The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-26 00:00:00

Court of Common Council.

A Court of Common Council was holden yesterday al
the Council-chamber at Guildhall ; the Right Hon. the
Lord Mayor (Warren Stormes Hale, Esq.), presiding.
The court was not a calendar court, being convened
chiefly for the purpose of clearing off an accumulation of
business standing over from several previous courts. The
greater portion of the time was occupied in the discussion
of a report from the Law, Parliamentary, and City Courts
Committee, on the reference on the 9th March last on the
County Courts Equitable Jurisdiction Bill in Parliament,
and also on the reference of the 18th inst., on the letter of
the judge of the Sheriffs' Court upon the subject of the said
bill, and for authority to introduce new clauses in the bill,
and also to inquire whether the privileges of the court had
been in any way interfered with, stating that the Remem-
brancer had on the 13th March submitted the bill to them,
from which it appeared that the powers conferred by it on
the county courts were not extended to the Sheriffs' Court
of the City. The Remembrancer had also pointed out to
them, that since the passing of the City Small Debts Act, in
1857, various powers had been conferred on the county
courts, but not extended to the Sheriffs' Court. That in
1859 the court instructed the Law, Parliamentary and City
Courts Commitee, to ascertain whether any, and if any,
what changes orimprovementswere'necessary or,desirabill
and could be effected in the jurisdiction, process, procddure,
and scales of fees, and if so, in what manner and at what
cost. That on the 4th Nov., 1859,the committee reported
to the court that they were of. opinion that several changes
and improvements were necessary and desirable, in order
that the powers of the court might be, as far as should be
considered beneficial, made to correspond with those of the
county courts generally, and that these changes and im-
provements could only be effected by act of Parliament.
That the court then directed notice to be given that :appli-
cation would be made in the following session for a bill to
carry these objects into effect. A bill was introduced to Par-
liament in pursuance of the notice, but it was afterwards
withdrawn on objections made by Lord Redesdale, and the
committee adjourned the consideration of the question whe-
ther it was desirable that the equitable jurisdiction given
by the bill to county courts should be extended to the
Sheriffs' Court. The committee met again on April 3, and
it was resolved to wait until the bill had passed the House
of Lord; and then to meet and determine whether they

would recommend that it was desirable to introduce into
the bill into the House of Commons clauses extending the
equitable jurisdiction to the Sheriffs' Court, and also clauses
to carry out the wishes of your honourable court, expressed
in the year 1859, to increase the powers of the Sheriffs'
Courts, and make them correspond with those of the county
courts. On May 8 the Remembro.ncer reported to the com-
mittee that the select committee of the House of Lords had
introduced a clause into the bill extending the equitable
jurisdiction to the Sheriffs' Court, and pointed out that the
mode in which tho judge and officers of the Sheriffs' Court