JUDAH P. BENJAMIN: LAWYERS and THEIR LARGE FEES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1740, 30 August 1883, Page 4

JUDAH P. BENJAMIN: LAWYERS and THEIR LARGE FEES.

Among the remarkable men of the age, 'perhaps none is more noticeable than the ;liltlc> shemetic law\ er, Judah I. Benjamin, who has just withdrawn, coveied with honours, fiom tlic English bar,|\\here Ins success has also been almost phenomenal. Of his caily history moot people arc well advised A loading Uw\cr at the New Oilcans bar, at a time when such men as John H. Oymcs, Sargeant S. Prrnfciss and Pieue Soulo were iucogmscd giants in the profession, he stood in thcfiont lank. Next, a Member of the United States Senate, he was the recognized peer of tlie ablest inembeis of that august body. Next, at the In caking out of the Cn H W»r, successively ;»s Attomey-<ieneial, Seorctmy of War and Seirehuy of State to the Confedeiaoy— he was alike distinguished. Whm the end e:nm> ho made liis escape, nuinuitf the blockade to N-issau, and thence reaching London, whore ho ariived. pi acUeilly, except, tor his talents, ijcnnilc-s. For a time he was engaged in writing for tho pro-f, meanwhile qualifying himself for the English bar, where he commenced practice in 18(57, and five year's liter donned tho silk as Queen's Counsel. In an intoivicw not lonj; since with a correspondent of the Phd. Times, be referred to a portion oi his past experience in this wise : " I have an incurable disease of tho heart which may terminate my days at any moment. I mu^t, my physicians ' tell me, keep fvmn all excitement, from all study, avoid all public places and scenes, and, iv s.hort, live the life oi n recluse, full of nolitudo and faience." How terrible this saciifico to a man of active temperament, with an uncloudod brain, full of cncigy .md devoted to bis profession, only tho^e few can appreciate who, liked him, h<ivo been b; ought at last to recognize the fact that Natuio has put its limits upon all men's power-*, and the bounds once exceeded, tho penalty must be paid. He says : <f lam now turned seventytwo, and, fiom the time I w.it, ten ve.uo old, my life has been one of unbiokcn toil. At Collctrc 1 w.is m tho law L was diligent, and in politics ambition". WlkuUh end < ime I found myself penniless, and in Ijondon. Tt was then I i evolved to make myself a foituno, mkl in achieving thiit 1 hive succeeded beyond my wildest hopes. ' Mr Benjamin tound no difliculty in getting into practice. He was fiity ve.irs of age, with tho i a re and varied espeiienco of thirty years of active life in his piofession. The caus>e, too, with which he had been identified here dining the wai, was, in a certain circle at least, a popular one among the magnates of London, and was no uniinpoitant element of his success. During the first year, 1567, his fees amounted to £403, Vapidly increasing until they leached their maximum in lBbO, when they amounted m round munbeis to £10,000. In 1876 he wan forced, by a pressmcof busiucHU, to lefiifeo all ease? except tho^e coming befoic tho House of howls, and for some months befoio Inn lctiiemcnt visitois weie met with this Announcement upon lii» door : ".Mr ]icni<niin d< sires to notify l" s c lu>nts tli it, lv re. liter, no lot unci lt-ss tli in 100 Will be utcj)t'''l tn up, (W 1 im<! i in lvi lilt's^ not pi .u id liclorc linn, pnoi to tin' iiul nl JVbrn.in, mil ict bu rei iiw il on my Iliius \\h iti vi r yir Hcii|ai)iin s mo^.t niipoitant case, andwliich hi ought him not only an cv tended imitation, hut a \ast deal of puietiee, \fa^ one that imohed tlietu.il of a (ieim.in ship ctptiini, wliosc \cs>el, beyond the channel, collided with the J' % )innniun, an J'aigli^h sinking her With ioii of life. .Mi I>. took this case on appeal to tlu lughu louits, whue ho was hiicccsstul, taking the giound that J'lngland was entuely without juuvlictioa in a matter oiiginally Ijelou^ing to nuiiti.il wateis, and in tlub \ic\v Wi\t> sustained liy the [louse of Loids. Another cue of iniport'ineo was thu Ilisli Fisliciius' c.iJ-c, whicli )k: cm inert .successfully, and was lewawled with a fee of C10,{J()0. Allogethei during sixteen }quv-^ of ppaetiee, Mi I'enj.iunn wuncd in lees i>0!H),0l I 7S. The sum s-em.s vtaiJhng, and jcfclia^ been po^ibly ex^edled by •some of the li'.uhu^ iiu'inb* is ol tlte Ijar in tins eountiy, wheic, howe\ei, if may be said they h.ue not been *o din ttl\ the result of battles lought in tlu- foiuiu as tho> lia\c bten, but too fieijMontly the lChiilt of conipiomisi's in ■'ill t j ol the gw.iit lailioads, and those un oh ing tlic mtensts ot the million. vies, \\lnch the disecneiy of gold and the l.ipid of glow th of tho eountiy lias de\ i loped It is not impiobuhle tli.it the fci •> iecci\cd by Midi men as S L. M.JJ.uIow and (Jon. Butlei at the I'^st-and I fall McAlhstei and Sam WiKou h< re luwe iully cijualled those of Mi Benjamin duiing the same length of tune, but w lien the phenomenal cituuustuiices undei which Mr B. accjmplislicd Ins gieiit result 1 ) is taken mlo cousidciatiou, he uia^ be tiuly lcgaided as not only amongst the gieatest, but most successful law jei of model n tunes.

