, 1866-12-07
FROM EUROPE.


Law Reforms In England. ana the New
York Code-The English Universities
Merits and Dement'S OF Oxford aud
Cambridge Public EIonorx in EnE-
1and-Ecc1eslazr1ch1 Troublcs-ls tile
Church In Danger 1.-THE Ja1nalcan
Cpntm1ftCe.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribunc.]
LONDON, November II, 1866.
LAW REFORM IN ENGLAND, AND THE SEW
TORE CODE.
Mr.. Dudley Field Is again receiving COM
pliments from the lawyers Of England. Uc
visited us some sixteen years ago, and told
us about the New York code, and our legis~
lators listened to him and declared they
really would set to work aud give their couu
try cheap and simple system Of law,-but
on lecturing to Our bnrristers last Monday
night Mr.. Field found us very much In our
old pos ition. The amount Of interested aud
bigotcd resistance has bcea too much for the
returmers. And yet, Heaven knows how
great is our want ofa better code Of procedure.
The desire for cheap and good law is
not confined to the mercantile man. but ex~
tends 10 every class. The rnortgngor, tho
mortgage, the trustee, the vendor, the pur~
chaser, the landlord, the tenant, the partner,
all hnve direct and practical interest in the
facts debated By Mr. Field on Monday. As
things are, too, the mode Of professional
pay, which lies at the bottom OF the code,
is SO contEived US TO make the lawyer spin
out everything into long verbose statements
and 10 multiply the steps as much as posi-
bic. Hc is paid nothing for what really costs
him trouble, and compensated By large
pay for wlat costs him none, and for what g
copyist writes for him. The State, so fir
from correcting the abuse, compels this
mode Of pay by law. It denies all free trade
here; 1t imposes tariff Of prices; appoints
officers to see that II Is adhered to, and makes
void, and even criminal. bargntnsbetwecn the
lawyer aud his client Tor y different system
Of remuneration. This tariff was enforced
when it was thought wise to have al assize
on bread. 1t still continues in force as to all
| the articles The hwy or sells.
After Mr.. Fields lecture on Monday, there
| was q discussion in which Ifr. Robt. Lowe,
| n. r., took part. He said that the late Mr..
Justice Maule used 10 say that there were two
objections to having code-one, that no
one in the world could make code, and an
othsrs Jlat, n. ?real p1any people thought
1 Afforded an answer TO both these objections
He himself had had three experiences Of cod
lhcation; one in the case Of the Limited Lin
blllty Act, measure containing ITO clauses,
which passed both houses Of Parliament with
out single hostile amendment another III
regard to the revised code issued by the De-
partment Of Education, which wns at least q
quasi code, in which By Encouragement the
adoption Of definitions md other measures
Which suggested themselves to persons en-
gagged In coditlcation, It WIS found possible
TO rduce the regulations from 80 clauses to
lS0: and the third, which was still going on
10 his character Of one Of the commissioners
to whom had bceu entrusted the task Of
preparing code Of laws for India In tkis
work they had made some progress: Codes
been introduced, and bad both worked we'll,
and they are now applying themselves to
mskc code OF law. They had prepared
laws relating 10 succession In cases both Of
testacy and intestacy, aud regulating all the
| principal matters Of contract . and were now
proceeding to deal with the law relating to
bills Of exchange. In their work they had
| been much assisted by the result Of the la
bors Of the New York Commissioners, aud on
his own behalf and, what was more impor-
tant, on that Of his colleagues, he rendered
bis thanks to Mr.. Field aud his coadjutors
The question whether we could have q code
in this country could not be solved BY a
priori reasoning. but only by trying the c7.
pertinent, and whatever the experiment cosi
It was we'll worth trying.
TIE ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES.
A good deal OF discussion has taken place
lately in tue Erglish press relative to the
causes for the strong conservative feeling
| which exists at our two great Universities
Oxford and Cambridge. You know TINT tht
youths Mt those seats Of learning arc alway!
IN fnvor Of rtartiorary ideas at home ami
abroad. The au!hor of the Fugitive Slav.
Law, Mr.. Masop, found no welcome in Europe
50 warni rs that which was given him at Ok
ford. Ex-Governor Eyre would be only les
ropular than Provost Marshal Ramsay, AMI
dare say even the late Captain Writ;
admifcrs. admire a lar fur more importan, @ Il
subject than the passing fancics OF these
young tntn is the abuses of the Urivcrsi
ties themselves; abuses going to the very
root Of their existence. Our writer's are
. aware. suppose, that With the present IN
reformed House Of Commons there Is nc
chance for efectlug any further cha1ges, anc
so they adjourn even the consideration Of tht
University system until the Representation
of the people is made more complete and 8
| power developed against which the two
I Universities will Gnd it impossible to con
tend. Though, however. this is the case,
tltnk those in America who are interested
in the progress Of England may Hike te
couceruiuE the highest interests OF oul
Thc University Of Oxford Is Kind of con
federation Of twenty y-oue colleges, each gov
erned by its own statutes, and existing upon
funds derived frum the endo' vmeut Of IL
they are literally at loss what to do with
their money. "New College," for instance
has a revenue Of 10000 year, and tht
MaEdalcne College revenues are no less q
sum than aa35, 600 per annum. The latter
college has called In architects, and painters
aud builders TO help It spend its money, but
Is nevertheless, often puzzled how to dispose
Of Ii. All the colleges possess like revenue.
derived from similar sources, viz: charita,
bic bcQuests for the education and suppQr,
Of poor students. Even where the word
poor Is not precisely expressed, that it must
have been meant is sufficiently obyious to all
who have any knowledge Of the middle ages
when most or these colleges were founded
In the noble born Of those days, erudftlou
was considered blot rather than as an or,
nament upon. their escutcheons. Polished
helmets and sharpcuca spcar-polnts stood In
request far before nctire brains aud pointed
coose-ouills. 1t is quite clear that these
Colleges with their scholarships and fellow.
ships were established fot the benefit of the
poor; but it Is clcarcr still that they are now
In The possession Of the wealth!. In the
middle ages, when the population of the
country did not equal one-fonrth of its cx.
istins numbers, the number of Oxford stu.
dents was five times IS great as II
is at present; and this for the
simple reason, that for the times the learning
to be obtained was cheaper, larger In guam
tity and better in quality than now. What
| 1onr to see see Is d movement In England
and VIC shall have it some day-foz employ.