discharged with ability the duties of her office, until the nomination of her successor. She had previously been Assistant Marshal, under the direction of her father.

A curious and truly original innovation has just been intro- · duced into the police system of the United States. A short time since, the office of "Police Matron" was established there, a special police duty confided to women.

Women in the United States, are admitted to the committees or commissions of Congress, and even to the public assemblies of the Legislatures, and they can present their petitions and grievances there.

[Translator's Note. It seems that Dr. Frank may have supposed that women can appear on the floor of Congress, or of the legislatures, to address them. This, of course we know is not done, unless by special courtesy, although they may address committees at their hearings.]

In India, the Vice-Judge of Nayada, sometime since, authorized Ethira Julu, a native woman, to plead causes of secondary importance before him.

To complete and close this chapter devoted to woman jurists, let us recall the name of Signora Lidia Poet, which has called forth the strange Italian decisions we have analyzed. Signora Poet is now in the office of her brother, an advocate at Turin. Let us recall also the names of Mme. Kempin-Spyri at Zurich, of Mlle. Bilcesco, and of Mlle. Marie Popelin.

We should not overlook the name of Mme. de l' Arenal, a contemporaneous Spaniard, who has devoted herself to crimiwal law, and has written several works upon the penitentiary system. Two English women must also be mentioned: Miss Mary Carpenter, who has made a study of the prison system, and Miss Elizabeth Fry, who labored for the reform of the penitentiary system.

Furthermore, let us note the fact that in most of these countries, the right of woman to present her own defense is recognized; that frequently in France, England, and especially in Sweden, they make use of this opportunity, without the occurrence of any irregular or abnormal incident in connection with the exercise of the right.

Without doubt, a woman of a rancorous disposition, of a peevish and excitable character, a shrewish and vulgar woman, would be a disastrous calamity at the bar. If we desire that the tribunals may for all time, be unhampered by that Caphrania of the Roman judgment-hall, we might, nevertheless, view with satisfaction a woman as a member of our Order, who should bring to the practice of our profession the charms and advantages of her sex. The quarrelsome woman, the execrable and infernal, Roman Caphrania, we repudiate; to her as to her fellows, let us with one accord forbid the access to the bar. But to one Caphrania of shameful memory, we can oppose a hundred woman jurisprudents, endowed with the most brilliant qualities, the most noble characters. A like proportion is not found among the ranks of men.

Taking account of the surprising success which every where greets, in all the universities, these emulators of man, are we not warranted in predicting that women by reason of their activity and their peculiar disposition, are called to become at the bar, what they have been upon the throne, where, to use a comparison borrowed from Fourier, from Semiramis to Victoria, down the ages, one may count seven great queens for one mediocre, whilst one constantly sees seven mediocre kings for one great king.

To be continued.

THE ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE.

With the changes which have taken place in the reorganization and consolidation of the great historic courts of England, under the judicature acts of 1873 and 1875, has come a change in the location of the courts and buildings themselves, as wonderful as that which added to the title of the Queen, that of Empress of India.

For more than fifty years the British public had felt that the arrangement of the courts at Westminster Hall was entirely inadequate for the transaction of the public business, and that it had been entirely outgrown by the courts themselves and their constantly increasing business.

The necessity of adopting some plan by which all the courts could be assembled under one roof, and provided with all of the modern conveniences; was felt by all who had studied the subject, and accordingly a royal commission was appointed by an act of Parliament in 1863, after years of discussion and agitation, to whom the whole subject was committed, who were required to employ an architect, select a location for the erection of new buildings for the Courts of Law, and recommend a plan for the same.

After several years spent in deliberating upon the subject, a site was selected and the plans of the buildings submitted to public competition. The plans of Mr. J. E. Street, R. A., one of the most renowned architects in Europe, were adopted, and the work entered upon in 1868. The buildings were finished in 1882, and formally dedicated, Dec. 4, 1882, by Her Majesty,

with the most imposing ceremonies, and all the business of the several courts of justice was transferred hither from Westminster Hall, the first day of Hilary term, Jan. 11, 1883.

This vast and handsome structure is on the north side of the Strand, a little beyond the line of Temple Bar and of Old Shire Lane (so called "because it divideth the city from the Shire"), and extends back to Carey Street and Lincoln's Inn. It is of a composite form of architecture, chiefly resembling the ancient halls of the Flemish style, and was planned so as to allow of all the divisions of the High Court of Justice and branches of the Supreme Court being assembled under one roof.

The eastern part of the building contains the wing for masters, registrars and other officials, and the whole structure occupies five acres.

The Strand front is of Portland stone, 500 feet in length and about 80 feet in height, pierced with Gothic windows and set off by gables and pinnacles. On the City side of the site of Temple Bar, stands a great campanile or bell tower, 160 feet high.

In the center of the main building, the gable reaches a height of 130 feet, and contains a great rose window above the main window of the Central Hall, which is 230 feet long, 40 feet wide and 80 feet high.

At each end of this new salle des pas perdus, appears a marble gallery, like the wooden galleries at the end of the halls of Trinity College, Cambridge. At the north end of the Central Hall, a corridor runs east and west, the whole length of the building; while another corridor, continuing in the direction of the Central Hall, leads out into Carey Street, past two jury halls as large as courts, and a refreshment room for the members of the bar, with kitchen, cellar, larder, and robing room.

The chief entrance from the Strand opens under an arch of 50 feet, on either side of which are Gothic traced windows with Lancet arches, and above the windows are recesses for sculpture.

Through the central arch is an entrance porch. A second porch succeeds to this, from which rise steps leading to the south gallery of Central Ha!!, and to the level of the courts ;

for the eight round the Central Hall are above its level, while the floor of the hall is 4 or 5 feet higher than the Strand. The long Strand and Carey Street fronts are formed by two buildings, of which the westernmost, called the main building, contains the courts and the Central Hall.

The eastern building is joined to the main building by a narrow front on the Strand, and by a like erection, without depth at the Carey Street end; but except for these two communications, the two wings are separated from each other by an open space called the Quadrangle, which is more than twice as large as the Central Hall.

The carriage entrance sweeps into it, from the Strand between two smaller arches for pedestrians. From the Quadrangle, which gives light and air to both buildings, many entrances lead into each.

The eastern building differs in style from the other, and the brown Portland stone, which in the western part of the building, holds all the prominent positions, is here largely relieved by red brick. From the tower in Fleet Street, a Janus clock, facing two ways, shows conspicuously from the east and from the west, in the style (well suited to London) of the clock of St. Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside. Including staircase, corridors, halls and rooms, there are 800 apartments in the main edifice and 300 in the eastern building.

As a specimen of the modern style of architecture, and planned with the special design to accommodate the public business and in administering the law, this structure is worthy of the most minute study, and possesses many conveniences in the way of retiring rooms, reception rooms for ladies, and rooms for parties and witnesses who are compelled to attend the various courts, that seem never yet to have been thought of or provided for at all in this country.

We will, however, first turn our attention to the site of this great structure, and will then describe in detail the internal arrangement of the building and court rooms.

SITE OF THE NEW LAW COURTS.-The location of the new courts and the historical associations connected with the same, are worthy of remembrance,