The Lords, as was expected, have flung out the Land-
Transfer Bill, and on the distinct ground that they will not have realty assimilated to personalty. On Friday week, Lord Bath moved the omission of Clause 74, because it directs that land, like personalty, shall remain in the executors' hands for a year, and carried his amendment, in spite of the Lord Chancellor's resistance, by 122 to 113. The Premier there- upon rose and stated that, as one object of the Bill was to make land descend like personalty, the Government had no option but to withdraw it. The Lords thus retain the law of primogeniture for a year or two, at the price of inflicting a serious blow upon a Conservative Ministry which is thus shown not to be absolute within the -Upper House. They will not be able to reject the measure, whenever it comes up from the Commons, and may find that it has taken the more trenchant form of a Bill declaring all property to be personalty, which will abolish primogeniture at a swoop, and some other guarantees for the aristocratic system besides.
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