The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-17 00:00:00

Lord BROUGHAM brought under the consideration
of the house the subject of taxes or fees upon proceedings
in the courts of law. The noble and learned lord alluded
principally to the amount of fees charged in the county
courts, mentioning that, upon an average of the years
1552-53, they amounted to 261,0001., being 171 per cent.
upon the sums sued for, and upwards of 30 per cent. on
the sums recovered by judgment. In the superior courts
the fees paid amounted to only 50,0001. a year. Com-
plaining of the injury which such a state of things in-
flicted upon the county courts, by reducing the amount
of business brought to them, he vindicated the principle
of all law taxes, being defrayed, not by suitors, but by
the public, out of the Consolidated Fund. In conclu-
sion, the noble and learned lord moved a series of seven
resolutions, embodying the principles he had enunciated.
The LORD CHANCELLOR concurred in most of
the views of Lord Brougham, but he doubted whether
the present was an opportune moment for changing the
existing system, and he expressed an opinion that it
would be inexpedient to pledge the house to abstract re-
solutions on such a subject. The State was bound to
supply tribunals ; but the suitor in the wrong ought to
contribute also to the maintenance of the judicial sys-
tem. The whole subject, however, should receive the
consideration of the Government as soon as the County
Court Commission had made their report, with the view
of removing the existing inequalities between different
courts. Under these circumstances, he recommended
the noble and learned lord to withdraw the resolutions.
After a few words in reply from Lord BROUGHAM, the
resolutions were negatived.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Lords' amendment to the Hereford Improvement
Bill were considered and agreed to.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Furness Railway ; Llandudno Improvement; North
Shields and Improvements; Stockton and Darlington
Railway; Swansea Harbour.
The following bills were considered and ordered to be
read a third time :—Bethesda and Llanlleched Improve-
ment ; Great Western Railway (Stratford, Sc.) ; Lowe-
stoft Improvement (No. 2) ; Shrewsbury and Chester Rail-
way ; Trowbridge Roads.
The Tees Conservancy and the Patent Solid Sewage
Manure Company (No. 2), were read a second time and
ordered to be committed.
PETITIONS.
Petitions were presented by Mr. Brotherton and other
honourable members against the opening of public houses
on Sunday ; by Sir J. V. Shelley from St. Paul's, Covent-
garden, complaining of the supply of water to the metro-
polis by the New River Company ; also, a petition from
a public meeting, held in St. Martin's Hall, signed by Mr.
Coninghain, praying the house to appoint a committee to
inquire into the state of the Foreign-office, with full
powers to read all the Papers there, and that all
foreign operations should be suspended until that
committee had reported. (A laugh.) Mr. James
Anderson, from Dunfermline, praying for the
abolition of the newspaper stamp by Mr. Crossley from
Halifax, praying for the abolition of church rates ; by Mr.
Spooner from St. Judge's, Bethnal-green, against the en-
dowment of Maynooth.
VOTE BY BALLOT.

Mr. H. BERKELEY gave notice that on this day month
he should move for leave to bring in a bill to protect the
voter of the ballot.

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES.

In reply to Mr. MACARTNEY,
Mr. WILSON said it was impossible yet to state what
the amount of the supplementary estimates for the corn-
missariat expenses of the war might be. When they were
prepared they would be laid upon the table.