Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-08-18
GEOGRAPHICAL.
Lord Mansfield.

"Lord Mansfield must,I think, be consid
cred themost prominent legal charactcranc
the brightest ornament to the profession
of the law that appeared in England du
ring the last century. As an advocate he
did not display the impassioned eloquence
Of Erskine, but he was for many years
the first man at the bar among powe fu
competitors. But before a jury in the
common-law courts, and addressing a sin.
gle judge in the courts Of equity, by the
calm exertion Of reason, he won ever,
cause in which right was with him, OF
which was doubtful. There wasa com
mon saying in those days, "Mr. Murray s
statement Is ofitself worth the argument
OF any other man" Avoiding the vulgar
fault Of misrepresentng and cxaggeratine
facts, he placed them in point of view
so persPlcuous and so favorable to his eli
ent, that the verdict was secure before the
narrative was closed. The observations
which followed seemed TO suggest trains
OF thinking rather than to draw conclu.
slons; and SO skilfully did he conceal his
art that the hearers thought they formed
their opinion in consequence of the work
lngs their own minds, when in truth il
was the effect OF the most refined dialectics
For parliamentary oratory he was more
considerable than any lawyer our profes-
sion could boast ofllll the appearance oi
Henry Brougham--having been for many
years IN both Houses in the very first rank
of debaters. Lord Somers entered Par
| h.luf1pt ln,a Hf.
without long preparation. Lord Cowper
was much more ready; but he lad not
had the benefit of an acadcmical education,
and his political information was rather
limited. Lord Harcourt hardly asplred to
rise above the level of the Tory squires by
whom he was surrounded. Lord Mac
clesiield was unpolished, though forcible
and Lord King was dull and uresome
Lord Hardwicke had very moderate sue
cess in the House of Commons, and his
weight In the House of Lords arose rather
from his high judicial reputation than from
his eloquence. Lord CamJen's set spec
ches in the House of Lords were admira-
bic; but he had been found quite unequal
to the noise and irregularities of the House
OF Commons. Ounning, amidst all this
turbulence, was in his element, and was
listened to almost as well as Charles Fox
himself; but he could not bear the stiffness
ofthe upper House, and there fell into In
significance. Even Lord Plunkett caused
disappointment when he spoke in the
House of Lords. after having been ac-
knowledged in the House Of Commons to
be superiorto Peel or to Canning. Meth
er in the one House nor in the other did
Erskine ever do any thing at all commen.
surate to his forensic reputation. Thur
low prevailed more by the shagginess OF
his eyebrows and the loudness of his vo-
ciferation than by his sentiments or his ex.
pressions; and the effect of Wedderburn's S
oratory, which was far more artistic, was
ruined by his character for insinccrity.-
When Lord Eldon had broken down, in
an attempt he made in the House of Com
mons to be humorous, be never aimed al
anything beyond the pitch of an equity
| pleader; and Lord Redesdale's speeches
in Parliament would have been reckoned
dull even in the Cosrt of Chancery.-
Of Lord Mansfeld's three contemporaries
Lord Kenyon, Lord Peterborough, and
Lord Tenderden- the first affected a
knowledge of nothing beyond law, except
few Latin quotations which he constant
ly mlsapplied, the second, though a schol
ar, and ripe and good one, was only a
few months in the House ofCommons, du.
ring which he did nothing beyond bring
ing in law bill, and in the House of Lords
he rather alarmed the Peers by violent
ebulltions Of indignation 'ha, charmed OF
convinced them by polished reasoning
the last having devoted all his best years
to the drawing ofspecial pleas, never wa:
member of the House of Commons, and
the few times that he addressed the Lords
he seemed to be opening to the jury the
issues joined on some very complicated
record. But when Murray was in the
House of Commons the existence of ad
ministrations depended upon his giving oi
Withholding from them the aid Of his elo-
quence, and in the House ofLords he was
listcnedto with increased respectand defer
ence. The combination ofthis excellence
with hisother performances is Ger tainly
much to bcwondcred at, for, while h;scom
petitors were preparing forthe approaching
conflict by coming over the works of or
ators and poets, he was obliged to devote
himself to the Year Books, and TO FIJI hi:
mind with the subtleties of contingent re-
mainders and executory devices Who is
there that could have argued against Jus,
tice Blackstone in the morning concern.
ing the application of the rule in Shelley.
case, and in the evening shown himself e
! quail to Lord Chatham on the question o.
the right of the British Parliament to tax
America, or the policy of declaring war a
gainst Spain!
"Nothing remains TO be said for the
purpose of proving. that he was the first OF
common law judges. Looking 10 the state
of the court of kings bench in his time. il
is impossible not toenvy the good fortune
Of those who practised under him. The
timid were encouraged by his courtesy,
and the boldest were awed by his author.
ity From his quickness repetition and
prohxiiy were inexcusable; and there was
no temptation to make bad points, as soph-
istry was sure to be detected, and sound