section of the English public was simply crazy with fear that Ritualism portended the speedy tri umph of Romanism; now that hallucination has practically died out, and towards the whole subject a good deal of indifference reigns. We are just happily recovering from the excite ments of the General Election. Every night, while it lasted, enormous crowds of eager partisans thronged their respective political clubs; and the demand for liquid refreshments was in some cases so enormous that the club managers found it diffi cult to gratify every individual palate. Members of the bar, whether as candidates, speakers, can vassers, or agents, swarmed in every constituency. Of some of these youthful orators, their cynical brethren who remained at their legal labors affirmed that they would have done their party much more good by sitting silently in chambers. Of course a very large number of barristers, both eminent and obscure, have been returned. Every one regretted the defeat of Sir Horace Davey, the leader of the Chancery Bar. Although our greatest law yer, and a beautiful exponent of legal problems in court, he cuts a very unimpressive figure, as you might easily fancy, on a public platform, where his mental subtlety appears mere insincerity, and his cynical tone absolute indifference. He has had many political reverses, but it is expected that Mr. Gladstone will find a high place for him. I should have liked to tell you what the new legal appointments are going to be; but we won't know for some time yet. The movement of the amendment to the Address from the Throne in the House of Commons has been intrusted to Mr. Asquith, Q. C., who has made more mark in Par liament as a politician than any lawyer for several years. Outside a limited circle, he was almost unknown until he entered Parliament as a Liberal

some years ago. Then he was one of the junior counsel in the Parnell Commission, where he was considered to have argued some points of evidence and to have done a piece of cross-examination with unusual aptitude. He owes his fame, however, to a few successful speeches in the Commons, which attracted attention from all parties. Mr. Asquith is sure of office, — probably the SolicitorGeneralship, which is most likely; others predict for him the Home Secretaryship, but I think that is improbable. I don't think anything has taken the profession more by surprise than the retirement of Lord Justice Fry, at the end of his fifteen years' service on the bench. He was one of the ablest of the judges, and enjoyed admirable health; while his intellectual strength was as marked as ever. They say his object was to leave the bench while his reputation was at its zenith, and so preclude its passing into mediocrity. Sir Edward Fry is a Quaker. His father was one of the founders of the great chocolate business with which the name of Fry is so familiarly identified. His busy brain long ago found legal authorship and practice in adequate subject-matter for its energies. Thus he has written on topics religious and scientific. He is the greatest living authority on mosses and lichens; I think he published a book thereon the other day. Sir Edward Frye's place in the Court of Appeal was filled by the promotion from the Queen's Bench Division of Mr. Justice A. L. Smith. He was one of the ablest of the common law judges, and it may be remembered he served as a member of the Parnell Commission. The Long Vacation commences in a few days, and the majority of chambers will be deserted for the country.

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