The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-02 00:00:00

Solicitors' Work at General Elections•

(From the Law limes of to-day .)
There is a confident expectation in the highest quarto°
that a general election is nigh at hand. This is not net
such a harvest for the Profession as formerly. When s'4l3
were serving our articles in a borough, the regular fee I°E
each solicitor retained (and every solicitor in the town We
retained on one side or on the other) was 100 guineas,
aides liberal allowances for extra work. Besides the
tors, counsel were engaged for each candidate, to ovine'
and support the votes at the poll; and the returning 016c,e1
was assisted by an assessor, also a barrister, who actea
judge, and advised him as to the validity of the votes tetv
dered. The polling lasted 14 days, and was almost al‘o9
followed by a scrutiny, in which voters who had been °b
jected to at the poll were Might for again ; and this w 0.6
matter of seven or eight days more, The cost of this acre'
of lawyers may be imagined.
In addition to this harvest at the elections, tNere vir°
always an annual fee of £lOO to the leading solicitor f°:
"looking after the interests of the party," as it was calla
and sometimes a small refresher for the juniors.
Bat we have changed all that. The tees now are rail
c
less, as the work is less. An election is now short an
sharp. A few days and it is over. The registration retiniri;
some yearly fee from the member, but thie is bral°
At least two •thirds of the revenue derived by the Prof°
sion from elections was swept away by the Reform Act.
Bat still the solicitors have very important duties to Pe'
form. In their hands is practically vested the rc resell!
tion of the country. By pulling together they migA retort
the. ret
the. whole Parliament.

ANECDOTE OF TIIE LATE DUKE OF WELT JO'
TON.— The Hon. Arthur Wellesley, aftervJacd
Duke of Wellington, was, just previously to his coal girl°
non for India, in command of a regiment at Forel 'sole°
Castle, The Hon, George Pitt, afterwards Lord R PO°
commanded at the same time the Dorchester Militia, (3
tioned also at the castle. Atter the conclusion of tb.e
the Parliament voted an estate to the Duke of Nellie gtol
for his great services, and Lord Rivers having o:ffere
Strathfieldsaye to the Ministry as appropriate for the ke!
sion, the Duke went down to see it. Lord Rivers tb`;
spoke of the matter —" I was on my back in a painful
sa
of rheumatic gout, when the Duke of Wellington wail
nounced, I desired that he might be shown into raY be;
room, and in a minute or two he stood by my beds::
After condoling withnie a few seconds on my inaisPosn""
he told me he had come to survey the estate, and rtques!
that horses and an intelligent guide might be allowed Ow
These were soon in readmoss, and off posted the duke "1
'3
his guide to survey an estate 18 miles in circumference'
about an hour and a half alter the duke's departure
returned, expressed himself pleased with his estate,
a"
ti!
took leave. Atter his depacture sent fur the guide. t
lu
inquired of him as to what td passed between him
all self 80
the duke, during the progress of the survey. ' As
life,' answered he, I never b, fore had such a dance.
have been quite round the eats te, nearly at full speed
way, Whether his grace has teen it or not, I don't kn
fur I had enough to do to keep up with him.' MY 934 n
ippeara,,ce, plastered as he was, with mud, sufficiently e.°.
roborated what he paid. few clays atter tuts flying /1!
negotiations were comtnencA by the Treasury for the pu;
chase of the estate, which term.uat ed in its being bougi
and presented to the duke. The , following was the pvlu
paid :—£200,000 the land, L150,00C the timber, Xl3lUt
the Agausiou; X 363,000 total purchase motly," alloytl