of Commons had been obliged, during the present session, to surrender some of the privileges they always claimed from the Sovereign, and that they all held dear, and he was afraid it would be necessary to surrender yet more of them before they could proceed with the legislative work to which it was their duty to attend. With regard to the House of Lords, there had passed away from it a great man, a leader of one the parties of the country, who had been succeeded by a nobleman of great eminence and ability, and he hoped he would conduct the duties which devolved upon him with the same circumspection, the same good feeling and intelligence, which had characterized his predecessor, and that there be no danger of a collision between the two Houses, which would be a great disaster to the country. He was bound to confess that the constituent parts of the House of Commons were not everything that could be desired, but he thought they might confidently depend upon the great men that were in it to pilot them safely through the perils by which they were surrounded. But there was one thing of interest in the present House of Commons to which he would refer, which was that there was a greater number of solicitors there than ever sat in any previous session. He thought this a hopeful circumstance. When he first had the honour of a seat in that assembly, there were only three or four members of the solicitor branch of the profession, and there were now something like a dozen, who, he was quite sure, were all animated by a sincere desire that the interests of the profession, and the interests committed to the care of the profession, should not suffer either in the House of Commons or elsewhere. He was afraid there was not much in the legislation of the present session that was of interest to solicitors. The Customs and Inland Revenue Bill had safely passed through the perils of the House of Commons. He was glad also to say that the views which had been put forward by the Council of the Incorporated Law Society in the interests of lawyers and of society had been respectfully and favourably considered by those who had charge of the Bill. Many of the improvements which had been made in the Bill in its passage through the House of Commons were due to the suggestions of the committee that was appointed by the Council of the Incorporated Law Society. He was quite sure they could always have access to her Majesty's Government, and he knew that they had been of essential service in improving that Bill. Many solicitors thought the Bankruptcy Bill likely to be a very good Bill, whilst many thought it likely to be a very bad Bill. He did not think they need trouble themselves much about it during the present session of Parliament. There was one Bill, however, which interested them which he thought would pass the Solicitors' Remuneration Bill. The Bill had come down from the House of Lords, and he thought had passed through its critical stages in the House of Commons and would probably become law. At all events, it would leave the solicitor at liberty to deal with his clients as he thought fit, and proceeded on the principle that every solicitor was not necessarily a rogue and a vagabond.

The PRESIDENT, in proposing "The Incorporated Law Society," said: Having the honour to be president, and in that capacity knowing more about the Incorporated Law Society than any other person, except our most worthy secretary, I should feel I was hardly doing duty to the toast if I did not tell you something of what we do in the council chamber, of which the outside world of lawyers knows very little indeed. When the society first obtained a charter, it did so with two objects, a selfish one and an anselfish one. The unselfish object was the education of the members of the profession; and the selfish one that there might be a place in which it would be convenient for lawyers to meet together. When we obtained our second charter, the last of these of these objects was left out alto. gether, and we sought only to improve the education and the improvement of our branch of the profession, and I need hardly tell you that our principal duty is the improvement of the solicitor branch of the profession. I must tell you a few things that have come within the province of our operations during the year, although you will be made better acquainted with them in the annual report when it appears. Mr. Dodds has already spoken of the Solicitors' Remuneration Bill. We have had to see the Lord Chancellor and Sir John Holker in reference to it; to get a block by Mr. Finigan and a block by Mr. Labouchere removed, and we are now working hard to get a block by Mr. Biggar removed. Then there was the question of the solicitor's call

to the bar, which I hope we shall get satisfactorily settled. All these things have come before us by degrees, and have all been dealt with in a manner calculated, I hope, tɔ advance the interests of our branch of the profession. But we do not confine ourselves to our branch of the profession, and if any amendment of the law which will be for the the benefit of the public comes within our reach in the performance of our duties, we always do our best to forward it. I could enlarge upon what we have done with respect to the Bankruptcy Bill, and how we have helped Mr. Dodds, as he has said, in regard to the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill. Then we have had the Copyhold Bill under consideration. We attended committees and made long

