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H:k. L. a, W;;.:.;.:. r.G.L. 
 
/ 
 
 •i sT 
 
 L ujI.MOT: 
 
 -': ^^..1. 
 
X 
 
/ 
 
 THE 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT : 
 
 ^ iiajrairWal »M(H. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. J. LATHERN. 
 
 INTRODUOTORY SKETCH BY REV. D. D. CURRIE. 
 
 REVISED EDITION. 
 
 TORONTO : 
 
 METHonrsT Book and Publishing Hot^sk. 
 
 HALIFAX: 
 Mkthodist Book-Room. 
 
 1881. 
 
INTRODUCTORY SKETCH. 
 
 BY REV. D. D. CURUm 
 
 'HE story of a life that has been given to worthy 
 enterprises, to noble endeavours, and that has 
 been marked by many and varied successes, to 
 the mind and to the heart is ever fresh and instructive. 
 Such a life was that of Lemuel Allan Wilmot, which 
 began in January, 1809, and reached its earthly ter- 
 mination on the twentieth day of May, 1878. It has 
 been deemed advisable, therefore, that a record of his 
 busy and eventful life, and especially of his more pro- 
 minent and important achievements, should be pre- 
 served. Though scarcely a paragraph from the pen of 
 the departed Judge was available to assist the author 
 in the preparation of these pages, yet other materials 
 
Vi INTROmrCTORY SKETCH. 
 
 have been within his reach.* These he has carefully 
 and successfully utilized in the volume before us. 
 
 From my earliest years, until the removal of Ju<lge 
 Wilmot from the scenes of earth, it was my privilege 
 to look upon him imder various circumstances and 
 from different standpoints. When, in the town in 
 which he lived, my boyhood years were gliding away, 
 he was rapidly attaining prominence and popularity. 
 He early acquired extensive fame as a barrister and as 
 an eloquent pleader in the courts. He was then a cen- 
 tral figure in the Legislature of New Brunswick. The 
 memories of old electioneering campaigns, when the 
 polls were open for sixteen days in succession, and at 
 a later period for eight days, linger yet. Often, during 
 these times, the wild fires of intense excitement 
 burned fiercely enough. Though, on several occasions, 
 violently and maliciously opposed, he was never de- 
 feated in an election. In the militia trainings, which 
 in the present day are almost unknown, he was a 
 prominent actor. And in most of the moral and social 
 enterprises of the town he was an enthusiastic leader. 
 
 During the earlier part of Judge Wilmot's political 
 
 * Probably no other person has liail facilities equal to ti<ose of Mr. 
 Lathern for forming an accurate estimate of Judge Wihnot's inner-lifw 
 and of his earnest purposes. For more than a score of years a very 
 close intimacy existed between them. 
 
INTRODUCTORY SKETCH. 
 
 Vll 
 
 career these Provinces passed through an important 
 crisis. For a half century tlie Province of New 
 Brunswick had been under the sway of an intolerant 
 and irresponsible family-compact Government. The 
 statute-book was stained with enactments involving 
 invidious distinctions, adverse to the rights and liber- 
 ties of so-called " dissenters," and " dissenting " minis- 
 ters. During the first fifty years of the history of 
 New Brunswick no " dissenter " was honoured with a 
 commission as a Justice of the Peace — except under 
 very ordinary circumstances. In the earlier part of 
 his political career a change was working in the public 
 mind in these Provinces. He was the mouth-piece of 
 his time in New Brunswick. His period furnished 
 him with materials. There were social and political 
 forces at work, and he was borne on by them. Behind 
 him was a mighty impulse ; he was the man of the 
 hour; and he was true to the call of right, and of duty, 
 and of God. Bravely he battled for larger liberty and 
 for "responsible government." Fiercely he was as- 
 sailed by foul slanders of various kinds. But the 
 principles for which he contended were triumphant ; 
 and, for himself, he won a permanent place on the roll 
 of his country's greatest men. 
 
 Judge Wilmot possessed almost all the qualities 
 which are indispensable to oratory of the highest merit. 
 
vin 
 
 INTRODITC'TOKY SKET(1H. 
 
 H 
 
 His greatest defect, perhaps, was that he did not use 
 his pen enough. Ho had a commanding presence. Ho 
 had a rich, ringing, orotund voice, possessing great 
 volume and strength. His memory enabled him to 
 recall facts and incidents with great facility. His 
 imagination was ecjual to any emergency. He was 
 earnest, impulsive, enthusiastic. He was a master of 
 fiery and brilliant invective ; and, when an extraordin- 
 ary occasion demanded, could with trememlous vigour 
 wield against an assailant the fiercest weapons of sar- 
 casm or ridicule. He did not confine his reading and 
 his studies to one profession or to one department of 
 life. He rather preferred a wider range of investiga- 
 tion and research. He had broad views of great 
 questions. While, sometimes, there was an impulsive- 
 ness and rashness in him, still mature deliberation led 
 to his recognition and acknowledgement of the truth 
 on all sides. He would listen to novel propositions, 
 weigh them candidly, ilispassionately, and purely upon 
 their merits. He would never contend for dogmas 
 because they were old, nor for political parties because 
 they were respectable. For the truth he sought. The 
 truth he never would abandon. And, probably, if 
 need had been at any time, he would for the truth 
 have laid down his life. 
 
 As a barrister he was accustomed to rest his argu- 
 
iNTiioinurroKY skktch. 
 
 IX 
 
 ments on a few Ica^linj^' jjfcneral principle.s of ri«,'lit,an«l 
 truth, an<l juHtice, giving l)ut little attention to what 
 he regarded as the .smaller points of his case. In 
 political life he disliked niancriivres, side issues and 
 flank movements ; and preferred direct asHaults, and 
 an open battle, on a fair Held. Although these (juali- 
 ties were sometimes not the most successful, and in- 
 volved delay if not defeat, yet in the end with think- 
 ing men they gave him popularity and power. And 
 they brought victory to the cause for which he con- 
 tended. 
 
 To have been associated with Judge Wilmot as a 
 meml)er of his Society class, as a teacher of his Sab- 
 bath-school, and in later life as a pastor for three 
 years of the Church in Fredericton, in which he held 
 several important positions, is regarded by me as one 
 of the highest privileges both of my early and mature 
 days. During those three years he was the Lieut.- 
 Governor of the Province. He was one of the most 
 considerate, kindly, and sympathising church members 
 with whom at any time it has been my privilege to be 
 associated. No man could more easily recognize de- 
 fects in pulpit efforts ; none could more quickly per- 
 ceive the chief purpose of a preacher's heart ; and none 
 would more generously make proper allowances for 
 the difficulties with which an earnest leacher had to 
 
'! 
 
 I } 
 
 X INTIlODlCTiJUY SKKTCH. 
 
 grapple than he. As the Superintendent of tlie Sab- 
 bath-school, as a class-leader, as the leader of the choir, 
 and in other positions as a church-nieinber, his fidelity, 
 his consistency, and his gentleness, were a perpetual 
 example and an inspiration. 
 
 According to inspired Isaiah, the Lord, sometimes in 
 judgment, gives to a wayward or a rebellious people 
 weak men for rulers ; and, at other times, in his loving 
 kindness, he gives " tl>e mighty man, and the man of 
 war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and 
 the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the elo- 
 quent orator." Judge Wilmot was an agent raised up 
 by the Supreme Ruler to perform an important work. 
 The genius, the fair-mindedness, the fervour, the 
 pathos, the Christian simplicity, and the splendour of 
 his long and useful life, in the State and in the Church, 
 are not memories merely, but influences, — permanent 
 lights and forces which have helped to mould the life 
 of many who have passed away, and which are still 
 shaping the destinies of many now living. This book 
 will, it is hoped, help to perpetuate not only the 
 memory, but also the influence of that pure and noble 
 life. 
 
 ^ 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Chap. 
 
 I. PERSONA I. .. *'^'"' 
 1 
 
 II. PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL 
 
 in. JITD(}E AND CJOVERNOR.. 
 
 67 
 
 IV. CHRISTIAN LIFE AND W'OhK oo 
 
 yy 
 
I 
 
 "Only 1 think it well, in lives from which we wish to learn, to look 
 out for the stroiig points ; being confident that weak ones will reveal 
 themselves. "—^t'u. F. D. Maurice's Lecture on Edmund Burke, quoted 
 from memory. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I. 
 
 PEPtSONAL. 
 
 " To such a name 
 Preserve a broad approach of fame." 
 
 — Tennyson. 
 
 /^^s'HREE thousand years ago the tower of David 
 was built for an armoury wherein were hung, 
 in thousands, the shields of his mighty men. 
 Like the battle-flags in Westminster Abbey, consecrated 
 by proud historical recollections and associations, they 
 were preserved as memorials of inspiring heroic deeds, 
 Athenians and Spartans, after the battles of Marathon 
 and Thermopylae, felt that they had a nobler character 
 to sustain and a grander destiny to work out. Ancient 
 Romans were accustomed, in their halls and homes, in 
 statuary, to preserve the forms and features of illus- 
 
HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I: 
 
 Ifi! 
 
 trious ancestors ; and to them the sculptured marble was 
 an eloquent incentive to patient endurance and reso- 
 lute achievement. Mysterious and moulding ir.fluences, 
 and the potent energy of example and sentim(;nt, were 
 not limited to sacred and classic lands and races. 
 They are common to every age, and run along the 
 whole line of our being. 
 
 " It is a homage due to departed worth, whenever 
 it rises to such a height as to render its possessor an 
 object of attention, to endeavour to rescue it from 
 oblivion ; so that when it is removed from the obser- 
 vation of men, it may still live in their memory, and 
 transmit through the shades of the sepulchre, however 
 faint, some reflection of its living lustre."* 
 
 Amongst the most distinguished of our colonists, 
 by common consent, was the Honourable Judge Wilmot 
 — the subject of this sketch. " He possesses," accord- 
 ing to contemporary and competent estimate, " brilliant 
 powers ; and as a public speaker ranks with the most 
 eloquent in British America." -f* 
 
 There have been two groups of men — the Puritan 
 settlers of New England and the United Empire Loy- 
 alists — in whom we recognize the stamp of the very 
 highest qualities of mind and manhood, and of unself- 
 ish heroism ; and the best blood of both these classes 
 was in his veins. By one line of lineage he was of 
 direct descent from the men who first touched Ply- 
 mouth Rork : " I traced my ancestry," he said, " to 
 those who lanH'^'^ on the shores of New England in 
 
 * Rt • iiall. fN. A. Review. 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 3 
 
 the Mayfloiver." He was also a descendant of the 
 United Empire Loyalists — those heroic men and 
 women, exiles of the Revolution, who, feeling that 
 they could not sever themselves from the traditions 
 and flag of their own proud nationality, from the un- 
 broken forests of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and 
 Ontario, undauntedly hewed homes for themselves 
 and their children ; and again, as with the Pilgrim 
 Fathers, 
 
 "The sounding iiislcs of the dim woods rang 
 To the anthem of the free." 
 
 " Our United Empire Loyalists ke})t their loyalty 
 during seven long years of conflict and suffering ; and 
 that loyalty, with courage and enterprise, and under 
 toils and privations unsurpassed in human history, 
 sought a refuge and a home in the wilderness of 
 Canada, felled the forests of our country, and laid the 
 foundations of its freedom and prosperity."* 
 
 The vital principle of attachment to the laws and 
 institutions of the land in which we live, veneration 
 for a constitution and government that guarantee the 
 fullest measure and perpetuity of civil and religious 
 freedom, the healthy glow of race and nationality, and 
 of proud ancestral achievement, with deeply cherished 
 traditions and convictions, became the most potent 
 moulding force in many a loyalist's colonial home. 
 
 From the ardent patriotism by which L. A. W. was 
 always distinguished, it might almost seem as if the 
 
 Dr. E. Ryerson, vol. II., pp. 449. 
 
HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 spirit of all the Loyalist race had come to him as a rich 
 ancestral dower. 
 
 Lemuel Allan Wilmot was born January 31st, 
 1809. His native place was Sunbury, on the St. John 
 River, the first home of many Loyalist families in the 
 Province of New Brunswick. He was a son of William 
 Wilmot, Esq., member of the Legislative Assembly, 
 and grandson of Major Lemuel Wilmot,* formerly of 
 the Loyal American Regiment, who settled in the 
 Forest Province. 
 
 Colonel Murray, known to the older residents of 
 St. John, grandfather of Hon. R. L. Hazen, of whom a 
 fine oil painting, by Copley, is preserved in the Hazen 
 branch of the family, was the great-grandfather of 
 Hon. L. A. Wilmot. The gallant colonel was on the 
 Royalist side in the revolutionary war, which by all 
 Loyalists was regarded as rebellion. He had, on one 
 occasion, a narrow escape from capture by Colonial 
 troops. Foiled in their search, a bayonet was run 
 through his portrait — the gash of which can still be 
 seen. 
 
 * The first instalment of Loyalists reached St. John — then Parr'a 
 Town, chiefly covered with scraggy spruce and swamp — May, 1783. 
 About five thousand, and amongst them Major Lemuel Wilmot, landed 
 that summer at the same place. They mostly settled along the banks 
 of the St. John River, as far up as the mouth of the Nashwaak. The 
 opposite point, where Fredericton now stands, and which was scarcely 
 reached by the first wave of immigration, was known as St. Ann's. 
 There still stood the forest primeval. The whole country was known 
 as Sunbury, county of Nova Scotia. In November, 1784, the Province 
 of New Brunswick was proclaimed, and the first Government organized, 
 by Colonel Thomas Carleton, brother of Sir Guy. 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 The mother of Mr. Wilmot, sister of the late Judge 
 Bliss, died when he was only eighteen months old. 
 She was a lady of very superior intelligence, cultured 
 mind and taste, and of pure and noble worth of charac- 
 ter. He often touchingly alluded to the fact that he 
 had never known, in his own life, the tenderness and 
 sweetness of a mother's love ; but, in her early depar- 
 ture from earth, felt that there had come to him a rich 
 legacy of affectionate and prayerful solicitude. There 
 is good reason to believe that varied and brilliant quali- 
 ties were in a measure hereditary. Through several of 
 its gifted members the family with which maternally 
 he was connected claimed considerable distinction. 
 His f tether, of whom it has been said that from 
 memory he could recite the whole of Dr. Watts' hymns, 
 was a hymnodist before the days of hymnology ; and 
 in this fact may be found an explanation of the poetic 
 taste of his more gifted son. 
 
 The earliest fact of L. A. Wilmot's boyhood 
 which has come under notice was attendance at Gov- 
 ernment House, for the purpose of receiving instruc- 
 tion in music and singing, with a view to service in the 
 choir of Christ Church. He was trained personally 
 by Lieutenant-Governor Smythe. The early advan- 
 tage thus afforded was doubtless an important contri- 
 bution to the cultivation of gifts that were afterwards 
 nobly '!-*nsecrated to the service of the Church. 
 
 Before entering college, while habits of life were 
 in their first formative process, Lemuel was sent to 
 reiide for a time in a purely French community. 
 
6 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 ! I 
 
 The primitive simplicity, gentle and truthful manners 
 of the habitants had for him a special charm ; and, 
 from natural temperament, he was peculiarly suscep- 
 tible to influences with which he was now in close and 
 constant contact. To the last there were vivacity of 
 speech and animation of gesture that may in part have 
 been due to the mouldinor force of life at Madawaska. 
 During that time he heard and spoke only one lan- 
 guage; and, if not for purity of style, for the excellence 
 attained in its use, and for ease and flow of expression, 
 he may have been indebted to that early educational 
 advantage. It has been mentioned by a gentleman of 
 distinguished professional eminence, who accompanied 
 him on a visit to Laval University, that priest and 
 professor were charmed with their visitor ; and that, 
 conversing in French, there was all the ease, fluency 
 and vivacity of one " to the manner born." 
 
 The University College at Fredericton aflforded 
 valuable educational facilities. In his collegiate course 
 he earned the reputation of a diligent and successful 
 student. The Greek and Latin Epics, the Iliad of 
 Homer and the ^neid of Virgil, which he is said to 
 have read with exact and pure accent and quantity and 
 smoothness of elocution, were a source of unmingled 
 mental gratification. He also achieved the then 
 scarcely less coveted and reputable distinction of being 
 " the best swimmer, skater, runner, wrestler, boatman, 
 drill-master, speaker and musician" of the time. From 
 his Alma Mater, on which his eminent career reflected 
 lustre, he subsequently received the honorary degree 
 
PERSONAL. 7 
 
 of D.C.L. In 1834, having but recently been admitted 
 to the Bar, he was enthusiastically elected to the House 
 of Assembly, and was for many years the leader of 
 the Liberal party.* In 1844 he became a member of 
 the Executive Council ; and for three years, from 1848, 
 was Attorney-General and Premier of the Province. 
 He "attended, with Sir Edmund Head, a meeting of the 
 Canadian Government at Toronto on colonial ques- 
 tions ; and again, at Halifax, of the Governments of 
 Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, on the 
 subject of collegiate reform. In 1849 he consolidated 
 the criminal laws of the Province ; and in 1850, the 
 laws relating to towns, counties and parishes."*|* In 
 1851 he was appointed one of the Judges of the 
 Supreme Court ; and under the Act for the Federation 
 of the Colonies into the Dominion of Canada, 1868, in 
 recognition of valuable public services, and of com- 
 manding and conspicuous qualities of intellect and 
 character, was made the first Lieutenant-Governor of 
 his native Province. He was also, in association with 
 Palmerston, Gladstone, and other eminent men, a Vice- 
 
 * Through courtesy of J. W. Lawrence, Esq., of St. John, as these 
 pages are passing through the press, several dates have been commu- 
 nicated : L. A. Wilmot " was admitted attorney, 1830 ; banister, 1832; 
 elected Tor York County, on death of Wm. Taylor, June 16, 1834 ; 
 delegate to England shortly after ; Attorney -General, on death of Hon. 
 C. J. Peters, May 24, 1848 ; delegate to Portland K. R. Convention, 
 1850 ; candidate for last time, 1850 ; aiipointed Judge, on resignation 
 of Chief Justice Chipraan, and elevation of Judge Carter, January 8, 
 1851." 
 
 t Vide "Parliamentary Companion." 
 
8 
 
 HON. JUDOE WILMOT. 
 
 President of one of the leading British institutions ; 
 successor of the Rt. Hon. Mr. Childers, M.P., on the 
 Prince Edward Island Land Commission ; a member 
 of the University Senate, and gave much time and 
 thought to the promotion of educational interests. 
 
 Another department of public service, to which 
 great importance was attached, and in which brilliant 
 distinction was achieved, claims a fuller notice. He 
 was Lieutenant-Colonel of Militia, and always found 
 time for efficient drill. Considering the enthusiasm 
 carried into all military exercises, it would not have 
 been surprising had he adopted that profession. A 
 very natural remark of a Governor-General, en a visit 
 to Fredericton, received with military honours, was 
 that " he must have missed his calling, and should have 
 taken to the sword rather than the gown." With the 
 bearing of a superb cavalry officer, and a voice which 
 on parade ground rang out like the blast of a bugle, 
 he had all the qualities needed for command. 
 
 Militia training days, of which we hear nothing 
 now, were then greatly in vogue in Fredericton. They 
 were the gala days of the capital and surrounding 
 country. The old spirit of the Loyalist was then fully 
 awake. The national banner was proudly unfurled- 
 A band of music poured forth martial and popular 
 strains. The carriages of official and aristocratic fami- 
 lies rolled grandly through the streets. For special 
 celebration an ox was roasted on the open square or 
 adjoining field, and it mended the cheer of the day. The 
 rank and file of militia carried their old-fashioned and 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 9 
 
 clumsy muskets. But the cavalry, in showy uniform 
 and immense helmets, as they dashed from point to 
 point,made a grand impression; and even their chargers, 
 some of which had recently been released from dray 
 or plough, showed to good advantage on that holiday 
 parade. For the admiration of spectators, the rifles in 
 green were rivals of the horsemen. But the artillery, 
 stationed on the bank of the river, excited the keenest 
 interest. Their operations looked like real war. The 
 boom of cannon sounded as the roar of battle. The 
 excitement culminated when, in mimic warfare, they 
 had to defend their guns from a sudden onslaught of 
 troopers. A sham fight on one occasion was arranged 
 between the militia and regular soldiers of the garri- 
 son. In memory of a great battle fought over again 
 on that day, the place of conflict, a little below the 
 Cathedral, has ever since been named " Salamanca."* 
 In all militia movements L. A. Wilmot took 
 a prominent part. He was, in later years. Colonel of 
 the 1st York Battalion. He raised and commanded 
 a troop of volunteer dragoons, that performed dispatch 
 duty pending border difficulties, 1838-9. Communica- 
 tion was thus ensured between the capital and the 
 frontier; and, at the same time, precautions were taken 
 for the rapid blockade of any forest path through 
 which a hostile force might seek to advance. He also 
 organized and commanded a troop of dragoons for 
 escort duty to the Prince of Wales on his visit to this 
 
 " Reminiscences of an Old Inhabitant," in Reporter, Dec. Ist, 1880. 
 
10 
 
 HON. JUDfSE WILMOT. 
 
 
 country in 18G0. The service was rendered in a style 
 tliat challenged general admiration ; and the Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel received, in the most cordial and grati- 
 fying form, the thanks of His Royal Highness. A 
 cavalry corps trained by him was for a long time the 
 pride of the city, and two men of that corps became 
 afterwards colonels of cavalry in the arniy of th6 
 United States. 
 
 " The ex-Governor may be said to have been a 
 public man all his life, for he had scarcely left the 
 student's desk in the law office of Mr. Putnam, before 
 the County of York elected him to a seat in the House 
 of Assembly, and he at once gave evidence of that 
 brilliancy of talent which made him conspicuous 
 throughout the course of a very eventful career. He 
 will ever be regarded as a most prominent figure in 
 the political history of his country, and posterity never 
 can thank him enough for the part he took in securing 
 civil rights and liberties. These days were days of 
 struggle that the present generation knows little about, 
 and the Judge was always in the front of the fight. 
 The seclusion of the Bench did not remove him from 
 the eyes of the public, as he continued prominent as a 
 lecturer and orator, and some of the best and finest 
 efforts of his life were made during the years he wore 
 the judicial ermine. Take him all in all, our country, 
 perhaps, has never produced his counterpart. Of 
 wonderful versatility, eloquent and mighty in speech, 
 scathing and withering in sarcasm, sparkling, humorous 
 and magnetic in conversation, the lamented ex-Gov- 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 11 
 
 ernor seemed to stand one by himself. Before and 
 since his death Royal honours have been heaped upon 
 Canadians not half as much entitled to them for what 
 they did for their country as he, and no provincialistever 
 more deserved a public monument at the hands of his 
 countrymen. The illustrious part he took in the advo- 
 cacy and accomplishment of Responsible Government 
 alone entitles him to such a monumental recognition. 
 If Judge Wilmot had been an American citizen, such a 
 monument would long since have been erected to his 
 memory, side by side with Daniel Webster and Henry 
 Clay, either in Central Park, New York, or oa Boston 
 Common."* 
 
 It rarely falls to the lot of any distinguished 
 colonist to act the varied part, or to discharge the mul- 
 tifarious duties, which devolved upon Hon. L. A. 
 Wilmot. Yet, such was the splendour and versatility 
 of gifts and of genius, that in each appearance upon 
 the stage of public action, and through successive 
 scenes, the impression produced upon spectators was 
 generally that of signal and special qualification. But 
 the highest fame achieved, in which he can scarcely 
 be said to have had any successor, is mainly due to an 
 extraordinary gift and power of eloquence. He had 
 the advantage of a commanding personal presence — un- 
 failing resource of speech, adequate to the widest range 
 of political discussion — the instincts and intuitions of 
 genuine statesmanship — readiness in debate and apti- 
 
 l 
 
 I; 
 
 i 
 
 Frccleridon lieportcr. 
 
 mi 
 
12 
 
 HON. JUDGE VVILMOT. 
 
 tude of reply — ability at will to wield a polished 
 weapon of satire — a brilliant wit, which, like the harm- 
 less summer lightning, for mere amusement, played 
 around the subject, or, in moments of intensity, gleamed 
 forth with sudden and scathing stroke — a magnificent 
 voice, in lightest whisper audible to any assembly, and 
 in impassioned declamation rolling into thunder-peal. 
 These were amongst the important qualifications which, 
 in any arena of statesmen and parliamentary orators, 
 ordinarily conmiand proud distinction and ensure ac- 
 knowledged success. By gentlemen who listened to his 
 great speeches in the Provincial Assembly— in conten- 
 tion for constitutional liberty and the overthrow of 
 monopoly — familiar with debates in the English House 
 of Commons, it has been asserted that never, accord- 
 ing to their judgment, had his greater efibrts been sur- 
 passed. 
 
 Where upon the bright roll of fame shall the 
 name of L. A. Wilmot find permanent record ? Can 
 we challenge for him high and honourable rank 
 amongst the great and most gifted men of his country 
 and time ? The reply may be found in answer to 
 other questions germane to the subject. By what 
 acknowledged standard must the value of life and life- 
 work be determined ? What is the correct criterion 
 of greatness or of genius ? Is it mental power ? moral 
 worth ? commanding influence ? In what fineness or 
 purity of mold must the cast of such mind have been 
 taken ? Is it essential to our ideal of greatness that 
 elements of inventive and constructive genius should 
 combine in given measure and equal proportion ? 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 13 
 
 Ought affinities of mind and character to be of a nature 
 sufficiently powerful to control and crystallize the 
 active and moving forces and influences with which 
 they may be brought into contact ? Is it an indis- 
 pensable condition, that thrown to the front, when 
 mediocrity sinks back to obscurity, he shall prove 
 equal to the occasion ? Should not the mission of such 
 a life be signalized in deepening the channels of human 
 thought and broadening the boundaries of freedom ? 
 Must not a prominent actor in a social and political 
 revolution put the permanent stamp and impress of 
 his mind upon the place and period in wh^ch he lives ? 
 There have been few public men who, on the whole, 
 had less reason to fear the application of searching, 
 stringent test than had the leader of political reform 
 in the Province of New Brunswick. In the old days 
 of brilliant political debate, while the glamour of elo- 
 quence was still over the vision of admirers, few would 
 have doubted the validity of his claim to an enduring 
 distinction. The great work of his public life, however, 
 and that by which its special value and permanent 
 status must be tested and determined, has yet to be 
 indicated. Were chiselled column or niche in trophied 
 temple needed for national commemoration, it might 
 be appropriately inscribed : ExeciUive Responsibility. 
 That great harmonizing principle of constitutional 
 government, impressed upon the institutions of his 
 country, carries with it an imperishable record : 
 
 " A lite ill civic action warni ; 
 
 A soul on highest mission sent ; 
 A potent voi(;p in Parlinnient ; 
 A pillar steadfast in the storm." 
 
 . ' ' 
 
 I 
 
 I". 
 