ttri'j'ui'N Liwih, a lethcd gunner, died «it Southampton! locently ut tlie extreme age of l()(i yuaus. He was piesssed into the navy, nml was piosent at the ftattleol Tiafilgar. He \\,is. pensioned m IS 17. A Hi ki.is letter lias it that among the papuisof tlu 1 late I'lince d'oitscliakod was fotui'l a doeumuit tli.it lie hiid ])iud tln> J'dmu'ss J)ol'_;oioiiki a imlliun louhh'h foi the Minemlui hy hci of the late (!/,iih pm.iU 1 lttteia and pnpei.s, l»ut tliuhtoiy h not behe\ed in Kn^land. 'I'll I- histMnl of )iLiliaps as c\pcn'-i\ ea. railio.td'as any in the Moild wa.s leeently cut h) fi.uly (louldu (J.ithdut on hei estate. Its cotton the :i\ei.igo 1^ o\ei S!(,()00doK a mile, it lioing but J I miles lony, and coinpiisL-s a \ast .stone viaduct iind ii gig.mtic In id go on the ttpey. 'J'hi. famous lifjlit house at Soutli l^emeia, one of the Jlebiides, is \ lsited twice a year only by the supply ship and once ii year by fi cler<.'.\nhtti. The lightliousc fctaiiiK 700 ft al)o\e the sea, on a eiag. It isdillicult foi e\cna lifeboat to liuul. Theie aie about '_'() people on the islnml, mainly subsisting on tisli, \wlrt fowl and eggs.

i<Y\i;jfvr, Cut or Ar.i \\xm,n tjir (tKi;\r.— The costly chariot in which tJic body of Alexander the Oreat earned was thiough themctiopolis ol Kgyptpiesents a fuir pictiue of ancient Alexandria in its glory, when its btoad sticets wore (Hied with splendid pag<'intM)fsoldici.s, puuicing horses caparisoned in gold and scarlet cloths, elephants, camels, and wild animals seized hy hunteisin the adjoining desoits. Alexanders funeial cai tested on four massive wheels, all thickly gilded, and each hub boic the design ot a lion's head -worked in solid gold. Sixteen mules pulled the \ chicle. Each a crown of gold, golden bells tinkled mound their curd, and from their tapatieons, and the collais of the gaudy btutcs were begemmed with piccious stones. Heated high above the body of the chaiiot rose a gilded dome, the inteiior of which vas decorated w ith diamonds, rubies, emeialds, and lapis lazuli. In front of the chamber stood a peristyle with four lonic pillais, and within the chamber were four pictuies representing events of the dead heio'a eaveev. They jjourfcrayed him with his Macedonian guards, his tiains of elephants and camels, his ea\ ahy charging the Taitar borders of Bactiia, or piepating to meet King Porus on the banks of the Indus, "The Father of waters" and his war galleys preparing to annihilate the fleets of Persia. These pictures looked clown upon an empty tin one of gold. Fiom the dome there hung a massive ciown of gold, and beneath this symbol of power lay the Gicek warrioi embalmed iv spices in a coffin of solid beaten gold. Thesarconliagus said to have been used for Alexander found its way into the British Museum, and up to a few days ago the Alexandrian dragomans did not fail to show the traveller the mausoleum of the groat Alexander,