The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-30 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN AND PROVINCIAL LAW

ASSOCIATION.

AGGREGATE MEETING IN LEEDS.
On Wednesday afternoon last a meeting of delegates cif
the profession from all parts of the kingdom, convened by
the Metropolitan and Provincial Law Association in ,zon-

junction with the Leeds Law Society, was held at. the
Philosophical Hall, Leeds.

The gentlemen present included, amongst others, the
following :—London—Mr. E. S. Bailey, cbairraan of the
managing committee of the society ; Mr. E. W. yield, Mr.
E. Bereham, Mr. W. Sheen, the secretary ; Leeds—
Messrs. J. H. Shaw, R. E. Payne, J. Sa-ngste3r, E. Bond,
T. T. Dibb, W. S. Ward, J. Bulmer, T. G. Teale, Daw-
son, E. Addison, A. Horsfall, J. Dunzing, R. L. Ford, R.
Barr, W. Bruce, H. Snowdon, S. L. Booth, F. Ferns, S.
Clapham, S. Hick ; Liverpool—Mes,,rs. H. H. Slatham,
R. A. Bayne, George Webster, and F. Horner ; Man-
chester—Messrs. F. F. Beever, G. Thorley, J. Street, J.
Jordon W. H. Partington, T. Baker, F. Robinson ;
York--G. H. Hodgson, J. Richardson, Breary ;
lan-
caster—J. Hall ; Hull—W. H. moss, J. Shackles, G.
Stamp ; Birminghara—J. W. Allnett, A. Ryland ; Wren-
ham—J. Lewis; Lincoln—J. Moore ; Sunderland—J.
Burn ; Horncastle—J. H. Parkinson ; Holbury—J. Bail-
don Maidstone—J, Case ; Wakefield—J. Nettleton ;

