DEATH OF MR G. ELLIOTT BARTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2569, 10 June 1903, Page 14

DEATH OF MR G . ELLIOTT BARTON.

(Feom Oub Own CoßitisroxDEXT.) WELLINGTON, June 2. News has come to the colony that Mr

George Elliott Barton, well known in Victoria and New Zealand, died on Sutnday last. I.He went from New Zealand about two years ago to America, and from there he was to proceed to England. Mr Barton had a noteworthy career. He was born on the 20th May, 1829, and was therefore 74 years of age at the timo of his death. He was the eon of Mr James Mundy Barton, of Dublin, •barrister at law, who waa a younger son of the well-known Baron of Grove, Tipperary, Ireland. His sister was married to Baron Hughes, and ho was an uncle of Lady Morris, wife of the well-known Lord Morris. Mr Barton graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, and was called to the English Bar in his twenty-first year. He landed In Melbourne* in October, 1853, and was a member of tho Victorian Parliament. Messrs VfU.«on, Gray, Barton, and Don were the three great leadera of tho Libeial party in Melbourne in the early days, and Mr Barton struggled to preserve the public lands from being alienated, except for grazing purposes, in areas exceeding 640 acres. He was also a etrong advocate of the right of free selection. He eaire to New Zealand in 1861, tod soon established » Jarge and lucrative lr.iv/

practice in Dunedin. After a time he jolnied the late James Howarth, and was a member of the firm cf Howarth, Barton, and Howarth. After a residenoo of some, years in Dunedin he left on a ii isit to the Home Country. On his return he started the film of Barton and Saunders, pud whrm that partnership was dissolved ho went north and practised his piofestion in Wellington. He was member for the City of Wellington in 1878-79. After ho had ceased to bo a member of Parliament he was appointed judge of the Validation Court at Ciitoboiuie, and fulfilled his duties there for some years. Leaving Gisborne, he paid a visit to Australia, where one of hw sons is engaged a? an eloctrioal engineer in Brisbane. lie met with sickness, and suffered from a slight paralytic stroke. After this ho returned to New Zealand, and sojourned for sometime at tho flofc Springs in the North Island. Foi the past two years he has been in America and Canada. Knowing that Sir Robert Stout, the Chief Justice, wes a personal friend of Mr Barton's, I called upon him this afternoon to ask him about the personality of the deceased gentleman. Sir Robert said that Mr Barton waa a man of groat culture and wide reading. He was also a fine musician; in fact, he waa a mail of artistic and literary temperament. Sir Robert added that he wa3 a man of acute intellect, and it was a pleasure to bo associated with him in any case. "In the first case in which I appeared in tho Supreme

Court," continued Sir Robeit, "I waa hia junior, and throughout the whole of my life as a lawyer 1 was .intimate with him, and on terms of tho deepest friendship with him. Ho never ceased to be interested in every new literary, philosophical, and historical work published, and his criticising were always acute and interesting. The manner m which he performed his duties as judge of the Validation Court waa beyond all praise. His judgments were like the judgments of an Iriih Viee-chanoellor in their exliaustivene=s, in the care with which they were prepared, and in -their clearness. Ho waa a man of a highly sensitive nature, but it was only those who knew lum intimately who wero aware of that. He felt very keenly any criticism on his action 3 , and the dispute he had with the judges nearly broke Ins heart, because ho was a friend both of Sir Jamed Prendergast and of the late Judge Richmond. He was a man who had the highest ideal of what a judge should be, and his aim ever was to do justice. Ho had a great respeot for the Maori iace," and was deeirou3 of doing all that could bo done to preserve them, and to preserve to them their rights. I am sure those who knew him will exceedingly regret to hear of his death." Sir Robert, it appears, was in, correspondence with Mr Barton up to the time of liis death. As already stated, one of Mr Barton's sons is in Australia. The other is a barrister at Hawera. A married daughter died come yeara ago in Australia,

His wife was a very able woman. She was the daughter of the Rev. John Campbell, a well known Nonconformist clergyman, who was editor of the British Banner.