able to the former. Out of appeals from judgments and final orders, the Chancery Division provided occasion for 50 affirmations to 22 cases reversed, and no new trial, whilst the figures for the King's Bench Division were IIO judgments and final orders affirmed, 57 reversed, and 21 new trials. Under appeals from interlocutory orders, there is the same favourable comparison. From the Chancery Division, one order is affirmed and one reversed out of the three set down; from the King's Bench Division, 59 are affirmed, to 12 varied and 42 reversed.

Turning to the figures for the Supreme Court, we find that the steady decline in every department in the Chancery Division of the past years is maintained, except in the case. of fees, in which there was a slight increase of £43,306 as against £40,875. Although the business in 1911 was the lowest on record, "Never before", says Sir John Macdonell, was the volume of business in this Division so small as in 1912." In proceedings commenced, there has been a fall from 7,336 in 1903, and from 6,370 in 1908 to 5,566 in 1912. Of actions set down, 393 were heard and determined out of 565, compared with 434 and 610, leaving arrears of 190 as compared with 165 in 1911.

66

In the King's Bench Division, there is on the whole a distinct decline in civil business, though not so marked as in the Chancery Division. The writs in this Division fell from 61,784 to 60,789, the smallest figure yet recorded. "Ten years ago," says the Editor, "they exceeded this figure by 9,000; 20 years ago by about 15,000." Whilst masters' summonses show a decline from 33,161 to 32,791, judges' summonses show an increase from 1,478 to 1,630. Thus the total number of Chamber summonses remains much the same, 34,421 to 34,639. In the number of actions entered for trial, there was an actual increase from 3,276 to 3,624, a phenomenon which Sir John Macdonell attributes to the addition made to the judicial strength. Of these actions,

2,107 were tried or otherwise disposed of during the year. Of defended actions 528 were tried before special juries, 568 before common juries, 759 before a judge without a jury, and 161 before an Official Referee. These figures testify to the continued popularity of trial by jury. In these actions libel and slander accounted for 250 or more than 10 per cent. The total amount of money claimed was £5,146,292 compared with £5,515,957. A very small proportion of this represents contested claims. The vast majority of actions are undefended, £2,758,795 being due to default of appearance and default and £1,664,250 to summary judgments under Order XIV. In actions with juries £161,450 were recovered, and in those without juries £252,639. Out of 25,058 judgments on money claims only 7,137 were for amounts above £100.

The business at assizes has again slightly increased, 952 causes being entered against 917 in 1911. The causes tried were practically unchanged compared with 1911, being 683 as against 681. The northern circuit still holds the lead in actions tried and determined, 221 compared with 253 in 1911. The amount recovered being £44,025 as against £47,076 in 1911. These decreases are counterbalanced by increases in the South Wales circuit from 87 causes to 118, in the Midland from 101 to 117, and in the North-Eastern from 103 to 121. In North Wales there was only a very slight increase in the business. Taking the average for the last ten years, there has been a gradual diminution of civil business, the number of actions tried having dropped from 777 to 683.

The usual list of assize towns in which not more than five actions were entered is given. In this connection the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Delay in the King's Bench Division may be referred to. It was there recommended "that the judge of the circuit should be empowered to alter the venue of any cause entered for

trial to the last place on circuit, unless at least four causes have been entered at the place originally fixed for its trial, or unless in his opinion and with the consent of the parties any particular cause involves boundary questions, necessitates a view, or requires a specially large number of local witnesses, and would therefore be better tried on the spot." It is interesting to note that, with certain exceptions, at no less than 65 assizes during 1912 there were less than four causes for trial. Appeals to the Divisional Court from County Courts and other inferior civil tribunals are substantially the same, being 321 to 328 of appeals entered or filed during the year. In those from the County Courts. 59 were adjudged in favour of appellants and 80 in favour of respondents. In appeals from inferior civil courts five were for the appellant and 10 for the respondent. On the revenue side there was a further increase as the result of recent legislation in the King's Remembrancer's Department, in which proceedings are initiated for the recovery inter alia of unpaid income tax. The number of writs of subpoena ad respondendum again shows a substantial increase, from 2,064 to 2,391.

