The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-17 00:00:00

PERSIA.

The Earl of CLARENDON said that, seeing the
noble earl (Albemarle) had a motion on the paper for
that evening, he ventured to appeal to him, because at
that moment negotiations were going on at Paris in re-
spect to our relations with Persia. That morning he bad
received a cimmunication from Paris, stating that satis-
factory progress was being made, and, under such cir-
cumstances, he thought that any discussion at the
present moment would greatly endanger the success of
. those negotiations.
The Earl of ALBE ARLE said, under such circum-
stances, ho would withdraw the motion that stood in his
name that evening.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn.
PRIVATE BILLS.
Lord BROUGHAM called the attention of the noble
lord the chairman of the committee on private bills to the
latest period fixed for the introduction of private bills,
which he believed was March 23 - The noble and learned
lord, after alluding to two particular cases which de-
mantle i the special attention of their lordships, said
that such an order as he had referred to would occasion
great injustice.
Lord REDESDALE admitted the special character
of the cases referred to, and said he should not offer the
slightest obstacle to the hills passing through the house.
MR. SHEEPSHANKS' PICTURES.
Lord MONTEAGLE moved for a copy of any cor-
respondence between her Majesty's Government and Mr
Sheepshanks respecting the gift of his collection of pie-
urea to the nation.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said it was impos-
sible to speak too highly of Mr. Sheepshanks, who had
exercised great taste-and expended a large sum of mono
in making the collection. It was a collection of some of
the choicest specimens of British art, which Mr. Sheep.
shanks, now in the full enjoyment of his health, offered
to the nation, hoping to see himself the good it might do
in improving and refining the taste of the people. The
conditions were that the collection should be placed in a
position accessible to the people, but free from dirt and
noise, and in immediate connexion with those schools of
art to which he thought it might be of great advantage.
He was anxious also that the collection should be placed
under the sole responsibility and superintendence of a
minister of the crown, and not handed over to trustees,
who might not he so responsible to public opinion. The
selection was the minister who presided over art edu-
cai ion, and in the present instance hail fallen upon
him (Lord Stanley). It would, however, soon fall
into the more worthy hands of his noble friend the
President of the Council. Mr. Sheepshanks wished
that a suitable building might be•erected on the ground
in Kensington purchased by the Royal Commission
in 1851, and on which were to be erected also the
schools of art hitherto held in Marlborough-house. He
wished that a portion of the pictures might be occasion.
ally sent to the provinces and exhibited to the working
classes. Further, it was his wish, although he did not
make any stipulation to that effect, that the collection
should be open for a portion of each Sunday evening, in
order that men who were employed all the week might
have an opportunity of cultivating their judgment and
improving their taste. These were the simple conditions
of Mr. Sheepshanks' gift, and he wished his collection to
f•rm a nucleus of British art, rather than preserve any
distinctive name having reference to the donor. Mr.
Sheepshanks was fully convinced that the great Exhibi-
tion of 1851 had given a great impulse to the taste and
love of the tine arts of our working classes, and he hoped
that his munificent gilt would aid in the salutary move-
ment. He (Lord Stanley) was strongly of the same opi-
nion, and he could only repeat his admiration of this
munificent gift, so creditable to the country, and so
. honourable to Mr. Sheepshanks as a citizen. He hoped
that this case would prove to those who might become
donors to the nation that there was no fear but their
gifts would be worthily housed, and duly and thankfully
appreciated by her induhtrioue citizen's. (Herz)
THE YEOMANRY,
The Earl of PO WIS moved—" Thet an humble ad-
dress be presented to her Majesty for a return showing
the years since 1815 in which the yeomanry have not
been assembled either for permanent duty or training
and exerci,,e ; And also copy of any circelar from the
Secretary cf gate fo the lords-lieutenant of counties as
to ttie aeseielling of the yeomanry during the present
year."

