The Recorder of Birmingham; A Memoir of Matthew Davenport Hill with Selections from His Correspondence (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Practice at the Bar?Its Varied Character?Absorption in his Cases?Law Reformers?Henry Brougham?First Case?"My Maiden Brief"?Midknd Circuit?The Circuit Bar?"Ha has Drunk Claret "?Circuit Court?Trial of Major Cartwright?"All good Sovereigns"?Prosecutions for Blasphemy ?Defence of Mrs. Carlile?General Pepe?The Riegos?Charles Knight ?Case of Barkley?The late Mr. .Tardine?Dr. Lushiugton?Failure of Health?Removal to Chelsea?De Quincey?Serjeant Wilde?Westminster "Slums"?Hogarth's "Bridewell"?Improved Health. Although Mr. Hill was engaged iu some cases of importance shortly after he was called to the Bar, he, like most men, had long to wait before his practice grew to be lucrative. In early years it lay chiefly in defending persons charged with political offences, but as time went on it became extremely varied. Nisi 2rius, criminal, even Chancery business fell to his share. In applications to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for the extension of patent terms, he had the lead. On. his Circuit, for many years before he quitted it, he was facile princeps. Before Parliamentary committees, upon election petitions and private Bills, his practice was extensive. Still, Parliamentary business, though very profitable, was not greatly to his taste. The carelessness and prejudice which he frequently saw displayed when interests of the greatest magnitude were being dealt with, disgusted his moral sense. What really delighted him was to argue a case in which weighty legal or constitutional principles were involved. Such causes he repeatedly advocated in the two courts of ultimate appeal?the House of Lords and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; before the latter, indeed, causes involving the welfare of millions of Her Majesty's Eastern subjects are not infrequently...