The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-05 00:00:00

70 TUE EDITOR Of TIIE BRITISH PRESS.

Stn,—When the aubje'r. of the increase of the sal !ries of 14.
Judges was Fast year under the canaideration of the Comno.
House of Parliament, one of the principal argurr:ente urged in sap •
port of the ineirtore •vax, that it would enable the administration to
procure those eminent professional gentlemen who could not tail to
prove an ornament us the Bench, while their age was yet such aa us
enable them to perform the laborious duties of the station. I eau-
fess that to ore thin appeared to be a wise and prudeln step towards
the effectual administration of justice. It cannot have escaped
eye of the most pretest; observer, that in the present state or ow
legal profession in this country, no erninent Counsel could aces%
of the situation of Judge without making a great pecuniary men..
But if on that account I deemed this part of the measure price
dent, there was another portion of it which, in my eyes, Ma:titer
enhanced its value, I mean, the increase of retiring pensions, which
necessarily operate an an Inducement to quitting the Bench when
no longer competent to the due peeformance of its attendant detiesi.
Still, however, something more fa necessary to be dooe—thereatteisisi
be a power somewhere to remove a Judge when no longer compita
tent, irons the mental imbecility attendant upon old age, to peefores
his duties. Le Sage has forcibly, and no less truly, dear:rime the
lamentable weakness which often chsracterigea the aged, who,
the Archbishop of (erenada, are the last to perceive that their maza
tal faculties are withered. Surely,, then, if men will grow old, SW
if *ith age the concomitant evil of escort,' childhood should occur,
it is not proper that the throne of Justice, of all other places, shouhl
be subject to its caprices.
It may be alleged that the independence of the judirlal characar
should be upheld, and I am isy no means willing to ac.
danger that integrity, which of late years, at least, has beet
conspicuous in the Judges of the land, and of wish
people of this country hare been always jealous, ft near.
sary that a Judge should be so far independent as io
enable: him to perform his dudes without fear, favour, or 0r....
den, but it do a not follow that there ahoulditot be same means or
removing him, when no longer calculated to uphold the d*stry
his atatiun. I admit that fur misconduct he may be Impeached,anit
judging from the attention which has charatterid the premise A4-*
minkrration, to every thing connected with tire due elecution c(
justice, I am confident that no attempt woufe be made to screw
such an individual from the consequence of hioarri actions. But a
Judge may become unfit to held his situation without haling cure.
mitred any violation of justice. The most eminent and talentera
man on the Bench is as subject to the infirmities of our nature la
the humblest individual in the community, and may lose, by te
imbecility of his conduct, the respect and obedience of the Bar, IA
which case he should not be suffered any longer to an arson Me
Bench, and yet a charge for such an event wow I deservedly !c
scouted from the Ilouse of Commons.

I have been drawn into these obserrations by some ciO/rrentet
which have transpired upon the Irish circuit, which wren fully ex.
emptily the argument I have been maintaining. Without resort-
ing to the orgwincvtam ad hoMinenii it will be sufficient for my
purpose -that my position hat been supportrl by what has there'
°canned, although the circumstances themselves might not nirvana
an application to the Legislature. It might not be eitrie! kind
or decorous to drag before the public the tailings of an old inset,
who had long served the public while his energies were in all their
vignter ; bnt neither would it be just to the public, dust, when rep
longer competent, he should still be allowed to preside in a sttuarion
where such awful responsibility must neeesaenty attend his
ar-
lions.
It is necessary that the power of effecting a removal should res.
somewhere. It is scarcely a power which could be improperly
ercised—the responsibility which would necessarily attend the re .
moval of a parson from !mai an office would be a sufficient pal
ranter against its improper exercise. It would certainly be bete
if the friends of such a person were to point out the necessity of re
tirement, but if they will not do so, some steps should be taken to
prevent the recurrence of such tainaactions as dime to which I have
alluded. lam inclined to think that there could be is. valid ob.
jection to vesting such a prter with the Secretary oftolotaz for Cur.
Home Department, who hsvhv the fear of public Zip as vie:l'
as that of Parliamentary incits!ry before his eyes, would not dare to
abuse the authority entrusted to his keeping.
I have, Sir. ventured to send you these few obietrattims on the
subject, knowing, as i do, the attention which you devote to ail
matters connected with the legal profession. The stikjtct you May
perhaps deem worthy of your columnar In Weis event you wi.4
oblige, Sir, J. B.

•__ _ _
TO TIIE EDITOR OP .THE BRITISH PRESS
Spitalfields, April 2..
Si I.—Having observed a paragraph in this day's paper, staml,4
that thirty thousand pounds worth of silks are selling at Shear's.
in Iteoent.street, for the benefit of the Spitalfielde Sesverl. tc.
tv.c., the an; paragraph being headed " Distress M Sphalfields."
all which I considei is calculated to mislead the public as to the
real object • I beg to inform yon that there is not any person corn.
oissioned by the Committee for any such purpose.
I Should not have noticed this, hut sortie ladies having called at
the Treasurer's, to know 'betties silks were selling in this way, on
commission, for the benefit of.
-Haigsbgegoggsocht it best to
inform you of it. ,
Your abfelciti airtaldt.
.1. D. KINCAID, Secretary.
• , The article above referred to was sent as an advertistmeir
and by mistake appeared as a paragraph.—. Ell. Pa.