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

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causes at the following 8.464.6, 4,10 omeht
to be the case.
We, therefore, have come to,
will be, on the whole, more expr
the interval before Christmas, the
and that, as now between Bee
there should be Only a sheet se
We propose, then, to leave Michaelmas term un-
eceeeli-e-d, to make a vacation of a. week between
it and a new term still* to be called Hilary
term, which shOuld end on the 25d of Decem-
ber, and to leave Easter and Trinity terms, and
the vacations after each untouched. The legal year
would then stand thus :—Novernlier the 2d to Novem-
ber the 25th, Michaelmas term ; November the 26th to
the 2d of December, vacation ; the 2d of December to
the 23d of December, Hilary term; December the 23d
to April .the 15th, vacation ; and the rest of the
year as at present. The vacation between, Hilary
and Easter terms would suffice fer the assizes and sit-
tings ; , and the elefieiency of three weeks lost to the
sittings by the short vacation between Michaelmas tend
Hilary terms, may then be supplied at the discretion of
the respective chief judges of each-Court, e would
limit that discre tem only by forbidding sittings after the
llth of January, and before the let of March. In order
to accomplish this object, the aid of the Legislature will
be required.
If this p'an be adopted, we would sugge4 further,
that the Secretary of State for the, Home Depto tment
should recommend the justices of the petc e in their
respective counties, to make some permanent arrange-
ments fir the more completely lighting the courts Of
justice, both as to the parts occupied by the spectators,
and those devoted to the transaction of business, so that
order may be more easily preserved. This we mention
because the asszes 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 set ve 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 fur 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 mere than a month; on the Oxft rd 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 retnanets, and
to insure the disposal of the criminal business there by
the judges alone, without the aid of other cemmis-
sioners.
The number of causes ferms the best criterion of the
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 they
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 on
that circuit, as stated in the official returns. As-
suming, therefore, the number of causes as the proper
criterion, and taking an average of the last ten yeers,
we find the business of the Northern Circuit to be five
times as great as the Norfolk or Welsh Circuits, nearly
three times as great as the Midland, more than twice ste
great as the Oxford or Western, and nearly twice as
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 chambets 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 the 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.
amonest the members of the commission.
All are agreed that the northern circuit is at present
inconveriently long, and 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 deafly
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 those travelling the northern cir-
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 divsions 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 no 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 permanent alte-
ration can be made without increasing the present
number of judges ; and he concurs with them in
thinking, that,: s 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 befcre
any other be made.
Upon the supposition, however, that your Majesty may
possibly think it proper to act upon the former opinion,
we have proceeded to inquire which of the sunested
divisions would be preferable, and in what manner it
should be effected. And here we have all agreed,
with the exception of Mr. Stuart Wortley, who forbears
to give any such contingent opinion, that to separate
Yorkshire from the rest of the northern districts would be
the most convenient arrangement. We do not, 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 whom as judges are the.
duties of this new circuit to be performed ;
and we think that the additional labour will
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 probably 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 die.
tance, than the judge travelling the South Wftles 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 wake Liverpool
the last place, and that the commission days for York
saanntlieLdivae)r.
This o
pool shout 1, for the present at least .bee on the-
itsvillbewsiteleionu,tprdoisvtiduerbsifnogr tahneyreodtretrionciof
r!
cir-
cuit, hu irsd
plan,
northernrene circuit,ring it necessary to provide any new ar-
rangement of clerks of assize; and if at any future time
the number of the judges should be increased, and more
general changes introduced, the additional labour now
produced- to be thrown upon the judges traveliing the
Norfolk circuit may, without inconvenience, be with-
drawn.

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 assignee] 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 enholement 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 Amendment of the Law, appointed by his late
Majesty King George IV., in 1828, from Q
Welsh
hg
circuit.piace,
and we have therefore abstained from entering into an
inquiry- with respect to any change in b
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 two assizes within the year, instead of one
at Bristol, of holding assizes at other places, than those
at which they are now held in various counties,
and of limiting the assize held at Coventry to the city
of Coventry alone. We do not undervalue the impoti-
&nee of some of these, nor look upon them unfavourably;
but they appear to us not to fall within the scope of our
commission.
All whiCh we humbly submit.
',Signed and sealed the 3d day ofJune,lB4s.
JAMES PARKE, (L.S.)
E. H. ALDERSON, (LS.)
J. T. COLERIDGE, (L.S.)
FITZROY KELLY, (L.S.)
W. WHATELEY, (L.S.)
(LS.)
(L.S.)
EMI DENISON, (L.S.)
JJOAHM4 JAMES S.
T G. BUCKNALL ESTCOURT, (L.S.)
GREENWOOD,WOTLER Y,

NARROW ESCAPE OF AN 2ERONAUT.—We learn
from Avignon that Madame Lartet, the remnant, nearly lost her
life in her last ascent. The balloon, after having gone up majesti.
catty, suddenly fell into the Rhone, near St. Benezet. But for a
young man who jumped into the river, dressed as he was, and lent
assistance, Madame Lartet would have float her life. She was
eventually brought safe to land.

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