18 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



the last place made, when I tell them that there was 

 not a single lawyer in the place, and never had been ; 

 but, lest some of my enterprising professional brethren 

 should forthwith be tempted to pack their trunks for a 

 descent upon the exempt city, I consider it my duty to 

 add that I do not believe there is the least chance for 

 one. 



As there is no bar to prepare men for the bench, the 

 judges, of course, are not lawyers. Of the five then 

 sitting, two were merchants, one a mahogany cutter, 

 and the mulatto, second to none of the others in char- 

 acter or qualifications, a doctor. This court is the 

 highest tribunal for the trial of civil causes, and has 

 jurisdiction of all amounts above £15. Balize is a 

 place of large commercial transactions ; contracts are 

 daily made and broken, or misunderstood, which re- 

 quire the intervention of some proper tribunal to inter- 

 pret and compel their fulfilment. And there was no 

 absence of litigation ; the calendar was large, and the 

 courtroom crowded. The first cause called was upon 

 an account, when the defendant did not appear, and a 

 verdict was taken by default. In the next, the plain- 

 tiff stated his case, and -swore to it ; the defendant an- 

 swered, called witnesses, and the cause was submitted 

 to the jury. There was no case of particular interest. 

 In one the parties became excited, and the defendant 

 interrupted the plaintiff repeatedly, on which the latter, 

 putting his hand upon the shoulder of his antagonist, 

 said, in a coaxing way, " Now don't, George ; wait a 

 little, you shall have your turn. Don't interrupt me, 

 and I won't you." All was done in a familiar and 

 colloquial way ; the parties were more or less known 

 to each other, and judges and jurors were greatly in- 

 fluenced by knowledge of general character. I re- 



