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LOtD CAM P1BELL.
(Dailyl Newa, June 24.)
The Lord Chancellor is dead, taken
away with a suddenness that surprises
even those who had said that his depar
ture would be without warning. No
more will he tell us, with the half-inno
cent, half-facetious face that he put on as
he spoke the often-repeated words, that
he was only " Plain John Campbell," the
humble son of a Ihumble Scotch minister,
while all his hearers knew all the while
that there was not such a man for getting
on in the three kingdoms. The public
heard less, and his own friends heard less,
in the latter part of his life about his
plainness and humility, and the paternal
manse; but lie had exhibited these things
so often in his electioneering speeches and
official addresses that lie was best known
as Plain John Campbell to timhe last.
-The paternal manse was in Fifeshire;
andt there John was born in 1781. He
was educated at St. Andrews, where lihe
took the degree of M.A. He repaired to
L.ondon to pursue his legal studies, poor
in purse, but with a source of income in
his pocket in the shape of a letter to Mr.
Perry, of the ATorning Chlronicle, who
employed him both as theatrical critic
and as a parliamentary reporter. His
industry was extraordinary, and le stu
died law as effectually in the mornings
as if lie had not been at work half the
night. is jocose humour lightened all
the labourso[ his life to himself and his
comrades.
IIe was called to the bar in 1800, after
completing his studies under Mr., Tidd,
the author of the celebrated- "Tidd's
Practice." His first employment was re
porting Lord Ellenborough'a judgments
at Nisi Prius; a very high service, as is
known to all who are aware of the use
made of those judgments as aithorities;
and their value is enhanced by the notes
of the reporter.- Mr. Campbell rose
rapidly through the drudging stages of his
profession, became leader on the Oxford
Circuit and at Nisi Prius, and in 1821
married the daughter of -Mr. Scarlett,
afterwards Lord Abinger. Ilis profes
sional income, already large, became
enorumous, and tile best care was taken of
it. In 1827 lie was made King's counsel,
and in 1832 solicitor-general. In 1834
he was attorney-general, and in that
capacity obtained great professional
triumphs, in the two cases of the Mel
bourne and Stockdale trials. In tihe
Melbourne case no doubt his feelings
were really and deeply interested, and
his conviction of the mistake involved in
the prosecution entire. In the Stockdale
case he enjoyed his work, from the per
plexity - nd_ ludicrous features of the
alluir. iHe argued on behalf of parlia
ment against his friend Denman and the
Court of Queen's Bench, and quizzed the
qur4 il. l Ill) 'lso llil.t, with Lechll relis .I
Ile. wns, in I e ver, not lit all sorr'y to turn11
public notice away froli n poalitial false
ste, "I his town, lwhich he hound, in tihe
ilaitlullt ofi 183i, to bie no jok , thoiiieh
hi triedl to laii e it one. Ch:eltisin w0as
Irle, as we all lrenllam er, I t ,,i Ids the
111se ilof 1 18:?. The uillil try usld par
lin , uent w ere w illih g to he iuerv .ihu , in
li iilhrl 'iin o " ll ili' 'iisiip 'i' , llll , lll s e
honsidratlin of l iiiiii h recent potimlr
in the ease of l rost, about whose oflicial
position anid doings Ihere was s mI'o I ofl
that mitake of tact which clitei ' ter'is?'d
the iiexperiene?d whig rule of tlhoise
dlays. 'IThe Allorney-(Gieineral wis nit i
rally aind sexuably complahicent about
the wisdom of the government in 1ii1itiiiig
by the orldiiary law whten the conse?rv
tives were crying out for coerCia ; blltii
li let his cominplaceicy get the better of
his prudence, and at ait public bIreakfast
given in his honour at 1 di lhurgh, after
the riots of thie sllliIIcr of 183t, boaisted
that chrtisIm wias extinct. lie, as the
first liw oflicer of the crown, had misled
the minlisters bly similar assuran'es ; and
lie had ilso elncouraged the chalirtists, by
sholi'ing tlei the that government was otl
its guar'd. On the 3rd of Novelmber
occurredl the Newporit insurrection ; and
Sir Jlohn Camilpbell ((as he had become by
that timle) had to bear something more
than raillery on his not liaving the
second-sight of his country, nor evenC the
use of lontitlin l eyes.
