London Legal Letter. know that a worse mistake would be made in the attempted correction of the original blunder? However it happens in this case that the attorney for the plaintiff, let us call him Lawyer Smith — for that happens to be his real name, and who upon request has kindly furnished many of the facts contained in this article — knows more about survey ing than the surveyor himself. Ah, and that proves to be the rub. After the surveyor is led to briefly review his work, the examination ends with ques tions and answers somewhat in this style : — Question. Is the variation of the needle of the compass in this section of country to the east or west? Answer. To the west. Ques. Are you sure of that? Ans. I'm certain of it. Ques. How came you then to go east on' the base line to make the correction of vari ation? Ans. (In some confusion.) I don't know, I never thought of that before.
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Ques. Then it was wrong to go east on base line to correct the variation? Ans. Yes. Ques. You should have placed your in strument on the original corner, at west end of base line, turned it four degrees to the right to have made the correction for four degrees of variation? Ans. Yes. Ques. Look at this diagram, turning your instrument four degrees to the right from line north twenty-nine degrees east, you would run north thirty-three degrees, east one hundred and forty-one perches, which would be the correct line with allowance for variation, wpuld it not? Ans. Yes. Ques. In that case the southern wedge of land would belong to Mrs. Reese? Ans. Yes. Ques. That's all. Ans. Thank you. And the verdict is for the plaintiff.
LONDON LEGAL LETTER. London, May 2, 1894. TO the surprise of most people, Sir Charles Russell has accepted the Lordship of Ap peal in Ordinary, rendered vacant by the death of Lord Bowen. The calm and still atmosphere of the House of Lords will certainly afford a change of scene to the greatest European ad vocate of modern times; he sacrifices an income approaching thirty thousand a year for a humble pittance of six thousand, but he was tired of professional routine and the drudgery of courts; henceforth, from his crimson chair, as Lord Russell he will, occasionally resting from the pleasures of the race course, reverse the decrees of inferior judges. The critics of legal appointments — a feeble folk — have been complaining that there is only one equity lawyer in the House of Lords, which is true enough; but after all it scarcely matters, as the Lords of Appeal are men of
sufficient talent to master any strange problem litigants may present them with. Sir Charles Russell is a man of masterful will and domineering temper, and many are the anecdotes of the crushing snubs he has adminis tered to his juniors and the solicitors at a conference too eager with suggestions. His withdrawal from the forensic arena sets free an immense amount of work for other men; as yet Sir Edward Clarke and Mr. Lockwood seem to be reaping the richest harvest from the retire ment of their great competitor. Lord Russell's interest in the race course is well known, a taste he shares with Mr. Justice Hawkins, and he also has always found relief from professional worries in the pleasures of the card table; although he plays whist a great deal, he is not a particularly good player : the game he most excels in is picquet, at which I believe he is one of the first
