present exists. He acted merely as the Queen's private adviser, while the Attorney and Solicitor-General were the advisers of the Government. No other appointment of Queen's or King's Counsel was made for many years, until Sir Francis North (afterwards Lord Guildford), was so created in the reign of Charles II., and from that period the title seems to have grown, and to have gradually assumed its present significance. The Queen's Counsel will soon have it all their own way, for it is now resolved that no fresh serjeants are to be appointed, although the existing ones maintain the same rank and privileges they have always enjoyed. The power of conferring the coif rested — in fact, still exists — with the Lord Chancel lor, but he never exercised it, except at the recommendation of the Chief-Justice of the Common Pleas. On the creation of a ser jeant a number of gold rings (about twentyeight) had to be bestowed by him on several persons of different grades, — the Queen, the Chancellor^ the judges, and I think the Mas ters of the Common Fleas. Even the chief usher of that court received one, but it dwindled down to a hoop of not much greater breadth than a curtain ring and about one tenth of its thickness. Her Maj esty's ring was a very massive affair, nearly an inch long, with enamel in the middle and massive gold ends; on the former were en graved — as indeed was the case with all of them — a motto specially chosen for the oc casion. The Chancellor's and the judges' rings were about one third of an inch in breadth, but luckily for me not very thick, as I had to pay for them. The greater num ber I never saw, for the goldsmith always undertook to distribute the gifts to those
who, by immemorial custom, had a claim to them. It was only the Queen's and the colt's of which we had personal inspection. I may state that the " colt " is generally a young professional friend, who attends the new serjeant on his being sworn in before the Lord Chancellor, and who is an ancient and necessary appendage to the ceremony. He walks in {pone) behind his principal, and it is said that the term " colt " is merely a parody on that Latin word. The ceremonial itself is very simple. You go in full official dress with your colt before the Chancellor in his private room, where the Queen's writ conferring the rank upon you is read. The oath of allegiance is then administered by the Chancellor; after which you kneel down before him, and he pins the coif (consisting of a patch of black silk with a white crimped border) on the top of your wig, and you become a Serjeant-at-law. You are henceforth addressed by the judges who are serjeants as " brother," but the relationship ends there; we never take the same liberty. In court we address them as "my lord," and in private as "judge." On rising from your knees and receiving the congratulations of the Lord Chancellor, the colt advances and presents the Queen's ring to the Chancellor, requesting him to beg her Majesty's acceptance of it in the name of his principal; another is presented to the Chancellor, and a third is kept by the colt as his own perquisite. On becoming a serjeant, your connection with your ancient Inn of Court entirely ceases. If the creation took place during term, a breakfast was given in the hall, and the bell solemnly tolled you out of it, in token of your being dead to the society in future.