14 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 I 1^ 
 
 In the course of this sketch, brief passages have 
 been culled from available published reports. These 
 specimens of eloquence have been reproduced, on this 
 memorial page, under considerable sense of restraint. 
 One cannot but feel, from the force of concurrent 
 testimony, that they convey but a poor idea of the 
 living orator, of the thunder that shook the Legislative 
 Hall, and of powerful appeals that roused listening 
 crowds to sympathetic action. Reports of political 
 speeches, as they appeared in Provincial papers of that 
 time, at the very best were meagre and unsatisfactory. 
 In the case of L. A. Wilmot, copiousness of style and 
 fluency of utterance constituted a special difficulty. 
 Expansion and amplification are essential to the suc- 
 cess of popular or parliamentary oratory. When these 
 were mentioned as defects in the style of Pitt, the 
 great Commoner claimed that " every person who 
 addressed a public assembly, and w^as anxious to make 
 an impression on particular points, must either be 
 copious on some points, or repeat them, and copious- 
 ness is to be preferred to repetition." Mr. Wilmot had 
 the advantage of an opulent vocabulary. His oratory 
 had qualities of expansion ; and in this fact, as well 
 as in that spell of speech which few reporters could 
 resist, may be found an explanation of printed meagre- 
 ness. Fragments of speeches, such as have been pre- 
 served, are quite likely to furnish as accurate an idea 
 of an unknown writer's composition as of the affluent 
 style and pure diction of the honourable member to 
 whom they are assigned. 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 15 
 
 My own acquaintance with the Honourable Judge 
 Wihnot dates back to the closing part of the year 
 1855. By Dr. Beechaiii of London, who in a recent 
 visit to the Eastern Pro\ nces had made his acquaint- 
 ance, he was spoken of in the most appreciative 
 manner ; and, in accordance with that competent and 
 exalted estimate, a very high anticipation had been 
 cherished. After a first cold sleigh-drive from the city 
 of St. John — every incident of which has been inde- 
 libly impressed upon the recollection of that period, 
 then recently arrived from England — a cordial wel- 
 come was received at Evelyn Grove. The Judge was 
 then in the golden prime of life. Tall and straight 
 in form, of light elastic step and graceful attitude — a 
 rapid, searching glance — keen, restless, flashing eye — 
 exquisitely chiselled features — a lofty forehead, firndy 
 compressed lips, indicative of resolute purpose — a com- 
 manding presence and beaming kindliness of manner, 
 accompanied by a ceaseless flow of sparkling speech, 
 made up a most impressive and fascinating ^^ev'soTiiJc/. 
 
 In the adnurably executed likeness by which this 
 volume is acconqianied, his personal appearance as 
 delineated will be readily recognized. But it will 
 also be apparent to all who were long acquainted with 
 the subject, that the portrait belongs to a period of 
 which it is said that "the almond tree shall flourish." 
 There are the beauty and the blossoming of ripe and 
 venerable years. Ad^•ancing age and excessive severity 
 of nerve-pain wrought a marked change during the last 
 decade of life. In any public efJbrt that might be 
 
 m 
 
 Ik 
 
 T 
 
16 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 
 i ^i- 
 
 attempted, instead of former vigour and elasticity, 
 there was rapid exhaustion of strength ; and, as the 
 consequence, sometimes a good deal of subsequent 
 suffering. The voice, once round, full, sonorous, be- 
 came lighter and thinner in its range and volume. 
 The eye, though not dim, scarcely sparkled with its old 
 light and fire. There were some other signs, not to be 
 mistaken, of growing physical feebleness. But still the 
 likeness is an accurate and a speaking one ; and, vastly 
 more than mere description, it is eloquent in expression. 
 Beautiful glow and benignity of countenance, well 
 brought out and retained in the work of the artist, 
 are a true and faithful index to commanding qualities 
 of mind and of character. As in the reflection of a 
 glowing lamp, through a delicate and transparent 
 vase, a pure light sufi'uses and softly rests upon the 
 finely-moulded features. But in earlier years, and in 
 the eager excitement of political or of professional 
 contest, there was a mobility of face that marvellously 
 corresponded with restless mental activity, and with 
 changeful moods of the moment. The brow, which 
 seems placid and serene as the summer morning, would 
 then at times gather to a cloud. In denunciation of 
 wrong, of injustice, or of falsehood, there was a well- 
 remembered expression that darkened into the severity 
 of strong indignation. 
 
 Retirement from the arena of politics at the 
 time of that visit referred to, release from professional 
 business pressure, and easy competence secured by his 
 elevation to the Bench, afforded opportunity for the 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 17 
 
 nd elasticity, 
 ; and, as the 
 • subsequent 
 sonorous, be- 
 and volume, 
 d with its old 
 ^ns, not to be 
 
 But still the 
 ; and, vastly 
 in expression, 
 benance, well 
 of the artist, 
 iing qualities 
 eflection of a 
 
 transparent 
 sts upon the 
 jrears, and in 
 
 professional 
 marvellously 
 ty, and with 
 
 3row, which 
 rning, would 
 lunciation of 
 
 was a well- 
 
 the severity 
 
 itics at the 
 professional 
 
 jured bv his 
 nity for the 
 
 :i 
 
 
 gratification of horticultural and literary tastes ; and, 
 such was the activity of mental constitution, exuber- 
 ance of temperament and fluency of utterance, that all 
 the passionate purposes and governing impulses of life 
 were at once revealed. Never, has it sometimes seemed, 
 was tliere such lavish expenditure of intellectual re- 
 source, and of wealth of conversation, as on those days 
 of delightful and profitable intercourse. Then was 
 mooted for the first time, as far as my acquaintance 
 with the subject was concerned, the idea of a British 
 American Federation to comprise all the Provinces from 
 the Atlantic to the Pacific, and AcndiawsLS the name 
 suggested for the new nationality. There was also the 
 more magnificent conception of an Imperial union. 
 He believed, with Lord Durham, that "the British 
 Colonies were like foreign nations to each other with- 
 out any of the benefits of diplomatic association." 
 But with Canada, Australia, India, and all the other 
 Colonies united to each other, bound firmly to the 
 Mother Country, constituting an Empire to comprise 
 all British dominions, through which should course the 
 same pulsation of constitutional life, over which should 
 wave the same time-honoured national banner, there 
 would be guarantee of security — for no part could 
 with impunity be attacked ; and there would be sub- 
 stantial economical advantages, for Imperial policy 
 would be shaped with a view to the conservation and 
 promotion of all varied interests. One of those pro- 
 jects, though at the time deemed a little visionary, has 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
 ,1 
 
 I' : 
 
 ! 1 
 
 J) i 
 
18 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 'iil; 
 
 i u 
 
 already become an accomplished fact. What of the 
 possibilities of the Imperial idea ? 
 
 From that time, in past'^ al relation, while sta- 
 tioned in the city of Fredericton, in frequent visits, in 
 closely confidential friendship, in unbroken correspon- 
 dence through all the years between, there has been 
 opportunity afforded for forming an estimate of his 
 life and character. That there were impulses, by 
 which at times he was borne along into imprudent 
 courses, was only too plain and a matter of regret to 
 his best friends ; but these defects, almost inseparable 
 from the intensity and natural impetuosity of his 
 character, were all upon the surface. Those who knew 
 him best could most readily excuse an imprudence of 
 impulse, and could best appreciate the genuine worth 
 and the nobleness of soul by which he was always 
 distinguished. 
 
 In view of his representative character as a distin- 
 guished colonist ; the rare and splendid gifts by which 
 he was so richly endowed, the wide space which for a 
 lifetime he filled in the eyes of the community ; the 
 influential and responsible positions which long and 
 honourably he occupied ; the forty years of continuous 
 service in discharge of political, judicial, and govern- 
 mental duties ; the high-toned principle uniformly 
 exhibited through the whole of his public career ; the 
 consistency of his course and character through a 
 protr£i3tP:d and sometimes stormy life ; the extent to 
 whicli many young men, now widely scattered, were 
 influenced by his generous impulses, intense enthusi- 
 
PERSONAL. 
 
 19 
 
 What of the 
 
 Q, while sta- 
 aent visits, in 
 en corrcspon- 
 lere has been 
 timate of his 
 impulses, by 
 ito imprudent 
 : of regret to 
 5t inseparable 
 uosity of his 
 lose who knew 
 mprudence of 
 ;enuine worth 
 le was always 
 
 ber as a distin- 
 rifts by which 
 !e which for a 
 nmunity ; the 
 hich long and 
 
 of continuous 
 
 and govern- 
 
 ple uniformly 
 
 lie career ; the 
 
 ter through a 
 
 the extent to 
 cattered, were \ 
 tense enthusi 
 
 
 asm, burning words, and deeds of noble, beautiful 
 worth ; for the sake of still greater good, it has been 
 much desired that there should be permanence and 
 perpetuation of influence and of soul-stirring memories. 
 " One of the noblest characters in colonial annals 
 is that of the late Judge Wilmot. As a statesman, a 
 patriot, and a Christian, he was a man of shining mark. 
 He had a cultured literary taste, and was a ready and 
 forcible speaker, rising at times into a commanding 
 eloquence of style. He was a man of tall and noble 
 presence, of mobile intellectual features lit up with 
 keen bright eyes. Amid the political conflicts of great 
 constitutional crises, in which he was the foremost 
 leader, he held high his name and fame, unaspersed 
 even by the rancour of party strife. He was at once 
 a great liberal leader, who guided his country into an 
 era of constitutional liberty, and a man of staunchest 
 loyalty to the person and crown of his sovereign. 
 More than any man we ever met, he realized our ideal 
 of the gallant Bayard, ^^iweux chevalier — without fear 
 and without reproach. He possessed in a remarkable 
 degree the magic gift of successful leadership — the 
 power of inspiring confldence, enthusiasm, and devo- 
 tion in his followers and associates. No history of his 
 native country can be complete which does not devote 
 a large space to his work and influence. It is, there- 
 fore, especially beseeming that on his removal from 
 the busy stage on which he has played so grand a part, 
 the story of his life should be recorded, and its lessons 
 
 J* 
 
20 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 gathered up as a permanent legacy for his Church and 
 country. So many-sided was this life, through so 
 many channels did it pour its influence, that it is only 
 by looking at it from various aspects, and tracing 
 these various channels, that one gets an adequate idea 
 of its grand synmietry and multifarious activity."* 
 
 * Editor Canadian Methodist Magazine. 
 
 .V 
 
11. 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 " That noble figure, every look of whose countenance is expressive, 
 every motion of whose form is graceful, an eye that sparkles and pierces, 
 and almost assures victoiy, while it speaks audience ere the tongue ! " 
 —Brougham. 
 
 •N 1832, L. A. Wilmot— the initial letters of 
 whose name formed the word Law, and often 
 in that style used for signature — having suc- 
 cessfully and satisfactorily completed the requisite 
 course of preliminary study, was admitted to the Bar 
 of New Brunswick, and in 1838 was created Queen's 
 Counsel. It must not be supposed that, with all his 
 brilliant gifts and splendid endowments, he could with- 
 out difficulty conquer success. Though afterwards one 
 of the most fluent of speakers, endowed with all the 
 natural attributes of a consummate orator, and every 
 grace of style and attitude, yet as a student, singularly 
 enough, for a time he had to contend with impediment 
 of speech. "What! you," his father is reported to have 
 said, in reference to an early expression of preference 
 for the legal profession, " with a stammering tongue, 
 aspire to the dignity of a pleader ! " But from the 
 
 .1^ 
 
 m 
 
22 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 first there was the consciousness of power ; and, if he 
 could not be a Demosthenes, undaunted by an obstacle 
 overcome by the most renowned of all orators, he aimed 
 at the very highest distinctions of his chosen profession. 
 " There is no royal road to learning," he said, years 
 afterwards, in one of his brief but brilliant Encenia 
 addresses. " We speak not of the Empire, but of the 
 Republic of letters. In this domain there are no here- 
 ditary honours. Distinctions can only be achieved by 
 individual effort. Each competitor must win and wear." 
 On that and similar occasions, in the same strain, he 
 no doubt spoke from remembrance of early obstacles 
 overcome by assiduous application. " With whatever 
 faculties," says an eminent writer, " we are born, and 
 to whatever studies our genius may direct us, studies 
 they must still be. I am persuaded that Milton did 
 not write his Paradise Lost, nor Homer his Iliad, nor 
 Newton his Principia, without intense labour : 
 
 Some will lead to courts, and some to camps ; 
 To Senates some : 
 
 but, whatever the pathway of life may be, and what- 
 ever profession may have the preference, only by 
 patient and laborious pursuit can the summit of ex- 
 cellence be attained." 
 
 The popularity which L. A. Wilmot achieved as a 
 pleader was of a most unique and exciting character. 
 In that lordly arena, where justice presides, the gifted 
 and brilliant men who have coveted and contended for 
 professional pre-eminence and distinction have not been 
 
PROFESSIONAI, AND POMTICAL. 
 
 23 
 
 few ; but his influence with juries was more extraordi- 
 nary, and his success in pleading more splendid, than 
 that of any lawyer who up to that time had practised 
 at the New Brunswick bar. The magnetism of noble 
 and graceful personal presence ; the tire, force and un- 
 rivalled felicity of forensic eloquence ; the versatility 
 and daring of genius ; the faculty of cleaving a way 
 straight to the core of the subject ; a pathos which 
 thrilled, melted and subdued ; mastery of potent in- 
 vective and power of terrific exposure, which, when 
 concentrated into scornful and indignant denunciation 
 of a mean and contemptible action, gleamed and scathed 
 like forked lightning and rankled like a barbed arrow, 
 were employed according to the exigencies of the case. 
 They were all calculated to enforce legal argument, and 
 to ensure a verdict in favour of his client. The fact 
 has frequently been mentioned that during his practice 
 at the bar he rarely lost a case. The very atmosphere 
 of court, at other times serene and severely judicial, 
 became charged with the electricity of his spirit and 
 speeches ; and, for the most grave and dignified Judge, 
 it was not always easy to prevent or suppress demon- 
 stration of popular feeling, thrilled and moved by re- 
 sistless eloquence, to sympathy or indignant scorn. 
 " As an advocate at the Bar," says the writer of a brief 
 sketch in a Boston paper, a valuable reminiscence, "few 
 in any country could surpass him. The Court was full 
 when it was known that Wilmot had a case. He scented 
 a fraud or falsehood from afar. He heard its gentlest mo- 
 tions. He pursued it like an Indian hunter. If it bur- 
 
 
24 
 
 HON. JUDfJE \VILM(»T, 
 
 rowed he dragged it forth, and lield it up wriggling to 
 the gaze and scorn of the Court. When lie drew his tall 
 form up before a jury, fixed his black, piercing eyes 
 upon them, moved those rapid hands and pointed that 
 pistol finger, and poured out his argument and made 
 his appeal with glowing, burning eloquence, few jurors 
 could resist him." There was nothing melodramatic 
 in his style or mental constitution ; but not unf requently 
 prompted by an impulse or intuition that the most 
 consummate actor might have envied, but which with- 
 out a measure of the same genius it would have 
 been dangerous to attempt an imitation, by a shrug of 
 the shoulder, facial expression, mimicry, or some tragic 
 tone, he would dexterously and successfully enforce 
 argument, cover retreat, or foil an opponent. 
 
 The secret of Mr. Wilmot's superb success at the 
 bar, and the influence which he wielded over almost 
 any class of men that could be empanelled, marvellous 
 as it seemed and almost magical to the crowds that 
 thronged the trial-scenes, is not far to seek. It was 
 mainly to be found in that quality of oratorical eflPort 
 which, born of the immediate occasion, .somewhat ex- 
 cessive in embellishment and with not a few defects, 
 overmasters critical faculty, and achieves its purpose. 
 In dialectic skill and deep legal lore, during years of 
 practice, he doubtless encountered many a formidable 
 rival. But, in overwhelming force of appeal, and that 
 subtle sensibility of feeling which suffuses the speech, 
 evokes deep human sympathy, to which every mind 
 is strangely responsive, there wbs an indisputable su- 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 zn 
 
 ling to 
 liis tall 
 ig eyes 
 ed that 
 i made 
 r jurors 
 ramatic 
 quently 
 18 most 
 h with- 
 Id have 
 ihrug of 
 le tragic 
 enforce 
 
 at the 
 almost 
 Irvellous 
 ds that 
 It was 
 \ effort 
 Ihat ex- 
 defects, 
 >urpose. 
 ^^ears of 
 
 iiidable 
 Ind that 
 
 speech, 
 mind 
 
 ible su- 
 
 premacy. Tliat oratory of tlu* Kar was ornato or cino- 
 tioiuil as tin; suhjcct r('(|uir(.'d. Soiiictinics profcssioiiul 
 ('\i<^^«'neii's call«'d foi- scvoiity of ('X})i'('ssi()n. Tlic 
 weapon wliicli lie wielded was slmrp as well as pol- 
 
 new when to strip away 
 
 Oied and li'litter 
 
 il< 
 
 isned and i;liltenn;ji'. lie Knew wiien lo strip 
 
 mere rhetorical decoration and to use the naked edge. 
 
 There was then plain and pointed Saxon [)hi-ase A 
 
 spade was a spade. Rolxrt Flail's pitd'eience for 
 
 IHCi'cc, to "penetrate," was commended as an ideal and 
 
 law of terse and incisive speech. Legal .siihtleties 
 
 were not pei'iiiitted to per})lex the minds of juiynien. 
 
 Only salient points were brought into prominent view. 
 
 If hored hy bewildering cv^st^s•, from the opposite .side, 
 
 there was forensic Ha.sh which shot athwart the' dreary 
 
 maze : 
 
 " A countless niymd of pieccHlent , 
 That wiMeriu'.'is of single in.stances," 
 
 known as Eiiii'lish common law. 
 
 An incident of the Northei'n Ciicuit, without refer- 
 ence to any name, may be mentioned as illusti-ative of 
 ingenuity and ready tact in professional emergency. 
 The case was one of very considerable impoi'tance and 
 involving lai'ge values. It was not in his judgment a 
 promisino- one for his clients. In reuard to the sub- 
 stantial meiits of the mattei* in dispute he iia<] no 
 doubt. In a Court of E(piity the righteousness of the 
 claim C(mld have l)een fairlv established; but on tech- 
 nical grounds, ov because the lettci' of the law was ad- 
 N'erse, he scarcely hoped for a venlict. There aus a 
 point upon which, as a pivot, the )>roceedings would 
 
 1: m 
 
 ■ii 3 
 
 ;>!( 
 
26 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 turn, and which would probably determine the result. 
 Complication warranted resort to stratagem. The 
 opposite counsel was a gentleman of great legal ability 
 and acumen, but occasionally hampered by an unfor- 
 tunate impediment of speech. The jury were assured 
 that his learned friend on the other side was eminently 
 upright an(' conscientious. Whenever this \'ital point 
 was reached — made so palpable to the jury that none 
 could mistake it — he would be sure to show signs of 
 embarrassment. The prediction was soon fulfilled. In 
 sight of the bird the fowler had set tlie snare. But 
 how to avoid it was the perplexity. There was mani- 
 fest trepidity, and consequently defective articulation. 
 A titter of anmsement could not be suppressed. Con- 
 fusion became worse confounded ; until, on that side, 
 there was a complete break-down, and Mr. Wilmot 
 gained the suit. 
 
 At that time, in the .sister Province of Nova Scotia, 
 there were such lawyers as Stewart, Archibald and 
 Johnson. Their legal skill and eloc^uence were the 
 pride of their country, and would probably have com- 
 manded distinction at the British Bar. It was not an 
 unusual thing in New Brunswick, when any case of 
 great importance was pending, to obtain the advocacy 
 and assistance of one or more of those distinguished 
 barristers. Nothing succeeds liKe success. The simple 
 prestige of their names was almost sufficient to ensure 
 the result. When L. A. Wilmot began to make his way 
 up to professional eminence, and his influence felt at 
 the Bar, there awaited him the ordeal of rivalry with 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 27 
 
 these formidable competitors. It was only, however, 
 in the keenest contest that the qualities that he pos- 
 sessed blazed out in all their splendoui*. That was a 
 proud day for the profession in New Brunswick when, 
 at fair tournament, he snatched the laurel wreath of 
 success. And never at knightly tilt or the pride of 
 feudal magnificence, where, amidst Hash of gleaming 
 steel and the glancing light of beauty, prizes were won 
 and awarded, were there more eager spectators than on 
 that occasion. When the forensic duel had been honour- 
 ably fought, the case was connnitted to the jury. For 
 a space, the Court adjourned. In the meantime, leading 
 counsel on either side, on whom chiefiy centred the 
 excitement of the fray, returned to the hotel and re- 
 tired for the night. But their slun^ 'rs were effectu- 
 ally disturbed by a loud legal hurrah. Junior members 
 of the profession, cognizant of the decision, were dis- 
 posed to make the most of their triumph. From that 
 time the necessity for such importation has no longer 
 existed. The mantle of the eloquent advocate has 
 successively fallen upon many memVjers of the same 
 honourable profession in that Province. 
 
 Early in life Mr. Wilmot began to take part in the 
 discussion of public questions. It has been told when, 
 in response to an urgent call from the electors, he first 
 took his stand upon the hustings, a gentleman of the 
 I'uling class rode up to the crowd. Counting upon 
 sympathy as a matter of course, in deference to estab- 
 lished order and as evidence of loyalty, the haughty 
 official demanded that they should pull Wilmot down. 
 
 1 
 
 ■Ml 
 
 I hi 
 i : ;!•) 
 
HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 J; 
 
 He would become Attorney-General of the Province ! 
 The sneer was as a spark of gunpowder to a train 
 already pi'epared, and the signal for an unexpected 
 explosion. Lemuel Allan Wilmot, in person as com- 
 manding as in mental (qualities, drawing himself up to his 
 full height, throwing the glove fiom his liand, began a 
 ventilation of ptiblic (|uestions in a manner to which 
 the people had been little accustomed. The burst of 
 indignant elocjuence, of denunciation, an<l of patiiotic 
 appeal, was received by the crow<l with timndering ap- 
 plause. " A champion of the rights of the people now 
 appeared, who was destined to lead his country into the 
 enjoyment of constitutional libei'ty."* From that day 
 he was looked upon as the tribune of the people and 
 the representative of popular rights. At an age when 
 most men aspiring to prominent position would still be 
 ranking as students, by " the irresistible voice " of 
 York electors, he was sunniioned into political life. 
 By acclamation, unprecedented in the annals of the 
 county, on July 31st, 1884, he was chosen member for 
 the House of Assembly. Parliament was soon after 
 dissolved. But at the general election which followed, 
 in December of that jear, by the same intluential con 
 stituency he was leturned at the head of the poll. 
 
 They were stirring times in which L. A. Wilmot 
 made his entrance into public life. In Upper Canada, 
 where for a time collision between established conser- 
 vatism and the spirit of progress had threatened 
 anarchy to the country, the cause of constitutional re- 
 
 * History of Canada: Rev. W. H. Withrow. 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 29 
 
 form was steadily moving to victory. In Nova Scotia 
 the Legislatui'c could boast a splendid galaxy of names, 
 not pi'oportionately surpassed in the annals of any 
 Colony. The struggle for responsil>le government was 
 soon, in one of its phases, to connnence in the famous 
 Howe libel case. Beneath the a^tris of the British 
 Constitution there was no pidloch for lips elo([uent in 
 advocacy of progress and liberal principles. In Great 
 Britain a condition of almost chronic dissatisfaction 
 and of threatened revolution, under the able leadership 
 of Grey, Russell, Brougham, and others of scarcely less 
 celebrity, had been signalized by the inauguiation of a 
 new and nobler ei-a in liberal and progi-essive legisla- 
 tion. The Reform Bill belongs to that period. What 
 statesmen of the time were doing and daring in the 
 cause of national and political progress and freedom, 
 through other parts of the Empire, the pati'iotic mem- 
 ber for York was euuilous to attempt and achieve for 
 his native Province. " His political pi-inciples," he said, 
 in a later speech. " were not of yesterday. He had 
 (/lefined them from the hii^torij of Aj's count)'}/ — a 
 country they were all i)roud to own. Would any 
 honourable meudjer dare to tell liim that because they 
 were three thousand miles away from the heart of the 
 British Empire, the blood of freemen should not How 
 thi'ough the v^eins of sons of New Brunswick ? " 
 
 The entrance of L. A. Wilmot into the parliamentary 
 arena, at that particular period, constituted an epoch 
 in the annals of the New Brunswick Legislature. " As 
 a debater he was for many years the chief attraction 
 
 
 m 
 
 ! -J 
 
 
IT" 
 h 
 
 30 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 of the House of Assembly. With imposing person, 
 large forehead, handsome features, and keen eagle eye ; 
 with ready wit, cutting sarcasm, (juick intuitions, en- 
 thusiastic declamation, a hearty sympathy with every- 
 thing generous and good, and with scorn and hatred of 
 every form of wrong, he wielded a potent influence."* 
 
 In parliamentary discussion he was a generous and 
 honourable opponent. He only asked from others that 
 which in return he was always prepared to give — a 
 fair field and no favour. He was accustomed, l>y a 
 single fearless bound, to plunge into the thickest of 
 the fray. No considei-ation or claim of conventional 
 custom ever prevented him from striking to the very 
 heart of the question. The success of sheer artifice 
 would not satisfy ; and, in preference to flank move- 
 ment, he generally faced the foe to the front of posi- 
 tion. But he also wielded a keen-edged weapon of 
 sarcasm ; aud, instead of elaborate speech, sometimes 
 gained his point by a single dexterous stroke. Having 
 occasion to expose groundless pretence, in mei'ciless 
 burlesque, and mannei- that was simply inimitable, 
 there was Esop's fly that sat upon the axle-wheel of 
 the chariot and said, " What a dust do I rai.-^c 1 " 
 
 The House of Assembly, in which for the first time 
 Mr. Wilmot took his seat, met January 20th, 18.35. 
 The next day notice was given that he would call the 
 attention of honourable meml)ers to the subject, then 
 of international magnitude and importance, of the 
 Boundary Line between the Province of New Bruns- 
 
 * Zion'a Herald, Boston. 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 81 
 
 wick and the State of Maine. The time for in extenso 
 reports of parliamentary speeches, and the enterprise 
 of journalism now so conspicuous, had not yet come. 
 But the measure of influence which, from the com- 
 mencement, lie wielded in that Assembly may be inferred 
 from the boldness and vigour of tone in the discussion of 
 constitutional questions — from extraordinary appoint- 
 ment on successive delegations to represent the House, 
 of which he was the most youthful member, and which 
 comprised a nund)er of able and experienced politicians, 
 in negotiation with the British Gf)vernment on weighty 
 matte vs of Provincial policy and of executive admin- 
 isti'ation— from the fact, apparent from the official 
 
 records of those years, that his name finds prominent 
 })lace on nearly every important parliamentary com- 
 mittee. 
 
 Renewed attempts on the part of the Crown to es- 
 tablish a land-royalty, in tiie shape of Quit Rents, then 
 a vexed a.id 1)urning question through the country, the 
 agitation of which had engendered great bitterness in 
 the constituency of York, necessarily occupied much of 
 tlie attention and time of the House of Assembly. The 
 leservation had l)een regarded, in the first place, as 
 simply an acknowledgment of sovei'eignty in the 
 lands n-raiited. The claim had long been sufiered to 
 riMiiain dormant ; and, in transfers of lands between 
 individuals, the original reserve was no longer deemed 
 an encund»rance. The determinaticm to enforce pay- 
 ment W(mld, it was believed, create widespread con- 
 fusion, litigation, dissatisfaction, and distress. The 
 
 . I '',■■ 
 

 32 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 fearless iitteraiu'es of L. A. Wilmot, and his eai'nest 
 and cloijuent portiayal of tlie liai'dsliips wliicli, without 
 any coricsponding advantage, enfort'enient of this claim 
 wonl<l produce, especially upon the poorer settlers, and 
 the "dismay" which woidd spread through the land, 
 were ample fulhhiieni of p.evious pledges to his con- 
 stitutents ; and tlic County of York was wannly 
 congivatulated " on 1 iie choici; of a repi-esentative so able 
 and willing to protect tlie interests of the people." 
 
 J)uiing the parliamer L-ary session of 188(5, Mr. 
 Wilmot moved an address to Uu (jro\'ernor for a de- 
 tailed account of the Ci own Land fuiid. Sir Archibald 
 Camp1»ell, who had great aversion to the principles and 
 progress of popular reform, and rathci tiiKU submit 
 ultimately resigned, sent down a mere general state- 
 ment. The mover of the address was appointed on a 
 nnssion to Englan<l.* The immediate object of the 
 delegati(jn, then an extraoi'linary event in colonial 
 history, was to obtain foi" the '-epresentative Assendily 
 the control of Crown Land rights and revenues — the 
 main spoke in the wheel of compact .administration — 
 and to make the voice of the Reform ])artv heard at 
 the foot of th(? throne. 
 
