The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-20 00:00:00

DIPERIAL PARLIAMENT

lIOUSE OF COMMONS.—Tars DAY.
Tho SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a second time : --Denbigh,
Ruthiu, and Corwen, and Mold and Denbigh Junction
Railway Companies Amalgamation ; Central Cornwall
Railway (No. 1), Devon and Cornwall Railway.
WHITWORTH RIFLES.
On the motion of Major JERVIS, an address was crdered
for a return respecting the steel of which the Whitworth
rifle barrels, which have been used in the army, were made;
rtnd copy of reports of officers commanding regiments or
battalions to whom the Whitwohlt rifles were issued, re-
pecting the efficiency of those rifles for the service.
STEERING AND SAILING RULES.
An Hox. MEMBER gave notice that on Friday he would
ask the First Lord of the Admiralty a question with re-
ference to the Admiralty Steering and Sailing Rules.
ANNUITY TAX ABOLITION (EDINBURGH,
PARISH OF CANONGATE) BILL.
On the order for the second reading of this bill,
An Hozr. MEMBER presented a petition from the church
of St. George's, Edinburgh, against the bill.
Mr. M'LAREN presented a petition from the corporation
of Edinburgh, under the city seal, in favour of the
bill. The petition stated that the bill was well cal-
culated to settle the vexed question of the Annuity-tax
and to restore peace to the city. He also presented
a petition in favour of the bill signed by 11,330
ratepayers of the city of Edinburgh, of whom
about one half were electors, and on moving the second
reading of the bill the hon. member said it was
founded on an Act passed in 1860. That Act professed to
abolish the Annuity-tax—the ministers' money—that was
then levied in Edinburgh, and it did so, but it imposed
two other church rates in place of the Annuity-tax, which

was abolished. That bill was strongly opposed by the in-
habitants, the Corporation, and all public bodies in Edin-
burgh, and was protested against by largo bodies of the
electors. After it Is as framed, another meeting was held,
with the chief magistrate in the choir, In which a solemn
protest was signed by nearly 8,000 inhabitants—of whom
1,000 were electors—declaring that they never would be
satisfied with its provisions, and that they would continue

to urge its repeal.
SirJ. FERGUSON opposed the bill, and moved that
it be read a second time that day six months.
Mr. BAXTER thought that the hon. member who had
introduced this bill was quite justified in the course he had
taken, notwithstanding the act which had been passed in
1860 ; and ho thought if the louse passed the bill now
before it, the security of the clergy in Edinburgh would
be increased, and the ministerial charges would be abo-
lished, which, in his opinion, were not at the present time
required—the keeping up of which was only a source of
ill feeling and irritation.
Mr. W. MILLER seconded the amendment.
Mr. MONORIEFF said such a thing as an annuity tax
did not in fact exist. The tax that now existed was purely
a municipal impost, as the clergy did not receive
one farthing of it. He regretted that his hon. colleague
should have introduced the bill, and without he framed
his bill so as not to upset the compact and arrangement
come to in 1860, he could not give his vote in its support.
If the bill was lost he would endeavour to introduce a
measure which would deal solely with the borough of
Oanongate, which was an omission iu the bill of 1860, and
also with the penny impost which was now levied through-
.

out the municipality. He thought the house was bound
in honour to respoct the arrangement come to in 1860.
NV hat his colleague in his opinion ought to have done was

to take measures to repeal the act of 1860, which would

place all parties in a fair position to start afresh in the
contest that must arise. Ho hoped his hon. friend would

not press his bill to a division, because it had not the
slightest chance of success. If ho did he must givo his

vote against him.
After a discussion, in which Mr. HADFIELD and Mr.
ORuM-EWING took part, the house divided, when there
appeared—
For the socond reading
Against it
Majority

The bill was consequently lost.
CRIMINAL LAW BILL.

Mr. R. GURNEY moved the second reading of this
bill, tho object of which was to improve the admiaistra-
.

tion of justice. As the bil: was not to meet with opposi-
tion, he would merely, at that stage, state the two novel-
ties introduced into the bill. Thu first was that when a
prosecutor determined to go on with a prosecution after a
magistrate had decided that there is not sufficient evidence
to warrant a conviction, that he should be called upon
to pay the expenses of the person against whom ha pro-
ceeds. It was now competent for any person to go baforo
a grand jury, get a bill of Indictment returned against a
person,who was then arrested on what was termed a bench
warrant, and then, when the case) came before the petty
jury for trial the counsel engaged for the pro-
secution stated there was no evidence, and the
person was discharged. He thought such a
system highly injurious, because a person
instituting such a prosecution could only be actuated by
malicious feelings or an attempt at extortion. The other
new principle in the bill was, that power should be given
to enforce the attendance of witnesses who could prove
the innocence of a prisoner, and to provide for the proper
payment of such witnesses. Some hon. members might
entertain objections on the ground of expense, but he felt
that it was in the highest degree important that any per-
son accused of any particular crime should have the means
provided him of proving his innocence.
Mr. lIURST objected to the bill, and thought that the
best way of getting over the inconvenience of obtaining
bill by representations before the grand jury was to abo-
lish the grand jury system altogether.
Mr. DENMAN thought the bill contained some very
good provisions, and he hoped would soon become the law
of the land.
After a few words from Mr. WALPOLE, the bill was
read a second time, and ordered to be committed that day
week.

ASSOCIATION OF WORKMEN BILL.
Mr. NEATE postponed proceeding with this bill unt
,he Ist of March.

SUGAR D UTIES.
The report on the reduction of the sugar duties was
brought up and received.

SUPPLY.

Upon the bringing up tho report of the committee 01
supply,

Mr. B. OSBORNE, on a vote of £6OO for an altera-
tion in the Houses of Parliament being read, said he
trusted the noble lord the First Commissioner of Works
would take into consideration the state of the ladies' gal-
lery, as at present it was perfectly disgraceful. The House
of Lords adopted a very different system with great ad-
vantage. and he thought it might be very advantageously
adopted in that house. A more inconvenient or objec-
tionable apartment did not not exist in that house than
the ladies' gallery. (Hear, hear.)
Sir J. BOWYER concurred with the hon.igentleman
who had just down. He hoped that the First Commis-
sioner would be of opinion that the time had arrived
when the gratings in front should be removed, and
that the gallery should be made more wholesome and
agreeable to the ladies who occupied them. At present
the accommodation offered to ladies in the house was
disgraceful, and the sooner it was altered the better.
(Hear, hear.)