The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-10 00:00:00

THE LATE JOSHUA LACE, ESQ

We briefly noticed in our last paper the death, in the 80th
year of his age, of Joshua Lace, Esq., which took place at
his house, in Little Woolton, on the morning of Thursday
last; and we have now a melancholy satisfaction, in remem-
brance of the many excellencies of his character, as a father,
a friend, and a Christian, in submitting the following short
sketch of his long and useful life :—;

Mr. Lace was born at Liverpotil in August, 1762, (the
month in which the late King George the Fourth was also
born,) and was the father of the legal profession of his nati'.
town. He received his early education at Rainford, near
Prescot, under the able tuition of Mr. Holden and Mr. Fos-
ter. The latter gentleman, who was the Latin master, having
afterwards commenced an establishment at Little Woolton,
the subject of this notice was again placed under his care ;
and the pleasing recollections of his juvenile enjoyments and
pursuits in that delightful locality induced him to select it
as the scene of his final residence,—his house, which he de-
nominated " The Throstle's Nest," being about a quarter of
a mile from the seminary where he completed his scholastic
studies.

At the age of about sixteen, he was indentured to Mr. Hut-
ton, solicitor, and principal assistant (or deputy) of Mr.
Gildart, the then highly respected town-clerk. He served
his term of seven years with much credit to himself, and from
his diligence arid acuteness became a great favourite with
Mr. Gildart in particular, who was wont to refer to him as a
youth who would become an ornament to his profession.
Even at that early age, such was the confidence reposed in
him that he frequently acted as a partner, and also occa-
sionally as deputy coroner. At the close of his apprenticeship
he contemplated commencing practice on his own account, and
for that purpose took a suite of apartments in Sweeting-street;
but his intention becoming known to the late Mr. Aspinall,
and Mr. Roscoe, (afterwards so celebrated in the literary
world,) who were then in partnership as solicitors, proposals
were made to him to join them in the concern, which he
accepted,—the firm being then " Aspinall, Roscoe, & Lace."
In a few years, during which they were highly successful,
Mr. Aspinall retired, leaving Mr. Roscoe and himself the sole
partners. In the life of Roscoe it will be found that that
distinguished scholar makes mention of him in a letter to his
friend, Mr. Bewdy, of London, in terms of high commenda-
tion, stating that " he had made a most advantageous con-
nexion with Mr. Joshua Lace,• which -would leave him more
leisure to devote to his favourite pursuits—literature and
gardening." It may be remarked, that at this time Mr.
Roscoe resided in a house in Lord-street, which, at the
period alluded to, had a fine garden behind it, in which
bloomed many fine plants and flowers. Mr. Roscoe after-
wards resided in a house at the bottom of Harrington-street,
previously inhabited by the celebrated " merchant James,"
which (as well as two others) was gutted in 1774-5, during
the riots of the sailors on the threatened reduction of their
wages to 255. per month.*
It may here be stated, that the late Mr. Munden, so
highly distinguished in after life as a comedian, was, when a
young man, contemporary, as a clerk at Mr. Gildart's office,
with Mr. Lace, and that in his convivial moments the latter
frequently related instances of dramatic drollery in the
embryo aspirant for histrionic fame, in which he occasionally
indulged in relaxing from the rigid discipline of the desk—
to the infinite amusement of his graver associates.
In furtherance of the new pursuits which he had chalked
out for himself, Mr. Roscoe left the concern soon after Mr.
Aspinall, and it was carried on by Mr. Lace himself, whose
legal acumen, punctuality, and strict attention to the inter-
ests of those who employed him, earned him "golden opini-
ons of all sorts of men." He afterwards took as a partner
Mr. Wm. 'Hassel, at the time secretary to Sir Benjamin
Hammet, the celebrated banker, from London, who had here
formed a banking establishment. The partnership was- ter-
minated in five years—the term of the original agreement—
by Mr. Lace himself, on whom, from his active habits and
early attendance at the office, had devolved the almost sole
management of the concern. He was afterwards joined by
Mr. Miller, and throughout a long professional life (of up-
wards of half a century, in all) he took others into partner-
ship, including, latterly, his two sons,—the firm being suc-
cessively, as circumstances dictated the prudence of a change,
" Lace, Miller, and Lace," " Lace and Sons," " Lace, Sons,
and Myers," " Laces, Clay, and Myers," and finally, as at
present, " Laces, Myers, and Rigge."
As a lawyer, Mr. Lace ranked amongst the foremost in
his profession. Sensible, discriminative, and clear-headed,.
he shrunk not from undertaking the most intricate and
subtile cases, provided always they were of an honourable
character; for, actuated by the strictest integrity, he repudi-
ated all, the proceedings in which might bear the remotest
affinity to meanness or the employment of chicanery. To
employ the language of a contemporary—the Mercury,
which pays a generous tribute to his memory, in him " the
strictest integrity was combined with the most polished
suavity :" and when he considered a case untenable, no con-
sideration of certain individual emolument restrained him
from a candid avowal of his opinion, and his advice of aban-
nonment. Upright in all, his sole aim was to obtain
" justice," in the common sense, not merely in the " legal,"
and oft-perverted acceptation of the word. Thus guided,
when he undertook a case, he became interested in it as
warmly as if it were his own, and carried it out with a
promptitude, decision, and ability that seldom failed to com-
mand success. By his undeviating adherence to the princi-
ples of strict probity and integrity—to him a natural and
indomitable impulse, not a compulsory restraint—he con-
tributed, as much as any man living, to shed the lustre of
respectability upon a profession unhappily too often rendered
unpopular by the pursuance of a system discreditable to the
practitioner, and not unfrequently ruinous to the client.
Ever desirous to give all who were under him the full
advantage of his own legal knowledge, and proud to witness
their advancement in life, he had the enviable satisfac-
tion of having trained and educated in his office many
of the most eminent men who now adorn the profession.
Amongst these we may enumerate our present talented town-
clerk, Mr. Radcliffe, whom he was wont familiarly to call
" Dick," and who, he prognosticated, would turn out an ac-
tive and discriminating man of business ; also Mr. Crook,
late deputy town-clerk, Mr. Thomas Harvey, Mr. Carson,
Mr. Miller, and Mr. Peel, (now Miller and Peel,TMr. John
North, Mr. Latham Hanmer, jun., and many others. It is
but justice to add, that he carried into public life that gene-
rosity of disposition that characterised him in private, and
that he has often been known to devote his time and his ta-
lents to the interests of indigent but deserving clients as assi-
duously as to those of the wealthy, and without any charge
but for the stamps to the requisite documents.
At about the age of twenty-six, Mr. Lace married Marga-
ret, daughter of Mr. Griffiths, a timber merchant of Chester.
By this—his only marriage—he had four sons, and five
daughters, of whom two of the former, (now in the firm,)
and three of the latter survive him.

