from 1851 to 1867 163

for them in the clerk's office for a stimulant after
speaking. Arguments were physical as well as
intellectual efforts then. One undeniably able
lawyer, one of the foremost of his day, innovated
on the established practice by bringing gin, which
as it had the appearance of water he could, and
did, take to the counsel table; but he was of the
long line of innovators brought low by their craft,
for he sipped in keeping with his pretence, and
when in his turn he rose to his full height, went
on over backwards. But these were, in the main,
men of piety and high moral sense, studious and
men of much reading; and they gloried in knowl-
edge of the law and ability to argue cases before
the court

Oliver Miller resigned as State Reporter on
November 6, 1862, his work in that office, with
the work of finishing Gill's reports, having in-
cluded that on 8 and 9 Gill's Reports, and from 3
to 18 Maryland Reports. Nicholas Brewer was
appointed State Reporter in his place.

At the December term 1852, a new order of
business was adopted and in that year the maxi-
mum length of arguments was reduced to two and
one-half hours. The court announced, at the same
time, that it was expected of counsel that they
would furnish full statements of the facts and
points relied on by them and a list of their authori-
ties. These were now regularly printed, but not
yet in more than one copy. Not even the records
were regularly furnished in more than one copy;
and in equity cases it was not the invariable prac-
tice to send up the record. In 1854, March 7, it
was ordered that,