§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Lord Sudeley.)
302THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNsaid, he wished to know what steps the other Powers who were parties to the Convention of which the Bill was based had to carry out the object of the Convention? The Bill provided that persons injuring submarine cables should be tried by the tribunals of the country under whose flag the ship on which they were was sailing. Supposing there were an infraction of the Convention, would the other countries take any notice of it? In the event of a war, for instance, what penalty would be inflicted upon the subject of the country who damaged the cable? He hoped that on a future stage of the Bill his noble Friend would make a full statement upon the subject of the Bill. This was a very important matter, as the time for the ratification of the Convention had lapsed, and he would be glad to know what had been done in regard to it?
§ LORD SUDELEYsaid, in reply, the law at present with regard to submarine cables was certainly in a most unsatisfactory condition, and it was to remedy this that the Convention had been held. He could not then state exactly what had been done by the other Powers to obtain the necessary measures from their respective Legislatures for carrying out the Convention; but he would answer this and the other Question of the noble Earl on the Committee stage.
§ Motion agreed to: Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Tuesday next.