In private life Mr. Lace was all that could be desired as a
parent, a friend, and a companion. Some years ago he gave
up his town house in Camden-street to reside at Little Wool-
ton, where he had purchased an estate, the house on which
he had previously enlarged, and occupied as a summer resi-
dence. Having latterly retired from the turmoils of business
in the town, though he still pursued his professional duties
at home, he there enjoyed himself in the bosom of his family.
He had in earlier life imbibed a taste for agriculture and
gardening (which was fostered to a considerable extent by
his surviving brother, the veteran Captain Lace, now of
Holt-hill) ; he devoted his leisure hours to those pursuits, and
to reading, with a degree of ardour approaching to enthusi-
asm ; and his taste and perseverance as a horticulturist are
sufficiently evinced by the vastly improved and tine condi-
tion of his garden and grounds. His active habits were as
conspicuous in the family circle, in the autumn of life, as in
his office when he was in the zenith of manhood ; and he was
never seen to be idle, but constantly engaged in improve-
ments out of doors, in business, or in study. When profes-
sionally busy his manner was grave, approaching to austerity ;
but, fond of enlightened society, he relaxed into cheerfulness
amidst the numerous friends whom he drew around him,
and, with a fund of anecdote and " experiences," contri-
buted much to the social and blameless pleasures of the fire-
side. He was never known to raise the rent of one of his
tenants; and his charity and good offices to the unfortunate
were extensive, but so unobtrusive as to be scarcely known
save to the grateful objects of his benevolence. We may
adduce one instance of this amiable trait in his character.
An aged female who had lost her husband, was from five to
six years in one of his houses without being required to pay a
farthing of rent. It may, indeed, be said of him, that he
was one of those who " did good by stealth, and blushes' to
find it fame."

