The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-27 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 27, 1849.

The MAGISTRATE, after a little conversation with
Mr. Phillips, the clerk, was of opinion that he should
he justified in liberating the prisoner upon bail for her
attendance at the Court upon a future day.
She was removed from the bar; and in conformity
with Mr. Broughton's directions, she entered into
her own recognizance in 401., and her brother in
301, as security for her being forthcoming on Mon-
day next.

RAIL WAY INTELLIGENCE.

MIDLAND.

BIRMINGHAM, WEDNESDAY.--The turn out of the
porters connected with the above line of railway has
extended to the company's extensive establishments in
this town. According to a placard plentifully posted
in the neighbourhood of the Birmingham and Derby
station, in Lawley-street, after having previously re-
duced the wages of the men from 18s. to 17 per
week, it is now further attempted to reduce them to
161. This has been resolutely resisted, and on Satur-
day evening nearly, if not quite, 100 porters, quitted
their employ. The men, in the placard alluded to,
complain bitterly of the company in thus forcing
them to contribute out of their extremely limited in-
comes towards meeting the deficiencies brought about,
as they say, by the mismanagement and extravagance
of the directors—not very conciliatory language, it
must be admitted, but still not without some truth.
In the mean time the advertisement issued tor me❑ to
fill the vacant situations has been responded to by
numerous applicants, and yesterday there appeared
to be every probability that the vacant places would
speedily be filled. As a matter of course, great delay
and inconvenience have been experienced by the
company, more especially in the efficient management
of the goods traffic, and one unfortunate servant in
their employ, unaccustomed to the work, who was
called upon to assist as a porter, has had his thigh
broken and been otherwise seriously injured by one
of the engines. Two or three of the old porters,
whose services are of particular value, have returned
to their employ, on the understanding that the pro-
posed reduction will be " made up to there" in some
other way.

REMOVAL OF THE IRISH BAR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Six,—The writer of the within letter has sought to
get it inserted in some of the Dublin journals, but
they have all refused to give it admission, for reasons
which, however weighty with them, cannot affect an
English paper.
The opinions upheld in this letter and so ably ad-
vocated in your journal are very unpopular with the
citiz•us of Dublin— so much so that the Government,
to allay the irritation caused by the appearance of
pamphlets, newspaper articles, and rumours, found
it necessary to disavow in their official organ any
present intention of transferring the bar. But
although the Dublin public is, as might be expected,
so much opposed to the movement, there exists in the
profession itself a very large section decidedly in
favour of it, which section cannot obtain any channel
through which to declare their views and arguments.
AN IRISH. BARRISTER.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE E&RL OF
CLARENDON.

My Lord,—l take the liberty of addressing your
Lordship upon a subject which is now becoming one
of very general discussion, arid is of vital importance, '
not only to a certain class of her Majesty's Irish sub-
jects, but also to the Irish nation at large. I allude
to the expediency of transferring the Irish courts of
law and equity from Dublin to Westminster-hall,
and although it may perhaps appear at first sight ex-
aggerated and foolish to speak of the removal of the
Irish bar as a matter of national importance, yet a
more deliberate consideration of the question will, I
think, prove the assertion to be true.
Your Lordship will perceive that there are two points
of view in which it is important to consider the ex•
pediency of such a measure—lit, as to the political
reasons for such a step; and 211 y, as to its prob tble
efftcts upon the profession itself. And under these
two heads I shall, with your Lordship's permission,
briefly discuss the question. First then as to the
political reasons.
I think I am not assuming too much when I say
that it appears to be the evident design of the Go-
vernment to place Ireland in a decided and true poei-
tion with respect to England, to take from her that
appearance of distinct nationality with which she is it,
present invested—to place her, in fact, in the condi-
tion of any other integral portion of Great Britain.
Such appears to be the design of the Government, and
such is the design which should recommend itself to
every man of sense, for to recaler Ireland peaceable '
and prosperous it is absolutely necessary to make her
either really a distinct nation or completely a province.
The former is impracticable, perhaps unadvisable ;
the latter can be accomplished by obliterating every
trace of her separate existence, and by completing the
union with England in all respects.
Now it is very generally admitted that the first step
towards provincializing Ireland is to be the removal
of the Irish Government from Dublin to London, and
the next, I sub:nit to your Lordship, would natu-
rally and inevitably be the removal of the Four Courts
to Westminster Hall. This would be the second
step not merely as a necessary part of the required
amalgamation, but also for the reasons which I shall
now endeavour to explain.
'Pile Bar of Ireland is undeniably a powerful and
influential holy—its members are well educated,
connected with the aristocracy of the land, and likely
at all times to exerci.-e considerable influence over
the political feelings and movements of their country-
inee, and therefore likely to he useful assistants while
loyal, but dangerous adversaries if discontented. It
is, therefore, clearly the policy of the Government,
so long as there is a Bar in Ireland, to retain that
prolessioo firmly in its interests, and to preerve it
trout any feeling of discontent or dissatisfaction.
Now this, it is to be feared, would be a most diffi-
cult, if not impossible task. When once the seat of
Government has been removed from Dublin, if that
source of patronage and favour ceases to be available
to the Irish barrister, he cannot but feel that his posi-
tion is altered for the worse, and his profession not
only degraded but diminished in value ; he can no
longer nourish hopes of preferment or distinction;
while, the feeling that he is a courtier and an aris-
tocrat, must of course cease to stimulate his am-
bition and gratify his pride. These considerations and
feelings, your Lordship's knowledge of human nature
will tell you are but too likely to be productive of
lasting and dangerous discontent. So far, then, the
case stands. thus :—The country is to be provincial-
ized ; that cannot be done without removing the seat
of the Irish Government, and neither can be done
without removing the Irish Bar, because the very
existence of distinct and independent courts of law
render the supposition of a complete amalgamation a
false one, whilst the removal of the seat of Government
would be dangerous in the extreme if the Bar be left
behind.

I shall now endeavour to show that the profession
itself would be materially benefited by a removal to
London.

Up to a recent period the law business of the Irish
courts has been increasing for many sears to an
amount far exceeding what the country could have
supplied if in a healthy condition. This business, in
its nature ephemeral, has. been of late decreasing con-
siderably; and its diminution is rendered still more
sudden by the operation of Acts of Parliament, in
some cases passed for the very purpose of restraining
and curtailing litigation ; and in other cases, though
not primarily so intended, yet in their operation
affecting the very existence of certain profitable
sources of professional emolument. Of the former
class the late Judgment Act is an example, while the
Incumbered Estates Bill directly tends to annihilate
receiverships and incumbrances; and the Bill for the
Extension of the Civil Bill Jurisdiction will, if
passedd deprive the common-law superior courts of a
considerable portion of their present business.
Thus, whilst a considerable portion of business
is disappearing the numbers of the profession remain
still undiminished, the consequence of which must be
that a sub division of the remnant of business will
ensue, which will be ruinous to many, impoverishing
to all.

There is another consequence resulting from the
present uncertainty and depression of business, which
is by no means to be overlooked ; it is this—that the
junior members of the profession are so disheartened
by the doubtful state of their position and prospects
that they cannot vigorously pursue a course of
study to fit them for future practice ; for there are
few juiced who can labour when there is a strong
probability that just as they may expect to reap the
fruits of their toil the business shall have disappeared,
or the system be altered.
AN IRISH BARRISTER.