Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-07-15
MIR. LITGARE.

Mr.. Justice STORY, in the course of one OF
his customary Lectures to the Law class under
his charge, spoke with much eloquence and
feeling of the late Attorney General. His re-
marks have been published in the Boston Daily
Advertiser we extract from them the follow
ing:
"When | last met YOU, little anticipated
the caamtous event, which has since occurred
in the death of distinguished man who eXpir
ed in the city of Boston on Tuesday morning
last. Whoever considers the principles of the
Constitution can never forget him for he was
elevated and comprehensive satesmanship,
which the Constitution demands cf its real
friends. | refer OF course, to Mr. Lcgare, the
late Attorney General, with whom had the
happiness to be intimately acquainted whom
knew not only US an accomplished gentleman,
but also as a great lawyer. lspeak of him TO
you here, not merely 10 pay deserved tribute
TO his worth, but because | know of no man
to young men entering the profession, which
he has so much adorned. | had indeed looked
to him with great fondness of expectation. |
haG looked to see him accomplish what he was
so we'll fitted to do, what, | know, was the
darling object of his pure ambitlon-to engrait
the Civil Law upon The Jurisprudence of tins
country, and thereby to expand the Common
Law to greater usefulness and wider adapta-
,ion 10 thn nrnn resc of srcinfv
1t is most singular circumstance, that emf
nence in general literature should, in the pub
lie mind, dctract from a mans reputation as a
| lawyer. 1t is an unworthy prejudice, for GER
tainly the science of Jurisprudence may bor-
row aid as well as receive ornament from the
| cultivation ofall the other branches of human
| knowledge. But the prejudice cXists-and yet
one would think that the public had witnessed
so many examples of men who were great
scholars and great lawyers likewise, that the
prejudice might be at this day disarmcd of SC
much of its quality as is apt 10 do injustice tC
the reputation of living men. Lord Mansfield
was most eminent scholar in general letters
| but he was also unsurpassed in jurisprudence
| Sir VIM. Blackstone was SO elegant scholar
that his Commentaries are models Of pure Eng
lish prose but they are none the less the in
valuable mine of the laws Of England. I.ort
Stowell, the friend and Executor of DR.. John
son, war, in various nttalnments, exceeded by
few; but his knowledge of general jurispru
dence was greater than that Of any man of hi.
day. Some of the proudest names now on III,
! English benches are some Of Englands bes
scholars. But there as well as hcre--thougl
certainly it is far greater herc-thc public pre-
iudce almost denies to a great scholar the righ
to be eminent as jurist DIR. Johnson has said
Aud mark what ills the scholars life assa
Toll, envy, want, the patron and the gaol.
None of these were the evils of our friend. Iii
only evil was, that his reputation as q lawye
was sometimes underrated, because OF his grea
general attainmcnts.-But nothing could b
more unfounded than this idea. He consider
ed the Law as his pursuit as his object a
the field OF his ambition. Fifteen years ago,
knew him as an eminent lawyer; he afterward
| q
Brussels, where he resided, devoted himself q
new to the study OF the Civil Law, with a vle'
10 make it subseryicnt 10 the great object {
his life, the expansion o:the Common Law, an
the forcing into it the enlarged and llber'
principles and lust morality of the Rcman lurI:
prudence object he seemed about TO az
compish; for his arguments before the st
premc Court were crowded with the principle
of the Roman Law wrought into the texture {
the Common Law with great success. In eve
ry sentence that heard, | was struck with th
union of the two systems.
At the same time. the whole was wrougl
in style beautiful and chaste, but never pas
ing from the line OF the argument nor losln
sight of the cause. His augmentation wa
marked by the closest logic; at the same TIM
he had presence in speaking, which hav
never seen eXcelled lie had warm, rC
style, but he had no defamation; for he kne
that defamation belongs neither to the juri
nor to the scholar 1t was only during the la
summer, that he wrote to me that he ntendC
TO translate IIeineccus's Elements for !
1 wished, he said, To entlce the American Law
, yer to the study ofthe Civil Law. lie adde
: that he had nothing to gair by undertaken
! such a work, but that he would undergo the i
Dor as a homage to his country. Knowing h
4 eminent qualifications for the task, | advise
: him to make the translation, and to add to
Y notes of his own, so as to adapt the principle