The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-24 00:00:00

ROLLS' COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

ARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS CONSEQUENT UPON
HIS HONOUR BEING APPOINTED ONE OF THE
COMMISSIONERS OF THE GREAT SEAL.

His HONOUR upon taking his seat this morning stated, that in
consequence of the additional duties which he had to perform as
one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal, he had made
an arrangement which he trusted would be satisfactory to the
Bar, and by which the time devoted to the business of this Court
would not be diminished. The course his Honour intended to
adopt was to sit one day in a week with his Brother Commissioner
in the Court of Chancery, and the manner in which he proposed to
make up that time to this Court was to sit five days, six hours each
instead of six days, five hours each. He should sit in the Court of
Chancery one week on the Monday and the next week on the
Saturday.
Mr. BICKERSTETH felt obliged to his Honour for the information
he had given to the Bar, who were at all times anxious to contribute
every exertion in their power to further the public business,
but with submission to the Court he thought--and in that
he believed every Member of the Bar concurred, that
the course proposed to be adopted was not calculated to
remove the accumulated arrears of business, which, notwith-
standing the great exertions of his Honour, had taken place in the
Court. It was evident, in consequence of what had taken place,
some part of the business of the Court must be delayed; and that
portion of it Which could best bear it was the appeal business.
With respect to sitting an hour extra each day, every body must
be aware that the time employed by Counsel out of Court was much
greater than the time devoted in it by them to the interest of their
clients, they having to make themselves masters of their case.
The same observation also applied to the Judge, who required time
to arrange his decisions. Such being the case, it was evident• the
extra hour could be better applied out of Court than in it. The
Learned Counsel trusted that the points he had suggested would be
taken into consideration by the Court, with a view of making a
new arrangement.

The MASTER of the ROLLS admitted that the business probably
that least pressed was appeals from decrees ; but it must be re-
membered that those holding the Great Seal had to hear other mat-
ter, in which it was of the greatest importance that they should be
speedily heard, such, for instance, as lunatic petitions and appeal
motions. With respect to sitting till four o'clock, that was by
no means uncommon in other branches of the Court, although it
had not often taken place in this. The new arrangement had
thrown additional labour upon him, but he was obliged to bear
them.

Mr. PEbIBERTON said that he understood there were only 48
appeals in the Court of Chancery ripe for hearing.
fhe MASTER of the ROLLS—Aceording to the printed list,
there are not so many—there are only 25.
Mr. PEMBERTON observed that th-at fact rendered the observa-
tion he was about to make the stronger. In His Honour's Court
there were no less than 250 causes ready for hearing, and a little
number stood for hearing in the Vice Chancellor's Court. There
could be no possible doubt that the Court of Chancery should in
certain cases be kept open as much as possible to the suitor, but
with respect to appeals from decrees they could not press. He (Mr.
P.) presumed that it was not the intention of the Lords Commis-
sioners to hear appeals from their own decision ; on the other hand,
without the least possible disrespect to His Honour the Vice Chan-
cellor, for whom no man bore greater respect than himself, he must
say that every gentleman in or out of the Court would agree with him
in saying, that it would be utter mockery after a case had been ma-
turely considered in this Court, to hear it upon appeal before the Vice
Chancellor and a common Law Judge. He trusted that his Honour
would give the Bar credit for being perfectly willing to concur in any
arrangement for getting through the public business, but he thought
that would be best studied by attending to the business in that
Court, instead of hearing appeals in the Court of Chancery.
The MASTER of the ROLLS would communicate with his brother
Commissioners, but until he had done so, and communicated the re-
sult to the bar, it was not understood that the arrangement he had
suggested would be proceeded with. His Honour would to-morrow
sit in the Court of Chancery, and when he sat in his own Court
again he should not rise till four o'clock.