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TJic Green Bag.
ject, a statement appeared in the " 'l imes " the other (lay to the effect that it was now practically settled that the Recorder of London, Sir Thomas Cham bers, Q. C, would shortly retire. As this vacancy had been so often predicted, most people believed the intimation in question to be final, and a number of names suggested themselves for the appointment. The most likely candidate was, in influential quarters, considered to be the Judge AdvocateGeneral Sir William Mariott, Q. C, senior mem ber for Brighton; but just as curiosity was at its height, the veteran Recorder took an opportunity of flatly contradicting the statement that he in tended to retire. A curious feature of the case was the action taken by Sir William Charley, the Common Serjeant. He was piqued at no one proposing himself as a likely successor to his superior, Sir Thomas Chambers; so reflecting that he must strike a blow on his own account, he published a statement setting forth the tra ditional right of the Common Serjeant to be promoted to the higher office, on its becom ing vacant. This extraordinary proceeding has been commented on by the press in the severest manner. An extraordinary amount of public interest has been excited over the case of Mrs. Cathcart, a lady of large fortune and eccentric habits; her husband presented a petition in lunacy against her, seeking to have his wife pronounced a lunatic. The en quiry which took place before one of the masters in lunacy, Master Bulwers,' and a jury was ex tremely prolonged, and was remarkable for the number of sharp conflicts between the distinguished counsel engaged in the case. Sir Henry James appeared for Mr. Cathcart, while Sir Charles Russell represented the lady. Sir Charles had to admit, in opening his client's case, that she had a "bee in her bonnet;" but in fact Mrs. Cathcart's eccentricities and delusions were proved to be very numerous and deeply rooted. Most people who had watched the case carefully, assumed that the husband's petition would be granted, when, to their surprise, the jury at the conclusion of the hearing pronounced Mrs. Cathcart sane; probably the kindly jurors wished to err on the safe side, and there is no doubt the verdict was an extremely popu lar one, as a sort of impression got abroad at one time that the proceedings were a plot to have a
wealthy and highly intelligent lady placed under most uncalled for restraint. The authorities at St. Paul's Cathedral can now breathe freely. Many visitors from your shores have admired the magnificent Reredos which now befittingly adorns the chancel, and whose erection is only part of a larger scheme for decorating the interior of the great Metropolitan Cathedral. The Reredos, however, was a source of intense sorrow to a small section of ultra-Protestants, who resolved to bring the question of its legality before a court of law. Accordingly two " representatives," under the provisions of the Public Worship Regulation Act, 1874, were sent to Dr. Temple, the Bishop of London, — one complaining that the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's had set up on a reredos in the Cathedral figures which tended to encourage ideas and devotions of an unauthorized and superstitious kind, and were unlawful; the other repeated the former complaint, and alleged that the figures had in fact encouraged such ideas and devotions as before alluded to. The Bishop replied to the first rep resentation by stating that having considered the whole circumstances of the case he was of opin ion that proceedings should not be taken. His reasons were that the question of principle had been already decided in a previous case; that liti gation in such matters even when necessary to decide an important point is a great evil, causing irritation and party strife, and that in the present case it would cause more mischief to the church at large than benefit. As to the second representa tion, he observed that the questions it raised were substantially the same as those in the first. The complainants in both cases applied for a mandamus to compel the Bishop to direct proceedings to be taken. The Court of Queen's Bench having, after very carefully considering their judgment, granted the mandamus, the Court of Appeal promptly set the order aside; the decision of the Court of Appeal has just been affirmed by the House of Lords. The final settlement of the matter in favor of the Dean and Chapter gratifies every one except the promoters of the absurd suit. I hear that Sir Charles Russell is about to start on a tour to San Francisco, that he may see his sister who is Mother Superior of a convent there. It is stated that the brother and sister have not met for upward of thirty years. "' *