reports, thinking, it is true, of ourselves, but thinking still more of the public. There are a vast number of matters which come within the scope of our deliberations which I will not dwell upon. You are all acquainted with our efforts to raise the educational tone of the solicitors. I merely say with regard to this that the judges always refer to us the applications of those who wish to have the preliminary examination dispensed with in their particular cases, that we may give an opinion as to the desirability or otherwise of acceding to the petition. We are desirous of maintaining a very high standard of education, and are very chary of granting these dispensations. I merely mention this to show the confidence placed in us by the judges. I will just refer to the Legal Procedure Committee, with regard to which we made a representation to the proper authorities, and have reason to hope that it will be found that many of our recommendations will be acted upon when the report comes out. There is one branch of our duties of which we always speak with regret, I mean the prosecution of those among our body who commit offences against the law. I hope the number of these are diminishing, and only refer to the subject because I think the great and grand object of our society, and also of the provincial societies, is to raise the character of our branch of the profession, and to let it be known that any discreditable act is visited with just punishment, and to make it clear to the world that there is no man more worthy to be trusted in the management of the property and of the characters of his clients than a good solicitor. And we are all happy to believe, and I know it to be the truth, that the proportion of us who deserve that character, and who show that we deserve it by our daily walk in life, vastly preponderates, ani I hope and believe the desire to maintain a reputation of the highest honour is daily increasing amongst us. I must say one word about the provincial societies. At the first glance it might appear that the formation of large societies in the provinces might create jealousies. I can safely say, on our part, that it does nothing of the kind. We are only too happy to see our brethren attending to their own interests, and to the interests of the public. There must always be one prominent society, one body to whom the judges and the public shill come as the representative body, and I think we must remain that body. But we hope our brethren in the provinces will always do all they can to go on and increase, and I am sure our intercourse will always be of the most friendly nature. When we, the Incorporated Law Society, have come into the provinces, it has been quite impossible to speak too highly of the munificent character of the hospitality with which we met. We do all we can to advance the interests of the law, and to strengthen our intercourse with our brethren in going into the provinces; and you do more, and much more than could be expected, in the warm and gratifying manner in which you receive us.

Mr. SIDNEY GEDGE, in responding, remarked that it seemed to him that the profession of which those present had the honour to members was one of the most useful, if not the most useful, of which civilization boasted. He would be the last to depreciate the work of the clergy, but they had but a limited acquaintance with their flock; and he would be the last to say anything in derogation of the duties of medical men, but they saw their patients but seldom, whilst the solicitor was called in by his clients morning, noon, and night, in prosperity and in adversity. Whether it was a daughter about to be married or a son who had come to grief and got into debt, the solicitor was sure to be taken into consultation; and he thought he might venture to say that in the solicitor they would find not only sympathy, but knowledge and experience as to the right thing to be done in the circumstances submitted to him. The solicitor looked at the interests of the client as his own interests, and gave to the furtherance of them the best of his ability, oftentimes regard. less cf the question as to whether he was to be paid for bis

labour or not. If this opinion was not shared in by the world at large that was not the fault of the solicitors. He thought there were two reasons why solicitors were not so popular as they should be. First, there was nothing easier in writing a novel than to assist the plot by the introduction of a rascally attorney, though he was happy to say that in late years the solicitor had occupied a better position in works of fiction, and, as an illustration, referred to the works of Bulwer Lytton and Lord Beaconsfield. He thought there was no profession in the world which would so assist in the formation of character as that of the solicitor. If it were desired that a young man should acquire habits of self-denial and the power to put everything else aside for the sake of the interests he was serving, he would say, send him to the office of a first-rate London or country solicitor. The great reason the solicitors felt so much esteem for the Incorporated Law Society was because they felt that its chief object was to elevate their branch of the profession with respect to the education of its members and their status. Where would the

education of the solicitors have been but for the society? Thirty years ago there was but one examination for those seeking admission, with one question and one answer. Now there was a preliminary, an intermediate, and a final examination. He hoped the society would continue in its good work and use every endeavour to ensure that the members of the solicitor branch should be men of character, men of ability, and men of the highest honour and integrity.

