The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-13 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN I.AW S'OCIETr.

The anniversary dinner of this Society took place on Saturday
night, at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate-street. Its object is to
pntmout fair and honourable practice in the profession of the law ;
•to prevent those abases with which it has been stigmatised ; to
protect 'lre rights and privileges of its members, and in adopt such
.asures as might be generally advantageous. The Chair was
taken at half.past six o'clock by NATHANIEL. A TCINESON, Esq..
the principal of the Society. lie was supported on his right hand
by William Williams, hag. M.!". and on the left by Colonel
'1 tench, M.P. Among those who sat at the dais. or board of ho.
710111., we remarked IVilliam l.cake, Kim. M.P., Sergeants t'cake,
Spankic, Wilde, ■ud Adams, and Messrs. Preston, Williams,
Pollock, Courtenay, Fairer, Dugdale. and Ilacdougalt Upwards
of three hundred members and their friends were in the moat.
The loyal toasts, with the customary honours, having been dis-
posed of, _ _

• Tbe Seca realm of the Society read the Annual Report of the
Coninsittee. It detailed at sonic lergth the nature anti objects of
the Society, its battle ion and progress, and pointed out ROM of
the advantages it was ealetilated to produce.
The Ctiatit wax then rose. Ile observed. that after the rePer.
which had just been read, it would be oupereuteis in him to make
any remark either on the objects or the benefits of the Society.
Some said that it was in its Infancy, Inn lie directed their attention
to the extraordinary results which had followed its establishment.
What. however, hsd been done. was a guarantee of what would be
dime; and he bad MI doubt that it would achieve Rennie/xi as ho_
movable to ha members, as benefit ial to society at large. (Ap-
plause.) He 'mild thereon propose—•' The Metropolitan So-
ciety of leoodon, and Sweets to its exertions."—(Three times
there) The Civaieman proposed • bumper to the health of the
lord Chancellor of England. (('heers.) It was row necessary for
him to enlarge on the legal character, the talents, and the abilities
of Lord Eldon. All who knew him at well a. he did, put no faith
in the many idle @toilet, the weak and tidieelotis charges, which
had been made against Ids character as a lawyer and • Judge. He
had Itnown his Lordship foe upwards of thirty year.: and without
being carried away by hi. partialities, he might repeat with truth
every little of the eulogium which lie had peered upon him, lie
was, like other*, a brilliant instance nit the advantages which the
Constitution of the country held out to merit. lie had sprung
front a tomparatively low station, to enjoy the most eminent office
which could he enjoyed in Laigh:nd • and thus not unlydol his sue-
crefal• ambition open • path fur the emulation of youth, but it
proved the value of his own services. As this was the laid time
when he (Mr. A.) wooed have an opportunity of addressing so
many of his brethren, he could oily now express his hope, that
Lord Eldon would, when he descended from his office, experience
the gratitude of his country; and he trusted that its propriety
would stand on the ruck of his unshaken judgment. (Loud ap-
plause.)
Mr. WI r.1.1A sts, in preposieg the health of the Chairman, said,
that he had the happiness of knowing him many years; and he telt
pe.suaded that those who knew him the longest esteemed him the
most. (I(teen—'Three times three.)
The CHAIRMAN, In retumirg thank', said, that the kind sp.
probation which had met his feeble ext.niona would enlace him in
the last moments of hi. life, and woad always be recalled by him
soh peculiar grutification. hie brethren around I , lie had
been obliged to combat with ibeliculties. A man coming in early
lite from the country had hi r counter many obstacles to his Iwo-
grem. All the aristocracy of London were arrayed against him
yet, by steadiness anti persevf-rance, he had overcome dire di,-
eutiraing symptoms; and he hoped that their agency would ope-
rate with the Name benefit over all who heard hint ; and that It
would be their highest esteem to show to the Metropolitan lawyers,
the advantages of the priticidles. the talons, and the legal know.
ledge, (a laugh), which were eng•mdered in the country. Although
his health was declining, he would eta feel in his retirement the
same anxiety to forward the interests of the Society ; and though
whatever he did would be dictated by kindnes., it should yet be
done with firmness. He was sa,isfi-el that the Courts of Justice
were favourable to the principle which they advocated. He had
received proofs of this already, and he confidently looked for more.
It was their duty to protect the people of this country, and to disci.
tangle them from the miseries witch hung round the transfers of
real property (cheer.) ; for by the present system the expense of
conveying an estate worth lOU/. was as great as that of one whose
value was equal to 80.1N10/. Ile lumped his brethren would show
themselves above the paltry feeling of personal gain, and put the
transfer of property tin a immuring which was consistent with reason
and propriety. (Much applause.)
The health of the Muter of the Rolls was drunk, after • short
pretace.
The CHAIRMAN begged to transgress in the line of toasts which
had been laid before bun. by proposing the health of Sir William
Grant, late Master of the Iloilo. When it was recollected how
rest were the advantages which the country derived from his pus.
seesion of that high office, he was sure that no or c would hesitate
to give their tribute of gratitude and affection to his great worth.
Hi. judgments wise 110 t IN temporary importance; they were far'
poen. decisions, and would, with thinte of Lord Eldon, be long
and profitably rememlired. He had heard that Sir William
was fast shrinking room hie • and if this were the case, it was dint
duty to remember Min ere le was gathered to his fathers. (Ap.
plause).
The Cheit•staw next gave the health of the Twelve Judges.
(Cheer.) tie war afraid that he was inadequate to do justice to'
their merits, and to the excellence with which they hail admitiisered
the law. It must be recollected that the duties of the Courts were
not all alike, but they all tended to the sante end. The first was in
its features and character unknown is any other country, when
the for non reeieni was so well understood, and whose constitution
had such powerful eflect• in stimulating and animating the people
of England. The " Glorious uncertainty of the Law," was the
palladium of liberty iii England. We did not want statute law,
said the Honourable Gentleman, to goad, irritate, tease, and please
the suitors, Mr it was no sooner made than it was repealed.
(Laughter.) We owe more to the King's Bench than to spy oilier •
cause in the Kingdom foe etching litigation. The othertmirts pos-
sessed likewise a controlling blower over the property of the people ;
and as to them, he admitted, that the law was administered with
kindness and propriety. There was one Court which had been the
mite* of great uneasiness to the people—he meant the Exchequer;
but of late there had been a very moderate feeling there; and
whether the Leecutive had resolved upon new measures in reference
to revehne, or frum whatever cause, the prictice in that court had
gone to nothing ; and the people were very happy and very corn_
foetal& without it. (('heers and laughter.) lie called on them to
:admit, that the administration of law in this country was unparal.
Irked In the world. The law admitted of no distinction between
the high and the low ; and if the Judge or the Advocate shrunk
from their hi ;h anti important duties, they found they had
• corrector in the public press. Ile did nut, indeed, wish to
see either bow before it ; for he hoped their own consciences would
lead them onward to the path of justice; but still he could not
help thinking that it wan to the press that this country owed the
high station it held in jurisprtmeace„ and alas the enjoyment of
every other valuable gift which it possessed. (Much applause.)
The CHAIRMAN begged now to propose the health of the bar.—
(lentil cheers.) The country were feelingly alive to every advan-
tage, civil and political, and ag none more so than to the irate-
pendent character of the English bar. lie could assure his friends
that, at the present moment, there was as much independence,
spirit, and feeling in that body, as there ever was within his
memory. Luring that period. indeed, some meteors had shone
forth and blazed for a Reason ; but they had now gone to the grave,'
to the great satittaction of their friends. (Loud laughter.) He
begged to correct himself: he meant to bay. that their friend, had
reposed on the excellent character which they had left behind.
(1 ear, hear.) Ile begged, therefore, to suggest the following
toast

