The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-19 00:00:00

LAW COURTS,

The Report of the Royal Commission on the se-
lection of new sites for the courts of law has just
been issued. The Attorney-General's scheme for
appropriating the entire space between Carey-street
and the Strand is carefully considered by the com-
missioners, who are unanimously in favour of adopt-
ing that scheme. They propose that the different
offices, 14 in number, shall all be brought together ;
that the law courts, instead of sitting at Westmin-
ster, Guildhall, Basinghall- street, and Doctors'-
commons, shall be domiciled together. The site is
midway between the Temple, Lincoln's-inn, and
Sergeant's-inn, where most of the solicitors and
counsel dwell. Lincoln's-inn-fields and Chancery-
lane are complete dens for lawyers, and they
would thus be able to transact their business in very
nearly half the time that they are compelled to
devote to it now. One large firm employing some
70 clerks estimate that if the alterations are carried
into effect they shall be enabled to do increased
business with half that number, as owing to the
courts and registry being so disposed, when once a
clerk goes out to attend them they never know
when to expect him back. It is proposed, should the
plan be adopted by the House of Commons, that
the first building to be erected shall be one for the
registry of the Court of Probate and for the Di•
vorce Court, as these departments stand in need
of proper accommodation more than any other.
This the commissioners estimate can be accomplished
in two years from this time, providing that a
bill be passed this session ; otherwise it will be
more than three years before the first buildings
can be erected, because the Office of Works will
have to give the usual notice for the acquirement of
the necessary property. Whether the Office of
Works is favourable to the scheme or not has not
transpired, but one thing is quite clear, that they
do not expect it will be put in operation fur some
years to come, because the office is laying out
some £30,000 in acquiring and repairing some
very old and dilapidated property in Doctor's-
commons for the use of the Probate Court ; and,
further, it has given notice to purchase the freehold
of a property let on lease, of which some 18 years
are unexpired. The cost of acquiring the site, the
purchase of existing houses, and the erection of
other houses will, it is estimated, take an enor-
mous sum. This, however, does not deter the com-
missioners in their report from advocating the plan,
on the ground that the unclaimed suitors' fund, with
the exception of some £16.000 to be provided for
out of the consolidated fund, will be quite sufficient
to cover every expense. All that the House of
Commons will have to do will be to pass a short
bill authorizing the expenditure of the money, and
guaranteeing that in case any of it s;tall hereafter
be claimed the Treasury shall .be empowered to
make it good. Simple, however, as it appears,
there is little or no chance of this measure being
passed this session. There is a larger amount of op-
position to the scheme than the commissioners antici
pated. The owners of property in the neighbourhood
of the courts and registries which are proposed to
be removed are doing everything they can to pre-
judice the public mind against the proposition. On
many of them it would entail absolute ruin, and
therefore it is not to be wondered at that they are
up and active in their opposition. They may not
eventually prevent Sir R. Bethell's project from
being carried into effect, but they may, and pro-
bably will, delay it considerably. In the interim,
while the present uncertainty exists, the profession
is put to much inconvenience ; they know not what
to do, or where to pitch their tent. But indepen-
dent of this, the cost entailed upon the country by
providing temporary accommodation is something
tremendous. The Probate-office will cost at the
least £30,000, but probably very much more,
and all for two or three years' accommodation.
Lord Palmerston has expressed his determination, if
possible, to pass the B Inkruptcy and Insolvency
Bill this session, if he asks Parliament to sit until
the end of August. Now, if this takes place, fresh
offices will be required for the new Bankruptcy
Court, or else alterations will hive to be made, which
will entail a very large outlay, all to be thrown away
when the new courts are erected. The scheme of the
commissioners has met, we believe, with the support
of the Lord Chancellor and all the judges, and the
only members of the bar who are opposed to it are
those who are either members of Parliament, or
those largely engaged in Parliamentary practice.
'While the courts are held at Westminster they
can go from the committee-room to the courts, but
if they are removed for six months in the year they
must confine themselves to one line of practice or
the other.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-( THIS DAT .

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

AN IMPUDENT TlllEF.—Louisa Lyons, a dissipated-
looking woman, was charged with the following robbery in
a dwelling house.

Mr. James Parkhurst, china and glass dealer, corner of
Cambridge-street and Broad-street, Golden-square, said
that on the previous day he had been into Regent-street, .
and on his return he entered the house by the private door,
and as he was doing so he saw the prisoner corning out of
the shop door with two of his coats, of the value of about
£3, on her art . On telling her the coats were his, and
that she had no business there, she replied, " Then lock
me up," in a very impudent manner, and he then gave her
into custody.
Mary Ann Skeat, a young woman, living with her mother
in Tyler's-court, Regent-street, said she detected the pri-
soner yesterday afternoon going up the stairs of her mother's
house. On asking her who she wanted, she replied, "My
husband," and then said her mother was lying dead in a
court in Windmill-street. She had taken the key of one of
the rooms away with her.

Wright, 90 C, said that on going to the court where the
prisioner said her mother was lying dead, he found there
was a person lying dead there, but the prisoner was not in
the remotest degree related to her. He also knew she had
been in custody before.
Mr. Tyrwhitt remanded her for a few days.