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who always related the incident with great duelling is against the law; but if military officers take a shot at each other, they may glee. Justice Kelly, of the Common Pleas, be dismissed from the army. Cedant arma before his appointment had been a most togal It is curious to conjecture what our popular barrister; his opinions were deemed next metamorphosis may be." As soon as infallible, and he had an immense practice. the Irish judges were in 1782 made inde After he had been on the bench for a while, pendent of the crown, the law of libel was the public began to find out that his legal much more strictly construed, and the libel knowledge had been overrated; his opinions lers more severely punished. were overruled, and his advice thought to be Lord Clonmell was in the habit of holding scarcely worth having; in short, he lost al parties to excessive bail in libel cases on his together the character of an infallible lawyer, own fiat. Mr. Magee, printer of the Dublin such as he formerly possessed. He used to " Evening Post " (who was a trifle cracked, say laughingly, " So they find out now that but very acute), had been thus treated by his I am not a very stanch lawyer; I am heart lordship, and took the following whimsical ily glad they did not find it out thirty years revenge. He purchased a piece of land _ „ ago. directly under the windows of Lord ClonWilliam Johnson, a barrister, once pressed mell's country-house. This lot he christened very fiercely for a decision in his favor, in "Fiat Hill," and there entertained the popu sisting that Judge Kelly had decided the lace of Dublin once a week with various same point the same way twice before. " So, droll exhibitions and sports, such, for in Mr. Johnson," said the judge, looking archly, stance, as asses dressed up with wigs and shifting his seat somewhat, and shrugging scarlet robes, dancing dogs in gowns and his right shoulder, — " so, because I decided wigs as barristers, soaped pigs, etc., — all wrong twice, Mr. Johnson, you 'd have me this to the great annoyance of his lordship, do so a third time? No, no, Mr. Johnson! who however could do nothing in the matter, you must excuse me. I 'll decide the other the proceedings not being sufficiently riotous way this bout." And so he did. to constitute a public nuisance. Soon after In the early part of Sir Jonah's career the ward, however, Magee having been convicted Irish press was notorious for its libels. The of libel, his lordship was enabled to admin law of libel in Ireland was formerly very ister justice to him with a clear conscience. loose and badly understood, the principal Theophilus Swift, an eccentric barrister, reason being, according to our author, that having libelled the officers and fellows of in those days men who were libelled gener Dublin University, all of whom were of the ally took the law into their own hands, "and clergy, an information for criminal libel was eased the King's Bench of much trouble by granted against him; and Sir Jonah was re the substitution of a small sword for a decla tained to defend him. Let us quote our ration, and a case of pistols for a judgment." author's words : " The trial at length came Another consideration, says Sir Jonah, was on, and there were decidedly more parsons that " scolding matches and disputes among present than I believe ever appeared in any soldiers were never then made matters of court of justice of the same dimensions. legal inquiry. Military officers are now by The court set out full gallop against us; we statute held unfit to remain such if they fight worked on, — twice twelve judges could not one another, while formerly they were thought have stopped us! I examined the most unfit to remain in the army if they did not. learned man of the whole University, Dr. Another curious anomaly is become obvious. Barret, — a little greasy, shabby, croaking, If lawyers now refuse to pistol each other, round-faced vice-provost. I worked at him they may be scouted out of society, though unsuccessfully for more than an hour; not