The Dar ; and may that body ever arrogate to itself the kind.
aess and the affection of the people ; and unite itself to the other
branch of the profession in maintaining their liberties from the en.
croachinents of the Crown, or from whatever quarter they may
come." ((mud cheers.)
Mr. Sergeant Prime returned thanks. Ile hoped that there
would always be, and, as far as his recollection 'erred, there had
always been a great cordiality between the bar and the gentlemen
of the law. There had been among the many improvements of the
day one which nothing but the libe.ality of the present times had
exhibited. lie meant that of a body of men associating themselves
without any regard to personal interest, in order to maintain the
honour and the integrity of the profession of which they were men-
bets. It was an honourable feature in the history of the period, to
see such an Associatiim leagued together for the purpose of correct.
ing the inaccuracies, and urging the impurities which had too
long been Ow disgrace and the opprobrium of the law. (Chem.)
The area of such an Institution was visible, not only to them and
to every thinking person. but to tt.e world; for it had been seen,
that men, at whom the linger of scorn had been pointed, were per.
mined to proceed in their fraudulent career, because no one had the
pnwer or the epirt to protect the vi•tims of their injustice. It was
the poor. and those whom misfortune bad reduced to poverty who
felt the ejects of their depredations; and whose unfortunate slims.
thin prevented them from exposing and punishing their oppressors.
(Cheers.) The Learned SerKeant briefly ulludel to the projected
improvement going forward in ‘Ve.mnitister under the direction of
Colonel Trench ; anti proposed a health to the honourable end
gallant (Itfieer. (Cheers.)
Colonel Taxsturt shortly r:turtied thanks.
The health, of the OfEce-benrcre of the Society were afterwards
drank, with several other appropria: • toasts; and the conip.a.y did
not separate till a late hour.

iVe are continually reeding letters limo our lamb
keepers, saying they have the rot amongst the lambs and
tags, and that their losses arc daily increasing: the ilium
is also in that part of Romney Marsh called the Yoakcs,
and a most respectah:c grazie has, within the last week,
sustained a very serioLs loss; indeed, so wet is the land,
that unless dry weather shortly takes place, it is feared that
numbers of persons, who have the whole of their capital
embarked in grazing, will be totally ruined.—Keatish
Ga%ette.

Another match for Wu° sovereigns has been wade
between Metcalfe and ('aptain Parker, who ran lately at
Doncaster a mile for the Lime stake, when the Captain was
beaten holiow. The present match is to run a quarter of
a mile, and the Captain's friends are confident that fur this
distance his speed will be greater than that of Metcalfr.
The race takes place on M3f1,13y sennisiit oa Sudbury
Common.