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The Green Bag.

was assigned to him a case involving an odd point. Two traders had engaged in a transaction in volving the sale of some stock. They had agreed to have the stock weighed on a certain pair of scales. These scales were afterward found to be inaccurate and the trader buying the stock wanted the sale set aside because of this inac curacy. The lawyer for the other man held that as no fraud was proven or charged, the sale should not be set aside simply because the scales, which both parties had agreed to abide by, were incorrect. The case came before the Supreme Court of Missouri and was referred to the Com mission. Judge Martin wrote an opinion in which he held that the sale was not good be cause of the inaccuracy of the scales, no matter what agreement had been entered into between the parties. He read this opinion to the Court, who indorsed it, and then he said to them : "But I have not been able to find a single authority in support of my position. The attor neys cited none in their brief and the books that I have examined give none." Judge Sherwood replied quickly : "I have an authority exactly in point." "I wish you would give it to me," replied Judge Martin. Judge Sherwood went into his room, took from his table where it was constantly kept, his Bible, and brought it to the consultation room. "Here it is," said he, "the XXIII verse of the XX chapter of Proverbs : ' Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good.'" "That is just the thing," returned Judge Martin. " I will put it in my opinion." And he did.

fifteen years was in 1889-90, when the total was £9,179. The highest remuneration received by the Solicitor General for England since 1880 was in 1888-89, when £6,000 was paid for sal ary and £5,056 for contentious business; total £11,056, while in 1891-2 it fell to £7.168. The English law-officers have recently been de barred from taking private practice, but as a solatium their salaries were increased by £3.000 or from £7,000 to £10,000, in the case of At torney General, and from £6,000 to £9,000 in the case of the Solicitor General.

IN the prison in Bangkok, until very recently —at least until the accession of the present King—a large proportion of the incarcerated were held on no personal charge. Many of them were really innocent men detained as sub stitutes for culpable masters, or even relations. Some women, devoted wives, were suffering there for the transgressions of unworthy hus bands. Owing to the reforms introduced by the present sovereign, the rights of all men being recognized and accorded to them, only the per sonally guilty are now kept behind the bars. The prison buildings and the accommoda tions for the detained compare unfavorably with like institutions in India, Burmah and the Straits Settlements. Like them, they are conducted on the principle of making the criminals support the house of their incarceration. Daily, and in ever)' direction, numbers of these prisoners are to be seen at labor in the streets or on other public works. They are always in irons. Accord ing to the degree of the crimes they have com mitted is the amount of extra weight with which they are encumbered. Some of the worst char acters, who are constantly detained within the prison walls, are forced to wear about their THE Attorney General for England is paid a necks a broad, flat wooden collar, somewhat salary of £10,000, and the Solicitor General similar to those worn by vicious cows in North £9,000; but both receive in addition high fees ern Europe. This punishment is very severe, for any cases they may conduct on behalf of the as it prevents the culprit from using his hands Crown in the law courts. According to a Par to drive away insects that may be attacking liamentary return published in 1895, the highest his face or head. No statistics being given of amount paid in salaries and fees to the Attorney the finances of this prison, one can judge only General for England in any year since 1880 by comparing the workrooms, the salesrooms, was in 1893-4, when the total reached£2o,285. and the stock offered for sale in the prison shop this being made up as follows : Salary, £7,000; at Bangkok with those of the countries named fees and contentious business, £12,635! clerks, above. The authorities of this prison have to contend £650. The lowest point reached during the