, 1875-06-16

branch, as proved by their languago--tho
Geltta,-were agricultural ,i,omads, aud hner
ans seNtnE, md Of oroot,ns houses. Thy
sa s S sSep ~ tho
riage. Tho distinction bo.voon hight md wrong
Nss h1ea bJ lAHs a..a cuatoms. AL This tho
evidence Of language prosod. 1twaa Impossible
edgs Of tie Xry.n deaeent 81 The irjsh peopie
The Bfehon laws msro tho anclont laSs Of
1reland. and In torco up. to tito sixtoensh
century. We aero only beginning to ,bo~
LAW Coinu,isslou VAS appointed by tho
Irish Government 10 translate and odis thcm.
Tho frat volume APPEARED III 1865. tho secondi
1868, Thc Third wan jans ssncd. Tho voumcs
important cot1econa Of tho tracts tl,,,H tar r,lt
lishod wcro tho "Hcf.chub Nor" or tile "lfcas
look of tho Ancon I:aw. and the Bonk Of AEcill.
tito "aenc!i,is Nor rrofoese1 to datc back 10
tar Is tho Characterization Of ireland, although
tho fAw contained IN 1t VIA Of much earlier
dato. Sosno Celtic cgittcB wore Of opin.on, how
over, TINT "Scnehua Nor was no olc. than
s A sS's sn s es ssn"t & oGf eots the usqs 1sn dsa %
into paragraphs, and wero Of unequal Importance
and Of raro1Id sizes. G1oHscs, interpretations,
wcrc written oboye and over tho principal words
OF tho te1t.
The Brehous wore not precisely Drnids, uptl yet
tlIoy boro strong resemblance to thcri. There
mas a strong family lll,sucas between tuo,n xal
tho lrnsda Of laul IA described by cDAar. Tho
porfoct ono. betwesn tho Dr,isda Of Gaul aud she
Drolions Of 1rcand-with this difference, that in
tho DrohonB tho hacledotal character WAS left
out. It corsatnly 'sas l1 tho laser ls1ohons, aud
Druids. who boforo tho Characterization Of 1re-
| land wero both prlosts aud lAMoEs. waro after
that nrcnt lawyers only and that tho order did
not become extinct, but retained It's individuality
and cllarattov IL 50 fnr AZ tn0y were not In con-s
| tElct With Christianity.
Sponsor, the EngIish poet, who MAS w1tnosn
| Of tho workings Of tho Drelon law, had npokon
OF them III having often ~ great show VI
| thinga thoy wcro oppoacd both to dod's lava and
I mans. btr John Uayis had ca!lotl them "lowl
tnst!tution." Sir Henry Suinnor Maine, author
| Of ''Ancient 1a"." hoHeyor, says OF lhon: ~
day DO moro hesitation in repeating tho invoctvo
OF Sponsor, rhcn It IA once clearly undor-
stood t4at tho lord Institutions Of tito
| Irish vcre virtually. tho same institutions OUT
Tho foundation Of all Europesn Inv, Tho leg
| turer ramnrkod. was tho salna. Their bluod,
their langungc aud their law. cau'o to them from
| thclr common ancentor-tho Aryan nation:
out. there wore striking aualogios between tho
carly l,o1uan Law, tbs Ufchon law, aud tho aNs
and customs Of tho Hlndoos. Horn tho lecturer
gn,o tue hst9r5 s9,xo oi o Fenon iw Of
/ ulntkGpos AAA ~ HHc laCHk4GAl
law mentioned by Gatus, and with sim
liar procedure mentioned by, Plato in
his book OF laws, also with tho dharna OF the
| lionEy Masno remarked 81 follows: "1'ho 7ory
existence In sucient Ireland Of tho Inn thus
summarized Che law Of dstrosa) II almost
enough BY Itself to destroy those rcckleas thco.
| dstYoronco of idoa aud usago botree1 Teuson
and Colt. The Irish law Of DISTRESS is
obviously, In all essential features, tho
old German system. 1t beHrs Oil It's
| faco, strong resemblance to the corresponding
| branch Of our common law" ... ..
The lecturer could not entor into tho detail Of
tho several hoaeis OF aucsnnt Irlah law, and salts
1od himself with stating sorno Of them. Tho
tract code. tho lau Of baitrnont, Of truats and
OF waifs, sts.ys. dorc!ictiop, abandon
msn stons 1'nI ps. 4.aepse3 sSiae Il
father and SON. parent aud Child, adoption, land
lord and tenant maator aud soryautt co-tenarcy,
evidence, corroboratlon OF testimony. caption.
The lan Of homicide distinguished between mur-
boforo aud after tho isct. The Irish Judge was
advocate for inoltlcIens sdyocaey. Fraud avoid
Cd all contracts, and It was In ali casos punished.
aatlsty everybody tdat Ireland had. At very
carly period, had very remarkable system Of
laue. No Roman or common Law lawycr had
rsou to q higher conception Of thu sacredneas
Of contract than tho Brehou lawyers who
wroto: :" Thoro aro throo periods when
tho world dies: tho period Of plAguo, Of gen-
| eEal war, aud tho tine Of the dissolution OF ver-
bal contracts" uo quoted Elr IIeuyY Mafne'a
saying that there rms Ia tlla lriah law Of civil
wrong Aiugularly cloao approach to modern
doctrines 10 QUO OF tho moBt rotined aud subtle
branchea Of tho Law. that Of contrlbutorY negli-
gence' and that ho (sir II. Maine) h.d found Il
eoma extremely aeuaiblo rulings on tho subject
OF tho moasuio OF damages, for which It would
be vain to study tho writings Of Lord Coke."
| 1Ie did not pretend thht tho Bvahon laws wert
perfect. Far from It.. Hut thero was no such
thing "a perfect system OF laws as yok. Tho
Wsgor Of bAttlo MAS part Of tho English LAM ne
1ato es 1919. Had the Development Of tho Urehou
law not boon arreHod, there Wns no rcndon to be.
lievo that ia time tt might net Aayo bacoms .
sYstem as por1cct ~ tho 1toman or tho common
law. Tho Irish had boon, by the ponal Laws ol
England. morally, intellectually, aud material
II oppressed for . very louK time
Wero 1t not for that reason, thoy would
now. iiko their brother AryauB. bo among the
loadora Of the intellectual life Of tho world to 4
greator oxtept than thoy arc, But they we're
vigorous race. anu would yot provo thofDsol4et
worthy Of tho promiao they ERyo to the world IL
tho Drohon laws. and OF their dehcon: from ths
common mother OF Qresk, Roman, and draoco
Roman civilization. Tho loctures copoludet
amid repeated rounds Of applause, Tho meet
Ing returned liz. Lalor oil unanimous vote O.
thanks, Which he gracefully acknowledged.
MARRIAGES..