of weak cloth and strong liquor, does not show the material prosperity of the country. Suppose you were to tax the production of good pictures, good books, good houses, or honest men, where would your revenue be? "Amongst the middle classes, exceptionally large fortunes have been rapidly realised here and there, chiefly in the misty regions of finance,' [What do you mean by misty, Mr. Editor? It is a Turnerian and Titianesque quality, not in the least properly applicable to any cotton-mill business.] and instances occur from day to day of almost prodigal expenditure in objects of art [Photographs of bawds, do you mean, Mr. Editor? I know no other objects of art that are multiplying,-certainly not Titians, by your Spectator's decision.] and luxury, the display of wealth in the metropolis being more striking year by year.

"Turning from these dazzling exhibitions, the real source of congratulation must be found in the existence of a broad and solid foundation for our apparent prosperity; and this, happily, is represented in the amelioration of the condition of the lower orders of society.”—Indeed!

"The adjustment of an increasing scale of wages has not been reduced to scientific principles, and has consequently been more or less arbitrary and capricious. From time to time it has interfered with the even current of affairs, and been resented as an unfair and unwarranted interception of profits in their way to the manufacturer's pockets.

"Whilst financial' talent has reaped liberal results from its exercise, the steady productions of manufacturers have left only moderate returns to their producers, and importers of raw material have, as a rule, had a trying time. The difficulties of steamship owners have been tolerably notorious, and the enhancement of sailing vessels is an instance of the adage that 'It is an ill wind that blows no one any good.'

A

"For our railways, the effects of a most critical half-year can scarcely be forecast. Increased expenses have not, it is to be feared, been met by increased rates and traffics, and the public may not have fully prepared themselves for diminished dividends. With the Erie and the Great Western of Canada undergoing the ordeal of investigation, and the Atlantic and Great Western on the verge of insolvency, it is not surprising that American and colonial railways are at the moment out of favour. If, however, they have not made satisfactory returns to their shareholders, they have been the media of great profit to operators on the stock exchanges; and some day we shall, perhaps, learn the connection existing between the well or ill doing of a railway per se, and the facility for speculation in its stock."-Liverpool Commercial News, of this year. I have not kept the date.

19. (III.) A young lady's letter about flowers and books, I gratefully acknowledge, and have partly answered in the text of this Fors; the rest she will find answered up and down afterwards, as I can; also a letter from a youth at New Haven in Connecticut has given me much pleasure. I am sorry not to be able to answer it more specially, but have now absolutely no time for any private correspondence, except with personal friends, and I should like even those to show themselves friendly rather by setting themselves to understand my meaning in Fors, and by helping me in my purposes, than by merely expressing anxiety for my welfare, not satisfiable but by letters, which do not promote it.

20. (IV.) Publishing the subjoined letter from Mr. Sillar, I must now wish him good success in his battle, and terminate my extracts from his letters, there being always some grave points in which I find myself at

1 [See Letter 7, § 14 (Vol. XXVII. p. 128).]

issue with him, but which I have not at present any wish farther to dis

cuss:

"I am right glad to see you quote in your July Fors, from the papers which the Record newspaper refused to insert, on the plea of their 'confusing two things so essentially different as usury and interest of money.'

"I printed them, and have sold two,-following your advice, and not advertising them.

"You wrong me greatly in saying that I think the sin of usury means every other. What I say is that it is the only sin I know which is never denounced from the pulpit; and therefore I have to do that part of the parson's work. I would much rather be following the business to which I was educated; but so long as usury is prevalent, honourable and profitable employments in that business are impossible. It may be conducted honourably, but at an annual loss; or it may be conducted profitably at the expense of honour. I can no longer afford the former, still less can I afford the latter; and as I cannot be idle, I occupy my leisure, at least part of it, in a war to the knife with that great dragon 'Debt.' I war not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers of darkness in high places."

21. (V.) To finish, here is one of the pleasantest paragraphs I ever saw in print:

"ROPE CORDAGE.-On Saturday last a very interesting experiment was made at Kirkaldy's Testing Works, Southwark Street, as to the relative strength of handspun yarn rope, machine yarn rope, and Russian yarn rope. Mr. Plimsoll, M.P., Captain Bedford Pim, M.P., and others attended the test, which lasted over three hours. There were nine pieces of rope, each 10 ft. long, being three of each of the above classes. The ultimate stress or breaking strain of the Russian rope was 11,099 lb., or 1934 lb. strength per fathom; machine rope, 11,527 lb., or 2155 lb. per fathom; hand-spun rope, 18,279 lb., or 3026 lb. per fathom. The ropes were all of 5 in. circumference, and every piece broke clear of the fastenings. The prices paid per cwt. were: Russian rope, 47s. ; machine yarn rope, 47s.; handspun yarn rope, 44s.-all described as best cordage and London manufacture. It will thus be seen that the hand-made was cheaper by 3s. per cwt., and broke at a testing strength of 7180 lb. over Russian, and 6752 lb. over machine-made.' Times, July 20, 1874.

