The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-30 00:00:00

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TO CORZZBPONDINTIL
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"Is riling nun TENON ssi nifty Is Woo
longlod kr "TM isysiVisniSs Snobs pspor,
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RIOH WATRR AT LONDON BRIDGE
Tar —liersiog, Ws. Aftenamon. 2n. Ha.
70.1146111 V —llseubs, ft. Um. .Afiztabas. 3b.

LONDON, MONDAY, JUNE 30.

111111DITAZT assedorship ie rather afraid of being
!abate its word. The theory is that legislative
wisdom runs in the bleed. and that fitness to act as
InaW__io the highest mart of the realm is an affair
ftift Bat prastieolly there is a decent sense
iasepeeity end ignores" which tends very much
to peeves- t that begot and utter exposure which
mad otherwise take place, and which would speedily
promellital to the maser
Thrt Hama al Lords amino from year to year
melealbed sad easesalled, chiefly bemuse it is con-
tent hi be pariva Hit niewerars occasionally at the
dieralks a/ the Comme. its amours are either
wiwiy itortisaiala ram and sr moment, or
Or, Wilda se litW Ilemsees of resolve
Wit to awe of real midmost is excited in the
Oa the other head, the more refiee-
Cita* Imam& ceder ere not without misgivings
lest itmliatreses may ripen into eventual
=They would like, if possible, to keep up
ever at participation in the business of the
Is Wslft• on they hardly contemplate
o= and discursive talk. A select
eramittee ear end then to receive evidence on some
issithatal subject of hawed, or a set debate ending
IN a maim Iltrs rem, which, however factious or
Mile. nobody ama reasonably object to, will
probably be all that oar hereditarics will
attempt In what they. love to call their
legislative capacity. But, is their judicial function,
this happy abstinence from meddling mischievously
with serious matters, is not so easy. The House of
Lords is the supreme court of appeal: It is this that
alone preserves for it the aspect of importance: but
in this also lies the gravest source of its danger.
A legislative chamber that does not venture to
legislate may elude unpopularity and escape eon-
&meatiest. It is not our national way to wage
active war against mere inatilities and pageants.
do keg as they aunt set up instead of realities and
facts. and that we are not shocked by the perversion
and the burlesque, we suffer the solemn frivolities to
hada or twaddle on, if for no other reason, that we
feel we have hardly time to take much thought
chest them. But a high court of justice, at whose
bur sick of us is liable to stand, and by whose deci-
eioal the property which every man amongst us per-
seems may possibly be taken away absolutely and ir-
redessaably—such a tribunal cannot evade its re-
speasibilitses or cover its defects. The notice given
the other day by Lord Itentainst.e is an admission
of this. How far his lordship's yet unexplained
end madeveleped scheme is to be regarded as the
remelt of his own suishared cogitations, or as
almost* from the councils of the party to whom
he belongs, and by whose suffrages ho has recently
bees elevated to the position of chairman in com-
mitter of the House of LoriLs, is unknown. But as a
sign of the times it is worthy of notice, and likely to
cell forth no ordinary amount of inquisitive and
suggestive discussion.
the propoul of Lord REDESDALE is that the chief
judges of the three superior courts of law, as well as
the new chief judge in equity, should in future be
summoned as barons twin& ofeii to attend the
upper house of parliament. The example of
the bishops and the Scotch representative peers
is pointed to iis justifying the deviation from
hereditary principle which such a practice would
imply. We don t understand whether the noble
author of the innovation contemplates the con-
ferring by the crown of territorial titles on
those °facial peers. If their quality of nobles is to be
laid aside with their judicial robes, it would seem to
be absurd to compel them to adopt a temporary title
of the sort. City aldeimen and their wives may
think it fine to be called " My lord" and" My lady'
fora twelvemonth, after which they must relapse
into " Madam" and " Sir." But men of talent and
learning, who have risen thereby to the post of Chief
Justice, ought not to be forced to masque it in sham
pomp of heraldry. The epithet of " Lord" is already
used when addressing them in court, as a mark of
deference; and in Scotland, we believe, it is cos-
ceded by courtesy and usage in private life also.
But being a mere prefix, like "Excellency," applied
to a governor or an ambusador, it does not oblite-,
rate the genuine name whereby the man has come
to be known, and whereby he is hereafter to be re-
membered.
The want of law lords to give anything like
strength or weight to the appellate jurisdiction of the
peers, has become perilously palpable to all who are
animus for its retention. The Cits.seettat is con-
stantly left practically to try alone, unaided and
unchecked, appeals in equity from his own decisions
in the court to-low. This flagrant evil will in some
degree be abated by the measure lately introduced
for reconstituting the Court of Chancery. But
the mare essentially political character which
future Chancellors will probubly bear, will render
their solitary position as judges in final appeal, if
passible, still more odious and objectionable. And
upon every ground of reason and common sense an
appellate court ought to consist of at least three if
not of five independent and competent members. To
leave the formation of a legal quorum to the accident
which makes a superannuated ex-Chief Justice or a
crazed ex-Chancellor drop in for an hour during the
hearing of some particular case, while in general the
threadbare semblance of a grave consultative adjudi-
cation is only preserved by the bodily presence of
two or three lay lords, whose minds. if they happen
to have any, are obviously far away. is a serious trial
of public endurance.
In many mopeds the proposition of Lord Ruin-S-
D% LK would, if adopted, effect a useful change in the
present condition of the House of Lords ; and no ob-
jection is likely. to be heard from the learned per-
sonages whom it would odlcially ennoble. But it is
by no means so clear that the eMciency of the courts
over which they severally preside will not be im-
paired thereby. The additional labour which would
judicially devolve upon them might not indeed
amount to any very onerous burthen. Bat men
whose talents and attainments have raised them
to posts of such distinction will be very
apt to be gradually drawn into political
council and debate. Their thoughts will, of
necessity, be absorbed more or less by other subjects
than those which now rightfully and usefully en-
gross them. What is still more important, the
colourless character of the bench of justice can
hardly be retained, when the morning papers con-
tain an animated attack by the Lord Chief Baron
on the acts or motives of the party to which the
Lord Chief Justice belongs, together with an
equally pointed reply from that noble and learned
peisimage in defence, or mayhap recrimination.
It may be said that inetanoos have been and
are in which high judicial functionaries take
part without blame or scandal in all the
scales and struggles of contending parties.
We may, perhaps, be pardoned, however, for ex-
pressing our serious doubt whether the imagines
with which the public are most familiar prove MA
to the purpose. for which they are adduced. Mr
matter is one into which we had rather refrain *am
emating and it is saw& to say, that an ocomional
induce forms no peeentee that other effects wadi
art Maw from a um mid* extended_ pestles.
Mis =lttYwbalte irttrall af ciathar brare Eit
11 +R naturally tends le Mledify his somes,
taitenualy. hat we iad feel so erialltisat
that whoa it may bees= arriallattst a chief judge to
quit the Bach is has thz7 be in time for a
Mika
or 1110 As
=zoteshelpitasas thew of equanimity
lonwge mow
la IMP = ages will not by
hp had Mr Imo lees mod.

Tuts is the critical mason wherein the question of
comparative scarcity or abundance for the ensuing
year is mainly determined. The wheat plant is now
in bloom, and upon the state of the weather whilst
the blooming continues the future yield of the crop
very much depends. It has been remarkable that
throughout the year, since the seed time of last