Mr. B. G. LAKE gave the toast of the evening-" Prosperity to the Provincial Law Societies." He said: It is one of the unfortunate principles of the present day that things that are old ought to be abolished. In the present instance we are not adopting that principle, for the law societies are nothing but a survival, or if you will be more accurate a revival, of the military, ecclesiastical, and civil guilds-the trade guilds, which so long as they confined themselves to their proper objects, were productive of so much good to the particular bodies to which they belonged. The ancient guilds existed for the tinding together of a Dumber of people living in or near the same place, for the purpose of mutual help, enjoyment, and encouragement to good behaviour, to use the quaint expression employed in one of the old charters; and if you will refer to the constitution of the law societies to which we are now principally directing our attention, you will find that the leading objects sought to be compassed are the protection of the character, the status, and the interests of solicitors, the consideration of questions affecting the interests of the profession at large, and the alteration and administration of the law, together with the promotion and improvement of legal education. The objects are so far identical with those of the ancient guilds, with one exception, which all of us, I venture to think, must admire. There are no less than thirty-six provincial law societies, and of these something like one-half are incorporated law societies; the difference being mainly caused by reason that those which are the largest, and belong to the largest towns, and have probably the more influence, have become incorporated for the convenience of management and interior discipline, and of these our society is not the first. For it is to the country, and not to London, that the honour of the origin of law societies is due; and I mention that emphatically because I believe that it is not generally known that to Hull and to Plymouth are due the honour of starting the first law societies. The object of the country law societies, I take it to be, is to bring together the solicitors, who, although they are, as a body, intrusted with great interests and with great responsibilities, and are often, and I may say constantly and worthily, consulted with respect to matters of the greatest possible importance and most confidential character, yet, from the very fact of their profession being necessarily a confidential one, seem to be isolated and to have a difficulty in coming together. The law societies are established for the purpose of getting over that difficulty, and I can conceive nothing better than that solicitors should meet together, not only, nor chiefly, for the selfish purpose of considering their own interests, though it would be absurd of me to say that those interests are not considered; but I would venture to say, and to challenge contradiction, that that is not the sole or even the principal object for which these societies are founded. If it were, the public might well fear when they heard that thirty-six regiments of solicitors were banded together in army corps to invade their pockets and to attack their interests. Bat if

you look back to the common law procedure and to the chancery and conveyancing reforms, the Bankruptcy Billto all the great legal reforms of the last half century-you will find that if they have not originated, they have been greatly improved and assisted by, the body of solicitors. There is another matter for which we are greatly indebted to the provincial law societies, and that is the furtherance of legal education. I am not putting aside the work which has been done in this hall and in the adjoining council-room, which I could the more easily do, because it was all done long before I had the honour of a seat on the council; but the country law societies, by their uniform assistance and cooperation with the leading society in all the measures they thought necessary for improving the education, and therefore the social status of solicitors, are entitled to our warmest sym-pathy and gratitude. I will simply put to you the fact that during the last half century, with a very slight margin the whole of the law societies, including the one of which corporated; and if you will look back during that half I have the honour to be a member, were founded and incentury, and compare the position of solicitors at the be ginning of that period with that of the present time, I ask you whether you will not agree with me in saying that the efforts of these law societies have not been fruitless, and position and social status of solicitors at the beginning of the that it will be impossible to speak in the same breath of the present century and that of the present day. There was one point in which guilds of the middle ages had an advantage over the law societies, at any rate until a short time since, and that was that they met for the purpose of mutual enjoyment. Thanks to the provincial law societies, during the last few years we have met for the purpose of mutual enjoyment of a very high character.

Mr. W. SMITH (president of the Sheffield Law Society), in ackowledging the toast, observed that the provincial law societies regarded the London society as their great head in the consideration of any matters affecting the solicitor branch of the profession. It would be found that since the number of provincial societies had been so largely increased, a proportionate increase bad taken place in the number of members of the parent society. The union of sympathy which had brought the members of the provincial societies and of the London society together in frequent intercourse under happy circumstances, tended not only to promote the interests of solicitors as members of the legal profession, but those of society at large and the public in general. He trusted that the spirit of loyalty of sentiment and unanimity of feeling which had so long existed amongst them, would increase and continue.

Mr, J. L. PRESS (president of the Bristol Law Society), in eulogistic terms, proposed "The Health of the President of the Incorporated Law Society, U.K.," and referred with pleasure to the paper read by that gentleman at the meeting at Sheffield last year, which emanated not only from one who occupied a high position in the legal profession, but, what was of far greater importance, from a cultivated English gentleman. In electing the president to the office he held, the members had not only done honour to him, but also to themselves, and to the profession over whose interests they watched.

The toast was drunk with musical honours and three cheers.

