Both Houses of Parliament adjourned last night, for an unusually
long Easter holiday ; fixing Monday the 16th April as the day for the next meeting. In the House of Commons, various statements were made and an- swered on the motion for adjournment; but the chief business of the sit- ting was the introduction and explanation of the Testamentary Jurisdic- tion Bill, by the Scusciros-Grarsasi..
This bill proposes to abolish the jurisdiction of all the Ecclesiastical and Peculiar Courts in England and Wales respecting wills and administrations; to establish a distinct Court of Probate and Administration, and otherwise amend the law in matters testamentary. The Court of Probate will be a metropolitan central court forming a distinct court in the Court of Chancery, having a complete though not exclusive jurisdiction upon all subjects relating to the proof of wills, and upon the grant of letters of adminis- tration, Attached to this court will be a Testamentary Office of Wills, "open to all her Majesty's subjects to come in and prove their wills or ob- tain letters of administration, without the intervention—that is the neces- sary intervention—of any solicitor, proctor, or agent whatever." The officer at the head of this department will be armed with the means of giving in- formation to all who come for the purpose of proving walls. Copies of wills will be printed, at 9fd. per folio, instead of being engrossed at Is. 4d. or 2a. Where there is any dispute, the procedure will be the same as lathe Court of Chancery. The Court will perform at once the functions of a court of construction and a court of administration, to decide the validity of wills, and to receive, collect, and administer the estate until it be handed over to the person entitled to it. The Court will have power to deal with all cases relating to the validity of wills, to establish a will, or give the heir-at-law a certificate of intestacy on the part of the testator; and the result will be, that the Court will have exclusive jurisdiction in regard to wills both of personal and real estate.
For those who will suffer loth under the working of the bill, he proposes a scheme of compensation. The proctors are to receive an annuity equal to a half of their professional income; and provisions will be made for the registrars, including the Reverend Robert Moore. The total charge for compensation will be 144,1001. To meet this, he proposes to abolish the "proctor's fee," and to charge 3 per cent on the amount of the stamp. The sum to be derived from this source, added to the fee-fund of the new Court, he estimated at 158,6611.; leaving a balance of 15,000/. At the close of his speech, Sir Richard Bethell stated, that, after the Easter recess, he should bring in a bill to establish tribunals for all mat. ters relating to Marriage and Divorce.
After a conversation, in which several Members expressed dissatisfation with this "piecemeal legislation," the bill was read a first time.
On the motion of adjournment,. Sir Joust PAHINGTON renewed his complaint respecting the state of the Colonial Office, and noticed a ru- moured irregular practice of the Prime Minister in signing despatches and acting as Colonial Secretary, Sir John gave notice, that unless Lord John Russell had returned immediately after the recess, he should submit a motion on the subject.
Sir Ds LACY Evans urged the necessity of reinforcing the army in the Crimea ; of sending thither every man, gun, and officer, instead of to the Baltic ; and of offering a higher bounty to recruits.
Sir Gzonos GREY replied first to Sir Be Lacy Evans, by stating that Government has not neglected to provide reinforcements. The troops have not been sent to the seat of war in small detachments, as before, but larger forces will reach the Crimea simultaneously. With regard to the Colonial Offide, no specific allegations had been made, therefore no specific reply could be given. There has been no irregularity ; and the Prime Minister has not signed any despatches—Sir George Grey has eigned them, as Secretar7 of State. The present arrangement, by which Lord Palmerston takes part of the duty, will not long continue ; for Sir George "hoped that the absence of the Secretary for the Colonies will be of ehort duration."
Sir'JM1P.Pir PaXTON complained of the very defective construction and ventilation of the huts erected at Aldershott, and their great expense. He suggested tents for a portion of the troops. Mr. MORRELL, unaware of the question, could give no specific reply. As to tenth, it will be necessary to keep the troops at Alderahott not only during the summer but, the winter months : therefore they must be lodged in huts. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER announced that, he should make the financial statement on Friday the 20th April. The House was counted out by Mr. Vexes upon the motion to mud-. nate the Select Committee on the Bills of Exchange Bill.
In the House of Lords, the Earl of Fa.ranisonourni seized the °wedeln. of the adjournment for the recess to survey the position in which we stand, and what we have done in the war.
At the beginning of the year we had a strong Government, and a fine army ; now we have half an army, and have lost half the Government. A year ago we had a confiding Parliament and an enthusiastic people; we have now an inquiring House of Commons and a disappointed people. With our Turkish allies we have held Eupatoria ; with our French allies we have for six months held twenty-five square miles of desert. It is impossible to con- ceal that the reputation of this country as a military power has been seriously' impaired. A too confiding Ministry did not foresee the reality of war ; did everything too late, and nothing well. An army should be equal in num- bers to its work, well-equipped, well-commanded, and well-placed. Wel- lington had, at the end of the Peninsular war, an army that could go any- where and do anything. Beginning a war without a reserve at home, with. no militia, and a campaign without animals, we have an army that can go nowhere and do nothing. We want twenty-five sail of the line in the Bal- tic; and we are sending twenty, without any promise of "more than one" French sail of the line. On the other hand, we have obstructed the nego- tiations of peace by introducing the point of military honour, while we should have guarded Turkey by creating a Sebastopol on 'the Bosphorus, and should make no demand " mconaistent with the honour of Russia," or im- possible for us to enforce.
Earl Gruarrna.s declined to follow Lord F,llenborough through the topics of his untimely speech ; but he denied that the Baltic fleet is in- sufficient for its service, and stated that the account of naval assistance in the Baltic to be rendered by the French Government would differ mate- rially from Lord Ellenborough's estimate. If the Government has lost the assistance of eminent men, it has not lost courage; and the divisions in the House of Commons, and the election at Liverpool, show that it has not lost the support of the people.
Replying to another point raised by Lord Ellenborough, the Duke of ARGYLL said that the security of Turkey and the free navigation of the- Danube make the war as much an Austrian as a French and English question.
In briefly referring to the adjourned debate of the 23d March respect- ing the defeets of our system of criminal procedure, Lord BitOtiessis expressed his belief that the right course to adopt would be to issue a Commission to inquire into the subject. Lord MATHERTON earnestly supported the recommendation. The Loin) CHANCELLOR declined to give any pledge; "although it seemed to him the,most pzaeticable mode of obtaining the results required."
On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR, two important bills were read a first time : one to extend the Charitable Trusts Actrind. to extend the jurisdiction of the Commissioners'; a second to make further provision for the good government of the University of Cambridge and the Col- leges therein, founded mainly upon the Oxford University Bill of last session.
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