The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

hard strokes on his peculiar use of the English
language.
The account of the trial of Warren Hastings,
in the life of Lord Ellenhorough, is very
meagre, and does little credit to Lord Camp-
bell's research. Lord Campbell preserves
the following galling rejoinder from Lord
Holland in a "personal conflict" with the
" gigantic " Chief Justice. It is one of the
best things ever done by L'rd Holland :
Lord Stanhope declared that he was afraid of entering
into any controversy with the " vituperative Chief Justice"
—justifying himself by the example of a peer celebrated
for his politeness, of whom he told this anecdote : Lord
Chesterfield, when walking in the street, being pushed off
the flags by an impudent fellow, who said to him," I never
give the wall to a scoundrel," the great master of courtesy
immediately took off his bat, and, making him a low bow,
replied, " Sir, I always do."
Lord Holland: "The noble and learned Chief Justice
has complained of the vehemence and passion with which
I have delivered myself; but he should have had the
charity to recollect that I have not the advantage of those
judicial habits from which he has profited so much. The
practice of the duties of the highest criminal judge and
the exercise of temper which those duties require can
alone bring the feelings of men to a perfect state of disci-
pline, and produce even in the delivery of the strongest
opinions the dignified and dispassionate tone which ever
adds grace to the noble and learned lord's oratorical efforts,
and has so signally marked his demeanour in this night's
debate."

Lord Campbell ought to have winnowed and
weighed the facetia: attributed to Lord Ellen-
borough. Somehow or other, while Lord
Campbell in words confesses the " gigantic "
character of Lord Ellenborough, the effect of
his memoir is rather to lessen than to raise
the deservedly high reputation of that distin-
guished personage.
But in this, as in other volumes, some of
the defects of Lord Campbell's mode of com-
position are largely compensated for by his
frequent candour. In the memoir of Lord
Tenterden we have the following most re-
markable confession from the Whig Chief
Justice

The far happiest part of my life as an advocate I passed
under the auspices of Chief Justice Abbott. From beings
puisne, it was some time before he acquired the ascen-
dancy and the prestige which, for the due administration
of justice, the Chief ought to enjoy,—and while Best re-
mained a member of the court. Le frequently obstructed
the march of business. But when this very amiable and
eloquent, although not very logical, judge had prevailed
upon the Prince Regent to make him Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas, the King's Bench became the beau-ideal
of a court of justice. Best was succeeded by Littledale,
one of the most acute, learned, and simple-minded of
men. For the senior puisne we had Bayley. He did not
talk very wisely on literature or on the affairs of life, but
the whole of the common law of this realm he carried in
his head and iu seven little red books. These accom-
panied him day and night ; in these every reported case was
regularly posted, and in these, by a sort of magic, he could
at all times instantaneously turn up the authorities re-
quired. The remaining puisne was Holroyd, who was
absolutely born with a genius for law, and was not only
acquainted with all that had ever been said or written
on the subject, but reasoned most scientifically and beau-
tifully upon every point of law which he touched, and not-
withstanding his husky voice and sodden features, as often
as he spoke he delighted all who were capable of apprecia-
ting his rare excellence. Before such men there was no
pretence for being lengthy or importunate. Every point
made by counsel was understood in a moment, the applies.
tion of every authority was discovered at a glance, the coun-
sel saw when he might sit down, his case being safe, and
when he might sit down, all chance of success for his
client being at an end. I have practised at the bar when
no case was secure, no case was desperate, and when,
good points being overruled, for the sake of justice it was
necessary that bad points should be taken ; but during
that golden age law and reason prevailed—the result was
confidently anticipated by the knowing before the argu-
ment began,—and the judgment was approved by all who
heard it pronounced,—including, the vanquished party.
Before such a tribunal the advocate becomes dearer to
himself by preserving his own esteem, and feels himself
to be a minister of justice, instead of a declaimer, a
trickster, or a bully. Ido not believe that so much im-
portant busineas was ever done so rapidly and so well
before any other court that ever sate in any age or
cptintry.

That passage deserves special attention. The
time " when so much important business was
"done so well and rapidly" was in Tory
times, and by Tory judges. We have seen in
our own days a flashy class of practitioners
fostered ; and tho system of Whig commis-
sions, and encouraging men "to write them-
selves up," has not done much to raise the
Bench. We could say much on this point, but
for obvious reasons we must forbear.

Lord Campbell, in this, as in other volumes,
is often incoherent in his views. Alluding to
the King's consultation of Lord Kenyon about
the " Catholic Question " at the time of the
Irish Union, Lord Campbell says :