The PRESIDENT in acknowledging the toast confessed that he had looked forward with pleasure to the time when he should occupy the position he now held, and he should look back upon it with great enjoyment when the time came for him to retire from it. It was an office which had involved some labour, and now and then perhaps a little difficulty, as for instance when the Attorney-General had differed from the council recently, and when a special meeting had been called by Mr. Kimber a week or two since. But he felt satisfied of one thing, that-putting himself aside-the members of the society did elect a number of good men to the council, and that when they lost their present president, they would have a good man and true to fill the office in the person of Mr. Druce. In thanking them for the manner in which they bad received the toast, he trusted that the present. meeting was but the first of many such gatherings.

Mr. J. ANDERSON ROSE proposed "The Entertainment Committee,” and,

Mr. F. H. JANSON (chairman of the committee) having briefly responded, the proceedings terminated.

A selection of music was performed during the evening by Miss Anne Sinclair; Mr. Stedman's choir boys, Masters Probert, Waleson, Fielder, and Toop; Mr. Henry Guy, Mr. Robert Hilton, and Mr. T. Harper (solo trumpet), under the direction of Mr. Johr. Davis, who presided at the piano. The dinner was served by Messrs. King & Brymer. Mr. J. Hayles was toastmaster.

UNITED LAW CLERKS' SOCIETY.

The forty-ninth anniversary festival of the United Law Clerks' Society was held on Thursday, the 2nd inst., in the Middle Temple Hall, by kind permission of the benchers. Baron POLLOCK presided, and about 300 gentlemen sat down to dinner; amongst those present being the Rev. Dr. Vaughan (Master of the Temple and Dean of Llandaff), Mr. W. W. Karslake, Q.C., Mr. J. Horne Payne, Mr. Eddis, Dr. Thomp son, Mr. F. O. Crump, Mr. Arbuthnot, Mr. Poole, Mr. C. Clark, Q.C., Mr. J. Rigby, Q.C., Mr. F. T. Bircham, Mr. A. W. White, Mr. J. C. Whitehorne, Q. C., Mr. Bagshaw, Q.C., Mr. H. C. Hull, Mr. R. D. Baxter, Mr. Waddell, Mr. E. Ingle, Mr. Bigham, Mr. Channell, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. G. L. Denman, Mr. Brown, Mr. Mead, Mr. Oliver Imray, Mr. Chester, Mr. Mote, Mr. Beresford, Mr. Edward Turner, Mr. Leese, Mr. Clark, Hon. C. Dillor, Mr. Chubb, Mr. Deane, Mr. S. Watson, Mr. J. T. White, Mr. Coe, Mr. H. A. White, Mr. Crossman, Mr. Foster, Mr. Farnfield, Mr. Harris, Mr. G. W. Wheeler, Mr. Fache, Mr. Button, Mr. E. J. B. Church, Mr. H. G. Rogers (hon. sec.), &c.

A

The report stated that the society was established for the purpose of enabling the law clerks of the metropolis to make some provision for themselves and families in the time of sickness, of cld age, or other infirmity, and on death; also to assist law clerks, whether members or not, and their widows, and the children of deceased members suffering from unavoidable misfortune, and to provide its members with medical advice. Members were assured in sickness an allow. ance of one guinea per week; and in old age, or permanent affliction, a weekly allowance or pension varying from 10s. to 14s.; on a member's death an allowance of £50, and of half that amount to a member whose wife died in his lifetime. Benevolent or Casual Fund had also been created by the same means to assist with small gifts of money law clerks, not members, and their widows when suffering from temporary distress; and to afford similar help to members, their widows and children, standing in the same need. During the past year relief had been afforded to 50 members whom illness bad disabled from following their employment, and £464 1s. had been expended in this way. In previous years the society had spent £13,468 8s. in similar relief, making the total amount paid on account of illness alone £13,922 98. At the last anniversary there were 38 members disabled from old age, blindness or permanent affliction in receipt of relief; of these claims, 7 had ceased by death, but 8 fresh ones had been received and allowed, making the present number of pensioners 39. Of these, two received yearly £26; three, £31 4s.; and the remaining 34 £36 88. euch. In meeting these claims an expenditure of £1,335 10s. had been required, which, added to previous payments on the same account, brought up the payments on account of pensions only to £15,919 17s. 6d. Eighteen members had died, and to the widows and relatives of each £50 had been paid. Five members, whose wives have died, had each received the sum of £25. The payments of the year on account of death had amounted to £836 13s. 8d., and the total expenditure on this account, since the foundation of the society in 1832, to £21,726 13s. 11d. The receipts during the past year, on account of the General Fund, had been £4,757 4s. 8d. expenditure had been £3,392 0s. 3d. The balance had been added to the society's investments, which, in April, amounted to £64,288 12s. 1d. During the year 63 applications for gifts of small sums of money out of the Casual or Benevolent Fund to members, non-members, and their widows had been received, the great majority being from non-members and their widows, who had never contributed to the funds. Fifty of the applicants had been found to be deserving and in need of the relief sought, and it was granted to them accordingly. Many were most deserving and in great need, and the help afforded was thankfully received and usefully employed. The committee had also granted several small loans to members. These loans were free from interest or any kind of charge and repayable by small instalments. The assistance offered during the year had been £366 163., which, with that of previous years, made the total amount of

