The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-21 00:00:00

THURSDAY, FRB. 16.

Several petitions were presented in favour of Reforma-
tory Institutions.

PROBATE COURTS.

The LORD CIIA.NCELLOR called attention to the state
of the law as 'regarded testamentary matters, and
proceeded to state the evils which, in his opnion, were
inherent in the existing system of jurisdiction in the
Ecclesiastical Courts. In the first place, there was
no reason, except old custom, ratified by statute in
the reign of King Edward 1., that the Ecclesiastical
Courts should have jurisdiction over wills more than over
any other kind of deeds • but, even supposing this objec-
tion in theory to have been overcome, the practical incon-
venience of the present system, under which no less than
386 different tribunals had jurisdiction over wills, rendered
an alteration in the law absolutely necessary. Again, in
the present state of the law, when the cognizance of
devises of real estate belonged to the temporal tribunals,
and that of bequests of personalty appertained exclusively
to the Ecclesiastical Courts, a conflict of law might occur,
and one-half of a will might be declared valid in one court
and invalid in another. A commission on the subject,
which had just delivered its report, recommended the
abolition of the existing Prerogative Court, with which
he entirely agreed, and he thought the public interest
would be best served by vesting the whole contentious
jurisdiction of wills in the Court of Chancery. With the
right of the proctors to deal with the common form busi-
ness, as it was called, which constituted ninety-nine
hundredths of the business of the Prerogative Court, he
did not at present propose to interfere ; but the conten-
tious business arising out of cases in which a will was
disputed, and which did not, it appeared, amount to more
than 60 days' work in the year, he proposed to transfer
to Chancery. He also proposed to allow probate of wills
in the country up to $1,600, and to extend probates to
real estate as well as well as to personality.
Lords BROUGHAM and St. LEONARD'S expressed their
satisfaction at the proposed measure, though the latter
did not think that probate should be extended to real
property.—The bill was read a first time.

8-ome returns were ordered. Their lordships adjourned.

FRIDAY, FED. 17.

The Royal Assent was given by commission to the As-
sessed Taxes Act Amendment Bill.
REFORMATORY ScnooLs.—A petition was presented
by Lord BROUGHAM, from the Manchester Conference, in
favour of the establishment of reformatory schools for
juvenile offenders. He remarked briefly upon the great
importance of the subject, and the vast benefits which
might be expected to result from the general establish-
ment of these reformatory institutions, and alluded to the
evidence upon the subject given by the late Mr. Rushton,
the magistrate of Liverpool, who had traced the course of
ten boys who had cost the country £lOO a-year each.—
Earl GRANVILLE stated that the subject of reformatory
schools was under the consideration of the government,
and he hoped that a bill would shortly be introduced with
regard to it.
NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. The Earl of
EGLINTOUN thought that an inquiry into the system of
education pursued in Ireland was absolutely necessary,
and moved for a select committee to inquire into the in-
novations recently made in that system, as well as the
withdrawal of Archbishop Whateley from the commission.
—The Earl of ABERDEEN had been at first disposed to
resist the motion, but finding that Lord Eglintoun dis-
claimed all hostility to the system, and believing that in-
quiry would do no harm, he would not oppose the appoint-
ment of a committee on the subject.—After a discussion
of considerable length, in which the Bishop of DOWN, Lord
CLANCARTY, Lord DESIRT, Lord MONTEAGLE, and Lord
DONOUGHMORE took part, the committee was granted.
Their lordships shortly, afterwards adjourned.