The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-10 00:00:00

and metry- with exultation, white he would, to
his sorrow, afterwards find he had to pay the
,piper. Under the present state of things, there-
fore, it would appear wise not to go to law at
all ; and as the legal practitioner under such cir-
cumstances must share the evil, he had reason
sufficient to join in the opinions of those who
advocated the establishment of local courts, that
the expense of litigation might be thereby les-
sened, and the opprobrium so unfairly cast on the
profession from the defect of the law be re-
moved." This is a very good commentary on
Mr. Justice Alderson's justice brought home to
every man at Assizes. After dwelling on the
advantages resulting from the publicity of the
administration of justice, as if it were intended
in establishing local courts that justice should
not be publicly administered, Mr. Justice
Alderson proceeds to observe
When he spoke of the errors of the law, they must
permit him to call their attention to those errors which it
had in common with all other merely human institutions;
hut he would have them consider how impossible they
were to he corrected, unless with the assistance of those
acquainted with the science. Sorely he would be a foolish
man who should endeavour to correct anything in a steam-
engine, or to improve it, without being first himself ac-
quainted with its general principles, and the particular
application of those principles to the machine. What
would they think of a man who would endeavour to im-
prove the state of agriculture, or the mode of commerce,
without knowing anything at all relative to them ? They
would say of such a person, he was something approach-
ing to a fool ; and should they say less of those who ima-
gined themselves capable of improving the most difficult
science then existing—involving the consideration of the
common nature and habits of those whom it was to go-
vern ?—of the motives which influenced their conduct,
and of those particular points to which any civil Govern-
ment could he applied, and adding to these the different
circumstances connected with civil contracts—considering
the various natures of property, real and personal, the
mode in which it was to b. transmitted to posterity, and
that by which it was to be transferred from one man to
another—when they added to these the diseurbancea COD-
fitantly produced in all general rules which required adjust-
ment—who would contemplate all these without depre-
cating the rashness of those who would rush on and tear
asunder all its complicated machinery? The great evil of
the present day was a mot bid desire to alter the legislation,
which was only to be compared to a quack medicine,
which left the patient worse than it found him. He
would read to them the opinion of one of the most elo-
quent men of the day—he wished be cou'd say one of this
country, for he was an honour to any country—he meant
Dr. Channing, who said, no man was found who doubted
that a steady Gavernment was a great good ; but it did
this good, chiefly negatively, by repressing injustice, and
securing property from invasion ; it conferred little posi-
tive good. Its office was not to confer happiness itself,
but to give those who live under it an opportunity of
working out happiness themselves. It was to be compared
to a piece of land, where the individual had his choice,
whether the enclosure should he a paradise or a waste—it
wontf rot till or reap the produce—whether it should be
produ,•tive or not would depend upon ourselves. That
there were faults in the law no man could doubt, many of
which required to be corrected ; but they demanded great
circumspection, and the union of the greatest learning, the
most extensive foresight, and the most consummate pru-
d.nce ; and he would add his most ardent hope, that these
might be accomplished by the union of men of all profes-
sions, of every science assisting, but not acting without
the profession of the law, into which neither p ,rty feeling
nor prejudice should be allowed to enter ; but, above all,
where 'he mere love of popularity ought not to be suffered
for one moment to intrude."

What does the Learned Judge mean by
attempts to cm rect the law without the assistance
of those acquainted with the science ? Su►ely
he does not mean that the Law Commissioners
who recommended the establishment of local
courts were unacquainted with the science. Is
not the Local Courts measure advocated by the
highest Judge of the land ? What Dr. Charming
says about Government doing good negatively
by repressing injustice and securing property
from invasion, does not seem to have much
hearing on the question. Is it repressing injustice
to deny justice, except at a cost which precludes
all recourse to it ? When Mr. Justice Alderson
condescends to offer specific objections to any
particular measure of reform, we shall know how
to meet him. But if he have nothing better to
urge against local courts than general twaddle
about the tendency to tear asunder all the com-
plicated machinery of the law, it would be more
becoming in him to preserve silence.—iltorning
Chronicle.

To be sure these Reporters are the most
troublesome people in the world. Notting
e,capes them ; they will not go to sleep despite
of the soporific tones of Lord Althorp or the
lulling hum of Viscount Palmerston ; or if they
do it is with one eye at a time. On Thursday
Mr. Halcomb brought forward a motion relative
to the Coventry election, disclosing a scene of
outrage and corruption of which the unhappy
individuals who lived in the days of borough-
mongering had no conception. One would
have thought a reformed House, a combination
of all that is talented, all that is pure, lovely,
honest, and of good report, would have roused
themselves from their sleep, and sat glowing with
patriotic indignation at the recital. Not they—
" Little they'll reek so they let them sleep on,
'Xeath the gallery just as they laid them."
_ _

No, nothing under the all-absorbing interest of
a boat race could stir them. They heard that
" some joly young watermen” were pulling a
match ; and what are the affairs of the nation
in comparison to the relative merits of blue
cap or green cap ? Sir .Tames Graham felt
that it was in his line. His profound
and accurate knowledge, theoretical and prac-
tical, of every thing connected with nautical
affairs rendered his presence as appropriate as it
was necessary, and, having woke the Attorney-
General, the First Lord bolted. "On Stanley,
on," whispered Lord Althorp, who is fond of a
lark. " Follow my leader," shouted the Trea-
sury hacks ; and in a few minutes the Speaker's
garden was filled with the collective wisdom of
the country. Alas and is it come to this?
A balloon with Graham in it (not Sir James),
or a trumpery match between two pair of sculls,
is enough to distract the skulls (we had almost
said brains, but that would be a breach of pri-
vilege) of the reformed and reforming Legis-
lators of 1833. What a pity they have any
thing else to do !—Morning Post.

A PARTY OF PLEASURE.--A score or
more of " the swell mob." having first visited Portsdown
fair, afterwards proceeded to Goodwood races, and are this
week attending the course at Brighton.

A feN months ago a respectable farmer re-
siding in this neighbourhood bad a horse strangled
in his stable, anothr r at the same time n trr.rwly escaping
death !mom the same cause. Rumour, with her thousand
tongues," was, as usual, busily employed, and many were
the conjectures on the subject. As several of the men
servants and poor labourers in the village were blamed for
maliciusly causing the accident, and a considerable degree
of excitement prevailed, the heads of the parish convened
a public meeting, to take the matter into consideration,
when it was unanimously agreed to select some fit and
proper person to send to the " wise man," to make solemn
inquiry on this awful subject. A shoemaker, named
llawLEv, was deputed by this sage assembly, who the
next morning set nut on this important mission. Many
a weary mile did he journey before lie m t with a man
wise enough to solve the difficulty. At length, in the
neighbourhood of Greetham, in the adjoining county of
Ruaind, lie was fortunate enough to meet with one of the
professors of whom he was in se ,reh, who, after knocking
at the floor of an old clock, and going through other
mysterious ceremonies, informed him, for the mo, crate
charge uf 31., that the horses were both haneed by acct.
lent, throu4h tying the halters too long (?) On his
return he cv,is paid for his lost of trine. trouble, and other
~xpeno's omit of the poor-rate ! Stara/err, News.