New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-23

| Of Mr.. Gladstones governments ne was soieS y
ali the office Of Solicitor-General and three years
later upon the appointment OF sir ROBERT Con,oi "
iudseship in the judicial department OF the friVy
Council. Sir j. ID. Coleridge succeeded him as At
| torney General This order is the usual one,
| although the two officers are Of equal rank anu
| have merely a specified division of duties among
| the great departments of State. Inc At'orpos
| Generalship Of Sir j. d. Coleridge. was but snor'.
The year 1873 brought with 1t two offers OF Amos.
equal brilliancy for him. Lord komiiiy re''teu
from the Mastership OF the kolls' anu .no
| Attorney General in spite OF the fact Oh h's
| being member of the common law bar. receNeu
| the first offer for the appointment. Inns ai,o'
mature consideration, he however decided 10 oe'
! cline and the honor was subsequently conferred
upon the recently deceased Sir George JesseL S'r
| John Coleudge was at the time earning very
large income as Attorney General. and he had no
wish TO leave the bar; but few months later he
| had no choice left.
| THE LAST LORD CHIEF-JUsTICE OF THE COMMON
PLEAS.
| Sir William Borill the Lord Chief-Justce OF the
| Common Pleas, died prematurely in the plenitude
| of his powers, and. as Attorney General DIT 'onn
Coerdge was entitled Dy PRESCRIPTION 10 inc ihnei
i,auce He had no alternative but to accept the
tradiiionary right thus thrust upon him' iho
whole bar. the press and the public were unanl-
!
| and in November, 1873. he was sworn iii as LORD
| Oh efJustice of the Common Pleas. A year later
he was raised to the peerage of the United kingdom
and thus bis father two years before his death had
the satisfaction of seeing his son complete career
| which, at the university, at the BAR ana on 'ho
| bench, had been but repetition, ONLY WIN SI'ii
| higher distinction OF his own. This circumstance
| rendered the Elevation of the Lord Chief-Justice
UNIQUE indeed almost unparalleled, IN the history
| of the profession There is no more modern IN
stance of the kind than that of Sir Thomas More
| who was Chancellor while his son was Judge
| The Earl OF Camden. son of Chief-Jusflce fra'''
became Chef-Justice and Lord Chancellor pu' ho'
until after his fathers death.
What was gain to the bench was, however
loss to politics As matter of course Lord Cole
| ridge resigned his seat in the House or Commons
after an eight years representation in the Liberal
| interest of the city of Exeter. His new dignity
brought with IT no little regret for the cessation OF
bis former work, and III writing 10 his constituents
he thus spoke OF his retirement: 1t has been the
bride and honor of my life to represent tue capital
of my county. and my political principles arc as
strong and my political sympathies as keen as
| ever though heuceforward 1 can allow them as
| Judge neither influence nor expression" AS Lord
ChieiJ Justice Of the Common Pleas. Lord Colerldge
earned nothing but the goodwill and approval OF
all. though strangely enough, by the passing OF
measure which he himself energetlcaly pushed
forward as SoicltOr-Genera, his name Will forever
be the last on the long list of English Lord Chief
Justices ofthe Common Pleas. THIS measure. invov-
ing the whole reconstruction OF the English judicial
| syst.n is known as the Judicatufc act OF 1870.
One OF its provisions was that the titles OF Chie-
| Jastice Of the Common Pleas and Chici-Baron OF
the Excbequer were 10 be abolished, or rather
merged in the great title OF Lord ChIel-Juslce OF
England. Upon the death of Sir HIzroy Kelly,
Lorn Chancellor SelbOrne announced the proposal
| of the Government not TO fill the Office of Lord
Chief-Baron then for the first time vacant, to allow
the Chief usticeshp OF the Common Pleas To lapse
and TO have one division to be called the ieens
| Bench division, of winch all the common law
! iudges were to be members. 1t was an arrangement
greatly in the interest oil the public. aud has since
done much to facilitate the conduct of business.
But If is a curious fact that the letter iii which
! Lord Selborne communicated the dnal decision OF
! the Government only reached Lord Cockburn then
! the Chel-Justice OF England a few days before
! MS death Two important Offices were thereupon
at once vacant and it only renamed TO install Lord
Colerdcs as president of the anal gamated divisions
10 carry out the changes enacted by the new law.
LORD cHEF-JUsrICE OF ENGLAND
| II Was done in November. 1880. since which time
| he has borne tho title and discharged the manifold
|
case again the feelings inspired by promotion to
wel.earl,ed dignity were not unmIxed with regret
for IN Lord CockUurn Lord Coerldge lost valued
friend of long standing. In his eloquent aud touch
,np speech which as the head of the bar Lord Cole
ridge addressed to the members of his profession
moving the adjournment OF the courts on the death
! of Lord Cockburn, ho SAID: From the
accidents OF professional life there Is
perhaps no lawyer now alive who knew
more than | do OF the late Lord Chief
Justice When l joined the Western Circuit in
Is47 he was one OF Its leaders. lie was kind to me
as very Young mamie was kind o me rs an older
man; | owe him deep debt of gratitude for many
too generous expressions IN pubuc, and Tor much
professional help and assistance"
As a Judge Lord Coeridge has not had to decide
mon any very great cases. does he vet rank
among the most eminent Judges or Lord Chief
Justices OF the past but as jurst lie has many
eminent qualifications, and his views on juris-
prudence are considered sound and as leading to
the higher development of modern law One Of his
earliest functions was his appointment secretary
TO commission to inquire into the great unre-
formed Corporation of London. This was in 1854
and he then distinguished himself 10 the complete
satisfaction oil those who engaged him. IhIrty
wears have elapsed and he is again at the present
time OF the Royal o. aSsoe'sIeo
have been appointed 10 pronounce nnai verdlct
upon the administration of these old guilds aud
their acct mulated charitable funds IL Is under
stood that the legal acune and knowledge OF Lord
Coleridge have largely contributed 10 the Radical
basis of the report which -erts that all property
devised to them within the last fifty years is held to
DO sacred IN respect the views OF the donors but
that all property acquired anterior 10 this period
shouId be held TO have the hand OF the dead man
taken off il, and should be now administered by the
living to objects In which the living are interested
This IS a new departure In the PRONUNCIATION OF
opnions relative 10 such subjects, and the weight
! ami authority of his name, coupled with that OF
Lord Derby Will no doubt secure important results
to the citIzens OF London.
| CHARACTERISTICS AS A LAWYER
Asa LAWYER. in the strict sense of the term, Lord
Cosrd ga does not siand so high as of his