The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-27 00:00:00

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SPI JUT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

A vacancy has just occurred amongst the Irish As-
sistant Barristers, by the death of Mr. O'Grady,
Chairman, of the county of Waterford ; and although

the who'ie tenor of Lord Mulgrave's Government for-
bids us to doubt but that it will be filled up with due
regard. to merit, still we cannot help availing ourselves
of so good an occasion for expressing the opinions we
have long entertained upon the immense importance of
these appointments to the fate of Ireland, and the cha-
racter rind stability of the Administration. Subordi-
nate although the place of Assistant Barrister is, in
point of rank and emolument, to the judicial offices in
the sur,erior Courts, in almost every other point of view
we consider it to be a post of even greater consequence.
The jurisdiction of this officer, both civil and criminal,
is c,f vast extent, and he exercises his powers over
that class of society which calls more. -imperatively -
tlnan any other for an able, steady, enlightened, and
.dignified administration of the taws. He is the Judge
of the people—of the poor.
He represents the ma-
jesty of the law, and determines its character in the
eyes of the mass of the population. Influencing the
character of the lave' he influences all that depends
upon that charade-A—public tranquillity, social order,
the progress of 'civilization. In the Courts of these
functionaries the great bulk of the rights of the social
mass are discussed and adjudicated upon. All that
infinite -variety of disputes and controversies that spring
up ou', of the_ commerce of life amongst seven millions
of 3ople are referred, with scanty exceptions, to these
locrAl tribunals: Their civil jurisdiction already ern,
braces all questions of property under the value of
twenty pounds, and it is in contemplation to extend
it still more widely. As criminal Judges, the As-
rsistant Barristers are armed, by.a variety of statutes,
with powers of the largest description over the liberty
of the subject ; and finally, under the Reform Act,
they preside over the registrations of voters in their
respertive counties—an employment of itself alone
demanding very considerable legal knowledge and
experience, along with an unexceptionable charac-
ter for probity and independence. Surely this imper-
fect summary of their powers in itself demonstrates
st he vital necessity of raising none to this all-
important office but men of tried professional skill
arid undoubted respectability. The negligent, and
we shall say profligate manner in which former Go-
vernments have disposed of these appointments has
been productive of incalculable mischief in Ireland.
Nothing can show more clearly how totally merit,
in numerous cases, was overlooked in the choice of
Assistant Barristers than the description of persons
who, even under the present Administration, rumour
informs us, arc amongst the candidates for the present
vacency. Men aspire to preside in the Civil Bill
Courts, who do not earn at the bar the weekly hire
of their briefless bags ; some of them, moreover,
persons of no weight in society, intellectual or moral.
We hear of claimants of those dignities whose sole
title seems to be their 'convicted incompetence at
their profession, reinforced by their no less egre-
gious failure in the Senate. The very best of
the class have no other desert than their assi-
duity at levee, their bad speeches at public din-
ners, or their worse speeches in Parliament. • No-
where, save in Ireland, would such men dream of
higher legal exaltation than the Crier's box. In Ire-
. land, however, Queen Mab tickles these personages
with silk gowns ; they dream of Chairmanships ; and
not unfrequently, in the days gone by, have their
agreeable "visions of judgment". been realised, to the
infinite damage of the best interests of the public.
Lord Mulrrave has, however, departed from the old
ways ; and this class of speculators will meet, we are
assured, with little encouragement under his Govern-
ment. - Certain individuals, upon whom we have our
mind's eye, will find that they have imagined a vain
thing in letting their aspirations soar to some of the
most important offices at the disposal of Dublin
Castle. Lord Mulgrave apprehends his position in
Ireland ; lie knows the circumstances of the country
whose affairs he directs, and he knows that the first of
leer necessities is a clean-handed. able, and dignified
