OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 17597, 28 February 1921, Page 6

OBITUARY

A WelHmrtaa telegram tcowda toe death of Bur James Prandeayart, exChiet J ustice of New Zeaited, tgssi 95.

Tho Jsie Sir James Praidergart va; bore at Clements In% ia LgnJan, in December, 1826. He was toa aoa of Mr Michael who had held m’nnr judicial pwdlJoci m England. H-s father wai Ereorder of Norwich, a Judge of tho ShcrifTs Court of tho O.ty of London. » Commisrimua' of the Central CritniiCT) Court, «ad wsa a Quasi'* Conn srt. Ilia name appears ia several L#». Reports, and ho was said to hove hem an able lawcr. Sir James was hit ywentpao eon. This mother was a Mias Dawes, a sister ul tho celebrated Mr Daweii a painter, who -was ia the Rwrico of fck. peror Aiscaador of Emara Bad. was bnned ia Bt. PanTa CalhsdraL Sr Jmbcs Lad mm of Mr Dsvrcs’jj in hia possession, find they were vrurku aI merit. Sir James attemdad Paul’s fichool, and cftcrwacrda Trinity HsQ, University of Cambridge. D« obtained bi 3 B-A. in tho Cmi-ouithr, and w» edudttel a barrister of the fttinuS* TbujjJa i# April, 1856. ITo went to ATcCnria* u) tons ho was clerk to_ tho Quarter Seadreta in a country restart, end afterwards ig Dunedin at tho cad of IS6R Ha aoo» ohtainod practice here, and becKm» wsunr partner in tho firm of Precdorgart, Kenyon, and Mad docks. Later he scsai Provincial Solicitor, often «ctbg os Crown Solicitor, and became noted at an oaeaont pleader and distingOTahod bxrriakvsr; especially in Banco cases, but waa tuA ennridorod a great Nisi Prins advocate. Li 1855 ho was called to the Loginia±nßß having boon offered the position of SnUtsterGoneral. 'i'bo Aftnistrr ((Jut of Mu «gV-r----iv-ards Sir, F. A. Weld), bomxrer, that offered him the position of SolicitorGeneral resigned, but ia tiu* eaa» y<v«- be was appointed A ttomov-Goar.tal— tr*nu*lv, on October, 1863, THo sat fai the Legislative Council— both in, tha 1865 air# 1866 sciisions. In 1866 there woo passed an Atiorncy-Gcnorai’s Act, which allowed too Government to appoint an Attorney-General as a permanent (Aril servant. In March, 1867, he received that appointment, and resigned his «cat in tho ) /egislativn Council He remained AttomcyGencral down to April 1, 1875, when ho wa.s appointed Cfiief Justice in succession to Sir G«rrge Arney. He remained Chief Justice until Alay, 1899, so lie was 24 years on the Bench. ITo then retired, as he was troubled with flight deafness, and did not think it was proper for him to remain on tlie Bench because of this infiunity. After his retirement he Injcarao a director cf one or more companies, and was for some time a director of the Bank of_ New Zealand. In 1839 he was appointed as a commissioner or delegate‘to attend in London, to confer with the Colonial Office as to the reforms proposed in the Privy Council regarding appeals from colonial judgments. Ho acted as Administrator on several occasions during tlie Governor’s absence, and in November, 1881, was created Knight Bachelor. Kir James did not take any part in tho public life of tho colony. Wo believe it was only on one occasion that ho appeared In Dunedin at a public meeting to protest against the leasing of the Town Bell, ami there was an amusing episode during his speech. ITo stated that the Town Belt should not he encroached upon by private individuals, and that tho nurse girls should ho allowed to use too Belt, as they had been accustomed to do, with perambulators and babies. Some rude person at the hack of the Princess Theatre shouted out (hat, he did not think any of tho nurses from Sir James (then ’Air) Prr.ndcrgast’s home would be disturbed. The first speech ho made in Parliament was very short, but it showed his fairness ot mind. It appeared that through somo mistake, perhaps, Mauris were not allowed to bo appointed members of the Legislative Council, and Kir James thought this was improper, as tho Maoris, who were largo landowners, had as much right to be appointed member's of tho Legislative Council as Europeans wiio were largo ksmiownoiw. After his retirement from tlie Bench bo took- no part in the public life of the colony, hut enjoyed his retirement quietly and amongst his own relatives. He was an aide common lawyer, well versed also in the statute law of New Zealand, and was considered an exceedingly able interpreter of .statutes. Under tho old practice—that is, before the Act of 1882—ho was looked upon as tlie ablest pleader (that is, of technical pleadings) on tho Bench. He was a man of high character and of kindly, disposition. His wife died over 29 years ago. They had no children. Ho had no relatives in Now Zealand ; but there arc several relatives of tho late Iredy Prendcrgast.

Air Alanriee, O’Connor, who died at Wellington on Thursday last, was a wellknown con I,m otor. Death was caused through a siroko supervening upon a period of ill-health. The deceased, who was horn in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1840, followed tho world rush to tho Victorian goldfield;; in 1859, and, hire many others who failed to find fortune on the diggings in Ballarat and Bendigo, joined in tho new rush to Gabriel's Gully, in Otago. From there he. wont over to tho West Coast, where he remained for a considerable time, taking a prominent, part in building up and developing that corner of the Dominion, in 3892 he settled in Wellington,- One of bis daughters is Sister Alary Baptiste, of tbo Kiaters of Mercy, Christchurch.

Mr C. H. Perris, war owrer-pondent, and auuinr of ‘The Campaign of 1114 in Prance and Belgium ’ and ‘ T’bo Bottle of tho Marne,’ died in London reroatly, iu his fifty-fifth year. Bcioie tha war ho was a well-lrnown writer on inlarnadonal affairs and worker on the cause of peace. British papers announce the death at Edinburgh of the Rot. Professor James Robertson, D.D., emeritus professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at Ql.wgrc llnmrsif-y. Picfcsaar Robertson was In his eighty-first year. JGEo was educate: ju. Aberdeen and SL Andwtes UarverutVa. am! ipr.t the ftrefi Cbirtwa ynsr* d bij ministerial career In Conutautiifoplii no if' %ria, whan) }» Isfd ihs> ftHsndaiiroJi of bis Oriental achdbiralripk, Afte i nsinh*try at Msyfirfd Church, Kdrolnnrgh- he war appointed to tho chair cf Hebrew «,* Glasgow in 1877, resigning it in 1951 Re ww (he author of many books «jo fha baguitgv and religion of Isnus! acd cm the Old iu» lament.