The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-23 00:00:00

TIM SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 23, 1864.

LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1864.

SHAKSPERE'S Birth three hundred years ago is,
in thought at least, commemorated to-day, the wide
world over, by every reasonably educated English-
man. As for the celebration of it otherwise, it is a
a pity, perhaps, that it was ever dreamt of. And
this, simply, because the result of the movement set
on foot with a view to its public and practical com-
memoration hes turned out to be so very much indeed
of a failure. In fact, could this anti-climax of a
result have been even dimly forseen by its orie
ginatore, we may rest perfectly well assured that
the movement NVOU' d never seriously have
been commenced. Better by far would it have
been, had nothing whatever been attempted, than
that so very little should come of all these spas.
mocEe efforts iu the way of elaborate preparation.
Toe Stratford-upon-Avon commemmoration is,
after a;1, the only really rational attempt to
A fitting celebration of this Tercentenary anniver-
sary. And even there, in SHAKSPERE'S own birth-
place, the chief incident of the day—of the day—is
an unearthly three o'clock dinner (3 p.m. being
the dining-honr of neither artizan nor aris-
tocrat), presided over by the Earl of CARLISLE,
and followed in the evening by a display of Mr.
DARBY'S fireworks
As for the celebration of the
day, here, in Landon, but little enough, un-
fortunately, need be remarked upon that
hcad. And for even that little, the public
are mainly indebted, on the one hand to our
working men in the metropolis, and on the other
to our London theatrical managers. The working
men have taken the morning to themselves. The
theatrical managers have taken the evening.
As something at any rate in the way of a
commencement of some practical kind, the
London Trade Societies (who have recently
aired their banners in honour of GARIBALDI)
collected together this morning on Primrose Hill :
and there, with what ceremonial they could muster,
to the sound of music, played by the bands of her
MAJESTY'S Household Brigade, and to the planting
of a sappling oak from Windsor Forest, in memory
of this day, as WILLIAM SHAKSPERE'S three hun-
dredth birthday,formallv rechristened the Hill itee;f
—henceforth to be called no longer Primrose Hill,
but Shakspere's Hill. As for the principal manage-
' lel celebrations of the day, in the evening, they may

very readily ba summarized. A Shaksperian Con-
cert and Recital at the Agricultural Hall, Islington !
The First Part of " Henry the Fourth" at Drury-
Lane ! " Twelfth Night " at the Haymarket, fol-
lowed by " Venus and Adonis"—not, however,
SHAKSPERE'S exquisite poem, but Mr. BURNAND'S
ridiculous Burlesque! " The Comedy of Errors" at
the Princess's, with the Brothers WEBB as the
two Dromios ! The Second Part of HENRY the
SIXTH at the Surrey ! At the St. James's, and at the
New Ade!phi, performances of a miscellaneous cha-
racter in aid of the Monument Fend. The Monu-
ment here referred to, being the one still intended
to be raised eventually in Green Park by the Na-
tional Shakspere Committee—or rather that Monu-
ment Embracing A Statue of Shakspere, so ling
advertised as intended, and just now so
humorously pourtrayed by one of Mr.
Punch's comic draughtsmen in the Tercen-
tentary number of that merry publication. The
Festival to-day at the Crystal Palace, again, is
one of the few prominent indications in London
or near it, of anything at all like a suitable public
celebration of this Tercentenary of the Poet's birth-
day. A beautiful SHAKSPERE Medal, it should be
mentioned, however, has been produced—under
the design of Mr. JOHN BELL and the skilled
manipulation of Mr. L. C. Wye:lN—at the Messrs.
HUNT and ROSKELL'S establishment. As for the
Coventry Ribbon-Favour, it is just nowhere. And
the same be said, unhappily, of the once-talked of
National Holiday.
Meanwhile, the more enterprising of our pub-
lishers are pouring out from the press, with
every luxury of their craft, a really won-
derful variety of New Editions of those writings
of SHAKSPERE'S, which, as the next greatest
of our English Poets said of them, are, in
very deed, SHAKSPERE'S noblest and most en-
during monument. Coupled with his name
and fame, we are here tempted to add,
are two or three circumstances so remark-
able of their kind, as mere coincidences,—
well known every one of them, but little
thought of nevertheless—that we cannot but
think it will be interesting to bear in mind,
however passingly, on this three-hundredth
anniversary of the Great Poet's Birth. The cir-
cumstance of his Death occurring on the anniver-
sary of his Birth is of course vividly in the recollec-
tion of ns all. And no less so is the fact of this same
date, the date of the 23d of April, being the day set
down in the Calendar as commemorative of the
patron saint of England, ST. GEORGE. Between
those two St. George's days—the 23d of April,' 1564,
the date of SHAKSPERE'S birth at Stratford-upon-
Avon, and the 23d of April, 1616, the date of
SHAKSPERE'S death, also at Stratford-upon-Avon—
as many years elapsed as there are weeks in a year :
that is, Fifty-Two. Along the southern coast line
marked by the white cliffs of England, moreover,
there beetles forth conspicuously to view before the
gaze of every one approaching the heights of Dover,
after crossing the British Channel, that gigantic
evidence of the fame of SIIA4SPERE7 the
Cliff called after him—and so called after him for
what reason ? Simply because, in one of hie plays,
there occurs a passage of a very few lines, describing
an imaginary jump from the summit of it! Another
matter yet for reflectiontin SHAKSPERE'S regard, we
would suggest as not undeserving one momentary
thought to-day—refering here as wo do to the cir-
cumstance of this great National Genius having
had his birthplace and his deathplace—appro-
priately, as it seems to us—in the very centre of
that England he loved so well—in one of the most
beautiful old country towns in the land—in the
green heart of Warrickehire.

