Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-07-09
LEGAL LONDON.
The LAW COURTS or ENGLAND AND
The JUDGES.
Scenes in Westminster Palace Yard-bar-
risters and Solicitors, Clerks. Smart
Attorneys and Lank Office Boys
Court Of Queens Bench
in Session.
THE ATTORNEYS AND "Me LORDS
IN THEIR LEGAL HARNESS.
pecial Correspondence of the Register.

The law OF England IL ulSlueu lot
the benefit OF the lawyers INTO two great
branches, the commoH law and equity.
each with its own rules, modes oi pro-
cedure and judges. The only persons
who have the right OF speaking in these
courts on behalf of clients are barristers,
gentlemen who have been called to the
bar by one OF the iour Inns OF Court, and
from them the judges are selected on the
occurrence OF vacancies by the ministry
OF the day These persons appear in
court in black gowns and gray wigs.
There are
Three Grades OF BarrsterS;
sergeants at law, gentlemen who, after
having been certain number OF years
at the bar, have induced the Lord Chan
cellOr to advance them to this dignity;
second, the Queens counsel, who wear
silk gowns and have seats within the
bar. The dignity has no salary attached
to il, but they have precedence over
their seniors at the bar who have not
arrived at this rank, and they are enti-
tied by the etiquette OF the profession to
higher fees. Third, barristers below the
bar who wear SHIFT gowns. The
Attorney and Solicitor General,
officers appointed by the government, as
its representatives are considered the
chiefs of the bar in the common
law and equity courts respective
". They have seats in Par lament
and are the official legal advisers OF the
Government. The remuneration they
receive IN the shape OF fees is very large,
the income OF the Attorney General
from this whole business public and
private, averaging Sl0O,0O0a year. The
chief administrator OF equity law is the
Lord Chancellor, who is assisted by the
Master OF Rolls and three Nice-Chan-
cellorS, each of whom has separate
court From their decision an appeal
lies to tho two Lords Justice, who sit
together, and their judgement may be
reviewed by the Lord Chancellor. Last
lv the
Ultimate Court of Appeal is the House OF
Lords.
The Chancelorship is place Of great
dignity. The holder OF it, though usu-
ally only baron, ranks next after the
royal family and before every other peer
OF the realm. He is speaker OF the
Upper House of Parliament, and his
tenure OF office is during the reign OF the
party 10 which he belongs. The Master
of the Rolls is an office Of ancient date.
The holder, besides being an equity
iudge, is the Ctt>iOr rotu'orm OF the r. elm.
During term all the equity judges sit in
courts at estminister; in vacation they
sit in courts in Lincoln's Inn, except
the Master OF the Rolls, who sits i'll his
own court in Chancery Lane. There
are
Three Superior Courts OF Comm)n Law,
| the Onten'S Bench, the Common Pleas,
and the Exchequer The bulk OF the
| business is OF the same general nature
| in all, but the Queens Bench has exclu-
sivr jurisdiction in criminal cases which
| belong TO the crown side OF the
court, whilst civil business is taken on
the plea side; and the Exchequer has
exclusive Jurisdiction IN revenue cases.
There are six judges III each OF these
courts, all OF whom, though only
knights, are styled Me Lord The
| chiefs OF the Queens Bench and Com
mon Pleas are styled Lord Chief JUS
| iicr " The heal OF the court OF EXche-
| courts in which the Judge aud the ca litv
| in lcAs 81. are on the right hand side ot
We: tmiuiSter Hall. There are the court
III Probate and the court ot Divorce,
county courts AMI wIunr courts distrib.
utri over England under the presIden
| cy Ol judges.
Appeals from Decisions
| of Indian aud Colonial courts and from
the Maritime and Ecclesiastical courts
| lie to the Queen III council and are heard
| before the uhcial committee OF the
| Privy council sitting at the privy Coun-
| ell office, Whitehall The "ncw law
| courts" magnificent pile, III course OF
| erection in the Strand Just through Tenn
| pie Bar, are intended for the use OF all
| the judges so that all the courts may be
concentrated.
The Judges OF the Land
are mostly jaunty, elderly gentlemen, OF
| cheerful appearance, given in private
life to wearing light neckcloths, buff
waistcoats, and pepper and salt trowsers,
and particularly addicted to trotting
| down 10 the courts OF Westminster
| mounted on stout haCks-'tis the
bishop, par excellence. who
ride the cobs and followed
bv sober grooms. Parliament street and
Westminster Palace yard are lair to see
| this pleasant morEing in
| Tenn Time.
! The cause list for all the courts Is pretty
| full and there is prospect OF nice legal
| pickings. The pavement Is dotted with
| barristers and solicitors, clerks carrying
blue and crimson bags plethoric with
papers Smart attorneys, too, with
shOe.ribbon, light vests, swinging watch
guards, and shiny hats, hustle past,
papers beneath their arms, open docu-
| ments in their hands, which they sort
ami peruse as they walk. The parti
! colored iasteningS OF these documents
| hutter, so that YOU take these men OF
| law Tor 50 many
| Couiurors About 10 Swallow Red and
| Green Tape,
| Lank office boys, i'll hats too large, and
! corduroyS and tweedS too short, and
Jackets stained with ink, too short for
| them, Cadaverous OiliCe-runnerS anu
| process. servers, in greasy and patched
| habiliments, white ~ the seams; bruised
and battered ruhv-nOsed law writers,
! skulk,ng down TO Westminster in quest
OF chance copying jOh; managing
clerks, stad men given to abdominal
corpulence, " no wear white neck. cloths,
plated shirt ir,lls, black satire waistcoats,
and heavy watch chains and seals, worn,
in the good old fashion, underneath the
vest, file along the pavemen; 10 their
common destination, the great Hall OF
| Pleas at Westminster.
Tne Great Solicitors and Attorneys.
men who may be termed the princes OF
law, who are at the head ot vast estab-
lishments in Bedford Row and Lincoln )
Inn Fields, and whose practice is heted'
itary, dash along in ttar,ng cabs. You
look through the windows and see an
anxious man, with bushv grey whiSkers,
sitting inside. the cushions beside and
before him Uttered, piled, numbered with
tape.tied papers. He has given Sir
! p;,,~o,, .E.nn l,,rlrnl Sir RiphqrI