An Account of a Journey in Kashmir by David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer and Letters from Emily Overend Lorimer to her Parents sent from Bahrain and Kerman [‎307v] (629/1291)

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S-LETTER, MONDAY, £
RECORDERSHIP OF DERRY.
Judge Todd Succeeds Judge
Overend.
MR. LINEHAN, K.C., APPOINTED TO
CODNTY TYRONE.
\ Our Doblin carrespondent &ays—I hav*
\ ofikiaily informed that t-he Reoordership of
Derry, which has been vacated by Judge Over-
end owing to ill-health, will be filled by the
transfer of his Honour Judge Todd from the
County Court Judgeship of the County of
Tyrone, and that the County Court Judgeship
thereby vacated will be filled by the appoint
ment of Mr. John Linehan, K.C. ^
The retirement of the Honourable the Ra-
eoader of Derry, Mr. T. G. Overend, K.C., which
takes place as from the 11th inst., marks the
close of a distinguished working career at the
Bar and on the Bench. Few men of his time *
have commanded such ai measure of confidence * j
for uprightness at the Ba|r and independence and
impartiality on the Ben4h. An Ulsterman by I
birth, he was gifted with the indefatigable j
energy of his race, a oleai-seeing appreciation of
conflicting . views and a sound discriminating
• judgment. In 1868 he went to Oxford. After
four years’, sojourn at that ancient seat of learn-
1 ing he graduated in the school of law, obtaining
1 eWorld honours in law and modem history. At i
the same time he had >hteted Lincoln‘ , s Inn,
Jbohdoti, diking o*ut the iveces^ary terms there and
I at the King'^ Inns Dubihi. "in 1873 he pre-^
r^mted himfeelf for J^is iinal exiiminatnjn at ihc
King's Inns, and wem ihe society .s exhibition,
tenable for three years. • Called \o the Bar in
Trinity term, 1374, he went the ]S or th-East'Cir
cuit, where he soon acquired a large practice and
was the protagonist of great lawyers who have
i since risen to the Bench, among them Sir Andrew
Marshal Porter. Bart. ; the late Mr. Justice
Monroe, Mr. Justice Dodd, and the Recorder of
Dublin. In 1882, after the parsing of the Land
Act securing the three F’s to the tenant occu
piers, he became counsel to the Land Commis
si on, and accompanied the Sub-Commissioners
appearing in all the caoes fixing fair rents.
His practice at the Four Courts was
growing steadily, especially at the Chancery side.
In 1886 he was one of the four Q.C.’s made by *
Lord Chancellor Naisb, the others being Mr.
Justice Kenny, the late Mr. Le Peer Trench,
and Mr. William Irvine. Hit early recognition
for silk was due to his extensive practice. In
the same year lie was counsel to the liquidators
of the Minister Bank. The liquidation was the
:nort successful on record, carried Out as it has
been without breaking the unfortunate share
holders, and resurrecting in its stead the flou
rishing institution known as the Munster and
Le'nster Bank, ft may not be generally known
that the brunt of,the work was borne by Mr. h
IV. Pirn, chairman of the Dublin and South-
Kastefn Railway Company. Mr. Overend has
been also counsel for many years to the Belfast
Corporation, the Belfast llarboiir Commheiou-
ers, the Great Northern B ail way Company (Ir^
land), and the Northern Bank. While in the full*
tide of practice he was struck down in 1888 bv a
serious illness, which lasted for a year and a
half, and he was etrongh recommended to retire
from the Bar. He had then a splendid practice..
In 1892, just before the resignation of the Con
servative Government, he was appointed Recor
der of Derry by the then Viceroy, Lord Zetland.
Comparative leisure enabled him to recuperate,
and for the first fifteen ye.ars of his judicial
career he never required a substitute. Fo. thir
teen years he acted on ihe committee for making
rules and orders tor County Court administra
tion. In 1907-08 hie health again gave way, and
this was the first occasion upon which 'he re-
quired a mbstitute. Although he did the work
of t/be January and Easter sessions of the present
year, he was seriously ill. He has now happily
recovered, but hi* medical advisers will not per
mit him to resume work. As Recorder of Derry
he inspired complete confidence. Some of his
i decisions were o* far-reaching importance,
i and have been in a way epoch mak
ing. Among the later ‘ one affecting
Building in Inriand. He derided jn
the Derry Mutual that thACoinpani^s Consolida-
I tion Act, 1908. applied, ind that, therefore,
/ county courts in Ireland have the powers of the
I High Court of Justice in winding up building
[ societies, and accordingly can compel the at
l tendance of directors to answer individually any
l legitimate question as to their conduct in manag-
\ ing a building society or company. Lawyers
\ will remember the writ of prohibition which was
brought to prevent him from holding the exami
nation as exceeding his Jurisdiction, on the
ground that the Companies’ Consolidation Act
did not apply, but the Recorder’s decision was
upheld, and the directors were afterwards seve
rally examined with regard to their management
of the building society. Another decision of im
portance was that under the Workmen’* Com
penaation Aot which was upheld th's year in tin
Court of Appeal. A man had beer employed t
saw trees into convenient lengths for fuel, wort-
ing as and when he pleased. On the very fm
- day he was engaged at work part of a tree fe
on him and broke his thigh. He claimed com
pensation, but the Recorder held that he was a
casual labourer and was not entitled to half-
Judge Todd’s promotion from the position of
County Court Judge of Tyrone to be Regorder
and County Court Judge of Londonderry will
be hailed with satisfaction by his quondam bre
thren of the North West Bar. of which he hid
been some time the “Father,” and by a multi
tude of friends all over the North. He has all
the sturdy independence characteristic of the
Northern province.
Mr. John Linehan, K.C., was called to the
Bar in 1891. He began life ?s a journalist in
Cork, whence he came to Dublin on the “ Free
man ’’ staff. Marriage with a daughter of the
late Sir Hugh Gilzean Reid, whom he met at
the Dublin Conference of the Institute of Jour
nalists, brought him into touch with prominent
politicians. A member of the Munster Bar, be
was in the right groove for advancement. Lord
Chancellor Barry, when Attorney-General, ap
pointed him his coonsel, and since he became
the head of the Judiciary he has for the laEt
two circuits deputed him to act for the Recorder
of Derry. Mr. Linehan was in training for pro
motion to the County Court Bench, and his ap
pointment to an early vacarpy was naturally
anticipated. As Deputy Police Magistrate and
as* Deputy County Court Judg$ he has shown
judicial qualifies. Mr. Linrhcvn was one of the
two Revising Barristers for the city and borough
of Dublin. His position as Revising Barrister
is now vacant, and will probably bo given to
Mr, A. S. Walsh, K.C.
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