1 [See Letter 43, § 14 (p. 121).]

LETTER 47

MINOS RETAINED.

THE BRITISH JUDGE 1

HÔTEL DU MONT BLANC, ST. MARTIN'S, 12th October, 1874.2

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4

1. We have now briefly glanced at the nature of the squire's work in relation to the peasant; namely, making a celestial or worshipful appearance to him; and the methods of operation, no less than of appearance, which are generally to be defined as celestial, or worshipful.

We have next to examine by what rules the action of the squire towards the peasant is to be either restrained or assisted; and the function, therefore, of the lawyer, or definer of limits and modes,-which was above generally expressed, in its relation to the peasant, as "telling him, in black-letter, that his house is his own." It will be necessary, however, evidently, that his house should be his own, before any lawyer can divinely assert the same to him.

Waiving, for the moment, examination of this primal necessity, let us consider a little how that divine function of asserting, in perfectly intelligible and indelible letters, the absolute claim of a man to his own house, or castle, and all that it properly includes, is actually discharged by the powers of British law now in operation.

2. We will take, if you please, in the outset, a few wise men's opinions on this matter, though we shall thus

1 ["The British Bar" was a rejected title for this Letter.]

2 [In his diary Ruskin notes (October 12), "Restless night, but Redgauntlet well arranged in my head"; and, later, "The best day for work I ever had in my life. Did all the best part of Redgauntlet Fors before breakfast."]

3 [See Letter 45.]

[Compare Letter 11, § 5 (Vol. XXVII. p. 185).]

be obliged somewhat to generalize the inquiry, by admitting into it some notice of criminal as well as civil law.

My readers have probably thought me forgetful of Sir Walter all this time.1 No; but all writing about him is impossible to me in the impure gloom of modern Italy. I have had to rest awhile here, where human life is still sacred, before I could recover the tone of heart fit to say what I want to say in this Fors.

2

He was the son, you remember, of a writer to the signet, and practised for some time at the bar himself. Have you ever chanced to ask yourself what was his innermost opinion of the legal profession?

Or, have you even endeavoured to generalize that expressed with so much greater violence by Dickens? The latter wrote with a definitely reforming purpose, seemingly; and, I have heard, had real effects on Chancery practice.

But are the Judges of England-at present I suppose the highest types of intellectual and moral power that Christendom possesses-content to have reform forced on them by the teazing of a caricaturist, instead of the pleading of their own consciences?

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3. Even if so, is there no farther reform indicated as necessary, in a lower field, by the same teazing personage ? The Court of Chancery and Mr. Vholes were not his only legal sketches. Dodson and Fogg; Sampson Brass; Serjeant Buzfuz; and, most of all, the examiner, for the Crown, of Mr. Swiveller in the trial of Kit,*—are these deserving of no repentant attention? You, good reader, probably have read the trial in Pickwick, and the trial of Kit, merely to amuse yourself; and perhaps Dickens himself

* See the part of examination respecting communication held with the brother of the prisoner.4

1 [The notes on the Life of Scott were broken off in Letter 33 (Vol. XXVII.

p. 621).]

2 [See Vol. XXVII. pp. 587-588.]

3 [See Bleak House, ch. xxxix.]

[The Old Curiosity Shop, ch. Ixiii.]

meant little more than to amuse you. But did it never strike you as quite other than a matter of amusement, that in both cases, the force of the law of England is represented as employed zealously to prove a crime against a person known by the accusing counsel to be innocent; and, in both cases, as obtaining a conviction?

You might perhaps think that these were only examples of the ludicrous, and sometimes tragic, accidents which must sometimes happen in the working of any complex system, however excellent. They are by no means SO. Ludicrous, and tragic, mischance must indeed take place in all human affairs of importance, however honestly conducted. But here you have deliberate, artistic, energetic dishonesty ; skilfullest and resolutest endeavour to prove a crime against an innocent person, a crime of which, in the case of the boy, the reputed commission will cost him at least the prosperity and honour of his life,-more to him than life itself. And this you forgive, or admire, because it is not done in malice, but for money, and in pride of art. Because the assassin is paid,—makes his living in that line of business,—and delivers his thrust with a bravo's artistic finesse, you think him a respectable person; so much better in style than a passionate one who does his murder gratis, vulgarly, with a club,-Bill Sikes, for instance? It is all balanced fairly, as the system goes, you think. "It works round, and two and two make four. He accused an innocent person to-day :-to-morrow he will defend a rascal."

And you truly hold this a business to which your youth should be bred-gentlemen of England?

"But how is it to be ordered otherwise? Every supposed criminal ought surely to have an advocate, to say what can be said in his favour; and an accuser, to insist on the evidence against him. Both do their best, and can anything be fairer?"

4. Yes; something else could be much fairer; but we will find out what Sir Walter thinks, if we can, before