The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-23 00:00:00

quently sanctioned by the Legislature for the pur-
pose of attaining that great desideratum. Mr. FIELD,
in returning thanks for the cordial and enthusiastic
manner in which his health had been received by the
assembled company, briefly stated their course—" They,
first of all abolished all forms of action and proceed-
ings which constituted a distinction between legal
and equitable cases. They established a uniform
course of action in both departments ; the pleadings
of all parties were to be verified by oath ; the plaintiff
was called upon to make his statement, not in tech-
nical language, but in the ordinary language of
mankind; and the defendant, if he answered at all,
was called upon to answer in the same manner, while
every plea that was not answered was deemed to be
admitted. Then it was provided that the mode of trial
should be uniform in all cases, whether by jury, by the
court, or by referee, according to the exigencies of
the case or the decision of the judge. Then they
established a uniform mode of executing judgment,
and uniform pleadings. Now as to the effects of all
these changes, in the first place, the long bills and
answers which once existed in the American Court of
Chancery, and still existed in the English, were all
done away ; no repetitions were necessary, and
scarcely any were given, because they had got rid of
the long machinery which still existed in England,
where, if the defendant did not answer every plea,
there were exceptions and exceptions and exceptions,
so that what formerly occupied a year in America was
now settled in 20 days. The next effect was, that all
parties were careful of the statements they put in
their pleadings, because both parties were liable to be
called by their adversary into the witness box, so that
they were careful of inserting in their written plead-
ings anything that they would decline to verify in
the witness-box. Further, all the mischief's that used
to arise from not going before the right tribunal were
now avoided, and all causes were determined on their
real merits."

Many persons, with that pretended caution that is but
too frequently the excuse for avoiding any interference
with abuses, however glaring, may declare that such
changes were too sweeping; that they should have
been effected gradually, so as to avoid the dangers in-
separable from so bold a movement. Such changes
could not, however, have been introduced in the way
suggested, and their good effects might have been
greatly impaired but for the very boldness of the
mode adopted. The bull was at once taken by
the horns, and the result has fully equalled,
if it has not surpassed, the most sanguine
expectations that were entertained as to its effects.
There have been no less than five years' experience of
the operation of the new code, and it has in every in-
stance been eminently successful, so that Mr. FIELD
was enabled to declare that "he did not believe that
there was a respectable lawyer or a judge in the
United States who would affirm that there was any
insurmountable difficulty in making a uniform course
of procedure in all cases legal or equitable."
But we are not restricted to Mr. FIELD'S evidence,
which, however valuable, may be looked upon as
prejudiced, or biassed, in favour of the system he had
himself introduce 1. The Law Amendment Society, duly
appreciating the vital importance of the subject, bad
inquired for themselves, and had gone to the fountain-
head for full information. The investigation had
been conducted by their own agents, and they now
have on their records the evidence of judges, of dif-
ferent attorney-generals, and of persons filling
various high dices, the vast preponderance
whereof, if not the entire, is wholly in
favour of the practicability and expediency of such a
change. Away, then, with the farce of saying that a
similar reform cannot safely be attempted in this
country. Let us no longer attempt to patch up the
dilapidated mansion, no repairs can be effectual ;
we must pull down the tottering ruin in order to
erect on its site a stately building, that may be useful
and ornamental, that will prove the admiration and
blessing of the surrounding country, in place of
being the object of general disgust and indignation.

LATEST NEWS FROM

PARIS.

[BY SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH.]
(From the Morning Chronicle.)
PARIS, TUESDAY, NINE A.M.
The following is the definitive result of the election
in the department of the Seine :
Registered votes • .. 392,026
Number of voters .. 296,390

For
Against
The Constitutionnel gives the following number ol
votes known to this time :

Yes
No 389,358
(From the Times.)

PARIS, TUESDAY MORNING, NINE o'CLocs.
Votes known up to the present hour :
Departments—Yes, 2,911,963; No, 431,037.
Paris and Banlieue—Yes, 196,676; No, 83,925.