1824.) 
appeal to the tribunal they are address- 
ing, upon the embarrassments and peril 
of the function ‘they have undertaken. 
“Tistand,’ said’ Mrv Erskine, “much 
more:\ja need “of? compassion than ‘the 
noble prisoner.” Hei rests secure in con- 
scious iimocence, and in the assurance 
that his innocence’ will suffer no danger 
in yourhunds: Bat ¥ appear before you 
a yoling and inexperienced advocate; 
Jitile’conversant with courts of criminal 
justice; and sinking under the dreadful 
consciousness’ of that’ inexperience.” 
There was, perhaps, no'department of his 
profession, in ‘which Mr. E. reached 
higher excellence, than in his observa- 
tions'‘on evidence. The defence of 
Lord George Gordon required the exer- 
cise of these powers to their amplest 
extent) “Having* delivered to the jury 
the doctrines of high treason, be madea 
most’ déxterous application’ of those 
‘rules*to the ‘evidence; which had been 
adduced. “They who study this’ speech 
will observe, with emotions of admira- 
tion; the'subtleties with which he abates 
the force of! the testimony he is encoun- 
tering,“ and’ tlie’ artful eloquence with 
which lié exposes its defects, and its con- 
tradictions. '’The concluding sentence is 
troly pathetic, and it is a most astonish- 
ing effort of vigorous and polished 
intellect: « 
In May, 1783, Mr. Erskine received 
the hononr of asilk gown: his Majesty’s 
letters of precedency being  conterred 
upon’ him, as it has been said, at the 
personal suggestion of Lord Mansfield. 
fo this distinction, his portion of the 
business, aid his acknowledged talents, 
gave'Wini a unanswerable pretension. 
Mr. Erskine wiis a remarkable instance 
of a rapid advaneement to this honour, 
not haviiig been at the bar quite five 
‘years. His business was now considera- 
bly angmented, and he succeeded to that 
station at the bar, which had been’ so 
Jong occupied by Mr. Dunning, after- 
wards Lord Ashburton. 
In no part of his professional engage- 
ments did) Mr. Hyskine deserve’ or 
acquire/an higher reputation than in his 
mode of conducting trials for crim. con. 
Tt frequently fell to his lot to be con- 
‘eerned in) behalf of plaintiffs in these 
actions, a circumstance which gave him 
considerable advantage; for besides the 
attention which is‘aforded to accusing 
cloqnence,-the 'syimpathics’ of mankind 
are in allianee willy him who hurls his 
invectives) ‘against’ ‘the 
domestiv’ peaee, and the invader of con- 
jaugal happiness. To this honourable 
disturber’ of 
Biographical Sketch of the late Thomas Lord Erskine. 523 
and usefal end, the eloquence of Mr. E. 
was stbservient. He called the slum- 
bering emotions, and the virtuous sensi- 
bilities of ‘men, into” active Teague 
against the erime which he denouticed ; 
nd his speech, in the memorable cause 
of Sykes and Parslow, will always be 
remembered as ‘an uncommon effort of 
rhetorical ability. On behalf of defend- 
ants, his exertions are well known in the 
memorable cases of Baldwin ‘against 
Oliver, and of Sir Henry Vane Tempest, 
in both which cases there were but one 
shilling damages. | His spéech in How- 
ard against’ Bingham will be lone 
remembered at the bar; it contained a 
most affecting apology for the lady, who 
was married against her consent, while 
her affections had been bestowed ‘upon 
another: it abounds with pathetic 
remarks. on the harshness and cruelty of 
chaining down to a man; whom she 
hated, a ‘young and beautiful woman, 
and, for purposes of family arrangement 
or ambition, dedicating her life 10 a 
reluctant discharge of dutics, the obliza- 
tions of which she could not perceive, and 
the conditions of which ‘she could not 
sustain. . In this speech there was no 
apology for vice, but an excuse! for 
human frailty, which was pleaded with 
great warmth and great eloquence. 
He who looks for a perfect model of 
the style of Mr. Erskine, neast examine 
his speech on the trial of Stockdale. 
When the charges against Mr. Hastings 
were published by the Housé ‘of Com- 
mons, a Mr. Logie, a clergyman ‘of’ the 
church of Scotland, aida friend ‘of the 
governor-geneéral, wrote’ a ‘tract, in 
which those charges were-investigated 
with some acrimony, but) with’ ‘consi- 
derable warmth and vigour: the’pamph- 
let being considered as libellous, by a 
resolution of the House;°aerimimal 
information was’ filed) by the attorney- 
general agaitist Stoekdale; who was the 
publisher, ‘for a libel. | In the ‘course’ of 
his defenee, Mr. Erskine urgéd many 
collateral’ topics ‘in favour ‘of “Mr. 
Hastings, in a style of fervid and onia- 
mented eloquence. He ‘takes notice of 
the violations of human happiness, for 
whieh the nation was responsible, in the 
exercise of her eastern dominion ; con- 
eluding in the following strain :— 
“ Gentlémen; you are touched by this 
way of considering the subject; and L 
canaccount for it. T have been talking 
of man) and his nature, not as they are 
seen through the cold mediam of books, 
but as I have myself seen them in climes 
reluctantly submitting to our authority, 
I have. 
