The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-30

Of the law at any period. His marvellous raoiditv
OF perception, his instructive discovery and
tenacious grasp OF the precise knowledge re-
CURED Tor the occasion, his pO yer OF penetrating
TO the principles and gCnerlziug the facts Of the
cases successiVcly presented to him. not only sap
Piled all want OF application aud b0ok-learning,
but prevented the outer world from even suspect
ing him OF such a wanr. We know no ono com
Derby in debate on q subject of which he
knows little or nOthiug-OnC involving the doc.
unes of political economy, for example; and his
lOrdSbip has been Cumpared by a cOmpateut critic
20 Mrs. PritChird, Of whom Johnson said hat. adj
mirably as she acted "Ludy Macbeth she never
read the play through, Nor ever knew any part
but her own. Best, afterwards Lord WynfOrd,
whose learning (suCb az 10 wasl was also picked
mp at hnp-huz nd and as he wanted it, was cele-
brged for the charm Of his voice and the graceful
iueuCy Of his ClUCutOu. OlC Of his colleagues in
the Queens Chen Kings Bench was IIOlrOyd, an
old special pCudCr Saturafed with case law, whose
mCCC Of delivery made his profoundly learned
Judgments uniutoliCible To- ALL cXCept the Judge
who sat next 30 him. That fortunate uCighh1r was
best, who might he seen carefully dottng down
authority after authority which, when his turn
came, assumed shape as different from that in
/ which they lad first been mumbled aud jun
| blcd, as the tempting edible which came out at
one end Of the sausagc-makng machine, re-
/ corded in "pCkwiCk" =" differed from the rude and
| somewhat heterogeneous material thrown iu at
/ the other, COuBbum was never drives tO such
| an CNpcdcnt. On the beach, by the time the
/ Cuuusel-suppOsiug them tO be worth their salt
/ have concluded their arguments, he Is armed at
| all points and ready 10 give judgment. Az the
| bar, he could commonly have followed, With very
little risk, the avOwed practice Of Currau:-
"When am for the plaintiff, am Obliged to
read my brief or most of 10; when ann for the
defendant can pick up the facts from my op-
ponent."
Cockburn then, despite OF some carly reckless
ness, soon made a reputation, became a leader
at sessions, and compelled the established lead
| cIs on his circuit trhc Wc.ten) TO look about
them. They were formidable competitors, and
not easy 70 Overtake, much less 70 distances but
there were classes Of cases in which he shOuC pre-
eminent, cases in which the indignation Of iuuCs
was to be reused or their feelings were 20 be
touched. Then his rich mellow voice and his
eXquisitely appropriate Though dramatic or melo-
dramaticl action told to GimiritiOM He was
strong in conspiracy, happy in seduction, grand
in Grim. con. His defense Of clergyman accused
Of immoral conduct by his par,hIouers was a
masterpiece in this line. Another cmiuently sue
cJssful cnoit andin the highest walk Of advocacy,
was his speech for Macuaghten, the madman
who shot Mr.. Drummond by mistake for Sir
| Robert Peel. CockbuTn's definition Of legal
| madness was the best ever delivered ia a court (;
and nothing could be happier or finer than tho
manner in which he mperCepuby shaded down
the popular horror and indignation at the crime
into pity and mercy for the perpeuatOr.
| Another field, I'm which he was re- tping golden
harvest, was presented by the committee rooms
of the Houses of Parliament, particularly in cleo
tion cases, when, with the well.tOuuded con-
| SCiOu6nesS OF superior talent, ne mhue up MS
mind to play the great game, and was the
successful candidate for Southampton in 1913.
lie was not fully appreciated ut first by the
House Of Commons. There is a lurking preju-
| dice against lawyers, as class whose trade
| is talking and To acquire parliamentary las
/ Conradistingushed from a professionally posi-
tiOn, is becoming harder and harder annu-
ally, by reason of the time required to get
| up such subjects in such manner as to command
the attention Of 50 practical and business-like an
assembly. His opportunity came at last, and he
made the best of it. In the course of the Don
Pacihco debate, the Whg Government were look
ing about for a supporter who could defend their
policy from the legal point of view-the point OF
view from which it had been more vigorously
Rssailed. They fixed upon Cockburn, who, duly
| instructed, undertook the case, and made one OF
was wont TO carry iuries along with him. The
house, in this instance, resembled a jury, except
in impartiaity and Lord PamerstOn's position
was closely analogous TO that Ofthe defendant in
an action for trespass and eXtOTtiOn. The foreign
secretary was brought off with flying COlOrs, and
he was not the man 10 forget service of this
kind
Fastidious critics thought that the style Of
oratory thus Opportunely aud effectively brought
into play sayOred too much of the H'St prjiH
court; but no one denied that n forensic debAteI
had arisen, capable Of rendering good service to
his party either in an official or unofficial Clpl-
city. He became suCcessiVely solictor-general
and attorncy-gcneral, and, on the retirement OF
Sir John Jeryis in 1856, was created Chief
. Continued on SeUenH Page.l