The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-31 00:00:00

Death of Mr Bronterre O'Brien,

The many friends of this gentleman in the north
of England will regret to hear that he departed
this life at his residence in London on Friday last.
Mr O'Brien, who was an Irishman born, received
his education at the famous Edgeworth Schools,
where he achieved great distinction. He chose the
legal profession as the one most suited to his talents,
and while yet young was called to the bar. But
the popular political movements of those days en-
grossed most of the time of the young lawyer, and
he at last threw himself entirely into the troubled
arena of politics. He entered ardently into the
struggle against the fourpenny stamp upon news-
papers, and was editor of the Z toopenny Dispatch
(unstamptd), which was published by the late Mr
Henry Hetherington, in defiance of the autho•
rities. The Dzspat:h every week contained
stinging articles against the Government
of the day from Mr O'Brien's pen, and we
believe, along with many other gentlemen, he suf-
fered imprisonment at this period, for the deter-
mined manner in which he assailed the obnoxious
stamp. The Government of that time, by the exer-
tions of men like Mr O'Brien, were obliged to con-
fess themselves beaten. The stamp on newspapers
was reduced to one penny, and Mr O'Brien lived
long enough to see the whole of the fiscal restric-
tions upon the newspaper press abolished. During
the Chartist agitation of 1838.39, Mr O'Brien
shared the leadership of the Chartists along with
the late Mr Feargus O'Connor, and was one of the
recognised heads of the " National Convention,"
He contributed very largely at this period to the
newspaper press, and addressed meetings in every
part of the country. He continued to take a pro-
minent part in public movements until 1848.
and he was elected by one of the London
districts a member of the Chartist Convention in
that year. He took a marked stand at the meet-
ings of this body by deprecating all violence
and advocating the desirability of respecting the
law in their deliberations. Since that time Mr.
O'Brien has contributed largely to the periodical
press, but during the last two or three years his
powers failed him, and he has now, at the ripe age
of sixty-seven, gone to his peaceful rest. The de-
ceased gentleman was a classical scholar of no mean
pretensions, and his scholarly and vigorous intel-
lect rendered him an effective champion of any
cause which he undertook to serve. Amongst his
unfinished works is a "Life of Robespierre," two-
thirds of which was published many years ago, in
which, for the first time in English literature, the
character of Robespierre was depicted as that of a
worthy citizen, Mr. O'Brien taking much the same
view of Robespierre's career as has been done since
by M. Lemartine, G. H. Lewes, and M. Louis
Blanc. Mr. O'Brien has left a widow to deplore
his loss. His family are mostly engaged in profes-
sional pursuits, one of them being a young actor of
considerable promise, who has worthily " won his
spurs" on the stage.—Netveastle Chronicle.

The Legal Vice-Consul for Egypt,

(From the Law Times of 20-day.)

The following address was presented to Albany
Fonblanque, jun., Esq., our Legal Vice-Consul at
Alexandria, on his departure after the abolition of
that office :

To Albany Foublanque, Esq., ILB.M. Legal Vice-Consul

for Egypt.

We, the undersigned British merchants and others resi-
dent within the jurisdiction of her Britannic Majesty's
Consular Court of Egypt, have heard with regret that
arrangements made by her Majesty's Government for the
reconstruction of the legal departments in the Levant may
lead to your transfer from Egypt to some other port. And
we take this opportunity of expressing to you, on your
departure, our thanks for your zealous endeavours during
your residence amongst us to uphold the lawful interests
of her Britannic Majesty's subjects, and of testifying our
deep sense of the very upright, patient, able, and impartial
manner in which you have performed the duties of a most
difficult position.
Owing to the great variety of conflicting interests in
Egypt, the judge of her British Majesty's Consular Court
is exposed to far greater embarrassments and difficulties
than would be thought possible by those who do not know
the country.
With these we believe that you have most conscientiously
struggled, and if you have been enabled to overcome them,
we are convinced that the fault is not on your Bide.
We do not desire to cast any reflections upon the manner
in which justice was administered in Egypt previous to the
establishment under your presidence of the British Consular
Court ; but we deem it our duty to place upon record that
the action of that court has been beneficial to the British
community and honourable to the British name,
Cases both civil and criminal have been regularly and
speedily decided under a well-defined procedure, and with
those safeguards for the liberty of the subject, and rules for
the development of the real causes of dispute, which the
wisdom of our Legislature has provided, and which are
nowhere more required than in the country in which we live.
Legal technicalities have not been unduly insisted upon,
and principles of law of great value to a mercantile commu-
nity have been promulgated,
We are sensible of your service to our community, and
therefore, with all good wishes for your future prosperity,
we beg that you will accept our sincere thanks for what you
have done for us. _ _

(Here follow 44 signatures, comprising those of the repre•
sentatives of every British firm in Alexandtia, with one
single exception; of the principal advocates in practice at
the British Consular Court; and of several other persons
engaged in the commerce of Egypt.)