Mr. Pratt, gentleman, of Aldborough, Suffolk, quarrelled with his neighbours
about a right of way, and was for some trespass fined. He gave notice of appeal, but was arrested, and brought an action against the magistrates, Captain James and Mr. Freeman, for false imprisonment. They had to give evidence in the Exchequer Court as to the reasons for the arrest, and their evidence threw a strong light on the value of "local self-govern- ment." Captain James said he had been giiided solely by the Justices' clerk, had not the slighest idea he could levy a fine by distraint, had only "once or twice looked into a book upon the duty of Justices of the Peace." Mr. Freeman had "never looked into the Highway Acts" under which he convicted ; "should not have understood them, if he bad." In fact, both gentlemen, evidently very worthy people, With no malice in the matter, frankly confessed their perfect ignorance of the law they adminis- tered, and were fined 247/. for it, and costs. The verdict is surely a little hard upon men who are really not responsible for the egregious folly of a nation which deliberately chooses men without knowledge to administer a singularly complex system of law.
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