dispensation of the laws. He understands his mission
to the Irish people. He is acquainted with the
springs of their disorders ; and he has' made tire
aneans of healing them his study. He is aware,
that amongst the various tusks imposed' upon
_'aim by his. high office, there is none so
'pressing r,s to raise up the prostrate character of
justice. He is aware that public order is incompatible
with a prevalent disrespect for the public tribunals ;
and that the way to make the Court venerated is to
-place upon the Bench as much ability, as much inte-
grity, us much depth of legal learning, and as much
;general weight of reputation, as is to be found at the
Bar. If a barrister., without professional experience
or character, has claims upon the Irish Government,
tua.on political or other grounds, he is not, therefore, to
expect judicial station, or an appointment in which he
must needs wound the public, in the place where public
avounds are moat painful and most dangerous. The
most valuable political services entitle no man, much
less a legal ignoramus, to solicit the post of a Judge.
There are places enough, both at horse and abroad,
where such a person can do comparatively little mis-
chief ; and which are fully rich and honourable enough
to discharge any obligation the Government can pos-
sibly be under to him ; and, if he solicits such a place
as an Assistant Barristership, lie prefers a request of
• surpassing impudence, and one which cannot be granted
to him without a gross dereliction of public principle
•on the part of the dispensers of law patronage.—
Morning Chronicle.
Who is Mr. N. Goldsmid.? We ask the question;
s, because we wish to understand the force of a blow
• which has fallen on Mr. O'Connell. Until we are
informed upon this point, we can only pray that the
Champion of Ireland is not crushed. But the fact
must be known, however disastrods may be the effect
of it. We hope the best, indeed ; but it is our'duty
as journalists to state without disguise, that Mr. N.
Goldsmid has declared to the world his resolution not
to dine in company with Daniel O'Connell ! How
the unhappy gentleman will bear this blow, remains to
be seen ; but Mr. N. Goldsmid, who understands his
own importance infinitely better than any one else can
understand it, - evidently thinks it a settler ! Daniel
O'Connell is now a marked man. In Daniel O'Connell
the world will see the man with whom Mr. N. Gold-
smid will not dine. Here the barrier is raised against the
great Agitator's ambition. Will he be dashed to pieces
against it ? He has done great things ;he has great
things in his power ; but he cannot dine in company
with Mr. N. Goldsmid.Thus far and no farther may he
go—thus far and no farther may he carry his triumphs.
The first man of our time who has shown Daniel
O'Connell what he could not do is .I.llr. N. Goldsmid.
O'Connell, with all his power, cannot dine with Mr.
N. Goldsmid. Can the same be said of any other
man in the Christian world ? The brand is solitary
as the brand of Cain. On the monument—(for a
monument he will surely have)—of Mr. N. Gold-
smid will be inscribed, "He never dined with
O'Connell." On O'Cpnnell's memory the ever-
lasting, stigma will be fixed, "He never dined
with Mr. N. Goldsmid !" Unhappy man ! doomed,
sternly doomed ! What has he now to live for ?
Sentence of excommunication is passed on him—
excommunication from Mr. N. Goldsmid—and this
is a sentence which no Pope can remove. Where are
now his gibes and his jeers, his attacks on the Peers ?
His demolition of the Tory leaders have brought him
to this wretched conclusion, that he cannot dine with
Mr. N. Goldsmid. Miserable man I such is the fall
from the height of power and ambition. What
an addition is this to the examples of the vanity of hu-
man wishes ! yet, perhaps, O'Connell never had the
vanity to wish to dine in company with Mr. N. Gold-
smid. But if he ever had such aspiring, and some
say that his fancy feeds on mighty thoughts and
vast triumphs—how crest-fallen will he be when
this heavy news readies him! Here is a 'subject like
that of the 10th satire of Juvenal for the moral Poet.
What is the case of Hannibal after all his victo-
ries, a fugitive in Bithynia, and O'Connell expelled
the society of Mr. N. Goldsmid But we are giving
vent to the tide of reflections` which this stupendous
fact suggests, instead of presenting the terms of the
resolution thundered forth at a Leicester meeting.
Thus spoke Mr. N. Goldsmid, after referring to the
entertainment of Mr. O'Connell at Dublin Castle,