The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-20 00:00:00

WEST RIDING ASSIZES.

On the order of the day for going into committee of
supply.
Sir J, HAY moved that an honourable address be pre-
sented to her Majesty, representing to her Majesty the town
of Wakefield, the capital of the West Riding of Yorkshire,
as the place suggested by a large majority of the magis-
trates of the West Riding as the best for holding an assize ;
that Wakefield, containing as it does the West Riding
Prison, the head-quarters of the West Riding Constabulary,
the West Riding register-office, and the West Riding pro-
bate-office; is also geographically the central town of the
West Riding, and possesses every convenience in courts,
railway communication, and hotel accommodation for the
purpose; and praying that her majesty will be graciously
pleased to nominate the town of Wakefield as the assize
town for the West Riding of Yorkshire. Tho hon. and
gallant member, in support of his motion, stated that 191
magistrates of the West Riding expressed an opinion that
Wakefield should be the assize town, whereas only 59 were
in favour of Leeds.

Mr. LEATHAM seconded the motion, and in a very
humorous speech pointed out the great superiority of
Wakefield to Leeds, both as regarded population and the
convenience of the bar and the bench.

Sir G. GREY, having complimented the hon. member
who had just sat down on having made a very amusing
and a very talented speech, proceeded to quota the sec-
tions of the Act of Parliament under which the order in
council had been made. He stated that the Lord Chan-
cellor, Lord Wenaleydale,lLard Cranwerth, end Earl De
Grey and Ripon, were members of the committee to
whom the decision of the question had been relegated;
and that he himself had invariably replied to applications
end memorials from every quarter that he could not form
any opinion until the whole case was before him. The
committee, too, considered the subject carefully, and had
come to the conclusion, having regard to no private in-
terests and no reference to political feeling, but guided by
the objects of the cheap, speedy, and effective administration
of justice, that Leeds had the preferable claim, and that it
would be most conducive to those objects that the assizes
should be held at Leeds.

Mr. BEECROFT supported the claims of Leeds on the'
grounds of its large population, great amount of assize
business, and on account of the hotel accommodation and
railway facilities afforded in that town.
Sir G. GREY begged to correct an omission, and to state
that neither Lord Wensleydale nor the Secretary of State
for India attended the Council; bat they had sent in their
written opinions to the chairman.
Mr. ROEBUCK said the Privy Council had determined
and said that the assizes should be removed from York to
the West Riding, and also that they would recommend to
her Majesty's Government that Leeds should be the town.
Parliament had said that the Privy Council was the best to
decide on that matter ; and the house having passed an Act
of Parliament giving that power to the Privy Council, he
wanted now to ask the house why they interfered with the
decision of the Privy Council. (Hear, hear.)
Colonel SMYTH was of opinion that the assizes ought
not to be removed from York; but if there was to be a
change, he would say that Wakefield was the most fitting
place.
Mr. BAINES deprecated any interference by tbo House
of Commons in a question which had been settled by the
authority to which it had been delegated by Parliament
itself. The Privy Council had considered the matter by
the aid of all the lights it could obtain, and by the aid of
the most important tribunal that could be devised, and the
consequence of attempting to appeal from that decision
would be endless confusion. The intention of the old law
was that the assize should be held in the most important
town of the county. That principle had been followed out
in recent times—such, for example, as in the case of
Lancashire, in which the assizes had been moved from
Lancaster, first to Liverpool, and then to Manchester.
Now, Wakefield could not be considered the chief town
of the West Riding, for, as compared with Leeds, it was but
a fourth or fifth rate town. The hon. member impugned the
figures which had been quoted to show that Wakefield was
more eligibly situated as regarded the population in the
registration district of Halifax, and his belief that there was
not a shadow of reason for attempting to disturb the deci-
sion of the Privy Council.
Sir J. PAKINGTON had been a member of the Royal
commission in 1857 to consider the question. They had
come to an unanimous decision against transferring the
West Riding assizes to the town of Leeds, the majority
being in favour of retaining the assizes at York. At the
same time a minority had come to the opinion that a case
had been made out for the West Riding having a separate
assize, and it was his firm belief that, if the question had
been between Leeds and Wakefield,. the commission would
have decided in favour of the latter. For that reason ha
should, if the question went to a division, vote for the
amendment of the hon. member for Wakefield.

Mr. HADFIELD said that at an influential meeting hold
in Sheffield it had been decided that Leeds ought to bo the
assize town for the \Vest Riding ; but at the same time they
had an intention ultimately to ask for a division, which
would make Sheffield also an assize town.
The house then divided—
For the original motion 133
For the amendment * •• ll9
Majority
Sir 3. D. Hay's motion was therefore lost.
THE LAW OF SETTLEMENT.

On the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair being
put,

Mr. WARNER, who had a motion on the paper calling
attention to the operation of We law of settlement on the
condition of the working classes, said that he had, since
giving notice, had an opportunity to some extent of ex-
plaining his opinions to the house. He had also ascer-
tained that those feelings ware gaining ground, for the
President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Milner Gibson) had
publicly declared his opinion that the question of union
rating was only a question of time, and that the law of
settlement must go when they came to union rating, He
(Mr. Warner) was satisfied with that declaration, and
thought he should best servo the cause in which he was in-
terested by leaving the subject to be discussed by the com-
mittee on the poor laws, which he understood would be
reappointed. He bogged therefore to withdraw his motion.