His next lpromotion wlas not effected
under kindly iand griaceful influenices.
Just beltre the whig govertinment went
ouit i 181il, and when the event was
clearly foreseeni by everybody, while
strnggliing agiainst by the holders of
pow'er, a bill was brought in and urged
lforward with extremiie haste to provide
two inew t judgeshiip s in the JCourt of'
Chantery, it being universally ud ilerstood
that Si'. .1. Clmpbell was to step inluto
one of them wheni obli hed to resign the
attornley-genier.lship. ltRemonstrlance was
made againsit the intentiion to pllt a
coin on law lractitioner,however eminten t,
into ain equity judgeshCip, and on other
nicountls aso the ltellsure wras flouind
imprniieticable, and it was thrown up.
The l Chancellor of Irelhand, Iord Plunket,
was then written to, in thmesame week,
to request hlis to resign the seal to Sir
John Caipitell. Lord Phlt nket indig
nantly refused. The uiinisterial news
papers then presented pirarallphs atibouit
his age and infirmnities, and his long-felt
wish to retire. lie openly contradicted
this news, declared hinliselfquite well, aid
denied having ever said a word about re
tiring. lle was pressed more urgently by
his uinlisterial correspolndents, and re
minded of thle Bishopric of' uant having
been recently given to his son, and of'
other patronage of whic hlie haind obtained
the fruits; and lie obeyed at last, avow
nlug, ini llis farewell address, the facts of
the ease. lie carried with hliml his title
to a retiring pension of £4,000 a-year,
and Plain John, stepping into his seat,
anticipated the same. But the delays
had put the matter off rather too long.
Lord Campbell sat as Chancellor of Ire
land for only a single day, after having
received his peerage for the purpose.
Hlis lady had beeni a peeress for some
years, owvig to the curious fact that his
services in the Commons could not be
dispensed with by the Whig ministry.
His lady was therefore made Lady Stra
theden, with descent to her son, and Sir
John was promised a peerage at a future
time.
On leaving Ireland, and giving tip his
claim for a retiring pension, Lord Camp
bell became a calbinet minister as Clhan
cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Ilis
energy now devoted itself to literature,
and he began to bring out his " Lives of
the Chaleellors." In that work lie has
diseribed himself better than anyone else
could describe him. 'Tie style is enter
taing, thle facts anytling that lie chose
to make them, anid the spirit depreciatory
to the last degree. The late Sir Harris
Nicholas, the highest possible authority
in antiquarian menmoirs, accidentally ex
amined sonic old MSS., which expressly
contradictedi Lord Campbell's painful ac
count of Sir Christopher Hatton, and was
so struck by the easy style of statement
in Lord Campbell's life of that Chaneel
lor, that lie made furter investigti onis
among state papers, and establisled and
published a case of inalve'rsation of mate
rials which will not easily be forgotten.
The samie plrocaes was afterwards carried
on, withsut, by the sa relt, by the rest
minster Review, whiheb entirely overthrew
tihe value of the work as history or bio
graphy, while stamping uponl it time, im
putatiol of libel on the repautation of
personages long gone where the, voice
of praise or censure cannot reaselh
them. Lord Campbell certainly saw Sir -
It. Nicholas's exposures, for lie omitted a
few statements, rqualified others, and in
sorted "it is sait' in yet other instances,
leaving, however, a considerable number
uncorrected, to pass througlh successive I
editions, and become history if no vigilant.
curator of the faiie of the dead does iiot
take mncasures to defeat such a entas
trophe.
Literature was not, however, seilcient I
to occupy the encIlics Ili il 1i?18riOia
lawyer, nor his ofl ioce Po as ify his unibi
lion. As might ,osily hav1 heo' antici
pated, lhe founld another judge who mi?ighlt
be persuadell that hie \ais itol) olI and iu
filt n for ollie(, oul 11111 )(11d1' gll ill
his itvour. Ills o Id iliern , LeIn, I) ,D c m ,
two years youn:esr thln lind (?n1ipbhill,
was p('ol nll(erd ihn 18.19 ob(l in'litm thi
he oli i0ht so resign the tChi'ef .iViltici shipl.