The

assistance given out of the Casual or Benevolent Fund £16,667 3. 6d. £391 13s. 2d. had been expended in gifts, loans, and necessary disbursements from this fund, leaving the cash balance in hand £222 133. 4d. A sum of £1,914 10s. 11d. Reduced Annuities belonging to this fund bad been set apart to grant at some future day some small pensions to the most deserving and needy widows of the members. The death of the late Lord Chief Justice Cockburn had deprived the society of one of its warmest supporters. He was a munificent donor, and ever ready to use his influence for the benefit of the society. The society also had to regret the loss of their late collector, Mr. E. Cox, who for more than thirty years most efficiently discharged the duties of the office. The society had been in existence fortynine years, and during that period had paid to its members and their families and expended in casual relief £68,365 83. 2d. During the past year the society had expended in relief nearly £3,000, and the claims were constantly increasing, capital in order to meet greater demands which in a few rendering necessary yearly additions to the invested years were sure to come. The committee were aware that the society was under great obligation to the profession for the present favourable position of its funds, and they availed themselves of this opportunity of making the acknowledgment that the satisfactory position is in a great measure attributable to the kind assistance and support it had received from them.

After dinner the usual loyal and patriotic toasts were given from the chair. In proposing the toast of "The Prince and Princess of Wales, and of the Members of the Royal Family," the CHAIRMAN remarked that the Prince of Wales had joined them as a bencher, and was not the only lawyer in the Royal family.

The CHAIRMAN, in giving "The Army, Navy, and Volunteers," stated that for some eight years he had himself served in the Inns of Court Volunteers.

Mr. H. C. HULL having responded,

The CHAIRMAN said: I have now to propose to you what I must call the toast of the evening, "Prosperity to the United Law Clerks' Society." I look upon the gathering here to-night as an occasion of no ordinary moment. It is not that we are met here together for the purpose of what is called a charity dinner, but in our meeting to-night we have an opportunity of bringing together all the branches of one great profession; a profession which not only holds a high position in this country among every class, but a profession which is respected and honoured almost with a jealous feeling by the people of other countries, and I believe this arises from the fact that they cannot understand why we should be so united. To England, and to England alone, must we look for an example of unity which binds together the most humble clerk in the smallest office of a country solicitor and the Lord High Chancellor, which gave evidence of a feeling, not merely that the clerk may some day occupy a high office, but also of a feeling of far more general importance-namely, that every member of our body knows that he is part and parcel of one great community. And, gentlemen, we are met here to-night to commemorate and to expound what should be a great principle with every community-viz., the principle of providence among ourselves—and there is no man, whatever his position may be, whether he has met with success or not, but must acknowledge that principle to be one of the most important in the government of our actions; and it is this principle of providence, I think, which makes your society especially worthy of being supported, both from within and from without, because you not only by the subscriptions among your own members, and by such sums, small in comparison, as come from outside--you not only are ready by these means to help all the urgent cases of distress or difficulty that must arise in so large a body-but you do even more. You have established a steady and regular fund to which those who attain old age may look for assistance in the shape of an annuity, and I am more pleased myself when I look at the amount that is paid annually in annuities, even than at those amounts which are paid for the assistance of casual distress and suffering. I hope and trust that that may grow and increase in the future, and that the clerks may avail themselves of the benefits of such an institution. To this end I would urge upon their employers the necessity of encouraging them in joining the society, by showing their interest in its welfare in contributing to its funds. But to-night the members of the

