The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-17 00:00:00

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

We presume that, when Parliament meets on the 23d
of this month, the Government will make some general
statement of the scope and objects of the measures
which they intend to introduce during the remainder of
the present session. To expect a supplementary Speech
from the Throne, except in the shape of a royal message,
would be centraryto official etiquette and Parliamentary
precedent ; and therefore the public must be content to
wait until the leaders of the Government, in both
Houses, condescend to explain the programme of legis-
lation which they are about to propose for the year 13;f5.
With the exception of one general allusion, her Majesty's
Speech was silent as to the domestic concerns of the
country. Her Majesty said, "Although the prosecution
of the war will naturally engage your chief attention, I
trust that other matters of great interest and importance
to the general welfare will not be neglected." The expres-
sion of this hope on the part of her Majesty was a direct
invitation to hon. members to ask the Government what
were " the matters of great interest and importance to
the general welfare " with which they proposed to deal;
but in only one instance was a reply of a satisfactory
kind obtained. Two days after the meeting of Parlia-
ment, the President of the Board of Trade gave a pro-
mise that, shortly after the Christmas recess, a measure
would be introduced for the amendment of the law re-
lating to partnership—a subject which is obviously of the
greatest importance to the general welfare of the first
commercial country in the world. On the same even-
ing, one question having been satisfactorily answered by
a member of the Government, Mr. Hadfield, rather in-
nocentiy as it would appear, was induced to put a simi-
lar question, with respect to a subject of at leaet,equal
importance, to the Lord President of the Council,
when his lordship said—" Regard being had to the
state of the business at this early period of the
session, it was desirable that the Government should
have time, until after tbe Christi:mg ro-delir,.to consider
what measures they might think fit to introduce. They
would be prepared to make the commencement after the
recess." The subject to which Mr. Hadfield's question
had reference was not Parliamentary Reform, or any
question likely to excite strong political or party feeling ;
it related merely to a question which, during the last
twenty years, has repeatedly engaged the attention of
Parliament, and which was taken up by the noble lord's
Government no longer ago than the commencement of
last session. The question was that of the proposed
transfer of testamentary jurisdiction to the Court of
Chancery. The noble lord and his colleagues had the
whole of the Parliamentary recess to consider whether
they would reintroduce the measure on this subject,
which they succeeded in carrying through the House of
Lords before Easter, and which they unaccountably with-
drew towards the close of the session ; and now they have
to consider, in the interval between the 23d of December
and the 23d of January, not only this particular mea-
sure, but every other measure which they may think
fit to introduce having relation to the domestic concerns
of the country. This is a careless and slovenly mode of
conducting the public business, unfair to Parliament
and the public, and not even to be extenuated on the
ground that the prosecution of the war naturally en-
gages the first place in the minds of all men. If
Government had adopted the usual course of indicating,
in general terms, the subjects with which they proposed
to deal, the short Christmas recess would have afforded
a convenient breathing time in the progress of legisla-
tion—the public would have had an opportunity of can-
vassing the several propositions of the Government—ho-
nourable members would have returned to their duties
with some knowledge of the questions which, at a future
period, would more formally engage their attention, and
the Government would have received some inkling of
that public opinion out of doors with respect to their
contemplated measures which is always a salutary check
upon hasty and immature legislation.
The last session of Parliament was remarkable' for the
great number of really useful measures which were sud-
denly, and apparently without sufficient reason, relin-
quished by the Government. As examples, we may
mention the bill to facilitate divorce, the Testamentary
Jurisdiction Bill, and the bill to establish an uniform
system of constabulary. Measures on these subjects,
we believe, will be introduced immediately after the
re-assembling of Parliament ; a measure on the law
of partnership, recognising the principle of limited
liability, has been prepared, and its introduction has
already been promised ; and the commissioners ap-
pointed to investigate the transfer of land have made
such progress in their labours, that a bill embodying
the recommendations of their report may, at no distant
day, be expected. We trust that proper, care will be
taken duly to apportion this mass of prospective legisla-
tion between the two Houses. The principle of trans-
ferring the testamentary jurisdiction to the Court of
Chancery having been affirmed by the House of Lords
last year, the most convenient course now would be to
submit the new measure, in the first instance, to the
House of Commons. The partnership bill should also
originate in the House of Commons, to receive the cared
ful consideration of the many eminent mercantile men
who have seats in that branch of the Legislature. Tho
divorce bill, and the measure relating to the transfer of
land, should concurrently occupy the attention of the
Upper House, and especially of the noble and learned
lords, the weight of whose authority on all questions of;
law reform is beyond dispute.—Morning Post.