Judges are, I believe, fairly plentiful in America, but the race thrives well in India, and to write a learned disquisition on the various species of the genus judge might be of interest to students of human nature in all its forms and aspects, studies under such headings as the learned judge, the courteous judge, the irascible judge, the native loving, the "nigger" hating, the "don't care a tinker's malediction for forms and procedure " judge, might be made and illustrated with pen and ink sketches life size. But all such splitting up of the question would not advance us much.

In the course of my narrative two kinds alone come into play: First, the one who would listen, and second, the one who would not. Personally I prefer the former.

Cleverness, quickness of perception, good memory, courteous manners, may all come under the head of "circumstances over which one has no control," but the dullest man can listen, and when the liberty, nay,

perchance, the life of a fellow being is at stake, is it too much to expect from his judge that he will carefully listen to the voice of the accused speaking through his counsel ?

There is no doubt that the habit of ignorant and impertinent native legal practitioners, who avail themselves of every opportunity to inflict bombastic and nonsensical speeches on the bench, has to some extent caused their victims to retaliate by writing the decision before coming to court.

I once had to appear before a Sessions Judge who was notoriously deaf to argument; my clients were charged with riot and robbery, and twenty-two witnesses for the Crown gave promise of a long trial. Before the case began I was called into the room behind the court and welcomed as follows: "No need to trouble yourself, my dear fellow, as I have determined to acquit your clients."

After this there was nothing more for me

to do but to sit still and listen to the judge ballyragging witnesses for the Crown in a way that speedily caused a total collapse.

As it turned out all went well and we parted good friends, but had it been my duty on that day to appear for the prosecution things would have become lively. What especially amused me was that my clients were really guilty, and fully expected punishment.

Now this worthy man who considered half-an-hour spent in listening as a terrible waste of time, had spent several hours in reading up the police papers and the record generally, only to arrive at a wrong result.

It was the greater pity as he was undoubtedly a very able man, a splendid linguist, and a thorough sportsman, but we all have our little failings.

I remember, however, one dear old fossil, who ought to have been shelved long ago, and he listened too much; first one side convinced him and then the other. The only

thing to do was to hand him up the notes of one's argument to peruse at his leisure, they were faithfully transmitted into his judgment.

The advice of Polonius might well be taken to heart by some of our worthy Daniels.

“Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice," and yet the most talkative of them. may well plead that he is only imitating in a humble and imperfect manner the example of more than one judge of the High Court, which is to him even as a beacon set upon a hill. But hush, I blaspheme. "Muaf kyjye."

One word here to my future brethren of the Bar; be not extreme to mark what is amiss; a hasty word, a slight discourtesy from an over-worked man, with, perchance, a liver, can well be met with gentleness; deliberate rudeness will rarely come in your way, but should it do so the remedy is easy to find.

Whichever Bar Association you may belong to can at any time protect its members by representation to the High Court, which, of course, comes with far greater force than any individual action. But somehow, the best class of barristers rarely, if ever, fall foul of the judges.

The narrow limits of an Indian social circle naturally bring Bench and Bar into greater intimacy than is altogether desirable; it is not always pleasant to argue a case before a man you are on very familiar terms with, nor is a tiff over whist or angry words. over a disputed dance the best preparation for an impartial hearing.

A luckless friend of mine who resided in a station whereof the society amounted to eighteen souls only, managed to fall foul of the Collector Sahib, who made things lively for him; sent to Coventry, boycotted, severely left alone was he until a year later another Pharaoh arose, and my poor friend was once more smiled upon.