The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-10 00:00:00

INNS OF COURT.

The Inns of Court, formerly " Hostels," or town
mansions of the great nobility, like the hotels of
France, are four in number ; Lincoln's Inn, the
Inner and Middle Temples, and Gray's Inn. The
first derives its name from having been erected on
the ground where the residence and gardens of
Henry Lacy,- Earl of Lincoln, once stood. Tradi-
tion tells us that this nobleman, " being well
affected to the knowledge of the laws," in early
times induced a body of legal professors to settle on
his property. The two inns whim bear the name of
the Temple deduse that appellation from the once
celebrated mixed religious and military order
of the Knights Templar, who, in 1185, settled
there. On their dissolution, according to Dug-
dale, " divers professors of the law that came
from Thavyes Inn, Holburne," became the
tenant, but their settlement was plundered in the
rebellion of Wat Tyler, by the mob, and the
buildings were burned. The destruction of the
property, both of the professors and of the students,
including all their books and records, accounts for
our imperfect acquaintance with their early
history. In the reign of Henry VIII., the members
of the Templ were divided into two societies as
they now exist, but they still retain the ancient
church in common. James 1., 1608, granted the
possessions they severally hold to the benchers
of the two inns and their successors for ever. Gray's
Inn takes its name from the ancient and noble
family of Lord Gray of Wilton, but the estate re-
verted to the Crown long ago, and from the Crown
the benchers hold as tenants. The government of
the several inns is vested in their benchers, or, as
they were formerly termed, " ancients," who fill up
vacancies as they occur, by selections from those
members of the inn who have been most distin-
guished at the bar. The benchers have for centu-
ries exercised the exclusive power of admitting
students of their respective inns into the higher
branches of the legal profession.—Dickens's "All
the l ear Round."

THAMES TROUT PLENTIFUL.—There never
been
known to be so many Thames trout taken as
yesterday,"
taken during the last fortnight. Frome
terso-eurty
society's waters the glad tidings of
"a
a•find
to us. It
or "two fine ones the day before," ,
6:ofeilice society are can-
not be doubted that the operations partha of the
The worthy secretary,
the society have taken large
8;-pounder at Walton ; Mr
gradu-
ally being crowned with success. Many of the members of
Mr. li. Farnell, fell foul of a
•
and even
Lyons got a 101 b. fish at Teddington , numerous fish of
131 b• have been reported as bagged ,
from 101 b. to
we have done our little possible towards the general total.
The size of the fish is also very remarkable, Never before
were so many "big ones" taken thus early in the season.
emo We are sorry
rty f
to o say,
themhave
that,
at from all we have heard,
been,
in
that
splendid form
and condition in which it is desirable to see such fish. In-
deed, as a general rule, very large cannot be expected to
be in a fair condition before June.
Some fine grayling
were placed in the waters at llalbford last week ; and large
numbers of the small trout have also been carefully distri-
buted up and down the water in various shallow eddies
suitable to them. One thing is sadly wanted, and that is
a few of those large brick burrs (the fused bricks which
are often found massed together in brick kilns), dropped
in here and there to form lying
-places for the trout to
hide behind.
trout
"Without such places as these thecan
never be properly dispersed over the river, and will of
necessity congregate at the weirs, their being no other
lying ground ; for a trout will not lie in the open stream
without a big stone to put his head behind. It is with large
trout as with salmon, as every ono who knows anything of
the subject is well aware. These burrs would answri
another purpose. They would destroy all chance of stream
netting, which, if the trout get plentiful, as they promise
to do, will soon begin to take the gilt off the society's gin-
gerbread.—Field.

The following extract of a despatch from Lor
Lyons respecting political arrests in the United States, is
printed to-day in a parliamentary return :—" Lord Lyons
to Earl Russell.—,Received April 28.) Washingto
April It —Although the power to make arbitrary politic
arrests has not been formally renounced by the executis e
government, it has not, so far as I know, been recently ex-
ercised. lam not aware of any British subject Wing now
arbitrarily detained as a political prisoner. Arrests, without
form of law, are still made by the military authorities in
places occupied by the forces of the United States; but they
appear to be confined in general to persons accused of offences
affecting, more or less, the discipline or the safety of the
army.
A prospectus has been issued of the Laguna
Silver Mining Company, with a capital of £20,000, in shares
of £5 each. The mine is situated in the district of El
Chico, 70 miles north of the city of Mexico.
Mr. Edward Gellatly, many years connected with
the management of the largo marine business of the late
Mr. Duncan Dunbar, has formed a firm under the title of
Gellatly, Harkey, and Sowell. •

.ROYAZ NATIONAL LIFEBOAT

INS TIl UTiON.

