OBITUARY.

Evening Star, Issue 3029, 4 November 1872, Page 4

OBITUARY.

Among tlie names of eminent persons at Home lately deceased are those of Mr Justice Willes and Field Marshal Sir G. Pollock. Of the latter, we leam from Men of the Time. that he was horn in 1786, and was brother of the late Chief Baron Pollock, of the Exchequer Court. Entering the service of the East India Company, in 1802 he joined the Bengal Artillery, in which he rose by successive steps, attaining the rank of captain in 1803, of major in 1819, of colonel in 1829, and of general in 1859. Shortly after procoaling to India he joined the army under General Lake, and was present at the battle of Decg and at the scigcs of Dceg and Bhurti* pore in 1801-5. lie volunteered in 1815 to s t rve with the force under General S. VV ood against the Ncpaulese; and having held sumo staff appointments, he was appointed in 1821 to the command of the army scut to Burundi under 8. A. Campbell, where ho gained great credit, and for his services was made aC.B. In 1811 he was selected to command the armies on the west of the Indus, when after forcing theKyber Pass, by a series of skilful and brilliant operations, he marched to the relief of Sir Robert Sale at Jellalabad. Having defeated the Aftghan troops in three successive encounters; he took Cabul Sept. 15 iu that year, effected the release of the prisoners, was joined by General Aott Sept. 17, and led the, army through the formidable passes back to India in October. For these services he was presented with a splendid sword by the Government of India, created a G.C, 8., Lnd received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament; in 1817 was voted a pension of LIOOO a-year by the _ East India Company; in 1858 was nominated bv the Crown one of the directors of that Cemp.my, which post he held until its re-construction, and the substitution of the Indian Council ; was created a Knight of the Star of India and Field-Marshal, and last year to the Governorship of the Tower of London, on the death of Field-Marshal Sir John Burgoyne.- The late Judge Willes, of the Court of Common Pleas, was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1810, went the Horae Circuit, and had a large business as a “ leading junior.” In 1819 he edited, with Sir H. S, Keating, the well-known legal work, “Smith’s Leading Cases;” in 1850 was appointed a Commissioner of Common Law Procedure, and assisted in drawing the Common Law Procedure Acts of 1852, 1851, and 1860, founded on the Report of the Commissioners. These Acts w r ere of much use, and they still regulate the practice of the Courts. In 1853, when a vacancy occurred among the Judges of the Court of Common Please, he was raised to the Bench, and received the honor of knighthood. _The Mr Seward, of America, whose death is reported, has played an important part iu the politics of the Luited States. In 1855 he was a candidate for the Presidency, but having offended Greely, he lost the support of the Republican Convention at Chicago, and he then supported Lincoln, delivering speeches interspersed with covert, threats of an invasion of Canada. Lincoln, on his election, made him Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, In this capacity, during the struggle with the Southern States, Mr Seward assumed a very arrogant attitude towards the European Governments, and especially towards Great Britain, and his despatches, published in 1861, excited as much animadversion as astonishment. The affair of the Trent, which in 1802 threatened to cause a rupture with Great Britain, was settled by Mr Seward and Lord Lyons, the former submitting to the peremptory demand of the British Government. Mr Seward and two of his sons were severely wounded by Booth, tho assassin of Lincoln,