 * Witli Mr. Wilmot, a vmy young politician, was associated au 
 astute and experienced nieiuber of the House, soon after ap[iointed to 
 the Executive Council as lionouralije Win. Crane, in any game of 
 artful j)olicy he might be trusted to checkmate clever and wily oppo- 
 nents. But such was the contrast, that in after days the appointment 
 was compared to the yoking up in the same team of ii veteran charger, 
 chafed with stilYness of age, ami a liery racer that spurned the bit and 
 bounded for the course. On ]>otli delegations Mr. Crane rendered 
 valuable service to the country. 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 as 
 
 The interest of a visit to the Old Country, for one 
 of his romantic taste, cultured mind, and loyal pride of 
 race and nationality — a young man twenty-seven years 
 of age — cannot easily be described. By men of the 
 Loyalist stamp that land was reverently and ati'ection- 
 ately spoken of as Home : 
 
 
 -' '!li- 
 
 " The distant sea-girt isle 
 Our fathers loved, and taught their sons to love, 
 As the dear home of freemen brave and true." 
 
 It was the land of his ancestors and of a noble race 
 whose blood flowed in his veins — the land of Shake- 
 speare and Milton and Cowper, whose mother-tongue 
 was his own, whose gems of beautiful thought and 
 crystallized expression had enriched his ample an<l 
 opulent diction — the land of Pitt and Burke and 
 Erskine, whose burning thoughts and luminous elo- 
 quence, evoked and intensified by the supi'eme interest 
 of the hour and occasion, he had studied until saturated 
 with their spirit and sentiment — the land of proud 
 achievement in arts and arms, and the liome of that 
 constitutional liberty for which, in a new colony, he 
 and his coadjutors were resolutely contending* — the 
 land of proud historic deed and of consecrated as- 
 sociation — of stately and stoiied castle and pomi) of 
 cathedral architecture and maiiniticence. It was also 
 
 * " We must be free or die, who speak the tongue 
 
 That Shakespeare spake ; the faith and morals hold 
 Which Milton held."— J Fordsworth. 
 
 B* 
 
34 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 !^ ! 
 
 the seat and the scene of grand national pre-eminence, 
 
 • ' The island home, 
 
 Peerless amoug her peois ; " 
 
 and of that flag, the synilx)l of freedom undei* every 
 sky, which he had so often and so eloquently eulogized. 
 
 It was one of Judge Wilmot's maxims, in a letter 
 communicated in complaint and criticism of some 
 petty act of colonial administration, that "little 
 countries make little men." Unquestionably for him, 
 while still at the entrance of public life, for new and 
 nobler ideas and expansiveness of thought and senti- 
 ment, it was an immense advantage and an educa- 
 tional influence to breathe the air and mingle with 
 national life in its older and grander forms, and to 
 feel the stimulus of contact with the governing minds 
 of the nation. 
 
 From several distinguished membersof the Melbourne 
 Cabinet the first New Brunswick delegation received 
 marked tokens of respect. There was one amiable 
 statesman. Lord Glenelg — better known as Sir Charles 
 Grant, whose portrait, chiefly because of the success 
 of that mission, and the introduction of a more liberal 
 governmental system, hangs behind the Speaker's 
 chair in the New Brunswick House of Assembly — who 
 took special interest in the j^outhful representative. 
 
 Lord (ilenelg, at that time Colonial Minister, an 
 advocate of Liberal principles and a thoroughly upright 
 statesman, from extensive acquaintance with colonial 
 affairs and ample experience of official life, in relation 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 35 
 
 to the special object for which the delegation had been 
 appointed, was competent to otter prudent counsel and 
 in a position to afford valuable aid. In regard to per- 
 sonal and professional preference and promotion, where 
 Crown patronao^e was concerned, he would willingly 
 have pledged the fullest consideration. Had there 
 been, on the part of the New Brunswick deputation, a 
 disposition to negotiate for private advantage, that 
 mission to Downino: Street might have been turned to 
 profitable account. 
 
 It was apparent also to members of the British 
 Cabinet that the colonial politician possessed some rare 
 qualifications — quickness of apprehension and a high 
 order of eloquence — that might be turned to account in 
 parliamentary debate, and which might contribute to 
 the strength of the Liberal party in the House of 
 Commons. A proposal was made that if he would 
 remain in England a constituency should at once be 
 found for him. It is useless now to speculate on what 
 the achievements of his life miffht have been had he 
 at that period, when habits of thought were still in 
 formative process, consented to enter the Imperial 
 Parliament. 
 
 It was a point wuth the delegation, remembering 
 that the taunt of disloyalty had sometimes been the 
 penalty of prominence in movement for popular right, 
 to obtain presentation at Court; and, loyal to the core, 
 the distinction was of a character to be thoroughly 
 appreciated. Through the courtesy of Lord Glenelg, 
 requisite permission was readily obtained and the de- 
 
 m 
 
 

 36 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 ! 
 
 tails of Court costume speedily arranged. It may be 
 safely asserted, that however brilliant and distinguished 
 may Lave been the array on that occasion, there was 
 not any one of more courtly presence and bearing 
 than the imtitled representative of an obscure Pro- 
 vince. Ordinary regal etiquette was considerably dis- 
 turbed when Mr. Wilmot was delayed and questioned 
 by his Britannic Majesty concerning antecedents and 
 family relationship. It was expected, of course, that 
 with a brief answer he would gracefully retire. But, 
 to the consternation of Lord Glcnelg, unaccu.stomed to 
 the freedom of impromptu speeches and trembling for 
 the temerity of the attempt, impressed with royal con- 
 descension and determined to make the most of the 
 opportunity, he burst the awful barriers of state ; 
 and, in loyal phrase, thanked His Majesty for gene- 
 rous consideration of Colonial interests. Probably the 
 King (William IV.) was as much taken by surprise as 
 the Colonial Minister. It was only, however, a passing 
 incident ; and, with but brief interruption, the order 
 of presentation and procession was resumed. 
 
 There was not only delegation, but counter-delega- 
 tion. Again, therefore, in 1887, with briefest notice, 
 and a dreary winter drive by land from Fredericton 
 to Bangor, the delegation was re-appointed to Eng- 
 land. The result was all that, for the time, could be 
 expected or desired. The Governor and Executive 
 were compelled to yield the important matter in dis- 
 pute. In consideration of a permament civil list, the 
 control of valuable Crown land revenue was vested in 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 mg- 
 
 37 
 
 the House of Assembly. The Lieutenant-Governor 
 resigned ; and Sir John Harvey, of conciliatory policy, 
 the most popular of all the Governors sent out from 
 home, was appointed as his successor. 
 
 At the Session of 1888, in conseiiuence of the law- 
 less invasion of Canada by an organized force from the 
 American frontier, under pretence of sympathy with 
 a company of colonial conspirators, an Act was passc<l 
 by the New Brunswick House of Assembly, for which 
 subsequently the special thanks of the Sovereign were 
 received, authorizing the Lieutenant-Ciovernor to call 
 out and embody twelve hundred volunteers for service 
 in British North America. In strenuous advocacy of 
 this mea.sure the patriotic spirit and enthusiastic loy- 
 alty of Mr. Wilmot found vehement expression. 
 " This," he said, " was not a matter to be calculated 
 upon mere pounds, shillings, and pence. It was to be 
 viewed in connection with the relations which existed 
 between this and the other Provinces. Their cause 
 was ours ! — the cause and battles of our brethren — of 
 those very brethren who had fought side by side with 
 them during the last war, who inhabited the same soil, 
 who claimed connection with the same great and 
 glorious empire, and who were now struggling against 
 the efforts of wicked and seditious traitors and assail- 
 ants. The Province, in aiding their fellow-subjects, 
 would be lighting its own battles. Their cause was 
 the same. The first shot fired in U2:)per Canada would 
 reverberate to the utmost extent of the Lower 
 
 ' 
 
 
i- 
 
 i 
 
 88 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 Provinces, and every loyal heart would thrill in re- 
 sponse."* 
 
 Almost immediately following this expression of 
 enthusiasm, in iKVJ, conse(|uent upon a threatened in- 
 vasion of their own Pi'ovince, the spii'it of New 
 Brunswick loyalty was still more fully aroused, and 
 the chivalrous devotion of its people to the British 
 flag nohly exhibited. There was a disputed territory, 
 on the upper waters of the 8t. John river, that had 
 been invaded by lawless parties in search of lumber. 
 There had been resistance and armed collision. The 
 nulitia was sent from the State of Maine, and Governor 
 Fairfield made a call for ten thousand men. Two regi- 
 ments from Fredericton were ordered to the scene of 
 strife. Sir John Harvey was resolved to defend the 
 right. New Bruiiswick volunteers flocked eagerly to tlie 
 national standard. The whole country was in a blaze 
 of excitement. That border warfare threatened for 
 a time to plunge the two nations into war. The Legis- 
 lature of Nova Scotia voted £100,000 towards defence ; 
 placed twelve thousand volunteers at the disposal of 
 the Commander-in-Chief ; and then united in " three 
 times three cheers for the brave people of New Bruns- 
 wick, and three times three cheers for the Queen of 
 England." " What had taken place in that sister 
 colony," said Mr. Wilmot, " w<,)uld not only have a 
 grand moral effect in this Province; it would spread 
 throughout Great Britain; it would be heard and re 
 iterated in the House of Commons ; and they would 
 
 * Courier, January, 1838, 
 
H! 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 39 
 
 there perceivo that in those colonics there were brave 
 arms to defend tlie soil from the pollutin*:^ foot of the 
 invader, and liearts that could feci and appreciate tlie 
 value o'' "^''oir connection witli tlie Motlicr (yountry. 
 It was .il known tliat there was a party in the 
 English House of Conunons that would willingly bar- 
 ter away the inhabitants of tliese Provinces. Tlie 
 mouths of that party would be stopped. The people of 
 England woidd not give up colonies where the inha- 
 bitants, rather than pass under the dominion of a 
 neighbouring nation, would die upon the soil where 
 many of them drew their breath and where all lived 
 happy and contented." 
 
 Duties of military drill, at that time, in preparation 
 for threr ed nnlitary struggle, alternated with scenes 
 of politi . obate. " The stout hearts an<l nervous am i s 
 of New Brunswick deserved that discipline and dirt> 
 tion without which they might enc(junter a foe to dis- 
 advantage." It was well known that L. A. Wilmot, 
 (jualified for command, intensely patriotic, in whose 
 veins the old Loyalist blood ran as liquid fire, while 
 urging the necessity for yeomanry «h'ill, stood ready 
 for active service on the frontier. Ultimately, 
 however, for the weal of all parties, the matter in dis- 
 pute was amicably adjusted and battle-flags were 
 furled.* In a letter written by Hon. L. A. Wilmot, 
 when Governor of New Brunswick, the old feeling had 
 
 * Arbitration, in wliich Lord Asliljiirtoii ami Daniel Webster were 
 the Commissioners, was substituted for cannon and tlie sword. The 
 award of the Ashburton Treaty, made in 1842, yielded the most valu- 
 
 $\ 
 
 ',1 } 
 h, 
 
 I (,, 1 
 
 ■ ; i 
 
 

 
 :J 
 
 40 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 all subsided ; and he eulogises " the immortal words of 
 President Grant : Let un luive peaceT 
 
 It soon became apparent that, in an eminent degree, 
 this youthful politician possessed the requisite (jualities 
 and etiuipment for successful leadership in another 
 fight; and that upon parliamentary battle-ground, not 
 in forest-struggle, would his most brilliant victories be 
 achieved. Even before the contest for Responsible 
 (government had commenced in thorough earnest, 
 there was the presage of an approaching struggle. 
 Like the nmttering of distant thunder, ominous of 
 gathering :.„orm, arbitrary stion provoked sharp and 
 passionate protest: " When the Council takes such high 
 and commanding ground," said the then recently 
 ; ii lied member for York, "it is worthy of the represen- 
 tatives of the people to stand forth in bold relief; and, 
 in the spirit of men determined to maintain their 
 riglits and liberties, to put their hands upon it at 
 one to arrest the career of wantonness of power, and 
 to prove that we are indeed worthy of freedom and 
 privilege and British rights." * 
 
 The system of government, at that time existing in 
 New Brunswick and other Colonies, was that usually 
 known as " the Family (impact." Offices of honour 
 and emolument wore monopolized by persons that had 
 
 able part of tin; disputed territory to the United States. There was a 
 very general impression on this side of the line that the British 
 nobleman was overmatched by th(! astute Republican statesman — that 
 eolonial claims were sacrificed to imperial interests. 
 
 * St. John City Oazette. 
 
1 ' 
 
 ) I 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POFJTICAL. 
 
 41 
 
 Tlio 
 
 come out to the Provinces for tliat purpose. 
 Legislative and Executive Councils bad in possession 
 all governing' pow(!r. They were almost exclusively 
 and uniforndy filled from classes claiming to consti- 
 tute the aristocracy of the country. Members of the 
 "Compact" were generally closely allied by family 
 relationship or business association. Government was 
 administered in virtue of what th(;y regartled as an 
 essential and inherent rijjht of the ruling class. Thev 
 only were supposed to possess requisite (|ualiti cations 
 for official duty and legitimate claim to jjromotion. 
 The patronage of t^ie Cro\yn, conse((uently, was dis- 
 pensed and its power distributed within a narrow and 
 favoured circle. 
 
 Crown officials were not in any way amenable to 
 the representatives of the people ; and, in any case of 
 remonstrance, members of that body weie treated with 
 but scant courtesy. For any gifted meud)er of the As- 
 sembly to aspire to office, emolument, or governmental 
 position, was deemed and stignuitized as evidence 
 of restless, intriguing and even disloyal temper and 
 spirit. Especially for any one who had evinced a dis- 
 position to disturb the comfortably established system, 
 and who hid the audacity to challenge the constitii- 
 ti<jnal right and expedience of the dominant policy, 
 there was not the slightest hope of prtsferment. 
 
 In combination with relentless conservatism, as the 
 direct conse(juence of monopoly and intoleranci', there 
 was an attempt at ecclesiastical domination which by 
 Dissenters, as then designated, was felt to be exceed- 
 
 1:1 
 
 If? 
 
 I 
 
42 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I I 
 
 I] 
 
 1 
 
 1 1 
 
 For the offence of conducting oc- 
 
 ingly oppressive 
 casional religious service on the Sabbath day, in a 
 spirit worthy of 8tar-Chamber and Stuart days and 
 dynasty, Mr. Win. Wihnot, father of the judge, was 
 expelled from, or refused admittance to, his place in 
 the House of Assembly. There was no church estab- 
 lished b}'- law. Recjuisite statutory enactment had 
 not been secured. But as a fundamental principle 
 of Colonial (Government, and one that was not likely 
 to be called in question, the theory of a State Church 
 was taken for granted. E([ual rights of denomina- 
 tions were all but ignored. It was only about the 
 latter part of 1884, the time of L. A. Wilmot's election 
 to the House of Assembly, that the " Dissenter's 
 Marriage Bill " became the law of the land. The 
 object of that Dicasure, wrenched from ecclesiastical 
 monopoly, mainly due to the diifusion of liberal ideas, 
 and the march of Reform then signalizing its triumphs 
 in Imperial and Colonial legislation, was to invest 
 dissenting ministers with legal authoritj^ to solemnize 
 the rite of matrimony. Even for members of tlieir 
 own church or charge, up to that time, except under 
 the severe penalty of tine and imprisonment, these 
 clergymen could not ofhciate in any marriage service. 
 Ag.ainst the deeply-shaded background of such facts, 
 by clear and correct perspective, we comprehend the 
 necessity for agitation — the advocacy of civil and 
 I'eligious privilege. The opinion was afterwards ex- 
 expressed, during a discussion on " want of confidence ' 
 resolutions, that had even the conservatism of 1830, 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 43 
 
 when the old official party sought entrenchment behind 
 the prerogative of the Crown, been persistently ad- 
 hered to. and carried out, " an insulted people would 
 have risen in their majesty, and would have shaken 
 off their yoke of bondage."* 
 
 The principles with which, from the commencement 
 of his career, L. A. Wilmot was identified, and of which 
 he was the most eloquent and authoritative exponent, 
 were excessively obnoxious to the party in power ; and 
 to the Government, as then organized, his speeches were 
 regarded as a seriously disturbing element. As the 
 champion of popular rights, he was sometimes in a 
 vexatious manner charged with holding democratic 
 principles ; and, notwithstanding the patriotic feeling 
 which beat and throbbed through every sentiment and 
 movement, in the bitterness and asperity of party de- 
 bate was taunted with the taint of disloyalty. The 
 imputation, however, could not turn him aside from 
 the line of well-defined duty. He had the courage of 
 his convictions ; and, in indignant and burning elo- 
 ([uence, meeting scorn with scorn, threw back the un- 
 warranted imputation. 
 
 "Those who contended for liberal principles," he 
 said, in one of those renowned field-days, then common 
 enougfh in the New Brunswick LcQ-islaturc, but which 
 have no parallel in the tamer proceedings of modern 
 parliamentaiy debate, " had their names covered with 
 obloquy. They asked for a constitution that, while it 
 protected the Queen upon the throne, threw, at the same 
 
 * Speech of Mr. L. A. Wilmot, 1847. 
 
 ill 
 
 
■I' 
 
 I 
 
 44 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 time, its paternal arms around the helpless infant. 
 They asked for tiie puie, the free, the glorious consti- 
 tution of England ; for this they had contended, for 
 this the Lil)erals of New Brunswick had fought ; and 
 let them call them rebels who had nothing else to write 
 about, he cared not. They asked for a system that 
 would give fair play to all, that wouM upset all Family 
 (■ompacts, that would give the sons of New Bruns- 
 wick their ]»irthright — the benefit of free institutions 
 and of self-government. He defied any honorable 
 member to look at his political life and say where he 
 had overstepped the bounds of the constitution. If 
 he did live three thousand miles from the great body 
 of the empire, still that empire sent its blood through 
 the veins of every British sulyect. A son of New 
 Brunswick had the same rii>hts to the benefit of her 
 institutions as a resident of London ; and he would not 
 submit to be cut oft' by any political inananivrings."* 
 The darkest hour — that which came just before the 
 dawn of day, as ultimately proved — in that patriotic 
 struggle seems to have been in the severely contested 
 election of 1S42. Then Mr. Wilmot, who for eUjJd 
 years had been a mend >er of Parliament and the active 
 and accomplished leader of the Liberal party, though 
 now only th'n'f>j-fliree years of oge, stood prominently 
 before the country as the champion of responsible ad- 
 ministration : 
 
 " Ami inoviiif^f up tVuni lii.^li to higher, 
 BiH'iime, on lortuiiu's ciowuiug .slope, 
 The i)iUar of a people's hope," 
 
 * I'oliticai Notes. By G. £. Feiiety, ES4. 
 

 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 45 
 
 In the meantime, however, the Opposition was for- 
 midable and the battle was furious. All the scattered 
 forces of the old Conservative system, marshalled with 
 consummate skill, were gathered into most deter- 
 mined opposition. The adherents of opposite stand- 
 ards resolutely maintained the struggle and fiercely con- 
 tended for victory. For the reform party the contest 
 apparently proved to be a most disastrous one. In a 
 House of Assembly of forty-one membeis, the only 
 representatives of that piinciple were Messis. Wilmot 
 and Fisher. In Fredericton the poll was for a tinu; 
 threatened l>y a rough, lawless, and unfranchised 
 crowd. For the protection of voters, and the preven- 
 tion of organized intimidation, it was found expedient 
 to call out the military. In double tile the soldiers 
 were stationed with fixed bayonets. Each of the 
 later voters, for personal security, accompanied by a 
 sergeant, between lines of glittering steel, passed up to 
 the poll and gave his suffrage. At the close, Mr. Wil- 
 mot, amongst the successful candidates, unrolled a 
 scarlet silk flag bearing the signiticant motto Respon- 
 sible Government. Through Queen Street, frouj the 
 old Court House to a platform near Phcenix Sipiare, he 
 was carried by his enthusiastic supporters; and, amidst 
 deafening cheers, made a splen<lid and stirring speech. 
 The banner thus exultingly unfurled, borne in trium- 
 phal procession and the proud signal of victory, at the 
 close of that struggle, through all the liberal ranks, 
 was the only one which told of success. 'J'here had 
 been everywhere, for reform, signal defeat and sore 
 
 tr 
 
) : 
 
 46 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 disaster; and, over the entire field, their banners 
 trailed sadly in the dust. The party of progress, for 
 the time, was thoroughly and terribly routed and 
 shattered. But there was still a great principle in 
 contention and a noble cause around which they could 
 rally their scattered forces. Temporaiy disadvantage 
 they might be doomed to experience. But, in the end, 
 their principles, guaranteed by the spirit of British 
 constitutional liberty, were certain to prevail : for 
 
 " Fi'oodom's battle, once bef^mi, 
 J^iMjueatht'd by bleeding sire to son, 
 Though baiiled oft, is ever won." 
 
 " Looking back along the line of those years, we 
 seem to be gazing into the crater of an extinct volcano. 
 The inflammable matter which fed the fire of debate, 
 and the fury with which each step of political progress 
 was discussed by the great antagonists on either side, 
 has been so bitterly burned out and extinguished, that 
 we in this generation, who dwell on the fertile soil of 
 social and religious freedom formed by those con- 
 vulsions, can scarcely believe in the bitterness of the 
 struggle and the ability and boldness of the statesmen 
 by whom each prize of our present libei'ties was 
 won." 
 
 In 1844, as a slight tribute to the progress of liberal 
 ideas, Mr. Wilinot was appointed a membei* of the 
 Executive ; Init, disapproving of Sir William Cole- 
 brooke's impolitic and arbitrary action in the appoint- 
 ment of his son-in-law, Mr. lleade, to an important 
 Government oflUce, involving direct violation of a vital 
 
i:: M 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 47 
 
 principle and contention, and deemed subversive of 
 representative responsibility, that position was soon 
 after resigned. " It would be vain," said Hon. Mr. 
 Wilmot, in written explanation, lecjuired by the 
 Governor, of reasons for tenderinfj his resifjnation as a 
 member of the Executive Council, " for the parents of 
 youth to make every exei-tion in order to qualify their 
 sons for the higher offices of the Province, if the 
 avenues to honourable and profitable preferment are 
 to be closed against them ; and I therefore cannot but 
 view the appointment under consideration as an act of 
 great injustice to the people of this country, and I can 
 safely assure your Excellency that it will be thus con- 
 sidered throughout the length and breadth of the 
 Province." 
 
 In the political world, as in every domain of free 
 thought and of unshackled action, extremes must 
 sometimes meet. In resistance of prerogative, Mr. 
 Wilmot was thrown to the utmost point of opposition: 
 "the Government would henceforth be taught to 
 know, and the cry would go forth from the Gulf 
 Shore to the Scoodic, that the people would have 
 their rights." But in an opposite direction, as pole 
 from pole, his sense of political justice was subjected 
 to severe strain. For the first time in party vote, 
 whilf' holding port-folio in 1844, he was separated 
 from usual political associates. They proposed to 
 censure the government, because in recent appoint- 
 ments to the Legislative Council, the proportionate 
 claims of the several denominations had been over- 
 
 '<• 
 
 •it 
 
48 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 looked. Tliey were for the policy of many State 
 Chinclies. He was for none. Chivalrously, and at 
 the risk of alienated sympathy, he contended for 
 Itroad and geneious catholicity of spirit and action. 
 The lights of " fellow-dissenters " he would conserve, 
 and to the utuiost advocate ; but to the perpetuation 
 of religious tests, under any conditions, he was utterly 
 oppose<l. " The narrow rule of selection, from this or 
 that denomination," was denounced. He advocated 
 " the more expansive policy which, regardless of all 
 religious difierences, selects men best fitted by in- 
 tegrity, ability, and property, to represent the whole 
 people." 
 
 After twelve years of costly and almost incessant 
 warfare, with varied and alternating fortunes, pending 
 the General Election of 1846, Mr. Wilmot resolved 
 upon retiiement from political life. 
 
 Though, in the first place, in 1884, his seat in the 
 House of Assembly was obtained by acclamation ; yet, 
 subsecpieiitly, in no less than five general elections, he 
 had abundant experience of the inconvenience, expen- 
 diture, fearful excitement, and frequent lawlessness 
 which at that time were the inseparable concomitants 
 of an election campaign. Under the vicious system 
 which then prevailed, the poll was kept up for eight 
 days. There was an open vote. Aroused by partizan 
 and intiaimuatory speeches, the several constituencies 
 had ample license and opportunity' for excess and ex- 
 plosion. The agitation through all these days swept 
 over the country, deepened in its course, and not un- 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 49 
 
 frequently ended in turbulence and almost riot. In 
 some respects the eloijuent and liberal member for 
 York was not eminently qualified for a contest of that 
 nature. For a temperament such as his the excitement 
 was too intense. In the severe attrition of opposite 
 forces, and the iierce collision of adverse factions, the 
 impetuous and combustible elements of composition 
 and mental constitution, with which he was abundantly 
 charged, blazed out into white heat ; and, in brilliant, 
 impassioned, most vehement speech, streamed forth in 
 a lava-like torrent. 
 
 It cannot be wondered at that a keenly-sensitive 
 and high-toned mind, though eminently qualified for 
 parliamentary debate, and delighting in the discussion 
 of constitutional questions, should recoil from the 
 shock and severity of hustings' warfare. In view of 
 the next approaching dissolution of the House, to the 
 general regret of nearly all political parties, by whom 
 his superb rhetoric and chivalrous bearing were greatly 
 admired, he announced his intention to withdraw from 
 the Legislature. That purpose, however, he was not 
 then suffered to consummate. Bv the entliusiasm and 
 organization of friends and party, without personal 
 canvass or campaign, he was proudly and triumphantly 
 returned for the old constituency. The star of reform 
 was now in the ascendency. 
 
 Through years of conflict, embittered by contempt 
 of the governing class, impelled by conviction of press- 
 ing necessity for constitutional change, and the intro- 
 duction into the system of Colonial government of 
 G 
 
' 1 
 
 ! i 
 
 ! 
 
 ,1 
 
 ! 1 
 
 50 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 elements couipatil)le with fair and equitable adminis- 
 tration, Mr. Wilmot and his coadjutors had struggled 
 on to ultimate an<l decisive success.* The " compact" 
 monopoly was swejit away, and the despotism of 
 oligarchy demolished. Responsible government was 
 fully inaugurated, and the principle of Ministerial 
 accountability, long the accepted basis of British ad- 
 ministration, was adopted as the solution of difficulties 
 between the executive and representative departments 
 of Government. Instead of permanent official appoint- 
 ments, advisers of the Crown were to be selected from 
 the party at the time in the ascendency ; and provision 
 was made for obtaining the sanction of constituencies 
 to all departmental appointments. To all positions of 
 honor and emolument, without regard to class or creed, 
 and free from social restrictions, the avenues were 
 fully opened. 
 
 A Government was organized for the purpose of 
 giving effect to responsible policy. It comprised a 
 large and influential Conservative element ; and, in the 
 matter of arrangements, there was necessity for com- 
 promise. But, in regard to the main principle, the colors 
 were never lowered. " He could not forget the election 
 
 * Througli all this contest, calculated, as in a crucible, to try the 
 mettle and the mould of men, as an able tactician, capable of flank 
 movement — an adept in the manipulation of resolutions, and a com- 
 petent exponent of great constitutional principles, Mr. Wilmot found 
 an able and accomplished colleague in Mr. Chas. Fisher, now Judge of 
 the Supreme Court. On the 2ith February, 1848, he moved the reso- 
 lution which, by admission of all parties, uneiiuivocally committed the 
 country to the principles of Responsible Government. 
 
