over some 80 or 100 papers, containing, to some extent, the same matter and the same statements. Imagine him coming to one slovenly and illegibly written, will he not naturally say, If this man cannot take pains and write clearly he cannot be anxious to pass, and it is unreasonable to expect that I shall take the trouble and time to decipher what he means." Understand, however, that I do not, for one instant, assert that the Examiners are prone to pass over, unmarked, what they cannot easily read. I have little doubt but that the Bar Examiners look into and test the papers of every man in the most praiseworthy and conscientious manner, but this I assert, that a nicely and clearly written manuscript cannot fail to produce a pleasing impression, and make the Examiner desirous, if possible, of passing the writer, and thus militate in his favour. I have frequently heard objections to the Examinations on this ground, that a student intending to go in for a particular branch of the law, Conveyancing suppose, has to get up matter which will be no use to him, e.g., Criminal Law. There is something in this; but it is answered by saying, that a barrister should know something of all the ramifications of the law, more especially as the tendency nowadays is towards amalgamation, and every branch of practice being to some extent connected with the rest, total ignorance of any portion may some time expose him to ridicule, or worse perhaps, injure him professionally. Besides, there are three years to study in; students seem to forget this, and often speak as though there were only four months or so. Because they so frequently postpone Examination reading, or more accurately, in many cases, all legal reading, till the last few months, they speak as though the last few months were the allotted time. I think the Council is perfectly right in requiring a diversified examination, and submit that it should be even more diversified. It, however, would be an improvement, to have a higher and lower order of papers. Let each candidate be examined in the higher order in the subject or subjects in which he intends to practise, and in the lower order in the others. In conclusion, I subjoin a few remarks for students who do not wish to read alone, but to utilize to the utmost their time and opportunities and the machinery provided to qualify themselves for their future profession. The system is of such a voluntary nature, and students are often without guidance, and thrown on their own resources without control or direc tion, and do not know at which end to begin, and thus they let the time slip; and I have often found that they regret it afterwards, saying, "I wish I had known this and that, or done this or that." There are five methods open for the acquisition of legal knowledge: (1) Reading; (2) Public lectures; (3) Private tuition; (4) Going into chambers; (5) Practice in the art of speaking. In my opinion all these are necessary, (5) most particularly, and for that, unfortunately, there is no regular method of instruction provided. All that is compulsory is to pass the Examinations and eat a certain number of dinners, but really a great deal more is necessary. Even the Examination itself is too simple generally, though it varies greatly in difficulty (compare, for instance, the Roman Law papers last May and last October, or the present Equity papers, now and in 1881). This year the papers have been absurdly easy in every subject. It is questionable whether the Pass is harder than the Pass Examination required for solicitors, while in truth it ought to be very much more so, as a barrister's knowledge should range far higher than that of a member of the lower branch of the profession. In the Examination there is scarcely anything about evidence, and there is no branch of the law of greater importance. There are only two heads of Equity; of Chancery Practice there is nothing at all; and in the Common Law Practice only three questions or so. Again, the viva voce is far too short-just half a dozen simple questions. In relation to (1) Reading: As I have already suggested, let the student begin to read the text-books leisurely, but regularly and carefully, from the time that he is first admitted, allotting a certain number of hours a day to study. The Roman Law will not require a year, therefore an English subject can be begun concurrently. The (2) Public lectures. should also be attended, and notes taken of their substance. While the public lectures are going on, two hours a day or so are sufficient for private reading. It would also be advisable for a student to have occasional (3) Private instruction an hour or two once a week or fortnight, to have a line of reading chalked out, difficulties explained, and occasional papers, by way of practice, given; as there are points which he may not understand, and a certain amount of personal guidance suitable to the varying capacities of individual students is useful, and this cannot be obtained at the public lectures. Readiness of reply and quickness in understanding points submitted to him are essential to the professional success of a barrister. Clients come and put points suddenly, and frequently form their opinion of the capacity and ability of the counsel from the manner in which he answers. Hence hesitation, unreadiness and confusion are apt to be fatal, and may cost young barristers intending clients. Some men have natural readiness and glib tongues, but these cases are the exception and not the rule. This can only be acquired by practice, and I submit that there should be some system provided by the Council of Legal Education whereby students. can acquire some oral training in answering legal points, and that the viva voce should be made a far more important factor in the Examinations than at present. All that can be done now is (1) For students to act counsel and client, and ask one another questions inter se (the objection to this being that there is nobody to correct inaccuracies in the answers); (2) To obtain it through the medium of small class or private tuition. But