Robert Langslow was appointed as His Majesty’s Attorney General of Malta on August 14, 1832, under the governance of Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby. His role was to serve as the legal adviser to the government and as ex officio General Magistrate. During his tenure, he was assisted by Dr. Emanuele Caruana and Dr. Benedetto Bardon, who were appointed King’s Counsels for the Island of Malta and its dependencies, and by Dr. Odoardo Dingli, who was appointed King’s Counsel for the Island of Gozo. However, his office was short-lived, as in 1838, following a report by a Royal Commission investigating the judicial establishment of Malta, the British government abolished the Office altogether. Subsequently, by Proclamation No. I of 1839, the Office of the Attorney General was replaced with the Office of the Crown Advocate.
A Controversial Figure
Langslow's time in Malta was marked by controversy. He was involved in drafting new codes for Malta, leading commissions composed of Maltese and British jurists. However, he opposed the Maltese preference to model the codes on the new ones of the Two Sicilies, favoring the English version instead. This opposition led to a stalemate in the work of the commissions. His contentious behavior extended to personal matters; he was criticized for protecting his son's criminal behavior, which led to strong criticism from Governor Bouverie and the eventual abolition of his office.
From Malta to Ceylon
After leaving Malta under a cloud, Langslow sought employment in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) as a judge. There, his legal trajectory mirrored his previous one in Malta. He made enemies everywhere with his turbulent and bizarre behavior, starting with his advertisement in the newspapers shortly after his appointment, selling his legal library “solely because the owner has now ascertained that he cannot any longer afford, out of the small salary paid to him as a judge, to keep up a law library” for the service of the government and the public. This advertisement raised a public uproar. He continued to clash with colleagues and the judiciary, reacting to a disagreement with the Attorney General by locking up all the court files and suspending court sittings indefinitely. His tenure ended when he publicly criticized the Supreme Court judges who had acquitted a lieutenant he had sentenced, leading to his removal from office.
Legacy
Today, Robert Langslow is a footnote in Maltese legal history. His tenure as Attorney General was short and fraught with controversy, and his subsequent actions in Ceylon further tarnished his reputation. While his name may not be widely recognized, his story serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges faced by legal professionals in colonial administrations.