A meeting of this institution was held on Thurs-
day, at its house, John-street, Adelphi, his grace
the Duke of Northumberland, president of the
society, in the chair. There were also present—
Admiral Sir G. Sartorias, Capt. Sir G. Broke Mid-
dleton, R.N., C. 8., Thomas Chapman, Esq., F.R.S.,
V.P. ; Sir E. Perrott, Bart.; Admiral Washington,
F.R.S., Hydrographer to the Admiralty ; A. Boete-
feur, Esq., Admiral Cator, Capt. Egerton, R.N. ;
G. Lyall, Esq., M.P. ; Capt. W. H. Hall, R.N.,
C.B. ; Capt. De St. Croix, and J. Griffith, Esq.
The Secretary read the minutes of the previous
meeting. A reward of £l5 was voted to the crew
of the Institution's lifeboat stationed at Grange, on
the back of the Isle of Wight, for rescuing in eight
trips, one hundred and thirty-four persons from
the ship Cedarine, of Bermuda, which, during thick
weather, had struck, near Grange, on the 2d ult.
The Rev. J. P. Gaze, and Mr. Cutajar, the officer of
coastguard, very laudably exerted themselves on
the occasion. They were both thanked by the
society for their valuable services. The cost (£2.83)
of this lifeboat was presented to the institution,
about two years ago, by the Royal Victoria Yacht
Club; and truly their noble gift has thus already
been of essential service to the cause of humanity.
A reward of £25 was also voted to the crew of the
Caister lifeboat, belonging to the Institution, for
rescuing, amidst great peril, the crew of seven men
from the brig Trial, of Poole, which, during a
strong wind and in a heavy sea, was wrecked on
the Barber Sands, on Sunday last. ITI performing
this service, the lifeboat was seriously dam-
aged by coming repeatedly in contact with the
wreck. A reward of £1 102. was likewise
voted to the crew of the institution's life-
boat stationed at Aberdovey, for saving the smack
Merrion Lass, of Aberystwith, and het crew of
three men, The vessel ha& during stormy weather
and a high sea, struck on Aberdovey Bar, on the
22d ult. Expenses, amounting to £26 155., were
also ordered to be paid on the Teignmouth, Palling,
and Yarmouth lifeboats, either for assembling or
putting off in the night in replies to signals of dis-
tress from vessels which did not, however, require
their assistance. A reward of £7 was also voted to
a boat's crew of eight men, for putting off and
rescuing, at considerable risk of life, the crew of
three men from the smack Lion, of Cardigan, which,
during a gale of wind and heavy sea, was wrecked
near Fishguard, on the 12th ult. A reward of £5
was likewise given to a boat's crew of four men, for
rescuing, at much risk of life, the crew of three men
ofthe smack John and James,of Chester,which,during
blowing weather, had struck outside Aberystwith
harbour, on the sth ult. Various other rewards
were also given fir saving life from different
wrecks on our coasts. Capt. M.Donald, R.N., In-
specting Commander of the Coastguard at Banff,
N.D., was thanked by the Society for his valuable
services in assisting to establish two lifeboats on
the north-east coast of Scotland. During the past
month, the Institution had sent two new life-boats
to Dublin Bay—one to be stationed at Kingstown,
and the other at Poolbeg. some satisfactory trials
had been made with the boats on their arrival on,
the Irish coast. Another lifeboat was building for
Howth, near Dublin. A lifeboat and trans-
porting carriage were ready to be sent to Kirk-
cudbright, on the Scotch coast. The cost (£250) of
the lifeboat and her carriage had been presented to
the Society by a gentleman resident in Manchester.
It was reported that a full-sized lifeboat, belonging
to the Institution, was to be seen in the gardens of
the Royal Horticultural Society, which adjoin the
International Exhibition. This boat had been re-
fused admission into the Exhibition by the Com-
missioners, although their Naval Superintendent
had requested the Society, on the 23d ult., to send
her to the building. One would have thought that
it would have been emphatically entitled to a place
amongst the most conspicuous products of our skill,
for while it would be impossible to overrate the
importance of boats of this class, which were last
year instrumental in saving 743 lives from ship-
wrecks on the British coast, it is equally true that
in their construction Eugland stands not only unri-
valled, but almost alone. Foreigners are thus to a
great extent deprived of the opportunity of estimat-
ing the perfection to which the British lifeboat has
attained. Payments amounting to nearly £l,OOO
were made on various lifeboat establishments. It
was reported that on the recommendation of the
Attorney-General the Lord Chancellor had ordered
£4OO to be appropriated to the National Lifeboat
Institution from elapsed Chancery fund. The pro-
ceedings then terminated.