The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-02 00:00:00

SUPPLY.

The report of the committee of supply on the war and
ordnance expenses was brought up and agreed to..
LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE.

On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. LUCAS took the opportunity of adverting to the
case of the Misses Arrowsinith, referred to last
night by Mr. Chambers. He mentioned that while these
ladies were in a convent he had an interview with
them, and he could assure the house that they enjoyed
as much liberty and happiness there as it was possible
for one to obtain out of it. It was entirely with their
own free will that they entered and remained in the
convent.

The subject then dropped.
ORDNANCE ESTIMATES.

The house then went into committee of supply on the
Ordnance Estimates.

902,8211. was voted for defraying the expense of
works and buildings abroad.
On the question that 134,368/. be voted to defray the
expense of the scientific branch of the ordnance,

Mr. W. WILLIA.MS found fault with the system in
operation at Sandhurst College. Young gentlemen
of station and family were allowed to be sent there to
the exclusion of the orphans of military men.
Colonel DUNNE remarked that the hon. member
was mistaken, for the orphan children of military men
always had a preference over other candidates for ad-
mission into the college.
Mr. MONSELL confirmed the statement of the gal
lant colonel.

Mr. HUME denounced the practice which prevailed
of allowing persons entering the army simply for the
sake of the name or the station it afforded. No one
ought to be permitted to enter who did not really mean
to adopt it as a profession and a means of livelihood.
Colonel DUNNE also thought it was highly prejudi-
cial and detrimental to the efficiency of the service that
young men of fortune were permitted to enter it without
the remotest idea of adopting it as a permanent profes-
sion, as they stood in the way of better and more prac-
tical men. (Hear.)
Lord SEYMOUE. drew attention to the Ordnance
Survey of Scotland. He said there was a report abroad
that it was intended to be constructed upon a scale of
six inches to the mile ; but for the purposes of a map it
would be of no use unless it was made upon a scale of
only one inch to the mile.
Mr. WILSON said the scale had not yet been fixed
upon, but the Treasury were seeking the advice of emi-
nent scientific men upon the point.
Lord SEYMOUR hoped no scale would be finally
agreed upon until the opinion of the house had been
taken upon it. It might be advisable to have a larger
scale for the towns, but for the country generally he
should decidedly object to going beyond the scale of an
inch to the mile, as it would otherwise be putting the
country to unnecessary expense.

Colonel DUNNE suggested that the smaller scale
should be adopted as the rule, and that where landlords
or other parties required a larger scale it should be
carried out at their owu expense only.
Mr. SMOLLETT inquired what was the position of
the survey, as it was now being carried out.
Mr. MONSELL said the survey was being compiled
upon a reduced scale, but it would be highly inconvenient
to disband the corps of engineers until the final scale
had been decided upon.
Mr. HUME objected to this blind mode of pro
ceeding, and insisted that there ought to be one respon
Bible officer in the State who should exercise a supervis
ing control over the expenditure of every department of
the Government. For instance, no less than between
700,0001. and 800,0001. had been expended upon this
survey, and yet it appeared it had not been reduced to
such a form as to make it available for the use of the
public.
Colonel DUNNE thought the house should press the
Treasury to make up their minds at once as to the scale
upon which the survey should be made.
Mr. WILSON said he could state that there was no
intention to depart from the six inch to the one inch
scale, but he could assure the house that nothing would
be done in the matter by the Treasury until the house
bad an opportunity of pronouncing an opinion upon the
resolution which should be come to.

Mr. SCULLY said this was not a mere question
of expense, it was a question of what scale would be the
best for the public interest, and whichever scale effected
that object ought to be adopted whatever was the ex-
pense. He suggested that a selected committee of the
house should be struck for deciding upon the scale.

