n used in reference to an intention entertained by government of
dividing the office of lord-high-chancellor, distributing his functions
between two judges, one of whom should be devoted to legal duties,
and be irremovable; while the other should retain the patronage and
political functions of the office, and should be liable to be dismissed
with the ministry who appointed him. On the 28th of April, the
lord-chancellor brought forward the measures by which this great change
was to be effected; and he founded the necessity of such measures on
the increase of business which had taken place in the court of chancery,
both in its original and appellate jurisdictions. On the second reading,
Lord Lyndhurst objected to these bills in point of principle. The
necessary effect of the measure would be, he said, to divide the office
of chancellor, and to disqualify him from exercising that very
appellate jurisdiction to which he was devoted. This separation was most
mischievous; and he, therefore, moved that the bill should be read that
day six months. On the other hand, Lord Langdale did not consider that
the bill went far enough. He held it, he said, to be indispensable that
the judicial functions of the chancellor should be separated from those
which were not judicial: and that the appellate jurisdiction of the
house of lords ought to be placed under the superintendence of a
judge having no connexion with politics. Lord Abinger and the Duke of
Wellington supported the amendment; the latter remarking that it was
important that the most eminent lawyer in the country should occupy such
a position in the councils of his majesty as would give those councils
substantial benefit from his assistance. Lord Melbourne contended that
the house could do no wrong in going into committee on the bill; but
on a division the amendment was carried by a majority of ninety-four to
twenty-nine.

ELECTION COMMITTEES.

Early in the session Mr. C. Buller brought the subject of the
constitution of election committees before the house of commons, by
moving "that a select committee be appointed to consider the laws
relating to the determination of the right of voting, and the trial
of controverted elections." In accordance with this motion a select
committee was appointed; but its labours did not produce any fruit
during the session. In the preceding sessions bills had passed the
commons to disfranchise the borough of Stafford; but none of them had