;t;i 
 
 ,1 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POUTICAL. 
 
 51 
 
 Jminis- 
 ruggled 
 nnpact" 
 >tisni of 
 cnt was 
 nisterial 
 tisli ad- 
 fficulties 
 Eirtinents 
 appoint- 
 ited from 
 provision 
 iituencies 
 iitions of 
 i or creed, 
 ues were 
 
 rpose of 
 prised a 
 nd, in the 
 for com- 
 jhe colors 
 e election 
 
 to try the 
 He of flank 
 and a com- 
 ilmot found 
 ow Judge of 
 ed the reso- 
 nimitted the 
 
 of 1842," he said, in one of his greut speeches in the 
 House of Assembly, " when respoiisihk' government 
 was scouted, jeered at, an<l held up to ridicuU' over the 
 length and breadth of the land. lUit a dillerent day 
 had dawned upon the Province. The people had in- 
 formed themselves — liad begun to see and understand 
 and appreciate those gloriims principles — the principles 
 of the Britisli Constitution — not liis principles alone ; 
 tliey were the principles of every British subject. He 
 was a mere macliine in working out the great system ; 
 but those gr(!at and gloriims principles would live 
 when those who heard his voice were laid low in the 
 dust. Those principles were nc)t intended for the 
 exclusive benefit of one class, or one party, or one 
 family ; but for the benelit of every class, of every 
 party, and of every family over the length and breadth 
 of the land. Responsi1)le government held out even- 
 handed justice and fair play to all. He had put on 
 the uniform when it was co\'ered with oblo(|uy, and 
 had worn it amidst scoutings and jeers, and felt proud 
 to bear it now."* 
 
 An element of offensive Conserv-atism, conspicuous in 
 government, had also been inwrought into the structure 
 and administration of Education. It was a favorite 
 theory of Mr, Wilmot that, instead of ascent from 
 the primary to the academic, the current of educational 
 life-force descends from the University ; and, through 
 all grades and departments, makes its influence felt 
 and determines the status of the system. The College 
 
 * Political Notes. By 0. E. Fenety, Esc^. 
 

 52 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 at Frt'dcricton, thon^^h liborally endowed and favored 
 with an elHcient staff of Professors, was for many years 
 unpopular; and in 1844 it was asserted in the Legis- 
 lature that the sum expended upon it, up to that time, 
 " would ha\e educated every one of the students at 
 Oxford or Camhridixe." It was in a very considerable 
 measure owing to his etibrts and advocacy that, with 
 constitution nKjditied, a repivsentation of the several 
 leading (lenominations upon its Senate, and general 
 administration pcjpularized, the Provincial University 
 has entered upon a course of acknowledged etiiciency 
 and of increasing prosperity. 
 
 In an able and exhaustive speech, when first the 
 measure for reform was proposed — the (piestion was 
 repeatedly ])rought U}) until 1845, when an amended 
 charter passed into law — and in a calm, moderate, states- 
 manlike spirit and style, he traced out and earnestly 
 deprecated the existence of a variety of invidious dis- 
 tinctions, chieliy of a relii^ious nature, which the 
 original charter had created, and which had tended to 
 excite hostility to the College and to impair its useful- 
 ness. It was proposed for supervision to substitute 
 the Governor for the Bishop ; to annul a pr(jvision of 
 the charter to the effect that the President must be an 
 Episcopal clergyman, and cx-officio the Archdeacon ; to 
 liberalize the Constitution of the College Council ; to 
 abolish religious tests, except in regard to the Professor 
 of Theology ; for subscription to the Thirty-Nine 
 Articles of the Church of England, to reciuire from 
 graduates a profession of belief in " the authenticity 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND I'OI.ITirAI,. 
 
 53 
 
 and divine inspiration of the Old and New Testaments 
 and in the doctrine of the Trinity."* 
 
 The cause of puV)lic eihication was deeply rooted in 
 Mr. Wihnot's sympathies. He hclieved in this boon 
 as the hirthrii^'ht of every New Hrunswiek child ; and, 
 on the part of parents, dcploi-ed the apathy existing" in 
 .some parts of the conntrv. Tn a communitv of his 
 oAvn county a promise had hccu made that, if the 
 people would get out the frame for a school-house, the 
 expense of other necessary material for its c<mipletion 
 should he provi(hMl for them. P>ut, "altlumj^di hoards 
 were ottered tVom a nein'hhourino- mill, nails, glass, 
 lock.s, latches — everything without money — no one felt 
 interest (^nougdi in the education of their children to 
 hring them to th<' s})ot. To this day that frame stands 
 a melancholy monument of dreadful apathy." To meet 
 such neglect, and to rescue the childi'enof the soil from 
 threatened degra<lation, it was proposed to assess the 
 property of the country. B\ar in advance of the tinu; 
 for the incipieney of such a policy, in the House of 
 Assembly, the honourable mendier for York moved a 
 resolution to the effect: " The man tvho has 2^yo2)erty 
 and oio rhildren should J>e taxed to educate the 
 iJiddrcn of fhe v^an qrho has no jf)?Y)^)^r^^." There 
 \vn< a * in the principle of a public, free, 
 
 ,M in. Nearly a (juarter of a centur}^ 
 1. t-, dui g g»»vernmental administration, it was a 
 cuu.x' of [)roud and grateful satisfaction that a com- 
 
 *FideObser> Januaiy, 183». 
 
 m 
 
54 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 prehensive educational scheme should be successfully 
 inaugurated. * 
 
 In a parliamentary debate, March, 1847, on L. A. 
 Wilmot's motion in relation to " School Reserve," the 
 educational question was again brought to the front. 
 Early in the settlement of the country there had been 
 an extensive reserve of public lands " for the use of 
 parish schools in the different counties." The Govern- 
 ment was challenged " with having granted large quan- 
 tities of ]an<ls," originally reserved for the endowment 
 of pul)lic education, amounting to upwards of six 
 thousantl acres, to the Churches of England and Scot- 
 land. It was charo-ed that Government had no more 
 right to interfere with these lands than to touch the 
 Bank of England. It was alleged that in one day 
 Government had granted several thousand acres of 
 these lands to the English Church, in trust to the Chief- 
 Justice, the Archdeacon, the Attornuy and Solicitor 
 Generals, and other public officers, to be used as 
 churches should be built."*|" 
 
 In the revolution which was now to be speedily 
 etfecied, this arrangement le(l to a curious anomaly. 
 As the result of successful advocacy of liberal princi- 
 ples, Mr. \V. was called upon to form a Government. 
 In that administration he accepted an office which, 
 like most good things in those days, had been regarded 
 
 * To the stiitc'smanship of lion. Tico. E. King mainly belongs the 
 credit of formulating the educational system of New Brunswick, and 
 of carrying it into law. 
 
 t Political Notes, page 256, 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 55 
 
 jssfully 
 
 I L. A. 
 
 re," the 
 B front, 
 id been 
 
 use of 
 Grovern- 
 ••e quan- 
 owment 
 i of six 
 id Scot- 
 no more 
 )uch the 
 one day 
 icres of 
 le Chief- 
 Solicitor 
 
 used as 
 
 speedily 
 momaly. 
 
 princi- 
 rnment. 
 
 which, 
 ^eo-arded 
 
 I'loUKS 
 
 the 
 
 R\V 
 
 iek, and 
 
 as peculiarly an Episcopal preserve. It had not been 
 supposed that there would soon dawn a day in which 
 a gifted "dissenter " would be regarded as eligible for 
 such honourabhj appointment. For the possible con- 
 tingency there had been no provision made. The 
 consequence vv -t.- that, ex-ofUcio, there was a trust of 
 extensive glebe lands to be administered for the benefit 
 of the Church of England. It was not too soon, in 
 the public interest, that the hour had come and the 
 man for a free ventilation of wholesale and insuffer- 
 able monopoly. 
 
 Ardent as was the loyalty of L. A. Wilmot, and 
 especially susceptible of popular influence, it was 
 always under the restraint and control of prudential 
 and economic considerations. The disbursement of 
 public moneys was felt to be a responsibility and trust. 
 In opposition to a movement, in 181-0, for a legislative 
 grant in aid of individual subscription for the erection 
 of a monument in the city of St. John, somewhat in 
 the style of Bunker Hill of Boston, in commemoration 
 of the landing of the Loyalists in 1783, now nearly a 
 century ago, he said : " There was no doubt but that 
 this was a line subject for a speech ; but, as a descend- 
 ant of an old Loyalist, he felt himself degraded by the 
 begging attitude assumed in this appeal for a Provin- 
 cial grant. New Brunswick needed no lirass — no 
 marble — to commemorate the landinc: of that noble, 
 devoted band ; their memories would be handed down 
 to posterity without the aid of monu)nents or of 
 obelisks." 
 
 i 
 

 11 
 
 ,1 
 
 i I 
 
 '. • 
 
 56 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 The activity and assured confidence of Mr. Wilmot, 
 to which the eagerness and enthusiasm of his constitu- 
 ents — throughout the triumphant election campaign of 
 184G — had communicated the impulse of renewed 
 energy, and the comprehensiveness of his proposed 
 scheme of reform, may he inferred from current cor- 
 respondence. Having heen urged to become a can- 
 didate for the Speakership in the House of Assembly 
 for 1847, breatliing the genuine spirit of a patriot 
 statesman, he wrote : " As I believe ' there is a Provi- 
 dence that shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we 
 will,' so I begin to think that if the Chair were at my 
 command, I should hesitate before I took my seat. I 
 see many momentous questions invol v^ing the present 
 and future prosperity of this Province, and the North 
 American Colonies generally, wherein I should like to 
 take an active part : Confederation of all the North 
 American Colonies — estal)]ishment of a pure Free 
 Trade between the Colonics and the Mother Country 
 — thorough reform in our Parish Schools — comprehen- 
 sive and practicable Schemes for the allotment and 
 occupation of our wilderness lands l>y a superior class 
 of Immigrants — hand-to-hand fight against our corrupt 
 system of appropriating the Public Revenue until it is 
 exterminated, or rather eradicated. 
 
 " These and other questions of less moment are 
 fraughtwith incalculal»le advantages, if rightly disposed 
 of. To bring about the two first would he icorth the ex- 
 jyenditure of what little of life 1 have remaining, and 
 the lives of a score of better men. What shall I do ? 
 
..: M 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 57 
 
 :ki| 
 
 l^'l! ': 
 
 and 
 
 cl 
 
 \YV 
 
 ass 
 upt 
 it is 
 
 I -want to he free to act, and to act with all my energies 
 on these questions, and I fear the Chair would be a 
 dead weight upon me — and if so, I want no dead 
 weight. We must give up our lives for the conflict. 
 It will he principle against pvej Lidice, punty against 
 corruption, (jreatness against littleness, light against 
 darkness, Brdish glorij against Jtluenose tinsel, the 
 sun against a rush light — and yet true as are these 
 antithetic descriptions, there will ha found those who 
 will make a desperate defence foi' the cormption, the 
 littleness, the darkness, i:c., and who will tell us the 
 country will be I'uined by their accomplishment." 
 
 Tlie ideal of Mr. Wilmot, in regard to comnm'cial 
 policy and tariff arrangements, which at the present 
 time have been thrown to the front and challenixe the 
 most prominent consi<leration, seems to have been : 
 Free Trade between Great Britain and her dependen- 
 cies, also between the several Colonies ; and, in relation 
 to other countries, a discriminating system of protec- 
 tion. Tlie essential conditions of national policy since 
 then, of course, have l)een completely clianged. We 
 cannot now complain that any pent-up Utica contracts 
 our powers. But, at a period when even the trade of 
 sister Colonies was hampered by custom duties, it was 
 felt that any available market nmst, to a considerable 
 extent, be bounded by the limits of the Province. 
 " These duties," said the honourable member for York, 
 during the revenue discussion of lcS47, in a character- 
 istic speech, " were in fact a disgrace to the Colonies. 
 What was the case in the United States ;* They could 
 
 ■:{ 1 
 
58 
 
 HON. JUDOE WTLMOT. 
 
 learn a useful lesson there. There was no such re- 
 striction ; they had the whole American world for a 
 market. The shoemaker at Lynn could go where he 
 pleased, from Maine to New Orleans. But New 
 Brunswick rivalled all the world beside ! Where was 
 our market ? At home — cramped up in a narrow 
 little Province containing about 150,000 inhabitants. 
 The humble mechanic with a lapstone on his knee had 
 a mind — an intellect ; but, sf) long as he had no market 
 beyond the bounds of his own narrow Province, he 
 would remain stationary. But tell him that the whole 
 British world is before him, and you set his mind to 
 work. Those wholesome regulations of the United 
 States had brought out the mind — the genius — the 
 extraordinary genius of that people. Little countries 
 made little mechanics and little statesmen. Look at 
 the extraordinary list of inventions for which patents 
 have been granted to the State of Massachusetts 
 alone. In this way the latent energies of mind were 
 brought into action. He regretted that any restric- 
 tions had ever been placed upon Intercolonial 
 trade." 
 
 There was another important movement, then grow- 
 ing up into formidable organization, and which now 
 challenges still more commanding recognition, that 
 made its voice to be heai'd within the halls of the New 
 Brunswick Legislature In 1847, in conse( '^ence of a 
 motion for a grant in aid of the St. John Ivtnjmrance 
 Telegraph, eloquently and successfully advocator! by 
 Mr. Wilmot, the Temperance question came up in the 
 
11 
 
 PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 59 
 
 such re- 
 )rld for a 
 where he 
 But New 
 ,^here was 
 
 a narrow 
 [habitants. 
 5 knee had 
 no market 
 ovince, he 
 
 the whole 
 s mind to 
 he United 
 enius — the 
 J countries 
 Look at 
 eh patents 
 
 sachusetts 
 ind were 
 
 y restric- 
 
 ercolonial 
 
 then grow- 
 diich now 
 ition, that 
 t' the New 
 hence of a 
 rnperance 
 located by 
 lup in the 
 
 Assembly for a full and exhaustive discussion. This 
 debate, the iirst probably of a series, deserves promi- 
 nence in the annals of Colonial legislation. The sub- 
 ject is doubtless destined to continued discussion in 
 Parliament, through the press, and on the platform, 
 until its principles shall have thoroughly permeated 
 the nation; and the dark blot of legislation, which 
 sanctions and legalizes the unhallowe<l liquor traffic, 
 with all the enormity of evil, of crime, pauperism and 
 perdition, that follow in its course, shall have been 
 removed from the Statute Book of this professedly 
 Christian country ; and when, througli all these lands, 
 the banner of Temperance shall wave in uncontested 
 triumph. 
 
 In our times the public pi'ess has become a potent 
 political engine, the tongue of a free people, and a 
 stupendous social influence. The columns of enter- 
 prising and leading newspapers contain and circulate 
 much of the best thought and ablest composition of 
 the time ; and, in the ventilation of public questions, 
 they form a most convenient medium of access to the 
 popular mind. During the most active period of L. A. 
 Wilmot's career, the present era of influential journal- 
 ism, comparatively, was at its commencement. But 
 even then it was an agency not to be neglected. 
 Stranire does it seem, as we are nearino- to the close of 
 the century, that, within the meiiioiy of recent events, 
 this fact of occasional contribution should call for 
 explanation and vindication : " He woul<l not deny that 
 he had written for the papers — some little squibs. 
 
 
T 
 
 60 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 Did not the first noblemen and statesmen in England 
 write for the papers ?" * 
 
 In May, 1848, the Hon. L. A. Wilmot was appointed 
 to the office of Attorney-General. The duties which, 
 as Leader of the House of Assembly and Premier of 
 the Province, in the administration of government and 
 the manipulation of measures, now devolved upon 
 him, open a new chapter of political history. They 
 were of a nature to demand constructive ability and 
 the exercise of another kind of power from that by 
 which he had been thrown to the front of opposition. 
 
 From several measures of great utility, shadowed 
 forth in the Attorney-General's scheme of govern- 
 ment, including railway extension, reciprocity, consoli- 
 dation of law, agriculture and education, it would not 
 be easy to form any adequate estimate of his execu- 
 tive ability. There was no clear field for statesman- 
 ship. The period of his administration was one of 
 transition. There had been departure from old lines 
 of action ; but the course for the future had yet to be 
 clearly and definitely ascertained and determined. The 
 adaptation and adjustment of Government functions 
 to new and altered conditions and circumstances very 
 fully occupied the time and thought of the A.ssembly. 
 There was but a scanty margin left for the discussion 
 of economic measures. 
 
 One of the first questions demanding attention was 
 that of salaries. Under a system of monopoly, the 
 scale of payment, official and judicial, had been high in 
 
 * Want of Contidencc Debate, 1847. 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 61 
 
 proportion to the resources of the Province. There 
 was expectation of innnediate retrenchment. But 
 there were also, as a disturl-)ing and confusing element, 
 the claim and cumplieation of vested right. A delicate 
 and dexterous hand was re(|uired to draw a distinct 
 and satisfactory line of mediation between Conserva- 
 tive and Liberal section and sentiment, and equally and 
 evenly to protect and promote individual and provin- 
 cial interests. " He was at present," said the leader of 
 responsible administration, " a member of Government, 
 yet he felthimself unchanged in regard to high salaries. 
 He had witnessed from his youth up the evil effects of 
 them in this comnmnity, when those in more humble 
 life attempted to imitate the habits and manners of 
 the official ; but the Government did not pay a man 
 to roll about in splendor in his carriage, and give fetes 
 and balls : they expected him to use his mental facul- 
 ties, and to receive the benefit of his mind." * 
 
 In 1849, the Attorney-General, Hon. L. A. Wilmot, 
 in anticipation of a scheme for several years postponed 
 — the construction of a railroad from Halifax to 
 Quebec — carried a measure through the House pledging 
 
 ' 1 
 
 was 
 
 the 
 
 rh in 
 
 * " I am williiifT not only to admit, but even anxious to assert, that 
 in fixing the amount of oHicial salaries in British North America, great 
 frugalitj' should be o1)Scrved. In countries recently settloil it is of 
 moment that moderate and simjde habits of domestic expenditure 
 should prevail, and should be respected ; nor is there any exception to 
 that rule which I should more strongly deprecate than one which 
 would enable, if not require, oflicial men to distinguish themselves 
 from other classes by a less strict economy and u more costly style of 
 life." — Lord Glcncly, 
 
62 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 4511 
 
 a grant of certain public lands and the revenue of the 
 Province to the extent of £20,000 annually for twenty 
 years. In common with many others, whose specula- 
 tions could not at that time be brought to the crucial 
 test of actual fact, when the (juestion of local roads 
 was mooted, and the balance of direct expenditure and 
 of indirect advantai'(3 of traffic and travel werc^ not 
 well understood, he was (piite sce})tical in regard to the 
 development of a trade that would warrant the im- 
 mense cost involved. In nnngled banter and sarcasm, 
 he characterizecl the first proposed scheme of railway 
 as " a line from St. John to Shediac " — cut out by the 
 Colonial Minister and renewed by the emigrant agent 
 — " built for the purpose of transporting salt from 
 Westmoreland, oysters from Shediac, Cumberland 
 butter, and Tantramar hay." The prevalent idea at 
 that time was : local traffic would financially be insig- 
 nificant ; and, in order to benefit extensively by rail- 
 way thoroughfares, they must open connnunication 
 with distant and populoiis centres. 
 
 As representative of the Province of New Bruns- 
 wick, in 1850, Mr. Attorney-General Wilmot attended 
 the International Railway Convention at Portland, in 
 the State of Maine. The occasion was one of more 
 than ordinary interest. It was the first time since 
 Bunker Hill, for the promotion of beneficent and 
 national projects, that sons of Loyalists and Revolu- 
 tio!iists had met in fraternal intercourse. Tfiejtags of 
 the two countries ivere interwoven. The Convention 
 was sunniioned on that last July day for the purpose 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL. 
 
 63 
 
 of considering the feasibility, by rail via New Bruns- 
 wick, of connecting the cities of Halifax and Portland. 
 Into the magnificent schemes projectivl .at Portland 
 he threw himself with all the enthusiastic impulse of 
 his nature. He was not always in a mood, owing 
 possibly to hereditary Loyalist prejudice and educa- 
 tional bias, to do justice to the men and the measures 
 of the American Repul)lic. Statesmen, having in 
 charge great destinies, were not belicNX'd to have clean 
 hands; presidential elections were likely to produce 
 serious disturbance ; the great West, the safety valve, 
 would fill up, and then the Union would l>e subjected 
 to its severest strain. But, at the Convention, inter- 
 national themes were to the front : the connnon 
 heritage of the conquering Saxon race — the advantages 
 of international comity — the era, now beginning to 
 dawn, of greatly-increased inter-communication — the 
 splendid developments of an unfettered commerce — 
 the banners of the Republic and of the Empire : the 
 starry folds of the Union, emblematical of God's great 
 works in creation, and the red-cross flag of England, 
 of greater work in Redemption, waving in undisturbed 
 harmony — 
 
 " Till the war-drum throbhod no longer, 
 And the battle-flags were furled 
 In the rarliament of man, the 
 Federation of the world." 
 
 ill 
 
 ■ t I 
 
 1 ' 
 
 Between the British Colonies and the United States 
 there was a natural, geographical, and commercial inter- 
 dependence. In the name of concord and mutual 
 
04 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 welfare and prosperity, he proclaimed a liond of indis- 
 soluble union betw((en the two countries. By means 
 of the iron rail, their possessions, broad as the Conti- 
 nent, would be linked together; and, like the wedding 
 ring, the symbol of plighted faith, it would constitute 
 a guarantee of ])ermanence. Under that ban he pealed 
 anatheniJi upon the restless demagogues of either land 
 who should seek to part them asunder. 
 
 " He alluded to the fact that exercise of the muscles 
 of the l)ody tended to increased vigor ; and that exercise 
 of intellectual facalties, ami interchange of opinions, 
 strengthened tlie mind. Reciprocity of kindly feeling 
 would, in like manner, enlarge the heart. In the 
 course of his remarks, Mr. Wilmot casually alluded to 
 the question of dissolution of the Union — that the 
 people of the Provinces would look upon such an event 
 as most disastrous to their interests and to the interests 
 of humanity. He thought that even a suggestion in 
 that direction ought to be considered treason by law ; 
 and, with much earnestness, exclaimed : ' Perish the 
 man ivho should dare to think of it.' " * 
 • There were many able and eloquent speeches at that 
 Portland Convention, from parliamentary and public 
 men — both sides of the line — but to Attorney-General 
 Wilmot, by common consent, was awarded the palm of 
 consummate, crowning oratory. He carried the au- 
 dience by storm. To people across the border, accus- 
 tomed to political declamation, it was a matter of 
 amazement that their most brilliant men should be 
 
 Portland Advertiser. 
 
 i! I 
 
PROFESSIONAL AND POMTinAL. 
 
 65 
 
 be 
 
 completely eclipsed. It was still a greater cause of 
 mystery how a style of oratory, of the imaginative and 
 impassioned type, regarded as peculiarly a pro<luction 
 of the chivalrous and sunny South, could have been 
 born and nurtured amidst the frioid influences and 
 monarchical institutions of a bleak and foggy forest 
 Province. There were accompanying advantrges 
 which stamped the effort as supreme of its kind. 
 Dramatic action, consunniiate ^race of rhetorical ex- 
 pression, a voice of matchless power and wondrous 
 modulation, contributed to the heightened eff'ect. To 
 H very considerable extent the eloquence was im- 
 promptu ; and, therefoi-e, largely took its caste and 
 complexion, apt allusions and rich surprises, from the 
 immediate scene and its surroundinas. That ma^xnifi- 
 cent burst of oratory swept over the aiidience like ffre 
 amongst stubble, and like the tempest that 1 tends forest 
 trees. Reporters are said to have dropped their pencils 
 and yielded to the magnetic, resistless spell ; and the 
 people, gathered in dense mass, were wrought into a 
 frenzy of excitement and enthusiasm. It was very 
 importimately desired that upon public, social, and 
 international themes, he would make a round of 
 speeches in the chief centres of the Union. 
 
 " I am poor," said a Revolutionary hero, a century 
 ago, when tempted by a bribe of British gold; "but 
 the King of Great Britain, with all the treasures of his 
 exchequer, is not rich enough to Imy me." Time works 
 its own revenges. " What is your price ?" demanded a 
 knot of wealthy Republicans, believing in the Sir 
 
60 
 
 HON. JUnOK WILMOT. 
 
 .: I' 
 
 '"II ' 
 
 I Wt 
 
 Robert Walpole doctrine. " My price !" said the Hon. 
 L. A. Wilmot ; " what is it that you mean ?" " Every 
 man lias a price," it was affirmed, " and you have only 
 to name yours and you shall have it." And thus the 
 eloquent Attorney-General of the little Province by the 
 sea, had he been accessible on that side, might, as he 
 afterwards phrased it, have been " turned into a 
 Republican stump orator." But he had the stern stuff 
 of that hero of the Revolution ; and, without l)ravado, 
 could have told of another land that held his heart, and 
 of a nobler mission : 
 
 "To struggle in the solid ranks of truth ; 
 To dutch the monster error l)y the throat ; 
 To bear opinion to a loftier seat, 
 To blot the em of oppression out, 
 And lead a new and nobler freedom in." 
 
 During the same year, 18.50, Attorney-General 
 Wilmot visited Washington. Negotiations, in which 
 his Government was concerned, had been opened for a 
 Treaty of Reciprocity with the United States ; but for 
 the maturity of such a scheme, time was demanded. 
 Four years later, through the agency of Lord Elgin, 
 the project Avas happily consummated. 
 
i; 
 
 TIT. 
 
 JUDGE AND GOYEKNORr 
 
 " Sans peur et sans roproche. " 
 
 — M^moirr/t, d-r, 
 
 N January, 1851, Hon. L. A. Wilmot was ap- 
 pointed Judge of the Supreme Court. It was 
 as Jud<T;e that, in a Larije circle, he is now re- 
 nienibered and venerated. The Cliief- Justiceship, then 
 vacant, following the analogy of the British Constitu- 
 tion, was due to him as Attorney-General. Through 
 Conservative influence, endeavouring to thwart re- 
 sponsible administi-ation, and the persistency of the 
 Governor, this more exalted scat was given to Mr. 
 Justice Carter. The Puisne Judgeship offered to Mr. 
 Wilmot, contraiy to general expectation, was accepted. 
 By many of his political friends this step was regarded 
 as the mistake of his life. It was the opinion of 
 competent counsellors that he should have protested 
 against the elevation of Judge Carter, and gone into 
 opposition. There was every reason to believe, that 
 
 l!*i 
 
68 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 .''•'I 
 
 I ' 
 
 #' 
 
 
 by snch a course he luiglit have consolidated the 
 Reform Party, foiled the schemes of Sir E. Head, upset 
 the Conservative Government; and, that being made 
 acquainted wi^ Vi inanifeKt violation of constitutional 
 principle, in the end the Colonial ]\[inister would have 
 given him the position in contention. 
 
