Page:Everybody's Book of English wit and humour (1880).djvu/64



General knowledge is unquestionably necessary for the lawyer. Ludicrous mistakes have frequently occurred through the deficiencies of some in this respect. A story is told of a barrister examining a witness in a trial, the subject of which was a ship. Among other questions, he asked where the ship was at a particular time. "Oh!" replied the witness, "the ship was then in quarantine." "In Quarantine, was she? And pray, sir, where is Quarantine?"

Another instance given by Mr Chitty, of the value of general knowledge to the lawyer, is worth citing. It is well known that a judge was so entirely ignorant of insurance causes, that, after having been occupied for six hours in trying an action on a policy of insurance upon goods (Russia duck) from Russia, he, in his address to the jury, complained that no evidence had been given to show how Russia ducks (mistaking the cloth of that name for the bird) could be damaged by sea water, and to what extent!