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

LAW REFORM.

lira number of Blackwood's Magazine for the
ni°llth 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
rlliting our armies, the discouragements given to
treultural pursuits, and the consequent crowding of
labouring population into the towns ; so that, in
the
iue hour of need, when the national honour requires
4411 Y soldiers to vindicate the supremacy of Great
Britain, we look in vain for the stalwart frames which
,
"on the fields of former renown. There is, however,
ere Point of the argument especially deserving of
erious attention, and the neglect of which may be
t asidered in a great degree attributable to that mis-
tilie
dl'ous ministerial crisis by which the country was
eprived of the valuable services of the last Conserva-
ve administration. It must be well remembered
Dt, during the few months of 1852, when the Earl of
s4I3Y was Prime Minister, his able Chancellor, Lord
41
1' LEONARDS, notwithstanding a hostile majority
, the Rouse of Commons, effected some most im-
Zttout improvements in the law, abolishing an
~,. 'luous accumulation of abuses in Chancery proceed-
h7'B, arid accomplishing more practical good than had
a done in many years before by professing Law
f°rniers. His successor of the Coalition Cabinet
:kised great things, and even a commission was
41ac'iuted to prepare a codification of the common law,
I:7S °rder to render it easy, intelligible, and inexpensive.
4 for the folly of the change from doers to mere
i''ers ! The Conservatives promised little, and did
eh' in a very short time, under great disadvantages.
tit! Reformers promised much, and in a long time,
thilh many advantages, have done very little. It is
e, however,that more serious attention was earnestly
,v..
it, ed to an evil of whiCh the war has made us begin
ttlfut, eel the ill effects, and which may yet not be too late
6,4 remedy. It is notorious that the difficulty and
ease attending the 'transfer of real property °per-
of:4ls a bar to rural employment, by preventing men
104 moderate means from acquiring that interest in the
tes Which oould.alone act as a stimulus. While every
hill' description of property may change hands with
1;;Ilt facility, the purchase of land in small quantities
8° hi nperea with legal difficulties and cats, as to
kell: 't to a prohibition on its acquisition, -except by
L'', Means AS Land Societies, whicharelnecessarily
iced in their operations. The necessity of pro-
fortthe exigencies of the war marserve as an
Ce 10 such men as Lord PlaimituSrorr for post-
-"t'4'`tverything else to a time cenvenientlyindefinite,
tstolie law-officers of the 'Crown tan .have no such
40, us "to influence them. There ought, indeed, to be
ii,..tfreat difficulty in dealing with the 'important sub-
11;q-the transfer of land, even supposing a digest of
'§tatute-book to be beyond the power of Whig
ors, and such a refortniorthelav- would be mainlz,
ental in remedying those ,-evils to which the
, ter we have alluded 'to so. eloquently refers.
itrtnin
Lhere are hundreds 'and: thousands of individuals,
Rh in towns and in 'rural diStritts, who would wil-
,elly become possessors of sinallvortions of laud, if 'it
,k‘e not for the difficulties -with which the purchase
tkis hampered. The highettztuthorities are -agreed
Qf large farms 'were interlaced with small ,ones,
05,,,,'‘ n
would 'be ontlte.whole better cultivated, 'and,
li 'be ti more roductive, so as to add to our
r'llle 'Y' 1)
4%, supply of food:: while the prospect of ,oldainirg
Ise4ll hoisling would•Stinruhte rural industry by the
tiler 4 acquiring.a state of comparative independence.
Ikt he appears no legitimate reason why this shoula
little accompliihea by.theAransfer of land beingiren-
as easy and as inexpensive as the transfer-of a
Ike', or a Share 'in arailway, and the coilyebstadle
has been ‘startedis; that it would intmleremilth
.iitNfits-of 3awyers. ‘-'Buch an objedian miAt lz•e
kt,s led to some ‘weight if our laws were 'made 'by
*ibt'll, eYs, whose interett in costs might Irie supposed
0, la.s their
.judgments, but such reforms would
1,131.13' originate in ;law-lords, who can harilly be
lt_(sed to :be influenced by such considcautionzas the
j 1,2 of the profession 4 while the naujoritref -our
ILnlakers 7areland-owners. who have alTrreet•interest
I".7'ft,singiihevalue df t'ne land, which wonahe the
Viu .consequenee of its transfer being set free'from
Vaormous-costsswith which it is now accompanied.
jlonsergative iLaad Society has done good. service
respeat,.and. it:is Ito be hoped that its, operations
, Qiime the effect. of-- opening the eyes cif . our Aegis-
it to the inecessity‘of making some progreses in
41toie ,dipaction.