The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-26 00:00:00

The Times has published the following letters :

Kindly grant me space for, few words to the memory of
Lord Westbury. He was a great power, hut how much
greeter he might hart been ! We may say the same of Bacon.
Of great men It Is often truly sold, but of small men we say
they oil their best. The world, however, did Lori West,
bury it Justice. Ho was punished for that of which he
was not guilty, His real faults, serf-us thorigh they were,
had nt drawn on others who had tilled hie high office the
punishment which he underwent ; and perhaps the men of
his time were more extreme to mark In lum chat he did
▪ " Welt to others had been overlooked. He was few
fop hove sure. He rose unaided by his own exertion. sole.y.
lie owed I, thing to patrorage and powerful friends, but,
without favour or oil •ction, moved to his sent.

Ho once told me, and with. jrpt pride, that from the age
of 17 he Marl been anlely the supporter of himself. He waif
a man of wit, and • witty tongue often wags and Mien s when
there is na malice at the heart, It efts so sePh him. lias
nar ore was the reverse of malignant Tie tree ured up no
enmities and soon forgave His knowledge was ample and
varied, rather than enact or proforma. His Intellect was of
the highest II have listened often with aduairstron tO ht. mar-
v. lions dbplays of judicial eloqin nee, akin, and In no way fe-
ted,. to those for which Lord Lyndhurst was renowned
when In ever) thing was toil. due plasm., every fac norrated
in Its due orler of time and with its dua degree of import.
&nee hasigned to ;no words waste I; every word the proper
word, a it none too fine fir the occasion; even real doh r-
ence in thir gs exprescd lry a doe dbdinction of language,
nil rgraurent u rnoticert, rano fin drfilculty evaded. Suet was
he at this Coined Table, where my knowledge . I hum ea,
formed.

lie was " friendly and Putt torn, " never arrogant nor un-
willing to hear, klndh In his nature, and If he dirt not take
heed ennugh hot to ritend with Me Conroe, I'. was htcanre
his srlt.y mind kaVe thgt " chartered Ithertue'' it. spring,
and not heceure "a heart or gall' M limed its bitterness on-
ion erred.

L. 4 us cherish tender thoughts tours all, while, In no
Pplric of undue admiration lot the great Infellect• of the
earth, we impl Ire charity towards thole ales. eloquent
tonal'. 5 are mute.

I have the honour to subecribe myself, Mr, yours, srlth
all r-sm et, LAWRENCE Pmsf,.
July tn.

Will you allow one, who daring the last ten months has
had exceptional opportunities of observing the great judicial
powers of t; e late Lord Westbury, to add a word or two to
the notice of his cart er which appears in your paper of to-
day I Like the present Lord enance,lor nut a few other distin-
guished lawyern who have combined prof elishmal with Parlia-
ment try success, Lord Weathury was, as you Mut our, reified
from the Bar to the Woo neck without lacing through any
intermediate stage ; and, neglecting for the moment his ahor;
tenure of he VicisChanfollorship of the Duchy of Looceater,
the first time that the duties of a printery judge devolved on
him was when, at the age ot 72, he yielded to the solicitation.
of his friends 'nit undritook to mettle the involved affairs
of the European Aesuranca Society and its numerous
affiliated companies. No one who habituall practlsed
Nen, him wino he presided over the late antique
lit Victoria-Street is likely to forget how that masterly
Intellect penetrated, es by Instinct, into the marrow
of the difficult questions pressnted to it, and enig-
ma. d principle. from • labyrinth of fruits that might
well have canto.. d • lees vieorou. brain. Although. as
between the credit. es and the shareholder. the victry was
more often w h the former, both clime, alike, with rare
esceptions, bit that their cases had two n thorough!, d
and that the oecialon had prone. .rd on long established
rules, which were only the erob.onont of c
.te oft, a happened, the t, fIiOU.DORS of the argument was
relieved by • ii ash of satire or a tom,, of the omelette art, the
interposition was nor r rude, nor the Irony off, naive. nig
patience as • listener was remarkable, evefi trio n suffering,
as he evidputly was at fint•s, Irons coialfferable physical
pain, and by ihia simple espedient be was frequently ahle to
get through 1119 woe k of to flay long before the day was
Ws. eft aithiugh pair DE, he was not at ell dt.pose.l
to let those who pleaded bet TO hire have it all their own
way, and he more than once deprec 'And in his anal pnr gent
language the Debit praf.liarid by itabejodyez of cow:tieing
what fa passing in their minds until they are called upon to
deliver Judgment As Arbitrator be was not bound by the

_
authority demos, but he always deterred to those cited, if
relevant, without vermitting himself to be led away bs false
analogies r setallui to much store on lyt k learnblit St
such. The @trona ImPreselon of extraordinary judicial
aptitude that he crest. d during his ri cent laboul• Was cue,
In short, t his passe...nu f or characteristics in a high de-
gree—rapidity of apprehenalon, 14,1.1 seamen inclAty of
xposttiou, and (last but not ,esst) unit rre couriesy 01 ma,
IltT. rhea, are great otAlislee, tad when c 4 robtned make
soy M.'. public life mrmoraba ; when found Inn judge of
first instance they imp to bring abuu• spoidare..usly that
which the preleut Se. sirm has Striven to covmpliih by lest,-
latiou—,lamely, dean& ch of husbons, simplification of the
current les, and satisfaction of the getter,l WA, of .uitors
—1 am, &C., MONTAGUN COOKSON.
.TiOy 21.