The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1857.

mutual concessions, and in this way continu-
ally diminish the difficußies to be overcome.
The arrangement by which the Treaty diffi-
culties in the present case will be settled, is
due, it is said, to the Emperor of the FRENCH:
His Government has never taken that ex-
aggerated view of the importance of the dis-
puted questions which has prevailed in
England. It has refrained from expressing
any decided opinion upon the character of the
Russian claims ; and for this reason it has
been the better able to come forward as a
mediator between the two Powers who have
been most decided in the expression of their
views. The position of France, and the part
she has taken in the war, rendered it difficult
for the opposing parties to resist her opinion,
more particularly as it was offered in a spirit
of calmness, moderation, and amity. Russia
will yield all those portions of territory which
could interfere in any way with the free navi-
gation of the Danube, but, as a compensation
for the loss of the capital of her Bulgarian
colonies, she will receive a tract of country
which will enable her to found a new capital
for them in a convenient situation.
This Compror - may not be satisfactory to
in ' ; which desired the
and which seemed to
1, directly any dif-
construction of the
Government must

STAMPED ....SIXPENCE.
lINSTAMPED-FIVEPENCE.

into closer correspondence, and statesmen lay
aside the jealous sentiments which keep
nations apart, the probabilities of hostile
collision must he diminished. The natural
state of mankind is a state of ferocious and
unceasing warfare ; and it is only as the higher
faculties of reason and conscience obtain
predominance over brutal instincts that we
can, in international intercourse, expect the
principles of an equitable, moderate, and
.sagacious policy to prevail.
We trust that there are few persons in t
country so foolish as to take exception to th
compromise which hue been made. The /
history of European treaties since the Peace of
Westphalia shows how largely every peace
that has been made was founded on mutual
concession, and on the abandonmentof extreme
pretensions. That such spirit has prevailed
in the present case is to our mind a strong
and most gratifying evidence 'that means will
be found to settle the dispute which threatens
to disturb Europe in another quarter, and
entirely to remove the apprehensions of fur-
ther disturbance which, lingering after the
close of the war, have unfortunately not yet
been dispelled.

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT.
TT has been authoritatively announced that
Law Reform is to occupy a prominent place
among the measures to be brought forward by
Government in the approaching session. We
are glad to hear it ; but when we look back to
the failures of the past it is impossible to be
sanguine as to the future labours of our pre-
sent rulers in the great work of Law Amend-
ment. The truth is that Lord CRANWORTH,
though he made a very good nisi-pritsa judge,
has failed most deplorably as a legislator..
We believe it may be safely asserted that more
real work was done in the way of Law Reform
during the ten months that Lord ST. LEONARDS,
h eld the Great Seal than his successor has ac-
complished during his four years' tenure of
office. This is now matter of history. But it
is not so well known that by far the most
im-
portant measure of Law Amendment now in
progress was proposed by, and is now being
carried out mainly through the exertions of,
certain political opponents of the present
Government. This matter requires some ex-
planation, and as it is one essentially of
national interest, we make no apology for
laying it before our readers.
The condition of the Statute Law of Eng-
land has long attracted the attention of our
most eminent jurists and legislators. BACON,
and HALE, and ;BLACKSTONE, have all in suc-
cessive ages lamented the utter absence of
arrangement and design which characterises
the national collection of public acts. The
evils of which these great men complained
have augmented with tenfold rapidity since
the number of legislative enactments have
increased with the ever-increasing wants and
the multiplied transactions of modern society.
Many of our old and most important statutes
are comprised in a few lines ; many of our
modern ones fill a good-sized volume. But
this is not the only peculiarity of modern legis-
lation. In every new act care must, or at least
ought to, be taken, that none of its provisions
clash with those of any former actomml-ae
ever frames it should therefoke be thoroug
eioquainted with the entire gententei of
_ .

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