§ SIR C. CAMERON (Glasgow, College)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been called to the practice of publicans in Scotland supplying young children with spirituous liquors, on the ground that the words of their certificates prohibiting them from selling or supplying exciseable liquors to girls or boys apparently under 14 years of age do not apply if 1210 such girls or boys act as messengers for adult persons; and whether the case of "Graham v. Lang," in which it was held that the fact that a child had been supplied with some brandy ordered by a doctor for her sick mother did not constitute a breach of certificate, is held by the Scottish Police Authorities to legalise in all cases the disregard of the express prohibition of the certificate against supplying children with exciseable liquors, and to absolve publicans from responsibility as to ascertaining that the children supplied are really messengers sent by responsible persons?
§ *THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J.B. BALFOUR,&c.) Clackmannan,I do not read the decision in the case of Graham as absolving the publican from making inquiry in supplying a child with liquor, as to whether the child is a messenger for an adult, and I am informed that the practice of the police, in every case of such supply coming under their notice, is to make inquiry for themselves. The rule upon the subject is, I think, to be found in the case of "Donaldson v. Linton," decided on December 8, 1875, and referred to in the Judgment in the case of Graham.