The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-10 00:00:00

occasion.

" Perfectly satisfied with the law so proposed to be laid
down. I said it was unnecessary to peruse the paper, and
at once gave my assent to the law as so intended to be
stated, adding that I thought it would be satisfactory if
Mr. Justice Blackburn were to say that, in so directing
the jury, he was speaking with the concurrence of the rest
of the court.

" Inasmuch as, if the paper referred to contained more
than the statement of the proposition to which we all
assented, I have been in error in saying that the other
members of the court were no parties to any of the other
views set forth in the recent charge ; and as I think it due
to all of us that there should be no misconception on this
subject, I take the liberty, as the paper in question was
left in your hands, to beg you to inform me whether or
not it contained anything more than the proposition to
which I have referred, especially whether it contained
any reference to the case of Mr. Gordon.—l am, yours,
faithfully, "A. E. COCKBURN.
" Hon. Mr. Justice Lush."

" Westminster, June 9, 1868.

"Dear Lord Chief Justice,--I returned the paper to my'
brother Blackburn at the tin.:!e, and I find it is now at his
house. But I well remember that it contained only
the general propositions men* Toned by you in court yester-
day, adding that_ tbe appli4tion of, hat principle to the
particular case required him ah tell the jury what was the
law of Jamaica. In no other way did it refer to that law,
nor did it state anything about partial law, or refer to the
case of Gordon. I have shewn this to my brother Black-
burn, and he agrees that it is an accurate account of
what the paper contains. —Yours very truly,

ROBERT Lusn."

THE LATE EDITION of "THE SUN " at
J. SMITH'S, 39, Bow-street, Cocent-garden.

THE LATE EDITION of "THE SUN " at
W. SMITH'S, •' Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden

town.

' them in a condition of " suspended animation."
No one can blame the Government, under these cir-
cumstances, for pushing forward the matter with
as little delay as possible, and it is only to
be regretted that more progress was not effected.
A most insurmountable opposition was m tde to the
bill, and in consequence the morning sitting came
to au end without any definite result being at-
tained. In this we have another instance of the
factious spirit which animates the course of the
Opposition this year, and they are not thereby im-
proving their position or raising their character
in the eyes of the country. Mr. GLADSTONE en-
deavoured, it is true, to make the best
of their strange proceedings, but to very
little purpose, and he showed his usual
inconsistency by declaring that he was in favour of
the principle of the bill, but many points of con-
siderable importance require to be explained. lie
also admitted that he did not question the correct-
ness of the statement of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, but still, with all these provisos, he was
not willing to allow the bill to proceed. It is really
extraordinary to notice the manner in which Mr.
GLADSTONE conducts his policy in respect to mea-
sures before the House, but the mode of his pro-

ceedings is not at all calculated to facilitate the

course of public business, or hasten the completion
of subjects before the House. Mr. HUNT proposed
that the bill should be read a second time, and
then referred to a Select Committee, when it could
be satisfactorily arranged, and any point not popu-
lar to. The Government held out
every inducement to hon. meuluv.. ...
the bill, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer said
that no opposition would be made to the clauses
being introduced for the purpose of meet-
ing the objections of the railway com-
panies, and for giving every facility for tele-
graphic communications taking place. At the
outset of his speech, Mr. HUNT showed that the
project of the bill had been favourably received,
and that the petitions were most significant in their
character. Thus they had had against it ten from
railway companies and three hundred and fifteen
from private shareholders; while those in favour
had come from commercial bodies and the news-
paper press. The telegraph companies are, on the
whole, inimical to the bill.
It stands to reason that as the purport of this
measure is to enable the Government to deal with

he telegraph companies for the purchase of their
ines, and to authorise the Postmaster-General

to work the lines so purchased, that it will
be most inconvenient for the companies not
to know what is to be done, much less to have

to wait for another year in a state of indecision
and uncertainty. Another " significant fact" was
shown in this speech. A short time ago a weekly
periodical stated that the Government had aban-
doned their intention of proceeding with the Tele-
graphs Bill. This was not true in itself, but it had
its effect on the companies, because their shares
fell immediately. Mr. LEEMAN in his long address
failed to show sufficient grounds for his proposal,
which was that the bill be referred to a select com-
mittee. His objection was of a fundamental nature,
and he declared that it was most unadvisable
for the Executive to undertake these duties ; and as
for the parallel which the hon. member sought to
make out by drawing a comparison between foreign
countries and our own, it was not at all successfully
carried out. The system of espionage which he so
strongly denounced could never exist for a moment
among us, and all that part of the argument falls
to the ground. Mr. LEEMAN wished the Select
Committee to inquire
_into the policy of " trans-
ferring the telegraphs to the control of the State,"
but if the House agreed to that proposal ;it would
be virtually the same as if the hon. member h ld
carried out his original intention, and moved that
the second reading should take place that day six
months. Sir STAFFORD NORTHCOTE, with great
justice, complained of the course the Opposition had
taken, and said that it would have been much more
straightforward if Mr. LEEMAN had adhered to his
original notice. As for the difficulties of the bill
there were none which could not at once be dis-
posed of if the House were so minded, and he
wound up by putting the plain facts of the case be-
fore them, and stating that if the Opposition had
fully made up their minds to get rid of the measure,
of course they could do so. The end was, that the
time for concluding the morning sitting arrived
before the discussion had been brought to a close,
and by their vexatious course the Opposition have
very likely put off the settlement of the affair till
another session. It is really too bad that no con-
sideration for public interests can arrest their tactics
in the slightest degree, or check the mischievous
spirit that now animates them, to the detriment of
all progress but that of Mr. GLADSTONE'S incon-
clusive arrangements and premature measures. It
is an old story by this time, but the public had
better bear it in mind, and note the constant repe-
tition of it, so that when the dissolution really
takes place they may see at whose account to place
the wasted time of this session.