The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-19 00:00:00

JUVENILE OFFENDERS' BILL.

The Earl of DEVON moved the Committee on this
Bifl. and briefly entered into its details.

Lord BROUGHAM thought that something must be
done to remedy the present defective state of the law
with respect to the punishment of juvenile offenders,
Th I were many cases in which the services of a jury
'nig be disrTnsed with, particularly in dealing with
ver (mug persons. He entirely approved of that part
cf the Bill which made parents responsible for the good
conduct of their children.
_.

Lord DENMAN had long thought it expedient
and necessary for the ends of justice that all petty cases
eiould be submitted to a jury, because he never could
think that an Englishman should be tried without a jury;
still the evils inherent in the mode of trying
juvenile and petty :offences were great ; for instance,
persons were tried for stealing such things as eggs,
stores,apd gismo. They were incarcerated for some
time MIPt.. e their trial, and when at last the time arrived
juries consitered that the parties had been sufll.
ciently punished ; and even when they were
found guilty, the ju !AT could only inflict
a " fine of one shilling in consequence, of
the purishment which the prisoner had received.
The consequence was, that petty offences were
committed with impunity, and the lower classes, who
were the persons guilty of them, were demoralised. He
was compelled, therefore, however reluctantly, to say
that the jury might be dispensed with in such cases
where a good and responsible tribunal could be obtained.
He did not see any reason why any question which in-
volved expense should not be submitted to the tribunal
over which his Noble and Learned Friend presided. If
this Bill were then to go forward, he thght that some
clauses should be inserted with a view to' rendering the
panishraent available for the purpose. Then, again,
there was a clause that required that imprisonment for
thiee months; now, it was very well known that short
imprisonments did no good whatever. They often made
thievea,for life, and he therefore thought that the pun-
ishment should be more particularly specified, and that,
moreover. there ought to be a clause to oblige restiiu
tion ; for, although the law required that the
property should be restored, yet it might, in a
variety of cases, not be forthcoming; and if the
accused posseso the means, he ought to be
compelled to make good the amount to the person who
had lost it. For instance, take a case of forgery, in
which the proceeds of the fraud had been transmitted to
thoqpies, where the receiver might set up for a gen-
tlen the aesults of successful villany. 'Who was
to compel the restoration of that of which the original
Lotder had been unjustly deprived, unless there was some
/Awe to oblige its realisation out of the property of the
otrender? A restitution clause ought, therefore, to be
inserted to obtain that object.
Lord BROUGHAM begged then to suggest that a
clause should be inserted in the Bill by which the offen-
ders should be made responsible, under the Insolvent
Debtors' Act, for the amount eitich had been fraudu-
letettly abstracted, as well as liable to the adjudication
Hof the Criminal Court.

Lord 0141MPBELL was rejoiced that the Noble Lord
opposite, us well as his N,,bie and Learned Friend the
Chtittf Justice, concurred in the principle of the Bill.
Doubt!eds it might he greatly amended in Committee,
bay it wa's a great point to have made a progress thus far.
The Marquis of WESTMINSTER said, that it was
his intention to move some amendments in Committee on
the Bill, having for their object the necessity of provid-
50g some gem ral system of classification among the
itairenila prisoners.
The House then went into Committee on the Bill.
Lord DEN MAN thought there should be no distinc-
tiocilign the Bill with regard to the age of the offenders,
there ought to be wilregard to the offence. If,
however, it W 33 the opinion o their Lordships that there
should be DO amendment of this kind, he would not
press it.
'ter a short discussion, in which Lord Campbell,
Lord Portman, Lorcrbenman, and the Earl of Devon
took part, the amendment was withdrawn.
The several clauses of the Bill were then, with some
vernal amendments, agreed to.
Their Lordships resumed, and the Chairman brought
sip the report.
SOAP ALLOWANCES BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee.
STAGE CARRIAGES DUTIES BILL.
This Bill also passed through Committee.
BURGH POLICE (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This _Bill W,IS read a third time and passed.
Their .Lordships then adjourned.

• 110Ci.SE OF COMMONS. June 18.
The SPEASER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
NEW• MEMBER.
_ _

The Hon. Freclevick.Leveso;6;;er took the oaths
and his seat for Derby. The Hon. Gentleman was in-
troduced by Mr. Strutt and Mr. W. Entwisle.
LIMERICK DOCKS AND HARBOUR BILL.
This' Bill was read a third time and passed.
EA,ST LINCASUARE RAILWAY BILL.
This RV, for making deviations in the East Lanca-
shire Railway and the Rawtenitalil Canal branch, was
read a third time and passed.
MANCHESTER, SiIEFFIELD, AND LINCOLN-
SHIRE RAILWAY (ASHTON CANAL PUR-
CHASE).
Mfrs BiA was read a third time and passed.
REPORTS.

The reports on the following Bills were brought up
and ordered to lie on the table :
Chester and Holyhead Rail Way Extension.
Crosland and Cowbit Wtshes, &e., Drainage.
Manchester Corporation Waterworks (Power to sell to
Manchester and SaWord Waterworks).
THIRD READINGS,
The following Bills were read a third time and
passed:—`
Alanchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway.
Northern Counties Union Railway Deviation.
York and North Midland Railway (Knottingley Branch).
Midland Railway- (Extension of the Nottingham afid
Lincoln Branch at Lincoln).
-Midland! Railway (Masbrough and Normanton Station
Enlargement).
Paisley, Batrhead, and Hurlet Railway.
Lincoln Town Rating.
Limerick Docks and Haibour.
Leeds Centjal Railway Station.
Guildford 'Extension and Portsmouth and Fareham
Railway.

East ,of Fife R=ilwsy (Markinch Deviation).
Edirdastrgh and Northern Railway, St. Andrew's and
Newburgh Hailour, Branches, and Road Crossings
(Newport Railway lixtension).
CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS.
-121"te reports on th..L. following Bills were further td con-
sick and agreed to i
Belfkil iraproveinen
Catl,eduzlian Railway (Edinburgh Station and Branches
Railway; .onton, and to the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Clarcine.b.RailAvay, and Leeds and Thirsk Railway Amal-
cramation.
Eastern Un on Railway (Branch from Manningtree to
Harwich).
Exeter and Exzl)uth Railway.
Great Northerirßaiiway (Deviations between Grantham
ttad York).
litverneiss Harbour and Navigation.
ItiVerness Municipal and Police, &c.
Leeds and Thirsk Railway (Eaglescliffe and Stillington
Extension).
(Branch from Melmerby to
Leeds and Thirsk RallwaY
Northallerton, &c.)
Leeds and Thinik Railway (llarrogate and Pateley
33ranch, &c.)
I.l4cester Water ,vor:zs.
LtviLlone.(Ctity) Improvements.
rift tiv nines-4m provenbint.
Taw Vale Railway and Dock (Deviations and Bideford
and .k)itt,hrnoiton Branches).
York ,toil Norsh Midland Railway (Hull Station and
Brailubes).
STOCIT.PORT MANORIAL TOLLS AND
BRIDGES.
On the motion for the third reading of this Bill,
Mr. B. ESCO TT opposed the third reading, on the
ground that the Bill would interfere with the interest of
the licensed victuall else, who had been refused a hearing
before the COmmittee on the Bill.
Mr. TATTON EGERTON supported the third read-
ing, ailvging that the inhabitants of Stockport were
particular anxious that the Bill should pass.
The Bill was then read a third time.