The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-29 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

A Book About Lawyers. By John Cordy Jeaffre-
son, Barrister-at-Law, author of a " Book about
Doctors." Two vols. Hurst and Blackett.
These two very delightful gossiping volumes
contain a vast amount of pleasant anecdote and
interesting information. Mr.*Jeaffreson his exer-
cised considerable industry in the collection, and
has displayed both taste and judgment in the ar-
rangement of his materials. Lawyers of every
grade and every possible shade of charac-
ter, from the student below the bar to the
Lord Chancellor upon the woolsack, lawyers of
ancient times and lawyers of our own day, here pass
under review, and are subject to the closest inspec-
tion. Moreover,, we have " the Loves of the Lawyers"
and the. Homes of the Lawyers, and their Amuse-
ments, "Music," " Amateur Theatricals," "Military
Affairs," " Money," and even their " Costume and
Toilet," introduced each in its turn to an interest-
ing scrutiny. The anecdotes of celebrated individuals,
which are scattered throughout the chapters, are,
many of them, most amusing. Here, for example,
is a pleasant illustration of Lord Eldon as a sports-
man :

SPORT AND EARNEST.
A bad but eager sportsman, Lord Eldon used to blaze
away at his partridges and pheasants with such uniform
want of success that Lord Stowell had truth as well as
humour on his side when he observed, "My brother has
done much execution this shooting season; with his gun
he has killed a great deal of time." Having ineffectually
discharged two barrels at a covey of partridges, the Chan-
cellor was slowly walking to the gate of one of his En-
combo turnip-fields when a stranger of clerical garb and
aspect hailed him from a distance, asking, " Where is Lord
Eldon ?" Not anxious to declare himself to the witness of
his ludicrously bad shot, the Chancellor answered eva-
sively, and with scant courtesy, "Not far off." Displeased
with the tone of this curt reply, tho clergyman rejoined,
" I wish you'd use your tongue to better purpose than you
do your gun, and tell me civilly where I can find the Chan-
cellor." " Well," responded the sportsman, when he had
slowly approached his questioner, "here you see the
Chancellor—l am Lord Eldon." It was an untoward in-
troduction to the Chancellor for the strange clergyman who
had travelled from the North of Lancashire to ask for the
presentation to a vacant living. Partly out of humorous
compassion for the applicant who had offered rude-
ness, if not insult, to the person whom ho was most
anxious to propitiate; partly becauce on inquiry he
ascertained the respectability of the applicant ; and partly
because he wished to seal by kindness the lips of a man
who could report on the authority of his own oyes that
the best lawyer was also the worst shot in all England,
Eldon gave the petitioner the desired preferment. "But
now," the old Chancellor used to add in conclusion, when-
ever he told the story, " see the ingratitude of mankind.
It Was not long before a large present of game reached me,
with a letter from my new-made rector, purporting that
he had sent it, because from what he had seen of my shoot-
ing he supposed I must be badly off for game. Think of
turning upon me in this way, and wounding me in my
tenderest point."
Here is another agreeable glimpse of the same
Chancellor :