ALABAMA CLAIMS.. 91 
grand jury on one of the semi-political 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 re 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, my 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 absolitély 
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 my 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 lan- 
