§ DR. BOWRINGhad stated two or three days ago that there was a great desire in the Channel Islands that the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of the criminal law in those islands should be empowered to extend their inquiries to the civil and municipal law. He wished to ask the right hon. Home Secretary whether the Government were prepared so to extend the power of the Commissioners?
§ SIR G. GREYsaid, as the hon. and learned Gentleman had given him notice of his intention to put this question, he had considered the subject, and had communicated with the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the criminal law in the Channel Islands. The Commissioners were of opinion that an inquiry should be made into the state of the civil and municipal, as well as of the criminal law; but they considered that such inquiries ought not to be concurrent, or at least to be mixed up together. They had already made considerable progress in their inquiries with regard to the criminal law; and they entertained a decided opinion, that to mix up the two inquiries would be prejudicial to both. He (Sir G. Grey), therefore, thought that it would be better to defer extending the powers of the Commisioners until the result of their present inquiries was ascertained.