Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-04-11
REVISION OF THE CODE.

WV " AiiiAt lt
less he dispels the fog of mystery and doubt on
this point, which floats around his opinions?
REVISION OF THE CODE.
NEXT SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY.
II will be seen by The following report of The
Revisors that they expect TO complete their work
by the next session OF the Assembly. The Lee
g%islalore, 1t is presumed, will take up The subject
al the commencement Of the session;-and The
Code will probably be printed, and the justices be
furnished with copies, in the year lS49.
In the mean time, we are authorized 70 say
that the Revisors will be pleased to receive sus.
gessions, IN '%rrittns, ofany Improvements in the
laws which may be thought advisable. Such
suggestions, in relation 10 any matter, will be
considered by hem when they &C, upon it:
REPORT.
To THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA.
Under the act passed on he Goth of February,
1876, 10 provide for the revisal of The Civil Cole
we reported o The Assembly at its last session. al
chapters embracing subjects under The following
fifteen titles, 10 wit: !. OF The Jurisdiction OF The
Commonwealth 2. Citizenship; 3 Elections by
The people; 4. Appointments or nominations by
NuS SouiNSi ". DiShoIliticS W nOlG ONCE dDG
against sales Of offices; 6. Oaths and afirma.
lions; :. Salaries; 8. General Assembly; 8. STA.
tules generally and rules OF decision; 10. Certain
Stale officers and buildings and The State libra.
ries; IL. Public defence; 10. Public revenues; Is.
Public debt; IA. Receiving and paying at the trea.
sury; 10. Recovery OF claims against the Stale.
We have now 10 report that since the last ses-
sion of the Assembly, we have prepared and
caused to be printed, additional chapters from
the 47h to the 1921 inclusive, under The follow.
ing titles: l6. Counties and towns and their OF.
hcers; II. Corporations generally; Is. Char
tered companies. 10 Water courses, mills,
ferries, bridges and teleeraphs. 30. Board OF
public works. 81. Memorials Of Washington
and La Fayelle. %. Religion. %. Education.
"a. Asylums Tor the insane. 25. Public hea lth.
%. Inspections, weights and measures. 81. Yes.
sells and seamen. %. Tayprns, travel on high.
ways and patrols. %. Woods, enclosures and
animals.
The matter reported 10 The Assembly at lis las,
session was contained in $50 pages; Ina, now re.
ported extends from page 2Gl 10 page 539. Our
estimate then was that The bills reported were
aboula fourth OF the Civil Code. Now we think
that we have reported abou, ihree.fths OF il.
,-oa, Of Tho aequisH,un, eHjoymenI and transmits
sion OF property, The domestic relations and other
matters connected with private rights, and will
be followed By those relating to courts and Judi
cial officers and proceedings in civil cases.
In relation 10 The courts, we have already, in
obedience 10 resolutions Of The House OF De-
legaies, reported a bill to establish a special
court OF appeals and diminish The number OF
judges of The general eonr; and another bill
abolishing The circuit superior courts Of law and
chanceIy and the general court, dividing The State
into sixteen circuits instead Of twenty-five, and
establishing a superior court Tor he State in lieu OF
the general court. Ii was desirable that the sense
OF The Legislature should, in some manner, be ex.
p essed upon these bills during the present ses
sion, especially as the resolution oil The House in
relation 10 The circuit courts required such a bill
as was reported. II a majority ofseach House OF
me Assembly be 10 favor OF a permanent orsani.
zalion OF the court. upon any plan different from
what is contemplated by The bills reported, we
should have been pleased 10 be informed of such
plan, 80 that il might be carried out by US in our
future work. We say permanent organization,
because The bills that we report, 50 far as they
may be adopted, are TO form a Code, which Iii is
desirable) should, and it may be expected, will
have some degree OF permanence.
The importance of the subjects on which we
have vel 10 prepare bills, makes j, necessary that
even more care should be taken in their prepare
ton than was required for those already reported.
And we cannot slate with certainly how long we
shall be occupied about them. Blu! our hope
now is, and indeed We may say, our expectation
is, to complete The Civil Code by the mex! session
Of the Assembly.
We are direcicd, by an act Of the 18th OF March
l8i7, 10 bring within the scope OF our revisal, as
we'll all general statutes passed since The 2Uth 0!
February, 1916, CT 10 be passed before The COM
pletion OF The %reTisal. as those which were in
force on that day. This direction has been OBJ
caryod hu ~ in racpocf IN oil Sfatutac DagSe1 nm
| any subject before a bill was prepared by US upon
il. In our next report, We shall suggest any
| amendments to the bills which we have reported
lha, may appear TO be necessary, either because
| of legislation alter they were prepared, or for any
other reason. .
Chapter SO, (of weights and measures,) vii
have 10 be changed in respect 10 The aliquoi par
II The avoirdupois hundred. Atthe time OF draw
| ing it, The list of weights, (Which we expected le
find 10 one of the public ofices,) had been mis-
laid. And We did not receive a new list from
Washington until The chapter was printed.
The fourth section Of The act Of l3ih Of
March, lS47, after reciling that il is desirable
the Civil and Criminal Code should together
constitute a complete Code OF the statues o
Virginia, Uniform in plan and execution, and free
| from either omissions, contradictions or repcti
lions, refers 10 US The bills Iepor!ed 10 the House
OF Delegates, al its last session, by the committee
for Courts OF Justice, in connection with the Cri
minal Code, and all criminal or penal statutes
passed since the preparation Of that Code, in or
der that we may carry into effect the objects SC
reciteL in the preamble 10 the section, and with
The same power over the whole that We now have
over the Civil Code. We understand lha! the
bills so reported TO the House al the last session
have been acted on al the present session oil lhs
| Assembly. But as the said fourth section re-
mains unrepealed. we suppose that under il, on
power over the Criminal Code continues, so iar
as there may be any occasion for its exercise
The penal statutes passed al This session, necessa
rily contain TO make them complied some pro
visions, which, il retained when the Civil anc
Criminal Code are put together. would cause
repetition. We shall deem i,proper 10 proven
such repetition, and if we shall perceive any
omissions 10 correct them.
la our report, al The last session, we express
ed the opinion that all The general statues OF Wiz
einia might probably be reduced into a singh
volume. To attain this result is a work OF grea
labour; a hundred fold greater Than would be re
ouired 10 have a Code Of three or lour volumes
But such a result we regard as so desirable Ina
we shall not relax our endeavors 10 accomplish
it. Our belief in its practicabilily continues IN
changed. Respectfully submitted BY.
JNO. M. PATTON,
CONWAY ROBINSON.
Richmond, March %. l84s.
THE MANOR DlFFICULTIES.-The \
York Assembly have, BY a large vote, passed
resolution instruclins The Attorney General to ii
tiea,e the titles Of the Manorial Estates With