Bradford—J. Taylor.
Upon the motion. of J. H. SIIAW, Esq.,
E. S. BAILEY, Esq., chairman of the committee of manage-
ment of the Metropolitan and Provincial Law Society, took
the chair, and, in opening the proceedings, said it must be
matter of congratulation to all to see such a numerous
assembly, more especially so when they considered that
several present were a deputation from, or representatives
of, a much larger body, who would have been present had
not circumstances under which they were placed prevented
thean. (Hear.) Ono additional reason why the attendance had
n.ot been more numerous was the fact, that the day of meet-
'sag had been fixed without bearing in mind that that was
rthe week of the sessions throughout the kingdom—(hear) -
and that, which he knew, had had the effect of de-
-priving them of the presence of many valuable and esti-
mable members, who would otherwise have been amongst
them that day, and who 'deeply regretted their unavoidable
absence. Amongst. these gentlemen were the two Messrs.
Palmer, of London ; Mr. Haigh, of Selby ; Mr. Striven, of
Northampton ; Mr. Yonng, of Size-lane, London ' • Mr. Dodd,
of Stockton ; Mr. Lawson, of Carlisle ; Mr. Cronsley; of Man-
chester ; Mr. Watson, of Liverpool ; Mr. Sharpe, of Lancaster;
Mr. Hughes, of Shrewsleury, and other gentlemen, who had
sent letters ezpe-essive of their sincere regret that other and
imperative engagements precluded their attendance that day.
The attendance that day of so large a body of gentlemen ren-
dered it unnecessary to enter rate any lengthened vindication
of the objects 9f the metro._
olitan and Provincial Law Asso-
ciation, because their presienee proved the interest they took
in the objects of therassoe•iation. One great object :was tore.
store—if he might so te
to the stain 3 that, it fr, rm it—their branch of the profession
rmerly occupied, and which they felt it
ought to occupy • ne..6 only for their own advantage, but also
for the advarnaTe of the public ; for he was satisfied that it
was of more importance to the 'public that their branch of the
p .&eSSitpn -should- maintain its dignity, character, position,
and resp
~etabntLy than any other branch of the legal proks-
sion ; 'indeed; of any other profession existing, a ways
excer.
.cing the clergy. (A. plause.) This would be apparent
wiv.m it was considered what high and important duties were
ast upon, the selieitor, and which none bat persons of eclue. e
tioa, integrity, and high tone of feeling could properly dis-
charge. Tony ware consulted in the more important matters
aTecti:tg rasa and society, and it became therefore the duty,
as it was Pie inWostofthe public to uphold them iutheir pro-
per position_ Andt yet the recent disposal of patronage, and
the recent eouraa 9f legislation, had been, he could uotsay to
alegrade, bnk certainly to lower their branch of the profession,
by depriving them of high and ralnahle oilices whlch they had
formerly b cid ~ and to which they were justly entitled. It was.
not eout/ailed that as a body, they hail forfeited their claims to
these di etinetlens byany change in their character or conduct ;
on tile contiaryilt muse he admitted by ail who considered or
under stood -the subject, that' their branch of the pipfes.,ion
haal. -never lxien ailed by more intelligent, high-minded, or able
-non than (he might use the term)then adorned it. Every me an
jx,r of theLcgialature had his oWll.pr ofessionil adviser, to wham
-with the utmost coufideupe ho entrusted the business relating
'to his property, anti often his eharactor, and his must inti-
mate relations in life.. Doubtless, it was matter of congra-
tulation In having secured a person in whom such confidence
could be 'placed ; and whilst, therefore, they as a body were
individually highly esteemed by their respective clients in
their private capacity, yet, in their legislative capacity they
had certainly of late done. all in their power to lower the
status, mil thereby most effectually impair the efficiency, of
their body.. This ought not to be, nor was it just to the
public that it should be, and he trusted, therefore, that the
professi'en would never cease to agitate until they had sat
them&t.lves right in too estimation of the public, and regained
the p osition which they were so justly entitled to maintain.
(111-r.) There, was, however, one reason for this, and, iu
w'averting to le,- he desired to be considered as not speaking
Anvidiously, for he did not wish to do so, nor would the
meeting bear with him if he did not. It, however, happened
that since the peace in 1315, the- army and the navy being
comparatively closed to the younger sons of the aristocracy
and t'e higher .classes of gentry, they had in large numbers
become members of the bar. That was proved by the re-
turns, which showed that in 1317 there were 5,941 attorneys
and 891 members of the bar ; whilst, in 1854, there were
3,845 members of the bar, and 11,326 attorneys ; so that iu
ISI7 the members of the bar were not one-seventh of the
whole, and now they were nearly one-third. (Hear.) The
result was, that' the bar mast have some employment over
a-ad aboire that which the legal business of the country gave
them. Consequently, it an appointment became vacant, au
honourable appointment, and one which reflected dignity and;
respect upon their branch of the profession, and which for-
merly had been filled by them, it was taken away from the
solicitor or attorney, and colferred on a barrister of a certain
standing. These appointments were given to the bar, not
only in the ordinary way of patronage, but absolutely by acts
of Parliament. (Hear.) lie repeated that these observation:,
were not meant invidiously towards the bar, for whom, as a
body, he in common with all present must entertain the highest
respect and esteem. The bar of England had been the surest
safeguard of our constitution, and was justly considered one
of the brightest ornaments of the country—he might add, of
the world. All ho desired was, that they should keep
within their own limits; and whilst they engaged in their
own just rights a-ad privileges to the utmost, they
should not trench upon those of the other branch of
the profession. Any attempts to do so, he was
convince 1, would in the end fail, if the attorneys and solici-
tors were ouly true to themselves (hear, hear)—for if they
could be brought together to act as an united body and
with a cordial understanding, there was no point of right-
(and they wanted nothing but that which was right) which
they would not be able to carry. (Hear, hear,) There was
another point which was of importance to their branch of
