The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-12-14


The DEATH OF CHAscELLon KESr.-The death Of this
eminent jurst, took place Sunday evening, at half
past o'clock at his residence In Union Place. at the
patrarchal age Of eighty-fve years. He favored
with extraordinary good health, until within the last
nine months. We remember to have him about q
year since at the funeral Of Theodore Dwight Esq act
log OF the pail bearers, and to he then sp-
p,ared erect and active man Of fifty His mind
and great flow of spirits continued unimpaired; he
read aud wrote much and continued his labors in
recting and revising his law publications. with undated
srdor, until his recent illness His conversation was
delightful; he mingled freely with his acqusintsnces
ceivipg instruction He was born on the 3lst july
1863 In Duchess county and at the age Of ten years.
Mr. Kent was sent to the grammar school at Dam
hurry, then under the charge OF the Rev Ebeneser
Baldwin, respectable Presbyterian Clergyman, where
he continued until September I777 when he entered
vasion of the British the college broken up
ssuasnts During ri Kent: exile he
msntares, which he read with great avdity and plea
sure and, much he delighted with the research
and with the elegance of its diction that he
termined to become lawyer. After the re-sstab-
took the degree of a bachelor, removed to Pough-
ksepsis, and commenced the study Of law under
Gsnera Of this State In January, 1855, he was ad-
mitted attorney of the Supreme Court and shortly
rres Of Counselor About this tin or very soon a
ter he attached himself to Hamilton, Jay, and the
other eminent men who composed that party and has
uniformly acted with them since la 1890 no elect
ed to the State Legisture In 1893 he removed to this
city, appointed Professor Of Law In Columbia Col
sge, where he delivered course Of lectures and In
1874 the trustees conferred him the degree or Doc
tor Of Laws Similar honors shortly after conferred
upon him by Harvard University and Dartmouth College
la 1896 he elected member Of the Legislature
this city and in the year appointed Recorder
In 1898 Governor Jay appointed him of the Judges
OF the Supreme Court, and in 1900 he was, with Mr.
Justice RAdcf selected to revise tie statutes Of this
State In july 1904, he was raised to the dignity of
Chief Justice OF the Supreme Court where continued
to preside until 1914 In February 1914, he ap-
pointed Chancellor of this State and continued to pre-
1929 when he retired having attained the age of so
years. Soon after his retirement from the bench,
law by the trusss1 pO of Columbia COLLEGES during
his second professorship he delivered series of law
lectures s s.,, upon more comprehensive plan than
the year 1928 he began to revise and enlarge them for
publication and in November 1896 the first volume Of
his commentaries on American1aw appeared In 1897
and 1928 the second and third volumes appeared
$780, the fourth and last volume made It's appearance
The legal mind OF Chancellor Kent has exercised q
marked influence upon the profession in this State-we
may say indeed throughout the States generallynot
only by means Of his great work the Commentaries,
which ranks with the commentaries of Blackstone
English law-but still more Bensbly perhaps, through
the agency of his decisions Judge he possessed
tude His judgments were not, perhaps full Of pro-
found learning and impre in argume those
intoerabe and ruinous delays as vexed clients and
profession through the long occupancy Of the English
is universally conceded that for the public interest
reasonable celebrity decision valuable than the
most cOns3%mats sssl scholarship For nothing Fer,
than for activity, both of mind and body His capacity
Tor work inexhaustibe and when last had the
oyment OF an evening IN his company though he had
then attained the ripe age Of and four there
nothing except degree Of deafnes to indicate that
he exceeded the ordinary limit of existence
His conversation was no less animated and va
rous. his temperamentno lees vivaoious, his bodily
movements NO less brisk and impusive, than We
quality to which we have referred may be briefly
Dy the term WIN no
Of new things the Chancellor yet far from
taking prevalent eagerness Of day to adopt new
theories principles whether In law, in morals
In politics Indeed, for mind active and rapid, his
hsbusl caution against hazardous novelties extra
ordinary and ts effect in the fulflment of the high
duties to which he assigned in his various evident
positions, most salutary The hour at which the
funer. will move from the house OF the de-
ceased is half past three Wednesday. And we
ture say that longer processono striking
representing the intelligence, and the high character
every respect OF our hss never been seen
following the hearse Of private citizen, than will be
that which fellows to its resting place the body Of the
the Borrowing family OF the late Chancellor his wi
dow, sister the late General Theodorus Baily, the
| Hon VIM Kent, late Q Judge of the first Circuit and
afterwards Dean professor ofaw in Harvard University
which he relnqushed to attend his venerable father
in his last illness and two daughters preparatory
meeting held to-day in the Library at which the
Hon. Sam1 Jones' late Chief Justice Of the Superior
Court presidedand B. c. siiiman, Esd acted as Score
be held tomorrow in the Circuit Court room, ut 10 o.
clock. committee Of Is appointed to draft
lutions &c. 1t Is needless to add that the courts
all adjourned mark Of respect to the memory Of the
| venerable Chancellor.
| PRoFEssoR MIrcHELL's LECTURES ON AsrRoNoMY-
Professor Mitchell commenced his fourth lecture
astronomy Friday evening last at the Tabernacle by
Remaining that in his previous Lectures he had endes
vored to develope the by which the human mind
attained to the rules which govern the uoverse and
the science Of astronomy generally In regard to the
laws Of gravitation he said that that law, and the law
| ton disturbance in their movements. There
other things produced we'll the shape and motion
The earth Is sweeping around the and Is held In It'll
course by the law Of gravtation, but this law has
nothing to do with the revolving Of the earth
find the planets all travelling in the direction !
but the law Of gravitaton has nothing to do with that
have held them fast The question arises is there any
evidence Of design in the construction of system
The answer is that If the system had been first con
sructed it would not have endured and the time would
have come whom the whole would be DESTROYED. 1t IL
necessary therefore, that the planets should travel In
should be concdent 1t not possible for any of those
bodies to change their places without the destruction
wisdom Of it's construction. He then referred thu
| bodies which have recently been discos nd ad
ded to the system. Anu first as to purturbatiop
Suppose the is at point and planet at another
the distance between them Is the perhelon distance
VIII the psrhelion points remain In the same angle
| No, the moment they commence their travel, these
points change and millions Of years will roll around be
lore they will again occupy the relative position
This being. the case, how reach knowledge
of the influence which these bodies each other
The astronomer Is obliged to size the planet
tain the matter in each compute Its influence
and thus trace out their devious wanderipgs. Tn,
manner in which these distant lbs are weighed
was then explained by the Professor. He next an
nounced the manner in which the asteroids be
tween Saturn aud Jupiter we're discovsred-snd wha
is very strange from the hottest antiquity among al
| nations. the days of the week named after tn,
planets calling the and moon Jupiter is fount
at all distances from the but Venus Is always
| 1t. When the telescope was applied to Jupiter, tn,
mind Of Galeleo astonshed He found less thar
four revolving around It, This planet and thes
moons 1t wouli appear given to us for q valuable
purpose. They determine, In the first place, the We
octy Of light which travels at the rate Of twelve mil
lions Of Mills minute: and at this rate, there
bodies whose light would take fifty thousand years T.
1t takes light to pass the earth
orbit sixteen minutes After the lecture the professor
exhibited telescope views Of Saturn Mars Jupiter 60
Last evening, Professor Mitchell continued his lee