THE LATE MR. JUSTICE FELLOWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5331, 29 April 1878, Page 3

THE LATE MR. JUSTICE FELLOWS.

, (From the Melbourne Argus, April 17.) ; At the sitting of the Equity Appeal Court yesterday,.presided over by their Honors the Chief Justice and Mr. Justice Barry, allusion was made by the Chief Justice to the death of Mr. Justice Fellows. His Honor, who spoke in a low voice, said : I cannot allow the first sitting of the Court since the sad event has occurred which we all deplore to pass by without some allusion to it. Our late colleague was known to every member, of the Bar when practising in his profession, and he was known to them also as an occupant of a seat "on 'this bench for the very few years during which ho was allowed to preside over it. Possessing a rate combination of very high qualities, he devoted them all with singleness of purpose to the performance of his duties. He posi sessed a singular power... of grasping, almost by intuition, the r salient points of a case, and ; arriving i at once at the true questions that were in issue between the parties. He had also the qualification, rare indeed, _of admitting, "if -ever he was in error, with frankness and readiness that it Was so, He had a singular acquaintance and conversance with all the details of practice, and yet there was no judge who was move opposed td allowing justice to be defeated by any more technicality. In short lie seemed tobb animated by the one single object of < administering‘justice according to law. All these! qualities were known to the Bar, and I venture to think were known well enough to be fully appreciated. But they were-brought out much ‘more thoroughly and fully from the relationship: which ought to exist, and which happily does, exist, on tho bench between raen occupied in buie common object,, and" practising, one; profession. They appeared in the necessary consultations, about judgments, and I n’eed' scarcely add' were fully appreciated. It is, not for me to refer here to the loss to the community,,or Jhe loss to the social circle. But the loss to the profession is great. "We have lost a profound lawyer.andWu upright judged'' l b;, Mr.., Billing,! the "senior : barrister'.' present, said : T' have >to- ! expre3s my 'deqp'sympathy with the remarks' that have fcbeh'made by the Bench. The memory of the late Mr., Justice Fellows will bo cherished with thiW’deepeat affection by every member of , the profession, and his loss may indeed'be considered irreparable.