ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 323 



men, when placed on it, in a very disagreeable, 

 as well as mischievous position ; for, wishing to 

 cuny favour, perhaps, with their parishioners, 

 and lean to the sinner, or what they call the 

 side of mercy, as they invariably do, — perhaps on 

 the score of charitable feelings, perhaps because 

 the thief or sinner is a liypocrite, and goes to 

 church, and is immensely loud in his responses 

 and aniens, in order to gull the parson, as he 

 very often does, — all clergymen shrink from being 

 useful to the community in a judicial position. 



For myself, as a game-preserver and as a farmer, 

 if I catch j^eople within the bounds of a borough 

 offending in any way against the laws, short of 

 compounding a felony, I religiously abstain from 

 proceeding against them, for it is utterly hopeless 

 to obtain justice from a Bench so circumstanced. 

 Even in the County Court, presided over by an 

 excellent public Judge, if the accused prays a 

 jury, consisting, in all probability, of five men 

 the colleagues of the poacher or the thief, who 

 are permitted to form the jury, not being jocr- 

 sonally or by character known to the side having 

 a right to object, the Judge of the court, whatever 

 his charge may be, is set at defiance, and a 



V ^ 



