ALABAMA CLAIMS. 91 



grand jury on one of tlie semi-j)olitical questions of 

 the day, and especially when such charge is carefully 

 revised for the Press, with additions and annotations 

 by himself Then we have the most satisfactory 

 means of estimating: the mental character of that 

 judge. And such is the case here, to the effect of 

 lowering greatly our estimation of the Chief Justice. 



A later incident in his judicial career also throws 

 some light -on his character, and deserves notice in 

 this connection. 



When it was proposed to commence proceedings 

 against Governor Eyre, growing out of what had 

 been done in Jamaica under the same proclamation, 

 Mr. Justice Blackburn delivered a charge to the 

 grand jury, in the course of which he said: "As to 

 the judges of my own court, the Lord Chief Justice, 

 my brother Mellor, ray brother Lush, and my broth- 

 er Hannen, . . . yesterday I stated to them the effect 

 of what I am now stating to you, and they all ap- 

 proved of it, and authorized me to say, — of course, not 

 relieving me from my responsibility, or absolutely 

 binding them, for of course they have not considered 

 it so thoroughly and judicially as I have been 

 obliged to do, — still they authorize me to say they 

 agree in ray view of the law, and thought it right." 

 A week later, when the case had been entirely dis- 

 posed of, the Chief Justice, while sitting on the 

 Bench, denied, with unseemly warmth of language 

 and manner, that he had assented to the law as laid 

 down by Mr. Justice Blackburn ; but explained the 

 alleged difference of opinion in such obscure Ian- 



