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BUMBLE ON THE BENCH is
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of Napoleon I . on its return from . Marengo , Austerlitz , and Wagram . " The same journal adds , " The Emperor has awakened in France the sentiment of great things , as -he has reopened the era of great military victories and of noble moral conquests . " The Emperor ' s own speech made no such allusions . It was a modest , self-denying utterance , as innocent as the address to the people when seeking
their suffrages for the Presidential election , and telling them , " I am not an ambitious man , dreaming of the Empire and of war . " In a spirit of good taste he confessed ,. "It was flattering to me , who had never commanded an army , to find so nruch obedience on the part of men who had great experience in warfare . " The generals got their fair share of the credit of success , and all were asked not to forget what they had done together . u Let the remembrance of obstacles overcome , of dangers
eluded , of imperfections discovered , be ever present to your mind , for to the warrior past experience is science . " This was good advice , and should another French army be sent forth to battle there is no reason to doubt that improvements of various kinds will show that the Emperor has not forgotten to act upon it . Toj > ur " warriors" " past experience" maybe " science /' but our rulers turn much of their experience into folly ; and while no rational means of manning the navy have yet been devised , Parliament is gadr ding after grouse without providing or requiring from the Cabinet any comprehensive plan tor enabling the people to assist in their own defence .
The greatest admirers of the Empire have hitherto ' "failed to see in it any signs of moral or intellectual progress , and unless the amnesty to all political opponents and . the repeal of the warnings to the press should "be the commencement of a change of character , history will not know it as a time when France brought any fresh energies ofinind to bear upon the civilisation of Europe . To us it stands as an epoch of mental repression and material force ; and if it makes no
movement towards domestic liberty it must gratify national pride and occupy national feeling by the extent of its influence and interference with external concerns . A despotism as stupid and inert as that of Austria could not exist in France—tho Empire must be always doing and astonishing . For our parts we neither wish to be done nor astonished ; but it is easy to sec the Italian war has operated as a ferment , and in common with other countries we shall keep a look out for the new products which will be evolved .
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THE NATIONAL WANTS . The nation wants a great naval reserve , and one of the last acts of the Parliament was to sanction the expenclitvu'e of 600 , 0002 ., nominally , to procure one . Caxight by a sound , the press and the Parliament were almost unanimous in approving the measure . Yet the slightest examination must satisfy every man , that it Js what the late Sir Robert Peel was wont to call a mere vulgar expedient—a vote of money as a cure for a moral evil . The national want is of more willing-hearted seamen , and this 600 , OQ 0 Z . is to be devoted to giving
once banish from their rninds the absurd notion that they must coerce and fight seamen as the _ seamen are required to coerce and fig ht the national enemies . The national want of willing ^ hearted men-of-war's seamen will not be remedied by the measure which closed the generally-worthless session of 1859 . It will undoubtedly increase the patronage of the Admiralty . It will make registrars of seamen and paymasters at different ports necessary , it will increase clerks and officers of all kinds , in short it will add largely to the increasing bureaucracy ,. the dependants on "My Lords , " and not to the seamen of the empire .
It will be another failure added to scores , of failures made by Parliament every year . It and they suggest to us that there is a still more important national want than even that of willingheartqd seamen . The nation wants skilful , honest , vigorous-minded statesmen . The system existing in France is not the invention of Louis Napoleon . It dates from the first Empire , but wielded by his vigorous hand it is now alarming to us . Our Lords of the Admiralty , our Ministers generally , are terrified because they are not skilful administrators and visrorous-minded men like him .
They are not up to their work , and the public is terrified not because the nation is powerless or defenceless , but because the Ministers , in relation to Louis Napoleon , are imbeciles . They only try humbly to imitate what he does . U imparts life to every part of his administration , they only strangle the life they are appointed to nourish . He studies how to do a thing , they continually study how not to do the rig ht tiling . They are wonderful talkers , great intriguers , wasteful spendthrifts , but bad administrators . The nation is magnificently powerful ,- especially at ; sea , but its power is paralysed by its inefficient statesmen .
