The Sun.
London, England, 1821-07-13 00:00:00

fOR TM'', SUN.

Ma. Eorrort—The zeal with which you sup-
ported the institution of THE METRopoEITAN
LAW SOCIETY, an establishment highly important
to the profession of the Law in all its branches,
and to the community in general, induces me to
send to you a letter respecting a new regulation
ordered by the Benchers of the Inner Temple,
though it has already appeared in a contempo-
rary Jontrial. This regulation- seems to be the
.result of such pride, not to say arrogance, as
could hardly be expected at: this period, when
knoWledge is so widely diffused, and such. ,a
spirit of liberality seems generally to prevail.
As, however, the letter in question is long,.f will
not presume to intruclO any further observations
of my own at present, but trusting to the acknow-
ledged regard to the profession of the Law, so.
-conspicuously manifested---,in. 5uPp,444..,.-9f:44e a-11,--
nairable institution to which I have above alluded.,
I venture to hope that you will give admission to
what is intended to expose, a narro‘v-'minded
regulation, calculated to mortify and-excite!hu-
miliating ,feelings among .one of the most useful
claSse's of men in society, and to damp the ardour
of honourable ambition.

A CONSTANT READER.

EARRLSTERS AND ATTO.II.NIS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
" I cannot tell
What Heaven bath given him, let some graver eye
Pierce into that;- but I can see his pride -
Peep through each part of him."
R,-1 am desirous, through theinedium of your extensively
circulated Journal' to call the'attention of Attorneys at Law to,
.order. lately made by the Borchers of the • Inner Temple
Er ur.rainst their interests, and highly derogatory to their character.
The substance,of the order is, that no Gentleman, whose name
appears on the rolls of any Court as an Attorney, shall be per-
mitted to dine in the Inner Temple Hall during Term : but
the order excepts. Members who have already dined in the Hall.
between Triraty Terin4 1319, and Trinity Term, 1321. For
this order, I am told, the Profession is principally indebted to
Mr. . and if this be so, it is .an attack upon Attorneys
which ought neverdo be forgotten. • You may remember that
an order was some years ago made at Lincoln's Inn, to •exclude
Writers for -the Public Press from the Bar.' Mr. Sheridan
brought the matter before Parliament, and the. Lincoln's inn
Benders were so heartily ashamed of it, that, as soon as they
could, they rescinded ; and Lord Erskine so 'greatly disap-
proved the measure, that a day or two after this debate was
closed,- his Lordship prevailed on Sir John Anstruther and
Mr. Sheridan to represent to the Haase.' that he had not given
his consent to it ; and if he had done so, he would have with-
drawn it. • -

