Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-05-11
PORTRAIT OF GARROW.
RY Mr.. AUsTIn

oarow IS not lawyer. nor is he, in the ex.
,ensiye sense of the word. an orator: YET not
iess extraordinary than Erskine or Gibbs.
His person IS respectable. rather raw-boned
ms race is square fiat; his complexion dry,
h;o own REQ ms forehead high. which appears
ns;" .iaousn total defeet of eyebrows |; his
ehin IS triangular and litte prominent.
barrow, the son of a country cIerorvrn,r ,,,,-
eonsiaered IN his childhood, dead weybt on
'soe'ey' Until the age OF thirteen, he was = COW.
10y and, at that age, his intellect. promised
no'hiny. Ills father sent him, about ria, rc,;-
~ at a venture. to London. What occupa,ion
'o"owed know not but he found mis- way.
.sns,h' 10 the nightly debating societies. a.
Wihcn ne soon discovered wonderf,I "a, .;
In reply. and copious aow of or;g;n,l r,.,.s-
winch his want Of education rendered n, ~,
own 'e" an ms
re entered on the study of the law. 7 susnsa
under unfavorable circumstances for he r..
menced a. the Old Bailey. Hence. If hrr,,r
nature wore bat one aspect, Garrow would n.,u.
ra'y paint 1t black. Most men, in the profess.
on OF law II they have ability. attain eminen~e
lawyer never appears full grown
~ rice. like an air balloon, or a new c,e,,.J
lord lie IS obliged tc arrive at Certainty thror,,h
the labyrinth OF uncertainty. Garrow. ,boneh
ne oScauc famous, soon rs he showed h;r,..3r
oia not depend on his acquisitions for ce,ebr,,v
AS counsellor for felons as the Old Bailey. he
was necessarily spectator of human denrav,v
from Its tirst moment of lax principle ,othe las,
ceSree o. abandoned practice. The crim;n,,
eoHe OF iaw' In this country, is so dispropor.i.
o,-r, 80 oaroarous, so unnatural, that Carrow
might frequently deem 1t matter of princ;nie ;,
save the guilty. Hence. the more desncr,te ~
situation of the felon, the more severely wonl5
he tax his ingenuity.
Carrow, while at the Old Bailey, was an i'm.
Pecimenf IN the way of Justice. The only re.
Inedy was to make him kings counsellor.
mrs placed him, at once, beside Erskine. Gibbs.
balas and Park, in the kings bench. The "a.
gaeity which distinguished him, in criminal ca /.
sss' ionowea nm to The more ample field ofR
uSation. There, amidst the ntricacies Of self
interest. fraud and cunning he divests the cause
OF every assumed colour, Or as readily extr;caes
sunering innocence from the fange of the oppres
sor. His wonderful Knowledge of human na,ure
Is only equalled. by his facility of entering ,n.o
the feelings, views. and conduit of mankind. mn
ger All circumstances He is perfea master of
thedoetnne of the probabilities of human condua.
whne the variety OF causes which Guldhall af.
lords, gives hin an extensive view broad an rhe
relations OF society He is a rnetaphyscjan.
and what is more. knows how to reduce his r,e
ta'hysics to common sense, and TO the purposes
oil common lille No casuist could enter more So i.
Saciously nro the theory of the gpW moriue, ne
oessftg. ESQ palpaby distinguish between the me-
et,sDy, the indifferent and the crr-r-,s- of human
aeiions But his chief excellence consists in i'm
pressing on the Jury full and distinct apprehen-
sion Ut the merits Of the case. Its the fault of
some great lawyers to enter too deeply into their
Causes they injure them By attempting, before
the jury. to give them false importance. Gar.
row, on the contrary. comprehends with glance,
Just now much the case will bear, and 10 what
length he may presume on the jury. Then, af-
ter Clear and precise opening of the cause in
which Is contained the real outline, which he
knows his evidence will support, he rises in a
moment TO the middle style Of eloquence, and
with 4 Rucncy surprising Erskine's, turns his
back on the Judge. and worms himself into the
common sense Of the Jury. with whom he never
hazards a dubious point. by urging ii beyond the
bounds OF fair pausibiity. Here he takes his
stand: By resting his case their own compe
tency, he pays Difference, & Experimentation
while. without any considerable effort on their
par, they FOLLOW him at their ease. Never. like
Gibbs and Erskine, does he address himself part.
iy 10 the judge, and partly to the Jury. but he
seems 10 leap over the bar, Gorgetful OF all the
so'emnties of his profession, into the midst of
the jury. hisfellows himself at their head, sa-
gacioGs pointer they are ready to follow from,
White Chapel to Hyde Park.
NoIhins great, no sublime apos,rophes. no ap-
peal to the passions. no disirs6fing dgressions
no learning, not even law learning, trouble the
pure stream of his e,oqueuce. With the rapidiy
of lightning. he touches on all the imp0rtan,
points, throwing out with the one hand and esta.
blishing with the other, whatever is imma5esia
or substantial; thus ne lays before the jury the
marrow of the cause, and, lest he should obscure
il with circuTrlocuticn. when he has SAID all that
the jury can bear, Garrow appears TO be exhaust
ed.
lie attaches move surely than Erskine himself
The latter sometimes strains the feelings toe
high: amidst a world of matter, he is in danger
OF losing sight Of the question. Garrow never
yet wantoned 20 the prejudice ofhis client. He
never, like the eagle, ascends TO the sun. but hC
never forgets his suit to chase butterflies Though
his style Of speaking and tone of voice are al
ways the same. yet his penetration is so subtle
and his conclusions so natural, thar he succeeds
in convincing the jury he is only Calculating then
own sentiments. Thus. whatever he gains, in
stauiIy becomes part OF the verda no mat
ter whether right or wrong, that is the judges
not his concern.