 The «annals of British judicial administi'ation, from 
 the days of f^ir ■Sljitthew Hale, " foi- deep discernment 
 praised " anci " sanctity undeliled," through a golden 
 age of law and reason, a long and splendid succession, 
 commemorafto tlie names of <listinguished Judges; 
 their supreuic legal attainments and conspicuous 
 mental endowments constitute a pride and glory of the 
 realm. Undci. pressure of counter and conllicting 
 claims and considerations, at the time of the Judge's 
 appointm>Tit, to the p(Mpl<jxity of fi'iends and a provo- 
 cation to advoise criticism, there was somewhat of 
 hesitation and p(>rhaps of oscillation betwixt the 
 Forum and tin- ]3eneh. He was a popular politician. 
 The House of Assoinhly had been tlie scene of mag- 
 nificent oratorical achievement. But then he was also 
 a /cn/.'?/^?'— passionately proud of. his profession and 
 conscious of competent (pialitication lor discharge of 
 onerous and cxaHcd duty. Tn deference, therefore, to 
 special attraction and the unrivalled jo/r.s/'/^^; of digni- 
 fied legal position, ardent and enthusiastic synipathies 
 and aspirations were placed in subordination. He was 
 still in tile meridian splendour of public life. But the 
 j»referenc(^ was laudable and perfectly explicable. He 
 had his rew^ard. The ambition, which as the crown 
 
 ii i 
 
JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 69 
 
 
 and culmination of a ])rilliant and influential career — 
 professional and parliamentary — coveted honourable 
 and illustrious association and a place on the bead-roll 
 of innnortal forensic fame, was well calculated to 
 ensure and perpetuate recognition. 
 
 In addition to reasons alreadv indicated, that deter- 
 mined his course, there were probal:)ly others of a 
 private and personal nature. As a conse(jUence of early 
 entrance upon public life, his own business must have 
 been greatly neglected ; and professional income, upon 
 which he M'as mai^iiy dependent, would be considerably 
 curtailed. The inevitable cost of contested elections, 
 undei* the vicious system which at that time prevailed, 
 must under any circumstance ha\'e been a very serious 
 item. In these facts tliere was palpable and cogent 
 reason for accepting honourable judicial appointment — 
 a coveted prize in the legal profession. The transition 
 from stormv debates of the Leuislative Assembly to 
 the ordinarily serene atmosphere of the Court of Judi- 
 cature, not altogether consonant to mercurial elements 
 of mental temperament, brought with it duties of an 
 entirely difi'erent character. He was now largely 
 withdrawn from the public gaze. For some seventeen 
 years, in the impartial discliarge of judicial functions, 
 h'' stood aloof from [»avty nif vemeut. Tliis j)hase 
 of life may, therefoiv, fitly be c^'Mpressed into brUf 
 notice. 
 
 To the Bench of New iirunsw iclv Judu'e Wiluiut 
 became a noble and splendid accession. Hf was not 
 by any means a Uavk-ldter lawyer. At the bar, in the 
 
 'hi 
 
70 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 i;! 
 
 shape of ancient and musty authorities, he never bored 
 judge or jury by any extra pro(hiction of learned 
 lumber. There is a kind of letral knowledue to be ob- 
 tained in patient, labourious inijuiry and application, 
 foi' which he would never, probably, have become con- 
 spicuous. As a mere hyist of what may be technically 
 known as "cases," fi'om the fibre and constitution of 
 his mind, he could scarcely have achieved any sio;nal 
 success. In contiadistinction to a dull plodder in 
 precedent, he was pre-eminently a jurist. " Under any 
 species of administration," according to the dictum of 
 a distinguished aphorist, " it is seldom that both in- 
 tellect and intregity have a predominating sway." 
 But in a very eminent degree and in marked combina- 
 tion, when Mr. Justice Wibnot presided at the Supreme 
 Court, these desiderated (jualities found exhibition. 
 Keen observation, love for legal studies, extensive pro- 
 fessional experience, acute and penetrating thought, 
 clear and facile intuition and perception of complex 
 and subtle ({uestivjns involved, firm and rapid grasp of 
 principles that govern the noble science of jurispru- 
 dence, in that lofty sphere, could not fail to command 
 appreciation and profound respect. That very rapidity 
 and assurance of mental process, however, by which 
 complicated interests and important issues were appre- 
 hended and anticipatiMl, were almost certain in some 
 cases to produce friction and dissatisfied feeling. 
 Between the Bench and Bar may often be felt the 
 pressure of motives that lie widely asunder. There is 
 an)j)le margin for di vergi'nce of feeling an<l action. The 
 
JUDQE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 71 
 
 persistence of the advocate, knowing how much has 
 been staked upon his a))ility and judgment, and what 
 important interests have been entrusted to his manage- 
 ment, sometimes deemed slieer pertinacity, striving to 
 make tlie worse appear the better cause, is not uni're- 
 quently prompted by intense and anxious solicitude 
 for tlie advantau'e of a client. The Ju<lL'e on the other 
 hand has only one central, controlling idea. He strives 
 to be absolutely and inflexibly impartial. Through 
 whatever human hopes, fears, oi- supposed rights, it 
 cleave a way, tlie law must ttike its course. Upon 
 whatever tends to thwart pure administration, justice 
 sternly frowns rebuke. Occasionally impatience, pro- 
 voked by the wrangling of lawyers, finds severe expres- 
 sion. But whatever ditt'ercnce of estimate there may 
 have been in rejjcard to Judixe Wilmot's administration, 
 in otlier respects, there was confessedly an unswerving 
 integrity of purpose. In his appointment to tlie Bench 
 the ermine was worn with dignity, grace, and unsullied 
 purity. 
 
 One trial during his presidency as Judge of the 
 Supreme Court, amongst scientific men and through 
 the country, is said to have excited a deep and wide- 
 spread interest. Amongst the witnesses sunnuoned 
 were Professor Sedgewick, the noted geol>)gist, and 
 eminent scientists of the United States. The issue of 
 the trial depended chiefly upon correct classification of 
 a mineial, a species of anthracite extensively used in 
 the manufacture of kerosene oil, commonly known as 
 Albert coal. Testimony in this case, for pui'poses of 
 
72 
 
 HON. JlTDfJE \V;i,MOT. 
 
 accuracy, comprised some very minute distinctions and 
 abundance of technical terminology. The Judge was 
 now in his element. Wide and varied knowledge, 
 legal and scientific, was exhibited to very conspicuous 
 advantage. He giive himself to thorough mastery and 
 complete comprehension of the questions in disputa- 
 tion. The ability witli which he presided, the lumin- 
 ous exposition of fundamental principles of law, the 
 acuteness exhibited in grasp of multifarious details and 
 scientific intricacies, commanded o-eneral admiration, 
 From intelligent spectators and distinguished wit- 
 nesses, most competent to determine, he won acknow- 
 ledgment of the hio-liest encomium. 
 
 TJiC value to his country for many years' service, in 
 faithful discharge of judicial duties, consonant with 
 the pure and lofty spirit of the British legal adminis- 
 tration, from a mere reference to isolated cases, cannot 
 be fully estimated. " The pure and ii'.ipartial admin- 
 istration of justice is, probably, the firmest bond to 
 secure a cheerful submission of the people, and to 
 entrajje their afiections to o'overnment."' * " Justice is 
 the greatest interest of man on earth. It is the liga- 
 ment which holds civilized beings and civilized nations 
 together. Wherever her temple stands, and as long as 
 it is duly honoured, there is a foundation for security, 
 and general happiness, and the improvement and pro- 
 gress of our race. And whoever labours on this edifice 
 with usefulness and distinction ; whoever clears its 
 foundations, strengthens its pillars, adorns its entabla- 
 
 * Letters of Junius. 
 
i; 
 
 JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 73 
 
 tures, or contributes to raise its august dome still 
 higher in the skies, connects hiniself, in name and fame 
 and character, with that whicli is and must he durable 
 as human society." * 
 
 During the period of connection with the Bench a 
 relief from severe strain of judicial duty, in response to 
 pressing application, taking advantage of convenient 
 and legitimate method of acting upon popular thought 
 and feeling, Judge Wilmot occasionally lectured on 
 subjects of literary and patriotic interest. Toward the 
 close of the Crimean War, in 185G, a second address on 
 that subject was delivered. The theme was congenial. 
 Aftei- nmch endui-ance, and one of the greatest sieges 
 on record, the foi'tresse<l City of Sebastopol had been 
 taken. The haughty pride and menace of Russia were 
 laid in the dust. In discussino- the situation there 
 were accuracy of detail, precision of technical and 
 militar} phrase, and vividness of colouring that would 
 have done credit t<j one wlio had mingled in the strife. 
 There was a very decided impression that the best in- 
 terests of a noble civilization, and of a nobler Chris- 
 tianity, were bound up with the success of the Allies. 
 Believinii- that God was still " the Lord of Hosts " — the 
 Supreme Ai'biter of nations — he referred, for jvitriotic 
 purpose, to sacred hist(»ric fact and to the might of 
 ancient Hebrew warriors. Full of the fire of that 
 theme, on the destruction of Sennacherib's host, he 
 quoted Byron's Hebrew melody : 
 
 it 
 
 lib 
 1 > I 
 
 Daniel Wcbatci; 
 
 D 
 
74 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 " The Assyrian came down, like the wolf on the fold, 
 And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ; 
 And the sheen of their spears was like the stars on the sea, 
 When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee." 
 
 During the troubled days of the Sepoy mutiny, in 
 India, the march of the gallant Havelock was graphic- 
 ally describe-d. Ev^en the dark clouds which at the 
 time gathered over our countiymen in that land had 
 a fringe of brightness. " It was not for him to inves- 
 tigate the secrets of Providence ; but there seemed to 
 be wonderful adaptations in relation to these late 
 events." It was a happy circumstance that the re- 
 bellion in India had not happened two years earlier ; 
 then England was engaged in war with Russia. Had 
 this been the case, every European must have died, or 
 been driven into the sea. But again a dispute had 
 taken place with China ; a large number of soldiers 
 were out on the way for the purpose of settling that 
 dispute. The Chinese contingent was, therefore, ready 
 to enter India just when the terrible outbreak hap- 
 pened. 
 
 A series of Lyceum addresses, in the city of St. 
 John, .858-9, grew into fame. The audiences and 
 excitement were unprecedented in that community. 
 The design of the whole course M'as to deepen in the 
 public mind a sense of indebtedness to the Word of 
 God. Many a thread of purple and gold was woven 
 into the texture of brilliant speech. The touching 
 testimony of Dr. Newman, in regard to "the uncom- 
 mon beauty and marvellous " style of the authorized 
 
 
JUDGE AND GUVEllNOll. 
 
 76 
 
 version, was emphasized and endorsed : " It lives in 
 the ear like music that can never be forgotten, like 
 the sound of the church hells which the convert hardly 
 knows how to forego. Its felicities seem almost things 
 instead of words ; it is a part of the national mind and 
 the anchoi- of national seriousness ; the memory of the 
 dea<l passes into it; the potent traditions of childliood 
 are stereotyped in its verses; the pf)wer of all griefs 
 and trials of man are hidden beneath its words. In 
 the length and breadth of the land there is not a 
 Protestant, with one spark of seriousness about him, 
 whose spiritual biography is not in the Saxon Bible."* 
 Amongst the generous gifts of a loyal people to the 
 Princess Royal, on the occasion of her marriage to the 
 Crown-Prince of Prussia, was a superbly bound Bible, 
 " the secret of England's irreatness " — 
 
 ^ 
 
 " A gem whirh purer lusti'e flings 
 Thau tlic iliiimoiul flasli of the jewelled crown 
 On the lofty brow of kings."' 
 
 In reference to that gift, " a boon offered alike to 
 prince and to peasant," the Judge paid a beautiful 
 tribute to the Book he lu\ ed so well : " There were 
 gatliered in profusion, costly pearls and diamonds, 
 brilliant, dazzling ornaments j.recious gifts from loving 
 friends. One wouM think that art had exhausted its 
 skill in producing those wondrous bridal gifts ; and 
 one is led to think how thev will adorn Eni>land's 
 daughter, and how these precious gems will ere long 
 
 • Dublin Review. 
 
76 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 :! r 
 
 I 
 
 II 
 
 sparkle in tlio liglit of ca tliousand lamps in the royal 
 halls of Prussia. And tlien those mementoes of 
 domestic love, how they will rendnd her of the gener- 
 ous givx'rs and of her happy English home ! But see ! 
 andd that costly, dazzling array there is another gift. 
 It cannot deck the brow, or sparkle on the bosom ; but 
 it can do more, infinitely more. When peails, and 
 diamonds, and gems, and gold and gay attire, lose all 
 theii- beauty and attraction ; when all worldly glories 
 are fading away, this precious gift will only increase 
 in value and in beauty, reflecting the light of heaven 
 upon the soul, an<l affording sweet peace when all of 
 earth is useless, ^'alueless. Here are decorations for 
 the soul, brilliants for eternity !" 
 
 The pure and life-giving Word of God was designed, 
 as the lecturer believed, for nations as well as indivi- 
 duals. The inspired i<lea of the mystic ri\ er of pro- 
 phetic vision, on more than one occasion, found noble 
 application : " T like," he said, at the St. John 
 Anniversary of 1<S58, " to refer to that striking 
 vision of the piophet Ezekicl in the 47th chapter, 
 where he sees the great waters stretching away, 
 far away : It is like the Word of God ; and there 
 we see the little Sunday-school children coming 
 up, and it is ankle-deep for them ; and then we 
 see it growing deeper and broader for those more 
 advanced in years, the waters coming up to the knees, 
 and then the loins, until it swelled out a mighty river, 
 stretchhig far away, and which even the greatest could 
 not pass over ; but some stand on the brink of this 
 
H 
 
 JUDGE AND (JOVERNOR. 
 
 77 
 
 great river of life, and ^vill allow none to wa<lc in it. 
 Some would endeavour to prevent us going into these 
 waters, even ankle deep, and instea<l of allowing us to 
 bathe in this glorious stream of the river of life, would 
 give to us l)ut small draughts, not of the pure waters 
 of life, but a miserable, filthy compound, taken out of 
 the stagnant pools of man's devising ; or which 
 
 Whoever tasted, lost U[tright sbnpe, 
 
 And downward fell, into a grovelling swine." 
 
 A pamphlet, published in 1(S.5(), contains a speech and 
 lecture, and also several controversial letters to which 
 these had given rise. There was an incident of the 
 speech that indicated bi-eadth of histoi'ical knowledge, 
 and the ease with which it could at once be made 
 availabhi in public effort. It had Ijeen stated by Mr. 
 Justice Parker, in an opening address, that Papal per- 
 mission had been given in 177tS to read the Bible in 
 France. That permission, according to Judge Wilmot, 
 was for the purpose of checking the revolutionary spirit, 
 generated l)y principles and deeds that Rome had 
 patronized. " Voltaire and his associates were spi-ead- 
 ing their infidel writings with the avowed purpose of 
 overthrowing Christianity. Copies to cover cost of 
 pul)lication were sold ; the remainder were gratuitous- 
 ly circulated. This course they connnenced in 1772; 
 you know what happened in ten years from that time. 
 A living tide of fire rolled over the land, devastating 
 the country and sweeping before it throne and king, 
 altar and priest. In all this there was manifest retri- 
 
78 
 
 HON. .lUDdE WILMOT. 
 
 1 i 
 
 bution and the justice of G(xl. Two centuries before, 
 Clement and Ravailic, both monks, liad assassinated 
 King Henry, excommunicated by the Pope, and Henry 
 of Navaire. On St. Bartholonuiw's Day, 1570, fifty 
 thousand Protestants wei'e slauglitered. There were 
 rejoicings at Rome ; a medal was struck in commem- 
 oration of the event. Undei- the pictures of Clement 
 and Ravailac were placed the inscription : ' Happy is 
 the man who kills a king.' After two hundred years, 
 men met in dark cells to plot the Revolution. Tlie 
 pictures of Clement and Ravailac, with that inscrip- 
 tion, were seen hanging above their heads. The king 
 paid the penalty. If it were good to kill Henry, why 
 not Louis :* Upon their own principles, the evils which 
 had been bi-ought about were now avenged." 
 
 The reputation of Hon. L. A. Wilmot, as pleader 
 and parliamentary debater, had been made years 
 before ; and the laurel-leaf, awarded by acclamation, 
 was still fresh and green. But in the absence of any 
 formidable opponent, a foemen worthy of keen and 
 polished Damascus steel, there was a general impres- 
 sion that the (jualities which made him the Rupert of 
 debate must mainly be held in abeyance. There was 
 consequent surprise. The iire and force and freshness 
 of platform effort and oratory fairly took the com- 
 munity V>y storm. " For three hours," we find, at one 
 time, " the audience was held almost breathless by the 
 magic spell of elo(pience." The announcement of John 
 Boyd, Esq., Hon. S. L. Tilley, Rev. Matthew Richey, 
 D.D., and Hon. Judge Wilmot, in 1860, as speakers 
 
JUDGE AND (JOVFRN'OR. 
 
 79 
 
 for a public moctin^^ to bo held in tho Contcnary 
 Church, might well prorluco a tVelinjij of more than 
 orrlinarv interest. Many a ^roat crowd has been 
 gathered in that noble old sanetuaiy ; but the scene 
 of thronged aisles and galleries, that we were privi- 
 lei;ed to witness on that occasion, could scarcely be 
 surpassed. Between two of those gifte<l men, it was 
 difficult to award the palm of elo(iuence : "The Rev. 
 Dr. Richey is one of the most finished orators of 
 modern times. He would make his mark in any 
 civilized country and among any people ; his diction 
 the purest, and his language the most chaste of any 
 man we know. He was succeeded by Judge Wilmot 
 in one of those thrilling, heart-stirring addresses so 
 characteristic of him. These men are equally great 
 in their different styles of eloquence, but they are 
 entirely dissimilar in manner and expression. The 
 Judge stands upon the platform a living representation 
 of oratory." * 
 
 There was, in regard to these efforts, an almost 
 consentaneous expi-ession. " He lectured on the 
 Buried City — of which the Prophet Nahum pre- 
 dicted : ' I will make thy grave, for thou art vile.' 
 To the surprise of the wonder-stricken inhabitants ; 
 the astonishment of the world ; the delight of the 
 Bible student; the remains of this great city were dis- 
 covered far below, dug out of the very bowels of the 
 earth — a wonderful attestation of the truth of the 
 Scripture account of Nineveh, which the sceptic has so 
 
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 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 long derided, and of that divine prophecy uttered 
 many years before — ' For thou hast made of a city 
 an heap, of a defenced city a ruin ; a place of strangers 
 to be no city ; it shall never be built.' Words fail 
 to express the rich imagery — the deep reasoning — 
 the wondrous development of prophecy — the solemn 
 lessons of warning which characterised this noble 
 effort. We will only add, it was one of the richest 
 specimens of sublime, soul-stirring eloquence, we have 
 ever listened to ; and sustained, in all its force, the 
 fame of the speaker as one of the first orators in 
 America." * For the benefit of young people the 
 lecture on that subject was repeated. The hour ap- 
 pointed was half-past two in the afternoon ; but long 
 before that time the St. John Institute Hall was filled 
 to its utmost capacity. " The doors had to be closed 
 and hundreds turned away. The inside of the Hall 
 presented an imposing spectacle. Probably not less 
 than two thousand five hundi-ed managed to get in. 
 There were sparkling eyes and open ears. How de- 
 lightful to see his Honour devoting splendid talents to 
 the mental and moral improvement of the young ! 
 Citizens are under lasting obligation for the rich intel- 
 lectual treat." * An arrangement of a similar kind 
 seems to have been made for the following year. 
 "The Christianity of the Bible," he said, "never 
 forged a bolt or prison bar. It never drew a tear nor 
 encouraged a cruel act. It taught peace and good- 
 will. The Sword of the Spirit, the blessed Word of 
 
 • Courier, 1858. t Christian Visitor, Feb. 1858. 
 
JUDGE AXD OOVERXOR. 
 
 81 
 
 Gofl, was its only vveapon. The Bible was man's 
 heritage and right. Youthful hearers were urged to 
 stand by it. If we may judge from the storm of 
 applause, this they are resolved to do." * 
 
 At some points, in this memorable course, the line of 
 thought brought up burning questions and led to the 
 discussion of monitory historic facts. Fired by a .sen.se 
 of the tremend(Mis significance of such a theme, stem a.s 
 well as splendid pa.s.sages Imrst from his lip.s. The fer- 
 vent utterances, however, were in one case denounced 
 as mere Protestant philippics. What was an uninten- 
 tional compliment, the oratory was branded as " of the 
 true Gavazzi style." The propriety of such a role, 
 on the part of a Judge of the Supreme Court, was 
 publ' ly nrpstioned. "There was a time," he .said, 
 "when u iwyer, except as an ecclesiastic, could not 
 sit upon the Bench. The sacred and judicial offices 
 were combined. A chancellor heard the cause, con- 
 demned the criminal and executed the .sentence." 
 But can there be a return of .such days in the his- 
 tory of our country ? Must the lips of legal digni- 
 taries, except within their own jurisdiction, be utterly 
 sealed and their convictions .suppressed :• Are there 
 not questions of momentous importance which, from 
 eminent ability and exalted position, they are spe- 
 cially qualified to discuss ? Is the ermine of .such 
 delicate quality and of .such sensitive purity that, by 
 mere contact with the earnest, throbbing UK^vements 
 of a living humanity, it may be .soile<l or sullied ? 
 
 * Church Witness, 1859. 
 
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 82 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 There was at least one eminent Judge who claimed 
 the right of untrammelled thought and of unfettered 
 speech. His utterances in definition of position 
 and purpose, as nobly exhibited and unfalteringly- 
 maintained, breathe an«i burn with the spirit and 
 sentiment to which we are indebted for the priceless 
 boon of civil and religious liberty. They have the 
 ring of Luther's thundering theses : " While under 
 protection of the fiag of my country and in i^oHsession 
 of British freedom, I ctinnot (dioiv nny poiver or party, 
 political or ecclesiastical, to dict<de as to when, how, or 
 luhere I shall explain and defend. Protestant tenets 
 and expose opposing systems." * 
 
 The impression produced )iy such words can scarcely 
 be understood from a mere perusal. They were ac- 
 companied by an intens«\ but undofinable, sensibility. 
 There was an emoti(m that was strangely contagious. 
 " The Judge is all action. The listener feels his heart 
 vibrating like a reed in tlie wind before his wonder- 
 ful and powerful gesticulation. The oratory is that of 
 both intellect and body ; the whole man is brought 
 into action. Does he get oft a denunciation ? You 
 read it in his countenances befoi-e the eloquent words 
 have leaped like fire from his lips."-f* 
 
 Another side of Hon. L A. Wilmot's well-rounded 
 life, to best advantage, could be seen in his own home. 
 He was a versatile and brilliant conversationalist. In 
 addition to wealth of acijuired knowledge and ac- 
 quaintance with best thought, as embodied in literary 
 
 * Carhton Sentinel. f St. John Olobe, 1860. 
 
JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 88 
 
 laimed 
 ottered 
 losition 
 eringly 
 rit and 
 riceless 
 five the 
 under 
 Hsession 
 >r party, 
 how, or 
 it tenets 
 
 scarcely 
 svere ac- 
 isibility. 
 itagioua. 
 His heart 
 wonder- 
 s that of 
 brought 
 ? You 
 
 ords 
 
 It w 
 
 Irounded 
 
 in home. 
 
 list. In 
 
 land ac- 
 
 1 literary 
 
 60. 
 
 art, there were ready play of wit, delicacy of feeling, 
 love for social intercourse, and a constant atmosphere 
 of kindliness. To bring out the interest of personal 
 interview, it may be expedient to descri]»e one of many 
 visits. In order that this sketch mav be a livinfj ex- 
 pression, and not simply an ideal conception, it will be 
 preferable to trace a reminiscence in which mertio- 
 randfi can be utilized. 
 
 The beautiful grounds of Evelyn Grove, at that time 
 the finest probably in the Province, annually visited by 
 numerous citizens and strangers, always cordially wel- 
 comed, were evidence of cultuied taste and of intense 
 love of nature.* House and vi>ran<lah are draped and 
 shaded by refreshing foliage, and beautifie(l with thick 
 profusion of twining plants and trellised vines. From 
 the rear there looms up the sliadowy form of dark, 
 tall pines. Bounding the grounds an* the stately and 
 graceful forms and spi-eading i)ranchos of leafy green- 
 wood trees. These have all been planted l>y the pro- 
 prietor, and are all the growth of a life-time. Fronting 
 the residence, intersected by pleasant paths and orna- 
 mented with statuary, smooth and velv»'ty surface and 
 swath of deepest and richest gi'ecn, is a neatly-trimmed 
 and shady lawn. In the midst, an appropriate setting 
 of gem-like beauty, bright with variegated colors, is 
 a spacious, circular mound. (Jeranimns and other 
 choice plants, in various and contrasted tints, are there 
 
 * In this way, as an acconipUsln'»l horticulturist, .Fiidgf! Wilniot 
 came to be widoly known. He was u Vico-Presitlcnt of the l*onio- 
 logical Society of America — the Presith'iit of which, the Hon. Mr. 
 Wilder, recently paid an appropriate tribute to liis ineniory. 
 

 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 I ^ 
 
 84 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 combined into rare completeness and beauty of design. 
 In the centre, of pyramidical shape, that may only be 
 expected to bloom once in a century, stands a magnifi- 
 cent specimen of the cactus family. "Should the 
 summer-time of the hundred years come in my life," 
 Judge Wilmot often pleasantly remarked, as visitors 
 lingered in admiration, "the church bell must ring 
 out a peal, and all the friends be iavitcd to a sight of 
 century-flowers." That centennial glory he was not 
 permitted to see. The associations of that delightful 
 grove, in which beauty and fragrance are renewed and 
 reproduced, can only now revive the hopeless longing, 
 " for the touch of a vanished hand, and the sound 
 of a voice that is still !" 
 
 Through a slender arch of bent twigs and branches, 
 fragrant with perfume of rose and honeysuckle and 
 blossoming columbine, that climb and twine around 
 each delicate stem, we make our way to another sec- 
 tion of these charmingly beautiful grounds. What a 
 scene of floral splendour now bursts upon the view ! 
 
 " The garden p.aths are broad and smooth, 
 There pansies bloom in gorgeous bed ; 
 And high above the violets 
 
 The tall, pale lilies bow their heads. " 
 
 Flowers of rare beauty and loveliness, and of deli- 
 cious aroma, grouped and distributed with exquisite 
 taste and skill, blossom and brighten in the soft balmy 
 sunshine ; and, with sweet odors, gladden this favored, 
 elysian spot. There is a sensation around you at the 
 moment, as if nature were sighing for repose. The 
 
^ 
 
 JUDGE AXD OOVERXOR. 
 
 86 
 
 air is languid with summer heat ; but in the early 
 morning, we should have found invigorating freshness 
 and the joyousness of renewed life. In matin strain, 
 the feathered songsters that frequent the grove warble 
 in concert and fill it with their melody. Here, at that 
 dewy hour, with wonted implements of toil, for this 
 floral culture forms a special charge, we might have 
 found our honored friend. The avenue leads at length 
 to another quality of production. There are superb 
 specimens of roots and plants, and a marvellous pro- 
 fusion and wealth of organic life. Threading a way 
 through the foliage, that almost conceals access, the 
 grounds in another direction change to a completely 
 different character. As if in some fairv land, the scene 
 and surroundings have undergone a wondrous trans- 
 formation. Instead of flowers and parenchymatous 
 growth, with abundance of shade, there is an almost 
 tropical variety of shrubbery and of thickly-planted 
 ornamental trees. In the centre, chiefly constructed 
 by his own hands, stands a summer-house of rustic 
 form and frame work. We find the Judge enjoying — 
 
 "The harvest of a quid eijr 
 That sleeps and broods on his own heart." 
 
 By the fullness and fluency of his conversation, we 
 are at once fascinated. The life of every plant, its 
 special aflftnities and conditions of growth, he seems 
 perfectly to understand. If, as the Oriental monarch, 
 he does not speak of the trees " from the cedar that 
 is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out 
 
 i I 
 I 
 

 li 
 
 86 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 of the wall ;" from climbing ivy and myrtle and " the 
 lilies," how they grow, and fair and delicate forms of 
 life that have been transplanted from strange and 
 sunny lands, to the stately cone-l)earers that tower 
 above us in the dusky magnificence of what seems a 
 dense forest growth, he talks with the accuracy of a 
 botanical scientist and the enthusiasm of a genuine 
 child of nature. 
 
