of the peace, and a copy to three justices of the peace. If at any meeting assembled without these preliminaries, and ordered by a justice of the peace to disperse, twelve of those present refused to dis perse within an hour, their offence was to be ad judged felony without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein to be adjudged felons and suffer death as in the case of felons, without benefit of clergy. This measure, which to our ears sounds rather barbarous, was aimed at meetings and de bates in London and Westminster, and must have made the debater's lot of those days by no means a happy one. As usual, the profession was well represented at
the Derby. Mr. Justice Hawkins, true to his love of the race-course, put in an appearance; among other eminent legal spectators were Sir Charles Russell and Sir Edward Clarke. There is a rumor that the judges are going to recommend a perma nent curtailment of the long vacation by a fort night. The courts at present rise on the 12th of August and resume on the 24th of October, so that there is some room for an abridgment of the legal holiday. The change would not sensibly interfere with any one's convenience, as most practitioners return to their chambers early in October.
