The National Register.
London, England, 1816-07-08 00:00:00

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No. 439.—V0L. I X.

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THERE is no station in a free country like nun,—of
more importance, true dignity, or permanent utility, than
that of the Jonoes, by whom arc a►hninistered the laws
of the land, as they are emphatically styled, to distingt.ish
them from the ariiitrary aid variable decrees of a sole
Monarch. _ _ _

By the Constitution, the King, who is the fountain of
all honour, dignity, and authority, in the administering
ef the law, has vested all his power in the Judges of his
several Courts, and cannot create a new Court without
the authority of Parliament. By an Act of the present
reign, the Judges, who had been made irremoveable fix
thelife of the King, except for just cause, on the ground
of some misdemeammrs on their part, were finally ren-
d:Ted independent of the Crown, by being declared to
hold their office for life, provided they conducted them-
selves uprightly, and were declared not to be removable
on the demise of the Crown.. These additional securities
fir the purity of justice, and the preservation of our li-
berties, are the fruit and immediate offspring of that
happy revolution by which the House of Brunswick was
placed on the Thome ; and, during the whole reign of
that family, there has not the least suspicion attached to
the character of any one of our Judges—or that any taint
of corruption has insinuated itself beneath the ermine
robe of justice.
This is a proud and honourable reflection for the pre-
sent age ; and, at a time, when charges of extravagance
are openly made against the Government ; when Parlia-
ment is accused of containing within its wills a majority,—
influenced by the Crown, as Contractors, Officers, Place-
men, Pensioners, and Borough Representatives,—who,
having bought their scats, are suspected of indirectly sell-
ing their votes ; the utmost latitude of malice has scarcely
ventured to impute corruption to one of our Judges. A
remarkable instance of a charge of partiality we shall
hereafter be compelled to notice, only to repel it with
indignation; but the exception is so rare, and the calumny
so wild and presumptuous, that it serves only to confirm
the truth of our genend position.
The law is deemed so plain and open a path to ho-
nour and influence in the State, that we are persuaded
we cannot, in the present tem of peace—when all eyes
are turned upon our domestic situation, do better than
lay bcrore our readers a concise, but clear, nuthenti", and
we hope just and impartial account of the present Ilexen
of JUDGES. We are the more induced to do this front the
circumstance, that, within a short time, nearly the whole
number have undergone a change, and three new ap-
pointments have been made almost at the same time.
In executing this fask, we shall feel great and sincere
pleasure in being enabled to unfold to the world, the
characters of men whom we know to be possessed cf
every virtue that can adorn private life, and in public to
have given recent and splendid examples of talents fully
adequate to the arduous situations which they are to fill.
The duty of a Juke in England is halm' no easy task.
The business cf the Terms occupies nearly ninety days in
the year ; the long Circuits nearly seventy-six, and the
intervals of Vacation are oecasionailv tilled up by the ex-
tra business which is done at chambers,- and the sitting
on criminal trials at the Old Bailey The learning- ab-
solutely neces.cary to the making of a tolerable cppear-
anee upon the Bench in England, is _such, that no law-
yo r in fitll pratice has attained it much before flfty years
of age, and latterly, fw base been deemed adequate to
the task who have not passed that age. With a judg-
ment of competent maturity, it is riot always to be ex-
pected that vigorous health should be united after twen-
ty-five or thirty years' service in a laborious profession,
which, during the wholes time, has kept all the faculties
of beay and mind in WA exerticn. Yet such is the
'happy dispensation of Pro idence towards intim:try and
activity, that we have sellim fOutul bodily imbecility
attack our greatest lawyers a; an immature age. Lord
MansiMd continued on the Ben,h thirty-three year's and
died at the age of eiglisy-eight. The late Chief Jus-
tic e of the Common Pleas is still in full louses: ion of his
faculties, and soaks and rides with much rigour at nearly
the age of eighty; Lad we have several Judges on the
bench, who have long parsed the gnus' climacteric, yet
in whom we have never perceived any diminution of
that energy which is necessary for the funetions of their
office.
It is our intention to collet as much of the history of
these venerable characters, as i s v,ln he of importance fix
She public to know. We shall not eater into the gossip