community with whom we are specially concerned are the lawyers' clerks; and anyone who has lived as I have myself among them, and been largely dependent upon their help for some forty years, must know and appreciate their value. It might be thought that when one had served one's own apprenticeship amongst the law clerks, and must necessarily have personally mixed with them on many occasions in different ways in the performance of his duties, he would see and know more of the lawyer's clerk then than would be the case when he became a judge in chambers. But that really is not 80. There is an office where we judges sit that is very little understood by the outer community, and certainly not understood at all by those who represent the newspapers, and that is a place called judges' chambers. We sit down in the corner of a room which used to be a very dirty room, but we have now actually got a bit of carpet. There we meet, without wig or gown, and pick up all the information we can with regard to cases which come before us, and sometimes we get a great deal of information from very young gentlemen. Now, a facetious friend of mine told me while we were waiting for dinner-I do not mean it was anybody's fault that we were waiting, certainly not the cook's but a friend of mine told me this waiting had been invented as a sort of judgment upon myself, and was to remind me of how people were kept waiting at judges' chambers. I appeal to those who know how business is done there, and how we have to wait one for another, as must unavoidably be the case, as to what a large amount of important business is done in a very short time at judges' chambers; and there it is that we see most of the lawyers' clerks. And I tell people again and again that if they wish to learn law, whether they be judges newly made or barristers not hitherto practising in chambers, or some great and distinguished lawyer coming from the colonies or from a foreign countryI say to them, "Come and sit by me in judges' chambers and see what an amount of business is got through there, and you will find that a great deal of it is conducted by the common lawyers' clerks of the large firms in London." I only speak, of course, of what is within my own knowledge, because hearsay evidence is not allowed; but I am quite sure that if all who are present at this tableif some of our solicitors who are here to-night were to tell their tale-they would say the same of each differeut department of clerks upon whom they are dependent for the accuracy and character of their work.

But to

all and all I say again and again, Be provident while you can, not merely for the sake of the actual sum of money you lay by, but for the habit of providence and the glorious ndependence it brings with it. I am not going to-night to weary you with any details of the amounts received and paid away by your society, but I am glad to inform those who have not read these details that the amount is increasing steadily year by year, and in the right direction. I cannot sit down tonight without regretting that many who would desire to have been present are not here. Letters have been received from Vice-Chancellor Malins, now Sir Richard Malins, and from a great many of the Lords Justices and other learned judges regretting their absence to-night. I believe we have been a little unfortunate in our selection of the evening. Lastly, I cannot sit down without an expression of the regret which I (know you all feel at the loss we have sustained by the death of two very eminent members of our profession, who were as eminent in their kindliness of heart, and in their liberality in the assistance of others, as they were in maintaining the dignity of the law. I mean the late Lord Chief Justice of England, Sir Alexander Cockburn, who has been present as chairman at several of your meetings; and, secondly, the late Lord Chief Baron. On the last occasion at which I had the pleasure of being present at your table the late Lord Chief Baron presided, and you know how ready he was to respond on any occasion when he was asked to take the chair at the festivals of your society. But those who knew him intimately as I did for many years, and had occasion to see him in the robing room and to discuss matters with him, knew how large was his heart, and how ready his hand to assist any persons, whoever they might be, who came to him in distress. These great spirits have passed away from us, but I believe the same spirit that governed and guided their hearts and minds remains among us still, and that we shall remember them, and shall go forward ourselves striving to ollow in their footsteps by assisting such a society as this. Mr. BAGSHAWE, Q.C., proposed the toast of "The Patrons of the Society." He said they comprised the most dis

tinguished men in the profession. Beginning with the Lord Chancellor he might say that no one ever surpassed him in the anxious desire, with the utmost possible liberality, to do all that he could to promote the welfare of the profession to which he belonged. Of the other patrons, he might say that as they led the profession in dignity and ability, so also they led substantially the whole profession in the course they took in promoting to the utmost the interests of this society, which had done so much for a class of the profession to whom they were all indebted, and in whom they took much interest. It was a great satisfaction to them to recollect that among the many services the hall in which they were meeting had discharged since Queen Elizabeth was entertained there with the performance of one of Shakespeare's plays, not the least and not the last, he hoped, was that of providing a meeting place for the members and friends of the United Law Clerks' Society.

