The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-06 00:00:00

THE LATE CHIEF JUSTICE LEFROY.

The announcement of the death of ex-Chief-
Justice Lefroy, in his 96th year, reminds us that it
is not only bishops who cling io their places when
they are past work. The late Chief Justice of
Ireland positively refused to resign, in spite
of the fact that he was so deaf that he often
missed the points in an argument, and frequently
dozed while counsel were pleading. When
the public began to cry out, the Conservatives
supported the judge, declared that though he was
upwards of 90 years old he was in full possession of
his faculties, and denounced, as scandalous and
ungenerous, the assumption that a nonagenarian was
not as capable of administering justice as a man half
his age. But the Russell-Gladstone Administration
went out, and it was then discovered that justice
might be better served by having a more
vigorous man in the chief judgment seat. Those
fcw weeks wrought a rapid change in the opinions
of the Conservative party on this matter. Fortu-
nately for them, the Chief Justice was not troubled
with " conscientious" scruples about resignation.
He did not consider that to resign would be to
commit sin against the Holy Ghost; but being a
good paity man, he did what his party wanted, and
made wu, as soon as his friends came into office,
as they all along intended that he should, for another
party man, Mr. Whiteside. The legal Nestor wc.s
destined to see his party out again, but he had the
consolation of knowing that the seat he had so long
occupied was filled by one of the most pronounced
Tories in all Ireland.
THE MAYOR OP CORK.

That the Government are bringing in a bill to
remove Mr. O'Sullivan from his mayoralty at Cork,
and to deprive him of his other offices under the
Crown, will cause general satisfaction on this side of
the water. The feeling that a Ministry with Mr.
Gladstone at its head raid with Mr. Bright as a
member would not have the moral courage to adopt
restrictive measures, is shewn to be unfounded, and
the malcontents on the other side of the water are
plainly told that they may carry their conduct too
far. The Mayor is, we are glad to see, meeting
with the just consequence of his extravagance among
his own countrymen also. As long as they gave him
encouragement the Government would find their
task a hard one. But the Yacht Club of Cork has
been taking means to expel him, and he saved them
the trouble by sending in his resignation. He has
left Cork and the other magistrates in peace for a
while, and is now probably in Dublin.
TUE STAFFORD ELECTION PETITIONS.
We can hardly congratulate Mr. Justice Black-
burn on having to try the Stafford election petitions.
If both of them are proceeded with to the issue his
lordship will have by no means a lively time. The
return of both Mr. Alderman Pochin (Liberal) and
Colonel Mellor (Conservative) is petitioned against
on the ground of. bribery, treating, and undue
influence. But the most tedious part of the business
is the scrutiny. Nine hundred and twelve of the
Colonel's votes are objected to by Mr. Chawner, the
defeated Liberal candidate. In return, 497 of Mr.
Chawner's votes are opposed. The statement of the
petition against the return of Colonel Mellor makes
the case against that gentleman very dark. If it
can only be borne out in evidence, his seat is worth-
less. There would seem to have been a most elabo-
rate system of treating carried on, for which the
electors paid ostensibly, by mock collections and
absurdly-inadequate instalments, but for which the
Colonel really paid.