The profession of an Attorney, I believe, has increased in
respectability of late years, and they are personally taxed be-
yond every othei profession. Mr. Serjeant Onslow, in this
Session, obtained an Act of Parliament to introduce all men
from the Universities by a three years', instead of a 'floe years'
Clerkship ; and so great was the liberality of its present mem-
, hers, that not one of them opposed the Bill; but, perhaps, they
little expected that so soon after Mr. Serjeant Onslow thus
opened the profession of an Attorney to a sudden influx of
members, the tenchers of the Inner Temple would shut their
Hall against their admission, and degrade them man unworthy
cast by denying them their ancient privileges, and by an ex Fest
facto law excluding them altogether from the Hall. The first
order against Attorneys Was to exclude from call every Attor-
ney who bad not ceased 'to. practice two years • then we had
an order of exclusion, if not struck off the roll two years ;
now the order is to exclude Attornies altogether from keep-
ing cornrrions, and, by. and by,. we shall hear cf Mr.
or some equally liberal-minded men, with sons called to the'
Bar, proposing orders to exclude men who hart been Attor-•
neys' Clerks altogether from the'call. •On behalf of the Pro-
fession, challenge any man to name Gentlemen called to the
P.ar from Attorneys' desks who have disgraced their Profes-
sion, or conducted themselves dishonestly or dishonourably.—
' If this cannot be done, • surely there can be no iust'cause for
tithe hasty and- unfair exclusion. But I will undravi the
curtain, Mr. Editor, and strew you the other side of the pic-
ture, and yOu w;ll find, Sir, the most profound Lawyers,
and the best men that the Profession ever knew were brieaght
up Attorneys ; some of -them are now no more, hut their
memory and attainments -mast Elie revered by all their suc-
cessors, as long as the Profession of the Law shall be esteemed
in this country... .Clnef Justice Saunders (whose Reports,
lately edited by Mr. Serjeant; Williams, are of 7 the highest
character) was a beggar-boy, afterwards- an Attorney's Clerk,
and then a Lord Chief Justice; the Lard Chancellor Hard-
wicke, of. whom_ Lord Mansfield used to say, " that when
he pronouncedhis decrees 'Wisdom herself might be said to
speak ;" the Lord Chief Justi.ees- Strange, Willes, and Ken-
yon ' • IVIr. Dunning, afterwards Lord Ashburton • and the
late Lord Chief Baron Thorripson; served their elerlships to
Attorneys in times past ; and the late Lard Chief Justice
Gibbs ; the late Master of the Rolls,
.Sir William Grant ; the
.present Mr. Justice Burrough, and Mr. Justice Richardson,
two if not three of the present Barons of the Exchequer,
one of the Judges of the Kings Bench, Lord 'Retlesclale, Sir
Samuel Romilly, and one of the late and the present Actor-,
.ney-General, in modern times, were edueated originally at
the - desk of Attornies, 'or Qlerks in Court ; and in every one
of our Courts there are now. )ding's . Counsel,' who,, in early
life, served a clerkship to Attornies. Preston, Sagden, and
Phillips; among the tionVeneineers, and, I beir...:ve, n-ad,
and certainly Mr. Coinier, and many others among the Special
Pleaders, were Pattornies, or Attornies' Clerks. From these
names may be selected men of greater attainment:, anti as great
worth, as any of the Inner Temple -Benzhers, and the name of
Hardwicke, the ablest Equity, judge that ever at -anon the
Bench, will be remembered and revered when every Benches
who has lately attempted to degrade the proletniPo of an Attor-
ney will be forgotten, unless accide.ntelly brought to mind by
men 'who may turn over the Order Book of the 'eloeiety, as a
matter of history, to discover the• namhs efeßenehers
ctistir-
guished by this _unmerited hostility towarthl A.Stosniee at le ow.
• The Attornies vabrthited to. heavy pereoriiogicsition• With-
out a murmur,. they did not object to the aisnission of new
Members among them >by Mr. Serjeant Ortslors rnya't road;
but if without rtsehtmene they suffiir this or tt pass. by
them as theidle' wind'Whieh they regard note Thrio:!tsineerely
hope that every Week w It produce sothe net. 'OppeLision or
some new insult to their body. Let' din baw•Stvieeks meet
and represent the impropriety of
,suth- orders- to*he :french:its
themselves; if theyetan obtain an atilienee, and if net, pro-
pose an Attorney possessed of
_chaniber-4- as a iember, and
try the King's Bench .for a.mandamus, or go-to Pitri;..enent for
redress, and get a Cohninttee appointed to in:nvite into the
cause of this order ; let Attorties ectifer
with -all the Members upon' it. Cline ClA4iiinan's obser-
vations, when this order was inadea I shall pets, at a fnture
time, on the authority of a Bench/it., coanmaticate and corn-
ment upon •threnigh the public .press. I am, Mr,"Editor,
man of humble •tal-ent, but I should be very proud to meet the
proposer or -supporters of this order on this, subject:, and if I
did, they should not retire from the contest without either pro-
mising to rescind it, or standing convicted of an uncalled for
attack on Gentlemen from whose hands they- have ' rezeived-the
weans of obtaining wealth, honours, and prornotiOn ; rr,a iEthiz,
Order be persisted in op the piincipie that Attorneys are unfit for
association with the. other Members of the Hall, or unworthy of
being admitted to honourable -competition' with theme I do
trust, _with the spirit that oeght to infinenee them an, breinren„
that they would_ riot by immediate personal commetnication
shock their refined feelings, or on 'any occasion int-hide upon
their immacelate presence. e If the PrOfesaion sleeps' on this
insult., you shall near from me again,and I will comment. mere at
large epee: the tx. pc,sl:, into lave, The ton el exeltiehie in the
sad I Itii3lito esil '-re.ea off the Bt T 3. bond het in minor
arrenhereent, etzeieshbeneath my inehee, the sales is Itryz:‘,t,.bc-
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