Mr. BIRCHAM, who responded, remarked that, for one of the non-talking members of their learned profession, to follow a learned Queen's Counsel was a matter of great difficulty, and when it was communicated to him that he was expected to return thanks for the patrons, he looked at that full list of names, and could not but think there was some mistake, because he knew there must be members of the other branch of the profession bursting in eloquence, bursting in energy, and anxious to return thanks for the patrons who belonged to that particular branch of the profession. He thought he might pass over these great names, and say one word for those patrons of the society who promoted its interest in a general way without appearing as patrons on the list. It was really a matter of surprise to him that these patrons should be so few. The members of the profession numbered, he believed, some fourteen or fifteen hundred barristers in London, and some two or three thousand solicitors, and when he looked at the miserable list he held in his hand, and observed how few were really patrons of the society, he was astonished, because he felt that the purposes of the society were so good, the impulses which governed it were so generous and right, that it formed a great link between the different branches of the profession. It was too true that this society was only just able to meet the engagements which came prospectively upon it. He was very urgent as the trustee of the society a short time ago that there should be a valuation of the society made in anticipation of the requirements of the law. The result was that it was solvent, but the expenses of management were being paid by voluntary contributions. When he saw how few these voluntary contributions were, and how much good might be done if they were larger, he hoped everyone who was in the position of a patron of that society would go home and think how wise and generous it would be if he became an annual subscriber to the society, and brought a few friends in to join him.

The pro

The Rev. Dr. VAUGHAN, in proposing the health of "The Chairman," said he did so with much pleasure on two grounds; first, in consideration of his own merits; and, secondly, that he was his father's son. The father of their learned and honourable chairman was the first barrister who presided on an occasion of the nature of the meeting for which they were gathered together. He was held in honour by the profession, he was honoured in life, and was still honoured in memory. It was one beautiful feature of the legal profession that at this moment England had on its bench three distinguished sons of three distinguished fathers. He was sure those present would agree with him, that not the least honourable of those three judges was presiding over them that evening. He congratulated them upon being members of this great profession. fession to which he belonged, and the profession of the law, were honoured sisters in this great and mighty empire. And another great profession was that of medicine. It was difficult to say which of those three had contributed most to the greatness and happiness of England. He believed the profession did itself the most honour when it considered itself as one of the three beneficent, and he would say remedial, professions which exercised their healing art in this great community. In the Temple Church, as else where, the worshippers were in the habit of praying for those who were sufferers in mind, body, and estate. The profession to which he belonged ministered to the mind; the profession to which the great doctors and surgeons of England belonged ministered to the body; and the legal

profession ministered to the estate. He ventured to say that their ministry of the estate was one of the most beneficent of all the ministries exercise in this country. He could tell of the amount of mercy and lovingkindness shown by the profession in the prevention of litigation. He ventured to say the most honoured men in this country were those who kept families from incurring the misery and ruin of a costly litigation. To some of the younger members of the profession his words might seem ridiculous, but it would not be so when they had risen to the head of the profession or when they had had the experience which had fallen to his lot.

The CHAIRMAN briefly responded, and observed that those who were young could hardly know how great was the pleasure, how high above all success that any professional advantage could give, was the feeling that the members of the profession were appreciated, and that they were kindly thought of by those among whom they had laboured and lived for many years.

Mr. CRUMP proposed the health of the "Benchers of the Middle Temple," who had so kindly placed the hall at the service of the society.

Mr. C. CLARK, Q.C., responded, and expressed the pleasure which the benchers felt at giving to their excellent society the opportunity of dining in the hall to celebrate their fortynieth anniversary.

Several other toasts were omitted owing to the lateness of the hour.

During the evening an excellent selection of music was given under the direction of Mr. Charles Stevens, assisted by Madame Adeline Paget, Madame Florence Winn, Mr. T. W. Hanson, Mr. Arthur Thompson, Mr. Dutton, and Mr. C. E. Tinney. Mr. C. Stevens presided at the pianoforte. Subscriptions were announced amounting to about £400.

LAW ASSOCIATION.

At the usual monthly meeting of the directors, held at the hall of the Incorporated Law Society, Chancery-lane, on Thursday, June 2, the following being present-viz., Mr. Boodle (chairman), and Messrs. Burgess, Collisson, Desborough, jun., Nisbet, Parkin, Styan, Sydney Smith, Sawtell, and Henry Vallance, and A. B. Carpenter (secretary)a grant of £50 was made to the widows of two members, £1,270 to the widows of the primary class, £75 to widows of the secondary class, and the ordinary general business was transacted.

RESTRICTIVE CONDITIONS
OF SALE.

