910 [ 5 OF 1887. ) DEFAMATION AND LIBEL .
one week, bad offered to publish the said apology in any news
paper or periodical publication to be selected by the plaintiff in
such action or suit or that to such defence to such action or
suit it shall be competent to the plaintiff to reply generally
denying the whole of such defence provided always that it shall
not be competent to any defendant in such action or suit to file
any such defence as aforesaid without at the same time making
a payment of money into Court by way of amends and every
such defence so filed without such payment into Court shall be
deemed a nullity and may be treated as such by the plaintiff in
the action or suit.
Publishing or 5. If any person shall publish or threaten to publish any
threatening
to publish a libel upon any other person , or shall directly or indirectly
libel or pro threaten to print or publish, or shall directly or indirectly pro
posing
abstain from pose to abstain from printing or publishing any matter or thing
publishing touching any other person with intent to extort any money or
any thing
with intent to security for money , or any valuable thing from such or any
extort money, other person, or with intent to induce any person to confer or
punishable by
imprisonment procure for any person any appointment or office of profit or
and hard
labour.
trust, every such Offender, on being convicted thereof on in
formationforshall
(6 and 7 V.c. labour,
96, s. 3. ]
be liable to imprisonment with or without bard
any term not exceeding three years ; provided
always , that nothing herein contained shall in any manner alter
or affect any law or ordinance now in force in respect of the
sending or delivery of threatening letters or writings.
False defama
tory libel
6. If any person shall maliciously publish any defamatory
punishable by libel , knowing the same to be false every such person, being
imprisonment convicted thereof shall be liable to imprisonment for any term
and fine.
(6 and 97 v.c. not exceeding two years, and to pay such fine as the Court
96 , s. 4.] shall award.
Malicious
defamatory 7. If any person shall maliciously publish any defamatory
libel, by libel , every such person, being convicted thereof shall be liable
imprisonment to fine or imprisonment, or both as the Court may awarı, such
or fine.
po[ 6 ang 7 v.V. c. imprisonment not to exceed the term of one year.
96 , s. 5.)
Proceedings 8. On the trial of any information for a defamatory libel , the
upon the trial defendant having pleaded such plea as hereinafter mentioned
ofan
tion for a
defamatory
the truth of the matters charged may be inquired into, but shall
libel. not amount to a defence, unless it was for the public benefit
(6 and 7
96, s. 6. ]
V.c. that the said matters charged should be published ; and that to
entitle the defendant to give evidence of the truth of such
matters charged as a defence to such information it shall be
necessary for thedefendant, in pleading to the said information ,
to allege the truth of the said matters charged in the manner
now required in alleging a justification to any action or suit of
defamation , and further to allege that it was for the public