The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-22 00:00:00

CRIMINAL INFORH,VFION.

The SOLICITPR-GENERAL said he had to move for a
rule to show cause why a criminal information should not
issue against the registered proprietor and printer of
the Daily News newspaper for a libel on Me. B. M.
Willcox and two other gentlemen, the managing direc-
tors of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Company, which appeared in that paper on the 29th of
October last. The passage in question formed
part of a long article on the Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Company in reference to steam navi-
gation to the Autralian colonies. It related to
a question which had excited a good deal of public dis-
cussion in this country, namely, navigation by steam be-
tween Singapore and the Australian colonies; and it
was wholly within the province of a newspaper to dis-
cuss a question of that kind; bat the observations made
in the article referred to affected the honour and the in-
tegrity of those three gentlemen so seriously that they felt
themselves bound to come to a court of justice in
order to clear themselves of such an imputation as that
which was ca't on them. It appeared that, in the dis-
cussion which took place on this subject, the Daily News
took a very prominent part ; and a letter had been
written in the name of the company to the editor,
signed " A Lover of Fair Play," which had for its object
the vindication of the company. The editor published
the letter, and in a short note gave his comments
upon it, alleging, in answer, various complaints
that had been preferred against the company, and which
appeared in an East Indian newspaper called the Bengal
Ilarkaru. The gravamen of the libel consisted ire a
part of the article which substantially charged the
managing directors of the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company with having departed
from the usual rule of the company with re-
gard to the repairing of one of their ships,
called the Bentinck, in order that the directors might
eet what was called their dustoree, which was an Indian
word, implying the receipt of an illegal and improper per-
quisite taken by servants and middle men, on the money
expended by them for their employers. He (the Solici-
tor-General) had the affidavits of the three managing
directors of that company, who stated that there was not
the slightest shadow of foundation for such a charge
being made against them ; that they took no
perquisites on the expenditure of the company, and de-
rived no advantage whatever in respect to the repairing
the ships of the company. The directors therefore felt
that by the publication of the statement to which he had
referred they were disgraced in the eyes of their share-
holders; they felt that a charge of that kind seriously
effected them as public men and as gentlemen, and there-
fore they had brought the matter before the attention of
the Court; in doing so, however, they had no vindictive
feelings towards the newspaper in question.
Lord CAMPBELL (addressing the Solicitor-General)
said he understood that his clients had had an oppor-
tunity of denying the charge, and had denied it amply,
and he (Lord Campbell) and his brethren on the bench
thought that the Court ought not to interfere.
Rule refused.

[The following appeared in our Third Edition of
last night :—]

FRANCE.

Not even on the first night of the season was the
Italian Opera more crowded than on Tuesday night.
The theatre contained within its walls all that is most
eminent for rank, fashion, and talent. Mademoiselle
Fiorentini made her appearance in Norma, and was
warmly applauded. The President of the Republic,
accompanied by his new Aide-de. Camp, General Ro-
guel, entered his box at a little after nine o'clock.
Considerable damage has been done in Pali.; by a
storm of wind on Tuesday night and the night
previous. The carousel and the quays were covered
with slates blown from the roofs of the Tuileries and
the Louvre. A chimney was blown down in the rue
Avoir, and branches of trees torn away in the
gardens of the Tuileries and the Champs Elysees.

The following Bill, for regulating the electric tele-
graphic communications, was read a second time on
Tuesday :

" Art. 1. States that the (telegraph is open to every
one whose identity is established, but with the under-
standing that private communications are always to give
way to private ones.
" Art. 2. Gives the rules to be observed by persons
wishing to transmit telegraphic communications.
" Art. 3. Authorises the director of the telegraph to
refuse such communications as may be injurious to the
public morality or to the interests of order.

" Art. 4. Allows the Government to suspend the
transmission of communications.
" Art. 5. Enforces secrecy on the functionaries.
" Art. 6. Absolves the Government from any respon-
sibility with regard to private correspondence.
" Art. 7. Fixes the tariff for dispatches as follows:
For a dispatch of from one to twenty words, 3f., with an
addition of 12c. for every myriametre (somewhat more than
six English miles). Over twenty words, the price for trans-
mission is increased a fourth for every ten words, or frac-
tion of ten words; the address, date, and signature are
counted in the dispatch, and figures are reckoned as if
written in words at length. Every fraction of a myria-
metre is considered as an entire one. Dispatches sent
by night are charged one-half extra. The Minister of
thelnterior is authorised to take subscriptions at reduced
prices for the transmission of news intendid for journals,
or fir those connected with them.

" Art. 8. Allows the repetition cf the dispatch, in
order to secure correctness, on payment of double fees.

" Art. 9. Provides for the additional charge of deli-
vering the dispatch at the residences of the parties, at
the rate of 50c. in the departments, and If. in Paris.
" Art. 10. Regulates the order of priority in trans-
mission of dispatches, and stating that short ones should
have the preference over long ones.
" Art. 11. States that the Bill would come into ope-
ration on the Ist of March next, and regulates the diffe-
rent forms to be observed by persons wishing to send
dispatches."