The expenses of the law and the prolixity of
lawyers have passed into a byword. Setting
aside the fabulous cost and interminable duration
of a case which runs through the various civil
courts, there is no legal form, no petty transaction
in which it is necessary to invoke the assistance of
a lawyer which does not demand an amount of
time and money totally disproportionate to the
affair. The reform of the law has long been a
matter of consideration, but, like all reforms,
it is a very tedious and difficult process.
Such a large and powerful body is inte-
rested in keeping up the old abuses that it is a task
of much patience and delicacy to introduce any
measure curtailing the privileges of lawyers, or
reducing the inevitable expenses of the law. We
must admit that one of the most active and con-
sistent of our present law reformers is the noble
lord now sitt'ng on the woolsack. The public owe
him a debt of gratitude for having availed himself
of the authority of his position and the advantages
of his experience to remedy many existing defects
in our legal administration, and more especially to
encourage that brevity, clearness, and simplicity
which have heretofore been supposed to be entirely
incompatible
,with strict legality. One of his
most important measures was on Thursday evening
brought under the notice of the House of Lords by
Lord CHELMSFORD, who called the attention of
their lordships to the working of the Land Transfer
Act, which he denounced as a failure, since very
few persons had taken advantage of it since the
Bill had become law. Lord WESTBURY declared
himself obliged to his noble and learned predecessor
for having given him the opportunity of explaining
the actual state of affairs, and accordingly he pro-
ceeded to give very clear and conclusive answers to
the charges brought against the bill by Lord
CHELMSFORD. It appears from the statistics which
ho gives us, that although since the passing of the
Act there have been only 65 applications for regis-
tration under it, yet those applications included
nearly two millions'-worth of property, and such
amount of business in the short space of 16 months
is an unusually favourable commencement to the
practical working of any measure. The Lord Chan-
cellor reminded the House that all such reforms
worked their way very slowly, and cited the
example of the Copy hold Enfranchisement Act,
now so popular, under which there was in the first
year of its existence only one application. In the
second year there 12 cases; i❑ the next, 29; and so
on by slow but sure degrees, until, twenty years
later, the number had risen to 786, The Enclo-
sure Commissioners' Act, spin, had at first only
10 cases in twelve months ; the second year showed
an increase of two ; the third year the number of
cases was 39; and so on, until the annual amount
is 246. Such is the slowness with which the know-
ledge of these important changes spreads among the
people. It is not surprising if we come to consider
the absurdity and difficulty attending legal docu-
ments, and the consequent abandonment of affairs
almost entirely into the hands of lawyers. It is
scarcely likely that a man who has been for many
years in the habit of turning to his solicitor for an
explanation of every legal question will at once
take upon himself the unwonted responsibility of
acting eatirely in opposition to his solicitor's
opinion and advice. He must be a strong-minded
and clear-headed man who will at once brave the
displeasure of his professional adviser and turn a
deaf ear to his doubts as tee the accuracy, efficiency,
and legality of his proceedings. The solicitors, as
a body, plainly intimated their intention of op-
Posing this measure when it was first introduced,
and they have amply fulfilled the threat, as Lord
WESTBURY frankly told the House cn Thursday.
Nevertheless, the edeanta,ges of t e Act are so

