The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-16 00:00:00

Viltrb 12.,!4fti1n.4.

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'clock.

TATTERSALL'S.

(THIS EVENING.)

LIVERPOOL SPEEPLECHASE.
7to 1 agst Miss Mowbray (taken).
Bto 1 agst Bourton (taken).
14 to 1 agst La Gazza Ladra (taken).
15 to 1 agst Half-and-Half (taken).
25 to 1 ag.it Maurice Daley (taken).
GREAT METROPOLITAN STAKES.
25 to 1 agst Ariusto.
TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
Sto 1 agst Phaeton (taken).
CHESTER CUP.
18 to 1 agst Newminster (offered).
18 to 1 asst Star of Surray (offered).
60 to 1 agst Horatio (taken).

DERBY.
9to 2 agßt Autocrat.
7to 1 agst King Tom (taken).
20 to 1 agst Ruby (take 22 to 1).
25 to 1 agst Acrobat (taken).
40 to 1 agst Corin (taken).
40 to 1 agst Bessus (taken).
-------
TORQUAY RACES.
(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH)

Slattern ..................
Waterf0rd.......................................
HITNTERS' STAKES.

The Fawn

HARROW RACES.

(BY ELEOPRIo PE 1, EGRA P II.)
ARRIVALS.
Blue Stockings, Theodine, General, Victress, Alp,
Pinwire, Noin-de-Guere, Colonel ; also, Countess, and
another of Higgins's.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOI7SE OF LORDS--(THIS EVENING.)

Their lordships met at 5 o'clock.
Lord ALBEMARLE moved fir copies of two peti-
tions, presented to the other house, respecting the Mlli
Lary Knights of Windsor.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH thought such a
course never was heard of, as a member of this house to
moving for copies of petitions presented to the ot.ger
house.

Lord ALBEMARLE said he would give notice of
his intention to move fur those petitions. While in pos-
session of the house, he wished t ) make an observation—

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGEL (interrupting) saiii
there was no question before the house, and the noble
lord was wrong in saying he was iu possession of the
house.

Lord ALBEMARLE (resuming) said if he was out of
order, he must submit. But he took that opportunity
of saying that he deeply regretted the despondent tone
which seemed to pervade members of this house with
respect to the approach►ng war with Ru3sia. (Hear.)
He hoped, if this war did come, it would not be as
disastrous to us as the American or the French war.
Lord ST. LEONARDS interrupted the noble lord,
and begged him to remember that there was no question
before the house, and he was therefore clearly out of
order. (Hear, hear.)
The subject then dropped.

LAW OF TESTAMENTARY JURISDICTION.
The LORD CHANCELLOR then rose to call their
lordships' attention, pursuant to notice, to a measure
for the amendment of law relating to the probate of
wills and the granting of letters of admini4t•atton. There
were no fewer than 386 distinct tribunals scattered
over the country—commissary courts—archdiaconal,
and peculiar courts—all having appeals to the
diocesan courts, for the purpose of deciding tes-
tamentary matters. Such a number of courts was in
itself a great practical evil. In the.first place. owing• to
the number of appeals. But that was not all. Very
often there were contentious matkrs of great delicacy,
difficult and hard to be dealt with even by the
Prerogative and Consistory Courts, and clearly he•
yond the capacity of the functionaries of those little
petty courts in the country. A party dissatisfied
with a decision in the courts of law had now
only one course open to him—to come before their lord-
ships for an appeal. Attempts had been male from time
to time for more than twenty years to remedy this evil
In July, 1830, at the co►nmencement of the rei4n of
William the Fourth, a commission was issued to inves-
tigate this very subject, both as to the common and the
ecclesiastical law. They recomrnende•l the abolition oh
all the ecclesiastical courts as far as wills were con-
cerned, with the exception of the Prerogative Courts of
Canterbury and York, and it was not diffi .ult to per-
ceive that they were favourable to the ab of the
Canterbury court, and so have in reality only one Pre-
rogative Court.