They themselves , recognise the weakness , but they attribute it to the wrong cause . They get sulky because they are not allowed , like Louis Napoleon , to have their own way . They suppose that he is energetic because he is despotic , while he is a des |} ot because he is energetic . They , accordingly , like him , are enemies of the press , which gathers strength from the multitude , and would impart it to an energetic Government , They . are the opponents of a wider franchise ; they are , in a manner , at war with the people ; they fancy it is their mission to keep them subordinate , to control and thwart them , and they weaken the national power . They misunderstand
its sources , and misuse it . They maintain the corrupt boroughs and the restricted franchise , through which the national power is diverted into the hands of worthless men . Parliament is not the representative of the national energies and the national wisdom , but of folly , weakness , aud corruption . They still believe that freedom is weakness , and that the French system would make them as skilful and strong as the Emperor . So they continually try , particularly as to maritime affairs ^ to make us us like the French as possible . They utterly disregard the principles of our national life , and imitate those of a backward and unsuccessful naval power . The great and real national want is of statesmen who understand tho
sources of our greatness , and will honestly and fearlessly use them . The men who pretend to be the national leaders are decrepid , old intriguers , who stand in the way .
retaining fees to coast guardsmen and seamen alread y in existence . ' Nothing is better known than the fact that tho number or men of every class and condition will bo in proportion to the funds appropriated to maintain them . Thus the number of admirals and generals and ox-chancellors is exceedingly great , in consequence of the money voted for such people by Parliament . But to have theso classes , retaining fees are not given to captains of merchant ships , rough-riding country squires , or London solicitors . Tho men supposed to be wanted arc
highly rowardod . Tho same rultj holds good for willing-honrted men-of-war ' s seaman , and to have their services a greater number of them must be well paid ; they will not bo got by giving retaining ibes to other classes . For 600 , 000 / . per annum , atj 40 £ . por head , pay and provision—15 , 000 seamen , without oosting one farthing more for officers or marine barracks , or oxta dorks and nevr registrars , or any other thing but the one really wanted , may be ? had and always be at command . To be sure , this implies that tho service must bo made agreeable to the people , that even Sir Charloe Napier must go much further than ho is at presont willing to go , nnd , iniisfc givo up flog * SWg ; and the Lords of the Admiralty must givo wp all kinds of arbitrary punishments , and must at
Bumble On The Bench Is
virtue are not one and the same . We strongly object to seeing a clergyman administering justice from the magisterial bench . Our objection is equally strong to seeing a judge delivering sermons ' in a coiirt of law . In addition , moreover , to our ¦ general prejudice against this system of legal sermonising , we have a peculiar objection to this attempt of Baron Brarnwell to personate the double character of Solon and of Solomon . The part has been so well played before that we look with dissatisfaction on the efforts of an inferior performer .
Lord Campbell was the heavy artillery of the moral-judicial force . The late Mr . Serjeant Adams was the light infantry . Both in their-. way were inimitable . Lord Campbell may have , been prosy , pompous , and not pellucid ; but stiil in his prosiness there was reason , and his want of logic was atoned for by common sense . Mr . Adams was eccentric , unreasonable : —absurd if you likebut still he was at once original and amusing . Baron Bramwell , like all servile copyists , catches the faults of his ' models without , their virtues . He is at once a feeble Campbell and a dull Adams .
