.'
Advocacy in general is hardly a satisfactory calling for a being with an
immortal soul, and perhaps a mortal soul would have still less excuse
for wasting its time. The view of the ugly side of politics is
disgusting, and he acknowledges a 'restless ambition' prompting him to
look to some more permanent results.

These reflections were partly suggested by a new turn of affairs. I have
incidentally quoted more than one phrase showing how powerfully his
imagination had been impressed by the Indian Empire. He says in his last
book[101] that in his boyhood Macaulay's 'Essays' had been his favourite
book. He had admired their manly sense, their 'freedom from every sort
of mysticism,' their 'sympathy with all that is good and honourable.' He
came to know him almost by heart, and in particular the essays upon
Clive and Warren Hastings gave him a feeling about India like that which
other boys have derived about the sea from Marryat's novels. The
impression, he says, was made 'over forty years ago,' that is, by 1843.
In fact the Indian Empire becomes his staple illustration whenever he is
moved to an expression of the strong patriotic sentiment, which is very
rarely far from his mind. He speaks in 1865 of recurring to an 'old
plan' for writing a book about India. I remember that he suggested to me
about that date that I should take up such a scheme, and was a good deal
amused by my indignation at the proposal. James Mill, he argued, had
been equally without the local knowledge which I declared to be
necessary to a self-respecting author. Several circumstances had
strengthened the feeling. His friend Maine had gone to India in 1862 as
legal Member of Council, and was engaged upon that work of codification
to which he refers admiringly in the 'View of the Criminal Law.' In
November 1866 Fitzjames's brother-in-law, Henry Cunningham, went to
India, where he was appointed public prosecutor in the Punjab. His
sister, then Miss Emily Cunningham, joined him there. Their
transplantation caused a very important part of Fitzjames's moorings (if
I may say so) to be fixed in India. It became probable that he might be
appointed Maine's successor. In 1868 this was suggested to him by Maine
himself, when he regarded it on the whole unfavourably; but during 1869
the question came to need an answer. Against accepting the post was the
risk to his professional prospects. Although not so brilliant as could
be wished, they presented several favour