The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-26 00:00:00

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ASTERS' OFFICES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,--There appears at last a prospect that the Mas-
ters' Offices of the Court of Chancery are about to
undergo a revision, and that some attempt will be made
to render this branch of the Court more applicable to
the present exigencies of the community. Whilst other
legal institutions of the country have been altered and
modified to meet the altered condition of the people, A
is singular that this branch of the law remains exactly'
as it was two centuries ago.
I stay not to point out the particular evils of this
Institution, or its want of adaptation to the present
times ; but proceed at once to a tew suggestions by
which the system may be improved, and here Ism not
met with the difficulties which beset the advocates for
reform in general—the fear of expense—as lam about
to show that a saving of several thousands a year can be
effected.

Every one who has had the misfortune to prosecute
business in these offices, must have been struck with the
preponderance of mind, over matter in the machinery.
The mental energies of the master seem to be in a state
of torpor for want of adequate employment; while the
powers- of the poor clerk are taxed beyond his endurance.
And until the balance is restored the operation of the
machine must continue faulty. When the balance-wheel
shall have adjusted these two powers, by diminishing
the superabundant force of " master," and augmenting
the force of " clerk," then, and not till then, will this
complicated machine be brought to perform its functions
effectually.
The advanced age of several of the Masters, and the
state of health of others, affords an opportunity for
making this adjustment which may not again occur.
Without injury to the feelings of the Masters in gene-
ral, five of the present body rniAht be invited to retire,
and the conduct of the office committed to the remain-
ing six. To each of these six masters I would assign
two chief clerks with an efficient force of under-clerks,
and by this means the mechanical force to move forward
so unwieldy a body as a Chancery suit may be obtained.
The recommendation to this improved system of ope-
ration is, that it can be effected not only withont cost,
but at a very considerable saving of expense, as the an-
nexed computation explains:—
Five master's discontinued at 2,5001. per an-
num each
X 12,500
One additioxinal chief-clerk to make up the com-
plement of 2; "at 1,0001. per annum
Maki' • 4 anllllo.6onge .411:44• • £11,500,
ittuffro. a". gross amount of saving, will -be to' be
deducted the retiring allowance of five masters at 1,5001.
a-year each. I make no allowance for the twelve ad-
tional clerks, as their salaries can be provided for out of
the fees now received for copy-money.
The grand stumbling-block to such a scheme of re-
trenchment will be patronage. Is her Majesty's Go-
vernment prepared to act really a great part, and show
by their acts the disdain of patronage, which in their
speeches they profess ? Nous verrons.
I am, &c.
AN UNSUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE FOR THE
OFFICE OF A. CLERK IN CHANCERY.
Furnival's Inn, April 19, 1847.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,—What with Free Church riots, and meal riots—
the one, in the opinion of many, the offspring of the
other, though the latter most ungratefully and spitefully
visited some of those who were the grand leaders in the
agitation which produced the former—Ross-shire has
obtained for itself an unenviable notoriety.
Whatever may have been the cause of such disorderly
proceedings on the part of people who, till lately, knew
not how to set about a riot, or what a riot meant, they
should not suffer from abuses that may easily be cor-
rected. There is one which cannot bear the light of the
sun, and that needs only to be known to be reprobated
by all men who have a sense of justice, and hate what
leads to imposition.
The Act of the Legislature, enjoining uniformity of
weights and measures, is a dead letter in Ross-shire.
Some importers of meal from Banff and Aberdeen use
the imperial, some of our meal dealers use the Dutch,
and some no standard whatever; but instead, a round
block of stone, which may have been sufficient weight,
but the weight of which must be changing by every
knock and fall it gets. This irregularity may cause
some injustice, and, certainly, occasions much discontent
and complaining. A man buys a boll of meal at 325.
(Ross-shire boll), and hears that meal has just been
sold at Invergordorn or Fortrose for 28s. (mperial
boll), and fiercely denounces the unfeeling farmer, or
greedy miller ; and the man who bought his meal
at the latter price finds that it does not feed his bairns
so long as he expected, that there was no blessing in it,
and speaks in no gentle terms of the meal dealer. Land-
owners and land occupants assure the population around
them, that they shall be supplied with meal at the
lowest market price. They make good their promise—
they get neither credit nor thanks, but abuse for it--
they give only the imperial weight, the little boll. Jobbers
buy by one weight or measure and sell by another, and
thus perpetrate some injustice in order to have some
profit.
All who must go the market for supplies necessary to
feed their families, and all who desire that peace and
contentment should, in as far as ossible, prevail around
them, must desire that such abuse would speedily come
to an end.
As I know none who can more effectively rebuke
to this. It deserves reprobation.
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
A ROSS-SHIRE MAN.
April 20, 1847.

