een Victoria._

PICCADILLY, _13th November 1856_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs
to state that Sir Alexander Cockburn[56] accepts the office of
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, but expresses a strong wish not
altogether to be shut out from Parliamentary functions. His health,
which has frequently interfered with his attendance in the House of
Commons, makes him feel uncertain as to the future, and he is not
desirous of being immediately placed in the House of Lords, but he
would be glad to be allowed to look forward to such a favour from
your Majesty at some future time if he should find his health stand
sufficiently good to give him a fair prospect of being useful in the
House of Lords. He says that with the Baronetcy of an uncle he will
succeed to an estate of L5,000 a year, independent of what he has
realised by his own professional exertions; and that consequently
there would be a provision for a Peerage. Viscount Palmerston begs to
submit for your Majesty's gracious approval that such a prospect
might be held out to Sir Alexander Cockburn. The Chancellor and
Lord Lansdowne and Lord Granville concur with Viscount Palmerston in
thinking that much public advantage would arise from the presence of
both Sir Alexander Cockburn, and of the Master of the Rolls,[57] in
the House of Lords, and there are numerous precedents for the Chief
Justice of the Common Pleas, and for the Master of the Rolls being
Peers of Parliament.[58] Their judicial duties would no doubt prevent
them from sitting in the morning on appeal cases, but their presence
in the evening in debates in which the opinions and learning of men
holding high positions in the legal profession would be required,
could not fail to be of great public advantage. Of course any
expectation to be held out to Sir Alexander Cockburn would for the
present be a confidential and private communication to himself....

[Footnote 56: Sir Alexander Cockburn's parliamentary success
dated from his speech in the Don Pacifico debate; see _ante_,
vol. ii., p. 252, note 23. He was made Solicitor-General shortly
after, and then Attorney-General, being reappointed to
the latter office in the end of 1852. He had defended both
McNaghten and Pate for attacks on the Queen's person. The
uncle whom he soon afterwards succeeded as baronet was now
Dean of York.]

[Footnote 57: Sir John Romilly, created a peer in 186