no able ancestor nearer in blood to him than a greatgrandparent, is inappreciably better off in the chance of being himself gifted with ability, than if he had been taken. out of the general mass of men. An old peerage is a valueless title to natural gifts, except so far as it may have been furbished up by a succession of wise intermarriages. When, however, as is often the case, the direct line has become extinct and the title has passed to a distant relative, who had not been reared in the family' traditions, the sentiment that is attached to its possession. is utterly unreasonable. I cannot think of any claim to respect, put forward in modern days, that is so entirely an imposture, as that made by a peer on the ground of descent, who has neither been nobly educated, nor has any eminent kinsman, within three degrees. I will conclude this chapter with a few facts I have derived from my various jottings, concerning the "natural history" of Judges. It appears that the parentage of the Judges in the last six reigns, viz. since the accession of George I., is as follows, reckoning in percentages: noble, honourable, or baronet (but not judges), 9; landed gentlemen, 35; judge, barrister, or attorney, 15; bishop or clergyman, 8; medical, 7; merchants and various, unclassed, 10; tradesmen, 7; unknown, 9. There is, therefore, no very marked class peculiarity in the origin of the Judges. They seem to be derived from much the same 3ources as the scholars of our Universities, with a decided but not excessive preponderance in favour of legal parents. I also thought it worth while to note the order in which the Judges stood in their several families, to see whether ability affected the eldest more than the youngest, or if any important fact of the kind might appear. I find in my notes that I have recorded the order of the birth of 72 judges. The result of the percentages is, that the judge was an only son in II cases; eldest in 17; second in 38; A third in 22; fourth in 9; fifth in I; and of a yet later birth in 2 instances. It is clear that the eldest sons do not succeed as judges half as well as the cadets. I suppose that social influences are, on the whole, against their entering, or against their succeeding at the law. APPENDIX TO JUDGES. THERE have been 286 Judges, according to the "Lives of the Judges," by Foss, between the accession of Charles II. and the year 1864, No less than 112 of them find a place in the following list. Among the Judges are included the Lord Chancellors, 30 in number, and of these eminent officers no less than 24, or 80 per cent. of the whole, will be found to have eminent relations. Contractions employed in the List. The name of a Sovereign in parentheses, as (Charles II.), shows the latest reign in which each judge held office. Ch. K. B. (or Q. B.) = Chief Justice of the King's (or Queen's) Bench. Just. K. B. (or Q. B.) = Justice of the King's (or Queen's) Bench. Ch. B. E. B. E. Curs. B. E. = Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Abney, Sir Thomas; Just. C. P. (Geo. II.) U. Sir Thomas Abney, a famous Lord Mayor of London; one of the promoters of the Bank of England; protector of Dr. Isaac Watts. See Watts' Elegy on him. [F.] Sir Edward Abney, LL.D. and M.P., a man of importancr in his day. Alderson, Sir Edward Hall; B. E. (Vict.) and Yarmouth. Alibone, Sir Richard; Just. K. B. (James II.) Atkyns, Sir Edward; B. E. (Charles II.) Sir Robert, Ch. Just. C. P. (Will. III.) S. PS. Sir John Tracy, who assumed his mother's name of Atkyns, Sir J. Tracy (Atkyns), Curs. B. E. Atkyns, Sir Robert; Ch. C. P. (Will. III.) G. Sir Richard, Ch. Just. N. Wales. F. Sir Edward, B. F. B. Sir Edward, B. E. (Charles II.) (James II.) p. Sir John Tracy, who assumed the name of Atkyns, Curs. B. E. Atkyns, Sir Edward; B. E. (James II.) G. Sir Richard, Gh. Just. N. Wales. F. Sir Edward, B. E. (Charles II.) B. Sir Robert, Ch. C. P. Bp. Sir