The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-26
Not First Lord High Chancellor
to Leave United
Kingdom.
ny IA NARaUISE DE FoNTE;N or.


" first Lord High Chancellor and
Keeper of the Great Seal to
leave the United Kingdom, and
the statements published to the effect
that his crossing tho Atlantic TO at
tend the meeting of the American Bar
Association at Montreal. at the end
OF August, is breaking OF all pre-
ccdcnt. are erroneous. For his pre-
decessor In Office. Lord Loreburn, who
occupied the wooisack until last year,
visited Canada in September. 1907. his
arrival attracting consider BILE
amount OF attention by reason of the
fact that he WAS the first Lord High
Chancellor of Great Britain who had
ever set foot on the shores OF the
Western hemisphere while in Office
Lord Loreburn spent some time In
right. also crossed over the border in
to the United States, although he
reached and left the New World by
way OF Halifax.
stlll in force which strictly forbids
the Great Seal of England from being
taken out Of the kingdom. there is no
law that directly forbids its official
Keeper from leaving the country. In
asmuch, however, as he Is the official
custodian OF the Great Seal, and 1t
is supposed to never be out of his
possession. it naturally follows that
attended with difficulty, that they can
not be undertaken without the eX-
press permission of the sovereign,
who, together with the Premier. makes
custody Of the Great Seal while the
Lord High Chancellor is abroad
II English law is so strict about
the Great Seal not leaving England. il
is because the Great Seal is one of
the principal instruments of sovereign
~, without which no legal value can
b. given 10 any acts OF state or to any
documents bearing the sign manual
of the monarch. In fact. it is used
on all occasions when the will of the
ruler is to be officially expressed. 1t
is used for all acts OF state, for writs
to summon Parliament, for the ratiii-
cation OF foreign treaties. etc. and all
these documents have no legal value
unless sealed with the Great Seal
That is why James H., his flight
from England. deliberately dropped
ing that there was nothing that he
could possibly do that would cause
so much Inconvenience to the govern
ment which had deposed him as the
absence of the Great Seal and the inn
possibility, therefore. TO summon Par
Lament or to undertake any sover-
eign act until a new one was engraved
II he dropped it into the river rather
than carry II away with him to
France. il was because he believed
that he was being closely pursued. and
that he was almost certain OF being
captured before he rea ched the mouth
IL.
membered, was recovered in the nets
OF a fisherman
There have only been one or two
occasions when the Great Seal was
was robbed OF the Great Seal through
the burglary of his London residence
in Great Ormonde Street. and it was
never heard of again, party spirit be-
ing so strong in those days that some
OF the ministers actually ascribed the
burglary and theft OF the Great Seal
to the opposition, as manoeuvrc de-
signed TO embarrass the government.
Lord Chancellor Eldon was In the
habit OF sleeping with the Great Seal
under his pillow, and when on one oc-
casion his house was destroyed by fire.
he hurried into the garden and buried
said Lord Campbell in describing the
incident. what between his alarm on
Lady Gldon's account and his admira-
ton for the housemaids in their YES
tai attire. he could nos remember the
next morning the spot where he had
hidden the Great SEMI. and you never
saw anything so ridiculous as the
whole family engaged in probing and
digging about the garden until the
Great Seal was found
The only instance in English history
OF Its being taken out OF the Kingdom
was when Cardinal Wolsey took 1t
along with him to France when he ac-
companied Henry VIII. to the Field of
the Cloth OF Gold there But this was
one Of the offenses for which he was
subsequently impcached and punished
at the instance OF the. King
The Lord Morley who is on his way
TO America on board the Cunard liner
Campania. and who is due in New York
on Friday, is not the viscount OF that
name who is Lord President of the
Privy Council. and one OF the princi-
pal members of the Asquith Cabinet
but is the earl Of that ilk and head
Of the ancient DAvonshire house OF
Parker. He is no stranger here, hav-
ing been much in the United States
and Canada under the name Of WIS.,
count Boreinedon. prior to the death
of his father. He was also over here
when Lord Grey was Governor Cen
eral for Canada. For his mother is a
sister Of Lady Grey. with whom he
STAYED at ottawa. and he is also Il
nephew OF Colonel Sir George IIolford
equerry of King George. and owner
of Dorchester House in London. which
he leased to the late Whitelaw Reid
during the entire period OF tho latter's
mission in England as American am
bassador to the court OF ST James
Lord Morley was badly wounded in
the South African War through which
he served as all officer OF Yeomanry.
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