The Portland daily press., 1864-10-24
Anecdotes Of English Judges.

The July number of Frazers Magazine has
the following stories
"LoId Mansfield, the prince Of courtesy was
in the habit Of reading newspapers and an
swering letters in court Lord Eldon did so
too, and Lord Abinger would do it ostenta-
tiousiy and oftensiyely to mark his contempt 4
for the advocate. Lord Glare who had a life 4
long ieud with Curran, beginning with duel,
once brought a Newfoundland dog into
court, and gave it his exclusive attention
whilst Curran was talking. The counsel
paused. Proceed, Mr.. Curran pray proceed
said the lord chancellor, looking up, with his
hand on the head of his canine companion
Il will proceed, my lord, when your lordships
have concluded your consultation.' "a
Anecdotes abound OF Chief Justice Willes'
gallaniry, not to say profigacy, which we
cannot venture to reproduce; and Boswell re-
ports conversation with johnson, in 17I3,
which appears TO have been suggested by some
judicial irregularity. On the same evening,
he would not allow that the private life OF u
judge, in England, was required to be so strict
ly decorous as supposed. why, then, sir
said |, according to your account, an English
Judge must live like gentleman johnson
replied, Yes, sir, If he cam
"When Lord Nortaington (Henley) was
Master of the Rolls, he requested leave ofthe
king to discontinue the evening sitting of his
cOQILs anu OH DClIk CdLtcu Ou lOI q EcdSOQ
replied, Because, please your majesty am
ALWAYS drunk after dinner Within the men,
ory OF the senior members of the profession
the court OF exchequer was stated to be COM.
posed of one Judge, who was gentleman and
no LAWYER a second who was lawyer and no
gentleman third, who was neither and a
fourth, who was both. This description, In
which strict accuracy may have been sacri-
Aced to sntithesis, recalls Charles Lambs joe
nlar remark on his four friends Of the Lake
school-that one would tell q lie, but would
not pick pocket another would pick pock-
ct, put would not tell a lie; third would do
neither; and fourth would do hoth-selectine
of course, the professed moralist for the elf
max.
"Ihe gentleman Judge, not a lawyer, was
Raron Hranan ana some curious stories are
told of his uniform pollteness On the bench.
In his day it was usual to suspend iudgment
in criminal cases till the conclusion Of he %.
sizes, and deliver all the sentences in lurnp.
A name had been accidentally omitted in tha
list of capital punishments, of which he was
reminded op coming to the end of the list
tlh, yes, see, John Thomson-John Thom-
son, ! beg your pardon; you are also to be
hanged by the neck till you ara dead, and may
the Lord have mercy on your miserable soul
toon F
"Johnson records that, at the trial of Saw
age for murder, Page concluded an inf1amma-
tory address to the jury in this fashion: Gen
tlemen of the jury, you are to consider thai
Mr.. Savage is very great man, much great
er man than you or /, gentlemen Of the jury
that he wears very fine clothes, much finer
than you or l, gentlemen Of the jury; that he
has abundance of money In his pocket, much
more than you or |, gentlemen of the jury
but, gentlemen Of the Jury, is 1t not very
hard case, gentlemen Of the jury, that Mr.
Savage should therefore kill you or me, gentle
men Of the jury?"