The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

I

NOVEMBER 29, 1856.

wisely by making the public familiar with
the details of their plan, and showing how
slight is the change in the actual coinage
which would be necessary. Persons might
still reckon in pence as much as they pleased,
but in accounts the penny would always stand
for four mils, and the decimal system would
be complete.

THE RIGHTS OF TALENT IN IRELAND.
THERE is a tradition that in the last century
there was a " Black List" in Dublin Castle,
on which were inscribed the names of certain
distinguished barristers, whose politics were
unfavorable to the Court, though their elo-
quence was admired in the Forum. A con-
viction exists ia the present day amongst
many persons that under Whig rule there is
another " Black List " kept by certain persons
who now monopolise the Irish patronage, and
that candidates for office stand a good chance
of having their names written in that dismal
record, unless their pretensions be supported
by a round dozen of Mr. HATTER'S Irish
Toil M.P's. There can be no denying
this plain fact, that the ablest men now at
the Irish Bar are Protestants and Conserva-
tives. In saying that, we by no means dispa-
rage the pretensions of the eminent practi-
tioners of the Liberal and Roman Catholic
Bar ; and we heartily desire that these latter
gentlemen may never be treated with the
cruel injustice exhibited towards the flower of
the Irish Bar. Our best wishes shall always
be attendant on the learning, industry, and
private worth of any candidates for legal dis-
tinction. We only desire that gentlemen
should not be raised over the heads of others
by non-professional and accidental merits ;
and on public grounds we hold that the
Queen's Judicature should be filled by the
ablest men at the Bar, as shown by the extent
of their practice, the number of their " special
retainers," and their rank and standing before
the profession and the public.
In contending for that position we shall not
support the pretensions, or aid the private
ambition, of any persons in particular. We
care not who may be the first to reap alvan-
tage from an improvement in the system of
promotion followed by the Whigs in recent
times, for the fact is patent that in the last
ten years there has been a decided deteriora-
tion in the standard by which legal metal has
been assayed at Dublin Castle. Certain it is
that official elevation of the highest kind is
gained in our times by methods which no real
" Administrative Reformer " can approve.
We believe that if a jury of twelve Irish
barristers were empannelled to mention six of
the most distinguished men now practising
at the Irish Bar, they would first call the
names of FRANCIS FITZGERALD, BREWSTER,
WHITESIDE, BUTT, NAPIER, and CHRISTIAN. We
state the names without reference to prece-
dence ; but we are convinced that the over-
whelming opinion of the I rish Bar would
place these six gentlemen in the front rank.
One of them, Mr. CHRISTIAN, is a Whig, and
fills the office of Solicitor-General, which he
adorns. We rejoice to see a gentleman of his
personal merit advanced in his profession.
But the other five names belong to Conserva-
tives ; and under the present system there will
be no promotion for any of those gentlemen
unless they submit to terms which they would
hold to be unworthy of their pretensions.
The public loses the advantage of their supe-
rior powers, and the profession is compelled
to witness the example of the less qualified
being promoted.
We are far from denying the abilities of the
Liberal and Roman Catholic Bar. Like other
branches of the profession, it has suffered
severely from the official routine of degeneracy.
Two or three Roman Catholic. barristers—
far better qualified than the present Attorney-
General (Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD)-might be
selected from the " Liberal" Bar; and Roman
Catholic talent and learning have nothing to
fear from promotion being given by the
standard of professional merit. There was
once a man at the Roman Catholic Bar in Ire-
land who would never have sanctioned the sys-