The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-05
BENJAMIN At THE ENGLISH BAR.
english Legal Honors to the Ex-secre
tary OF STATE Of h Confectionery.
The English Solicitors Journal, of Augr

The English Solicitors Journal, of August
8, slys:
The lord chancellor has conferred ''silk"
| upon Mr.. j. P. benjamin, b%arrister at law oil
me Northern Circuit. MIR. Benjamin was born
I8Il- in The British West INDIES, and com
msnced the practlce of the law In New Or.
I,aus. between thirty and forty years ago.
During the twelve years which preceded The
hr.nkinr out of the wa between the North
,.rn and Southern States of America, and dur.
ing the same period, or the greater part OIL IL,
hs led the bar before the Supreme Court Of
Washington. In those days 10 Do q senator
wa q nigh distinction. de became, as is
we'll known, secretary OF the State DEPART
,nent TO the Government of the Confederate
states. under Jefferson Davis he alter.
wards became war secretary, and neid
lhnl, office at the time oil the battle OF Bull
Run eventually he became secretary OF the
Stat. department again. In the latter posi-
lion he conducted ali the correspondence and
negotiations with other countries. ne Was
win Jefferson Davis al the end of the war, and
after numerous hair-breadth escapes succeed.
ed In getting iu an old open boat from Florida
70 the Bahamas where he landed In a small
purC. He was shipwrecked In going from
ihencet to Nassau IN q vessel laden with sponge;
was Dlcked up by o British man-ot-War; Ut lust
rot to 81. Thomas, but the steamer In which
he came home caught fire and put back. How
ever. he arrived in England OF length. In 1865,
and became q, pupil IN ocIoper, 1869, (aitsr
having entered at Lincoln's 1nn,) OF MIR. @. +.
Pollock, now Q. G. his fellow pupils were
Messrs. K.nelm e. Dlgby, lYlneriau professor
of law OF Oxford, anu Morris Davis, oarrlster
at law, and Mr.. kenrlck, (Ur the hrm OF BOOKS,
K.nrlck & Harston) solicitor, Lincoln's Inn:
r, was called to the bar In 1866, &c specials
orntla. waving tue usual period OF Student
ssnip OH account OF his high legal knowledge
and experience. His progress toward the at
tainment Of the practIce ut the Engllsn par
was ar first slow, and though his abilities
and experience fitted him for leading, his
posIlIo On at the bottom ofthe junior bar pre-
vented leading business from being. given TO
MIN. He gradually, however, obtained ana
Increased u practice, principally In Liverpool
and Manchester caseB. He was retained Ior
the defendants, and argued III Chancery. at
Liu,oln's Ion, In the well known case OF
NUnited States OF America vs.. wagner. tlo
W p Io26 ! and United States of America vs.
McRaeNI5 W. c., l12S.) which were suits
Inns. united BY tue Government OF The unlleo
io,aies for an account OF property, ships
money and goods come 10 the hands OF tne
defendants as agents OF the Confederate
States. His arguments in these cases were
noticed at the Time as combining strict
legal accuracy with a persuasive anu
adroit rhetoric, Two alIrioutes "nt ~
COMPARATIVELY seldom run together, the
latter being, indeed, u somewhat scarce
commodity at the equity bar: About
this time he employed the m which hung
on his hands In composing his well known
hook nm the stContract OF SALE" About three
wears ago Mr.. Justice Harmon, recognizing
his abilities and the difficulty OF his position,
gave him las a Justice 10 Eyre has a right to
do Palatine 'silkn for Lancashire. MI: Ben.
and lawyers at the common bar Is now fairly
recognized. 1t Is understood that he appIIrd
for a silk gown at the last creation ret GG of 9. t osi
time snccesstui, probably on account OF the
short period of his English practice. It Is
stated that he now receives his silk gown In
consequences Of the Lord &C Chancellor unIt,is :, h S;v ~:
cont aronment before the House OF Lords In
the case Of "Polter We. Rankin" as to consid-
or that Il would be unjust to withhold from
him the precedence Ola Q.G.