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trict Courts jurisdiction over all offences against the United States not capital, and enlarging the powers of the Court in cases of maritime offences, had passed the Senate and was before the House of Representatives. I have spoken to the chairman of the committee, (Mr. Seargent,) who has promised to do all he can to get the bill passed. I shall also speak to other gentlemen; but I think that a few letters from Boston to some leading members here, such as Mr. Winthrop, Mr. Saltonstall, Mr. Caleb Cushing, &c., would do good.

I have also prepared a bill, which has been reported by Mr. Wall, (chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate,) that passed to a second reading in the Senate, authorizing the District Judge, &c., to bind over the witnesses for the accused as well as for the prosecution, and allowing them, if committed, the same pay (to be paid by the Government) as other witnesses, during their detention. If there is any time left in the session to get the bill through the House, I think this bill also will pass. I purposely left out of it any clause requiring the grand juries to serve for a year, &c.; as this might occasion debate, and the object might not be well understood; and if the other bill passes, the District Courts may overcome the whole difficulty by adjournments at short periods under the existing laws, retaining the regular grand juries. I shall use my efforts to press the passage of the bills.

Believe me, with the highest respect, truly

Your obliged friend,

JOSEPH STORY.

Of this Act, Richard H. Dana, Jr., Esq., thus speaks in the letter of May 3d, 1851, before quoted from:

"The letter of July, 1841, which I send you, related to the Act of 23d August, 1842, which was passed by his instrumentality. It has been, as you are aware, very beneficial in

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its operation upon seamen, especially in the section relating to the recognizance of witnesses, which no one but a Judge thoroughly versed in the wants and difficulties of seamen in their causes could have contrived.

"Having, by the accident of my voyage, been brought a good deal into connection with seamen in the Courts, I can cheerfully bear testimony to your father's uniform attention to their peculiar needs, and untiring efforts to secure to them, by rules of Court and decisions, or by procuring the enactment of statutes, the fullest and fairest opportunities to obtain justice, under the misfortunes of their condition as litigants. The Crimes Act of 1835, which inflicts a penalty upon a master or officer for cruel or unusual punishment of seamen, or for unjustifiably imprisoning seamen, or withholding from them suitable food and nourishment, is his work. This statute is the one on which the indictments are now framed, and it has been the great shield to seamen against the oppression of their officers. In his Circuit, which is the great maritime district of our country, he has developed and built up, by his decisions, a system of legal principles and rules of practice, securing to seamen the prompt payment of their wages, medicines and care in sickness, good treatment in performance of duty, and protecting them against unreasonable forfeitures, discharges in foreign ports, imprisonments, and advantages taken of them in their contracts, not only creditable to his humanity, but founded in truest and largest reasons of public policy."

Among the letters received by my father during this year, are the following, which show the estimation in which he was held abroad as a jurist. The first letter is from Monsieur Foelix.

MONSIEUR:

TO HON. JOSEPH STORY.

Paris, le 22 Février, 1841.

J'ai reçu il y a quelque temps votre ouvrage, Equity Jurisprudence, 2d vo., 2d edition. Recevez mes remercîmens de cet envoi, qui m' a mis à même de me faire une idée juste de ce que c'est que la jurisdiction d'Équité en Angleterre et aux États Unis. Les livres que j'avais été à même de consulter jusqu'-ici ne m'avaient donné qu'une idée confuse de cette jurisdiction, inconnue sur le continent Européen. En effet, après la réception de votre ouvrage, je me suis immédiatement occupé à le lire, et je ne m'étonne plus que la première édition, quoique tirée à 1500 exemplaires, a déjà été épuisée en 1839; car votre ouvrage, vous me permettrez de le dire, comme tous ceux qui sont sortis de votre plume, réunit à un haut degré l'exposition méthodique, la clarté, et la précision (nécessaires à celui qui désire y puiser les élémens de la matière) à des détails étendus qui sont nécessaires au jurisconsulte pratique. J'ai rédigé un article pour la Revue, dans laquelle je donne une analyse succincte de cet ouvrage, afin de faire mieux connaître en France et la matière et votre travail. Recevez l'assurance de la haute considération avec laquelle j'ai l'honneur d'être. Votre bien dévoué serviteur,

The next letter is from Mr. Justice Patteson.

FŒLIX.

SIR:

TO MR. JUSTICE STORY.

London, 33 Bedford Square, April 26th, 1841.

I beg to return you my best thanks for a copy of the new edition of your valuable work on the Conflict of Laws. It is, as I hope you well know, a standard work to which we constantly refer in this country, and which will never be for

gotten. It is a great gratification to me to communicate even in this short way with one for whom I have so high a respect, and I wish that some good fortune might enable me to see and personally thank you for your present.

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I have again to acknowledge with gratitude, the present of another of your invaluable works, by which you have conferred such great obligations both on your own country and

ours.

It makes England justly proud of her American sons to see them competing on equal terms with her ablest writers.

I am, sir, with great respect and esteem,

Your very faithful servant,

JOHN GURNEY.

The next letter is from Professor Mittermaier.

MONSIEUR:

TO HON. JOSEPH STORY.

Heidelberg, le 1 Juillet, 1841.

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J'ai reçu, il y a trois semaines, les exemplaires de votre excellent ouvrage "On the Law of Agency," et de la seconde édition de votre intéressant ouvrage "On Bailments." m' empresse de vous exprimer mes remercîmens les plus sincères. Occupé d'un ouvrage sur le droit commercial, je puis profiter des fruits que l'étude de votre ouvrage me fournit. Il n'y a pas un ouvrage en Allemagne qui traite

la matière si difficile, de Principal and Agent, d'une manière si profonde et si claire que le votre.

J'ai reçu, il y a huit jours, votre lettre de 22 Avril, dans laquelle vous m' annoncez l'arrivée d'un exemplaire de votre ouvrage (nouvelle édition) sur le Conflit des Lois. Agréez, Monsieur, mes remercîmens. Vous ne cessez pas de nous enrichir des excellents ouvrages. Je suis très curieux de posséder bientôt l'exemplaire de cet ouvrage, qui est reconnu aussi en Allemagne, comme l'ouvrage classique auquel les jurisconsultes de tous les pays doivent récourir.

Agréez l'assurance du profond respect, avec lequel j'ai l'honneur d'être,

Votre tout dévoué.

MITTERMAIER.

The next letter is from Baron Parke, one of the ablest Judges of the English Bench.

TO HON. JOSEPH STORY.

London, July 11th, 1841.

Baron Parke presents his compliments to Dr. Story, and begs to return his best thanks for the present which he has received of the new edition of the admirable work on the Conflict of Laws, a work which, with the Treatise on Bailments and that on Agency, has justly raised the name of its author to the highest degree of reputation with the profession of the law, and Baron Parke adds his expressions of a sincere wish that Dr. Story may long enjoy a life which he devotes so sedulously to the improvement of the sciences of which he is such an ornament.

The next letter is from Herr Von Savigny, the very distinguished jurist of the Roman Law. It was addressed to Mr. Fay, our accomplished Secretary of Legation, and at various times Chargé des Affaires at Berlin.

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