The more we hear of the removal of the Ionian
judges the more discreditable it seems. On Tuesday Lord Chelmsford brought forward the subject again in the House of Lords, but instead of limiting himself to a statement of the case, imputed rather injudiciously political motives to the Government in the removal of Sir A. Xydian and Sir G. Marcoran. That, however, they have been removed from the Supreme Council of Justice almost without a single precedent in favour of such a step—the only one being a removal of two Ionian judges in 1834 who were seventy years of age, and did not appeal against their dismissal—that a member of the Senate, a small body of five persons, with whom the nomination rests, was appointed in the place of one of them, and that all this happened without explanation on the part of the Government, though it has been defended since by vague aspersions on these gentlemen's character, which they are not permitted to repel, is, we fear, certain from the admission of the Duke of Newcastle himself. We do not think it creditable to the Government either to remove from so important a post without reason assigned, or to fill up one of the places by a gentleman selected from the nominating body, or partly to hint charges which they will not individualize, and give the victims the opportunity ofrefuting.
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