The National Register.
London, England, 1818-11-08 00:00:00

No. AL—Vox.. XI.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

_•••••••_

SIR SAMUEL RUMMY. •

A VEP.Y disgusting article appeared in the Courier
of 'ridgy night, aiming to lower the reputation of the
late Sir Samuel Ronailly. It is not often that sec!,
indepeetidenec and disinterestedness, united with
eminent talent?, as were evinced by this lamented
preen' through life, are seen among us. What must
be the constitution of that mind which cenempley itself
is vilifying-.heti debasing them when they do aepear ?
It would be a foolish way of defending him, to say .that
he was as great and good as this man or that. Did the
death of any, even the most illustrious of those to whom
he is said to have been unequal, occasion a more gene-
ral expression of profound sorrow in all ranks of people,
than that of Sir. Samuel Romilly ? He who works for
the public is said to labour in the service of an ungrate-
ful:master. Sir Samuel knew this; yet he was not
therefore prevented from making the most extensive
sacrifices of health and professional emolument for his
country's good. The work of politics is the daily em-
ployment of some men. They have recourse to it as a
refuge from listlessness, or pursue it us a road to fame.
The natural path to eminence, which lay open to Sir
Samuel, was that' of his profession ; and how far he
outstripped all others in this is well known, and will
he lastingly remembered in the Conrt to which he be-
longed. But whatever of time or thought was dedi-
cated by Sir Samuel Romilly to inform the councils,
or humanize the laws of his country', according to the
sincerest convictions of his conscience, was withdrawn
from the calls of a laborious profession, or stolen from
the endearments of domestic happiness ; it was alio, if
he had looked to personal advantages or family emolu-
meats, absolute loss. And where is the man to be
found who has made so large a surrender in this re-
spect as the lamented subject of these remarks ?
With respect to talents also, as well as to public v ir-
tee and disinterestedness, no one has pretended that
Sir Samuel Roailly was the greatest statesman or orator
that ever lived. He must be compared with the men
of his day : he is attached to the period in which he
iieed : and amerce the illustrious of that period ho will
aiways be spoken and read of with honour. We may
observe, that it hu.• been said of sew of the persons
introduced in invidious comparison by the assailant of
Sir Samuel's finne, and of many other public men also,
thet they would have succeeded at the bar, if they
had not confined their talents to the senate ; and
inversely, that they would have been distinguished
members of Parliament, had they not sought their
fertunes at the bar. But Sir Samuel's praise was
not of this hypothetical kind : one half of his reputa-
tion did not rest upon conjecture; fur he actually ob-
tained great and merited eminence in both the walks
of public life—in both the kinds of oratory; and,
above all, he was virtuous and good : and it issonse praise
of the age in which he lived, that while he was ad-
mired fur his tektite, and approved for the uses to
which he applied them, he was loved, universally loved,
because he was virtuous and good .

The late Sir Samuel ltomilly is suppeeed to have
annually netted from 16,0001. to 17,000 t. by Isis pro-
fessional exertions. Sir Samuel Rotuilly's law library
is Faid to have been the moat valuable of any possessed
by the prctfession.
It a tact well known in the legal circles, that the late
Sir Samuel Romilly was in the constant habit of giving
his able opinion upon cases laid before hint, when the
parties were in the humbler walks of life, wi, hut fee or
rewartl, and in several instances, the worthy Barrister
has given sums of money out of hip own purse, to
enable distressed objects to carry on their snits with
success

The new rrit for Westminster cannot be is•etel till
after the asset bliag of rarliaincat and the election of a
Speller.