NOTES OF THE MONTH. 349 



" speed well," from the most eminent man at the bar, he is far from 

 sure that the law will not shift directly in his teeth, before he can bring 

 his vessel to port. A month after his total wreck, a new Boreas is 

 elevated to the Bench, and the legal breeze blows full in his favour. 

 But it is then too late ; his property is dispersed among the wreckers 

 he has nothing but life left. So much for the " Perfection of Human 

 Wisdom." Its splendid absurdities were exposed, a few days ago, to 

 some extent, by the Solicitor-general, on his obtaining leave to bring 

 in five bills for the amendment of the law, as regards real property. 



" The first was to abolish fines and recoveries, and reduce the process to a 

 simple deed instead of the present circuitous mode of proceeding. The second 

 was for the amendment of the Statute of Limitations. The law of England, 

 on this matter, was at present in a most barbarous state. The next was a 

 bill to amend the Law of Inheritance. In some cases, as the law stood, the 

 father could not inherit the son's property, because the property must de- 

 scend ; and in others, a brother could not inherit a brother's property the 

 property must ascend. The fourth was a Bill to amend the Law of Dower. 

 He proposed to regulate this upon the principle of common law to give the 

 right of dower of real property to a wife only out of that in which her hus- 

 band had been really seized. The other bill was to amend what was called 

 the Law of Courtesy. At present, in cases where there were no children by 

 a marriage, the husband could not inherit the property of the wife." 



BY an undeviating course of liberal policy, and a rare honesty of 

 intention, the present Ministers have, for a long time, enjoyed the 

 esteem and confidence of the House of Commons and the nation at 

 large. It is not to be expected that the Augean stable, left at the 

 close of the late administration, can be cleansed without an Herculean 

 labour. Time must be allowed for an undertaking of such difficulty. 

 The Reform Bill was thirty years in progress ; and years must elapse 

 before every vestige of corruption can be removed. To reproach 

 Ministers with not having done enough, is the mere outcry of factions 

 They are doing, daily and hourly; not a day but some new project, 

 of reform is intimated j and those who, up to the present period of 

 this session of Parliament, have been foremost in vituperating his 

 Majesty's Ministry, have likewise been the first to acknowledge the 

 liberality of their policy. What more can be said of the inconse- 

 quence of such an opposition ? 



THE motion respecting military and naval sinecures, was justly 

 scouted. If members are so desirous of convincing their constituents 

 of the honesty of their professions, by forestalling Ministers in their 

 plans of retrenchment and reform, there are other subjects to intro- 

 duce, which would do more credit to them than the abolition of naval 

 and military rewards. Naval and military men, although their pro- 

 fession is the most hazardous, are the worst rewarded servants of the 

 state. Not a court footman that does not receive more than a com- 

 missioned officer ! What a beggarly spirit of parsimony must haunt 

 the mind of a man who would deprive them of the little reserve that 

 they have in store. What but a buzzard or shrike would fly at such 

 game ? This has ever been the return to men who have assisted to 