LoIM Ii) rnnlIn pr otl('sll , 1as Lord Phm kel
had lonle, Ihail he w iae il oIr-tly weIll able
to ?I o tlhr ?lCl li; dlie , : e b t o1 rl C?,1l lop
hbell tIhou ht otIhe rwi ls.. ; and inm e diately
the nmwslp ers bes,.an to bewail L.lnl
I)enitw 's w reigSht of years, and toi predict
that his spriglhtly senior wouhl soon be in
his seat ; 1nd early in 810Sll the event too111
prace aecm ' ingly. \Ilien the splctat1or
whot saw hi tIake his seat for tihe 11st
time remarked on tihe "green old age'
of the vivacious judge, they sked oIne
another, with i mirth like his own, who
wurld evelr be able to iersuade him that
hle was too old for oflhce. Wiouhs lo meeto
with a successor who woult take no de
nial on that point, as he had taken none
from the two oild friens whom lhe had
suersedled r? If he had overnheard the
whisper lhew hae uess h uhiiched with the
speculators. His drollery g wt 0 s ls patent us
ever. Ever sinct le he had ntred the
Lords s he had joined with Lord Briougha
i enacting prerpetual scenes for the
oalusement of tle peer ?lean readers of
debates. The sparring of the two law
lords lila the severest ever known to ipas
between persons who persisted in calling
one another "l fiend." The noble and
learned " friends" said the most astonish
ing things of and too each other without
ever coming to blows. There was nn
danger ol'that, for Lord Campbell could
lear anything, and did not care enough
to loose hais temer seriously. The same
facetiousness manifested itself on the
bench, iithoat being nggrav ated by thre
same opposition. Of all the Chief
Justices whose lives he in course of time
wrote, no one probably could surpuss him
in the amusement lie afforded to the bar,
the witnesses, the cullrit, and the
audiencea, sometimles at moments when
tears would have conie unless driven
back by one of the judges's puns. In
18 hle attained the highest honours of
his profession in the Lord Chancellor
ship.
In his judicial office in the house of
Lords he was extremely diligent and emi
nently serviceable. As a lawyer his
abundant reading and unfailing assiduity
determination to get on would probably
have obtained at all events. He was not
a scholar; nor were his countenance and
voice prepossessing, nor his manners
good. lie wais pleasant and good
humoured in court and in the drawing
room ; and the consideration he
obtained thus, and by his wealth
(understood but not manifested),
and by his rank, and especially by his
success, were enough for him. Hearttelt
respect and intimate friendship were not
necessary to hime; and he would probably
have been quite content with the know
ledge that, after his death, ine would be
held up as an example of the social
success obtainable in our fortunate country
by energy and assiduity, steadily reaching
Iorward the iprizes of ambition.
To the la list e was in the full enjoy
ment of his powerguson, and prosperity. On
Saturday lle was engaged in his ordinary
pursuits, atnd in the afternoon attended
the cabinet Council held at the Premier's
official residence in Downing-street. '.'o
his colleagues Ie appeared cheerful, and
full of mental vigour. In the evening ie
entertained g party of eighteen at dinner,
and while with his friends was full of
lively converse, and showed no syptoms
of illness. At I o'clock le bade his
daughters good night in the drawing
room nnd retired to rest. Yesterday
morning, shortly before 8 o'clock, his
lordship's butler entered his master's bed
room, and was greatly alarmed to find
him seated in a chair motionless, with
his head thrown back and blood oosing
from his mouth. On his approach he
found his lordship insensible, and at once
gave alarm to the household. Dr.
Baber, of Brompton-row, was immediately
sent for, and was promptly in attendance,
when le pronounced his lordship dead.
It was the impression of Dr. Baber that
Lord Campbell had been dead at least
two hours before he was summoned. We
understand Dr. laher's opinion, as well
as that of Dr. Ferguson, who was subse
quently called in, was that the learned
lord's death was the result of a rupture
of one of the principal arteries in the
region of the heart, internal bleeding
causing suffocation.
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