The Portland daily press., 1871-06-06
Recent Publications

Recent Publications
A new edition of Bench and Bar, greatly
enlarged aud embelshed with portraits of
Chief Justice Chase, Lord Chelmsford. John
Jay, Oliver Ellsworth, John Marshall, Roger
B. Taney, Everett, Clay, Randolph, Webster.
Corwin, Calhoun, Benton, S. S. Prentiss.
John Van Buren, A. Oakley Hall, Charles o.
Connor, John Brady, James r. Brady. and
b. +. Butler, and otherwise illustrated. has
Just been issued by Harper Brothers. New
York, and is for sale by Loring, Short d. Har-
mon.
The contents consist of anecdotes of tbe
Lord ChancellOrs of England, and OF cele-
DRAFTED English barrsters, distinguished advo-
Gates OF the United States and of the West
ern Bar, with short biographical sketches of
Tue Chief justices OF the United States, and
miscellaneous legal epigrams, puns and DO
ems.
The appendix Of 160 pages has anecdotes
OF English, Southern, Western, New England.
New York and Pennsylvania judges. with
miscellaneous anecdotes, puns and poems and
l.W-
yers.
To our mind, this digest of the wit. humor.
asperities and amenities OF the law. is inf
nitely funnier than "Mark Lemon" or the
'Jesters Own Book Every page of the
anecdotes" comprising the larger part of The
book) sparkles with wit and humor, and if
the medical profession could only know its
merits, they would prescribe" dose of it in
| all cases OF ennui, blue devils and dyspepsia.
few extracts will however convey a better
idea OF the quality of tie book than any de-
scription we can give.
"a good story is told of Lord Keeper Ken
yon, as at once guilty of bombast in his st,Is.
ana OF perpetratlng very ludierous Irish
bull. he was passing sentence on a disbon-
est butler, who had been convicted of steal
ing large quantities OF wine from his masters
| cellar. Prisoner at the Bar" the Judge is re-
ported to have said "you stand convicted on
| the most conclusive evidence OF a crime of in
expresslble atrocty- crime that defiles the
sacred springs OF uome ,tic confidence. and is
Calculated TO strike alarm into the breast of
every EDgshman who invests largely in the
cboicer vlnta9es of Southern Europe Like
the serpent of old, you have stung the hand
OF your protector. Fortunate in having a,
| generous employer you might with out dis
honesty, have continued to supply your
wretched wife and children with the comforts
OF sufficient prosperity, ard even with some
OF the luxuries OF aflluence, but dead to ey-
cry claim of natural afft ciion, and blind TO
your own zeal interests, you burst through
| all tne restraints OF religion and morality,
and have Tor many years been feathering
yosr nests ,oith your masters bottles.o
Lord Mansfield was once presiding at a
trial consequent upon a collision of two ships
at sea, when common sailor, while giving
testimony, said, "At the time, was standing
abaft the binnacle, wbeIeUpon his Lordshp,
with proper desire to master the facts of the
| case, observed, stay, stay minute, witness
| You say that at the time in question you were
standing abdft the binnacie, now tell me,
where is 'dbaft the binnace?" This was too
much for the gravity OF the "sait," who in.me-
diatey before climbing into the witness box
had taken cvpious draught of rum. Re-
moving his eyes from the bench, and turning
round upon the crowded court with an ex-
preston OF intense amusement, he exclaimed
| at the top of his voice, "Hes a pretty fellow
for judge. Bless my jolly old eyes-(the
reader may substitute familiar torn of i'm
precation on eyesighi) you have got pretty
sort of land lubber for judge!. He wants
me TO tell hm where abofti the pinnacle is !'
|
field reioined. well, my friend, you must fit
me for my Office by telling me where 'abaft
The binndcte is; you have already shown me-
the meaning of half seas Ouer l''
Here are some "good uns" OF James T.
Brady, and none the worse for having been
the rounds of the newspapers.
1t is related that Mr.. James T. Brady was
employed TO argue doubtful case in the Su-
81 thn
while Greene G. Bronson was Chief Justice.
He felt doubtful as to being able to succeed
even in getting the justices to take the case
into consideration. The plaintiff had been
nOIsulted in the former trials of the case Tor
| reason which was apparent-he had crested"
too soon, stopped short in his proof, but
whether from necessity or inadvertence was
not disclosed by the testimony. Mr.. Brady
proceeded to state the facts and in comment
ing upon the incidents OF the tIial, said, "And
hereupOn the plaintiff rested" "Rested, sir"
said Chief Justice Bronson, who had been
graspng the case with avidty, and saw the
defect which Mr. Brady apprehended would
be fatal, "Rested, sir; why did he rest?n.
MIR. Brady, with that peculiar involuntary
movement or shrug which is often the apant
courier of good thing, with great self pos
session, but apparently feeling in his neck
cloth tor the lost Peiad, said, "If your Hon
ors please, that question has given me much
anxiety. bave devoted nearly two weeks to
1 search ior the reason why, at so early and
inconvenlent period in this controversy, the
plaintiff rested, and have at last arrived at
the conclusion, and in my judgment it is the
| only one that can be sustained on principle
and authority. that he must have been vely
much fatiouedp
On another occasion Mr. Brady had case
equally defective, and so very lame that he
gave his client to understand that it would
not be gained. The client insisted on trying
it. and Mr.. Brady devoted his best talent Il,
making the best show he could. The case
was ably put on the other side, and was so
plain that the judge who had made nm bis
mind, rather indicated it by several rulings.
entirely favorable to the opposite side. MT.
Brady was seeking for an opportunity for coz.
ering his retreat tom his unienable positions.
and on some ruling of the judge highly favor
able 10 ms opponent. he bluntly inquired,
MAY 1t please your Honor, who's engaged on,
the other side of this case besides the
judge?' '''
One popularity of the book is this, that
Wnile made up entirely of anecdotes, bioera-
pines, puns, mOts &c. &c. connected with the
LEGAL profession, il is just as well calculated to
Afford amusement to the general reader as to
practising lawyers, judges and students.
SIX Boys: A Mothers Story, as told in Ex-
tracts from her Journal With Hirstra-
tions, 12mo, cloth, Sl25.
This is story the scene OF which is laid in
New York and neghborhoodj just after the
close of the Revolutionary war. A wido we'd
mother is left with six boys ON her hands,
and her journal gives the growth and change
in the lads. Their characters, are diverse,
and they by no means all shoot up together
like so many mullen. stalks, but there are
some crooked sticks among them. :, A good