You will be able to judge of the candour and the value of his explanation when you learn that the mortgage is some years overdue (due 30th June, 1884) • that the principal can be called up by the Company at any time; that although the Company have been anxious to call in their loanß, including money secured on mortgage, the full amount is still owing, and that the land is now valued under tho Property Assessment Act at J§B3o, and that it has become the habit of these

Companies to regard such valuation as the maximum value of the land. Ask yourßelf the question, ' Would the Com pany, while the proceedings were pend ing, be likely to enforce their rights against Mr WardP' The Company may be managed by purists who would be in capable of allowing unworthy considera tions to affect them, and Mr Ward may be stoically indifferent to all evils which might befall him, but will the public generally, and the parties more closely interested believe them to be euohP Will the Bench, under such circamßtanceß, remain as it ought to be— like Caesar's wife — above Buspioion? (Since writing the above I notice, from information in my posßession, that while these proceed ings were pending, a transfer from Mr Ward to the N. Z. Agricultural Company of part of the land, in consideration of the Company transferring to the prose cuting Company part of sections 120 and 535 was presented for registration. From, this it will be seen that actually while proceedings were pending, Mr Ward was either negotiating or carrying into effect an arrangement made at bis reqnest be tween the two Companies.)" Mr Hislop goes on to say: — " The impropriety of a Judge sitting under the circumstances above mentioned must of course be con sidered apart from Mr Christie's case, and the circumstances of Mr Christie's case must be reviewed apart from the fact of his being my firm's client." This is all very true, and sounds very correct, but we defy anyone to read Mr Hislop'a long letter without tracing through the whole of it the special pleading of a solicitor for his client. No doubt he is quite unconscious of the fact, but it crops out in paragraph after paragraph so plainly that he who runs may read it. 