§ Bill, as amended, considered.
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)said, there were no Amendments, and he would put down the third reading for Monday.
§ MR. HUNTER (Aberdeen, N.)said, he desired to move in Clause 2 that the words "except murder and treason" be omitted. He regretted that the Bill had been sent to a Grand Committee on which there were few or no Scotsmen, and that a Bill dealing exclusively with the Law of Scotland should be handed over to the tender mercy, and not less cruel ignorance, of English lawyers. That, he thought, made it incumbent upon them to discuss the Bill thoroughly on the Report stage. By the clause, as it now stood, bail was permissible generally, except in the case of murder and treason. He objected altogether to treason being put on a level with murder. There was no kind of analogy between 631 them. Treason was a feudal offence, which had long ceased to have any practical meaning.
§ Amendment proposed, in page 1, line 11, to leave out the words "except murder and treason."—(Mr. Hunter.)
§ Question proposed, "That the words 'except murder and treason' stand part of the Bill."
§ It being ten minutes to Seven of the clock, the Debate stood adjourned.
§ Debate to be resumed upon Monday next.