Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-07
ENGLISH LAWYERN.

A correspondent Of the Boston Adler
tiser gives the following information In re-
lation to English lawyers .
"The present number Of barristers in
England il rather less than 5000. Oftheee
a few gain enormous incomes, sometimes
reaching $4,000, or even G20, 900 a year
and many acquire handsome cOmpetences.
Barristers have position in society which
no trade in the country obtains, and have
the advantage also Of being eligible 70
many Offices and dignities Of state from
which every one outside the profession is
excluded. How often do | hear literary
men exclaim, after middle life is reached,
"WhAt things ] might have had II | had
gone 10 the bar 2" While there are hum
dreds who never see a brief, or have their
professional training brought into play, but
either 20 into literature, marry some one
with money, or live in chambers on BONE
small family property-there lie at the
same time the fact that half the House Of
Peers is filled with legal lords Of the pres
ent day, or the descendants Of those Of
former days, showing what prizes lie within
their reach. -Four "lnns Of Court" have
the exclusive right Of admitting outsiders
90 the ranks Of the profession. Each inn
il governed by "benchers" who have the
control Of all funds and the call Of men 70
the barr One inn has an annual income
of about e2l 600; second has about 3d.
600; a third ElS,0O0, and a fourth has
about GS3O0. Some half Of this income is
paid 10y the students and barristers. Each
bencher pays ESQ or ESQ 20 his society
on his appointment, and gets in return
only an excellent daily dinner during
term-time for a mere trihe, and a pro-
liability amounting nearly TO GER
tsinty Of obtaining a good set OF
chambers for life. Just now some COM
plants are raised against the benehers. it
il contended that they fix the rent too
high for the chambers; that luncheon
should be served a. we'll as dinner. Each
inn possesses noble dining halls, excellent
Kitchens, and a large staff of servants. The
student pays three shillings and the bar
risters three shillings and sixpence for a
plain dinner and a half pint Of wine,
bat as you may suppose this dinner does
not pay its own expenses. At one OF the
inns between two and three thousand
pounds are paid away in allowance and
salaries TO servants. But more serious
grievance is the insufficient educational
opportunities afforded TO the students. The
Inns of Court have four noble Libraries at
the disposal of their students, but the latter
find greater inconvenience in using them.
If a student goes to the library of his inn
for mornings reading Of some text book,
he finds his study interrupted every few
minutes by an application for the book
from a barrister who has run in from
chambers TO look up some small point
which has arisen in the practice; in the
evening the library is closed, and no book
can be taken away save by bencher.
Again he must first obtain an order from
bencher from the other inn, before he can
set foot in any library save his own There
is no reason whatever why the Libraries
should not be opened in the evenings. The
attorneys have an excellent library which
is open up TO 10 o'clock at night. A sePa-
rate library should be established for the
students. The body is more than the mind
with the benchers. At the Inner Temple
about $500 is spent on the library and
G2OOO on eating and drinking"