way.

MR. SERJEANT SIMON thought the Amendment a very important one, and reminded the Committee that whenever a charge was made against an individual he was allowed to give an explanation. MR. BRUCE said, that the adoption of such a principle would make a great change in their criminal law, and at that time of the night it could not be carefully considered. Besides, the hon. Baronet ought to have given Notice of his intention to bring it forward.

SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON replied that if it were not a proper time for discussing an Amendment, it was not a proper time for considering a clause of so important a Bill.

MR. BRUCE reminded the hon. Baronet that it was a very proper time to discuss the details or principle of the Bill, but not for the introduction and adoption of a new principle in their

criminal law.

Clause, as amended, agreed to. Clause 45 (Appeal to quarter sessions); and Clause 46 (Continuance of license during pendency of an appeal), agreed to. Clause 47 (Exclusion of certiorari). MR. RAIKES, in moving the omission of the clause, said, he objected to the exclusion of appeal and certiorari. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL supported the clause.

Amendment negatived.
Clause agreed to.

Clause 48 (Record of convictions). On the Motion of Sir HENRY SELWINIBBETSON, Amendment made, by inserting in the clause words providing that notice should be given to the owner of a house of each conviction of his tenant under the Bill.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 49 (Regulations for the protection of owners of licensed premises).

MR. DODSON pointed out that there were three offences, the commission of either of which entailed the necessary forfeiture of a license and the disqualification of the premises until the next Brewster Sessions. In that case the owner had no means of protecting himself, as the forfeiture followed the first offence. He hoped the right hon. Gentleman would take into consideration the expediency of adding another clause to the Bill, or introducing an Amendment by which the owner of premises, the license of which had been forfeited by the first offence of the tenant, should be enabled to obtain at least a provisional transfer of the license to another tenant.

MR. BRUCE said, that was a matter which he would take into consideration before bringing up the Report.

MR. WETHERED wished to protect the license against forfeiture for the first offence, without leaving the magistrates any discretionary power, as, for instance, in the case where a beerseller sold spirits. With that view, he would move as an Amendment, in page 24, line 23, after " made," insert was a first offence or."

MR. BRUCE said, he could not accept the proposal of the hon. Gentleman, but he would again promise to consider the point raised by the right hon. Gentleman

the Member for East Sussex.

Amendment negatived.

MR. SCLATER-BOOTH said, it was now two o'clock, and he would suggest that the Chairman report Progress.

MR. RATHBONE thought it strange that the only Gentleman on the front Opposition bench should appear here for the sake of obstruction.

MR. SCLATER-BOOTH denied that he wished to obstruct the Bill, but exhausted nature required rest, and as hon. Members had been in the House until past 4 o'clock on the previous evening, he thought it was now time to bring the discussion to a close.

MR. COLLINS hoped something would be done to relieve the owner, who was at present completely in the hands of the tenant, who might, by allowing the license to drop, injure the value of the property.

MR. WINTERBOTHAM explained that the object of the clause was to give

SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON moved as an Amendment, in line 32, after “void,” insert—

"And the Court shall have power to grant on application by such owner or mortgagee, a conditional license to a new tenant to be approved of by the Court, for such house, which conditional license shall be in force until the then next annual licensing day."

MR. BRUCE said, he could not accept the Amendment, and that the question had already been discussed.

SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON wished to impress upon the right hon. Gentleman that a man might be deprived of the value of his property by the want of power to put in a temporary tenant. Amendment negatived. Clause agreed to.

Clause 50 (Evidence of endorsements and register).

On the Motion of Mr. WATNEY, an Amendment made by inserting in page 24, line 40, before "the registers the words "Where the license is not produced."

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 51 (Saving for other Acts) agreed to.

MR. RYLANDS suggested that the time had now come (10 minutes past 2) to report Progress.

MR. BRUCE said, that there were still one or two questions which they might settle at the present Sitting.

Miscellaneous.

Clause 52 (Disqualification of justices). On the Motion of Mr. BRUCE, Amendment made by inserting in page 25, line 10, after "act," the words

Except in cases where the offence charged is that of being found drunk in any highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on any licensed premises, or of being guilty while drunk of riotous or disorderly conduct or of being drunk while in charge of any carriage, horse, cattle, or steam-engine, or of being drunk when in posesssion of any loaded firearms."

Clause, as amended, agreed to. Clause 53 (Extension of jurisdiction of justices), agreed to.

Clause 54 (Evidence), struck out. Clause 55 (Avoidance of excise license on forfeiture of license); and Clause 56

Clause 57 (Ascertaining of population), struck out.

