The Press.
London, England, 1853-11-26 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Ministerial curtain than to find the way
amidst the November fogs. Little, therefore,
has been heard of these divisions except from
the grumblings of the members of Brookes's.
and the hangers-on of the old Whig party. But
on Saturday last a counter manifestation of
feeling on this subject was made by the publi-
cation in the Morning Chronicle—the organ of
the Peelite portion of the Ministry—of a
violent attack on the Master of the Rolls for
appointing Mr. WRIGHT to the office of Clerk
of Enrolments. Now, Sir JOHN ROMILLY
is a Whig of the Whigs—a Whig without spot
or blemish. When he was Attorney-General
he was the most influential member of the
Chancery Commission, which, while it distin-
guished itself by the Spartan severity with
which it clipped the office of Lord Chancellor
—which it was known Sir JOHN ROMILLY
would never fill—of all superfluities, left that
of the Mastership of the Rolls, to which it was
probable he would be apmointed, untouched.
To the Rolls he went, and, since his appoint-
ment, he has, besides minor patronage, been
enabled to cheer certain of his friends
by dispensing amongst them the fol-
lowing good things ; viz., secretary, an-
nual salary, 1,200/. ; under-secretary, 1,000/. ;
two examinerships. 1,5001. ; Clerk of En-
rolments, 1,2001. It will thus be seen
that the Master of the Rolls has acted on
the excellent advice of the late lamented
CHARLES BULLER, who used to say " when
" reforms are proposed never be niggard in
" granting compensation, otherwise the occu-
" pants or expectants of the offices you would
" abolish will oppose you, and the reforms
" will be delayed or prevented Make a bridge
" of gold for them to retreat over, and your
" reforms will be effected."
This rule Sir JOHN ROMILLY, with that
humility which always accompanies true
greatness, applied with rigid impartiality to
himself. He did not say with presumptuous
confidence, "I, the chief member of a re-
" forming commission, am a virtuous exception
" to the rule ;" but, knowing the weakness of
human nature in general, he strengthened
himself for the work before him, and first de-
prived himself of all motive for not reforming,
that thus his natural inclination for good
might have full swing. With the rich rever-
sion of the Rolls secured to him, and a seat in
Parliament permitted, if a constituency would
only elect him, if Sir JOHN ROMILLY left sala-
ries on too high a scale, his advice could not
be attributed to personal motives of self-
interest ; for, having the Rolls, even malice
could not insinuate he had an eye on any
other place, none other being so good.
His impartiality thus guaranteed, forth rushed
the reforming knight Sir Joan, and sweeping
and trenchant were the strokes he dealt
around. On the Lord Chancellor's office espe-
cially fell the weight ofhis virtuous indignation.
Lord LYNDHURST, who did not see the reason
why Sir JOHN ROMILLY left the Rolls undis-
turbed, made this transaction the subject of
severe and special animadversion in the
House of Lords. Meanwhile, why is the
Morning Chronicle so angry at the Master of Rolls
for doing that which is only a direct and natural
consequence of that much-lauded measure
of the Whigs, the Suitors in Chancery Relief
Bill? Above all, why does a journal inspired
by one section of the Ministry make so violent
an attack on an eminent functionary so closely
connected with another section of the Ministry
as Sir JOHN ROMILLY ? The Morning Chronicle
speaks of " corruption which is flourishing in
" the obscure nooks of our courts of justice."
Corruption and ROMILLY ! Obscure nooks and
the Rolls Court ! Are these the terms that
are bandied about at the Council Board? Is this
a Tu guogueto Whig murmurs? With the gentle-
man selected to hold the office no fault is found.
Our contemporary says that Mr. WRIGHT is
quite competent to discharge the duties of the
place—indeed, it goes further, and save.y so is
his clerk. The Suitors' Relief Bill left the
office and salary of Clerk of Enrolments
existing, and the Master of the Rolls has only
exercised an undoubted right in filling it up.
Our contemporary says Sir JOHN ROMILLY
should not have filled it up till—:when ?1—
till Parliament met. Does it mean that the
plane should be abolished unless u Peelite can
appoint to it? Nay, nay ! this is too hard on

SATURDAY,

the poor Whigs. If that unfortunate party is
to be deprived of all share in the good things
that appertain to Government, it is doubly
hard to reproach them with their past fruition
of patronage—to taunt them with the remi-
niscences of better days before their misfor-
tunea connected them with partners who are
for keeping all the patronage to themselves.