the profession and the public. There had been a great many
changes recently attempted in the Legislature of the country.
Commission after commission had been appointed; and who
had been placed upon them ? High-minded and honourable
men, no doubt, and men of talent ; but in most—indeed, in
almost all—eases, they had not had practical men joined with
them; and the very want of practical men of their branch of
the profession, who would have informed them of the prac-
tical working of the proposed measures, was the reason why
many of these proposed measures had fallen to the ground ;
whilst those which had passed into law had proved so crude
and ill-digested that it had been found impossible to carry
them effectively out, and they had, therefore, become com-
paratively useless. Whether this had arisen from jealousy, or
whether their branch of the profession was not thought
worthy to be associated with those persons of whom those
commissions were composed, ho could not say, but certain it
was they had not been associated with them. The exertions,
however, which' had been made since the formation of their
association, had in some degree stopped this downward career.
It had been seen that they were not disposed to allow them-
selves to be degraded without a struggle. He would point,
as an example, to the case of the registrations of assurances
commission, on which two distinguished members of their
branch of the profession had been appointed. That was a
move in the right direction, and he believed that in cons:.s.;
~luence of that committee would come out. in the
the efforts
shape of a report better considered and better capable of being
carried out than some which had preceded it. They must,
therefore, all feel—if lie hid carried them along with him—
the necessity of unity amongst themselves. If that were so,
how could- that. best .he accomplished ? Their local asso
ciatioua were unquestionably productive of good, and in
the until of England they might well be proud of them.
(Hear, !wale) Local associations, however, would not alone
do. It w.es not as several distinct bodies, but as one con
centrated., body, that they must move. They must move
as one ;e load they could only do this by uniting themselves
with the Metropolitan and Provincial Law Association, whose
object was to carry out by a concentrated effort what he had
attempted to describe ; and he thought that the good that
this association had already accomplished was a proof that if
properly supported it was capable of accomplishing all they
could deatre. (Hear, hear.) He was sorry to say that,
though:the number of their profession reached 11,326, the
number'of the members of their association scarcely amounted
to 1,000. (Hear.) It was deeply to be regretted that at the
present moment they had hardly one eleventh of their body
enrolled as members, but he hoped this would bealtered ; and
it was a matter of congratulation that though the number was
comparatively small, it contained some of the best names in
the profession. (Hear, hear.) The meeting at Derby had
been productive of great good, and he trusted that the pre-
sent meeting would be productive of even greater good.
(Hear.) If they felt the importance of this association, and
the great good effected by its means—if they exerted them-
selves, every one individually, to obtain additional members
and the co-operation of the great body of the profession, and
by these means nave the association greater efficiency, they
would be successful in placing the society upon such a basis
as to carry out the objects for which it was established. (Ap-
plause.) He would make one observation to prove the neces-
sity for increased exertions and increased funds; and in
alluding to the funds, he must say they could not be more
economically managed, and they were only expended in what
hi the strictest sense were proper objects. Beyond the pay-
ment of their house rent, the salary of their worthy secretary,
and.
printingand publishing of their reeve, and papers,
there was not another item of expenditure. But what was
the instance to which he had alluded ? Two bills were intro-
duced into Parliainent last session, as important, perhaps, as
any that had been introduced for a very many years. One
was the bill of the South Sea
Company, and the other Regis-
tration of Asseee,,ecesg
Anythin m vicious in principle or
more destructive of the interests than these bills
he could not conceive. ,A
pplause e
of the public
1 How such measures ever
assumed a definite eorrehe
not understand; and still more
unaccountable was the fact, that
sanction of one who, had
been these measures received the
one of the brightest ornaments
of the bench, and some of the merchants and bankers of the
Dui were brought into Parliament
their association opposed them ; b
form of private bills, and as the h as they had assumed the
effective must necessarily be enpe
°Z.:shim to the bills to ho
conduct the opposition prevented thee,asthse want of funds to
effec-
tually opposing the bills. Fortunately, notwithstanding
from
heavy drains on their fiends, the Incorporated
thstanding the
stepped forward in this hour of need. Their Lahcl Society
he hoped he might be excused naming him, for pre had done
sident, ent, and
excellent service to the profession and the public, devoted
his
valuable time and talents to the opposition, in which he w,
most ably supported by another member of that body, Mr.
Gregory, jun. ; and by their united efforts these bills were
thrown out. That opposition, however, although the ex-
pense was confined to actual money payments, cost a very
large sum. It was manifest therefore they could not expect
great results from the Metropolitan and Provincial Law Asso-
ciation, unless funds were furnished for carrying out and sup.
porting the objects for which that society was formed.
(Hear, heal. • ) Ho trusted therefore that on every ground, as
ancting themselves and the public, this association would
m,N3 witht every possible support,.and that none of them
would cease their efforts until they had really placed it on
that footing which w o
would make it truly valuable as an insti-
t ition. hear.)
E. W. FIELD, Esq., proposed the first resolution, which
was as follows :—" That for the purpose
of carefully con-
•
sidering every projected alteration in the law, as well as
e
to maintain the rights and increase the efulness of the
profession, it is important that the attorneys and solicitors
body."
Having : the kingdom should form an united
Having armed tliat laws were worthless unless there were
perions possessing' legal 'information to carry them into