for those students who cannot afford the latter there should be some public system provided, obtainable at little or no expense. At the Inns of Court lectures available for students, the number is far too large to admit of anything in this way. (5) Practice in the art of speaking, so very essential for a barrister, should be also attended to from the beginning. Independent of its professional importance, a barrister is always expected, at meetings or elsewhere, to speak on any subject when called upon. He is supposed to be a born orator, and no allowance is made to him for diffidence, inexperience or nervousness. Now this is rather hard, as it is not only those who have natural aptitude for speech who select the Bar as their profession; and there is no art which, for the generality of people, is more difficult and arduous in its accomplishment, no gift more rare, no gift which so few possess by nature, and no art more eminently valuable when attained. Many of our leading counsel owe in some measure their success to having attracted their earliest clients by good speeches at public meetings or places apart from the professional arena; and again, if a young barrister is not at home in Court and makes a mess of a case, he is likely to lose clients he has obtained through private sources, and a man is almost certain to come to grief on his first appearance in Court, unless he is already accustomed to address an audience. There are some Debating Clubs exclusively for members of the Inns of Court, amongst which the Hardwick, meeting at the Inner Temple, occupies a prominent place. There are also Political and other Debating Societies scattered through London and the provinces; and the local Parliaments, which are modelled upon the House of Commons, an introduction of the last few years, and one which has been highly popular, many of them consisting of 600 or 700 members, some of the speeches being on a par with most at the ordinary debates in the House of Commons itself. There is also the Gray's Inn Moot Society, where sham trials take place-an excellent form of practise. Students should, additionally, at times attend the Law Courts, to see the forms of examining witnesses and addressing the Court. About a year should be passed in obtaining a knowledge of practice in a barrister's chambers; but this I should suggest postponing till after Examination, or, if the student is anxious to leave England as soon as possible, to postpone it till the last year of his stay, because the more of the law he already knows, the greater will be the value to him of the practical matter acquired in chambers; and as no personal attention is expected to be given (though very frequently barristers give it), if he knows nothing of the principles, he will be at sea amongst the papers before him. The object of chamber work is, in fact, to learn how the knowledge already acquired may be practically utilized. I conclude by repeating that the objection to the training for the Bar Examination is, I always consider, that too much is optional and too little compulsory (it is too much on the laissez faire principle altogether), and that there is a lack of guidance; and that consequently young men (a class of the community generally prone to procrastinate anything disagreeable) so often put off the evil day of beginning serious training for their profession. Also, frequently, in the absence of having relatives or other advisers in the profession, they do not know what resources are open to them, or at which end to begin, and consequently three or four valuable years are apt to be misapplied or wasted. However, taking advantage of the five sources of legal and forensic attainments in the order suggested, will, I think, enable any person of ordinary abilities to be fairly fitted for his profession, and I shall be very glad if the above suggestions prove of any value to those for whom they are intended. JOSEPH A. SHEARWOOD. REPORTS ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF PUDUKÓTA (A.D. 1882-83 and 1883-84). The little State of Pudukóta was distinguished in the last century for its fidelity to the British cause, when all the southern Poligars were in arms against us. The Tondaman, or Rajah, was rewarded for his loyalty to us during the siege of Trichinopoly in 1753, by exemption from all tribute and by other honours. The present Tondaman, who ascended the throne at the early age of ten, fell into evil courses, and was in consequence deprived of his salute of thirteen guns and the title of Excellency; but eventually, acting under the advice of the Madras Government, he dismissed his Sirkele, or Minister, and in August, 1878, appointed A. Sashiah Sastri, C.S.I., to that office. This gentleman was one of the most successful of Mr. Powell's early pupils. After carrying off Patcheappah's vernacular prizes for Tamil expositions of certain portions of Arnold's Lectures on Modern History and Thornton's British India, as well as Lord Elphinstone's Prizes for an English Essay, he obtained the first Government reward of Rs. 300, given by the Council of Education, and passed out of the old Madras University in 1848 with a Proficient's degree of the first class. He then went to Masulipatam as Tahsildar, and rose in a few years to the post of Head Sheristadar. Here it was mainly owing to his influence and exertions that the Hindu School was established, and an example set to the other towns of the Northern Circars, in which schools of a similar character arose one, after another, in course of time. After filling the posts of Deputy Collector and Sheristadar to the Board of Revenue, A. Sashiah Sastri succeeded Sir Madava Rao as Dewan of Travancore; and on his retirement from that office, accepted the lighter duties of Sirkele of Pudukóta. That his past administration has been a successful one may be inferred from the fact that the reforms introduced in every direction have been approved by the local Government and by the Secretary of State. The law's delay has been checked. The revenue is collected with regularity. All the tanks are |