NARROW ESCAPE OF VAN AMBURGII.—BALTIMORE,
UNITED STATES, APRIL I.—Quite an exciting incident oc-
curred yesterday afternoon at Van Arnburgh's menagerie, in
the presence of a crowded auditory, principally ladies. He
had just left one of the cages. and had entered another, in
withleopards,capacious
t h
e liona
,as
which were a lion, a tiger, and two leopards. After pla3 ing
theftearkv i
lionni igi oi
innse
seized
tzsel
adhreghiem turnedm ob3ie,ttyhteoo caressfriigi
iright breast,
b ood n3.e. o f
Tthhhi
ees
animal exhibited no ferocity or anger, but immediately let go
his hold, and seated himself quietly in his cage. So quietly
was it done on the part of the lion, that the audience would. have thought nothing of it had it not caused a shriek of pain
from Van Amburgh, when he fell against the side of the
cage. He was immediately taken out, and Dr. Gibson being
present, was called to his relief. On his back and breast the
trace of the teeth of the animal was fully indented, but the
flesh was not broken. The lion tamer has just recovered
from a dangerous illness of several months' duration, and
having during that time been separated from the animals, he
had probably list some of his former power over them. He
was also in a very weakly condition, or the lion would, in
all probability, have come off second best in the encounter.
AYLESBURY, APRIL 20.—Mr. Whitworth Russell,
the Inspector of Prisons, has lately been down to Aylesbury
' fir the purpose of ascertaining when the new gaol will be
ready for the reception of prisoners, and he has certified that
everything is now completed, and the Court, at the last
quarter sessions, made an order that all the prisoners should
be removed from the old prison on the 3d of May. It is cal-
culated that the expense of the new prison will amount to
50,0001. It is built after the manner of Pentonville, and will
hold 300 prisoners. Dr. Lee has given notice of a motion for
the Midsummer quarter sessions—" That a petition be pre-
sented to Parliament to abolish the game-laws."
BALFE'S BONDMAN.—On Friday, the purchase
money for this opera, for performance exclusively in the
Austrian dominions 4000 f., and 801. besides for the right for
the An der Wien Theatre in Vienna, was paid over to Mr.
Balfe, being the first instance on record of an English com-
poser having secured a musical copyright on the continent.
The house of Mechetti, in Vienna, is the possessor of the
opera, as well as of Belle's Bohemian Girl.
HERVIO NANO.—The disposition of this person's
remains has been publicly stated, and a friend enables us to
"This extraordinary cripple (says our informant) exhibits
give an anatomical account of his last (dis) appearance.—
the very rare combinations of perfect symmetry, strength and
beauty, with a great amount deformity. The head is
of
remarkably fine in form, and the expression intelligent and
benign; the chest, shoulders, and arms, form a perfect
model
of strength and beauty; the arms are ex-
' cedig n ly muscular, and the hands very well and strongly
formed;e when standing, the arms could reach the ground
easily, so as to be employed in progression or leaping ; in
the place of legs there are two limbs, the left about
eighteen inches from the hip to the point of the toes, the
right about twenty-four from the same points. The feet are
natural. The easiest mode of explaining the nature of these
limbs is to say, that it seems as though the thigh bones
and muscles had disappeared, and the knee joints been
raised up to the hips ; the bone on the one side is
tolerably liko a leg-bone, on the other it is com-
pressed into an immensely strong bone of triangular form,
with the base upwards, and knit to the hip with very strong
ligaments ; these limbs are furnished with the muscles which
should have belonged to the thigh, and those of the leg
are much increased in size; the muscles of the calf being
comparatively small, on account probably of mode of walk-
ing, contributing to give the limb the look
nofr obtained lion's
ovfore-
arm.er Nearly double power must have
such as following a horse
toothe same l‘.a
feet, and suddenly spring.
at full speed on the hands
and
histle extraordinary feet by this
monkey, or jumping tee
faerartan goefmleeanatp ii_nagi,:dt this
account for
ing on its back like
air; his
his cab, a clumsy
fi blow upon his antagonist'a
deal the most tern
head, so that he a very formidable combatant. It is
was
spring.mcodein
theof air, fightingan da t
while driving I
most original; he
ifnesettantin the
said that in
drove against him, old as usual accused Hervio Of
phaeimusyeddatyog,
carter
sprung from being in the fault, at which our hero
to the back of the man, and gave him a most terrible thrash.
ing: his feats of strength in his monkey characters are well
khown. A very good cast of the entire figure has been mad
which will doubtless be shown to those N, "h e,
o may be curious
in such matters.—Literary Gazette.
THE SPIRIT TRADE.—On Friday a deputation of
wholesale and retail spirit-dealers had • -
an interview with
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for the purpose of pre.
sentin., , a memorial, very for
resmerously signed •
, aing an
assimilation of the bonded system applicable pr
t
o aspirits dis-
tilled in England, Scotland, and Ireland, to that of colonial
and foreign spirits. Mr. Ireland (Governor of the Incorpoe
rated Society of Licensed Victuallers), Mr. Kasley, a past
Governor, and Messrs. Homer, Bingley, Gurney, and Ste.
yens, who attended, represented to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, that concurrence with the prayer of the me.
morialists would produce a competitive market for British
Spirits, a great desideratum both for the trade and the pub.
lie ; that British spirits, like foreign, would improve la
bond ; that the monopoly of a few distillers, having a limited
class interested, would be destroyed, and prices be thereby
cheapened, to the benefit of the consumer and the advan.
tage of the revenue, and that there would also be produced a
greater uniformity of rates, by the natural inducement to
distil when corn and sugar were cheap, and a Consequent re.
duction of demand for those articles when scarce and dear.
Without denying the preceding deductions, Sir Charles
Wood at once admitted the zogency of the last, and, after
asking several question; arising nut of the 8-abject, and
having received the information sought, assured the depute.
tion that he would take into his serious consideration their
request. it was also named to him, that whilst the depute-
tion felt highly gratified at finding that Mr. Moffatt had a
Bill before the House for the object they had in view, the
memo, ial of the trade had beef determined on without col.
i ferring with that gentleman.