The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-19 00:00:00

GOVERNMENT MEASURES.

On the motion fur the adjournment of the house till the
' 4th of April,
The Earl of DERBY said that although the noble earl
I
' moved the edjourument for a longer period than usual,
more especially considering that:Easter was much earlier than
' ordinary, be was not going to oppose that adjournment, nor
had the noble earl proposed the adjournment three or four
days later than the House of Commons, would he have I
opposed the motion, seeing that it was not likely any great
amount of business would be brought before them. He
, supposed, therefore, it was not the intention of the govern-
ment to bring forward any business of importance for the
ant three or four drys after the house re-assembled, but
that they were to meet for the of carrying on the
legal business of the boom. • now rose for the purpose
of repeating the question which he had put to the noble
earl at an earlier period of the session, respecting the mea-
sures which it was the intimation of the government to submit
to that home. The noble sari cm that occasion declined to
eV* any my distinct answer, but he said that hie noble
and leaned friend on the woolsack would in a few days
state the measures of legal reform which the government
intended to introduce. A tew days alter the noble and
learned lord did enter at large into the consideration of legal
reform, and he began by saying that upon one part of that
subject his noble and 1 d friend who had preceded him
(Lord St. Leonard's) had done so much that nothing was
left for him to do. With respect to another part of the
subject, the noble and learned lord said there was a com-
mission for the purpose of inquiry, and it would be Ma-
' pedient to legislate till they had reported. With respect'
' to a third portion he said:it was important to obtain further
information. And upon the whole he came to the conclu-
sion that the amountof progress in legislative reform would
be of the very slenderest proportion,. More recently
the noble and 4earned lord, in what he himself
called the profusion of a romantic enthusiasm, took upon
himself a task of the greatest magiitude and importance.
' He thought that the noble and learned lord would be
blessed with a length of years beyond the ordinary lot of
, mankind, if he lived to see that vast undertaking brought
to a conclusion. (Laughter.) But in the course of the
present session a measure was re-introduced which had
' been before parliament for the last 20 years—a measure for
the registration of deeds. That measure was rejected by
the House of Commons last year, and in the present session
it was introduced with an important provision or modifica-
tion, which contradicted the principle of the bill—the prin.
leiple of the bill beh,g to provide for tiv registration and pub-
licity of all documents, whilst the object of the new provision
was to defeat that object by enabling parties to keep them
secret, lie confessed that the speech of his noble and learned
friend (Lord St. Leonard's) checked his confidence in the
practicability though not in the desirability of the measure,
and be thought that it was not undeserving of the same
fate it met with last year. Ile concluded therefore that
the amount of legal reform in the present session would be
absolutely nit. The other house of parliament had passed
the nee il and military estimates prepared by the late go-
verement. A hill was introduced into the other house for
the purpose of enabling persons of the Jewish persuasion
t s sit in parliament. That measure had been twice rejected
by , heir lordship's house, and he trusted that when it came
before 'hero again they would again reject it. (Heat,
hear.) Another measure was introduced to which
he bad the strongest objection, because it in-
terfered unjustly Mid unconititUtionally with the