3 FEBRUARY 1877, Page 2

The long delay in the appointment of a Lord Chief

Justice for Ireland has ended in the selection of the Attorney-General, Mr. May, a nomination which inspires little general satisfaction. Mr. May has practised chiefly at the Chancery Bar, and is re- ported to be a strong Orangeman,—a qualification which, as the other three Judges are Roman Catholics, will not conduce to harmony. The delay in filling up the post remains un- explained, but it is positively asserted that it was offered to Mr. Justice Christian, which seems nearly incredible. Mr. Justice Christian is a learned man and an able one, but he is peculiarly unfitted to be the head of the judiciary in a country where every lawsuit evokes in some way or other religious feeling. It would have been better to risk the unpopularity caused by an importation from the English Bar.