appearance is very different from that of Sir Longrobe Bigwig. He is small in stature, weak in health, and his voice is shrill and high-pitched. Yet is his mind sharp as a needle; and in arguing cases 'in banc,'—i. e. cases involving purely legal points, and which are decided by the judges alone,—Mr. Hardhead is as immeasurably superior to Sir Longrobe Bigwig as Sir Longrobe Bigwig is to him in addressing juries.

To begin with, Sir Longrobe Bigwig's imposing a ppearance and pleasant voice-which help him amazingly when he is addressing a jury-do not in the slightest degree assist him in arguing before the four crusty old judges whom he is now addressing. Moreover, as I intimated at the beginning of this article, Sir Longrobe Bigwig has never been by any means strong in his law. He had not, as I have mentioned already, any great practice as a 'junior,' and whatever law he now knows he has picked up since he attained the rank of a Q.C., and began to 'lead' in cases. It is true that Mr. Brown, Sir Longrobe Bigwig's junior in the present case, did what he could, when in consultation with him this morning, to 'coach' his eminent leader in the law of the case which Sir Longrobe Bigwig is now engaged in arguing. The fact, however, is that during the whole of the consultation this morning,

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Sir Longrobe Bigwig's mind was running upon a speech which he intends to deliver to-night in the great debate upon the Cuban question, which is now proceeding in the House of Commons. In point of fact, Sir Longrobe Bigwig has been specially asked by the great Lord Precedent to speak to-night upon this Cuban question. Seeing that Sir Longrobe Bigwig held the post of Solicitor-General in Lord Precedent's late administration, and that if his lordship can only manage to return to power, he is certain to appoint Sir Longrobe Bigwig to the post of Attorney-General, it is clear that that eminent leader had no option but to comply with the wishes of his political chief. During the whole of last night therefore, Sir Longrobe Bigwig was engaged in preparing his speech upon the Cuban question, and, his mind being naturally still full of it this morning,--he did not pay so much attention as he ought to have done to his junior's remarks made to him in consultation.

By reason of this inattention upon his part, you perceive that Sir Longrobe Bigwig is floundering about terribly in his argument 'in banc' this afternoon. At length he stops short, and suddenly wheeling round to his 'junior' Mr. Brown, says to him, 'Brown, you know far more about this case than I do. Will you, like a good fellow, go into it

pretty fully, and I'll cut my argument down?' Of course Mr. Brown acquiesces, for he sees clearly that if he doesn't come to the rescue their client's case will go to the wall altogether. He therefore intimates to Sir Longrobe Bigwig that he will argue the case fully in his speech, whereupon that eminent leader (much relieved) very speedily brings his argument to a close, remarking with great suavity, as he does so, 'M' luds, I shall be followed by m' learned friend Mr. Brown, who is with me in this case, and he will, I have pleasure in assuring your ludships, do full justice to any arguments which I may have failed to bring before you.'

The judges who have for some time past observed Sir Longrobe Bigwig's increasing difficulties, cannot help grinning to each other at the cool way in which he has now got out of them. Sir Longrobe Bigwig himself straightway rushes off to the library of the House of Commons, there to conclude the preparation of the speech, with which at five o'clock this afternoon he is to resume the debate in the House of Commons upon the Cuban question. After he has delivered this speech-it is certain to be a success, for Sir Longrobe Bigwig is an excellent debater, and one of the very few lawyers who have ever succeeded in winning the ear of the House of Commons-he will return to the library

of the House, and will there read up his briefs for to-morrow until about 2 A.M.; at which hour he will be summoned to take part in the division upon the Cuban question. If the ministry be defeated, then will Lord Precedent and his party return to power, and ere many days are over, Sir Longrobe Bigwig will find himself appointed Her Majesty's AttorneyGeneral. From that post he will, in due course, be promoted to the Chiefship of one of the superior Courts of Common Law.

It was said of the late Lord Brougham by his enemies that he knew a little of everything-except law. I have heard the same remark applied to Sir Longrobe Bigwig. Perhaps there is some truth in it. Sir Longrobe Bigwig is a good classic (he was a fellow of his college in Oxbridge); he is an excellent linguist; a capital judge of pictures; he has read much, and travelled much; he knows good wine; he gives pleasant dinner parties; finally, mirabile dictu, he never talks legal 'shop.' Upon the whole, perhaps the highest compliment which I can bestow upon him is to say this-that if you were to meet him in general society, you would never dream that he was 'an eminent leader.'

LINCOLN'S INN.

MOST readers will remember the graphic description of Lincoln's Inn and its surroundings which was given to the world by Mr. Dickens in the opening chapters of 'Bleak House.' Although twenty years have now elapsed since the publication of that work of fiction, the external appearance of Lincoln's Inn remains unchanged. The courts in which the Lord Chancellor, the Lords Justices of Appeals, and the three Vice-Chancellors sit, resemble externally-more than anything else which I can remember-the sheds which one sees erected at steamboat wharves for the temporary reception of the goods which are landed there. Internally the courts at Lincoln's Inn present the appearance of a third-rate Dissenting Chapel in a fourth-rate provincial town. The advantage, however, in this last comparison lies, I am well aware, with the Dissenting Chapel, for the chances are that the ecclesiastical edifice in question would be clean and comfortable, whereas the buildings which are occu