J. Tracy, assumed name of Atkyns, Curs. B. E. Atkyns, Sir John Tracy (his mother was named Atkyns, and he adopted her name); Curs. B. E. (Geo. III.) g. Sir Robert Atkyns, Ch. C. P. gB. Sir Edward Atkyns, B. E. gF. Sir Edward Atkyns, B. E. (James II.) (Charles II.) Bathurst, Henry; 2d Earl of Bathurst; Ld. Chanc. (Geo. III.) F. The first Earl, an accomplished wit. n. Sir Francis Buller, Just. K. B., the famous judge. (Geo. III.) Bedingfield, Sir Henry; Ch. C. P. (James II.) (Charles I.) U. Sir Thomas Bedingfield, Just. C. P. Best, Wm. Draper; created Ld. Wynford; Ch. C. P. (Geo. IV.) g. General Sir William Draper, the well-known antagonist of "Junius." Bickersteth, Henry; created Lord Langdale; M. R. (Vict.) u. Dr. Batty, the famous physician. Birch, Sir John; Curs. B. E. (Geo. II.) [U.] Colonel Thomas Birch, well known under the Commonwealth. Blackburn, Sir Colin; Just. Q. B. (Vict.) B. Professor of Mathematics at Glasgow. g. Rev. John Gillies, LL.D., historian, and successor to Dr. Robertson (the gr. uncle of Lord Brougham) as historiographer of Scotland. Blackstone, Sir William; Just. C. P. (Geo. III.) S. His second son held all his University preferments. N. Henry, wrote Reports" that were even more popular than his own. Bramston, Sir Francis; B. E. (Charles II.) F. Sir John Bramston, Ch. K. B. under Charles I. Browne, Samuel; Just. C. P. (Charles II.) uS. Oliver St. John, Ch. Just. C. P. under the Protectorate. Brougham, Sir Henry; cr. Ld. Brougham; Ld. Chan. (Will. IV.) gB. Robertson, the historian. Buller, Sir Francis; Just. C. P. (Geo. III.) U. William Buller, Bishop of Exeter. u. Earl of Bathurst, Lord Chancellor. (Geo. III.) N. Rt. Hon. Charles Buller, statesman. Burnet, Sir Thomas; Just. C. P. (Geo. II.) Campbell, Lord; Lord Chancellor. (Vict.) [G.] Eminently successful scholar at St. Andrew's. [F.] Had distinguished literary attainments; was pious and eloquent. N. George Campbell, member of Supreme Court of Calcutta ; writer on Indian politics. Chelmsford, Lord. See THESIGER. Churchill, Sir John; M. R. (James II.) GN. John Churchill, the great Duke of Marlborough. Clarendon, Earl. See HYDE. Clarke, Sir Charles; Ch. B. E. (Geo. II) B. Dean of Chester. u. Charles Trimnell, Bishop of Winchester. Clive, Sir Edward; Just. C. P. (Geo. III.) U. Sir George Clive, Curs. B. E. (Geo. II.) UP. The great Lord Clive, Governor-General of India. Clive, Sir George; Curs. B. E. (Geo. II.) N. Sir Edward Clive, Just. C. P. (Geo. III.) NS. The son of another nephew was the great Lord Clive. (Vict.) U. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet and metaphysician. See under POETS. (He was father of Hartley, Derwent, and Sara. US. Hartley Coleridge, poet. US. Edward, Master at Eton. US. Derwent Coleridge, Principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea. US. Sara Coleridge, authoress. (Married her cousin, Henry Nelson Coleridge.) US. Henry Nelson Coleridge (son of Col. Coleridge, brother of Samuel Taylor C.), author. S. Sir John Duke Coleridge, Solicitor-General. Cooper, Sir Anthony Ashley; created Earl of Shaftesbury; Lord Chancellor. (Charles II.) P. The 3d Earl, author of the "Characteristics." Copley, Sir John Singleton; cr. Ld. Lyndhurst; Ld. Chanc. (Vict.) F. A painter, and an eminent one, judging from the prices that his pictures now fetch. Cottenham, Lord. See PEPYS. Cowper, Sir Wm.; created Earl Cowper; Ld. Chanc. (Geo. I.) B. Sir Spencer Cowper, Just. C. P. (Geo. II.) NS. The grandson of Sir Spencer was Cowper the poet. See POETS. Cowper, Sir Spencer; Just. C. P. (Geo. II.) B. 1st Earl Cowper, Lord Chancellor. (Geo. I.) P. William Cowper, the poet. Cranworth, Lord. See ROLFE. Dampier, Sir Henry; Just. K. B. (Geo. III.) F. Dean of Durham. B. Bishop of Ely. De Grey, Sir Wm. ; cr. Lord Walsingham; Ch. C. P. (Geo. III.) S. Thomas, 2d Baron; for twenty years Chairman of Com mittees in House of Lords. |