In the Court of Chancery, on Monday, Lord Cottenham said,
that be had to notice an occurrence in the -office of one of the Masters, which, after an experience of thirty years, he believed to be without a parallel.
Master Brougham had put into his hands a letter which he had received from a gentleman, whom the letter described as the counsel attending the Master upon the reference under an order of the Court. He would abstain at present from stating the name; but he thought it right to say that it was not that of any gentleman he was in the habit of seeing in that Court. The letter stated proceedings which had taken place in the Master's office ; and, after com- plaining of an opinion which the Master was supposed to have funned, not stating any report to have been made, but, on the contrary, stating that the case was still pending before the Master, after using expressions in the letter which no gentleman could permit to he used, and proceeding in terms which he abstained from characterizing, the writer threw out insinuations the most calumnious, and concluded with a direct threat, the object of which was in terms to induce the Master to alter the opinion he was supposed to have formed, and to come to a conclusion favourable to the case advocated by the writer of the letter. It was quite obvious what course the Master should have pursued ; he ought undoubtedly to have referred that letter at once to the Court. It appeared, however, from other letters that had been sent to bim, that the Master, under the irritation of receiving such a letter, adopted a course which he could not approve of; for he put the letter into the hands Of a friend, who, from his own high character in the profession to which he belonged, would be quite certain of not adopting any course inconsistent with the honour el the parties by whom he was consulted That friend doubted whether he could permit the case to proceed ; and he took the advice of another gentleman of the same profesion, of very high rank and station in the country ; and they both agreed that it was impossible the matter should proceed in that course, and they-both concurred in the opinion that the Master was not at liberty to treat the matter as a personal quarrel, it being an offence committed against him in the exercise of his judicial functions, and that he was bound to refer the whole case to him as the head of the Court.
Lord Cottenham proceeded to remark, that Master Brougham ought, in the first instance, to have reported the affair to him ; for nothing could be more inconvenient or improper than that persons engaged in the administration of justice should be held personally liable to par- ties who fancied themselves aggrieved by their decisions. In the pre. sent case, he should direct as many copies of the letter as there were parties attending before the Master, to he made and sent to them. Pro- bably the course these parties would adopt might render further inter- ference on his part unnecessary; and be would therefore abstain from taking any further notice of it till this day. (This affair has some reference to the Ludlow Charity; which makes us suspect that the barrister whom Lord Cottenham is not in the habit of seeing. and who we believe it a stranger to most of the Judges, may be Mr. Lechniere Charlton.]
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