THE RESIDENT MAGISTRADY,-RETIREMENT OF MR. SHARP.

Colonist, Volume XV, Issue 1502, 16 February 1872, Page 5

THE RESIDENT MAGISTRADY,-RETIRE-MENT OF MR. SHARP.

OS Wednesday List, at the cu3toanry sittings of the Court, there w.n no ordimry busmen of iinportanco. l'iiere was, however, a full attendance of the solicitors of Nelson who had met in the Court room for the purpose of biddiui farewell to Mr. Sharp oa the occasion of his retiring from theoifije of .Resident Magistrate aad from his other otUcjs under the Government. After the disposal of somo unimportant cases Air. Hssar Adams, tho Provincial Solicitor, addressed Mr. Sharp ai follows :—I understand, sir, tliat this 19 probaoly the last oocasioa upon which you will occupy that aaat as liasideat Magistrate, I neel not no.v giiutotha camj of your retiring* from the position-you bare so well atid jibly filled, but at the request and in the tume of the legal profession iv Nolsou, i lure to express to you chair regret chat the olHjial connection between them and yourself is about to ba severed. They, sir, h»ve admired tho fair and impartial manual1 iv which you lure pjrformdil the important dutida of youi1 oilLe, Tney fully appreciate, and desire to express their sense of t.io kind and courteous treatment cuey lure ac all timds received at your hands, and aUo to express iheir experidiiue of your b«iag always reidy and grilling 10 cuisult tiioir cjuvouieuca and vrisaas. I am iiot one guua to liittory, but I desire to say that your dec-uions iv tint cuair have gireu gjueral satisfajlijn, not or.ly to tne members of the legal profession, but also to the publio ac lar^e, and tuat, vat tidcmjeyou huve iried to please ereryoue, fjr had you douo so you would have pleased uobjdy, but oeoAUie of the trouiJ.e you have always takea, aud of your obviouj auxiety to arrivj at a just aud impartial dacisiou iv all matters before you, and to do what was stfiotiy rigat. Iv expressing myself as I have done, I leal sui-j that I am spjtkmg tue feeliugs bach of the profesiion aud of tue pubiis gdnerally, and Wd sincerely wish, that in the future, nealth, happiness, aud prosperity mxy aiteud you aud yours. At the ojiuluiioa of Mr. Adatas' address, Mr. jLthissos roseaudsaidthat, although the junior member oc cite prof'essiou prasdut, he would wish to say j, few words. To bd aoie to appreciate servieai faithfully and eiliisieutly rendered, wa3, he and, generally auoapled as one of the signs of a great mind; aud, if the converse of that proposition wera true, namely, that it was the mgu of weak miuds wnerj meu were uuaole to perceive whjii they were well served, whiuh seemed the cajo with the (Jjvermnani. iv the prdsent iiiblanca, he looked forward with groat apprdheusion to thj future of ilia Ujluny. Hdgrjaclj regrdtted the causd of their meeting on the preseuk occasion. Mr. dHiEP fejliugly replied to the following effout: —ilr. Adams and gdutlemeo, I tiad it most ditfijuli to express my feelings upon cnis ouoasioa, aud in su Haying, I am not merely using a hackneyed puraia, a 1 am sure you will tuliy oeneve, for ward you in iaj position you would readily ua.lerscand wu<*t my fee. ing* aie. lam very gratitidd to lind that iny.endda Vji* to do my duty hive mjc witu tlu apjroaaaja of thu pw.t»«ioa aud tha public It lws'baau my •uddaror to aptald th» digaity of th» Quart, and to

equal justice to all. I wish to acknowledge the uniform courtesy and good, feeling exhibited. by the members of the profession towards me in this Court, and the kind assistance they have at all times rendered ♦o me—not straining legul tenjihicalities-r-but doing their best to assist in having jail.matters tried and decided upon their merits. It is certainly totat proof that my decisions have given general satisfaction, m has been said, that only on two or three occasions have they been impugned. Only one case, I think, ever went to appeal, and in that the original decision was fully confirmed. lean conscientiously say that my endeavors have been, in tho discharge of all my official duties, to benefit the public at large. Having been in the Government service for a period of twentyone years, I have, during that, time, had subordinates, us well as superiors, and I desire to take this opportunity of expressing my thanks.to those who have, from time to time, acted under me for tha cordial cooperation and assistance they have always afforded to me. I think it would be unfair for me to leave the Bench without expressing this. This closed the proceedings, and the, Court adjourned.