reform.
Lord MONTEAGLE replied.
Lord BROUGHAM defended the bill, as being only
a just following up of the charter upon which the Uni-
versity of London was founded.
After a short discussion the bill was read a second
time, with the understanding that the Duke of Argyll's
suggestion should be considered in committee.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.
This bill was committed and reported.
REGISTRATION OF BILLS OF SALE (IRE-
LAND) BILL.
This bill was real a third time and pissed.
JAMAICA LOAN BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
ROYAL MILITARY ASYLUM BILL.
This bill went through committee.
SHERIFF AND SHERIFFS' CLERK (SCOT-
LAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
JOINT STOCK BANKS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
CRIME AND OUTRAGE BILL (IRELAND).
This bill was read a third time and passed.
POOR LAW CONTINUANCE (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
HERITABLE SECURITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
Tuis bill passed through committee.
JUDGMENT EXECUTION BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
NATIONAL GALLERY (DUBLIN) BILL.
This bill went through committee, and was reported.
POSFAL ARRANGEMENTS, IRELAND.
The Earl of DONOUGHMORE rose to call attention
to the state of postal communication in Ireland. He
stated the fact to be, that since the establishineut of rail-
ways in Ireland, there was less postal accommodation
than before.
Viscount CANNING could assure the noble earl that
the Government, both then and at all times, were quite
ready to make any improvements which were needed.
He could assure that house that the Post-office authori-
ties were most anxious that justice should be done to the
commercial community of the sister country.
After a few words from Lord MONTEAGLE, the sub-
ject dropped.
COMMUNICATION WITH" THE GUARDS
OF RAILWAY TRAINS.
Earl FITZHARDINGE rose to inquire whether the
attention of her Majesty's Ministers had been drawn to
a late attempt to murder a policeman in a railway car-
riage ; and whether, in consequence, they had any in-
tention to introduce a measure to compel the railway
companies to adopt some means enabling the guard to
communicate with the engine driver when trains were in
motion. The attempt to which he referred took place on
the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway,
and the victim of the assault was an inspector of police,
who had in his custody two prisoners. These prisoners,
having ascertained that the train in which they were tra-
velling would not stop for some time, commenced ill-
treating the officer, with a design, if possible, of killing
him. It appeared that the guard made cries for three
miles without being able to attract the attention of the
driver. At length he succeeded in making him hear,
but, as the judge who tried the case observed, the man
might have died in the meantime. When such an out-
rage could be committed legislation ought to be resorted
to in order to compel railways to provide some means of
communication between the guard and the driver of a
train. Whatever difficulty there might be in supplying
the defect, he felt quite certain that in this mechanical
age it might be overcome. Capt. Claxton, of the Royal
Navy, who had been frequently employed in assisting
Mr. Brunel, had written to him stating that in his opi-
nion neither Mr. Brunel, Mr. Stephenson, nor Mr.
Locke, would allow that there was any mechanical diffi-
.aulty in keeping up a communication between the guard
and the driver, adding, that on the London and South-
Western Railway the object had been accomplished
by the simple contrivance of a line running
under the carriages. He (Earl Fitzhardinge) hoped
Parliament would not separate at the end of next session
without having compelled railroad companies to adopt
• some means of preventing a recurrence of such scenes as
he had described.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLY—The subject has
already occupied the attention of the Government. In
th committee on railways which sat last year strong re-
..presentations were made to the effect that it should be
rendered obligatory on railway
easy mode of ooninannicatieneeteweeepneetiheesgtuoaprdroavniddetanhe
driver. At the same time the
pressed their perfect readiness railway
authorities ex-
ori%3dopt any measure
which appeared likely to effect thee
which was suggested was that which )."
;caarrnidedU2oeuptloann
the South-Western Railway, where therewati
communi-
cation by means of a rope worked by a w""
and rnn-
ning along the carriages from the guard to the
driver. Much attention had been attracted tee:, '21,;;;;"
pecting
nious patent of Professor Gluckman, which hid—bebeen-
tried on the Great Northern Railway, and rez:s
which Captain Wynn, of the Board of Trael
the present
en
ported that it worked satisfactorily. In a bill which .. was introduced in the other house during
session, a clause was inserted to compel railway
nies to provide some mode of communication. Re re_ to say that, owing to the pressure of business,
that bill bad, like many other important measures, been
• abandoned ; but it would be re-introduced next session.
It was but fair to their lordships to state, and the state-
ment would be satisfactory to their lordships, as evinc-
ing the great care shown by the different persons con-
nected with railway management, that during the last
six months not a single accident had occurred on any
railway from causes over which the companies had any
control. This, however, was no reason why every pre-
caution should not be taken in future to prevent further
accidents. (Hear.)
Earl FITZHARDINGE said nothing could exceed
the attention and care of officials of the railway with
which he was most familiar, namely, the Great Western
Railway.
- • Lord CAMPBELL thought their lordships bad some
- reason to complain that the bill, with regard to rail-
Way,, had not been brought before them. He had
=himself pointed out several defects which most urgently
reqiiire4 to be remedied. It had been held by the
judges that the companies were not liable for any act
done by their servants, unless it were done under the
authority of the seal of the company . and in a
case to which he had referred,l
who was supplied arespectable al
having travelled by an c ergy an„
with a return ticket "by any train,
Pal half-a-mown extra ')al!xpress train," and refused to
unable to obtain redress ;04 was demanded of him, was
four-and-twenty hours. The
ohaving been locked u for
were not liable, because the ofedge said the company
autho-
rity, and did not act under the 00641 exceeded his
_,_re dated, it
appeared to himeeznon seal. As he had
1"19 most reasonable that