judicial power sufficient to meet the exigencies of the country, it was in his opinion the existence of a greater number of courts of justice than the business of the country required. From the creation of a court of justice intended to be only for a temporary purpose, the greatest inconvenience would ensue. He disputed the correctness of the statements made by the Attorney-general with respect to the amount of causes in arrear, and the delays which he had stated to take place, and went into some detail of facts for the purpose of showing that the arrear was, in fact, very much less than was represented. He had no doubt that the appointment of one additional judge, therefore, would amply suffice for the object required. It would be easy, afterwards, to create another court, if one were found insufficient; but not so easy to reduce the number if we created more than were needed. The office of the masters in chancery was that which most imperatively required reform, and the appointment of additional judges would be altogether valueless unless this department were improved. The higher courts of appeal also must be remodelled. The appellate jurisdiction of the House of Lords was, in truth, a great anomaly. All appeals from the court of chancery, were, in effect appeals to the chancellor himself. This system was one which ought not to continue. At the same time, he did not wish to take away anything from the powers of the House of Lords. He would still leave to that house its ultimate appellate jurisdiction, but he would propose the appointment of two new equity judges, whom he would style, the lords' assistants,"

in the House of Lords, in case of appeals. Such a plan, he thought, would impart a great increase of weight and authority to the decisions of the House of Lords. He proposed that these two judges, when not occupied in the House of Lords, should sit in the judicial committee of the privy council, which possessed at present a most defective constitution, being without regular judges, or fixed sittings. These were the outlines of the plan which he intended to propose, not in opposition to the attorney-general's bill, but in addition to it, and he should move for leave to introduce his bill at the same time as the attorneygeneral's, in order that both bills might be before the house at the same time.

Mr. Lynch contended, that the state of business in the equity courts at the present time, and the large arrears existing, fully demanded the appointment of two new equity judges as proposed by the Attorney-general.

The Attorney-general, in reply, vindicated the appellate jurisdic tion of the House of Lords, which, though it might be open to objec tion in theory, the result of his experience had convinced him, worked satisfactorily in practice. He admitted an alteration was called for in the judicial committee of the privy-council, and though he feared Sir E. Sugden's plan of having lords' assistants would never take place, he should offer no opposition to the bill, but would gladly lend his assistance to the objects proposed by it.

Leave was then given to both the Attorney-general and Sir E. Sugden to bring in their bills.

Upon the house going into committee on the Attorney-general's

bill, some further discussion took place, and Sir E. Sugden renewed his objection to the appointment of two additional judges. The proposition, however, was supported by Mr. Pemberton, and the clause passed without a division. Considerable delay, however, having occurred in the progress of the bill, the consideration of the report upon it was not moved till the 9th of June, before which time those events had taken place, materially affecting the relative situation of parties in the House of Commons, which we shall have hereafter to relate. Under these circumstances, a proposition made by Sir E. Sugden, with respect to the time at which the measure should come into operation, was carried against the strenuous opposition of lord John Russell, who, indignant at his defeat, threw up the bill.

It was revived, however, in the short session which, followed the election of the new parliament in the autumn, and then passed into a law.

The bill of serjeant Talfourd, now for the third time brought in, to extend the period of copyright to literary works was again defeated, though not as in former sessions, by delay. An able speech of Mr. T. B. Macaulay, who opposed the measure as at once ineffectual to secure the benefit proposed to authors, and injurious to the public interest, produced much impression on the house; and the bill, the principle of which had been so many times affirmed, was now rejected on the second reading, by a majority of 7: there being, for the bill 38; against it 45.

usual interest, as well on account of the known embarrassed state of the public finances, as because rumours had been circulated that the government intended to propose some very bold remedy for those difficulties, more especially with a view to the critical political situation in which they were now placed, and the anticipated event of a dissolution of parliament. The excitement of the house, which was before sufficiently high, was, however, considerably increased by an announcement made by Lord John Russell, before going into committee of Ways and Means, that on the 31st May he should move, "that the house resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, to consider the acts of parliament relating to the trade in corn.”