 There are wonderful lessons, when once the myste- 
 ries of nature have found an adequate interpreter, to 
 be learned an<l treasured up. " Look," says the Judge, 
 " at that slender, trailing vine ! In search of support, 
 and failing to find a fitting object, its tendrils run 
 along the ground. With gentle hand it ought to be 
 trained toward the light. There itwouM find strength 
 and life. But now, with a tendency to speedy decay, 
 it clasps and clings to a piece of mouldering wood. By 
 a law of their nature, equally with ivy plant and sum- 
 mer-tendril, in their unfolding mind, the little ones 
 that gather around us for instruction ciing tenaciously 
 for strength and support. If not trained upwards, in 
 the direction of heavenly light find love, they may be 
 expected to take root in some unworthy object ; and, 
 in direct assimilation, become of tlie earth, earthy." 
 "What delicious fruit," he continues, when for a moment 
 the modest strawberry vine claims attention, "close 
 upon the surface 1 Is it not so in the word of God ? 
 Are not the most essential truths easily accessible ? 
 Were a stranger from another planet, thrown sud- 
 denly upon our globe, to be ae(piaiiite<l with the 
 
JFDOE AND OOVFRNOR. 
 
 87 
 
 boundaries of knowledge, he might ask in amazement: 
 ' Must I know all this in order to live :* Must I search 
 the strata, classify planets, group the stars* into con- 
 stellations, and investigate the illimitable ' ? By no 
 means ! The essential conditions of life ai-c; simple : 
 Bread from bruised corn, and water fi-om the mountain 
 spring. Then, according to inclination or capacity, 
 research may be carried into distant domain. In the 
 word of God are deep abysses, mountain peaks, and 
 measureless expanse of thought. But the grand veri- 
 ties, needed for salvati(m, are upon the surface. The 
 straivhrrrir-'i fie nearest to the littk ehildirfi ! It is not 
 necessary to acquire abstruse and technical knowledge 
 in order to live. We can subsist on that which grows 
 at our feet. And so in the marvellous word of inspira- 
 tion, with might}' depths and knotty points for learned 
 men and profound theologians, for the young there are 
 passages, clear, simple, and loving ; the twenty-third 
 psalm where the little ones may be led into green 
 pastures and to (piiet waters." 
 
 Is it the sentiment of Wordsworth, in affinity with 
 what has been eloquently expressed, that recurs in 
 suggestive strain ? As a slight contribution to con- 
 versational interest the lines are recalled : 
 
 *' Bolievp it not : 
 That primal duties shine aloft like stars ; 
 The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless, 
 Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers." 
 
 The interest of this visit, fortunately, has not yet 
 ended. After an excursion through the grounds, for a 
 
 ■ ; . 
 
88 
 
 HON. JUDOE WILMOT. 
 
 I 
 
 
 few moments of rest, we accompany the Judge to his 
 library. Heie a new and congenial theme, often touched 
 upon before, is started. " Have you read," he asks — 
 and his words may be given rerhnfim — " the Au- 
 gust and September numbers of Blackwood ? The 
 first contains an exceedin^lv interestinjx article on n^hat 
 the Old E(jj/ptians did. The writer is at a loss to know 
 in what way the early post-diluvians became .so wise 
 and so well in.structed in many things. To me the 
 article is especially interesting as supporting my view 
 that wisdom was originally inspired l>y the Creator. 
 It does appear marvellous that even such a man as 
 Whately should have entertained an idea that man 
 when first created, or very .shortly afterwards, was 
 advanced by the Creator himself to a state above that of 
 a mere savage. Surely if God created man perfect, 
 physically and morally, he did not leave him a babe in 
 intellect ! Why may we not, therefore, as.sume that the 
 first man was educated by the Almighty Himself — 
 that he took the degree of M.A. in Heaven's College — 
 that he knew what kind of world he was placed in, 
 and how to make the most of it — that he knew the re- 
 lation of the earth to the sun, moon and other planets, 
 and how they served for days and seasons and years — 
 that intellectually Adam was the Creator's master-piece 
 and never a savage ? Then what opportunities, from 
 the longevity of the ante-diluvians, for imparting 
 knowledge ! Though the wickedness of man was great 
 upon the earth, and led to the terrible judgment of the 
 flood, the majestic intellect was there 
 
Ii 
 
 JUnrJE AND GOVEIINOR. 89 
 
 Bright and base. 
 With rubbish mixod nnd glittering in the dust. 
 
 The wonderful arcliitecturc of the Assyrians and 
 Egyptians, and the learning and wisdom of the latter, 
 necessarily indicate the transmission of a great amount 
 of knowledge from Noah an«l his sons. Mankind 
 could not in the first instance have civilized itself and 
 must, therefore, have a su[)erhuman instructor." 
 
 Upon the Federation of the British Colonies of 
 North America into the Dominion of Canada, 1868, in 
 acknowledgement of important public services not for- 
 gotten through several years of comparative seclusion, 
 a tribute also to distinguished and commanding per- 
 sonal (jualities, the Hon. L. A. Wilmot was appointed 
 first native Governor of New Brunswick.* The ap- 
 
 * The first Governor of New Brunswick, for nearly twenty years, 
 was Colonel Thomas Carlcton. Then, for several years, lion. CJabriel 
 Ludlow and Judge Edward Winslow administered the government as 
 Presidents. In con.seiiuenee of difficulty with the United States, 
 1812-14, Major-fieneral Hunter and, in rapid succession, six other 
 officers of rank tacted as military i»rosidents. Sir fieorge Tra<;y Smythe 
 was appointed Lieutenant-(r )vernor in 1818. Judge (.'hipnian became 
 administrator in 1823 and was sui'eeede<l by lion. John Murray 
 Bliss — uncle of L. A. Wilmot. Then, as regularly appointed Lieut- 
 enant Governors, followed Sir Howard Douglas in 1824, Sir Archibald 
 Campbell, 1831 ; Sir John Harvey, 1834; Sir William Colebroke, 
 1841 ; Sir Kdmund Walker Head, 1848 ; Sir J. II. Alanners-Sutton, 
 1854 ; Sir Arthur Gordon, 1862. 
 
 Since Confederation Hon. L. A. Wilmot was succeeded by Hon., 
 now Sir, Samuel Leonard Tilley, C. B. The brief administration of 
 of Hon. E. B. Chandler, who followed Sir Samuel, was early ter- 
 minated by death. The present Governor, Hon, I*. I). Wilmot, a 
 near relative of the Judge, completes the gubernatorial succession. 
 
 .1 
 I 1 
 
I 
 
 90 
 
 HON. JUD(JE WILMOT. 
 
 pointment was iMcditul*!*' to all concerned. It 
 could not on any side be open to the imputation of 
 political party purpose and manipulation. But from 
 disinterestedness and eminent fitness of things, no 
 designation could have been more politic. 
 
 The distinguished recognition accorded was purely 
 and pre-eminently a tribute to high character, rare 
 combination of mtmtal and moral (jualities, and to the 
 splendid services by which a reputation had been made 
 far beyond the boundaries of the Province. Release 
 from onerous judicial duties,and the comparative leisure 
 of governmental a(hninistration, afforded ample oppor- 
 tunity for literary and floral pursuits and pleasures. 
 What was of greater consequence an influence, always 
 employed for good and beneficent interests, was largely 
 augmented. There was also, in that appointment, an 
 evidence of completeness and consummation of import- 
 ant life work, conscious and undisguised satisfaction 
 and gratification. Instead of official monopoly and the 
 block of impassable social barriers, from the humblest 
 and lowliest grades and walks of life to the elevations 
 and altitudes of society for gifted and industrious stu- 
 dents, the avenues were fully opened, 
 
 "And wo, in larger measure, now inherit 
 What made our forerunners free and wise." 
 
 Young men, of colonial birth and education, go forth 
 to duty and effort ; and, wnth all the incentive and 
 stimulus of possible achievement, aspire to public and 
 professional distinction. Let them not forget that to 
 
JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 91 
 
 Hon. L. A. Wilniot and to his compeers and compa- 
 triots, for a valuable heritage of birthright and free- 
 dom, they owe an unspeakable debt of gratitude. 
 " Yesterday," writes a metropolitan journalist, 
 " marked a new era in the history of New Brunswick ; 
 it marked that one of her sons, no matter of what class 
 or creed or sect, might aspire successfully to the high 
 dignitj' of becoming Lieutenant-Governor of his native 
 Province. Sweeping away tlie old landmarks of vested 
 rights and political distinction, the day has declared 
 the lofty sentiment, that a nol»le genius, a loyal and pa- 
 triotic spirit are the main tests of excellency, the grand 
 desiderata of honour and distinction. In hailing Judge 
 Wilmot as the new Lieutenant-Governor, — he comes 
 to us with all these reconnnendations, trace* I along a 
 whole lifetime spent in the service of his native Pro- 
 vince ; and while it is possible many of the younger 
 portion of our people may I'ather incline to regard His 
 Excellency in the light of these latter <lays, catching 
 tone and feeling from lecent political events, we sim[)ly 
 ask them to look back. Let them look up the recoi'ds 
 of the past, when their grandsires were held in the 
 grasp of domineering family compact who knew no 
 right sav^e the right to rule, who recognized only as 
 presumptuous any and every aspiration of the people 
 seeking a voice in the government of their own 
 affairs. And when at length this Province was con- 
 vulsed to its very centre, when the gi'cat Magna 
 Charta of Responsible Government and the people's 
 rights was struggling into existence let them ask the 
 
 
 t ! 
 
 ':, ) 
 

 !l 
 
 92 
 
 HOW. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 ' old men ' who it Wcas tliat sprang to the front, and 
 catching up this battle-cry of the people, fought the 
 leader in the fight until the truth and right pre- 
 vailed, and won for us all that social and political 
 lil>erty which is to-day the boast of every true-born son 
 of New Brunswick. Nor was this merely the work 
 of a day. Persistently the struggle was continued from 
 year to year, but ever sustained by his constituents 
 of York, who stood by him ' in the storm and in 
 the sunshine,' that matchless eloquence never faltered, 
 that earnest, manly pleading never failed, until vic- 
 tory crowned the etlbrts of himself and colleagues, 
 and Responsible Government became the first prin- 
 ciple of the constitution. Therefore it is that the 
 friends of His Excellency claim for him, in his recent 
 appointment, that he has simply ol)taiiied his right, 
 a right which he is worthy to receive, and which a 
 vast iiiKt.jorifij of the 'people of his native j^i'ovince de- 
 light to bestow." * 
 
 At the inauguration of Governor Wilmot there was 
 a characteristic and iDustrativt; incident that claims 
 permanent record. The Senate Hall on that occasion 
 was thronofed with the elite of the citv : ladies, sena- 
 tors, judges, clergymen, military gentlemen and others. 
 The ceremony had been completed and officials were 
 thronging to tender congratulation. In the excitement 
 of the occasion, proud of the superintendent, a little 
 fellow from the Sunday-school found his way to the 
 front. With bright intelligent face he caught the Gover- 
 
 * Fredericton lieporlcr. 
 
'li ; 
 
 JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 98 
 
 nor's eye. At once, in prefei-ence to all dignitaries, the 
 hand of the; scholar was cordially grasped. No compli- 
 ment could be more genuine, and certainly none was 
 returned with more beaming light and reciprocity of 
 feeling, than that presented l)y the earnest representa- 
 tive of [lis Sabbath charge. 
 
 Under the old regime, retaining and reproducing in 
 colonial life the style to which in wealtliy and aristo- 
 cratic home circles they had been accustomed, the 
 hospitalities of Government House were munificently 
 administered by successive English families. Society 
 at Headquarters was supposed to be quite select.* 
 Fashionable entertainments wei'e the order of the 
 day. To the invited guest, the Lieutenant-Govern- 
 or's invitation brought with it a very considerable 
 amount of prestiije. It formed one of the .sharp- 
 ly defined, and sometimes arbitrarily drawn, lines 
 by which society, at that time in the little capi- 
 tal, was discriminated and graded. There was con- 
 siderable speculation, at the inauguration of the 
 new Governor, in regard to the public courtesies which 
 he might deem it expedient to adopt. Upon what 
 principle could he harmonize practices, supposed to be 
 of a thorouufhlv world! v nature, with convictions 
 avowed, and course consistently pursued through 
 many years of Christian profession ? By those who 
 best knew him, whatever temporary perplexities 
 
 I! 
 
 n 
 
 . 
 
 * Like England in those days, we had ([uite a rc<;ugnized aristocracy 
 — Shores, Odells, Peters', Saunders', Baillies, < 'arters, &e. — " Ueniiuis- 
 ceuces," in Reporter. 
 
94 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 might arise, there was never a fear that he would 
 compromise his character and religious principles. A 
 little coterie there was, of fashionable community, es- 
 pecially anxious for the maintenance of a former 
 system. In one instance, when guests were at the 
 table, by a preconcerted plan partly in fun and slight- 
 ly in earnest, the cpiestion of a Government House Ball 
 was raised. The Governor received intimation that, 
 during incumbency of honourable office, in mode of 
 entertainment and of social demand, he would be ex- 
 pected to follow in the routine of his predecessors. 
 But with HoiL L. A. Wilmot, always on the alert, it 
 was not easy to carry a position, by slwj coup-de-main 
 attempt. A ball at Government House ! They must 
 not be disappointed ! He would at once name the 
 day ! But the time indicated would not do at all ; 
 there was an insuperable barrier. It would take them 
 into Lent ; that was to be observed in fasting, and 
 not in feasting. Tlie Church would not, during that 
 term of solemn Lenten services, sanction the splendour 
 and indulgence of woi'ldly fashion, and of unhallowed 
 gratification. The inference was palpable ; his course 
 was clear. There was a Church, from members of 
 which the movement had emanated, by which, during 
 the days of Lent, the forms and festivities pleaded 
 for were prohibited. For that imperative regulation 
 there was scrupulous and creditable concern and com- 
 pliance ; but another church claimed from him the 
 same spirit of obedience. Upon the ground of prin- 
 e rather than of expedience, and the year round 
 
 
 cipl 
 
 
JUDGE AND GOVERNOR. 
 
 95 
 
 would 
 les. A 
 ity, es- 
 former 
 at the 
 . slight- 
 use Ball 
 )n that, 
 node of 
 I be ex- 
 3cessors. 
 alert, it 
 le-main 
 ij must 
 ime the 
 
 at all ; 
 i<e them 
 ng, and 
 \\cf that 
 )lendour 
 tallowed 
 s course 
 ibers of 
 
 during 
 pleaded 
 fulation 
 Ind com- 
 nmi the 
 of prin- 
 |r round 
 
 equally with the weeks of an annual fast, the same 
 prohibition was enforced. In imitation of consistency, 
 which challenged admiration and commanded fullest 
 approval, he must decline the proposed arrangement. 
 Promenade and musical gatherings, garden parties and 
 Gonvei'sazloiie, constituted a satisfactory and pleasant 
 substitute. The opinion has frequently been expressed 
 that there had never been a more generous and at- 
 tractive exercise, or exhibition of Government House 
 hospitalities.* 
 
 Until the Act of Federation, mainly representative 
 of Imperial interests, the Lieutenant-Governors of the 
 several Provinces were appointed immediately by the 
 Crown. They were ordinarily selected from influen- 
 tial circles, aristocratic families, and the ranks of those 
 who had claim to stations of honor and emolument. 
 The newly-appointed Governor, under another dispen- 
 sation, sustained an altered relation. In official ad- 
 ministration, however, and in social life, he was 
 brought into direct contact with the previous occu- 
 pants of the same dignitied office. But from that 
 comparison the Hon. L. A. Wilmot could not suffer. 
 He had that genuine dignity which springs from the 
 soul ; in all (lualities, mental and physical, he was one 
 
 * Amongst promineut guests eutertaint'd by Governor and Mrs. 
 VVilniot, during ooeuiiancy of the oftioial mansion, were H. K. H. 
 Prince Arthur of England, Baron and Lady Lisgar, Earl and Countess 
 Dufferin, General Sir Hastings Doyle, Admirals Wellesley and Fau- 
 shawe, Governors Howland and Robinson. A valuable ring presented 
 by the Prince to Mrs. Wilmot, set with diamond and emeralds, forma 
 a fitting suuvcnir of his visit. 
 
 
 ; 
 

 96 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 of nature's noblemen. There is, unquestionably, an 
 aristocracy of birth ; and all honor to those whose 
 glittering coronets have gained brighter lustre from 
 deeds of chivalrous worth. There is an aristocracy, 
 too, of wealth, in which the titles of money-kings, that 
 rule the world, are emblazoned and enrolled. But 
 there is also, higher tlian all, an ai'istocracy of mental 
 and moral wortli, with its brilliant galaxy of names — 
 of which heraldry may have no record — the most 
 superb minds and splendid intellects that God has 
 ever given to the world. To tlie ranks of men, enobled 
 by worth and true magnificence of soul, by right 
 divine, the first native Governor of New Brunswick 
 " 'Tis only noble to be good." 
 
 belonged. 
 
 " He's t}»e Noble who advancos 
 
 Freetloiii and tlie oause of man. " 
 
 The duties of a Lieutenant-Governor, under ordinary 
 circumstances, in the Provinces of Canada, are not ex- 
 traordinarily onerous ; and, with moderate and average 
 prudence and ability, may be creditably and satisfac- 
 torily dischargeu. It was a matter of doubt, ft)r many 
 years a popular leadei', suspected of political sympa- 
 thies, and quite as strongly of cori-esj^onding antipa- 
 thies, whether Governor Wilmot would be able to 
 divest himself of personal and party bias and prefer- 
 ence. But it was soon apparent, with guarantee of 
 fairness to all political parties, that ample experience 
 of public life, and perfect acquaintance with principles 
 
 ■ constitutional administration, enabled him to exer- 
 
jriMiE AND f;(>vr,H\(>i:. 
 
 J>7 
 
 bly, an 
 whose 
 e from 
 bocracy, 
 igs, that 
 l. But 
 mental 
 lames — 
 le most 
 jod has 
 enobled 
 3y right 
 unswick 
 
 ordinary 
 not ex- 
 average 
 atist'ac- 
 or many 
 sympa- 
 anti pa- 
 able to 
 pret'er- 
 ntee of 
 lerience 
 incipies 
 o exer- 
 
 cise a legitimate and commanding influence. Then, in 
 addition to the paraphernalia of governmental office, 
 there were many important interests which, from the 
 vantage ground of elevated position, he could most 
 effectually promote. A college commencement or the 
 opening of an industrial exhibition, civic ceremonial 
 or railway celebration, afforded oppoi-tuuity that was 
 thoroughly utilized. Throughout the Province, every 
 nook of which was familiar giound, there was assured 
 welcome. He was intensely patriotic. As was said of 
 another statesman, " he loved his country as a Roman 
 the City of the Seven Hills ; as an Athenian the City 
 of the Violet Crown." 
 
 A patriotic song, " Our Dominion for ever," was 
 composed while at Government House. Accompanied 
 by music for "March or the Bivouac," it was "re- 
 spectfully dedicated to the Militia Forces of the Do- 
 minion, by Lieutenant-Colonel Wilmot." Two or 
 three stanzas may fitly close this chapter : — 
 
 " Our Dominion for ever ! our own dear lautl, 
 The laiid of the brave and the free ; 
 Wherever we roam, we'll think of our home, 
 And love the Old Banner, 
 The Ked-cross Banner, 
 Triumphant liy land and by sea. 
 
 Our Dominion tor e\ er ! Ood bless our land ! 
 
 Rose, thistle and shamroek here grow ; 
 So closely entwined, they are ever combined 
 To adorn the Old Banner, 
 The Red-cross Banner, 
 That triumphs o'er every foe. 
 
 E 
 
 
 !-. i 
 
98 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 Chorus— Then sing our Dominion for ever ! 
 
 The Queen and the Banner for ever ! 
 No cravens are we, 
 By land or hy sea, 
 We'll sing our Dominion for ever ! 
 
IV. 
 CMISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 •' The power which religion should exeitisc over the life ami eon- 
 duct, is not simply like u dash of color, here and there ui)on the can- 
 vas ; but it is an if the canvas were dipi»ed bodily into the color, till 
 every thread of the fabric became saturated with it." — Ur. DcwarVs 
 ^* Living Epistles." 
 
 'HE facts and incidents of Hon. L. A. Wilniot's 
 Christian life and work are closely associated 
 with the place in which he so long resided. 
 The city of Fredericton has many attractions. Those 
 " who have reached it at the close of a summer's 
 day, spent among the beautiful and ever-varying 
 scenery of the St. John, and have glanced for a 
 moment at the river which glides along the front 
 of the town, at the hills which rise with gradual 
 ascent from the rear, and at the Nashwaak which, 
 on the opposite side, rolls its tribute of waters into 
 the St. John, will be ready to admit that few finer 
 situations can be found than that chosen for the 
 capital of New Brunswick."* 
 
 * Rev. T. Watson Smith's History of Methodism. 
 
 
Jll 
 
 l! 
 
 100 
 
 HON. JI'POE WILMOT. 
 
 During the earlier years of its history, in Fred- 
 ericton, Methodism had to struggle for existence. The 
 
 steadfast Scotchman, Duncan Blair, and tlie little 
 band of which he was the leader, had to contend 
 with many discouragements. Probably the lirst strong 
 impetus dates from the ministry of Rev. William 
 Burt. The Rev. John Bass Strong, who was stationed 
 there in 1827, and Revs. Richard Williams and Samp- 
 son Bus))y were all ministers of a stamp to consolidate 
 and extend the work. In the year 1838, after two 
 years upon the Mirimichi Mission, the Rev. Enoch, 
 now Dr. Wood, of Toronto, was appointed to the 
 pastorate of the Fredericton Methodist Church. A 
 special and distinguished style of pulpit oratory 
 — sound and solid exegesis, in combination with 
 forcil)le, practical appeal, sustained through all vari- 
 ations of tenderness, pathos, and incidental allusion 
 — was then in its dewy and palmy freshness and 
 power. It produced deep impression upon the audience, 
 carried the reputation of the preacher through the 
 community, and was blessedly and abidingly fruitful 
 in spiritual results. Amongst those attracted and 
 impressed, then at the commencement of professional 
 career, was the brilliant barrister, L. A. Wilmot. 
 Merely intellectual interest, however, soon gave place 
 to earnest inquiry and to profound spiritual emotion. 
 There was said to be at this time a settled serious- 
 ness of expression that was quite unusual to sub- 
 sequent buoyancy of spirit. This may have been due 
 to a severe stroke of bereavement. In the early part 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 101 
 
 of 1832, Mr. Wilmot had married Jane the eldest 
 daughter of James Balloeh, Esq., of St. John. It 
 was soon apparent that hectic cheek and hri<T]it eye 
 " wx^re lit with the hale-fire of decline." "After a 
 .severe and protracted illness," of some months, accord- 
 ing to an obituary notice, " which .she bore with the 
 greatest patience and Christian fortitude, in the full 
 assurance of peace with God, this amiable sufferer 
 breathed her last." The sweetness and sufficiency of 
 experimental trust in Christ, and of consolation 
 abundantly afforded to the sinking and suffering one, 
 were well calculated to produce a deep and permanent 
 impression upon a sensitive and affectionate nature. 
 
 Observing more than ordinary religious concern and 
 movement amongst the people, Mr. Wood gave notice 
 that, at a particular hour in the vestry, he would meet 
 with any who were desirous of fleeing " from the 
 wrath to come." The announcement was accompanied 
 by the emphatic explanation that, in attempting to 
 organize a week-night class, members of the church 
 were not expected to be present. He w^ould welcome 
 persons who, after delay and indecision, were now de- 
 termined to work out their salvation. The service 
 thus arranged soon came to constitute a new centre of 
 religious interest. Around it gathered a number of 
 young people, of whom the community speedily began 
 to take knowledge that they had been with Jesus, who 
 formed a valuable accession to the membership of the 
 church. To the minister, also, it became " a means of 
 grace greatly enjoyed and very highly valued ;" and 
 
 l\ 
 
 i';.{ 
 
''I 
 
 102 
 
 HON. .11 DfiE WTLMOT. 
 
 which, after nearly half a century, has still fresh and 
 fragrant memories. On the first night only three per- 
 sons were present, but one of these was Lemuel Allan 
 Wilmot.* Solicitude for spiritual things, like the 
 morning dew and mist upon the mountain brow, as 
 ultimately proved, was not a mere transient or evanes- 
 cent feeling. It deepened and developed into a 
 moulding iniiuence of life. The earnest and evan- 
 gelical pastor and preacher became a valued and 
 trusted friend. Through prudent counsel and salutary 
 influence, he was enabled to believe in Christ and to 
 realize conscious and satisfying rest of soul. He 
 could now say, " Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; 
 for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For 
 Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes 
 from tears, and my feet from falling.'" 
 
 In the latter part of 1834, Mr. Wilmot was united 
 in mati'imony to Miss Elizabeth Black of Halifax. 
 In every respect, and especially in regard to the 
 development of a settled religious character and stead- 
 fastness, the step was a most providential one. But 
 sense of delicacy prevents more than a passing allusion 
 to one who is still with us — pursuing the even tenor 
 of an unobtrusive Christian course — always best 
 pleased, in other days, " To hear reflected from her 
 husband's praise her own." 
 
 An incident of social life, involving fidelity to reli- 
 
 i^ : 
 
 * The other names demand record. They were Henry Fisher, Esq., 
 afterwards the efficient Superintendent of Education, and Mrs. 1*. 
 Risteen. 
 
CHRISTFAN MFE AXO WORK. 
 
 103 
 
 prions oV)li^ation, of vital importance in its boarin<]^ upon 
 subsequent decision and consistency of Christian life, 
 upon the authority of Dr. Wood, may be mentioned in 
 this connection. The Watch-night service, on New 
 Year's Eve, was at that time an impressive solemnity 
 and largely attended. Th(;y " did not then make a 
 sham of the watch-night." The exercises commenced 
 at nine o'clock in the evening. " There was plenty of 
 time for singing, praying, reading the scriptures, ex- 
 horting and pi-eaching." It was customary on that 
 evening for a ball, one of the great events of the year, 
 to be given at Government House. In very different 
 style from that of solemn and prayerful review and 
 resolve, on the eve of LS.S"), they were summoned to 
 
 " King out tlje Old, ring in the New." 
 
 Young as he was, at that time, Mr. Wilmot held the 
 military appointment of Judge Advocate. Independent 
 of social position, an invitation was received from Sir 
 Archibald Campbell. The testing time had come. A 
 life-battle for Christian principle must be fought. 
 From the days of the Hebrew Prince there have been 
 like scenes of conflict. " What will ye see in the 
 Shulamite ? As it were the company of two armies." 
 It was late before Mr. Wood was informed of the actual 
 facts and the peril to which he was exposed. An affec- 
 tionate message, of warning and solicitude, was imme- 
 diately sent. The event was left in the hand of God. 
 " From docility of spirit, and decisiveness previously 
 exhibited, there was believing hope that he would re- 
 
 1^; 
 
104 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 nounco the world, take up the cross and clintr to 
 Christ and tlie Church.* But there was also a tremu- 
 lous solicitude and anxiety as to the choice and issue 
 of that ordeal." In deference to oificial tluty the first 
 decision was to accept the invitation. The hour had 
 arrived, a coach was at the door. " Mr. VVilniot," whis- 
 pered a faithful friend, one who in that early day had 
 borne reproach for Christ, " if Christian principle be 
 worth anything, it is worth everything!" The word 
 was in season. There was instantly a new and nobler 
 resolve. 
 