The friend and associate of Roscoe, and also of his neigh-
bour the Rev, and learned Dr. Sheppard, (himself, however,
a Protestant,) he advocated the prinCiples of civil and religious
liberty, though he abhorred all reckless inroads upon the con-
stitution. He was also a patron of science, literature, and
the fine arts ; and amongst his collection of paintings is the
celebrated original picture by Fuseli, of the division of the
territory of Wales, formerly in the possession of his relation
and partner, the late Mr. William Roscoe.
The affectionate attentions of his family " gilded the even-
ing of his life's decay," and he bore his last illness (an effu-
sion of water in the head, superadded to the growing infir-
mities of age) with a meekness and resignation becoming the
closing days of the honest man and the good Christian. The
affection of the head probably owed its origin to the latent
effects of an injury received about 40 years ago, and which had
nearly terminated fatally. On returning home from a journey
to London, while the impress service was at its height, a num-
ber of persons, conceiving that the stage-coach in which he
was seated, with others, was filled with sailors, cut the reins
of the horses, as the vehicle was passing down London-read,
and the horses set off at full speed down Shaw's-brow. Being
alarmed for his safety, he opened the door, jumped out, and
fell violently on the back of his head. He was so much hurt
that his life was for some days despaired of, but being of a
naturally strong constitution he apparently recovered his
accustomed health.

In compliance with his own wish, frequently expressed,
but more particulary a few days before his death, that his
funeral should be unmarked by any ostentatious display, he
was followed to the family vault, Trinity Church, merely
by his relatives and a few private friends, a list of whom
he had prepared,—to the regret of numerous acquaintances,
who, had it been otherwise, would have availed themselves
of the occasion to pay the last sad tribute of respect to
his memory as a man of sterling worth and unblemished
reputation.

* On this occasion, a large body of the rioters proceeded to the
house of Mr. Lace's father, in St. Paul's-square, and knocking
at the door, demanded to see" Merchant Lace ". Mrs. Lace being
alarmed lest they should proceed to ♦iolence, opened the window
only, and a parley ensued, (luring which she informed them (as was
the fact) that Mr. Lace was in Manchester, but was expected horns
on the following day. She also, to conciliate their forbearance,
threw out amongst them the money she had in her pocket, to drink
his health, and they—aware that he was averse to the proposed re-
daction of their wages, made the square resound with their hearty
cheers for his long Ilfe and prosperity, and, with good humour, took
their departure.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE APPROACHING PARLIAMEN-
TARY CAMPAIGN.—A Stafford paper has the following :
" Lord Melbourne.—During the past week his:lordship has
taken equestrian exercise daily, accompanied by his steward,
Mr. Fox." In addition we can state that HILLI-ONNEE
PALMERSTON took a gallop last week, in the neighbourhood
of Bridgeuorth, and, for so old a hack, looks and goes very
well.
ARREST OF A RESPECTABLE ROMAN CATHOLIC AT TILE
Sure OF A PRIEST.—A circumstance has just come to our
knowledge which is strongly corroborative of the fact, that
few men in this world are worse treated than the Roman
Catholics who voted for the miscalled liberal party. It ap-
pears that a respectable Roman Catholic who resides in this
county, and who was considerably embarrassed, voted for the
" liberal party" some years back, and for which he was per-
mitted to borrow a sum of money, on his bond, from a priest
which money, it is alleged, was a portion of the suns paid by
Mr. Raphael for the privilege of representing the county.
This gentleman owed money to several Protestants, who gave
him a security that he would not be sued for six months, in
order to Ilford him every facility for arranging his affairs.
Armed with these securities the gentleman proceeded to
Dublin, confident of the friendship of the priest ; but, lo !
the good and pious man, in the interim, took proceedings,
the gentleman was arrested at his suit, and he is now an in-
mate of the Sheriff's Prison, in Dublin / Such is the mer-
ciful, the tender, and the compassionate manner in which the
liberal priest treated his friend, who was induced to vote
against his own conviction, and in direct opposition to his
interests, calculating on the pledges and the sacred promises
of the priests and the Liberal Club !—Carlow Sentinel.

