The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-28 00:00:00

Law Amendment Society.

Last night at one of the usual meetings of the
society a paper was read by Mr. Thomas Webster,
Q.C., F.R.S., on the subject of the Palace of Jus-
tice, the site, approaches, and arrangements of the
courts of law and offices of judicature. After ex-
pressing his opinion that the site of the new courts
was well adapted for the purpose, and afforded the
means of being subservient to one of the greatest
metropolitan improvements that this or any other
country ever witnessed, the author proceeded to
argue that separation or isolation from the general
traffic of the metropolis was essential to the deve-
lopment of the advantages which concentration
would give. The mere concentration of the courts
of law, with the termini of the great metropolitan
lines of railway converging upon them, would lead
to an immense influx of persons, and would greatly
add to the inconveniences which were already found
to exist from theinsufficiency of the means of accom-
modating the traffic. In order to obviate this in-
convenience, Mr. Webster advocated the construc-
tion of subways from the new Thames Embankment
on the south side of the Palace of Justice, and the
utilising of Temple-bar by converting it into a via-
duct, for the same purpose. On the north side a
similar subway might be constructed under the Hol-
born-street level, in the neighbourhood of Warwick-
court, for the use of those who lived in Gray's-inn
and Bedford-row. The writer laid great stress on the
desirability of isolating the courts from the general
traffic of the metropolis. He dwelt at length on the
general divisions and internal arrangements of the
new building, and while advocating the principle
that all persons interested in a cause should be
brought into easy communication with each other,
this should be done without leading to disorder or
confusion. Increased facilities should be afforded
not only to judges and counsel and solicitors, but to
-witnesses, short-hand writers, and reporters. Around
the great hall there should be 18 courts with their
distinct appurtenances, and with easy access to the
general hall. The paper went with great minuteness,
and at the same time with great distinctness, into
the consideration of the internal arrangements, and
left scarcely any class of persons connected with
the administration of the law uncared or unpro-
vided for ; but in the discussion, or rather conver-
sation which ensued, the greatest stress was laid on
the suggestion of isolating, as far as possible, the
new courts of law from the general traffic. The
paper was much applauded. In the course of the
discussion which ensued, Mr. Snell, the senior
short-hand writer of his profession, referred to the
many difficulties under which shorthand writers and
reporters at present laboured from the existing want
of accommodation. He stated that an Institute of
Shorthand Writers had lately been formed, and that
he would communicate to that body the careful con-
sideration Mr. Webster had given in his scheme to
their accommodation and general interests, for
which in their name he begged to thank the learned
gentleman. Probably any additional suggestions
they might have to offer would be kindly received
I and considered.

The thanks of the meeting were given, on the
motion of Mr. Lawrence, to Mr. Webster ; and on
the motion of Mr. Hastings the paper was ordered
to be printed and circulated, and a copy of it sent
to the Royal Commissioners. Mr. Daniel, Q.C.,
occupied the chair.

Royal Geographical Society.

__,_

Yesterday evening the special ordinary meeting
of the session of this society was held at Burlington
House—the presilgnt, Sir Roderick Murchison, in
the chair.

The PRESIDENT opened the proceedings by ex-
pressing his great regret that disastrous accounts
had been received of two expeditions ih Africa which
had for some time past been looked to with great
interest. In the first place the expedition of Baron
Vander Deccar, from the east coast of Africa into
the interior, had come to an end. The baron had,
on previous explorations from Zanzibar, discovered
the highest mountain in Africa, Kalhnanjaro,which,
though within the tropics, was covered with perpe-
tual snow. He undertook a further exploration in
two boats provided and fitted at his own cost, in
which he endeavoured to penetrate to Central Africa
by ascending the river, but information had just
been received that both the boats had foundered, and
the baron and his party had been obliged to return.
The other expedition wasthat of his gallant friend M.
Du Chaillu, who; as was well known, undertook to
penetrate Africa from the western coast by land. lie
had encountered many difficulties before he started,
having lost all his instruments by the upsetting of
a boat, and he had to wait until fresh instru-
ments could be sent to him. In the meantime he had
employed himself assiduously in collecting gorillas,
insects, and other objects of natural history which
he had forwarded to the British Museum. The ex-
ploration was undertaken at his own cost, he having
devoted the money obtained by the publication of
his book to that purpose. For some time it was
hoped he would succeed in his object, but the small
pox having afflicted the negroes in the interior they
attributed the disease to him. Hence they became
very hostile and he was forced to return, having
been twice wounded and been plundered of nearly
all his property. He had succeeded, however, in pre-
serving his astronomical observations. The president
read a telegram ho had that day received from M.
Du Chaillu, from Plymouth, announcing his arrival
in this country, and that he should probably be in
London that evening.
Three papers on Australia were then read in suc-
cession. The first described an overland journey
from Rockhampton to Cape York, by Messrs. Jar-
dine, who set out for the purpose of taking a supply
of cattle to the colonists at Cape York. The journey
occupied about 12 months, during which time the
two brothers, both young men, suffered great hard-
ships from thedifficulty of cuttingtheir way through
the bush and of crossing lagoons and large and deep
rivers ; and they were several times attacked by the
natives, armed with spears. Most of the horses and
cattle died on the journey, some of them having
been stung by poisonous snakes. The appearance of
the country ger erally seemed far from favourable
for settlement, thoughmillions of acres of rich-look-
ing soil were seen on table land at a great elevation
at one part of their progress. The second paper
gave an account of the discovery of a route between
Rockingham Bay and the Valley of Lagoons, by
Mr. Dalrymple. The difficulty of effecting a pas-
sage across the ridge of mountains near the coast
was described to be almost insurmountable, except-
ing by taking advantage of occasional gaps
through which water-courses traverse to the sea.
Rockingham Bay, where the settlement of Card-
well has been established, was represented to be the
finest bay, with the exception of Port Jackson, along
the whole coast of Australia, and the natural ad-
vantages of the situation were said to be very great,
but an immense amount of labour seems to be re-
quired to clear away the impenetrable masses of
mangroves that everywhere abound. Mr. Dalrymple
underwent many hardships in his exploration, but
he succeeded in making his way inland to a distance
of about 100 miles. The foregoing paper had been
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by Mr. Stow. It appears that Mr. Stow was one of
a party of settlers at Port Adam, on the north-west
coast of Australia, and, some dissensions having
arisen among them, he and a few others purchased
a boat from the captain of a ship, and sailed west-
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in the expectation ofhaerrrving
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where where they could settle. T
however, grievously disappointed. The coast was
completely desolate, the shore and the islands rose
perpendicularly in most parts, rendering navigation
extremely dangerous, and more than once their boat
was nearly upset. Their food ran short, and they
were in danger of starving, when they reached
a small settlement at Port Camden, but the
position of the settlers was not much better than