Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-11
CURTOSITIES OF LAVA STRING
OF AHECnRTES

vi AHEtbbbtzN-
every man ought 10 know little law, !"
says Punch, in the Comic Blackstone, and
perhaps We may add, the lcss The better.
Considering the extreme uncertainty of the
law, il is often wondered at why we find ~
many people constantly resorting 10 it /;
yet there in doubtless satisfaction 10 both
sides in pursuing what each is firmly con-
WINGED 10 be the Justice of his canse, in
which he looks to his country Il. C., his
twelve men in a box, or his Judge upon
the bench, TO maintain him. Certainty
said Lord IlardwiCk, SIS the mother Of re-
pose and, therefore, the law aims at Imcer-
tainty." Yet, itwould be no great stretch
of skeptiClsm 10 say that, II this be thc
laws actual ann, Il very seldom hits Il !;
aud M plaintiff or defendant can feclingly
testify that the law il productive Of any
thing but reposc.
Sergeant Marryat, who was an eminent
Queens counsel some time after he bad re-
tired from practice, declared that the anKi-
city of people to 20 10 law was amazing 10
him-a veteran expert IN the chicanery &C
courts. "For my part said he, 'if any
man were C. claim the coat upon my back
and threaten my refusal with lawsuit, he
should certainly have it, lest, in defending
my coat, / should find that / waa deprived
Of my waistcoat also And the erudite
John Seldom, treating OF the uncertainties
OF equity Jurisprudence, says Equity
~ a roguish thing. Equity ~ according 10
the conscience of him that is chancellor !;
and, as that IL larger or narrower, 40 is
equity" The involved and absurd char
acter Of the statutes adds much to the con
fusion and uncertainty that attend the adj
ministering Of the law. Lord Stanhope, 10
illustrate the caTelessness with which acis
Of Parliament are prepared brought forward
certain statute in which the punishment
of fourteen years transportation was i'm
posed for a particular ofiense, "and thai,
upon conviction, one-half thereof should
60 10 the King and one half 10 the In.
former !"
Lord Chancellor Thurlow had once a
dispute with barrisLer, respecting cer-
tam act Of Parliament Upon inyestiga-
ton, il appeared that the chancellor was
wrong. ooh, he exclaimed, in his prutl
way, "d-n the act. can manage well
enough with the common law; but, IA to
the acts of Parliament, the devil himself
could not recollect them all"
Mr.. Chltty tells Of the costly blessing Of
chancery theIiollowing story An attorney,
ON the marriage Of his son, gave him $500.
aud handed HIM over = chanCcry suit oul
of his own practice. About two wears
after, the son asked his father for more bus |
iness. why gave you that capital |
ChanCeiy suit, replied the father. sand |
then YOU have got great many pe,y |
clients; what more can you waut2" "Nes |
sir, replied the son, but 1 have wound |
up the ChanCcry suit, and given my client |
great satisfaction, 10y putting him into pos |
session al the estate. What, you ina |
providcnt fool rciojued the old LAWYER,
Indignantly, that suit was m my family |
for twenty-five yearr and would have |
lasted, AT least, As much longer, if had |
kept A. You squander the good things Of |
the profession, and ! shall Counlcnance |
You no longer; rest assured OF that.
Conflicting evidence Is one Of the chronic |
difficulties OF courts and Iuries. Ii is not /
every Judge, however, who can balance ia /
as mSthemStically ~ NJ. Bar /
ron Perrot 'ientlemcn OF the Jury 1
this Judge is reported To have said, in sum-
ming mp evidence 10 y certain case, there
are fifteen witnesses who swear that the
water course used 10 flow ia a ditch on the
north side Of the hedge; on the other hand, /
gentlemen, there are nine witnesses who |
swear that the water course used 10 how |
on the south side Of the hedge. Now, gen
Ilemen, il you subtract nine from fifteen,
here remains six witnesses wholly mcOn- |
radtcted and recommend Won 90 give
your verdict Cor the party who called those
,iN Witnesses 90
Many good things aro todd az Lord |
who had a Causlic habit of |
peech. LOTd Kenyon was Distinguished
or his mOney-making and penurioua dispO-
ition and one day, al Cabinet dinner, |
{ being reported that Boui Kenyon was
cry low, and about 10 die, ElleaboTough,
Who was present, exclaimed: "Die, Why |
hould he die2 Hhdf too3d he gCi By fbas Z |
Mr.. Jekyil, who ruse 70 be Attorney |
General, had great and uniform HOw Of
pirits, while Erskine, with his irritable
Onstitution, was subject 10 attacks Of hypo- |
hondris. lie once addressed Jekyl, in 4
be Kings Bench Court, complaining thai
q had n severe pain in his bowels, and | I
ad tried every remedy without getting |
ny relief "A pain in your bowels,
rother Erskine," said Jekyll, "a pain in )
our bowels Get yourself made Attorney !
eneral, Erskine, and then you will have :
D bowels At all q
Chancellor Thurlow was notoriously RI
hat is called "a rough custop ler" in his 4
'eech. Being sent for one day to preside
the House Of Lords when he was very
ley, be answered the usher who told him
e Lords we're waiting. with his acnus- 3
med harsh groSl. Tie usher soon re-
rhed, and repeated, Il must have your
1fdshlPs answeri he Lords are waiting"
N the LordsW cried ThurloW sharply,