it did originate in that. He said he was surprised at the decision of your lordships. Now, if he had not been very ignorant of what takes place in this court every day-had he known you but half so long as I have done he would not be surprised at anything you did."

RECOGNITION MAL-APROPOS.

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE HOLT, in early life, was very dissipated, and belonged to a club of wild fellows, most of whom took an infamous course of life. One day, when his lordship was engaged at the Old Bailey, a man was convicted of highway robbery, whom the judge remembered to have been one of his old companions. Moved by curiosity, Holt, thinking the prisoner did not know him, asked what had become of his old associates. The culprit, making a low bow, and fetching a deep sigh, replied: "Ah, my lord, they are all hanged but your lordship and I!"

LORD BROUGHAM ON BREWING.

SHORTLY after Lord Brougham's appointment to the office of Lord High Chancellor, he visited, along with some other ministers of the cabinet of Earl Grey, one of the most extensive breweries in the metropolis, and there had what is colloquially called a "beef-steak dinner.' After it was finished, a proposition was made that the party should inspect the brewery; and in order that they might understand the use of each and all of the works, the foreman, a cautious, but intelligent Scotch

BROUGHAM ON BREWING.

19

man, was desired to attend, and explain it. They had scarcely got into the first room before Lord Brougham, with a slight motion of the hand, put aside his Scotch cicerone, who was volunteering an explanation, and said, with his usual cool, good-natured nonchulance, "Young man, I will save you the trouble you are about to undertake: I understand all this perfectly well, and will explain it to my noble and distinguished friends." His lordship then proceeded without further preface to explain to Earl Grey, and the other members of the convivial party, every stage in the process of brewing; but, unfortunately, did not explain one of them right, even by accident. The Scotchman, who perceived, but was too prudent to expose, the ignorance of his countryman, was astounded at his unceasing volubility; and speaking of it in a mixed company, where our informant was present, observed, "Gude faith, sirs, but it made ma hair stand on end to hear the Lord High Chancellor o'Great Britain telling the Lord High Treasurer a laing tale about maut and the brewing o't, and nae word o'truth fra beginning to en'. It made a thinkin' man reflect what a terrible pass things must ha' come till when ae minister could jist tell, and anither minister jist believe, sic awfu cantrips. Eh, sirs! nae barrel can be gude that that blatherin' chiel has gat the brewin o'."-The Times.

CORPORATION LEARNING.

IN 1828, at a meeting of a certain corporation in Derbyshire, for the nomination of a person to fill the office of mayor, a sufficient number of burgesses not being

in attendance, it was intimated that an application would be made for a mandamus, when one of the worthy electors innocently remarked: "I hope he will come, and then he'll put un all right, and make un elect one."

THE BEST KNOCK.

LORD ERSKINE always directed his servants to knock at the house where he intended to call with a postman's knock; his lordship remarking that he had long observed servants always more punctually answered knocks of that kind than any other.

AN UPRIGHT JUDGE.

Ir is related of Mr. Justice Lawrence, a most excellent man, and able judge, that at a trial at York, he summed up decidedly in favour of the defendant; but having given the case further consideration, it appeared to him that he had altogether mistaken the law. A verdict having been recorded for the plaintiff, he had no redress: but it is generally understood that the judge, feeling the hardship of his situation, left him, in his will, a sum of money sufficient to indemnify him for the loss he had thus sustained.

A SMALL DISCOVERY.

CURRAN, after a debate which gave rise to high words, put his hand to his heart, and declared that he was the trusty guardian of his own honour: upon which Sir Boyle Roche congratulated his honourable friend on the snug little sinecure he had discovered for himself.

LEGAL COURTSHIP.

DUNNING ON A FIELD DAY.

21

WHILST Dunning (afterwards Lord Ashburton) was Solicitor-General, he made an excursion, in vacation time, to Prussia. From his title of Solicitor-General, the king supposed him to be a general officer in the British army; so he invited him to a great review of his troops, and mounted him, as an eminent military person, upon one of his finest chargers. The charger carried the Solicitor-General through the evolutions of the day, the "general" in every movement being in a most dreadful fright; and the horse's duty never allowing him to dismount. He was so terrified and distressed by this great compliment, that he said he would never go abroad again as a General of any sort

RARE CANDOUR.

SIR JOHN HOLT, when offered the Lord Chancellorship, replied: "I never had but one cause in Chancery, and as I lost that, I cannot think myself qualified for so great a trust."

LEGAL COURTSHIP.

MR. CHITTY relates an anecdote of a young attorney who had been carrying on a correspondence with a young lady, in which he had always, as he thought, expressed himself with the greatest caution. Finding, however, that he did not perform what he had led the lady to believe that he would, she brought an action for breach of promise of marriage against him. When his letters were produced on the trial, it appeared that

he had always concluded-"this, without prejudice, yours faithfully, C.D." The judge facetiously left it to the jury to determine whether these concluding words, being from an attorney, did not mean that he did not intend any prejudice to the lady; and the jury found accordingly.

A MISTAKE.

Or the few defects of Lord Tenterden, the greatest was his different measure of patience and courtesy for different classes-even for different individuals. It could not be said of him that he was no respecter of persons; though his conduct in this matter was confined to mere accident of outward behaviour and manners-nothing beyond that. When on one occasion he had, with some roughness, addressed to a witness, who was looking another way, an advice not unusual with him, and not very delicately concluded, " to hold up his head, and speak out like a man," it was amusing to observe the fall of both countenance and voice when the witness turned upon the judge the face of the chairman of the Honourable East India Company!

CLASSICAL DEFERENCE.

SWIFT driving, one day, in company with the Lord Keeper, his son, and their two ladies, met Mr. Cæsar, treasurer of the navy. They happened to talk of Brutus, and Swift said something in his praise, when it struck him immediately that he had made a blunder in doing so; and therefore recollecting himself, he said, "Mr. Cæsar, I beg your pardon !"