REVISING BARRISTERS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
Mold, 1st April 1840.
Sin-1n the rentnrks in your last paper upon the conduct uud expenses of the Revising Barristers, in which m' name is introduced, you have done me some—I do not say wilful—iojustive. You contrast my proceedings as Revising Barrister last year in Flintsbire, with those of the gentleman who revised the lists of the borough of Nlaryleboree, in proof of your position, that the more removed the Barristers bore been from what yon term the "supervi- sion of the press," the. more accessible they have been to corrupt motives. Now I think you cannot fail to see, on consideration, that the comparison ought in justice and reason to be made, not between the milldam of nyistertil eaters, but between the number of disputed votes in each district. In the twenty. three days during which 1 was engaged in the revision of Flintshire, about sixteen only were devoted to the County lists, the rest being occupied in the revision of the eight Boroughs within the county, and in travelling. In those sixteen days, sitting eight hours a day, I di,posed of between 4:3UUond 1,400 ob- jections, being after the rate of upwards of 80 cases a day. I ant not aware of the number of votes adjudicated sin in the borough of Ma ty Mime, but I imagine you will tied that it fell fan' short of the number I have stated. It sh iuld also obviously be remembered, in reference to the comp olio') of expenditure, that a gentleman engaged in a Metropolitan borough has no expenses whatever of travelling, or of living at inns, to he added to the other II Cl'e SOD. disburse- ments. These things I think you bhould reasonably have ascertained and taken into consideration, belitre you expressed yourself in terms which implied at least a severe censure on no individual by name. Believe me, the members of the Welsh Circuits are not so remote as to lie exempt from the legitimate control of public opinion ; nor are t as I trust, insensible to the more imme- diate (Betio es of honour and conscience.
I trust you will do me the justice of inserting this letter in your next publication: and remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, W. N. WELSIM In the remarks to Which Mr. IV cr.sitv refers, we guarded ourselves against imputing sloth, or extravagance, or misconduct of any kind, in particular cases. We said it was " difficult to ascertain the degree of diligence used by the differs nt Barristers, without a minute knowledge of the cases kid before them ;" but we produced from the Parliamentary returns a number of isets, which justified the mind usions—tirst, that " some revision of the outlay" was necessary ; secondly, that the "existing system of regist na " was extremely annoying, and that the pecuniary interest of the Barristers lay on the side of annoyance. Mr. WELSH V'S statement supports our general conclusions. Be- tween IMO and 1,409 objections in the little county of I. lint is difficult to believe that so many would have been made with the intenthm of maintain- ing them, or that the great majority were not frivolous. If they were aban- doned, or if' they were frivolous, a diligent Barrister, we think, might have dis- posed of than in fewer than sixteen days.—En.]
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