The Rhode Island Republican

Court of Chancery.--When Mr. Erskine was one day pressing the case of a client with great earnestness, in the Court of King's Bench, Lord Ellenborough, a little provoked at his perseverance, observed to him that his client might carry his case into chancery. "Has your lordship," replied Mr. Erskine, "the heart to send a fellow creature there?--" The force of Mr. Erskine's observation will be understood from the case of Sir Watkin Lewis. He has a case now in the high court of Chancery, that has been pending 47 years. Thirty years ago the present Lord Chancellor acted as counsellor for him in the Court of Exchequer. The property which he will be entitled to receive, when the case is decided, is 35,000l sterling. In the mean time Sir Watkin is a prisoner for debt in the fleet prison. The last time the case was mentioned in Chancery, the noble lord told him that his appeal to the house of lords should be laid before the committee of appeal with all possible dispatch. He has another case in the court of Exchequer, in which he has property to the amount of 75,000l. About one tenth of the sum would relieve him from his embarrassments. The lives of his wife and daughter have fallen a sacrifice to the vexations of this long suit in chancery.

The English papers mention this case without any marks of censure or even surprise. The truth is that such occurrences are too common in England to excite wonder. And yet there are people in this country who would persuade us that the English system of law "is the most stupendous fabric of wisdom that was ever reared by the genius of man."

Portland Argus.