Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 18.pdf/21

 THE GREEN BAG •was Colonel Scott, afterwards Commander- ' in-Chief of the United States Army), he was surprised to hear that he had been appointed acting attorney-general in the place of Colonel Macdonell who had fallen on the bloody heights. However, after peace came, in 1815, Solicitor-General Boulton, was lib erated from the French prison, where he had spent some years, and was made attorneygeneral, Mr. Robinson becoming solicitorgeneral. In 1813, he was one of the Cana dians to arrange terms of the capitulation at York. In 1815, he went to England for a time; returning he was soon made At torney-General of Upper Canada; rising rapidly in bis profession he entered the House of Assembly in 1821 — was appointed Chief Justice of Upper Canada in 1829, held that office with credit, honor, and renown for thirty-three years, becoming the Presi dent of the Court of Appeal in 1862, the year before his death. For some years after his appointment as chief, he was also exofficio President of the Executive and Speaker of the Legislative Council of the Province. In 1838, his sovereign offered him the honor of knighthood, but this was declined. However, in 1854, he accepted the higher rank of a Baronet of the United Kingdom. He more than finished the threescore years and ten of the Psalmist, and whether viewed in his public or private relations he lived equally pure, upright, un selfish, amiable. Through all his track of years Wearing the white flower of a blameless life. We have spoken thus much of Sir John, because like father like son — each were men sans peur et sans reproche — each were dominated by the idea of Duty. Christopher Robinson, the subject of our paper, first saw the light in Beverly House, Toronto, on January 21, 1828, the third son of Sir John. (For one hundred and forty vears a Beverley House — occupied by other members of the Robinson family —

stood on the Hudson, opposite West Point.) His elder brothers were both members of the Canadian Bar — the one. Sir James L. Robinson, was for years Surrogate Clerk, the other Hon. John Beverly Robinson was prominent in public life, a member of the Dominion Parliament and Lieutenant -Gov ernor of the Province of Ontario. Christo pher received his early education at Upper Canada College, and his university course at old King's College, the predecessor of Toronto University. In Trinity term 1850, he was called to the Bar of Upper Canada and admitted to practice as an attorney and solicitor, and in March, 1863, Her Late Majesty appointed him one of Her Coun sel learned in the law. From the first he was a worker in his profession, and he ever did honest, faithful work. In 1850, he was appointed Reporter of the Court of Queen's Bench, and twenty-two volumes bear wit ness to his carefulness and accuracy. In 1872, he was made editor of the Ontario Reports and so continued until elected a Bencher of the Law Society in 1885. In 1880, he completed the preparation (with the aid of a faithful assistant) of a digest of all the cases contained in the Ontario Reports from 1822, some one hundred and twenty-five volumes, a work of immense labor and invaluable to the profession. Although at first he was chiefly engaged in solicitor's work, and his prospects in that line were excellent, he was soon attracted by the greater freedom of counsel business, and to that he gave himself more and more as time went on. His clear conception of legal business, his knowledge of case law, and his conscientious thoroughness in all that he undertook, soon brought him briefs — and briefs enough and to spare, but he never fell into that objectionable prac tice (sometimes charged against leaders of the bar) of taking more briefs than he could attend to. In those days in Upper Canada ! the English practice of counsel devoting" I themselves to special circuits was still inJ vogue, and Mr. Robinson attached him