The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-03 00:00:00

COURTS OF JUSTICE BILL.

The LORD CHANCELLOR moved that the house
should go into a committee on this bill. _ _ _

Lord REDESDALE moved as an amendment that the
bill be referred to a select committee.
Lord St. LEONARDS seconded the motion.

Earl GRANVILLE opposed the amendment ; for were
tho bill sent to a select committee it would be impossible
for tho Lord Chancellor, who took a great interest in tho
matter, to attend.

The Earl of HARDWICKE inquired on what principle
they estimated that seven acres in the heart of the town
would cost only £700,000.

Tho Earl of ELLENBOROUGU thought it would be
imprudent on the part of any private gentleman, or prince,
even Croesus himself, to begin to build a great palace with-
out counting the cost ; but the house was asked to build not
one palace, but half a dozen, for the comfortable accommo-
dation of 3,000 barristers, 2,500 solicitors, and 15,000 per-
sons whom they called their staff. They were about to com-
mence•one of the greatest undertakings ever submitted to
an architect since the days of Michael Angelo ; but there
was no Michael Angelo, there was not even any architect
of ordinary capacity who was capable of combining all the
requirements of the courts in one design. One of the wisest
statesmen of former times was reported to have said, "Stay
a little, that you may make an end the sooner." The pass-
ing of this measure would not be the end, but beginning.
They could not toll how long it would be in building, or
how many millions it would require. Louis XIV., when
he set about building Versailles, burned all the estimates,
and ho was quite right. They did the same, or rather
they said they would not have any estimates at all. This
was not a matter which interested the present generation.
Their lordships would never sea this great palace of justice,
although they would pay a large portion of the cost. They
would never expatiate in its ample halls, and see the com-
mon law and equity lawyers fly into each other's arms and
effect a fusion of law and equity, not by Act of Parliament,
but in friendly converse as they walked through its pas-
sages. (Laughter.) Those who were to come after them
would see all this, and blame them for having so carelessly
and recklessly begun so great an expenditure. When he
first saw this measure he felt strongly opposed to it, and,
like the noble lord the chairman of committees, he was
most unwilling that the courts of law should be removed
from their ancient site at Westminster Hall. He regretted,
too, that the Court of Queen'sßench had ever been removed
from its former position at the other end of the Hall, for
there the battle of the Constitution had been fought as often
as it had been in either house of Parliament. He saw,
however, that those concerned in the administration of jus-
tice suffered under a grievance in want of proper accommo-
dation, owing to the continued neglect of successive Go-
vernments in failing to provide new courts as new courts
were required, and in neglecting to extend the accommo-
dation of the old courts. He had then no hostility to the
present measure, but he did warn their lordships against
rushing blindly into an extravagant expenditure.
The LORD CHANCELLOR, said that unless they made
a beginning they would never see an end of the matter.
The noble earl advised them to wait, but they had waited
for 40 years ; they had had 40 years of delay, 40 years of
inquiry, and now, when they got to the very threshold,
they were asked to pause and make further inquiry. In-
quiry was a very good and a very prudent thing; calcula-
tion, too, was a prudent thing ; but they had made all the
inquiries possible, and had had calculations wrought out
by the most experienced hands, and to refer the bill now
for inquiry to a select committee would be only to go over
the same ground as before. All the inquiries necessary
had been made by the Royal Commission and by the select
committee of the House of Commons, and it was the cal-
culation both of Sir Charles Barry and of Mr. Pennethorne
that the site, which was covered with houses of the vilest
description, could be purchased for £700,000.
The house then divided on the question of going into
committee—

Content 55
Not content 32
Majority —23

The house then went into committee on the bill.
The several clauses of the bill were, after a brief discus-
sion, agreed to, the bill was reported, and the third read-
ing fixed on Monday.
COURTS OF JUSTICE CONCENTRATION (SITE)

BILL.

The house went into committee on this bill.
On clause 3,

In roply to Lord CHELMSFORD,

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that it was the inten-
tion of the Government to provide a convenient access to
the courts from the Temple by means of a gallery over or
a tunnel under Fleet-street.
The other clauses wore agreedto, and the bill was re-
ported.
The Metropolitan Main Drainage Extension Bill then
passed through committee.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Halifax Extension and Improvement Bill was read
a third time and passed.
The following bills were considered and ordered to be
read a third time :—Dcighlington and Gildersom Gas ;
North British Railway (Lasswade, dtc., Branches) ; and
Southwark Bridge Transfer.

IMPERIAL GAS BILL.
Mr. H. LEWIS moved the insertion of certain amend
ments relative to fixing the price of gas.
Mr. DODSON opposed the amendment. The matter
had been fully considered in committee, and therefore he
thought the house ought to uphold its decision.
Mr. JACKSON said the amendment was never sub-
mitted to the committee by whom the bill was considered.
He hoped the decision of the committee would be sup-
ported, especially as there was another plan in which the
matter could be mooted.
The amendment was withdrawn.
THE TEA DUTIES.

A variety of petitions wero presented from all parts of
the country, praying for the postponement of the time at
which the new duties should come into operation.
THE COMMISSIONAIRES' BAND.

Major S. KNOX asked the First Commissioner of Works I
whether it was true that the permission accorded to the
band of the Commissionaires to play in St. James's-park
had been withdrawn ?
Mr. W. COWPER said that several of the inhabitants
of the houses in New-street, Spring-gardens, and Carlton-
gardens had remonstrated at the annoyance caused by the
playing of the band of Commissionaires in the Cambridge-
enclosure, almost in front of their windows. Although
the Street Music Act did not apply to such a
circumstance in fact, yet he felt that it did in spirit, and it
was out of deference to the act of the Legislature that the
permission granted to the band had been withdrawn. The

permission was granted to play in that spot previous to the
act passing, and as it was only granted annually it had
not been given this year. There was no correspondence
on the subject, therefore he had none to produce.
Major S. KNOX would like to know wh ;ther the right
hon. gentleman was aware that the privilege was worth
about £l,OOO to the Commissionaires. He would grant
them the use of another piece of ground in St. James's-
park.
Mr. W. COWPER said he would consider the matter.