As long as -Baron Bramwell confined himself to inculcating moral advice on juvenile offenders , and dilating , to them on the aesthetic and subjective aspects of the whipping , which infliction hewn ? about to decree for their especial benefit , we wore content to leave him to the plaudits of his own satisfied moral sense . There is a limit , however , tu human endurance , and Baron Bramwell has overslept it . We expect that before long some of pur comic lecturers will announce a series of" Mornings -with Baron Bramwell . " The scheme will be a successful one if they can . only obtain ii succession of such scenes as have distinguished the Baron ' s rtcent assize tour the Western Circuit
on . . aboIZl ? LUUl VJll . LAJ . C 1 » tO V \* I . M-L VAX V l-ll 1 / . The brightest genius needs an opportunity tor its ' exhibition . The most inflammable of matches will not explode without friction , and Baron Bramwell onl y soars to the heights of absurdity when irritated by opposition . On Tuesday last the Baron was in his glory . In the 'first place , aii attorney made an application that his client ' s case might be postponed till the arrival of the counsel engaged for his defence . There was an opportunity for the display of judicial impartiality—an opportunity not unimproved . The refusal of the learned judge was decisive and unanswerable . all
He had stated peremptorily that he would take cases in their order , and he was bound to keep his word . It is true that the promiso was matte to himself . What of that ? A man who does not respect himself will never respect others . If you have promised yourself to time at six , what base considerations of other people ' s interests will induce an honourable man to break his plighted word ? The law of the " Medea and Persians " altereth not—neither do the resolutions of Bramwell . To this argument of the judge there was no reply , and the attorney felt that thero was none ; so ho humbly suggested that , in the absence of hi ?
counsel , he , who was the only person who knew anything of the matter , might state his client ' s case . Great was the indignation of the judge lit such an iniquitous proposal . " JVulumits leg ?* AnglicG mutare" Let a thousand clients perish before the fundamental principles of the English constitution sire subverted and an attorney is _ allowed to trospass on the sacred privileges oi tho bar . Upon this the attorney mid his client disappeared into insignificance , and the arena was left open ibr a new competitor . Huron Bramwoll ' s appetite was ' only whetted , not satiated : o new victim wns ready for immolation . An unhappy juror had a scruple about < akimr the oaths . This scruple , though I 3 arnii Brumwell seems unaware of tho fact , is not mine novel or
BUMBLE ON THE BENCH . Baron BramwEix is the living Bumble . Ho not only awards punishment but ho also dispenses instruction . His advice , like that of advertising apothecaries , is delivered gratis . Luckless is tho wight who falls beneath tho lash of the law in any case . Most pitiable of all is the plight of those who arc not only punished but lectured into the bargain . The judgment-spat of Baron Bramwell ia also a parochial pulpit . Under his hands ovory oooasion is improved . His summing-ups sayourof tho tabernacle , and his sentonoos are larded with
serious sentiments . A legal mosquito , he not onl y stings but buzzes while ho stings . For our part wo like a man to stick to his trade Wo should close dealings with a grocer who sent in our soap wrapt up in tracts . We should dismiss a washerwoman who made- out our washing bills in sonnets , or even in Tupporian hexameters . Now the trade of a judge is to enforce morality by punishment ) , not by preoept . Law is good in its plaoo . Preaohing is good also , but the plaoo ' . and season for laying down tho law and inculcating
unparalleled . Thero have boon ui-o now men worthy of all honour who havo f ' olt like ocrupjos , and yet objected , to like oaths . No consideration of suoh an abstract kind had any weight in tho scales of Bnimwellian justioo . The aerupulouH . juryman was an ass , ana must bo kicked-after tho fashion of asses . A man , aocording to Iho Baron s opinions , who differs from tho majority of mankind on any point is wrong ; graco has nothing to do with earthly matters 5 and if any body dissents from this sweeping statement , Baron IJiwrnvclJ has no intontion of arguing tho point , and ho may kqop his opinion to liimaolf . All the roousnnt juryman has saitl or oan say ia said to bo downright nonsense ; so he is tola that ho is unfit to servo on a jury , is ordorcd to got out of tho box as quiok , as bo can , and in one nnd tho sivnn /
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962 THE LEABEK [ No . 491 . AuGc 20 , 18 5 ^ .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 20, 1859, page 962, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2308/page/14/
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