To The Editor Of The Time...
The Times, 1824-02-17T00:00:00

S7 .-ThOnglr:I eannnSagree';nh the s.piaoios of the tlead of tlfc Court CJsancery, expressed iii an artileofystrpaper-of this mon aing, y4rgivi1g you credit,aaslsinocirely do, fl ormniag~thenm npon whlat vou-beheve to be true-jrobnds, I catnnot doubt that your cando-os-wilit duceyoirto inser*-the following correction of part Or them. It is a great error to suppose that " the attending to bankrrupts' pe- titions makes no necessary part uf the official duty of the Lor4.Chan_ cellor." The truth is so far ethervwise, that tie whole judicial ad.' niinistration of the bankrupt laws -is, by the acts of Parliament I which c.tablish them, given to the Chencellor alone. It will also be evident, I thinlk. that whatever tiume his Lordship may at any time have giten to tbis branch of isL -duty in preterence to otbers, his Motive cannot have been the acquisitibn of fees such a tmotive would have led to h is despatching'them with the utmost haste pos- sible, and making the greatest possible nunmber of orders on which the feas depend, whereas it is notorious that no judge evet investi- gated individual cales at the lenth, and with the mimneness, that he does and always has lone, or disposed of so few petitions in any given sgrace oftine. Till this bausiaess wits transferred to the Vice. Chancellor, the arrear in it was enormons. It is kept down by his habits of rapid despatcli and the .'ew petitions which the Chancel- lor now hears come before him on appeal fromn the Vice-Chancel- lor's orders, and frequently occupy him more days than his Honour gave housrs to them. It is imposssble to ascribe this dilatoriness to a scheme for getting fees; nor should I think it just to impute it wholy toi aninlecisive and wavering hlb't of mind. Alany of these petitions arise out of commercial and other pectniary transactions and accounts, so extremely intricate, perplexed, and extensive, as to require more sifting and laborious examination to-ascertain the state of the case, and congequently to determine the proper remedy to be applied, than anv other subjects of litigation and the hasty and suMmary mode of hearing and deciding fails oftener in these cases than in any others. In the lunacy cases there is a much more obvions reason for taking them in preference to others than the desire of increasing fees_ namely, that tor the most part they relate to the regulation of the domestic and private concerns of the unfortunate persons under the care of the Court, and the delay of them would be productive of more distress and evil than any other delay that can occur. But the advantage of delaying them to othersuitors, would be as smnall as that of despatching them is great to the par- ties concernec: for the course of such businhess is so well settled, and the litigation in it so little, that the ordinary part of it is got througlh in fonr or five days of the vhole year. The extraorainary part consists of such emes as Lord Poitsmoath's, where the ques- tion being alwiys whetlher an individual is to be needllesslvdeurived of the powver over his own property and conductm or being incapable of' protecting himnself against the schemes of the designing and covetous, is to be letf defenceless, a prcy to their spoliation, I pre- sume you will not think that justice is perverted by the earliest at- tentiong being given te them, which any u-rangenent.of other basi- | ness will allow., I think xou ;.ay also convince yourself by an inquiry into facts, that the present Clancellor is not liable to the censure of having con. tyibuted to the degradation of the Bar. The great lagal prizes, the objects of the men of eminence, the baits for the great rats, are not disposed of by hitm, but by the Cabinet; and thC fiRTt Lord of the Treasury has minchi greater influence in the decision than the Chan- cellor. I believe that his sole patronage, in its highest branch, that of naming puixne Judges, has been but once exercised in a maniner to dissatisfy any part of the profession; and in that instance, it is known that he niade the appointment most reliuctantly, and sacri- ficed his osvn judgienit to tihe importunity of the prime AMinister, who had no other means of getting an incompetent officer out of a Place which it was important should be filled with talent and cr-edit. In his other important patronaire, that of appointing itasters in Chancery, whicb he has exercised ofrener than any ClianceUor who preceded him, the whole profession agree, that he has given them more able Mllasters than ever belonged to the Court during an equal period of timne. In fact, of all his appointments, but two bave been questionced; and if in one he yielded too far to Royal influence, and in the nther to more private but not less powerful solicitation, two such instances of inhrinsitv m'urnish but slight ground fbr a charge, that a long official life has been devoted to the encourag-cment and ditlusion of mneanness and corruption. That the Bar is degraded, I fully agree with you; anti I shall be happy, if you pennit it, to state through your jeurnal my views of th`cautses and progress of this degradation. It would be trespassing too far on your space to enter upon the topic at present. I am. Sir. Your obedient servant. ItE uIs. :jatikrday Evening, Feb. 14. TO THEEDIFGR OF' 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IIE ~~~~~~~~~TfMES.:~~~~~~~~1