- Lord PAN NIURE had no objection to give the returns
asked for, and in reply to -the-noble Lord's remarks could
assure him :that he should be sx'remely sorry to see the
yeomanry dispenses' with He looked upon that corps,
as he had stated before both in that and the other house,
as an extremely valual to one, not - only from the uses
whjeti, might be made of it, but that its mem
hers were alwaye desirous of making themselves ser-
v:ceable, both in peace and war, to their eouterys
But he thought that they might without impairing that
ferce, knowing as they did' from the reports which had
been presented to Government that it was now in a most
efficient state, dispense durirg the present year with
calling: it out. It was of little benefit to the corps to be
called nut, so far as its military duty was concerned.
He mislied, that- the day was gone by when they would
needitcLhe.ealled out in aid (lithe civil power. The im-
provement in the !interne.' state of tranquillity of the
country, and the t itra strength which the police bill ~f
last session bad placed under the control of the civil
power, warranted him in Supposing that that time had
gone by. One matter, however, deserved consideration,
and that was the question af withdrawing the contin-
gent allowance. That suhji ct certainly ought to be re-
considered, and ha would therefore promise that it should
have his careful reconsideration.
Thamotion was agreed to.
VIE LAW OF LIBEL.
Lord CAMPBELL, who was very imperfectly
was underitood to pressnt is petition praying their lord-
ships to take into consideratisn the present state of the
how with reference to the publiqViun in newspapers of
reports of the proceedings at pnhlic meetings, and
sent to an alteration in that law, providing that the pub-
lication of a fair and accurate rep art, without malice, of
such proceedings should not su'rje.ct the publisher too n
action for libel. The noble and learned lord said—My
Is rile this is a very important subject, and very well de-
server the consideration of your lordships sitting as a
bianch of the Legislature. There (same before the Court
of Queen's Bench last term, in the case of " Davison v
Duncan," the question whether all the proceedings
public meetings when bona fide published may be pub-
lished without any danger of any legal pre.
ceedings, however much they :may calumniate
are individual and be injurious to private charac-
ter. I and my brethren in that court arrived without
the slightest hesitation at the conclusion that, as the law
• of England now stands, there is no such immunity.
We were not at liberty to consider whether the privilege
sought for ought to be. given to the press. It would
have been a most monstrous usurpation if we bad de.
Bided that the publication before us was not liable to an
action ; far it had been determined over and orer again
by, our predecessors, by whose decisiOns we aro bound,
that if there be anything slanderous in a writing it is
subject to an action, and that it is no justification to
plead that the slanderous matter has been written or
spoken by another -person. Such is the law of England
at present, and to cal upon us to alter the law, if we,
think it wrong, would preposterous as to say that
we are at liberty to set aside the lises of primogeniture
and divide the landed estate of a deceassd
among all his children. Oar dut 1 equally
y 8
to person
nterthe
law, not to abolish or even amend it. When I had
the honour to propose in this house a bill which
afterwards became law, and which effected a most
material improvement in the law of libel, I submitted a
clangs very limited in its nature—for I was afraid to go
very far— proiiding that any bona fide account c'f the pre-
ceedings of either 11,,U38 of Para imeur should be privi-
leged, and not subject to an action. I was unable
it
ablewatos
carry it ; there was a majority against me, ca
said not only that the la v gave no such privilege, but
that it ought not to give it. After having fa 1 1.1 as a mem-
ber of this house to alter the law, it would have been a
breach of my duty if, sitting as a judge in a court of jus-
tice, I had declared the law to be contrary to what, your
lordships had decided it to be. Your lordships may
recor -
eider that decision, and, in that case, if my proposal with
respect to the proceedings of tse two houses should be
again submitted I shall be glad to give it my most
ardent support. For it seems to me monstrous to say
that if there'be a bona fide report of a speech in Parlia-
went publishes the publisher should be liable to an ac-
tion. That is-different from a case which occurred about
SO years ago, when a noble earl in this Louse made
a speech calumniating his steward, and publishes' it him-
self.- The publication in question led to aaaction, because
it was not a bona fide account of the proceedings in this
house, but was intended to calumniate a private indivi-
dual ; and such an action would continue to be available