great and apparent that it will assurt (11 find more
and more favour with the public as it becomes more
widely known and its utility better appreciated.
The Lord Chancellor showed to their lordships a
certificate of title under the new Act, with the map,
the accurate result of the title, the copy of the
entry on the register ; and from holding this simple
and comprehensible document in his hand, the
owner, if he wished to sell his property, could
carry it to the auctioneer, the purchaser could
examine the corresponding entry in tho hook of
register, and the business is at an end. This
simple registration supersedes the wearisome inves-
tigations, the tedious delays, and all the expense
and uncertainty belonging to the transfer of land
under the old Acts. In the event of a mortgage or
a wish to raise money temporarily, the advantages
are equally great. In fact, matters are broaght
within a man's own scope and comprehension in-
stead of bring hopelessly entangled in the hands
of his professional advisers. No wonder the solicitors
set their faces against a measure which reduces
an investigation of title occupying 150 sheets of
parchment to one side of a single sheet ! Yet such
was the case with the very document which the
Lord Chancellor held in his hand, and the Duke of
INIoNTRosE cited a case which had come under his
own observation in which a charter consisted of half
a page instead of 30 pagzs ! Under the existing
system of legal charges, such a measure is certain
to encounter most formidable opposition, since as
solicitors have themselves said with great force to
the Chancellor, " the law as it now stands, rewards
them far prolixity and fines them for brevity."
And the interest thus brought to bear is by to
means insignificant. Lord WESTBURY declared a
patent fact when he said that this was a lawyer-
ridden conntry, for every peer among his auditors
had a solicitor sitting on his shoulders like SIND-
BAD'S old man of the sea, whom he could not shake
off? The noble and learned lord went on to say
with some humour, but much truth, that most of
them were quite in the dark as to the wearing of the
unwieldy masses of parchment to which from time
to time they appended their names. " All other
mysteries have been unfolded, but this thiug which
comes home to you all is a sealed book." With a
view to the removal of the obstacles which militate
against the success of this measure, and also in the
interests of the public, the Lord Chancellor proposes
to introduce a measure for the alteration of the law
with regard to the remuneration of solicitors. Such
a bill, if fairly framed and successfully carried out,
will indeed be a public boon, and there is probably
no one who has ever had any dealings with the
grave and learned confraternity who will not gladly
hail an innovation which makes verbosity and ob-
scurity inseparable attendants on the already suf-
ficiently perplexing and discomfiting dealing of the
law.

The growing feeling of the country with respect
to the insufficiency of its Parliamentary represen-
tation bodee no good to the tottering fortunes of
the present Administration. Her MAJESTY'S ad-
visers are indeed in such an unfortunate position
that it is difficult to see what can extricate them
from their perplexities. It is true, that it would
be scarcely possible to exceed the ucpopularity of
their foreign policy—a policy which, by its in-
genious combination of loud remonstrances with
very timorous actions, its "meddling and mud-
dling," has continued to combine in a very remark-
able degree the drawbacks and inconveniences of
peace and war. It has given us the necessity of
maintaining costly and extensive war armaments,
at the same time that it can neither uphold our
honour nor protect our commerce. It has made us
take a prominent part in every foreign question,
while it has neither befriended the weak nor con•
ciliated the strong—neither satisfied our allies nor
daunted our opponents. Our reputation has
collapsed, our professions are ridiculed, and self-
interest is invariably declared to be the ruling
motive of a power which is continually making
uncalled for concessions, and abandoning every
advantage which a holder and a wiser age had
gained. Under these circumstances the foreign
policy of the Government will certainly not he its
strong point at the hustings when that inevitable
day of trial comes, which even Lord PALMERSTON'S
tact and ingenuity cannot stave off much longer.
But unfortunately for the prospects of the Whig
Cabinet, supposing that a sudden settlement of all
the vexed questions at present distracting Europe
were possible, they would not be much better off.
If Russia granted Poland an independent constitu-
tion to morrow, if the Northern States of America
recognised the independence of the South, and both
parties gave Earl RUSSELL'S eloquence as the
reason of their conduct ; nay, even supposing the
Schleswig-Holstein problem to be finally solved
during the lifetime of the present House of Com-
mons, the troubles of the Government would
not be altogether over. There would be one
obstacle in the road to success, one ghost that re-
fused to be laid, and its name would be Reform.
The very question which carried them into power
has turned into one of their most serious perplexi-
ties. No one can suppose, the most sanguine
Liberal cannot possibly imagine, that it is the in-
tention of Lord PALMERSTON'S Cabinet to grant
any comprehensive measure of Reform. Yet the
awkward questions will inevitably be asked on the
hustings, to which it is very improbable that " Rest
and be thankful" will be accepted as a sufficient or
satisfactory answer. Ministers will be reminded
of those high•fiewn professions which flowed so
glibly from their lips at the time of the uncondi-
tional rejection of the DERBY Reform Bill. How
imperative was it then to extend the franchise, to
remodel the electoral districts, to shorten the dura-
tion of Parliaments—for why should such con-
sistent and patriotic members fear to meet their
constituents ? and as for election expenses, the
ballot would put a very decided limit to them.
Unfortunately the same story will not do twice
over, and a long and continuous tenure of office
leaves lit tle excuse for unfulfilled pledges. It can
not, therefore, be very gratifying to the Government
or their supporters to witness the assembling of
popular delegates from many of the large towns
of the kingdom which recently took place at Man-
chester to confer on the great question of National
Reform. Mr. ERNEST JONES was there, with his
proposal of manhood suffrage, and a good many
adherents, who declared that the mass of the
people would never be thoroughly aroused
by a less comprehensive measure. Others were
there, however, more prudent and more far-seeing,
who reminded the Conference that the people of
this country had always been averse to sudden and
violent changes, and that consequently the way to
ensure success was to proceed with caution, and
to obtain the aid of all classes by demanding mode-
rate and practical measures, It is on this principle
that we trust the reformers throughout the country
will act, not plunging into wild extremes, which
startle the prudent, and w'eich, after all, have
only theory to recommend them. No Government
can much longer delay a reform of the Parliamen-
tary representation and an extension of the
suffrage. A constituency of 1,200,000 is perfectly
inadequate to represent the people of this
country. But in securing this important reform
we hope that a measure even more important in
its direct inflatnee upon oar Parliamentary system