Colonel BOLDERO said the survey of Ireland, which
had been completed by the Ordnance, was one of the
most perfect maps in the world, and he thought a better
scale for Scotland could not be adopted than that.
Mr. E. ELLICE observed that, on a recent visit to
Scotland, he found a very useful and efficient staff of
engineers engaged in surveying so useless a part of the
country as the island of Lewis. That survey could be
of no possible use to the public, and he was very much
afraid a great deal of money was being uselessly ex-
pended upon many parts of the ordnance survey of
Scotland.

Mr. BARROW proposed that the vote should be
postponed until an understanding should be come to
upon this question of the ordnance survey.
Mr. WILSON said there wag no necessity for that,
as no money would be expended upon any new scale
until it had been sanctioned by Parliament.
The vote was then agreed to.
171,4461. was voted for the non-effective service of
the ordnance.

The Chairman was then ordered to report those re-
solutions to the house, and the house having resumed,
the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.

INNS OF COURTS.

Mr. NAPIER rose to move an address to the Crown
for a commission to inquire into the arrangements in
the Inns of Court for promoting the study of law
and jurisprudence, the revenues properly applicable,
and the means most likely to secure a systematic
and sound education for students of law, and provide
satisfactory test of fitness for admission to the bar. He
said this question was one of great public interest and
importance, there were 800 barristers in Westminster,
while the provinces in Ireland and the colonies, there
were no less than 3,000, and the education of so large
and influential a body of men could not be a matter of
indifference to the house or the country. The
honourable and learned member having adverted to the
steps which had been taken with respect to this subject
in former years, proceeded to adduce authorities in
favour of the establishment of a public school for the
study of law and jurisprudence. All these authorities
admitted the want of some regular system of train-
ing for persons going to the bar, but up to this
moment no test whatever was applied to ascer-
tain the competency of law students who were called
to the bar. His immediate object in making
this motion was to supply that deficiency, and
in order that it might be speedily attained ; he thought
the Inns of Court ought to be subjected to the same
scrutiny and examination that was about to be proposed
with regard to the universities. When he was study-
ing for the Irish bar, he had a difficulty in ascertaining
what steps he should take for rendering himself profi-
sientaa a law student; but he applied to an eminent friend
for advice on the subject, and he would tell the house the
advice he received—" Oh," said hisfriend, "you aregoing
to the bar, are you ?" " Yes," he replied. " Well," said.
hia •
, friend, " I should recommend you to study 'Joe Mil-
lr.'" ,La
when hek ugehter.) But the joke did not end there, for
in one of tie
over to England to complete his studies
eianitls of court, he found that all he had to
do was
laughter.r many dinners in each term. (Re-
newed
schools Which be There were no public libraries or
could apply to for instruction, and the
consequence was that was forced to have recourse to
the library of a
togtehed professor attached to the
London Universitytain that knowledge which was
necessary to render him°competent to practice at the bar.
Now since that time repeatedsmmittees had sat upon the
subject, and various alterations had been suggested to
be made in the system, but
carried
out, and
had
and up to the only been partially
England uc, the same state
pre-
sent time, things remained in prat
There was no bona fide
study for
as ;when he first came to
the bar. (Hear.)
test for
ascertaining the competency of candidates
honours ; while as for an examination,
itor forensic
something of the sort did prevail in was
o true
two of the Inns of Court, but purely voluntary,neor
and vastly inferior in its scope and character to that
which prevailed in America. (Hear, hear.) Formerly
the Inns of Court were a species of university, but since
the time of Henry the Bth, when they certainly partook
of that character, they had wholly lost the supervising in-
fluence of a school of law and jurisprudence. The inns of
court, however, still held a high trust from the public. It
was still, he contended, their duty to look after the edu-
cation of those young men who made the law their
peculiar study, or who meditated practising at the bar.
For this purpose, therefore, he insisted they ought to
provide a public school for the study of law and juris-
prudence, which should be open to the deserving students
of all the Inns, and which should be rendered so com-
plete and efficient as to make it restore the superintend-
ing influence and control that were exercised in former
ages by these institutions. The original object of their
foundation was to furnish a public test of the oompe.