The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-18 00:00:00

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Matheson for Ross and Cromarty, may therefore be con--
sidered all but certain. =
TRALEE.—The Tralee Chronicle of Saturday con Han - :,.‘.--)
an address from Mr. Maurice O'Connell, denying tind ±- '"
he intended to abandon the representation of Traffe. - .:1
There are three candidates now spoken of:—Mr. oPcji,
nen, Mr. Blennerhassett, and Admiral Sir T. Herbert.' 1
WICK BURGHS.—No opposition is anticipated to
Loch in this district. liadskidS Las
WIGTONSHIRE.—A rumour has been current in this
county, since the dissolution of Parliament has baen
talked of, of Captain Dalrymple, the present Member,
meeting with opposition, either from Captain Hay, R.N.,
or Mr. Stewart,jun., of Glasserton.

CHANCERY REFORM ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the Chancery Reform Association was
held yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the recommendations of the Chancery
Reform Commissioners. Lord Erskine presided, and
amongst those present were Mr. Hume, M.P., Mr.
Trelawny, M.P., Captain &obeli, M.P., &c.
The CRAntmAN, in opening the
proceedings, briefly
expressed his satisfaction at the improvement w hich had
taken place in the prospects of their cause since he had
last addressed a similar meeting. The association had
then hardly any hope, while they had now a certain as-
surance of the success of their projects. Although he
did not know that the judges of the land agreed with
them on every point, yet they did, without exception, go
with them to an extent which no one suspected. Their
cause was emphatically that of the country, and they
felt now the greatest assurance of a prosperous issue to
their labours. _

Mr. Heratz, after referring to the history of the move-
ment for legal
.reform, said that no one in a rational
country like this need despair of success if their cause
was a good one. They had now arrived in view of the
the attainment of their object. They had all classes of
politicians now in favour of Chancery reform; and they
had reason to expect tha!, before. long. the eountry
would be placed in an enviable position, compared with
that which it had hitherto occupied with respect to the
powers of this court. Let every one h upon this
question as his own, for no man knew how soon he or
his property might be brought before it by some wicked O
or designing man. He remarked w some years ago
he had an interview with Mr. Challin. or, a chember of
the council of this Ass..ciation ou :he subject of a pans
phlet clearly exposing the ihnt rent deft cts o. Chincery.
This pamphlet he had afterwards pressed on the atten-
tion of Lord John Russell, who read it and admitted
that something ought to be done. Some ut the Bills for
the reform of this court had been already prepared, and
instructions had been given by the present Government
for the preparation of those which had not been drawn
under the direction of the late Government. He be-

