The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-31 00:00:00

month Junctions); Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln-
shire Railway (Liverpcol Exteniion) ; Bristol Harbour
Junction Railway and Wharf Depot, Great Northern Rail-
way (Additional Powers), and Lynn and Sutton Bridge
Railway (Works), and King's Lynn.
The Birmingham Waterwork; Bill was read a third time
and passed.

f .
Several petitions were presented against the abolition of
church rates, -and from the officers of the Indian Army,
praying for a redress of their alleged grievances.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AMENDMENT BILL.
On the motion of the•LORD CHANCELLOR,
The house went into committee on this bill,
Clauses 1,2, and :3 were agreed to.
'On clause 4,
• Earl GREY moved that it be omitted. .The clause re-
lated to the distinction made between murder of the first
and 'second degree, a distinction which he considered would
lead to confusion, and would never be generally under-
stood: Such being the case, he thought it was only coth-,.
mon sense that there should be no such clause in the bill.
The LORD CIIANCELLOR'saicI that the classification
proposed by this clause had been found to work efficiently
in Massachusetts and other
.parts of the United States.
When the bill was drawn up 111 conformity with the re-
'commendations of the commission it was -submitted to the
judges, the majority of whom were in its favour. 110 eo,,ki
not consent to-the withdrawal of the clause, the retention
of which he considered necessary to tile efficiency of the
bill.

•
Earl RUSSELL agreed with his noble and learned
friend (the Lord Chancellor) and supported the clause.
After some further discussion, the house divided, when
the numbers were—
Contents
son-Con vents
The amendment, according to the practice of the house,
was then carried.

[LEFT SITTING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS—THIS EVENING:
The &TARE- It took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS
_• •
. The following bills were read a third time and passed:
—Bodmin Roads, Caledonian Railway (Greenock and Gourock Extensions), East Barnet Gas and Water, Glas-
gow and South-Western Railway (Ayrshire Lines); Grange
and Cartmel District Gas and Water; Great Western Rail-
way, Greenwich and Woolwich Lower Bead, London and
North Western and Cockermouth and Workington Rail-
way Companies, London and North Western and White-
baven Junction Railway Companies, Manchester-Division
Petty Sessions Court, South Essex Estuary and Reclama-
tion, and Teme Valley Railway.

THE BOROUGH OF LAMBETH.
L. DOULTON gave notice that in committee on the
Representation of the People Bill he should move that the
borough of Lambeth. be divided into two divisions, each
division to return two members.
__ THE VICEROYALTY OF EGYPT.
agnateofMohammed to tVicelciriytoalttyheo fdeEseegyttpd
Foreign
GREGORY asked the Under Secretary of , State for
succession
nAffairs whether a change had taken place in the
ilt he ep•'re:
present
t'anftsroomf t
Vice
tedy ro :if how the change of succession had been
effec, end whether
subject which might
hatiiere was any information on the
Mr. LAYARD such a laid before the house?
un-
derstanding between the change Vie had taken place on an
with which he believed no foreign of Egypt and the Sul tan,
do. similar change, it Nvoul3digtePower had anything to
Sometime ago in Persia. A firmanreifollected, took-place
ad been isgued an-
nouncing the change, and he believed a
be forwarded to this counry, which Whesntatement was to
he would lay on the tablet of the hells°. he received it,
AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.
Mr. GREGORY asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether Austria, by an imperial decree
dated May 13th, and Prussia by a decree dated May 19th,
had agreed, in case of war, to confer on the enemy's xn„_
chant ships at sea the same immunities as had
been granted to neutral vessels by the Decla-
ration of Paris (1856);- whether this principle wag
set forth in the Italian Maritime Code, and that
therefore no new declaration to this effect was required
from Italy ; and whether her Majesty's Government had ,
received any recent communication from foreign Powers
upon this subject?
Mr. LAYARD said there was some ambiguity in the 0
first part of the question of the hon. gentleman. The,.,,
declaration of Paris related to foreign goods, and not to
foreign ships. With respect to the second portion of the
question he would make inquiry. No communication had
been received on the subject from foreign Powers.

S .
Mr. B. STANHOPECOUNTY askedTATISTICS the President of the PoO`r-
law Board when the returns relating to county statistics
moved by Lord Burghley and by himself in February were
to be presented to the house ?
Viscount ENFIELD said about 600 returns had been
receivod, but 49 were still wanting. He had written to'
each of those 49 places desiring that returns might be for-
warded with the least delay.
Mr. HUNT asked whether they could not have the 600
returns without waiting for the wanting 49.
Viscount ENFIELD said he would make inquiry on the
subject.