Clause 58 (Notices may be served by post).

MR. T. CAVE moved, in line 36, after "sent," to insert

"Must be served personally upon any person interested in any licensed premises, and entitled to receive notice of a conviction under this Act: Provided always, That the person so entitled to receive notice shall lose his right to be personally served if it can be shown to the satisfaction of the licensing justices that he is absenting himself for the purpose of or otherwise wilfully avoiding such service, when the said notices and docu

ments.'

"Where any officer or other person interested in any licensed premises is entitled to receive notice of a conviction under this Act, he shall supply his address to the clerk or other person required to send such notice; and any notice sent and where no notice is supplied in pursuance of to such address shall be deemed to be duly served;

this section, all notices shall be deemed to be duly served if sent to any address which such clerk or other person, in the exercise of his discretion, believes to be the address of the person to whom the notice was so sent."

MR. WATNEY moved as an Amendment to the said proposed Amendment, that the notice be sent by post in the shape of a registered letter.

MR. BRUCE said, the cases were very rare where letters would require to be sent.

MR. COLLINS said, in ordinary cases of borough elections registered letters were sent by post, and surely there could

Whether any recent arrangements have been made to establish at Gibraltar a similar system of regimental canteens to that which has worked successfully at

Malta and elsewhere?

SIR HENRY STORKS replied that the canteens at Gibraltar were now worked on the regimental system.

CATTLE DISEASE.-QUESTION. COLONEL BARTTELOT asked the Vice President of the Council on Education, What steps he has taken or is taking to prevent the spread of the cattle disease? Very great excitement prevailed throughout the country because several cases of disease had occurred at Newcastle, Leith, Hull, and Hartlepool.

MR. W. E. FORSTER said, he could only reply by repeating the answer he had given to the House a few days ago. The interest in the subject was, however, so great that he could not be at all surprised that the Question had been put to him again. The seventh cargo of diseased animals had arrived at our ports. Two of them had arrived at Deptford, one at Hull, one at Leith, two at Newcastle, and one at Hartlepool. Four of these cargoes came direct from Cronstadt-namely, those arriving at Deptford, Hull, and Leith. Three others came from Hamburg. In the first cargo the animals were Russian animals; in the last two cargoes-certainly in the Hartlepool cargo, and he believed also in the Newcastle cargothere were no Russian animals. The steps taken were these-the import was entirely prohibited from Russia. It was a most serious matter to prohibit entirely the German import. The effect of prohibition would be immensely to diminish the supply of meat in the country, but more especially in London, and nothing but the most absolute necessity would justify it. In consequence, however, of its being clear that the cattle plague must exist at Hamburg-although he was informed that the German authorities themselves did not believe it to exist there it had been thought right to cancel the Order admitting animals from Schleswig-Holstein into the interior of this country. And, further, an Order had been issued that all sheep coming from Germany must be slaughtered at the port of landing. Special

directions, moreover, had been given to the Inspectors to watch the cargoes coming from Hamburg. He was very glad to have that opportunity of removing a misconception which existed with regard to the late import of SchleswigHolstein animals into the Port of London. It must not be supposed that the large import of animals took place solely in consequence of the relaxation of the Order a month ago, and the admission of the animals into the interior. The importation of them had just begun, and consequently they would not have come, under any circumstances, before, though it was true that it would be more convenient to the trade, and probably more profitable, that they should go into the interior without restriction. The fact was, the Government was placed in a most difficult position between, on the one hand, the natural fear of the home producers, and, on the other, the idea that the restriction had something to do with the high prices of meat. But if he had done what he had been asked to do-that was, if he had allowed all German animals to be taken into the interior-he could not see what would have prevented the cattle plague from spreading all over the country. The disease generally took, at least, seven days to make itself evident, and as the passage was only one of three or four days' duration from Hamburg, it was evident that but for the restriction the disease would have spread over the country.

COLONEL BARTTELOT hoped that the right hon. Gentleman and his Colleagues would continue to use every effort to prevent the introduction of the disease into the country.

WRITERS IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES.

OBSERVATIONS.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER appealed to the hon. Member for Chatham (Mr. Otway), who had a Notice on the Paper that he would call the attention of the House, on going into Committee of Supply, to the position of the writers employed in the Government Offices-not to stand in the way of the Votes in Supply being proceeded with. As an inducement to the hon. Gentleman not to bring his subject forward, he might explain that it had been arranged that the writers who were in the employment of the Crown on 4th