LAUNCESTON LAW. 



603 



of Gordon was re-appointed keeper of the Great 

 Seal of Scotland, llth April 1807. The Earl of 

 Lauderdale now having an hereditary seat in the 

 House of Lords, exerted himself actively in parlia- 

 ment, and published in 1809, " An Inquiry into the 

 Practical Merits of the Present System for the 

 Government of India under the superintendence of 

 the Board of Control ;" " Further Consideration 

 of the State of the Currency ; in which the means 

 of restoring our Circulation to a salutary state are 

 fully explained, and the injuries sustained by the 

 public treasury, as well as by the National Creditor, 

 from our Present Pecuniary System, are minutely 

 detailed, 181 '2, 1814;" "Letter on the Corn Laws, 

 1814." The pamphlets from his lordship's pen had 

 considerable weight attached to them at the time 

 that bullion and other questions occupied the pub- 

 lic attention. In politics, lord Lauderdale's opinions 

 were, for that period, considered to be extreme ; 

 and his appearance in the House of Lords in the 

 rough costume of Jacobinism made quite a sensation 

 when the principles of the French Revolution were 

 in vogue with the democratic party in this country. 

 For the last ten years of his life his lordship lived 

 in retirement, devoted to agricultural pursuits. 

 His death took place at Thirlstane castle in Ber- 

 wickshire, on the 13th Sept. 1839, at the age of 

 eighty years. The earl of Lauderdale married, on 

 the 15th of August, 1782, Eleanor, only daughter 

 and heiress of Anthony Todd, Esq. secretary to 

 the general post office ; and by that lady, he had 

 four sons and five daughters. At Dunbar every de- 

 monstration of the deepest sorrow was manifest at 

 the loss the inhabitants had sustained by the death 

 of so good and considerate a landlord. A bust of 

 the Bail of Lauderdale, by Nollekens, was exhi- 

 bited at Somerset house in 1804. 



LAUNCESTON; a town in the county of 

 Cornwall, situated about 210 miles W.S.W. from 

 London, and eighty-four from the Land's End. 

 The county assizes, which used to be held at this 

 town, are now held at Bodmin, in consequence of 

 the situation of the county jail there, and the com- 

 pletion of new courts at the latter place in 1838. 

 Before the Reform Act, Launceston returned two 

 members to parliament, but it now joins with 

 Newport in returning one. Population in 1841, 

 2460. 



The Castle of Launceston is, perhaps, one of the 

 oldest in England, and appears to have been in a 

 very ruinous state, even as far back as 1337. An 

 official survey at that time, describes " A hall with 

 two chambers ; a smaller hall called the Earl's 

 chamber, with another chamber, and a small cha- 

 pel adjoining; a larger chapel, another small hall, 

 a few other rooms, and two prisons : there were 

 two rooms, also, in the tower or the keep, but 

 much out of repair." In 1602, the ruins consisted 

 of " a decayed chapel in the base court, a large 

 hall for holding the shire assizes, the constable's 

 dwelling-house, and the common gaol." In 1650, 

 only one old tower remained in tolerable preserva- 

 tion, which was used as a prison. There are now 

 scarcely any remains of the castle, except the 

 keep, which has been described by Leland, as 

 " the strongest, though not the biggest, he had 

 ever seen in England." From the massive nature 

 of the building, and the entire absence of Saxon 

 ornament, it is supposed to have been built by the 

 ancient Britons. 



LAW, COURTS OF, in England. The mem- 

 bers of the profession of the law in England, as in 



most European countries, are formed into different 

 and distinct classes, each of which performs a dis- 

 tinct part of the labours of the profession. And 

 for each of these classes a different course of study 

 and education is requisite. In the courts of com- 

 mon law all the subordinate labours of the profes- 

 sion are performed by persons who are denominated 

 attorneys. The attorney acts as a sort of agent of 

 the party, in conducting his law business, and holds 

 all the correspondence with him. He is a middle 

 man between the barrister and the client. He ob- 

 tains advice for him in cases of doubt, or difficulty, 

 draws contracts and instruments for him in ordi- 

 nary cases, and causes instruments of conveyance 

 and other instruments, to be drawn for him by con- 

 veyancers in difficult cases, and attends the execu- 

 tion of them. He makes his client's demands upon 

 debtors ; commences his suits when plaintiff, and 

 enters an appearance for him when defendant ; 

 watches the progress of his suits or cases, attends the 

 prosecution or defence of them to final judgment ; 

 obtains advice respecting the proceedings when 

 necessary, in every stage of their progress ; gives 

 the requisite notices ; procures the pleadings to be 

 drawn and motions to be made; collects, arranges 

 and prepares the evidence for the trial ; and employs 

 barristers to argue the case to the jury, and when 

 necessary, to the court. His office is highly re- 

 spectable and often lucrative, but in rank and dig- 

 nity far below that of the barrister. Labours of a 

 similar kind in the courts of equity are performed 

 by persons denominated solicitors. Formerly, the 

 offices of attorney and solicitor were entirely dis- 

 tinct, but in later times they have been usually 

 discharged by the same person, who is admitted to 

 practice both as attorney and solicitor. The at- 

 torney and solicitor in the courts of common law 

 and equity, answer to the proctor in the ecclesias- 

 tical courts and courts of admiralty, by whom simi- 

 lar labours are performed in those courts. 



When it becomes necessary to address the court, 

 to make a motion, or argue upon a question of law 

 or fact in the cause, to the court or jury, if it be 

 in the courts of common law, a barrister or ser- 

 geant at law must necessarily be employed for that 

 purpose, and if it be in the ecclesiastical courts or 

 courts of admiralty, an advocate at Doctor's Com- 

 mons must be employed, who alone are allowed to 

 perform such offices in these courts. The practice 

 of certain of the barristers is generally limited to 

 the courts of common law. Others practise 

 wholly or principally in the courts of equity. Of 

 those who generally practise in the common law 

 courts, some usually attend the courts of common 

 pleas and exchequer, others more commonly appear 

 in the court of king's bench, and many, perhaps 

 rather from necessity than from choice, are most 

 frequently seen in attendance at the criminal courts 

 at the Old Bailey and the courts of quarter 

 sessions. Of those who practise chiefly in the 

 courts of equity, some attend usually before the 

 lord chancellor, others before the vice chancellor, 

 others before the master of the rolls, and many 

 before the court of bankruptcy and the insolvent 

 debtor's court. Barristers who practise in the 

 courts of common law, as well as those who prac- 

 tise in the courts of equity, and the advocates at 

 Doctors Commons, argue cases on appeals before 

 the House of Lords. Many barristers too, are in 

 the practise of appearing before committees of the 

 House of Commons, and occasionally in some of 

 the city and county courts, and before the judges 



