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VOL. V.

No. 2.

BOSTON.

FEBRUARY, 1893.

THE ENGLISH BENCH AND BAR OF TO-DAY. VII. SIR HENRY HAWKINS.

"A NGING Arry," as the criminal classes the triumph of Edwin James in securing the •*"*- feelingly describe the subject of the acquittal of Simon Bernard, who was tried present sketch, was born at Hitchin in 1817, for participation in the plot of Orsini. In and was educated at Bedford School. He 1863 Hawkins was counsel along with Bovill was called to the bar of the Middle Temple — afterwards Chief-Justice — in the abortive in 1843, and joined the Home Circuit. The proceedings that arose out of the forgeries embryo stage of his advocacy was soon over, committed by Mr. Roupell, M. P. for Lam and he entered upon a career more varied beth. In 1865 he stood for Barnstaple in in its incidents and more striking in its vic the Liberal interest, but without success. tories than that of any contemporary lawyer. Four years later he was matched against In 1847 we nnd him acting as junior to Sir Coleridge, Q. C., in the famous Saurin v. Frederick Thesiger in the successful prose Starr case, already noticed in our sketch of cution of Richard Dunn, a briefless and im the Lord Chief-Justice, — and displayed his pecunious barrister who had pestered the wonderful gifts of cross-examination at the wealthy Miss Burdett Coutts with love, expense of Miss Saurin. It was, however, poetry, and demands for money, for a in the notorious Tichborne trials that Mr number of years, and had at length brought Hawkins firmly established his reputation himself within the meshes of the criminal as the foremost cross-examiner in the world. law by committing perjury in an affidavit. From the point of view of legal biography In 1855 Sir John Dean Paul, William Stra- there are only four features of permanent han, and William Makin Bates were indicted interest and importance in those causes for having illegally converted to their own célèbres, — Dr. Kenealy's unhappy break use certain securities belonging to their down; Mr. Coleridge's conspicuous failure to clients. Hawkins, in conjunction with Ser crush the claimant in the long struggle that jeant Byles, defended Paul; but his efforts took place between them; Lord Cockburn's were fruitless, and all the prisoners were summing up, which it is now superfluous to convicted. In 1858 he took silk. Three of praise; and the cross-examinations of Baigent his best briefs were political : he was engaged and Carter by Mr. Hawkins. The Reports in the defence of Pollard, indicted for having of the Tichborne Trials are accessible to all defrauded Prince Louis Napoleon, but had students, and we refer to their pages in to content himself with the honor of having justification of the place that we have as cross-examined the coming Emperor of signed to the cross-examinations of Mr. France; he was counsel for Mr. W. H. Hawkins, — justice cannot be done to them Smith when his seat was contested by the in a precis. In 1874 Hawkins appeared for Liberals of Westminster; and he shared in the petitioner in the Frederick Legitimacy 8