Star.
London, England, 1823-10-10 00:00:00

THE AEIV COURTS AT WESTMINSTER.

The building of the new Courts of Law and Equity
is considerably advanced. They extend in a line along
the northern side of Westminster Hall. At the western
extremity is situate the Court of Chancery ; the Vice;
Chancellor's Gaol stands next ; and then follow the
Courts of Common Pleas, Exchequer, and King's Bench,
the last forming the eastern end.. They are all acces7
sible on two sides, there being an entrance into each
from the street, and also from 'Westminster Hal? A
passage the whole length of the Hall, in the exterior be-
tween it and the five Courts. It is about nine feet wide,
commencing rn the top of the first flight of the stone
stairs leading from Palace-yard to the House of Lords
and the House of Commons, and opening into New Pa-
lace-y d. Into this passage an opening is made through
the nor thorn wall of the Hall, in front of each Court.—
Another ra*age runs along the northern side of the
range of Courts, from which there are avenues into the
street through the Law Offices, NV hich constitute the ex-
t:Jior of the building on that side. One great advantage
attending this new arrangement is this :—The entrance
into the Court: ft oar the Hall may be closed at any
time without inconivenience, the remaining approaches
from the street, and the opening at the head of the first
of the sone stairs leading to the House cf Lords being
amply sufricient for all who may have occasion to at-
tend the Courts. Whenever, then, a Coronation, a trial,
or any (Alai- c.&e may occur, requiring the exclusive oc-
cupation of the Hall, it may he shut up, and the busi-
ness of the Courts of Law and Equity will suffer no in-
terruption. A year is the time that has been allowed
for completing the two Equity Courts, and two years
for the others. The two former are n.‘rirly finished. The
Court of Chancery will be ready in the course of next
month, but the Lord Chancellor does not propose. to sit
in it until the meeting of Parliament. The Vice-Chan-
cellor's Court, v, hiclr is in a more forward state, will be
ready on the lost day of next Term. It will be then used
as the Court of Common Pleas. The following is a
brief desoiption of these two Courts and their appurte-'
nances in their present state. On approaching them by
the stone stairs leading to the Lords, on entering the
long passage, there is a descent of eight steps, and a little
further on a descent of five steps, and then the remainder
of the passage is on a level with the Hall and the se-
veral Courts. The first apartment from the entrance on
the left is a room for the Lord Chancellor's. officers
and attendants.. The nett is the Lord Chancellor's pri-
vate room,-and the next the. Court.
THE coma OF CHANCERY.

This is a spacious square room. The is at the
western end, and the sides are lined with oak wainscot,
painted of oak colour, and highly varnished, about
eight feet high. A very handsome circular gallery runs
round it at a convenient height, intended for the accom-
modation of students and suitors of the Court. The
front of the gallery is of iron rail-work, supported, at
equal intervals, by broad plinths, and is of a light and.
chaste appearance. The ceiling is flat, and in the middle
of it is a large open square, surmounted with a dome,
each.iide of which is nearly filled by a large circular
vvindow: There are several other windows on the sides
of the Court, but those in the dome or cupola are the
principal ones by which the Court is lighted. At the
hack of the Bench, is the Chancellor's private room,
into which there is a door at each end of the Bench.—
The private room communicates with the passage lead-
ing to the House of Lords, and it also communicates, on
the other side, with a room for the Chancellor's ser-
vants in waiting, which opens into the passage on the
other side communicating with the street. On the out-
side of this passage is also a stone staircase leading to
the gallery. The benches for the Counsel are the only
parts of the Court unfinished, with the eiception of the
dressing up of the Bench, and the minor embellishments.

-Tit VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT.
The Court which is noi, preparing as a temporary
Court of Common Pleas is nearly complete. It is a
square, and of the same dimensions as the Court of.
Chancery. It has no gallery, and in the centre of the
ceiling, which is flat, is a square area, surmounted with
a dome, wish windows un each side. This dome is
greatly inferior in size to that of the Court of Chancery,
and the windows are comparatively small, the great
body of light being admitted by windows in the sides
of the Court, of which there are no less than seventeen.
One of these is a very large circular window in the
north-western side. The Bench is erected at the northern
side of the Court, with the Jury Box on the left. There
are three rows of Benches—one for the inner, the other
two for the outer bar—they form a segment of a circle,
and are very commodious.

According to a ,list:given in the Inverness Courier,
the number of genuine Celtic surname, beginning with
Mac, amounts to not fewer than 392.