There is no question of increasing the num ber of Appeal Judges, but of cutting down the existing list. This is not surprising in view of the General Term having five judges. Before the Law of August 30, 1883, this number was seven, as a minimum. Even this reduction, which would seem to have been warranted from every point of view, was regarded with apprehension by a few old-fashioned lawyers who feared that the quality of judgments delivered would suffer by the change. This proved to be far from the case. Emboldened by the experi ment it is now sought to go still further and prune down a General Term Bench to three judges. The measure is to be submitted by the Government. The measure is proposed by the Government. It is thought that at Paris, while diminishing the number of judges, the great mass of cases can be dis posed of satisfactorily by creating addi tional sections of the Court of Appeals. Something of this kind, indeed, must be done if any attempt is to be made to clear off arrears. In 1900 the Court of Appeals at Paris disposed of 3,725 civil cases and 4,240 criminal affairs. There were 3,856 cases left undisposed of. In 1902 the num ber of civil cases disposed of was 4.346, while those not dealt with numbered 4,101.
The Arrondissement Courts (Tribu-taux de Premiere Instance) are proposed to be re duced in regard to the judges, but in not so sweeping a manner as in the case of the Court of Appeals. I may point out here that there are 359 District Courts or Courts of Premiere In stance. As they are not properly of first "instance" or original jurisdiction par excel lence, "arrondissement" or District Courts is the term preferred by the Law Writers. The new Bill proposes to diminish the judges attached to these Arrondissement Courts, but only in those courts where the number of cases does not reach 450 a year. The courts themselves will not be sup pressed—only the number of judges dimin ished. The real object of this proposed measure is, it seems, to be to reduce expenditure. It docs not seem that any prejudice will be worked in regard to suitors and, in Paris, where the courts are the busiest, the addi tion of new chambers or sections of the Court of Appeals, is likely to prove a satis factory arrangement for disposing of the business of the Court. H. CLEVELAND COXE, Officier d'Académie.
