The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-18 00:00:00

LAW REFORM.

ME number of Blackwood's Magazine for the
month of December contains a highly valuable article
entitled " Our rural population and the war." It
enters at some length, and with great ability, into the
Causes which have led to the difficulties experienced in
recruiting our armies, the discouragements given to

agricultural pursuits, and the consequent crowding of
the labouring population into the towns ; so that, in
the hour of need, when the national honour requires
hardy soldiers to vindicate the supremacy of Great
Britain, we look in vain for the stalwart frames which
Won the fields of former renown. There is, however,
cale point of the argument especially deserving of
serious attention, and the neglect of which may be
considered in a great degree attributable to that mis-
chievous ministerial crisis by which the country was
(lePrived of the valuable services of the last Conserva-
tive administration. It must be well remembered
that, during the few months of 1852, when the Earl of
ihit,By was Prime Minister, his able Chancellor, Lord
LEONARDS, notwithstanding a hostile majority
41 the House of Commons, effected some most im-
Portant improvements in the law, abolishing an
enormous accumulation of abuses in Chancery proceed-
;lige, and accomplishing more practical good than had
been done in many years before by professing Law
Reformers. His successor of the Coalition Cabinet
komised great things, and even a commission was
PPointed to prepare a codification of the common law,
°I order to render it easy, intelligible, and inexpensive.
Alasl for the folly of the change from doers to mere
talkers ! The Conservatives promised little, and did
°lch, in a very short time, under great disadvantages.
,2
'the Reformers promised much, and in a long time,
With many advantages, have done very little. It is
however,that mckre serious attention was earnestly
4evoted to an evil of 'which the war has made us begin
t° feel the ill effects, and which may yet not be too late
for a remedy. It is notorious that the diffieulty and
elPense attending the transfer of real property ,oper-
4tes as a bar to ',rural employment, by preventing men
Of Moderate means from acquiring that interest in the
4 which -could alone act as a stimulus. While every
Other description of property may change :hands with
Feat facility, the purchase of land in ,small quantities
so hampered with legal difficulties anti costs, as to
41/aiTatit 'to a prohibition on its acquisition, except by
84°11 means as Land Societies, wliich;zre necessarily
Ic.e.fined in their operations. The necessity of pro-
)4(ling-for the exigencies of the war may serve as an
ticuse to such men as Lord PALitERSTON for post-
tlting everything else to a time conveniently indefinite,
:'the law-officers of the 'Crown ,uan have no suck
leatieus to influence them. There, ought, indeed, to be
114"reat difficulty in dealing with=the important sub-
Jett of the transfer of land, even supposing a digest ,cif
.the statute-book to be beyond ,fhe power of Whig'
•:qvfyers, and such a reform of the-law would be mainly
instrumental in remedying 'those evils to which the
triter we have alluded to-so eloouently refers.

There are hundreds andAhomsands of individuals,
;1
.oth in towns and -rural dikricts, who would Niii-
-1)
Ingly become possessors of-eraill portions of land, If
lvvere not for the dffEmiltiesyviith which the purchase
of it is hampered. The highest authorities core agreed
t if large farms -were interlaced with small ,ones,
soil would loo,orc the Nv,h@e better cultivatekand,
,equently, more ,productive, so as to add to our
i supply of feed:: whilerffie prospect of obtaining
%all holding moaild-stimulate rural industry by he
46Pe of acquiiing a statecf comparative independence.
ere appears Ino legitimat3 reason why this .'should
t be accompliried 1)y thettransfer of land heingaren-
tiered as easy and as inexpensive as the transfer,of a
tlielaseel, or a share in a riii- lway, and the only obstacle
ill t has been ,started is,Tthat it would interfereNwith
„se Profits of lawyers. .'
Suzh an objection might be
;titled to some ,weight ill our laws were /nude by
torneys, whose interest in costs might be 'supposed
L
" bias their Judgments:„; but such reforms ',would
4°Perly originstre in larr-2ords, who can I.intellly be
41P Posed to iteiinfluencedity such considerationras the
kfits of the ;profession; while the majoriSy4of our
h,)v-makers areland.owners. who have a <Ere& interest
inereasingihevalue of the iand, which would she the
tZtain consequence ofitslransfer being set free Trom
I,Le enormous,eosts.with-iihich it is now accompanied.
e Conservative :Land'Society has done good. service
Lhis respect,: ands it. is .tome hoped that its .opendions
,t
1;41 have the effect of, opening the eyes of .our 4legis-
ttol's to the Inseessity,of,making some intogresss in
same dialectic:a.