The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-26 00:00:00

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•-' se s7:S'ers' -ss, ".
sizes, as at present is or oughts..
s come to the _conclusion that it. e''
.., more expedient to provide that in,,,
iristruas, there should- be two ter AissZ"
between Easter and' Trinity ternr4
sno e only a short vacation between theinl.../ e.• -
-We___Latee,,
propose, then, to leave Michaelmas term un-
touched, to make a vacation of a week between
it and a new term still to be called Hilary,
term, which should end on the 23d of Decem-
ber, and to leave Easter and Trinity terms, and
the vacations after each untouched. The legal year
would then stand thus :—November the 2d to Novara.
ber the 25th, Michaelmas term ; November the 25th to
the 2d of December, vacation ; the 2d of December to
the 23d of December, Hilary term ; December the 23d
to Aril the 15th, vacation ; and the rest of the
year as at present. The vacation between Hilary -
and Easter terms would suffice for the assizes and air-
tings ; and the deficiency of three weeks lost to the
sittings by the short vacation between Michaelmas and
Hilary terms, may then be supplied at the discretion of
the respective chief judges of each -Court. -We would
limit that discretion only by forbidding sittings after the
11th of January, and before the Ist of March. In order
to accomplish this object, the aid of the Legislature will
be required.
If this plan be adopted, we would suggest further.
that the Secretary of State for the Home Depurtment
should recommend the justices of the peace, in their
respective counties, to make some permanent arrange-
ments for the more completely lighting the courts of
justice, both as to the parts occupied by the speetators,
and those devoted to the transaction of business, so that
order may be more easily preserved. This we mention
because the assizes will, under this proposed arrange-
ment, be held at a period of the year when the days are
shorter, and daylight less bright.
It may be as well also to observe, that unless your
Majesty shall be pleased to make some alteration in the
time for the next appointment of sheriffs, the existing
officers will, in many cases, be obliged to serve at three.
assizes.
We have next proceeded to inquire whether the present
inequality of the circuits requires to be corrected, and the
circuits more conveniently arranged for the dispatch of
business by the fifteen judges, and in what way this can
best be effected.
The length of time occupied on the respective circuits,.
which are travelled by two judges each, is at present.
nearly as follows:—On the Norfolk circuit rather more
than three weeks; on the home and the midland, each.
rather more than a month; on the Oxford and western
circuits,-each, about six weeks; on the northern circuit
about eight weeks, and this allowing only a fortnight
for York, for which, however, three weeks ought to be
_
allowed, in order to avoid the danger of remanets, and
to insure the disposal of the criminal business there by
the judges lone, without the aid of other commis-,
-sioners. s. -
The number of causes forms the best criterion ctZthe._
:Weight of business on each circuit ; that of the pri-
soners is less accurate, for on all the circuits, except.
the northern, persons charged with small offences
are generally committed for trial at the assizes, if whey
occur before- the quarter sessions. On the northern
the great offences only, for the most part, are sent,
to the assizes, which circumstance diminishes the'
apparent relative quantity of criminal business oat
that circuit, as stated in the official returns. AP".
suming, therefore, the number of causes as the proper
criterion, and taking an average of the last ten years,
we find the business of the Northern Circuit to be five,
times as great as the Norfolk or Welsh Circuits, nearlys
three times as great as the Midland, more than twice U 3
great as the Oxford -or Western, and nearly twice ae
great as the Home Circuit. We all agree that though
some inequality on the circuits is desirable, both for the
judges and the bar, yet that which now exists in this in-
stance is too great ; and the only question is, how best
it can be remedied.
We are satisfied that the business of the chambers in
London during the circuits is fully sufficient to occupy,
the undivided attention of the fifteenth judge, who must
remain in town, and that his labours certainly equal;'and
probably exceed, those of any judge travelling ate circuit.
It follows, therefore, that only fourteen judges can be
spared for the circuits. On this supposition we have
proceeded ; and here a_ difference of opinion has arisen.
amongst the members of.the commission.
All are agreed that the northern circuit is at pmseet
inconveniently long, anti that the business of some of
the smaller circuits might, without improperly pressing '-
upon the judges, be increased, and the northern circuit,
divided ; but the only effective division which is practi-
cable with the present number of judges would clearly
involve the annexation either of Yorkshire or Lancashire,
or of some part of one of those counties., to the duty of
two judges other than these travelling the northern eirs
cuit.
Under these circumstances, three of our body, Mr,
Baron Parke, Mr. Justice Coleridge, and Mr, Beckett
Denison, are of opinion that the convenience of the.
country requires that some one of these &lesions should-
be adopted ; whilst, on the other hand, six
of our body, viz , Mr. Baron Alderson,, Mr,
Fitzroy Kelly, Mr. Stuart Wortley, Mr. Whately, Mr,
Greenwood, and Mr. Estcourt, think that nos _such
change should, for the present at least, be adopted.
With the exception of Mr. Baron Alderson., they
are of opinion that no efficient and perrnenent alte-
ration can be made without increasing the present
number of judges ; and he concurs - with them in
thinking, that as the changes already suggested in the
terms, and the time of holding the spring assizes, will
allow sufficient space for the dispatch of the business of
the northern circuit, as at present constituted, before the
Easter term, though probably not before the commence-
ment of the sittings, the practical effect of the changes.
agreed by all to be recommended should be tried bokre
any other be made.
Upon the supposition, however, that your Majesty cosy
possibly think it proper to act upon the former opinion,
we have proceeded to inquire which of the suggested
opfnrAteilAfi
rei
g.nr
esad
itt:llhleae,
orrptae
inli
t,
,(
opinion,
what manner it
tws divisions::itog with
vltdeh eabnewy exceptionoubulde 1effected.ibeeo
Yorkshire from the rest of the northerrinerllielt3ah. v'ael
districts'lt'a(';l i woulds e forbears
a r
agreed,abt et'
the most convenient arrangement.ioa Wase
jdtouinogets, however.propose to annex Yorkshire to any other circuit, but to
form it, as it were, into a new circuit of itself. The
question then arises, by
are the.
duties of this new circuit to be performed ;
and we think that the additional labour wilt
most conveniently be imposed on those whose present
duties are the lightest., viz. the judges travelling the
Norfolk circuit, and that both their convenience and
that of the bar-of the northern circuit concur in the ar-
rangement that it should be travelled, in addition to
their own circuit, by these judges, after their ordinary
labours shall have terminated. The usual duration of
the Norfolk circuit needs not much to exceed three
weeks, and this additional duty would robably double
it. This would only make a six weeks' circuit, and we
think, in comparison with several of the other circuits,
this would not be found to be inconveniently long. Pro-
bably the Learned Judges would think it advisable to
begin the Norfolk circuit in Norfolk or Suffolk, and end
it in Buckinghamshire. By so doing they would, at the
end of their first circuit, be within a few hours' distance
from York, the scene of their additional labours: much
nearer in point of time, and not farther in point of dis-
tance, than the judge travelling the South Wlttles cir-
cuit is, at the end of that circuit, from his duties at
Chester.
We have no doubt that an efficient bar from the
northern and Norfolk circuits would attend the new-
circuit ; and we recommend that the Learned Judges
who travel the northern circuit should make Liverpool
the last place, and that the commission days for 'I ork
and Liverpool should, for the present at least, be on the,
same day.
This plan, it will be seen, provides for the reduction op
the northern circuit, without disturbing any other (qrs.
cult, or rendering it necessary to provide any new ar-
rangement of clerks of assize; and if at any future time
the
Ida,
baonndr
no morew
generalchangnumberes
h ien judges
tro
c theesdh,oul d badditionale
produced to be thrown upon the judges travelling the
without inconvenience, be with-
dNroarwfonl circuit may,
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/ 2
causes at the following
to be the case.