The Divorce Court enjoys the unenviable and doubtful position of being the only court which shows a progressive increase in cases both actually and relatively to the population. Petitions for dissolution of marriage number 920, the largest yet recorded, as against 859 in 1911. This increase prevailed both in petitions by husbands, 506 against 466 in 1911, and by wives, 414 as against 393. The latter amounted to 45 per cent. of the total. There was also a large increase in the petitions by wives for the restitution of conjugal rights from 86 to 122, the majority, no doubt, brought in order to found claims on account of desertion. A corresponding increase also appeared in decrees nisi granted, from 655 to 690. On the other hand, there has been a slight decrease in petitions for judicial separation,

almost nominal, from 81 to 77. The total increase, however, during the last 10 years has been greater than the increase in population, the figures for 1912, as compared with those for 1903, showing an increase of 12:38 per cent. in the former, as against an increase of 9°75 in the latter. The proportion of petitions for divorce per 100,000 of population is 2'52, compared with 2:38 in 1911, and for judicial separation 0'21, compared with o'22, a slight decrease. Taking the decrees for divorce and judicial separation and magistrates' orders together, there is a heavy fall in the number, both actually and relatively to the population, during the last quinquennial compared with that of 1903-7. The total average has fallen from 6,948.8 to 5,4900, and the per-centage to 100,000 of population from 22.35 to 16'34. On the other hand, in decrees for divorce alone, the increase per cent. is greater than the increase in the population. The actual number granted, 690, is the highest yet recorded. It remains to note how much larger is the proportion of successful petitions for divorce, than those for judicial separations. During the

last ten years nearly 80 per cent. of the former resulted in decrees, whereas only 283 per cent. of the latter were successful. There has again been a slight increase in the number of magistrates' orders from 5,170 to 5,248, which would appear to show that the effect of the decision in Harriman v. Harriman is gradually being dissipated. A remarkable feature is the increased duration of marriage between the parties at the date of the petition, In no fewer than 51 per cent. of the petitions, the marriages had lasted 10 years and upwards, 440 for 10 years and less than 20, and 155 for 20 years and more, both figures being the highest yet recorded. In the case of 30 petitions, 12 marriages had lasted 30 years. In the numbers of those previously divorced, the tendency is still on the upgrade. Professional men this year take the place of traders at the

head of the list of husbands' occupations, 389 compared with 320 in 1911. The legal profession does not come out so well as in the previous year. Barristers number eight instead of three, and solicitors number 13. The number of clergymen has fallen from six to four. Traders account for 347 and manufacturers for 211. The small number of arti

sans and agriculturalists is of course due to the costs which are practically prohibitive to these classes of the population, and constitutes one of the scandals of our social system. The large proportion of these unhappy marriages which are childless, is still maintained. During the last 10 years, no fewer than 39'52 per cent. on the average have proved childless.

In the Probate Court, taken as a whole, there was a reduction in the amount of business. The amount of property admitted to probate fell from £236,253,253 to £233,173,425, and that paid for death duties from £21,544,497 to £21,226,236. The total number of actions in the Courts of Admiralty is practically unchanged, 578 to 575 in 1911. In lunacy there is, unfortunately, a marked increase in almost every particular.

Bankruptcy proceedings in the High Court and in the County Courts shows a wholesome reduction in almost every department. Receiving orders, for instance, have dropped from 3,719 to 3,546, whilst the amount of proofs admitted fell from £3,348,537 to £2,125,970. In companies ordered to be wound up, it is also satisfactory to note that the public only invested £1,412,181, compared with £3,363,446 in 1911, and that this amount is much below the quinquennial average. Creditors also suffered less. This loss, as estimated by the liquidators, amounted to £1,256,914, as against £2,830,091 in 1911.

We have already called attention to the steady decline in the business of the County Courts, and have indicated some of the causes. The proceedings commenced in 1912,