 At the commencement of the service the congre- 
 gation was large. But as the preacher's eye glanced 
 down the aisle and through the audience, there was 
 no inunediate relief. To his great gladness, however, 
 after the opening prayer, in fine commanding person, 
 followed by his youthful bride, Mr. VV. was seen 
 making his way up to the minister's pew. It is not 
 without warrant that Dr. Wood should " look upon 
 his decision, on that occasion, as involving the char- 
 acter of all the future." 
 
 The question of Church membership, though de- 
 layed for a time, had to be decisively determined. 
 To the Methodist Church, in the years between, have 
 been gathered a number of prominent and infiuential 
 laymen, that would have been a valuable accession 
 to any religious community. Prol)al)ly no section 
 of the Christian Church, in the Lower Provinces, has 
 
 * Mr. Wiliijot was not yet in nienibersliiit with tlie (.'luin-b. 
 
rURlSTTAN MFE AND WORK. 
 
 105 
 
 jlinf; to 
 , trcniu- 
 iid issue 
 the first 
 our had 
 t," whis- 
 (lay hatl 
 ciple be 
 'he word 
 id nobler 
 
 3 congre- 
 B (danced 
 .here was 
 however, 
 g person, 
 vas seen 
 It is not 
 .ok upon 
 he char- 
 
 )ujzh de- 
 lermined. 
 ^•en, have 
 ttluential 
 
 iccession 
 section 
 
 kices, has 
 
 lb. 
 
 been more signally honoured. But at the time to 
 which we now refer, nearly half a century ago, the 
 loyalist and ecclesiastical spirit was still dominant 
 and exclusive in New Brunswick. Cost was counted. 
 Undeterred by any thing in the form of social ban, 
 though no one at the time could have anticipated the 
 complete revoluticm which almost immediately fol- 
 lowed, L. A. Wilmot made his choice. He was 
 baptized at the Communion of the Church. There 
 was then the unalteral)lc resolve : 
 
 " llorc ill Thy courts I Icavo my vows, 
 Let Thy rich gmco romrd ; 
 Witness yc saints, that hear nu; now, 
 If I forsake the Lonl." 
 
 Though not of Methodist ancestry or antecedents, 
 yet through Mrs. Wilmot, daughter of the Hon. 
 William Black, grand-daughter of Rev. William Black, 
 the apostle of Wesleyan evangelism in the Eastern 
 Provinces, he might claim tribal inheritance in our de- 
 nominational Israel. As expressive of unswerving 
 fidelity and of afi'ectionate allegiance in a sacred rela- 
 tionship, fraught only with beneficent influences, the 
 exquisite words of Ruth the Moabitess to her 
 Israelitish mother-in-law, found fitting application : 
 " Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from 
 following after thee ; for whither thou goest I will go ; 
 and where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people shall 
 be my people, and thy God my God ; wdiere thou diest 
 I will die, and there will I be buried ; the Lord do so 
 E* 
 
 ■'V 
 
106 
 
 HON. JUDrJF: WILMOT. 
 
 to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and 
 
 me. 
 
 l! 
 
 Tliero has occasionally, as apparently in the case of 
 Lord Macaulay — if the impression produced l)y Trev- 
 ellyan's Memoir- may he trusted — in the caste and con- 
 stitution of exceptionally great minds, an almost inex- 
 plicable disparity betwixt grandeur of intellect and 
 capacity for spiritual things, and for a life of faith 
 upon the Son of God. But this young lawyer, was 
 not more graced with gifts than gifted with grace. 
 Mental ability of a high order was accompanied by a 
 still richer endowment of moral and spiritual qualities. 
 
 Consciousness of his acceptance with God was ev-er 
 a clearly attested and experimental fact. " Through 
 the whole course of my religious experience," he was 
 known to testify, " I never once had a doubt in regard 
 to the question of personal salvation. The assurance 
 of my acceptance as a child of God, and the firmness 
 of my confidence, are such that Satan cannot take any 
 advantage on that side ; and cannot even tempt me to 
 doubt or fear in regard to the reality of my conversion." 
 A passage from Sir Hunq)hry Davy, copied at that 
 time on the blank page of a book, and often referred 
 to in after life, expressed the ideal of coveted peace : 
 " I envy not any quality of mind or intellect in others ; 
 nor genius, power, wit, or fancy ; but if I could choose 
 that most delightfid, and most useful to me, I should 
 ■preior Jirm vclyjiouH faith to every other blessing. It 
 makes life a discipline of goodness ; creates new hopes 
 when old hopea vanish ; throws over decay the des- 
 

 n 
 
 CflKISTIAN I>TKK AND WORK. 
 
 107 
 
 lee 
 
 and 
 
 case of 
 I Tiev- 
 iid con- 
 jt inex- 
 act and 
 )f faith 
 er, was 
 1 grace. 
 3d by a 
 ualities. 
 as ever 
 rin-ough 
 he was 
 1 regard 
 isurance 
 [irmness 
 lake any 
 Lt me to 
 I'ersion." 
 at that 
 efcrred 
 ll peace : 
 others ; 
 I choose 
 should 
 hing. It 
 kV hopes 
 lie des- 
 
 truction of existence tlic most gorgeous of all lights ; 
 awakens life even in death, and, from corruption and 
 decay, calls up heauty and divinity ; makos an instru- 
 ment of torture and of shame the ladder of ascent to 
 paradise; and, far ahove all combinations of earthly 
 hope, calls up the most delightful visions, and plains, 
 and amaianths ; the gardens of the hlest, and the 
 security of everlasting joys, where the sensualist and 
 the sceptic view only gloou), decay, annihilation, and 
 despair." 
 
 Through yenrs of unfaltering decision and service 
 for Christ, acknowledged religious consistency com- 
 bined with brilliant professional distincticm, assiduous 
 attendance upon appointed means of grace and 
 appreciation of Christian fellewship, marked and 
 manifest faith and fervor of spiritual faith and of 
 spiritual and devotional exercise, in a measure and 
 manner which compelled the homage of even thought- 
 less men, the genuineness of Christian cliaracter was 
 al)undantly exhibited. It was often apparent, even 
 amidst the whirl and tumult of public life and poli- 
 tical strife, that he had found the secret places of the 
 Most High. It was a privilege of no common order, 
 in that simple eloquence, almost childlike humility, 
 and tremulous earnestness and fervoi- of tone, to hear 
 him publicly plead with God. 
 
 In this case duty was supreme delight. When his 
 eloquence was in the zenith of its splendour, and 
 thronged audiences hung upon his lips and greeted his 
 utterances with wild tumult of ap])!auso, as if uneon- 
 
 1 
 
lOS 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 ii 
 
 scious of the possession of any qualities that lifted 
 him above the level of the lowliest member, he de- 
 voutly and unostentatiously took his place in the 
 quiet and refreshing Sanctuary Service. To him it 
 was no mere matter of form. With the utmost sim- 
 plicity of speech, tearful confession and tendernes.s of 
 feeling, he would bear testimony, lead in hymns of 
 praise, bend in sacred supplication. Who, that has 
 ever been present on such an occasion, but retains 
 vivid impression of those fervent utterances. They 
 were the distinct avowal of deep love to Christ, pas- 
 sionate longing for nearer intimacy with the living 
 Saviour, an expression of conscious dependence upon 
 a strong arm for help. There was the power of plead- 
 ing, prevalent petition, or the rapt fervor of silent 
 communion with God : 
 
 ' ' Sighs now breathed 
 Unutterable, which the spirit of prayer 
 Inspired and wiiigiul for heaven with speedier flight 
 Than loudest oratory." 
 
 " During my Fredericton pastorate," says Rev. D. D. 
 Currie, " it was the custom to conclude the monthly 
 Communion Service with prayer by Judge Wilmot. 
 His prayers ahvays breathed a spirit of tenderness and 
 devotion, and indicated his appreciation of the neces- 
 sity and value of the atonement, and also how closely 
 he walked with God. And many a time, in earlier 
 years, after he had been warring with bitter antago- 
 nists, and had been violently abused by a portion of 
 the press, we have heard him, in the week-night 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 109 
 
 prayer-meeting, pleading for strength and for charity, 
 tliafc he might stand firmly in the evil day." 
 
 'ihe interest thus manifested, always apparent, was 
 never more intense and demonstrative than in connec- 
 tion with scenes and services of revival power and 
 blessing. To these exercises, of a special character, his 
 emotional nature rendered him peculiarly and pro- 
 foundly susceptible. In pentecostal manifestation, 
 power from on high, and the baptism of fire, he be- 
 lieved and exulted. There was probal)ly no satisfac- 
 tion in life more deep and exquisite than that of 
 witnessing evidences of penitence and exhibitions of 
 saving mercy. Never, in brilliant efi*orts of public and 
 professional life, has he seemed greater than when 
 bowing in prayer with sorrowing suppliants ; and, 
 with aftectionate eloquence, directing tearful penitents 
 to the cross and Saviour. 
 
 The devotional element, thus conspicuously mani- 
 fested, was not the only distinctive feature of Judge 
 Wilmot's religious life. Intensity, always apparent, 
 was not more extraordinary than the breadth and 
 manysidodness of character. There have been others 
 endowed with a large measure of intellectual recep- 
 tiveness, of emotional feeling, of profound reverence 
 for the Word of God, and of capacity for unw^earied 
 and life-long activities. In proportion as any of these 
 gifts or graces have predominated, they have chal- 
 lenged due recognition ; but in this case, in a rare 
 degree of completeness, there was combination of 
 Clu'istian excellencies. Analogous to nature, in which 
 
no 
 
 HON. jrnriE wtlmct. 
 
 I 
 
 ]| 
 
 ho so much delighted, Avliich finds expansion and 
 expression in a thousand varied forms of Ijeauty, was 
 the outgrowth and manifestation of spiritual hfe. 
 Every part and pulsation of being were pervaded and 
 permeated by an experimental vitality that rooted 
 itself in Christ ; and, in the best forms of Christian 
 fruitfulnesR, it found abundant exhibition. 
 
 It may generally be felt, in the outworking of influ- 
 ential lives, that all distiniiuishiny^ excellencies can be 
 trticed to the op(n'ation of one sim})k', Ijut potent, 
 principle. A letter from Governor Wilmot — bearing 
 for crest-mark, with suitable device, the significant 
 motto : Fide et Amoke — dated from Covernment 
 House, on the last day of 1801), contains a passage 
 which sufHciently accounts for ceas(,dess, steadfast ser- 
 vice ; and which, over his wdiole life, throws the lumi- 
 nous light of heavenly law. " I feel ashamed of 
 myself," he writes, in regard to specinl etfort, " and 
 am almost resolved to decline all such work for the 
 future. But wdien I think how little 1 have done for 
 my Saviour, and how much — 0, lioiv much — He has 
 done for me, I am encourai^ed to fjo on." 
 
 Unconsciously, wlien called upon at a re])resentative 
 meeting to give the hctjvofe, he indicated the dominant 
 principle of his own lif(\ and that which gave caste 
 and complexion to his general religious experience an<l 
 character : It was love — the love of (jod and of 
 humanity for the love of God. " We are all one," he 
 said ; " in that we belong to the Church of C'hrist ; 
 and the government, essence, spirit of that Church, is 
 
nHHISTIAN 1,1 FK AND W'oUK. 
 
 Ill 
 
 and 
 
 ^( 
 
 ntive 
 inant 
 castA> 
 and 
 u\ of 
 he 
 irist ; 
 ch, is 
 
 love — infinite love — for as we dwell in God, we dwell 
 in love. May that l>e our dwellin_i(-])lace for ever- 
 
 dcnt t( 
 
 more ! Amid trie oppositions ana trials men I 
 Christian life, never let us forixet that our love viust 
 he seen. Searcely had the n;looin settled down upon 
 the Garden of (Jethsemane, than that matchless love 
 was poured down upon men. It has passed down 
 through the ages, and is the woof and warp of 
 religious experience." 
 
 The infinite, inexhaustible, everlasting love of God 
 in Christ, inexplicable in its manifestations, — until the 
 harmonies and ascriptions of earth an<l heaven blend 
 and burn into one mighty magnificent chorus — never 
 to be adequately celebrated, was a subject on which 
 he delighted to dwell. It fired his soul and filled his 
 mental vision. " The love of God," he wrote in a 
 valued communication, "is a vast abyss, an immeasur- 
 able expanse. Along its shores, from age to age, with 
 lengthened ami added weight, the plummet of angel- 
 mind has sought to sound the mystery. But the cry 
 has ever been : ' (J, the depth !' " 
 
 " In vniii tlic first-born Rorn])h tri^p 
 
 To sound tlic (loplh of Iovp Divinp." 
 
 In conviction of the compassionate and unerring 
 love of God, his own heart found firm and secure 
 refuge ; and, from the same inexhaustible source, he 
 was often enabled to communicate consolation. In 
 answer to a note, informing him of a sore bereavement, 
 he wrote : " Fresh wounds deep in the heart, and old 
 
I 
 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 Mt ^ 
 
 112 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 wounds opened ! Your heart-sorrow I cannot inter- 
 meddle with. But most certainly the rod was in the 
 hand of Infinioe Love, The purpose may be hidden 
 now, but you will know it by-and-by ; and your sor- 
 row hereafter, will be followed by a higher note of 
 praise. * All thivgs work together for yoocl.' Work 
 together — that is harmonize. Wondrous harmony ! 
 It is harmony made up of deepest heart-sorrow and 
 abounding joy — pain and suffering of body and peace 
 of soul — deepest abasement of spirit and joy unspeak- 
 able and full of glory — self-condemnation and faith, 
 justification — having nothing and yet po«sessing all 
 things. What a marvellous combination and variety 
 of tones, and yet a heavenly harmony ! May you find 
 consolation in the conscious assurance of this harmony 
 of love ! And while you attentively listen, may you 
 find it becoming sweeter and deeper until the wearied 
 heart shall breathe forth in unison its own assurance. 
 He doeth all things tuell." 
 
 No one can have come into close contact with Judge 
 Wilmot without being struck with his profound vene- 
 ration for the Word of God. The law of God ivas in his 
 heart* 
 
 A copy of the Scriptures long used bears evident at- 
 testation of the manner in which he was accustomed to 
 
 * "In one of my visits to the House of Assembly, during 
 the days of stormy debate, there was a most n)emorable scene, Mr. 
 Wilmot held the Bible in his hand. To that standard of immutable 
 law, and of authoritative enactment, he made Supreme aijpeal," — 
 Rev. J. Sutcliffc. 
 
i 
 
 CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 113 
 
 Judge 
 vene- 
 in his 
 
 jnt at- 
 ledto 
 
 during 
 
 lie, Mr. 
 
 Iniutable 
 
 |)pal." — 
 
 study tlie sacred page. He meditated therein by day 
 and night. There are nidrks to indicate successive 
 readings of the Bible — teachings through which he 
 had lieen led to nearer communion with God — familiar 
 passages which in a memorable moment had become 
 luminous with heav^enly light — practical truths which 
 had been as a light to his feet and a lamp to his path 
 and in the keeping of which there had been great re- 
 ward — inspired words that had been interwoven with 
 the eventful incidents of his history — messages 
 breathing the spirit of infinite t(m<lerness and richly 
 fraught with consolation — precepts unto which in his 
 way he had taken heed, and by which his life had been 
 purified — radiant promises which in the dark and 
 murky night had suddenly gleamed out as stars of 
 hope — the twenty-third psalm in which many an ex- 
 perience of life found its most fitting expression — 
 the ninety-first psalm which before starting upon a 
 journey he was accustomed to read at the family 
 altar. Tliroui»'h and throur'h, the Book of Psalms 
 specially bears evidence of habitual and prayerful 
 perusal. In its simple and pathetic energj'' there was 
 an irresistible charm. " Think," he said, " of such 
 passages as — ' / cried unto the Lord,' and, ' Out of the 
 dejdhs have I cried unto TItee, Lord V One can 
 scarcely rejjeat that word ' cry' without a sigh or tear. 
 It sounds like the sob of childhood and suits the 
 tender spirit." There was also keen appreciation of 
 the poetic beauty and grand imagery of the Hebrew 
 Bard. The woof of experimental testimony in the 
 
 III 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 In 
 
 114 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 fervor of Christian fellowship, was shot with many 
 a thread of inspired utterance : " f will abide in Thy 
 tabernacle for ever : I will trust in the covert of Thy 
 wino's. For Thou, God, hast jjiven ine the herita(!:e 
 of those that fear Thy name." From the New 'JVsta- 
 ment, in the same way, there weie passages that 
 glowed with celestial lire : " Whom having not seen ye 
 love; in whom though now ye see Him not, yet l)e- 
 lieving, ye rejoice witli joy unsj^eakabjc and full of 
 glory." 
 
 With acute Jind devout interest, he followed up the 
 main points at issue between the Bible and extreme ex- 
 ponents of modern science. Many of the best authori- 
 ties upon these subjects were constantly at hand for 
 repeated perusal. A volume from his library now be- 
 fore me, of considerable value as an exact and exhaus- 
 tive discussion, in margin and underline, bears evi- 
 dence of painstaking investigation and of clear mastery 
 of complex and controverted questions. In one of his 
 later public addresses, at a meeting held in PZrskine 
 Church, Montreal, the audience including a numl)er of 
 young men, he expatiated upon this theme : 
 
 " Some scientists and leading thinkers, as Darwin, 
 Huxley, and Tyndall, whose marvellous and dangerous 
 essays denied the power of prayer, and sought to prove 
 to mankind that they were mere evolutions or a 
 development from a lower sphere of life. There was a 
 danger here. He also referred to a materialistic system 
 of infidelity, wherein the author blasphemously intro- 
 duced into his creed a Trinity, composed of humanity, 
 
CHRTSTIAN UFE AND WORK. 
 
 115 
 
 arwin, 
 
 o'crous 
 
 prove 
 
 or a 
 
 was a 
 
 ystem 
 
 intro- 
 
 lanity, 
 
 earth, and heaven. Was this his God ? Could he 
 pray to the sky ahove him, the oartli beneath him, or 
 to Immanity ? What could poor humanity do, even in 
 its most elevated, learned form to aid him ? Young 
 men would have to riijidlv j^uarcl themselves against 
 these revolting forms of infidelity. In this connection, 
 it aiforded the speaker much pleasure to see the able 
 manner in which Dr. Dawson ha«l dissected the ])arwin- 
 ian theory, and shown the falsity of such reasoning, by 
 clear and unanswerable ai'gument. They could rest 
 assured that wlierever science contradicted the Bible, 
 it would be proved to be in the wrong ; that wherever 
 a scientific statement has been discovered to be per- 
 fectly true, it always coincided with the Biblical 
 record. There was a remarkable illustration of this 
 in the deciphering of a number of cuneiform inscrip- 
 tions in the East, where, in every instance in which 
 they illustrated Old Testament history, there was not 
 found the first contradiction. The recorders of the Old 
 Testament history were proved and not found wanting 
 in truth and accuracy ; they were honest, and called a 
 spade a spade. They wrote their own nation's his- 
 tory with the same impartiality and candour with which 
 they penned that of others. They covered up no one's 
 sins and shortcominijs, not even those of their own 
 brethren ; and he loved the Book the more he pon- 
 dered on the honest, straightforward dealing of those 
 writers of old." * 
 
 , 1 
 
 IFifn 
 
 ess. 
 

 llfi 
 
 HON. JUDGE WTLMOT. 
 
 A few years ago, Fredericton was a garrison city. 
 Military gcntlomen and tlieir families constituted an 
 important and influential element of social life. The 
 Government of the Province was, foi' a time, adminis- 
 tered by the General in command of the ti'oops. At a 
 dinner party, largely attended, some (juestion of reli- 
 gious or Biblical chai-acter was incidentally mooted. An 
 officer of high position in the army, and of consider- 
 able dash and celerity in conversation, frankly avowed 
 his scepticism. The accuracy of sacred historic fact 
 was impugned. In the sweep of scientific discoveiy, 
 and the march of modern thought, like the Tahnud, 
 the Vedas, and the Koran, it kvould be left behind. It 
 belonged to a former age, and was merely one of the 
 many land-marks of human progress. Judge Wilmot's 
 veneration for the inspired volume was well known ; 
 bound up with that book divine were the noblest 
 hopes of his life. It was not a moment, and he was 
 not in a mood, for silence. Recently he had read, 
 almost devoured, the " Old Red Sandstone," and other 
 works of Hugh Miller. In reference to the (juestion, 
 raised for disputation, he was thoroughly informed ; 
 and, in force and felicity of expression, there were few 
 who could meet him on equal terms. The gauntlet 
 fearlessly thrown down was promptly accepted. Like 
 chaff' from an Oriental threshing floor, the ol)jections 
 were speedily scattered to the wind. The claims of 
 God's word were triumphantly vindicated. Never did 
 his countenance light up with a finer glow than when 
 avowino; attachment to the book of revealed truth : — 
 
CIMUSTIAN IJFK AND WORK. 
 
 117 
 
 1 city. 
 ted an 
 . The 
 lininis- 
 
 Ata 
 )t' reli- 
 ed. An 
 nsidcr- 
 ivowed 
 ric fact 
 covery, 
 'almud, 
 ind. It 
 of the 
 k'^ihiiot's 
 known ; 
 nol )lest 
 ic was 
 
 read, 
 
 I other 
 lestion, 
 on lied ; 
 ere few 
 auntlet 
 
 Like 
 ections 
 iiius of 
 ver did 
 
 II when 
 ■uth :— 
 
 " Should all the forms that men flcvise 
 Assault my faith with treacherous art, 
 I'll call them vanity and lies. 
 
 And bind thy (lOHpel to my heart." 
 
 In Judge Wihnot, as an ordinary hearer, the preacher 
 in fulfihncnt of his mission and message, found uni- 
 formly an appreciative and responsive spirit. The 
 ministry of the Gospel was regarded hy him as the 
 divinely appointed and approved agency and instru- 
 mentality for the world's regeneration ; and ministers 
 of Christ, chai'ged with onerous duty, were esteemed 
 for their work's sake. If the occasion demanded, and, 
 instead of earnest, faithful, and affectionate exposi- 
 tion and application, there had been an apparent 
 attempt at display — what he would have characterized 
 as pulpit rocket-shooting — he could subject the efforts 
 to searching criticism. But the prevailing habit of 
 attention was that of devout, lowly, sympathetic feel- 
 ing, and withal a striving to profit. With the minis- 
 ter, his intercourse was that of a frank, genial, helpful, 
 and brotherly spirit. Some of us can remember days 
 of weakness, and comparatively inexperienced effort, 
 when the thought of the Judge's presence, and the 
 ordeal of his searching criticism, pi'oduced a good 
 deal of tremor and occasionally emljarrassment ; l)ut a 
 glance from his kindly eye and interested expression 
 brought relief. A word of heart-uttered kindness, at 
 the close, has nerved the timid, shrinking messenger 
 to renewed courage and resolve. " In the beginning 
 of my ministerial career, when for the first time ap- 
 
lis 
 
 HON. .lUIKJK Wn-MOT. 
 
 poinU'«l to |)r('ac]i on a Sabbath morninir in tho Frcd- 
 ericton Church, waiting treniblin;^'ly in the preacher's 
 vestry for tlie appointed moment to arrive, Judge 
 Wihnot favoured me witli a call. We had not seen 
 each other for a year, and now, knowing my timidity 
 as a youthful public speaker, he had come in advance 
 of the service to give me a cordial welcome. He laid 
 his hand on my shoulder, and spoke a few kind and 
 encouraging words, which greatly strengthened me for 
 the duties of that occasion. He was one of the best 
 hearers any pastor ever had." * 
 
 In conscientious and habitual attendance at the 
 week-night and social services of the church, always 
 to hini a source of strength and time of refreshing 
 from the pi-esence of the Lord, the Hon. L. A. Wilmot 
 presented an example worthy of imitation. " In his 
 attendance to all the ordinances of the Church," ac- 
 cording to the testimony of Dr. Wood, going back to 
 earliest membership, " he was regular, interrupted 
 only by occasional public duties ; for, very early after 
 comjileting his professional duties, he entered the 
 tumultous arena of politics — forced out by the irre- 
 sistible voice of the electors of York County." During 
 the most active years of his life, when as a point of 
 expediency it might not have been deemed politic to 
 forego legitimate social advantage, with successive 
 Lieutenant-Governors, some of whom were not quite 
 able to comprehend the necessity for that amount of 
 religious strictness, for himself and Mrs. Wilmot, like- 
 
 Kev. D. D. Cunie, 
 
Frt'd- 
 vchci's 
 Judge 
 t seen 
 miditv 
 Ivance 
 [e laid 
 ul and 
 11 le for 
 le best 
 
 at the 
 
 always 
 
 resiling 
 
 CVilmot 
 
 1 111 his 
 
 h, ac- 
 
 aek to 
 
 rnpted 
 
 y after 
 
 id the 
 
 e irre- 
 
 ku'ing 
 
 )int of 
 llitic to 
 
 X'ssive 
 
 quite 
 
 lunt of 
 
 :, like- 
 
 r\ 
 
 CHUISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 119 
 
 inindtMl in this essentia] niattei", upon ivgulai' week- 
 night seiviecs of the church, there was an understand- 
 ini; that invitations to otlicial dinners and other social 
 anaue'eineiits must he decliiitd. To the Methodist 
 Chuich in Fiedericton, wlu'U I first went to i*eside 
 there, I found him to be a pillar of strength. I 
 can still seem to see him, so vivid are tlie recollections 
 of that time, as he took his accustonie<l place in the 
 prayer-meetiug. Flaiik<'d hy several otlicial brethren, 
 then a noble band, lu^ always occupied the same seat 
 to the right of the desk. With an unrivalled voice, 
 and often a full heart, he was ever ready to sing, 
 or speak, or pray. Often some passing incident, or an 
 utterance of the occasion, was turned to good account. 
 " I am just holding on," some one remarked. The 
 suggestiveness of the phrase was brought out. We 
 could see a tempest-tossed bark "holding on" in the 
 troubled waters of some dangerous roadstead, or off a 
 wild lea-shore. The waves beat high ; but the anchor 
 was sure. As voyagers to eternity, we had often 
 to breast the wave. We had to /lo/d on. The angry 
 tempest would speedily subside. The freighted bark 
 of life would yet — 
 
 "Sail o'er suiinii'r seas" 
 'J'luiii cluspt of old tlit^ Ilt'speridfs ; 
 A liiirk wlio.st' sails Iiy aii'i,('l hands, 
 Ave fill It'll on a strand of golden sands." 
 
 In regard to Christian felloWHlilp, "the communion 
 of saints," for which in the Methodist Church special 
 provision is made, Judge Wilmot formed the highest 
 

 120 
 
 HON. JUIKIK WILMOT. 
 
 estimate. He was accustomed to speak of this means 
 of grace as the sheet anchor ot' his earlier religious life. 
 During the pastorate of Rev. I. Sutclift'e, in 1844, he 
 was appointed to the responsible office of leader. 
 Around him, from time to time, were gathered many 
 gifted young men, now widely scattered, several of 
 them in the ministry of the Church to whom that 
 service was a moulding; influence. From that class 
 they graduated as efficient and successful workers for 
 Christ. A paragraph, supposed to be from the pen of 
 an accomplishetl minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church,* indicates the cherished recollections which 
 still cling to that scene of hallowed intercourse : " His 
 class for many years had been the school for spirit- 
 uality and instruction. Warm and tender in sym- 
 pathy, humble and simple among his l)rethren, faithful 
 in admonition, inspiring in {idtb-ess, and powerful in 
 example, many will count it as among their richest 
 privileges to have been associated with him. Often 
 have 3'oung men gone discouraged from the world 
 and ready to give up ; but his words have gathered 
 up all their scattered resolutions, given new warmth 
 to their zeal, courage to their hearts, strength to their 
 purpose, and on retiring there has been the determin- 
 ation : ' liothing, nothing sJi all separate me front the 
 love of God.' Under the administration of such 8. 
 leader, the service could never degenerate into dull, 
 insipid routine. It was hallowed by fervent prayer. 
 