THE attention of our readers was sometime ago drawn to the practice of the urban sanitary authority of the city of Bristol, where extensive street improvements have for several years been going on, of selling their salvages or surplus lands under unusually restrictive conditions as to title-in fact, it would seem without giving or showing any title whatever.

Yesterday (10:h inst.), the authority by their surveyor and clerk offered no less than forty lots for sale by auction under the following, amongst other, conditions of sale :

4. The several lots shall be marked out by the surveyor for the time being of the vendors for the respective purchasers, who shall accept the same so marked out without question.

5. The vendors are the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the city of Bristol, being, by the council of the said city, the urban sanitary authority for the district of the city and county of Bristol, and the property now offered for sale is part of the surplus portion of property acquired under statutery powers for the purpose of public improvements. The vendors stipulate that no purchaser shall call for any abstract, or for the production of their title, or of any deeds or writings, or shall investigate or make any objection or requi sition in respect of such title, or the rights, liabilities, or tenancies (if any) subject to which the lot is sold; but such purchaser shall admit, as regards all the lots, that the vendors are seised of the property sold, subject as aforesaid in fee simple in possession both at law and in equity, free fom incumbrances, and, as regards all the lots, that they

have power to sell the same subject to these conditions; and such purchaser shall require no recital in the conveyance thereof, whether on fee-farm rent or absolutely, as to such seisin, or otherwise, or as to any other matter, and no purchaser shall make any requisition in respect of any statement contained in this condition, nor require any evidence in support of such statement.

9. The vendors will convey each lot with its legal and actual appurtenances only, without any general or other words, and as regards lots 1, 5, and 6 with a reservation of the rights of way mentioned in the particulars; and the vendors shall not be required to enter into any covenant for title or production of deeds or writings except only a limited covenant that they have not done or knowingly suffered anything to incumber; nor shall they be required to hand over to the purchaser any deeds or writings whatsoever.

The solicitors at Bristol, who for some time past have complained of the matter, held a general meeting of their body and passed the following resolutions, which were advertised in the local newspapers of Saturday last :

"Notice is hereby given that at a meeting of the solicitors practising in Bristol, specially convened and held the 3rd of June, 1881, at the Bristol Law Library, the following resolutions were unanimously passed :

"1. That, in the opinion of this meeting, the practice which is now adopted by the Bristol Sanitary Authority of providing on sales of their salvages that their title is to be accepted without investigation, and that the purchaser is not to have any title deeds handed to him or any covenant whatever for title or for production of deeds, should be abandoned for the following (amongst other)

reasons:

"a. The whole risk of a defective title is thereby thrown on the purchaser ;

"b. In case of any action of ejectment or any claims being made against him, whether well-founded or otherwise, he has no means of supporting his title ; "c. Trustees are precluded from lending their trust funds by way of mortgage on such property as this, to which no title is or can be shown. "2. That, in the opinion of this meeting, if the Bristol Sanitary Authority do not see fit to adopt the usual practice of furnishing an abstract, they should accept the responsibility of the titles which they refuse to disclose by giving an absolute covenant for the protection of the purcbaser.

"3. That the president and vice-president of the Bristol Incorporated Law Society, Mr. Bedell, Mr. Chilton, Mr. W. H. Clarke, Mr. Henry Cooke, Mr. Pope, Mr. Swann, and Mr. Vassall, be requested to attend the sale of salvages on the 10th inst., and draw public attention to the resolutions passed this day.

"4. That the foregoing resolutions be forwarded to the clerk of the authority, and be advertised in the Bristol

MR.

JUSTICE WATKIN WILLIAMS ON INEQUALITY OF SENTENCES.

SIR WATKIN WILLIAMS, on Monday, presided at an Eisteddfod held at Allt Ddu, near Pwllheli. Responding to an address presented to him,

Sir Watkin Williams, after some remarks on the subject of the meeting, said: "You wish to know what is my experience of my present office. The administration of the criminal law I approached with horror and with dread. Our criminal code has been, and still is, the most severe and sanguinary in all Europe; and a large number of the English people seem to me to be ferocious by nature, and to have a very imperfect idea of the only true and legitimate objects of punishment; and, while they cry for vengeance, they are infuriated by the moderation and humanity of the most just and experienced of the judges. Lord Campbell, in his autobiography, recording his feelings upon approaching an assize town, remarks that the