ROMILLY. 



where he had to fupport himfelf only by his own exertions. 

 He himfelf embarked in trade ; he educated his fons to 

 ufeful trades; and he was contented at his death to leave 

 them, intlead of his original patrimony, no other inheritance 

 than the habits of indullry he had given them ; the example 

 of his own virtuous hfe ; an hereditary deteftation of tyranny 

 and iniuilice ; and an ardent zeal in the caufe of civil and 

 religious freedom. To him I owe it, among other ineilim- 

 able bleflliigs, that 1 am an Englilhman. Gentlemen, this 

 is my origin ; and I trull that I need not blufh to own it." 



The father of fir Samuel was an eminent jeweller, and 

 realized a handfome fortune ; his mother, whofe maiden name 

 was Garnault, was defcended from a family of French 

 refugees ; and he being the youngell of nine children, of 

 whom three only attained to maturity, was born in Frith- 

 ftrect, Soho, in the city of Weftminfter, on the ift of 

 March, 1757. 



In early life he manifefted thofe powers of the under- 

 ftanding, and thofe affcftions of the heart, which, under 

 proper diredtion and afiiduous culture, augured his future 

 advancement to eminence of ftation and charafter. " He 

 was remarkable," fays one of his biographers, " for the 

 benevolence of his difpofition, his deep and generous fenfi- 

 bility, his high fenfe of honour, the quicknefs of his appre- 

 henfion, and the extraordinary maturity of his judgment ;" 

 combining " great vivacity and a conitant flow of animal 

 fpirits, with a powerful imagination, a retentive memory, 

 and the (Irongell and moll durable affeftions ; he poffefled a 

 corred taile in literature and the fine arts, and retained 

 through life a keen relifh for the beauties of nature." It 

 was his good fortune, at an early age, to form an intimacy 

 with the Rev. Mr. Roget, a young gentleman refembling 

 himfelf in taile and difpofition, and afterwards his brother- 

 in-law ; to whom he was much indebted, as he himfelf 

 had the modelly and gratitude to acknowledge, for giving 

 diredtion to his talents, and a fteady impiilfe to his ex- 

 ertions. 



Thus liberally endowed by nature, and aided by the 

 counfel of an iirtelligent and affedlionate friend, he overcame 

 a variety of obftacles which prefented themfelves in the way 

 of his progrefs and advancement ; and having chofen the 

 profeffion of the law for the exercife of his talents, he foon 

 exhibited thofe powers and that perfevering application, 

 which, without the advantages of a patrimonial eltate, and 

 an education at a public fchool or univerfity, cnfured his 

 future eminence. Having enrolled his name in one of the 

 Inns of Court, and previoufly acquired fome notion nf bufi- 

 nefs in the " Six-Clerks' Office," conncftcd with the court 

 to which he directed his views, he v.as called to the bar in 

 1783 ; and from the reputation he gained as an " equity 

 draughtfman," he foon role to the higher departments of 

 his profeffion. Upon the removal of Thurlow, Scott, and 

 Mittord, from the chancery court, Mr. R. became a leader, 

 and was retained in almoll every caufe. " His indefatig.nble 

 indullry, his unwearied patience, his comprehenfive acute- 

 nefs, his deep knowledge of the law, his correft notions of 

 the practice of the court, were all calculated to give due 

 weight to arguments felefted with Ikill, propounded with 

 modefly, and enforced by a challened eloquence." 



Raifed to an independence by his own exertions, it was 

 natural for a perfon of his difpofition to feek a domeftic 

 ellabliffiment ; and accordingly in the fummer of 1797, 

 whilll he was upon a vifit at the feat of the marquefs of 

 Lanfdowne, he met with a daughter of Francis Garbett, efq. 

 of Knill-Court, in the county of Hereford ; a young lady, 

 whofe youth and beauty and other amiable qualities engaged 

 his affeftion, and determined his choice ; and to whom^he 



was married in the foUowring year. This connexion opened 

 to his views the profpeft of a growing family, and of courfe 

 induced him to apply to the bufinefs of his profeffion with 

 additional ardour and affiduity. Accordingly when Mr, 

 Fox and lord Grenville affumed the reins of government in 

 the year 1806, he was nominated folicitor-general, after 

 fome fufpenfe about committing to his cuftody the great 

 feal, and received the honour of knighthood. 



It is recorded to the honour of fir Samuel, as well as to 

 that of his colleague fir Arthur Pigott, the attorney-general, 

 that, though the prefs, according to the language of lord 

 Chatham, was become, during their time, a " chartered 

 libertine," and political contention had arrived at its height, 

 yet with a kind of triumph over all provocations which 

 affiiiled the adminiilration of this period, no profecution for 

 libel occurred. Indeed, the mind of fir Samuel was occu- 

 pied about a much higher objeft, which was the reform of 

 the Englilh fyftem of jurifprudence. His firll attempt 

 with this view was an amendment of the bankrupt laws, and 

 though he did not fucceed to the extent of his wiflies, fo as 

 to render the freehold eftates of perfons liable to the bank- 

 rupt laws, who might die indebted, affets for the payment 

 of their fimple-contraft debts, for which he was allowed to 

 bring a bill into the lioufe of commons in 1807, which bill 

 was loft on a divifion ; he neverthelefs obtained an aft by 

 means of which the debts of traders have been more efFec« 

 tually fecured, for the benefit of the public. About this 

 time he afted as a manager at the trial of the late vifcount 

 Melville, for high crimes and mifdemeanors in his office as 

 treafurer of the navy, which terminated in an acquittal. 

 On occafion of the abolition of the (lave trade, which con- 

 ferred immortal honour on this (hort-lived adminiilration, 

 fir Samuel deUvered a fpeech which made great impreffion 

 on the houfe : and it is faid that one paffage of it, which 

 he uttered with an uncommon degree of animation, was 

 honoured by three diftinft plaudits. On the difmiffal of 

 the miniftry, of which he formed fo diftinguilhing a part, 

 he vindicated and applauded their conduft, during the year 

 of their exiftence ; expreffing in terms of cordial approba- 

 tion their decifive meafures with regard to the abolition of 

 the flave-trade, and the emancipation of Ireland, as well as 

 their refufal to give the king a pledge not to renew the 

 Roman Catholic quellion ; and deprecating the return of 

 lord Melville to office, notwithftanding his acquittal, as no 

 one had moved for refcinding the vote againft him. 



The attention of fir Samuel, both in and out of office, 

 was much occupied concerning the ftate of our criminal 

 code, and the adoption of meaiures for reforming it. He 

 lamented, in common with many other enlightened patriots, 

 that the lofs of life fiiould be annexed to a greater variety 

 of aftions in England than in any other country in the 

 world, and that criminals of very different defcriptions fhould 

 be fubjeft, by the adminiilration of our laws, to the fame 

 kind and degree of puniffiment. To reftify this anomaly 

 in our jurifprudence appeared to fir Samuel Roniilly to be 

 an objedt of great importance, in its conneftion, both with 

 the equity and humanity of legillation, and the prevention of 

 crimes. Accordingly on the i8tli of May 1808, he moved 

 for leave to bring in a bill for the repeal of certain objec- 

 tionable laws ; and in this bill he introduced a claufe for 

 granting compenfation to perfons who v.'ere unjullly accufed 

 and tried. He foon after publifiied a pamphlet, intitled 

 " Obfervations on the Criminal Law of England, as it 

 relates to capital Punilhments, and to the Mode in which it 

 is adminiftered." In this pamphlet, which paffed through 

 three editions, he explained his views, and purfued his refuta- 

 tion of the theory of Dr. Paley. " The certainty of punilh- 



ment," 