will not be overlooked. So long as open voting
continues to be the practice, so long will bribery,
influence, and intimidation be the rule rather than
the exception. The meeting at Manchester seems
to have left this point rather in the background,
but it must be made a sine qua non if real and
substantial reform is wanted. Who will give it
remains to bo seen. It is certain to encounter a
formidable opposition, being entirely for the good
of the people that no political interest can profit
by it. Meanwhile the coming election will give
the country an opportunity of testing its repre-
sentatives on the point, and wo look upon the
organisation of the National Reform Conference as
a favourable sign of the times.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LREUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

AMERICA.
(Per the North American, via Greencastle.)
NEW YORK, APRIL 9 (Afternoon).
The Army of the Potomac is preparing for an
early forward movement.

All surplus baggage has been sent to the rear,
and furloughs have been stopped.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Money tight. Gold 70a prem. Exchange on
London, 1861. Stocks opened firm to day, but
have since become very heavy—New York Centrals,
1431; Illinois, 1491 ; Erie, 126 i. Cotton quiet.
Middling Upland, 64c. Breadstuffi advancing.
Petroltum very firm. Crude, 351 ; refined, 52 to 512.
The City of Manchester, from New York on the
9th inst., arrived at Queenstown at 7.30 a.m. She
brings 131 passengers and 276,270 dols. in specie.
She landed 10 sacks of mails andl2 passengers,
and proceeded at 7.40 a.m.
Her news has been anticipated.

SPAIN,
MADRID, APRIL 23.

The Queen has left for Aranjuez.
The Novedades of to-day says :--" The Prores-
sist banquet will not disturb public tranquillity,
although more than 1,000 persons will take part in
it."

THE JOURNEY OF THE KING OF
PRUSSIA,

HAMBURG, April 22, Evening.

Yesterday afternoon the King of Prussia arrived
at the Castle of Gravenstein, and after a short stay
proceeded to Atzbull, where he saluted the regi-
ments which had been engaged in storming the
Duppel redoubts. His Majesty praised and thanked
several of the officers and soldiers, and the whole
of the troops defiled before the King; after which
he took his leave, and at 4.30 p.m. went on to the
trenches. Early this morning Herr von Bismark,
accompanied by Herr Kendell, councillor of lega-
tion, passed through Hamburg on his way to join
the King of Prussia. It is said that the object of
the King's visit to the duchies is to sound the
population, and to pave the way for a vote in con-
formity with the views of the Prussian government.
It is also said that the Emperor of Austria is ex-
pected in the duchies.

THE lONIAN ISLANDS.

A letter from Corfu, of the 4th inst., states :

" Further portions of the fortifications of Vido have
been destroyed during the past week, and the huge and
rugged heaps of masonry can now be plainly seen from the
town. One object particularly strikes the attention ; it is a
permanent gun platform, thrown over on its side,
and it is almost, if not quite, intact. Similar instances
have occurred with other platforms in this fortress, which
have not been broken, Gunpowder itself has been unable
to shatter these hard and solid blocks. The martello tower
on the north side of the island was blown up; it rose
slightly, then burst open, and fell in a thousand pieces,
adding its quota to the ruins already existing around it.
There yet remain some large portions of this fortress to be
destroyed."

The same letter contains the following paragraph
on the finances of the Islands :—" The deficiency in
the funds necessary for the payment of the ex-
penses of the State for the past month
has been made good by the Government out
of the municipal chest. The decision of the
Special Commission has just been given in
favour of the munhipality, as against the Go-
vernment, vesting in the former certain property
known as public property, producing a large annual
rental, together with a large sum for mesne profits,
the whole of which sums ought to be devoted to the
purposes of local government only. Within a week
or two after this decision is given the municipal
chest is emptied by the Government for its own
purposes. This is a very strong measure, and is in
effect making Corfu pay for the other islands. II
the union with Greece is not effected before the end
of Lilo (:resent month, the Government will again
have to tax their ingenuitY, to provide money for
the current expenses."