lieved that this question, after being agitated in and out
of Parliament for thirty years, was now ripe for that
settlement on full conviction which secured the perma-
nence of the reform which might be adopted. If they
reformed this court, it would lead to reforms in other
courts, and to a general simplification of procedure. Ho
did not see why they should not copy the system pur-
sued in the Court of Bankruptcy, where a sy stem of
dealing with accounts had been adopted, and was gene-
rally satisfactory to the mercantile interest of the coun-
try. lie then moved the following resolution:—
" That the Royal Commissioners appointed in 1650 to
inquire into the process, practice, and system of pleading
in the Court of Chancery, having examined many par-
ties most competent to give evidence on the subject, in-
cluding the present Lord Chancellor, one of the Lords
Justices of Appeal, some of the Masters in ChancrrYt
with their clerks, several of the most eminent barristers
and solicitors practising in the equity courts, with David
Dudley Field, Esq., one of the commissioners by whom
the New York code of procedure was framed ; and
having unanimously reported that extensive and deep-
rooted mischiefs arise from the present system, involving
the utter denial of justice, and the ruin of the litigants
and their families, this meeting is of opinion that so un-
qualified a condemnation by the eminent men forming
the Commission, demands the immediate application of
a legislative remedy, one of the first duties of a Govern-
ment being to render justice attainable by all, without
delay or ruinous cost."
Mr. Cetemareoet, solicitor, of Leek, in a long and able
speech, characterised the Court of Chancery as a system
by which the settlement of any question in dispute was
deferred to the utmost possible time; and by which the
money might of the kingdom had often herded is over
the humbler right. It was a sort of legal gambling-
table on which the evil passions of the parties were
worked up to the greatest possible extent tor the
benefit of the keepers of the table. The keystone of
the abuses of the Court of Chancery was the preventing
the meeting of the parties and their witnesses in sour,.
and their oral examination before the judge who tried the
cause. Then there was a continual system of reference
from judge to judge, which, as the opinion of only
single judge was taken at each step, was never conclu-
sive. He expressed his satisfection at the reforms which
were contemplated by the Government, but his regret
that there was still an adherence to the sy to of taking
evidence before an examiner, to be certified in writing to
the court; remarking that he could not see any reason
why a legatee should not recover his legeey from an exe-
cutor at law in the same manner as a creditor from tho
executor of his debtor. A game of chess played by cor-
respondence was tedious enough; but it was nothing to
this legal game played in writieg, for which lee yens
were paid by the folio.—(Cheers.) Ho would mention
the case which had made him a Chancery reformer. A
farmer in Staffordshire lett his property to his wife for
life, and after her death to his eldest sun, and charged it
also with a legacy of 3001. to his second son. When he
claimed his legacy, he was told that be had in fact received
it in maintenance and other ways, and the matter
was thrown into Chancery, the only dispute being whe-
ther he had received the legacy or not. A suit was
commenced, to which seventeen parties were made de-
fendants. In eighteen months' time it came before the
Vice-Chancellor, who decided that he could not come
to any decision at all, but referred it to the Master to in-
quire into matters which were not in di,rnte. It re-
mained in the Master's office for two years, when he
directed that the proceedings should be commenced " do
novo," because one of the principal parties to the suit had
been omitted. The estate bad nearly vanished by this
time; so that the matter was comromirned. From that
time be had determined to use his utmost endeavours to
bring this giant iniquity before the bar of public opinion.
The Hon. Gentleman then contended for the principle
of bringing all parties to a suit face to face in court, and
stated that, although the system of written evidence
had been recommended by the Commissioners to be abo-
lished, yet as oral evidence was to be taken only by
examiners, and not by the judges who heard the cause,
he thought that question had not been fully dealt with.
After alluding at some length to the proposed abolition
of the Masters' offices, office copies, and the other re-
commendations of the Commissioners, he cot...eluded
by expressing his gratification at finding that the
labours of the Chancery Reform Association had not
been fruitless.—(Cheers.) He concluded, amid cheers,
by seconding the resolution, which was passed unani-
mously.
Mr. TRELAWNY, M.P., moved the next resolution:—
" That while this meeting is of opinion that much
may be done towards redeeming the Court of Chanceradsiswpeinllsreenwdiethr
y
ei
rn the
law p resent
o r equswi
tyt
oays
way—to
12c
mot moi
epi
se
tt ern
ot
ot
mo
p ltake
ete
from the obloquy which now justly attaches to it, by
hh
whether
ear duearinceeo
ei na a
at hr
ye mp
aorstti
es:
tt
oi s faa ca tuoirt
court,mend
l
relief in the cases which fall under its co izsnce--to
abolish bills of reviver and supplemental bills, warrants
for bearings, states of facts and charges, office copies,
and objections to drafts of reports, and generally
parties,as together summary
a as Is
.
security
tee
both
with
the,
oat:oio
is compatible with
ren-
der
due the
proceedings
of the Masters' offices--most of which is recomm, tided
by the Commissioners of the Crown—
it is also essured
that many of the evils incident
to the present „%rateui
must necessarily exist l ULU the ch. tinction between law
and equity is abolished, oral sn
•
of the Judge who tries the
cause
exanu
ie nation in the presence
is in all cases administeredbecnaerreod out, cud cpfud justice
jurisdiction, a practice which has been introduced into
the United States with results."
the happiest
The first evil whieh he thought
was entailed by the
operation of this court was the retention of capital from
commercial purposes. If it was true that 200 millions
sterling was thus detained, every labourer in the e en-
try had an indirect interest in the question. kn.-cause
the quantity of capital from which his labour derived
employment was thus diminished, and his wages were
consequently lessened.
Mr. BENJAMIN OLIVEIRA seconded the resolution,
which was passed unanimously.
Mr. MEREWEATHER TURNER moved the next resolu-

Con—
" That the Council of the Chaucorl Reform Associa-
tion6lt C proceedings,
uli t bib:awl:ost;
be requested towciotnhtinmuuecihts
teivnegryhoanvine gofseietsn published statemmts, touching the
enormities and cruelties of the present system of equity,
has been conceded by the Commi•sioners of the Crown,
as also most of the remedies formerly proposed by the
council; and being fully assured that the strongly con-
demnatory report of the Commissioners has but to be-
come generally known to force upon the Government
and Legislature the so long called for t elief and remedy."
The resolution was then uminimously agreed to, anti
after a vote of thanks to the cbairmsh, the proceedings
terminated.

i antl
ol
theo
hw
springiT
ime . DISCOVERY IN DAGUERREOTYPING,
Sir,—lpaper ot to-day a pa..
ragrsph relating to a new mode of finishing daguerreo-
types.
haveTO ToHjerlcrlledlTt:EllyoortaTHE TIMES.
it received, besides the approval t:f
verad by a Gentleman in Charlestown, United States, so
State, Youtrhasetasteheonfevjwru:setweicf
of
Inf
t‘'aruotnadmue:euidirier;bgytwPrnailil:l
foafr
ffarso;mybeeairnf
when
other excellent authorities, a fav9urable notice in the
Times of May 13, 1851. Since that time it ha., twee
coustantly applied to portraits t:-.ltt.:n at IMII t sta Wish -
meLas. and through the perfection it hat: attained is in
increasing requisition.
I am, Sir, your obliged servarr,
Daguerreotype Portrait-rooms,
85, King William-btrect,
City, March 17.
RicaulD i3EaRD.

LIFE BOATS.—The Secretary to the Nersl de-
partment of the Board of Trade has addressed a communi-
cation to the Commissioners of Customs, signifying that, as
it has hitherto been impractcable to give notice of the final
arrangements adopted, their Lordships consider that if, in
any special cases occurring before the lit May nest, it should
appear that a vessel is not provided with the proper boats,
and that the omission has been really occasioned by the
want of sufficient notice,
from proceeding to sea, but the master or owner should be
warned that OU subsequent occasions the law will be strictly
enforced. the vessel should not be detained