lordship proposed that there should be six or eight circuits in the
year, to be made by barristers of a certain standing, to be appointed by
the crown; who should return to the metropolis after the circuits, where
they could mix with their colleagues in the profession, and thus give
a security for the uniformity of the law which they administered.
The bills were generally approved of, and they passed the upper house
unopposed. In the commons an attempt was made to induce government to
postpone the consideration of them; and that relating to the county
courts was postponed till the following year, but those respecting
bankruptcy and lunacy were passed. Another bill, introduced by Sir James
Graham, for the amendment of the law relating to the registration
of votes in England, was delayed; and three bills proposed by Lord
Campbell, to alter the administration of the house of lords as a court
of appeal, to alter the system of appeal to the judicial committee
of the privy council, and to amend the administration of the court of
chancery, were rejected. A question of general interest respecting
the marriage law was also raised this session in the commons, by Lord
Francis Egerton, who moved for leave to bring in a bill to alter the
laws relating to marriage within certain degrees of affinity. The chief
feature of this bill was, that it would enable a widower to marry a
deceased wife's sister; but, on a division, the motion for leave to
bring in the bill was lost by one hundred and twenty-three against one
hundred.

BILL FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE ROYAL PERSON.

During this session, in consequence of an attempt upon the queen's life,
by an insane person of the name of Bean, Sir Robert Peel brought in a
bill on the subject, which met with the unanimous approbation of the
house. In introducing this bill, after adverting to the act passed in
the reign of George III., for the protection of that monarch, Sir Robert
said that he proposed to extend the change of procedure involved in that
act, namely, the abolition of the forms usually attendant on trials of
high treason, &c, to cases where the offence was that of compassing
the wounding of the sovereign. Concerning the class of offences against
which his measure was to provide, Sir Robert remarked:--"I propose that,
after the passing of this act, if any person or persons shall wilfully
discharge, or attempt to discharge, or point, aim, or present at or
near the person of the