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his understanding or damped his spirits, and his body suffered accordingly no wear and tear from the work which could only affect it through the mind.

He had married in 1830 the eldest daughter of the late Sir Harding Giffard, Chief Justice of Ceylon, by whom he has left two daughters and four sons, the youngest only thirteen months old.

His death in the zenith of his fame, the fulness of prosperity, the certain prospect of the highest public station under the crown which the country knows, the unimpaired vigour of his great faculties, the possession of universal esteem, such as no successful lawyer but Lord Erskine ever before possessed, an esteem that seemed to lay all envious feelings asleep, as if where there was no rivalry there could be no jealousy, was calculated to produce a great effect upon the minds of all; it was regarded as a singularly affecting spectacle, one which exhibited in a striking way the vanity of sublunary enjoyments, of mortal powers and worldly prospects-it was deeply felt as a public, and above all as a professional loss. The funeral was rendered still more solemn by the spontaneous attendance of the heads of the law, the ministers of state, many distinguished members of both Houses of Parliament, and the most eminent members of the bar. The Chancellor, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, were among those who bore the pall. The funeral service was rendered impressive by all these extrinsic circumstances, and it was only lamented that its singular and touching beauty should have been in a great degree sacrificed to the music-admirable music it is true, but a most inadequate substitution for the noble and mournful simplicity of the service, as it is read, and ought ever so to be. A subscription has been formed for erecting a statue to his memory.

In relating the history of this eminent person's life the best description of his character has been presented to the reader. It remains only to say that he was

peculiarly amiable in all the relations of domestic and of private life. To this the sweetness of his equable temper, and the known purity, as well as firmness, of his principles contributed with a certainty and a power that must needs have produced their natural effect. His genius having always been directed towards law, and law alone, his general information was not extensive, and he disappointed all who expected from his conversation the same pleasure that they derived from his public exhibitions. But he loved the relaxation of society, and took his part with sense, and intelligence, and uniform good humour, though all desired it should be a larger share. His composition was clear and pure, though he had only the habits of writing acquired by professional correspondence or opinions. Though law was the study of his life, he was well versed in classical literature, and retained to the last his relish for its study. Indeed, his taste in speaking was pure enough to show that he drew his principles of oratory from the only pure sources. In Italy he enjoyed the pleasure of such associations as much as the state of his enfeebled health would allow. That he was a competent Greek scholar has been doubted from the occurrence at Guildhall of a book being mentioned with the name of Aywyos (leader), for the author, and his not remarking the meaning till the Chief Justice said "You, Sir William, are meant, among others." But we happen to know that, within a few weeks of his decease, a dispute arising upon a Greek passage, and the sense of a particular idiom, he differed firmly with the company, and on examination was found to be right. This leaves no doubt on the point; but other proofs exist.

In his conduct as a professional man there have been attempts made by the uninformed, or the prejudiced, to point out one flaw; he is sometimes charged with having disappointed clients by taking briefs while he could not attend to the business. No accusation can be more unfair, and it is not the less to be repelled

and reproved because it is made against every man in full practice-we might almost say unavoidably made, as well as infallibly groundless. The first practitioners are always beset with applications from clients for their assistance. They cannot possibly tell whether on any occasion they shall be able to attend the court unless they confine themselves to a single court, which no great leader can do, and which the business of such occasional courts as the Lords and the Privy Council, having no bar of their own, would never permit. Consequently, clients must run the risk in question; but as they run it with their eyes open, they have no right to blame the advocate when the chance which they were aware of has deprived them of his aid. It was once said by Bearcroft, when much employed in committees, and seen walking about in the Court of Requests, unmoved by the many calls of his name in all quarters, that he was there to avoid giving undue preference to any of his clients. But a man whose conduct in other respects was so bad deserves not to be cited as an example. Sir W. Follett did only what all leaders do; his clients suffered only as all clients do that insist upon retaining a man of whose services they cannot be assured. The answer to their complaints is-"Go to inferior counsel, of whose attendance you can be assured." But this they never will do; and for why? Because every one feels that if he does not take the only effectual means of securing Sir W. Follett, his adversary will retain him, and then, peradventure, he may appear against him. Therefore, every one takes the chance of having him, with the risk of losing him, in order to insure himself against the risk of having to meet him on the opposite side. Nothing can be more plain than this. Many instances might be given during Sir W. Follett's greatest popularity of clients insisting upon delivering briefs, though formally and distinctly told that he could not attend. Why did they so? Because some unforeseen accident might

intervene to make his attendance possible; at all events to occasion his being retained by the other side.

Undoubtedly, a person with so many engagements must occasionally have found himself unable to perform some of them; but we know that when such an event unfortunately occurred, no party concerned was more distressed at it than himself. While preparing this sketch, we have been told of a case by a most respectable solicitor in which he had specially retained Sir William to conduct an important cause for him at the assizes. When the time arrived he was prevented by a family affliction from attending; but not only did he attend at a subsequent assize without a second fee, which was quite a matter of course, but he pressed upon his client, who had been vexatiously made to pay the costs of the day, the full amount thus paid, amounting to £400, which the client as peremptorily refused to accept. A fact like this is worth a thousand surmises, and puts them all to flight; but we may confidently add our belief, that the items of fees returned or refused, from kindness and other voluntary motives, would be found to form a much larger head in his books than persons unacquainted with such matters would readily imagine. In one half-year we believe he returned £800, and in the course of a few years £4000.

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MR. JUSTICE WILLIAMS.

THE losses of our honoured profession are following in quick succession. After Sir William Follett had been taken from us, the tear for Chief Justice Tindal was not yet dried, when a yet more sudden fate deprived us of one of the most universally beloved members of the Law, one whose great and various accomplishments, and high station among the dignitaries of the Bench, are lost in the sentiment of regret for a man who may be truly said to have passed through life without a single enemy. Not that there was in him any indication of possessing the neutral, the unimportant character, the indiscriminate good nature, the general assentation which oftentimes makes middling men rather borne with than esteemed, and more liked than respected. No one had more clear and decided opinions than Mr. Justice Williams,-none ever thought more for himself, or acted more on his own convictions; few were less cautious in expressing an unpopular opinion, or took less care to conceal his unfavourable impressions of others, or was less disposed to tame down his expression of those sentiments, that they might be in harmony with those he was addressing. Far from affecting the character of Mr. Harmony, he was rather what might be called a good hater, but in the better sense of the phrase. For when he differed with you, he left no room to fancy he did so from the spirit of contradiction; and when he pronounced his condemnation of either a doctrine, or a person, or a class, there was no doubt that he did so conscientiously for the sake of truth, and not vainly from the love of singu

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