The Bench and the Bar Author:James Grant Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 37 CHAPTER IX. COUNSEL IN THE COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH. SIR JOHN CAMPBELL SIR ROBERT ROLFE SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK—SIR WILLIAM FOLLETT— MR. EARLE—MR. CRE... more »SSWELL MR. ALEXANDER . MR. PLATT MR. SYDNEY TAYLOR — MB. RICHARDS—MR. WIGHTMAN. Sir John Campbell was well known, both by the bar and the public, before he could rejoice in the honorary prefix of " Sir" to his name, and of course before his appointment to the office -of Attorney General,—the distinction of knighthood having been conferred upon him contemporaneously with the attorney-generalship. He is a favourable specimen of what an untiring plodding industry, coupled with goodtempt, have accomplished the ascent of Mont Blanc,—always assuming that he made no false step, owing to the slipperiness of the icy path. Of this lam certain, that he would not have stuck in the middle of the snowy region, nor for a mo-' ment entertained the idea of " going back again," because of the fatigues of the task. His determination always has been, never to relinquish any undertaking the accomplishment of which does not involve a physical or moral impossibility. Sir John Campbell, when he found that his status at the bar, and the amount of his income, would justify the step, became a candidate for a seat in the legislature. That object of his ambition he soon gained. Of his character as a representative of the people, I need not here say anything, having spoken of him at some length in that capacity, in my " Random Recollections of the House of Commons." Sir John Campbell is by no means a brilliant man at the bar, any more than he is in the legislature. His professional knowledge is accurate as far as it goes, but it is neither so varied norminute as that of many of his brethren at the bar. What he does know, he displays cons...« less