The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-09 00:00:00

it work

We think it is estimated that all the landed pro_
petty of the realm passes through their hands once
in twenty years, or there is a general confiscation
once every twenty years for their benefit. Their
very existence in the land, then, is as mischievous
or more mischievous than a revolution once every
twenty years. Let the public recollect that these
men draw all the deeds on ;Olio!) property is secured,
and on which it is bought and sold, that they have
a powerful interest in making those deeds confused,

perplexed, and imperfect, with a view to future liti_

gation—(tl►at the deeds are of this character every
person knows)—and recollecting these rnat:ers, the
_•

owners of property ought to be thankful to the law-
yeis, and ought to praise their conscientiousness,
that they do not make the cycle of confiscation
much smaller.

A part of the power of the lawyer is founded on
that dread of revolution, which, when it comes, is less
mischievous than their continued existence. One

class and one individual being afraid and jealous of
another is the great source of their gains, The

mi:Jrust in human nature which the lawyer and
the priest encourage—the doctrines they mutually
teach, whether true or not, whether useful to so-

defy or not—are eminently profitable to them.

We have inserted elsewhere extracts from some
of the public papers, relative to the claims of Sir
AUGUSTUS D'ESTE, and to the conduct of his
Royal Father towards him .and his sister. We
would entreat the Duke of SUSSEX, as he values
his reputation, not to persist in disregarding those
indications of the public sentiment on this subject,
which he cannot fail to have observed. The Illus-
trious Duke must be well aware that this is a ques-
tion which depends on other principles, and in-
volves other considerations, than those of party
politics. He cannot but know that it is not treated
as a party question by any of the journals which
give up their columns to its discussion.

He must, therefore, if he gives fair play to his
excellent under2tamlint.7., see at a glance, that the
parental obligations which all these journals unite

in impressing upon him, and the condemnation
which, with an equally unanimous voice, they have
pronounced upon the part he is now acting towards
his children, are not to he evaded, extenuated, or
in any way got rid of, tinder the pretence that they
are either the creations or the exaggerations of a

tallous spirit.
No supposition could be more erroneous, no de-
lusion more fatal than this. The very circumstance
that The Sllll, the Dublin Evening Mad, and the
Watchman—to go no farther—cordially agree on
every point of this case, is of itself a convincing
proof that the matter lias nothing to do with po!i-
tics. To our Dublin Contemporary, it is well known

that we are diametrically opposed on every ques-
tion within the political sphere, while the Watch•
man, the great religious organ of that cumerous
and powerful body the Wesleyan Methodists, feels
itself constrained, on moral and religious grounds,
and in opposition to its "sectarian interests—if we
may so speak—to advocate the cause of Sir Au-
GUSTUS D'ESTE, and to condemn the conduct of
the Duke of Sussex, although, if we are not mis-
taken, his Royal Highness has been a great bene-
factor to Wesleyan charitable institutions.

The Dublin Evening Mail alludes to a circum-
stance which took place at a late meeting of the
Royal Highland School Society, as illustrative of

the opinions and feelings of Scotchmen on this
question. We were struck at the time with the
sionifleant manner in which the company expressed
their sense of Sir AUGUSTUS D'EsTE's claims.
When the health of the Duke of SUSSEX was
drunk, it fell to the lot of Sir AUGUSTUS
to return thanks, and though the health was
well received there was not much applause. But
when the speaker, towards the close of his address,
used the expression "Illustrious Father," the
words were immediately followed by loud cheering,
which told, more intelligibly than any language,
what the company thought, what they felt, and
what they expected.
That they expressed the sentiments of Scotland
there can be nu reason to doubt, for no true
Scotchman can contemplate the wrongs which
have been inflicted on the children of Lady Au-
GUSTA MURRAY) without feeling that his native
land has been insulted, and that reparation is due.
Let his Royal Highness well consider even such
manifestations as these. They may be slight, but
a straw thrown up will show how the wind blows.
They may
become troubleomc in time.
The P,

- aris Journals of Sunday are more than usually
barren of news of foreign or domestic interest. In the
Chambrr of Deputies on Saturday, the dulness of the

We willingly borrow aid for a good cause where-
ever we can obtain it. We have not the least ob-
jection, therefore, to help forward Chancery Re-
form by a quotation from the Times. That journal
yesterday reminded the public " that the predic-
tions of Sir SANILIEL HOMILLY upon the e.;ta-
blishment of the Vice-Chancellor's Court have been
entirely fulfilled. The grievance of delay is in-
c:eased, most of the causes are twice heard." It
I complained, also, that " all our property is to be sub-
ject to the control of a system of which the loose-
ness, the uncertainty, the arbitrary discretion, and
the enormous delay are the leading characteristics.
We are not quite clear," it added, " whether the
whole system of Courts of Equity may not fairly be
pronounced a nuisance." Tu find a great branch of
the administration of property described as a nuis-
ance by a Conservative Journal is excellent encour-
agement for that part of the press which makes no
pretence of Conservati3m to repeat such epithets,
and to continue its attacks.
We quote the following passage to show that tle
Times agrees with us in opinion, that the profits of
lawyers must be made to depend rather on the cele-
rity by which a cause can be brought to an end,
than on the delay, before any reasonable expectations
can be entertained of an efficient reform :
It is frightful to think (says our Contemporary) that any
man's property or business may be attached in a Court of
Chancery, and that it is sure to be susponded six years at
least before it can have a chance of being liberated. We live
at the mercy of attornies of the Courts of Chancery. We
have no faith that their multiplication will be a remedy for
anything, and we see in them additional engines to waste
estates and extract costs for the benefit of all persons ex-
cept the miserable clients. But if an experiment is to be
made, why not appoint a special temporary tribunal (if
men can be found for such a purpose), to determine all
that list of ancient causes in Chancery against which the
Chancellor represents a kind of conspiracy to exist among
Judges, Counsel, and Attornies. The intricacy and die-
cuity in which these learned persons, upon their system,
have contrived to involve them, alarm and perplex them-
selves. What a picture of justice I Is this the system of
which we are condemned to experience an augmentation ?
We have a notion, that if causes could be decided as they
arose, and if; therefore, no extraordinary profits could be
gotten out of them, the temptation to litigation, and the
consequent security of the subject, would be marvellously
greater. The Chancery lawyers and the London attornies
may not see the matter exactly in this light, but we ra-
ther think the public, and especially the remoter parts of
the country, will take a separate view of their own interest.
There can be no hope of any reform worthy of
the name till the public. do see the matter very dif-
ferently from Chancery lawyers. The public mind
must be emancipated from lawyercraft before any
considerable improvement can be expected. The
profession is too powerful for the Legislature, unless
it speak the:voice of the people. CROMWELL could
not cope with the lawyers, and since his day no
Government has possessed power equal to his. It
will be the fault, however, of men of property if
they allow their property to be continually devas-
tated by the lawyers.