tially benefited by his public spirit and
personal activity. In London, in 1862, and
again in Philadelphia, in 1876, his exertions
were conspicuously directed to the advantage
of the colony he represented, and none of
our fellow citizens have better deserved or
more fully earned the distinction of knight-
hood conferred upon him some years ago by
Her Majesty, than the late Sir Redmond
Barry. On three separate occasions he was
called upon to act as Chief Justice, and once
as administrator of the government, and the
opinion entertained of the deceased gentleman
in his judicial capacity may be gathered
from the following extract from an address,
signed by all the members of the bar, and
presented to him on his departure for Eng-
land a few years ago :—
" We take the opportunity of your Honour's
departure from Victoria to express our high
appreciation of the many eminent qualities
which have distinguished you in the discharge
of your duties as a judge of the Supreme
Court for the last 23 years. The ability, im-
partiality, and courtesy which you have uni-
formly displayed on the judicial bench,
though sufficient claims to our regard, are
not our only reasons for feeling proud that
we are connected with your Honour by
professional ties. That enlightened energy
and genuine enthusiasm which you have
ever displayed in the cause of literature,
science, and art, and to which this country is
indebted for the noble institutions that adorn
and give lustre to their metropolis, are quali-
ties understood and acknowledged, not
merely by members of the bar, but by the
whole people.
We shall not attempt to anticipate the esti-
mate which his learned colleagues and the
members of the higher branch of the legal
profession will express concerning the mag-
nitude of the loss they have sustained by the
lamented death of Sir Redmond Barry but
it may not be out of place to remind the
public that shortly after he was raised
to the bench he applied himself, in
conjunction with Mr. Justice Williams, to
the task of drawing up new rules of court,
with a view to a simplification of the practice
and to the establishment of a real uniformity
of process in all branches of jurisdiction.
By a wide circle of private friends the loss
of the deceased judge will be deeply felt.
He was a genial host and an entertaining
companion. The very stateliness of his
manner was a standing protest against the
free and easy demeanour of a generation
which, in its reaction against the stiffness,
formality, and restraint of former times,
has gone to the opposite extreme, and
is discarding all the bienseances and
amenities of good society, while his
language, if it savoured somewhat of Sir
Charles Grandison, was greatly preferable in
its measured precision and studied balance
to the slip-shod English and the slang which
are so popular in many circles. His mind
was scholarly, and his range of information
was wide rather than deep, but his retentive
memory and the acquaintance he was enabled
to make with a great many people, and a
great many institutions in foreign countries,
during the last 20 years of his life, seemed
to have renovated his mind and supplied
him with a fund of anecdote and experience,
always ready to be drawn upon for the
amusement or instruction of others.
It is for his public services, however, that
the late Sir Redmond Barry will be held in
permanent remembrance by the people of
Victoria, and he has erected more durable
monuments to his own memory in the Mel-
bourne University and the Public Library
than any that may be constructed in his
honour of bronze or marble. Future gene-
rations will come to regard him as one
of the earliest benefactors of an infant com-
munity, and will probably bestow on him
the well-deserved title of the William Wyke-
ham of Victoria.
Sir Redmond Barry had been suffering
from diabetes for about 10 years, but the
state of his health was not such as to occa-
sion alarm to his friends. On his return
from his trip to Europe and America a
few years ago, it was apparent to his
medical adviser that the disease had
affected his system. His Honour, however,
always took the most hopeful view of things,
and was, if anything, slightly indifferent
about the state of his health. On Monday,
the 15th inst., he was first troubled with the
carbuncle on his neck. Sir Redmond was
counselled by his medical adviser to at once
rest from duty, but he was reluctant to do so,
and continued to attend the court until
his disease had such a prostrating effect
that he was compelled to take rest. He was
constantly attended by Dr. Gunst, who
however, could scarcely impress his patient
with a sense of the very serious nature of his
disease, which he regarded somewhat lightly.
Latterly, he became restless, and it was
deemed advisable to place him under the
constant care of a nurse, lest any
injury should ensue from exposure or
want of attention. Despite the pre-
cautions, however, his Honour caught cold
through exposure, and congestion of the left
lung set in. Dr. Gunst held a consultation
with Dr. Teague, and pronounced the case
hopeless. The left lung had become greatly
congested, and this, together with the ex-
haustion and wasting away of the system
resulting from the previous disease, proved
fatal.
As a mark of respect to the late judge, the
Legislative Assembly yesterday adjourned im-
mediately after the Speaker had taken the
chair. At the Town-hall, the Exhibition,
and elsewhere, the flags were lowered to
half-mast. Directly the news of the death of
Sir Redmond Barry reached Wesley College
the forms were mustered in the quadrangle
and briefly addressed by the president and
the head-master, who referred to the position
which the late judge occupied as chancellor
of the University. It was announced that
the college would adjourn until the next day,
as a mark of respect to the late chancellor.
The boys accordingly left at 3 p.m., abstaining
from their usual sports on being dis-
missed.
The funeral of the deceased gentleman
will take place on Friday afternoon next, at
3 o'clock. The Right Rev. the Bishop of
Melbourne will probably officiate. The
funeral, the arrangements for which are in
the hands of Mr. A. A. Sleight, will be of a
semi-private nature.