if the clau,e which I proposed were passed into a law
to. won But while, as far as the proceedings of the
flouseN of Pa, Fa'nent are cotictruecl, I .vould z?a-
lously support the €x•-.,ension of the privileges of the press,
law not sure that I would grant the s :me immunity to
reports of the proceedings of all public meetings, because
to say that the publication in neNspapers of whatever
is said at any public meeting, or at anything which
may he called a public meeting, should be privileged
would be going rather too far. 'lt has been said that the
person calumniated may bring an action against the
man who makes the speech ; but it must be remembered
that a speech spoken is a smaller offence than one that
is published .and sent all over the world. Still
lam not prepared to say that the liberty of publica-
tion should not be extended to all public meetings under
certain limitations and restrictions, but I bold that it
would be preposterous for the judges sitting on the bench
to legislate as well as to declare what the law of England
is, and I hope that such a precedent will never be estab-
lished in this c mntry. (Hear )
Their 11rdships adjourned at half-past 6 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBERS.

Mr. CLAY took the oaths and his seat for Hull.
Mr. CLIME took the oaths and his seat for Hereford.
PRIVATE BUSINE'S.

The following bills were read a second time, and or-
dered to be committed :—Atlantic Telegraph Com-
pany ; Australian Agricultural Company ; Bedale
and Leyburn Railway ; Briton Ferry Docks ;
Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway Company;
Cannock Mineral Railway (No. 1) ; Cardigan Markets
and Improvements ; Ccilk Gas ; Eiie Harbour ;
Guildford Gas ; Haslingden and Todmorden
ads;. Herne Bay and Faversham Railway ;
Kidsgrove Market Town Hall, &c.; Landport and South-
sea Improvement ; Langport, Somerton, and Castlecary
Roads ; Liverpool and Birkenhead Docks ; Lowestoft
Nate , Gas, and Market; Manchester, Sheffied, and Lin-
colnshire Railway (Buxton and Cleethorpes) ; Manches-
ter, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway (Romiley, &c.);
•Meriton's and Hagen's Sufferance Wharves; Midland
Great Western Railway of Ireland (Sligo Extension) ;
Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland (Tullamore
Line) ; Milford Improvement; Mordon Carrs Drainage;
New Brunswick and Canada Railway and Land Com-
pany ; Newcastle-under-Lyme and Leek Roads ; Nor-
wich and Spalding Railway ; North-Eastern and Hartle-
pool Dock and Railway Companies Amalgamation ;
Prestwich, Bury, and Radcliffe Roads ; St. Helen's
Canal and Railway; Seloyand Market Weighton Road;
Shrewsbury Gas ; South-Eastern Railway (Greenwich
Junction to Dartford, &c.) ' • South-Eastern Railway
(Reading, &c...) ; South Shields Gas ; South Stafford-
shire Water ; Sunken Vessels Recovery Company ;
West Hartlepool Harbour and Rail way and Nerth-
Eastern Railway Companies Amalgamation ; Westmin-
ster Terminus Railway Extension (Clapham to Nor-
wood Abandonment) ; West of Fife Mineral Railway ;
and Willenhall (Wolverhampton) Gas.
MESSAGE FROM THE CROWN.

Lord CA ST LEROSSE, comptroller of the household, ap-
peared at the bar of the house with her Majesty's reply to
an address to her, on the motion of Mr. Napier, for the ap-
pointment of an officer of public justice. Her Majesty's
gracious reply stated that Her Majesty had received the
address for the brmation of a department of public
justice, and that Her 'Majesty had given di-
rections that the subject should receive that attentive
consideration which it demanded.

SAVINGS BANKS.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave
notice that to-morrow he should move for leave to briny
in a bill relative to savings banks, and to provide for
the establishment of those institutions on the security of
Government.