MEETING OF THE BIRKENHEAD. POLICE
COMMISSIONERS.

A general meeting of the commissioners under the Bir-
kenhead poliCe act was held i❑ the • Town-hall, Birkenhead,
on the evening of Tuesday, " for the despatch of business."
Only 'about ten commissioners were 'in attendance. Mr. J.
H. Green was called to the chair. '

Mr. MALLADY, the law clerk, read the proceedings of.the
last general meeting.
The books of the Finance Committee being produced, Mr.
MALLABY said it appeared that no minutes had been made
since those which were confirmed on the 14th Oct., or nearly
two months ago. It certainly seemed necessary that some-
thing should be done to render that committee more efficient
than it was. There was one entry in the book which, per-
haps, might account for subsequent meetings not having been
held ; it was as follows :—" The Finance Committee beg to
call the attention of the commissioners to specify what are
their special duties; at present they only appear to be to exa-
mine the accounts ordered to be paid by different committees,
and to see that they are correctly copied into the finance
book."
Mr. ATHERTON made some remarks about a sum of £lOOO
having been expended, or ordered to be expended on certain
streets by the Road Committee, without the intervention of
the general body. _ _

STANSFIELD said it seemed to be supposed that the
Finance Committee had under their control every item of
expenditure from first to last. They had not that power ;
their simple duty was one of routine, in casting up accounts
and when they tallied to enter them in the book for that pur-
pose. The Finance Committee conceived they had not the
power which tbey ought to have in their position.
The CHAIRMAN wanted to know upon what authority the
Road Committee bad ordered that £lOOO to be paid? In the
first instance they recommended certain repairs to he done
to the extent of £5O or £100; at the following meeting, the
commissioners were recommended to pay another £lOO on
account of the roads. Now, he complained that instead of
this being an end of the business the Road Committee went
on recommending one £5O after another, without permitting
the general meeting of commissioners to know what the
original account was. '
Mr. COLE said every account was sifted at the general
board, and that the £lOOO had only been recommended, not
ordered, to be paid.

Mr. MALLABY said the question was what was the authority
of the Finance Committee, and how their powers should be
defined ? Every committee derived its authority from the
general board, and either possessed powers of expenditure in
itself in the ordinary course of its duties, or only upon
specific occasions, which were to be stated by the general
board. For instance the Road Committee should have
power to keep in repair the streets without receiving any
authority beyond their original constitutinn ; but if they laid
out new streets, not township streets, then they ought to
have a special authority from that board. This authority,
too, should appear in the public minutes of the general
board; and the chairman, when any order was made for the
payment of money by the Road Committee, should refer to
the minute of authority by which they are entitled .to spend
that money. That should be the case also with the Lighting
and Watching Committee. The supervising authority of
the Finance Committee would then be this,—that as soon as
every expenditure of the committee was laid before them
they would refer to the authority to make it, and if they did
not find any, the Finance Committee would refuse their
sanction to it till they had reported it to, and received the
sanction of, the general board. This course was reasonable
and proper.
The CHAIRMAN wanted to know the authority by which
certain committees had paid sums of money. There was no
check indeed upon any of the committees ; they might spend
as much money as they pleased ; and all was passed by the
general board, because the general board presumed they
never did wrong.
Mr. COLE said the Road Committee had gone no further,
nor did they wish to go any further, than to recommend that
a bond for £lOOO should be paid.
The CHAIRMAN.—By what authority did you recommend
this £lOOO to be paid ? '
Mr. COLE.—I tell you for the fourth time that we only re-
commended it to be paid. .

The CHAIRMAN.—But you must have had some autho-
rity for that.
Mr. MALLABY said, that in order to avoid any misunder-
standing in future, he would draw up a resolution which
should go to define the duties of the Finance Committee. He
then prepared a resolution embracing the substance of the re-
marks he had just made ; and after a short discussion it was
carried.