New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-08
NOTES FROM LONDON.
JFCAr. JOIrpNAIJSTIC. PERSONAL.

xIerance Of the Hench and the Far ana the Jury,
and Of the sp, ctators in tie courts Themselves
seems TO have been anything but satisfactory
CT, akiug predictions long since made are fulfilled
only too &C ratrly. The light in the courtroom is
| who'll. insufficient. and the electric burners were
used on tie very first dav; then was there
| light enough. The fact that it might he desirable
| that the Judge should be able to hear he remarks
| of the counsel and at tie witnesses should be
audible to the jury does not seem to
/ have occurred to the architects. Mr.. JUS
| tice Lopes observed that he had sat
in many cOnTt-rooms defective in respect OF ther
acoustic properties but so bad as the new one
,upied erday. In the court of the Lord Chiet
| Justice. which is twice as large as that OF the
Others the majority OF The barrlsters present fouhd
| Themselves 'hOut seats. The Bench ia no he Ter
| OF. In the Old courts at Westminster. there were
benches on either side the presiding judge. and these
used to DO occupied by other judges and oV
strangers of distinction. In the present establish
! ment the judges find chars where they can. The
| Queens Bench consisted yesterday of the Lord
| Chief Justice Mr.. Justice Manisy and MI Baron
| Pollock OF whom the two last took seats IN view
of their presiding colleagues. When MI. Justice
Stephen looked in to sre how things were gong on
| not even a chair was available Tor Dim. ITO
| had to stand This arrangement gave the
| nublic An excellent view of his stately figure and
| powerful face. hut as permanent method OF us
pensing Justice the present is likely to be found IN
| con venient The noise made by the w"rKmeh "ul
occup,ed in adjacent rooms did not improve matters
Lord Coleridge made neat little speech IN OPEN
ing his court of which sentence is likely 10
strike people as ominous He hoped the public
would be patient under the difficulties and neon
venences necessarily incidental to state OF transit
ton The Master of the Rolls, who has practical
turn Of mind expressed his intention to cause THESE
inconvenience t. be- promptly remedled lnashuch
as they were foreSeen and many of them long since
pon ed out the prao zeal English mind might, per
baps have obyated them while the work was IN
progress.
twas A. that one of Mr. Bradlaugh's endless
series of litgai should be among the mrs. cases
de ided On this first day. This was the action
against the Deputy SerCeant-atArms for assanilhg
MIR Brad laugh-in plain English. for y citing him
from The House of Commons in obedience to The
order of The peaker when Mr.. BradlauGh attempted
TO force bis way in. There was never I'D the opih-
ION OF good lawyers chance OF success lor MI
Bradlaugh in tins procee ling. and that we" MT
Ju> ic, Field has affirmed a JUDGMENT o. per-
haps need ess elaboration. The truth about "
Brahlaugh as a lawyer, capacity ia winch ne m'ch
fancies himself seems to be- this, that MS legal
mi d is iha' of n share attorneys cerk' lie taxes
inouInera bic points sees clearly every small objec-
ton thai can Dr RAISED, anu IN INV iia"IA "'"N W
The mc1ts and broad legal view Of whatever Gaze he
tres.
The second Of the sensational causes was mo-
ton by the Attorney General Tor a ruiz against The
Times and The Observer TO show cause why they
shou d not be dealt with for contempt "t conrt.
This is only a fresh phase Of CHAMBERLAIN rs. boyh'
commonly known as the latest club scandal. Alter
MI joseph ChambrrlTn's brothers had been black
balled. and after the Messrs. Chamberlain had be-
pun an notion for Islander against Mr.. Boyd for his
| allegation against them, both the papers above
| named published pretty full and perhaps pretty
strong comments the facts. OF this he Attorney
q eneral complains as calculated 10 prejudice
the plaintiffs, and from my recollection Of the
articles should think they would The Court
thought So or thought. at any rate. hat the matter
should be inquired into. .aud therefore granted he
rue So far good but II IA not quite cle2r what BEN
edt Mr. Joseph Chamberlain and his brothers hope
to reap from aD enterprise of this sort. 1t Is certain
that proceedings against newspaper for contempt
OF court are III regarded by the public; mat portion
excepted by which newspapers themselves are III
regarded. This Chamberlain case 10 more an appeal
TO public opinion til n anything else ana the ap-
peal Is but olumslly made. The real mover - Mt
Joseph Chamberlain. 1t Is between him and Mr..
Boyd that the letters lately published were OK
changed. Nobody knows or cares about his
Is,
p,rsons but interesting to the world at large, II 81
AL ouly becausr they stood III a frdtcrnal relation
In the eminent politician who is president OF the
Board of Trade and a member of Mr. Gladstone's
Cabinet. Moreover, the public are disposed 10
think that the part PLAYED 10y Mr.. Chamberlain Ia
this dispute AS scarcely consistent with the Dig
niiy of a Ca met Mn,ter. Too much, IN a word,
has already been made of petty squabble The
scandal will not DO diminished nor the position OF
any of the three Messrs. Chamberlain materially
improved even should the Court be OF opinion that
a contempt h I'd been committed by the TWO Jour
nails now summoned. A fine will be the utmost
penal v. and no fine nor fear OF fine will deter
leading EnglIsh Journal from speaking ITS mind on
a ma te winch, in tho judgment OF Its editor. calls
for public comment. Ii English editors ana pro-
prie ors would but link their jealonsios when the
independence 4 the press, AS "A whole, Is altached'
we should soon hear the of judicial interference
with just freedom OF speech and print.
The pro ,poct OF a new trial IN the Belt case
would be alarming II it were really probable mat
new trial would be ordered. The granting OF the
Application rule nisi means. OF course, merely
thai the Judges OF the Qurcns Bench are OF
op,nIon tina a prina facie case has heen made out.
and that the que tiOn should be argued by counsel
ON both sides Bat it Is impossible 20 read the re-
port OF tho hearing and not see that Mr. Charles
Rus,ells statement made an Impression on tho
Bench The remarks aud questions, b. which the
benz OF the judicial mind is usually indicated were
never n,sulr and sometimes distinctly sympath"tc.
Mr.. Russell, with Characteristic courage
defined his position toward Mr Baron liuddiesloh.
lie could not. sand, expect any assstnuce IRON
the icarned Baron who had trIed the cause and hc
admitted the difficulty which this paced him.
But be thought he Ought to say that lac looked upon
the verdict AZ having been obtained through the
learned Judg 3 influence, whose conduct had been
III s,-d iii. us IOut. That is otroDg tang TO say
and ould only 10 sal by a slIOng counsel.
The ArlsOLe d cum came up again, aud Lord
CoI,ridpe VINO Is d scholar IIale Ills obs, ryatIOns