to

The Chancellor of the Exche quer then entered into his financial statement, of which we shall present a concise summary. He said, that when he came forward last year he had anticipated that the expenditure would amount 49,499,000l., and the income to 48,641,000l.; leaving a deficiency of 858,000l. The actual results of the year had been less favourable than he he had anticipated, for though the expenditure had amounted only to 49,285,000%., the income had only reached the sum of 47,443,000Z., leaving a deficiency of more than 1,840,0002. The right honourable gentleman then went over the revenue tables, and enumerated the several items in the Customs and Excise, in which there had been a falling-off or an increase. Among those in which a more marked falling-off had taken place, he enumerated currants, molasses, spirits, sugar, tea, wine, and sheep's wool; but for the decline in each of these, a reason

would readily suggest itself to the house. The diminished revenue from sugar and molasses, Mr. Baring attributed to the exorbitant price to which that article had risen; the anticipation of a commercial treaty with France had naturally tended to interfere with the duty arising from wine; and in the diminished consumption of spirits Ireland bore a large sharebut, however that circumstance might inconvenience his statement that evening, he should be ashamed of himself if he did not allude to it with sincere pleasure. The revenue from the post-office had fallen short of his expectations; but that was owing not to a deficiency in the anticipated increase of letters posted, but to the increased expenses which had become necessary in consequence of the opening of railroads, and of the great augmentation in the business of the office. For the ensuing year, he calculated that the national expenditure would be

Interest on the debt £29,424,000
Other charges on conso-
lidated fund

Army Navy Ordnance

2,400,000

Miscellaneous

Extraordinary expenses

for Canada Expedition to China

180,000 400,000

Making a total of. • £50,731,226

The items having been given in round numbers, the total would not exactly agree with them, but the total was as he had given it. The chancellor of the exchequer next entered on the items of the revenue which he anticipated for the ensuing year. The Customs, he expected, would produce 22,000,0001,; the Excise 14,000,000l.; and the Stamps

7,130,000l.; and he thought he might rely upon it that the total revenue would not fall short of 48,310,000l. This would leave a deficiency of 2,421,000l. to be provided for. Mr. Baring entered into some explanations to show that the permanent deficiency, which he would really have to provide for, would be 1,700,000l., as several items of the expenditure of next year were of an extraordinary character. Under these circumstances, it became necessary to find some means to make up the revenue of the country to 50,000,000l. No taxation could be so injurious as a permanent disorder in the national finances; and the sum they had now to provide for was so large as to make it absolutely necessary for them to act with some degree of boldness.

The question then was-what they should do? Should they fall back on the taxes which they had themselves not long since repealed? -the house-tax, for example, or the tax on coals? Should they impose taxes on things that had been hitherto exempt, place a legacy duty on real property, or a tax on agricultural horses? Were they to lay a tax upon new articles which had come into existence since the present system of taxation-such as gas and steam? Ought they to adopt the once execrated, but now popular, plan of a property tax, or might they not make some arrangement of existing taxation, so as to obtain the required supplies without adding to the burdens of the people?

He was sure that two articles sugar and timber-had already suggested themselves to the house as those with which it was his intention to deal. The present duty on colonial timber amounted

to 10s. a load, and on Baltic timber to 55s. This duty Earl Spencer had proposed to modify by raising that on colonial to 20s., and reducing that on Baltic timber to 50s. a load. Mr. Baring intended to adopt the proposition of his noble friend. From this change in the timber duties Earl Spencer anticipated an increased revenue of 750,000l., but said, that he should be content with 600,000%. Mr. Baring should be content to take the same sum as Earl Spencer. He next explained that the alteration which he intended to propose in the sugar duties would still leave a protection of 50 per cent. to colonial sugar. He meant to leave the duty on colonial sugar at the present amount of 24s. per cwt.; but that on foreign sugar, now amounting to 63s., he should propose to reduce to 36s. per cwt. From this change in the sugar duties he expected an augmentation of 900,000l. to the revenue, but he would estimate it only at 700,000l. From sugar and timber, then, he looked for an increase to the revenue of not less than 1,300,000l.; which would still leave a deficiency of 400,000l. to be provided for. His noble friend had that evening given notice of his intention at an early period to submit the question of the corn trade to the consideration of the house; and if the propositions of his noble friend were agreed to, he should be under no uneasiness respecting the remaining 400,0001. If they were not agreed to, it would of course become his duty to make provision by direct taxation.

Mr. Baring went on to ask the house to look at the present aspect of public affairs. There was the German league extending its influence, and increasing its protect