THE SUICIDE OP THE LORD JUSTICE-CLERK.

Southland Times, Issue 1183, 17 December 1869, Page 3

THE SUICIDE OP THE LORD JUSTICE-CLERK.

On September 20, the Lord JusticeClerk, wbo has been lately residing in Perthshire, went out for a walk before breakfast. It was feared that soms accident had befallen him, and great excitement prevailed in the district. On Sept. 21, an empty razor case and a neckerchief, both identified as having belonged to hia lordship, were found on the river bank, at no great distance from G-lenalmond House. The neckerchief was marked "with blood— a fact which, taken in connection with the juxtaposition of the razor case, naturally led to painful surmises. On Sept. 24, the body was found near the bridge of Buchantry, and about a hundred yards from a deep pool in proximity to Glenalmond House. There waa a lavge gash across the throat of the deceased. It may be interesting to state that the late Eight Hon. George Patton was the Bon of Mr T. Patton, sheriff-clerk of Perthshire, and was born in 1803. He was educated at the Perth Academy, whence he proceeded to Oxford. In June* 1828, he was called to the Scotch bar, where he soon obtained a considerable practice, being especially noted at one time for the number of railway eases in which he wa3 engaged. His politics were Conservative, but it was not till 1858 that he obtained any preferment from his party. In that year, Mr Mure being appointed liord-Advocate on the accession of the Earl of Derby to power, Mr George Patton was chosen to fill the post of Solicitor-General for Scotland. Lord Palmerston in 1864, gave Mr Mure a seat on the Bench, and in 1866, on the resignation of Earl Eussell, Earl Derby appointed Mr Patton — then M.P. for Bridgewater — Lord Advocate. He sought re-election at Bridgewater, but was defeated by Mr Van der Byl, and remained without a seat in the House of Commons. Notwithstanding this he prepared several bills, some of which bacame lavr— among them the Small Debts Recovery Act, and the Act directing the taking of evidence by the Court of Session Judges. Mr Patton became Lord Justice-Clerk, or president of the second court, at the end of February, 1887. In this position his urbanity and kindness, especially towards the younger members of the bar, rendered him extremely popularwith the profession, and if at times his legal decisions were wanting in logical or legal force, they always evidenced the utmost care on his part to arrive at a just and right conclusion. He was much distressed in his mind by a summons to appear before the commissioners at Bridgewater to explain the circumstances attendant on his election for that corrupt borough. His mind appears to have become unhinged, and, in the 66th year of his age, when labouring doubtleaa under a temporary aberration of reason, he terminated his earthly existence by his own hand. Those who were personally acquainted with bis genial, frank manner, his modest and unassuming style of conversation, and his pleasure in doing an act of kindness, will remember him with deep regret.

The following, taken from the Southern Cross (Auckland), will, no doubt, be interesting to many of our readers : — "The old colors of the 58th regiment have now been permanently placed over the canopy to the bench in the Supreme Court. The regiment left New Zealand in 1858, and soon after it reached England new colors were presented to it. The officers of the regiment conceived that it would be an appropriate act to present to the people of Auckland the old colors which were the firßt unfurled in New Zealand by an Imperial regiment ; and the colors were again in the colony in 1801. They were placed in Government House, where they remained until the new Supreme Court House had been erected, when they were removed, with all honor, to that building, the Volunteer Band attending, and Colonel Balneavis and other former officers and men of the 58th taking part in the ceremony. The colors were placed resting against the walls of the Court, near the bench ,- but nothing was at the time done to preserve them from dust and decay. The idea of permanently placing the colors so that they should appear as part of the decorations of the Court, and should at the same time be preserved to the greatest possible extent, was started amongst some of the old 58 th men in the province, and was at once heartily supported by Colonel Balneavis, the Sheriff. Mr Molloy, the usher of the Court, himself one of thafc number, undertook the collection of subscriptions from his former officers and comrades who are settled in our midst, so that the cost of worthily placing and protecting the old insignia of the regiment should be borne by themselves. About 1O officers, and 100 rank and file, readily so contributed ; and since the last sitting of the Court, the work bas been completed. Messrs Eumsey and Earrow, the architects of the Supreme Court building, supplied the design for a case for the colors ; and the case has been made by Mr Skinner, the contractor for the internal fittings of the Court-house. Thus, appropriateness of design and likeness of execution were secured. The case is about 10 feet high in all, and about 6 feet broad. Mr James Toung, whose name is known chiefly as proprietor of certain paraffin oil works in Scotland, has presented 10,000 guineas for the permanent endowment of a chair of technical chemistry in the Andersonian University, Glasgow,

with liberty to found scholarships and bursaries therewith. According to the Lancet, a plan has been generally adopted in France of placing babies in bran. An ordinary cradle is filled with common bran, a hair pillow is put in, and the bran is moved aside with the bands until a " hollow " is formed the size of the child's body. The infant, divested of every thiog below the waist, and having a little bodice or cape above that, is then placed in the bran, and its body completely covered with it, exactly as may be seen at the sea-aide at the present time, where children play at burying one another in the sand. A light coverlet or counterpane is finally placed above all, and the baby is in bed for the night. The two great advantages connected with bran are stated to be its particular cleanliness, and the very pleasant and equable temperature which it maintains about the infant's body. There seems to be no good reason why the privilege of sleeping in bran, if it possesses these advantages, should be confined to the small and noiser portion of humanity. Bran might be used instead of bedding in casual wards, night refuges, common lodging-houses, and indeed would be far preferable to the dirty uncomfortable beds to be found in full perfection at sea-side lodgings. Perhaps the day is not far distant when the sojourner at the seaside will take with his carpet bag a folding box and a bag of bran, and bid defiance to dirt, fleas, and infection.