§ Order for Committee read.
§ MR. I. BUTTmoved that the House go into Committee on this Bill.
§ MR. WHITESIDEsaid, he hoped the hon. Member would not proceed with this Bill until a more comprehensive attempt were made to assimilate the law of England and Ireland.
§ MR. I. BUTTsaid, he thought the Bill ought to pass as a matter of course. Last year a Bill was brought in with reference to criminal procedure in England, and he then moved that several of its clauses should be extended to Ireland. Every one agreed that one of the clauses of the English Bill ought to be extended to Ireland—namely, that by which the defendant was allowed to address the jury at the close of his case. It was thought that this clause was applied to Ireland by the Bill of last Session, and he had received letters from some of his friends thanking him for this measure of improvement. However, on investigation it was discovered that the clause was not extended to Ireland, and the present Bill was intended to cure the defect and assimilate the law.
§ MR. KEOGHsaid, he saw no reason why the error in question should not be rectified. He proposed to introduce a Bill next week altering in many important particulars the Act of last Session, and it would then be seen whether the alterations now proposed to be made could not be embodied in one Bill.
House in Committee; the several clauses were then agreed to.
House resumed.