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

great and apparent that it will assuredly 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 the book 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 brought
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
MONTROSE cited a case which had come under his
own observation in which a charter consisted of half
a page instead of 30 pays I 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 for prolixity and fines them for brevity."
And the interest thus brought to bear is by no
means insignificant. Lord WESTBURY declared a
patent fact when he said that this was a lawyer-
ridden country, 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 thing 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
;o the insufficiency of its Parliamentary represen-
ation bodes no good to the tottering fortunes of
he present Administration. Her MAJESTY'S adw
visors 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 unpopularity 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 ns 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 Rea}; nor con•
ciliated the strong—neither satisfied out allies nor
daunted our opponents. Our reputation has
collapsed, our professioLs are ridiculed, and self-
interest is invariably declared to be the ruling
motive of a paver which is continuAlly making
uncalled for concessions, and abandoning every
advantage which a bolder and a wiser age had
ga;,eed. Under these circumstances the foreign
policy of the Government will certainly not be its
strong point at the hustings when that mailable
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 sadden settlement of all
the vexed questions at present distracting Europe
were possible, they would not be much better off.
If Russia granted Poland en independent constitn.%
tion to morrow, if the Northern States of America
recognised the independence of the Sl:fath, and both
parties gave Earl RUSSELL'4 eloquence as the
reason of their coadact ; nay, even supposing the
Schleswig-Holstetl problem *to be finally solved
during the -lifetime of the present House of Com-
mon? the troubles of the Government would
not be altogether over. There would be one
obstacle in the road to SUMS) 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 seriuus 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-flown 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 little 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 tha large towns
of the kingdom which recently took place at Alan-

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 th© 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 end 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 wllich, 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
inschquate to represent the people of this

country. But in securing this important reform
we hope that a measure even more important i❑
its direct in4a...oee upon our Yuriiamencary system