Gladstone  felt,  as  he  told   Lord   Hatherley,  that  'it  was  not
right  to  hawk  the  appointment  about,'  and  he  offered  it  to  Sir
Eobert  Collier,  then  attorney-general.     Collier's  claim  to  the
bench,  and  even  to  the  headship  of  a  court,  was  undisputed  ;
his  judicial   capacity  was   never   at  any  time  impugned  ;    he
acquired   no  additional  emolument.     Tn  accepting  Mr.   Glad-
stone's offer  (Oct.    1871),   he   reminded   him:    'You  are  aware
that  in  order  to  qualify  me  it  will  be  necessary  first  to  make
me  a  common  law  judge.'     Three  days  later,  the  chancellor  told
Mr.  Gladstone,   'It   would   hardly  do   to   place   the  attorney-
general  on  the   common    law  bench  and  then   pi-omote    him.'
Still  under  the  circumstances  he  thought  it  would  be  best  to
follow  the  offer  up,  and  Collier  was  accordingly  made  a  judge
in  the  common  pleas,  sat  for  a  few  days,  and  then  went  on  to
the  judicial  committee.    The  proceeding  was  not  taken  without
cabinet  authority,  for  Lord  Granville  writes  to  Mr.  Gladstone  :—
'  Nov.  12,  '71  :  The  cabinet  completely  as.sented  to  the  arrange-

1  34  and  35  Vict.  c.  91,  sect.  1.