We, therefore, have
will be, on the whole,
the interval before r
and that, as tr
there shr

One trifling alteration would be necessary if this plan
should be adopted in the appointment of the revising,
barristers ; it would be proper, by the aid of Parliament,
to assign a definite number of them to Yorkshire, sub-
tracting it from the number now assigned to the northern
circuit, and to give the appointment to the senior judge
in the commission for Yorkshire.

We humbly. take leave further to state to your Ma-
jesty our opinion, that whether a change shall be made
in the northern circuit or not, we think we are not called
on to recommend a change in the arrangement of any
other circuit. It certainly appears very desirable in
itself that the Welsh circuit should be re-modelled, so
that the assizes may be held before two judges, the num-
ber of assize towns being diminished. the disadvantage
of a circuit being travelled by a single judge being se-
rious and sensibly felt ; but this cannot be accomplished
without a considerable expense in the erection of new
courts, the enlargement of gaols, and the prepara-
tion of additional lodgings for the judges ; and unless,
it should be thought proper to provide for these in the
first instance, at the general expense of the whole king-
dom, they will throw a heavy burden on the counties in
the principality. We know that these and other obstacles
prevented the plan
.recommended by the Commissioners
for the Amenthnent of the Law, appointed by his late
Majesty King George IV., in 1828, from taking place,
and we have therefore abstained from entering into an
inquiry with respect to any change in the Welsh circuit.
We have also abstained from offering any opinion upon
several other changes suggested to us on the part of the
inhabitants of Bristol and other places, such as the pro-
priety of holding t n oas*izes wit h inthe year, instead of aue
at Bristol, of holding assizes at other places, than thoso
of
fnt
(C 1" o'llovifec nhl iihtienyg alone.athr are now
la\sl:B7d.co heldini eol td. autni (lidl'eorNlt.e•aanrl tine; ts counties
to the city
,1
import-
ance of some of these, nor look upon them unfavourably;
but they appear to us not to fall within the scope of our
com:sAimlglnisweseihioiaen.
ho and sealed
humbly
sealeth
e 3d submit.aN of
June
.1- AMES , 184 5.
E. 11. ALDER (L.S.)SON, (L.S.)
,T. T. COL ;RIDGE, (L.S.)
FITZROY KELLY, (L.S.)
W. WIIATELEY, (L.S.)
,TAMES S. WORTLEY, (1.5.)
JOHN GREENWOOD, (L.S.)
EDM. DENISON, (L.S.)
T. G. BUCKNALL ESTCOLTRT, (L.S.)
-W

1

TARROW ESCAPE OF AN .ERoNA.UT.-- e learn
from Avignon that Madame Lartet, the reronant, nearly lost her
life in her last ascent. The balloon, after having gone up majesti.
Bally, suddenly fell into the Rtione, near St. Benezet. But for a
young man who jumped into the river, dressed as 10 wan, and lent
assistance, Madame • Lartet would have lost lice life. *he was,
eventually brought safe to land.