The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-26 00:00:00

Tbirb 15Vition

SUN OFFICE, Seven, o'Clock.

TATTERSALL'S.—(This Evening.)

DERBY RACES.—(This Day).

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
HARRINGTON PLATE.

Huntington
Emulator
►9tulz colt

Twelve ran.
SCARSDALE STAKES.

York ....4,.
Greenwich Fair
Archibald

Seven ran.
MIDLAND STEEPLECHASE
Westminster

Tcb ernaya

... 3

3

janue
Eleven ran.
HURDLE RACE.

Sluggard
Trew.thery
Roy ilty

LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE.
7to 1 agst Escape (taken)
9 to 1 agst Minos (offered)
10 to 1 agst Emigrant (offered)
15 to 1 agst Black Swan (taken)

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS.—(This Evening.)
7'ne LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the wool-
pack at 5 o'clock.
CHIEF CONSTABLES BILL.

Viscount DUNGANNON postponed his motion re-
lative to the see of London until this day week. The
nolli viscount al- o gave notice that, when their lord-
ships went into committee upon the Constabulary Bill,
he should move a proviso that no person should be eli-
gible to fill the office of chief constable who has been a
bankrupt, or has passed through the Insolvents' Court,
nole,is he should prove, to the satisfaction of the Home
Secretary, that such bankruptcy or insolvency his not
been caused by fraud or extravagance.
Tile Earl of HARDWICKE presented several peti-
tions in favour of the exemption of incomes below 150/,
per annum from the operation of the income tax.
PUBLIC HEALTH SUPPLEMENTAL BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
LAW OF LIBEL.

Lord CAMPBELL moved for a select committee to
consider whether the privilege now enjoyed by reports
of the proceedings of courts of justice may be safely and
properly extended to reports of the proceedings of the
two Houses of Parliament, and of any and what other
assemblies or public meeting:, under any and what
conditions or restrictions. The noble lord said
that this question was one of great importance. He re-
gretted he could not comply with the request that had
been made to him to postpone it. The effect of agreeing
to his motion would not pledge their hrdships to any
particular measure. It would express an opinion that
this was a fit subject for le4islition. The question de-
manded an immediate settlement, in consequence
of the unanimous opinion of the judges of the
Court of Queen's Bench that the law did not justly the
publicaion of the proceedings of a public meeting in the
event of libellous or injurious matters being spoken
against the character of indi.idnals. It was said
that Lord Coke propounded the doctrine that
an action at law lay only against the speaker
and not against the party that published the libel. Lard
Coke, though no doubt a high legal authority, was not,
however, infallible. It. was obviously for the public good
that the proceedings of this house and the houses of
convocation should be published under the protection
of the law, but he was not willing to go further without
the assistance of a select committee. The noble lord
concluded by moving for the appointment of a select
committee to is quire into the whole subject, and to re-
port to their lord,,hips.

- Lord WENSLEYDALE entirely concurred in the
ob ervations of the nobly and learned lord, and said he
thought it Exceedingly desirable that the su).ject should
be settled as speedily as possible. He thought his
no'de friend had better introduce a bill in which he
could deal with the whole of the subject.
The motion was then agreed to.
WAR WITH. CHINA—TLIE ADJOURNED
DEBATE.

The Earl of CA.VNA.RVON said, after the able
speeches that had been delivered in their lordships'
house the other night, he felt it exceedingly difficult to
thriw any additional light on the subject. He contended
that even from the evidence upon their lord hips table
it was impossible to doubt that the lorcha Arrow, which
wa; boarded by the Chinese, was any other than a Chi-
/Imo vessel ; arid, therefore, that the whole proceedings
tha t had been taken by the. British were illegal. Tile
nol to earl declared the whole of the acts of Sir J. Bow-
ring as unjustifiable. At one tinrs he writes
home that a lorcha had no right to carry
the British flag, her registry having expired on the 27th
of :ieptomber, and after that he writes home and says no
mai,ter what might be said on the subject, the lorcha, was
a I:ritish vessel, and had a right to carry the British
flag. It was a curious fact, that throughout the whole
of the speeches that had been delivered by the members
of her Majesty's Government, this discrepancy bad not
been alluded to, in fact, he might say, it bad been studi-
ously avoided.