said, " Hand his lordship the Jewish ones, but give me the Roman." With the sole exception of O'Connell, the greatest Irish advocate of the present cen tury was Mr. Robert Holmes, who died in 1852 in his ninetieth year. Mr. Holmes was a brother-in-law of Robert Emmet, the leader in the insurrectionary movement of 1803, and was himself arrested during that period as a suspect, although he was wholly innocent of treasonable practices. Emmet's execution and his own wrongs had made him an implacable hater of English admin istrations. He refused again and again the offers of " silk " which were pressed upon him, and declined the office of solicitorgeneral, which was at his disposal as a member of the outer bar. Mr. Holmes' wit was of a somewhat caustic order. Here are two specimens of his sarcastic humor. Having in vain pressed a point in favor of his clients upon the Barons of the Ex chequer, who one and all were quite against him, he said he would be content if they allowed him to refer to a very recent judg ment of the Court of Appeal in England which he thought in point. " No use at all, Mr. Holmes," said the Chief Baron O'Grady, who probably suspected what was coming. "Only two lines, my lord," per sisted Holmes. " Well, Mr. Holmes, as you
say it is in point, let us have it," remarked Baron Pennefather. Holmes opened a re cent number of the House of Lords' cases, and read from the judgment in an appeal case reversing the decision of the Irish Court of Exchequer: " The Court of Com mon Pleas in Ireland is seldom right — the Court of Exchequer never." While Bench and Bar were quite taken aback by this in stance of Holmes' sarcasm, Chief Baron O'Grady drawled out, " Now, brother Penne father, see what you got by your politeness." On one occasion Mr. James Scott, Q. C, came into the Queen's Bench when a case had been called, very heated, and said, " My lords, I beg to assure your lordships I feel so exhausted I am quite unable to argue this case. I have been speaking for three hours in the Court of Exchequer, and I am quite tired, my lords, and pray excuse me, I must get some refreshment." The Chief Justice bowed, and said, " Certainly, Mr. Scott," so that gentleman left the court. "Mr. Holmes, you are in this case," said the Chief Justice, " We'll be happy to hear you." " Really, my Lord, I am very tired, too," said Mr. Holmes. " Surely," said the Chief Justice, "you have not been speaking for three hours in the Court of Exchequer! What has tired you? " "I have been listen ing to Mr. Scott," was the sarcastic reply.
A PHILIPPINE EXECUTION. MR. STEVENS in his new book entitled "Manila before the War," throws a curious light upon the domestic institutions of the Philippines by his description of the execution of two men who were convicted of chopping a Spaniard to pieces to get the few dollars which he kept in his house, and to avenge themselves for harsh treatment. They were nothing more than native boys, one twenty and the other twenty-two, em
ployed as servants in the family of the un fortunate victim. On the fatal day, shortly after sunrise, crowds of people had already begun to come together from the adjoining districts. Carriages of all classes rolled in from all directions. Chinamen with queues, natives with their wives, women with their infants, young girls and children, old men and maidens, were all there dressed in their best clothes. At last the solemn proces