 *Rev. T. Berton Smith. Revs. George S. Milligan and D. D. Currie 
 were members of that class. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFi: ANH WORK. 
 
 121 
 
 means 
 IS life. 
 4-4, he 
 leader, 
 many 
 jial of 
 11 that 
 t class 
 ers for 
 pen of 
 liscopal 
 which 
 : " His 
 ■ spirit- 
 n syni- 
 aithful 
 rful in 
 richest 
 Often 
 world 
 ithcred 
 varnith 
 o their 
 eruiin- 
 'oiu tlte 
 such i^ 
 o dull, 
 iprayer, 
 
 Id. Currie 
 
 brightened by sacred song, enlivenod by experience 
 and testimony, and energised by apt application of 
 apposite passages from the familiar pages of God's 
 Word. Often ' one miofhtier than the leader was 
 there.' " 
 
 " Heaven's gate 
 Is opened by their i)salm. Then do they state 
 Their ghid experienee, or anxious : 
 What meed of blessing, or wliat bounteous share 
 Of Mercy's riehest gifts, has been this freight. 
 Ah ! as they speak their lifted hearts catch lire ; 
 Their souls are llaines, their thoughts are ecstasies, 
 And heaven's own glory on their face is laid. 
 Such earnest hours makes men's nssolves the higher ; 
 Such fervent men fulfil high purposes : 
 A'hI humble men, e'en thus, are nol)les made. 
 
 It is of essential interest and importance, for the 
 glory of God, the honour of the Redeemer, the welfare 
 of the Church, and the triumph of Christianity, that 
 the spirit of devotion and consecration should find ex- 
 pression in appointed religious services. But it is also 
 requisite, for the same imperative reason, especially 
 on the part of Christian men and women, that a living 
 present principle of religion and testimony f(jr Christ 
 should be carried into every sphere and domain of 
 life. 
 
 The consistency of Hon. L. A. Wilmot, maintained 
 through many years, constituted a genuine maik of 
 the validity and sterling worih of profession and (Jiiris- 
 tian character. There was no tendency to compro- 
 mise ; his colors were at the top of the mast. In open 
 
122 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 fold, they proclaimed fearless adhesion to principle. 
 By unshrinking avowal of conviction, practical obedi- 
 ence to sacred injunction, unswerving loyalty to the 
 Saviour, his attitude and influence were felt and 
 acknowledged. For the amalgamation of Church and 
 world, fashion and religion, there was never any 
 insidious attempt. " Would you say of any one place 
 of fashionable gaiety," asks Dr. Chalmers, " that it 
 makes a cjood ante-chamber of preparation for that 
 house of solemn interview in which converse is held, 
 either with the still, small voice within, or with that 
 God above who bids you sanctify Him at all times in 
 your hearts, and to do all things to His glory ?" There 
 are scenes and circles, bringing with them the taint of 
 worldliness, the very atmosphere of which is abso- 
 lutely unfriendly to communion with God, into which 
 some professedly Christian people thoughtlessly and 
 foolishly plunge, that he habitually and cautiously 
 avoided. 
 
 " As I grow older, my views are changing fast as to 
 the degree of conformity to the world which we 
 should allow. The door at which those influences 
 enter, which countervail parental instruction and 
 example, I am persuaded is, yielding to the ways of 
 good society. By dress, books, and amusements, an 
 atmosphere is formed which is not that of Christi- 
 anity. More than ever do I feel that we must stand 
 in a kind but determined opposition to the fashions 
 of the world, breasting the waves like the Eddystone 
 lighthouse. And I have found nothing yet which 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 123 
 
 iciple. 
 )bedi- 
 ,0 the 
 t and 
 >\i and 
 : any 
 s place 
 ,hat it 
 r that 
 5 held, 
 )h that 
 mes in 
 There 
 aint of 
 J abso- 
 which 
 y and 
 tiously 
 
 requires more courage and indopi'udence tlian to rise 
 a little, but decidedly above, the j^^'*' t^t the religious 
 world around us. Sure, the way in which we com- 
 monly go on is not the self-denial and sacrifice and 
 cross-bearing which the New Testament talks of. 
 * Then is the offence of the cross ceased,' Our slender 
 intiuence on the circle of our friends is often to be 
 traced to our leaving so litth^ difference between us 
 and them." * 
 
 As the leader of a great political pai-ty, Mr. Wilmot 
 could not always avoid personal difficulty. The ordeal 
 came in due time ; and, for his religious character, 
 constituted a crucial test. To some such incident of 
 party conffict, in 1844, he has been known to refer 
 with much feeling. There had Tieen an attempt, by 
 means of defamation and slanderous assertion, to 
 weaken his groat and growing inffuence in the country. 
 There was no bar-sinister on his escutcheon. But 
 he had the pride of birth, of pure, unsullied name and 
 of high, incorruptible integrity, which such a man can 
 feel. There was the proud sensitiveness of a noble 
 nature and a chivalrous contempt for coarse, personal 
 invective. With all militant qualities he was abun- 
 dantly endowed. But for the restraint of Chiistian 
 principle and the dictates of supreme law, for insult 
 and injury, the ffrst impetuous prompting of passion 
 might have been to demand the satisfaction which a 
 now happily obsolete code of honour prescribed. In 
 such a mood and moment came the wonted hour of 
 
 'i i 
 
 Dr. J. W. Alexander, of Princeton. 
 
' 
 
 124 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 family worship, that ordinarily brought with it an at- 
 mosphere of peace, pure feeling and of tranquil 
 thought. A juncture had been reached in which there 
 was need, if ever, to take heed in the way according 
 to God's word and to ponder that pure commandment 
 which enlightened the eyes. Irritated and exasperated, 
 with a deep thunder-frown upon his brow, but still 
 battling bravely with his own spirit, for the moment 
 he turned away from the Book and the altar of devo- 
 tion. But there was by his side one gifted with quali- 
 ties of mind and temper, most needed as the comple- 
 ment of his own, who comprehended the magnitude of 
 the crisis. It was of the utmost consequence, before 
 plunging afresh into the excitement of debate and 
 possibly of renewed aggravation, that conscience and 
 calm judgment should assert their supremacy. With 
 the Bible, he was followed from the room ; and, by the 
 highest and most sacred of all considerations, was en- 
 treated to seek counsel where it had never failed. 
 Yielding to the pressure, which cculd not well be re- 
 sisted, the Book was opened, and, incidentally, his eye 
 rested upon a passage in Job. Four thousand years ago 
 the Patriarch of Uz had passed through a like ordeal ; 
 and the ancient, unchangeable promise was still as a 
 direct message from God : — " And thine eye shall be 
 clearer than the noonday ; thou shalt shine forth, thou 
 shalt be as the morning ; yea thou shalt dig about thee 
 and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt 
 lie down and none shall make thee afraid ; yea many 
 shall make their suit unto thee." 
 
 i 
 
 !!'' 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 125 
 
 N 
 
 as a 
 
 [all be 
 
 1, thou 
 
 tt thee 
 
 shalt 
 
 many 
 
 The victory was complete. From the land of Uz, 
 for his comfort, the message of God had been sounding 
 along tlie corridors of ages. Suggestions of inspired 
 record wove themselves into petition, and help for the 
 hour of need was earnestly and humbly implored. He 
 was refreshed by conscious communion with God. 
 From the discipline of sore trial came self-conquest. 
 In force and firmness of resolve, he was strengthened 
 for the exigency that was pressing hard upon him ; 
 and, as the result, was enabled to exercise that noble 
 spirit of forgiveness which Christianity inculcates. 
 " Every part of that passage," said Judge Wilmot in 
 after years, " has had a literal accomplishment." In 
 Government House, which at that time he occupied, 
 after retirement of other guests and members of his 
 own family, a frequent and favoured occurrence of 
 such visits, he indulged in reminiscences of that period 
 of life. With evident satisfaction he recounted inci- 
 dents of that memorable episode in his history. 
 Each part of the promise, as in the life of the Arabian 
 Patriarch, had received a minute ;iml marvellous fulfil- 
 ment. His age had been clearer than the noonday. 
 The sun of life, then in evening declination, was sink- 
 ing to the horizon in a clear and serene sky. He had 
 dug about him ; and beneath the ample shade and rich 
 foliage of trees, planted by his own hand, now found 
 quiet and peaceful repose. Many, including children 
 of those who sought petty party advantage, had made 
 their suit unto him. 
 
 " I had heard much of Mr. Wilmot," said a gentle- 
 
 n 
 
 i 
 
 I . 
 
126 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 man of the civil service. " Political asperities were 
 then at their height. Insensibly my feeling towards 
 him had yielded to prejudice. The first time we met 
 JVhH in a social service of the Chinch. There was 
 a slight allusion to some unmerited aspersion and 
 to the value of an untarnished Christian character. 
 But if they only knew, he said, in tender and 
 tremulous tone, what I know myself of weak- 
 ness, fyilure, imperfection, they might say worse 
 things .iian now. The genuineness of feeling and 
 of '^, noble "ipirit, that could only stand abashed in 
 the ;jrof-\^nco of an infinite purity, were not to be 
 mistaken. ' 
 
 The laureate, Mr. Tennyson, claims for his Red- 
 Cross Knight* that on him "the loyal-hearted hung;" 
 that " the serpent at his side" ceased "to flicker with 
 its double-tongue," and that — 
 
 "His strt'iif^th was as the strength often 
 Because his heart was pure." 
 
 In i-efreshing relief to the strain and tension of 
 continued contest, and the asperities inseparable from 
 public life, in such a period of political convulsion, 
 we come upon scenes of gentle and peaceful ministry : 
 
 " He who ascends to mountain tops shall liud 
 
 Their loftiest peaks most wiapt in clouds and snow." 
 
 But, even amidst the towering sunmiits and the ever- 
 lasting snows of Mont Blanc, some of the loveliest 
 
 * Sir Galahad. 
 
'M 
 
 CHRtSTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 127 
 
 Red- 
 
 ilsion, 
 listry : 
 
 ever- 
 reliest 
 
 and most exquisite forms of vegetable life may be 
 discovered. The Alpine traveller finds a sheltered 
 and sunny spot, protected by frozen peaks, on which 
 the sun's rays, reflected from glittering ice, beat dow^n 
 with double force, where rare and beautiful flowers 
 and plants bloom and luxuriate. 
 
 Genuiness of Christian character, in the lives of 
 public men, must bear scrutiny beneath a light that 
 beats fiercely along their track. But there are many 
 quiet and unobtrusive ways, and kind and gentle deeds 
 in which the best qualities of heart and life find prac- 
 tical expression. " Pure religion in the sight of God 
 and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the 
 widow in their affliction." In the most active and in- 
 fluential period of life, Judge Wilmot was prompt 
 and faithful in visitation of the sick. The lowlier 
 members of the Church, equally with those of more 
 prominent social position, were kept in view. Many 
 a sufferer was refreshed by the beaming light of Chris- 
 tian sympathy, and strengthened by tender and loving 
 words. The poor were remembered in his ministra- 
 tions, and destitution relieved. In an appeal on their 
 behalf, during the season of "peace and good-will," 
 the preacher selected for his theme the w^ords of the 
 King : " For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat; 
 I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink ; I was a stranger, 
 and ye took Me in ; naked, and ye clothed Me ; I was 
 sick, and ye visited Me ; I was in prison, and ye came 
 unto Me." The contrast was also emphasised. " I 
 
128 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 escaped that lash," he afterwards said, " my pensioner* 
 were first provided for." 
 
 Few memV)ers of the Methodist portion of the com- 
 munity can liave visited the city of Fredericton, where 
 a beautiful and nobly-proportioned church with lofty 
 spire looks down upon the broad and sweeping river, 
 and the adjacent country for miles distant, without 
 something of admiration and, perhaps, a tinge of de- 
 nominational pride. It is inferior only to the chaste 
 and costlier cathedral structure of the same city, and 
 to the magnificent sanctuary — a gem of architecture — at 
 Marysville, on the opposite side of the river.* It is now 
 with interest remembered, upon nearing that city almost 
 a (juarter of a century ago, then just arrived from 
 England, curious in regard to all facts and phases of 
 colonial life, how standing out to the depths of vaulted 
 azure, gleaming in the light of the setting sun, the 
 lofty spire of that church became an object of promin- 
 ent and thrilling interest. 
 
 The Fredericton Church has a record worth know- 
 ing about, and a history into which many a thread 
 of Judge Wilmot's time and thought and means and 
 life were woven. In the old Methodist chapel, as 
 then usually designated, during tlie decade, 1840-50, 
 were jrathered a noble band of men and women — 
 as splendid a group of families as any community 
 could show. The Church at that time was deemed 
 comfortable and sufficiently capacious. In a special 
 
 * Erected for Methodist worship by the niuuificence of Alexander 
 Gibson, Esq. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 129 
 
 ow- 
 
 Iread 
 
 and 
 
 , as 
 
 50, 
 in — 
 Inity 
 Imed 
 
 cial 
 
 inder 
 
 effort comprising many munificent contributions, a 
 licavy debt, the 07icumbrance of years was liquidated. 
 Scarcely had this long an<l devoutly wished for 
 consummation been accomplished when there came 
 the sweep and desolation of a great conflagration. 
 A large part of the city, and most of the homes 
 and business establishments of families forming 
 paii of that congregation, were destroyed. Stunned 
 and bewildered with their own losses, their habita- 
 tions smouldering in ruins, there were many that 
 grieved not less sorely for the holy and beautiful 
 house which had been burned vnth fire. 
 
 The dislocation produced by such a sweeping disaster, 
 in many of our chief centres, is well known ; and how 
 it tests the material and the mould of men. On the 
 part of some, discouraged by the magnitude and com- 
 plication of ditticulties thickening around them, there 
 was almost an utter paralysis ; and, for Church enter- 
 prise, a fear of complete collapse. Their homes were 
 in ashes, business places burnt, the trade of the city 
 prostrate, their available resources greatly reduced ; and 
 how, therefore, could they meet the emergency with any 
 hope of success. But Judge Wilmot, whose own avail- 
 able means were freely pledge<l to the object, pro- 
 posed that at once they should arise and build. 
 " Brethren," he said, as they met in consultation, " let 
 us start for a larger and more elegant church." He 
 was desirous of securing a spacious edifice, in, modern 
 style of architecture, that would meet the necessities 
 of their families, accommodate the large Sunday- 
 
 m 
 
l.SO 
 
 HON. JUDCJE WILMOT. 
 
 school, consolidate their work ; and, as became a metro- 
 politan structure, constitute an ornament and attrac- 
 tion to the city. The ()vernuisterin<^' impulse and 
 indomitable enerL^y, with Avhieh objections and ob- 
 stacles were encountered an<l surmounted, fully pre- 
 vaile<l. Ti'ustees and others cautjht the contaoion, 
 and moved with the inspiration of his couraf,^e and 
 hope. From the acceptance of plans and the laying 
 of the foundation stone, throp.gh all stages of the work, 
 until the scafiblding had been removed, he watched 
 its progress. "The labour of his own hand," says a 
 public correspondent, cognizant of all the facts and 
 probably a contributor to the enterprise, "on the 
 church edifice hastened the too tardy eff(jrts of me- 
 chanics." 
 
 By not a few, however, that superb ecclesiastical 
 erection was keenly criticised. The propriety of 
 magnificent enterprise, and of a noble faith that 
 prompted and sustained the builders, was (questioned. 
 It was beyond the means of the worshippers. There 
 was excessive ornament that involved serious expen- 
 diture ; the spire was too ambitious. There were — 
 
 "Storied windows liclilv diplit 
 (.'astiii<^ a dim, ndigioiis lif^flit." 
 
 Some of the most estimable mend^ei's delighted to 
 recall blessed services, rich and hallowed manifesta- 
 tions of spiritual power, marvellous conversions, rap- 
 turous fellowship with which their earlier history had 
 been favored. A plain building, without architectural 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 131 
 
 pretensions, it was thought by some, would have been 
 more congenial to the tastes of a people nurtured 
 without anything of material splendour in the sur- 
 roundings of their worship. Until about that time, 
 the Methodist Churches of the Province, and mostly 
 those of other denominations, were of the same uniform 
 and broadside pattern. The more modern style of 
 Church architecture, while creditable to the taste of 
 the worshipping community, may vindicate at least 
 an equal claim to the motto of ancient ecclesiastical 
 builders : Soli Deo gloria, " to God alone be the 
 glory." Had the edifice then erected, as some desired, 
 conformed to the old outlines of idea, it would have 
 been at once antiquated. The golden opportunity for 
 improvement would have passed beyond their reach. 
 Fortunately, Judge Wilmot had caught the spirit of 
 modern Church architecture, and prevailed in plan and 
 purpose. 
 
 The Choir of the Church in Fredericton, for more 
 than thirty years, was led by Judge Wilmot. That 
 onerous charge was first undertaken in 1845. His 
 heart was always in the work ; in congregational 
 worship he found abundant enjoyment. With John 
 Milton he could say : — 
 
 1 
 
 (! 
 
 k 
 
 " There let the pealing organ blow, 
 To the full-voiced choir holovv, 
 In service light anil anthem clear ; 
 'As may with sweetness, through mine ear, 
 Dissolve me into eastasies 
 And bring all heaven before my eyes." 
 
 .\:, 
 
 W 
 ■ \ 
 
132 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 t 
 
 " Passionately fond of music, able to perforin on 
 almost any instrument, with a quick ear and an ex- 
 cellent voice, a highly cultivated taste, " nicest 
 power of adapting a tunc; to a hymn and a anthem 
 to the occasion, and with great command over all per- 
 formers, he has rare (|ua!iticati()ns for this important 
 service ; and he is not one of your fastidious choristers 
 that can only sing in state and with the artistic. He 
 sings everywhere, 'where two or three are gathered,' 
 and with the children ; from the chorus richly ren- 
 dered before the large congregation, he conies easily 
 to * I want to be an anrjcl ' amongst the little ones of 
 the infant class. The present generation of singers 
 has grown up under his influence and traini ' * 
 
 There was generally, in the management choir- 
 service, an exquisite adaptation of musical expression 
 to the theme and structure of the hymn. The Rev. 
 Mr. SutclifFe, whose reminiscences of that period 
 are still fresh and vivid, mentions an illustrative 
 incident. The organ was just then introduced, and 
 renewed impetus given to congregational singing. 
 An Incarnation hymn, "Plunged in a gulf of dark 
 despair," was announced. It has one of those sudden 
 transitions that perplex sensitive musicians. After 
 striking a note of sadness and gloom, it rises to a 
 strain of exulting rapture : — 
 
 " for this love let rocks and hills 
 Their lasting silence break." 
 
 * Zioii's Herald, Boston. 
 
THRISTIAN UFE AND WORK. 
 
 ms 
 
 But, on that occasion, with surpriso and iine effect, 
 tlie tiino was changed, and tlio closing stanzas renrh'i-ed 
 with a joyous burst of melody and tiiuinpli. 
 
 In the discussion of the Mynni and Tune Book 
 question at the Toronto General Conference, tliere was 
 a point of Ju<lge Wilniot's speech which very <listinctly 
 showed liis musical taste and tendency. In illustra- 
 tion of the power and pathos of nuisic -md song, lie 
 referred to an incident of missionary encounter with 
 arbitrary and powerful chieftains. As an intimation 
 that this teacher could not proceed, except at the peril 
 of his life, their spears were crossed upon his path. 
 Comprehending the situation, the Missionary tuned 
 his violin and produced harmonies of sound that 
 moved and thrilled their savage souls. Ferocity was 
 subdued, and, i. Ited into tenderness, they became 
 friends to help him on his way. The special charm 
 of the story was in pathetic and dramatic power of 
 description. Unconsciously and in perfect panto- 
 mime, with ease and attitude and consummate grace 
 of gesture, he went through the process — tuned the 
 instrument, touched each vibrating chord, and drew a 
 stroke that an amateur at once recognized as the play 
 of an old practitioner. Then came the application of 
 the incident, and not a few, moved at first to laugh- 
 ter, found a tear wetting the cheek. 
 
 Hymns of sevens and sixes, in Methodist worship, 
 are not the rolling iambics for which there are appro- 
 priate tunes in abundance ; they are in the more 
 plaintive tone of the trochiac measure to which, for 
 
 d 
 
134 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 special themes of a penitential character, Charles 
 Wesley seeiris to have given decided preference. They 
 usually contain, in each stanza, an eight-syllable line ; 
 hence there is some difficulty, in current music, in 
 oLtaining sufficient and satisfactory variety of tunes 
 for that class . i' hymns. Jn this fact will he found 
 explanation of a passage dated at (jrovci-nmcnt House. 
 " I have been looking up," he wrott; from the confine- 
 ment of a sick room, " and copying out for the choir 
 s( ne choice tunes for seven an<l six hymns. We are 
 rather delicient in variety ; but with this accession we 
 shall be ready. I think it as much the duty of the 
 coll (jre(j((t ion to jvrnish, <)(HuI mitsir, for Sabbath wor- 
 ship and praise, as it is for the minister to prepare and 
 preach good sermons ; an<l, while I can look after it, 
 shall do what I can for that department of Church 
 service." 
 
 A favorite idea of Judijo Wilmot, on which beloved 
 to linger, was that the Incarnation sonu" of the anjxelic 
 choristei's — " Clory to God in the highest " — was only 
 t]ie prelude of an eternal anthem strain. Sweeping- 
 through space, it lilled the universe ; and, before the 
 throne of (iod, rolled up into magnificent chorus.* 
 "And if only," he would say, "the nuisic of that 
 
 * " Does not Scriptuiv licar him out ? Docs it not ring with 
 niusii' i Doi'S it not tell us how at the creation ' tlic morning star? 
 sang togctluT and all the sons of Hod sboLiti'd for joy ?' Aiftl as the 
 IJible begins with the song of the nidrning stars over nuin created and 
 ends with the sevenfold chorus of iniUilujahs and har]»ing symphonies 
 over man redeemed, so its central moment, uniting both, is that carol 
 of angels ut the Saviour's birth." — Canon Farrar. 
 
 1 
 
iy 
 
 rol 
 
 CHRIRTIAN T.IFF AND WORK. 
 
 135 
 
 heavenly song liarl been dotted down,\ve niiglit liave liad 
 some idea of serapliie iiu.'lody ! " At iimsieal practice 
 he often made reference to the sonu' and sei'vice of 
 heaven, and once lonijinLrlv said : " () n)av 1 hear some 
 liumble part in tliat immortal song— if notliing more 
 that ] niay he ])ermitted to liold tlie music for David's 
 harp!" " Bnt," said one (jf tlie singers, in refer- 
 ence to his passionate love for training voices and 
 leading in sacred song, that was perfectly understood, 
 " Judoe, would that satisfv you :' " " Would you not 
 like to lead. the. u'hole choir T' " Well, yes, ' he replied, 
 with amused interest and a pleasant smile, " perliaps, 1 
 should. Jhit I nnist praise Him in some way." 
 
 The members of the choir, which comprised some 
 sweet and superb voices, were chieily drafted from tlie 
 tSabbath-8chooL We come now, so far as Christian life 
 was concerned, to the principal scene of action. In the 
 Fre<lericton Sunday-school, for many years, the Hon. 
 L. A. Wilmot found a throne of power. There, if no- 
 where else, he was "the czar of many lands.' The 
 earliest records, accessible to the Secretary,* date back 
 only to IH'V-] — corresponding with the pi'viod of eon- 
 version and not improbably the counnencenient of a 
 Sunday-school careei-. On June 14th, bS-i."), he was 
 appointed Assistant Superintendent. The exact date 
 of his first appointment as Supcri ntf^ndcnt has not 
 been entered, in the usual form, upon the records of 
 the School. It is thouLrht to ha\e bren in bS4:l He 
 
 * Gpo. a. IVrloy, lv>s((., — who, fur drcnfy-eiy/if, years lias ellicicutly 
 discharged the dutie.s ol' that ollice. 
 
 ii 
 
136 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 
 1 
 
 was then, probably, conscious of the grand possibilities 
 of his life in that direction, of the magnificence of re- 
 sponsibilities involved, or of the extent to which the 
 impress of his nol)le and splendid enthusiasm should 
 be stamped upon that institution of our Church — for 
 soon after the office seems to have been resigned. The 
 pressure of professional and political duties and en- 
 gagements, in that period of tierce and incessant war- 
 fare, may have interfered with thorough and satis- 
 factory preparation for the arduous and onerous duties 
 of such a post. Jmlicial appointment would promise 
 ampler opportunity for Biblical research. "A great 
 luminary," says Mr. Fenety, in his valuable Notes, 
 "set in semi-darkness on the day that Mr. Wilmot 
 left the Forum for the Bencli. He was the lioht 
 of the House for seventeen years, the centre from 
 whence radiated most of the sparkling gems in the 
 political firmament. It was at a time of life, for he 
 was comparatively a young man, and at a period when 
 talents such as his were mostly w^anted by his party 
 and the country." But the loss of the State was 
 the gain of the Church. In January 18.')1, following 
 the record, he became the teacher of a large Bible- 
 class. On January 11th, liS53, came a distinction 
 which was subsequently regarded as the most honour- 
 able of his life. He was again appointed to the 
 Superintendency of the School ; and, until the day 
 previous to his death, — which took place May 20th 
 1878 — for twenty-five years continuously, with deep- 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 137 
 
 'Ji 
 
 ening and growing interest and attachment, he faith- 
 fully fulfilled the duties of that important office. 
 
 In the Sunday-school Judge Wilmot, as for so many 
 years he was affectionately <lesignated, found his ele- 
 ment. He now helieved in the grand possibilities of that 
 agency with all the convictions and sympathies of his 
 intellectual and moral bein<»'. Without stint or cfrudfje, 
 for the advantage of his charge, he lavished the best 
 treasures of his opulent and original mind. The whole 
 institution, through all its arrangements and exercises, 
 felt the inspiration and elasticity of liis presence. 
 There was a magnetism in his movements and ceaseless 
 activity and tone that were all Init irresistible. In 
 matters of perplexity the teachers Avere counselled ; 
 and, by a beaming smile, they were stimulated and 
 encouraged. Inefficiency was rebuked by the sense 
 and consciousness of an intense earnestness. A tardy 
 scholar was roused to energy. Diligence was recog- 
 nized and rewarded. Disobedience was awed and 
 abashed by the severity of look or tone. There was 
 that in his frow^n and word "^ ich was terror to evil 
 doers. The stubborn and rebellious, by affectionate 
 admonition and tenderness of appeals, always a grati- 
 fying result, Avere not unfrequently subdued to peni- 
 tential acknowledgment. Each department, while 
 under his cognizance, was held responsible for special 
 work. Aided by an efficient assistant,* and a noble 
 staff of officers and teachers, mostly of his own train- 
 ing, the entire operations of the School were carried on 
 
 * S. D. Mcl'lierson, Esij. 
 
 I- 
 
138 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I 
 
 ' -1 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 with the ease and smoothness of the most perfect and 
 polished mechanism. 
 
 A main attraction, for many years, was in the 
 addresses which from time to time formed part of 
 the closing exercises. The substance of many public 
 lectures, conmianding grand audiences and enthusi- 
 astic interest, were first given at the Sunday-school. 
 At the time of my arrival in Fredericton, during the 
 winter 1855-6, the Judge was commencing a series 
 of such addresses which alike attracted children, 
 teachers and strangers. There were incidents and 
 episodes of Bible-history — the venerable Bede's de- 
 parting doxology — \Vycliii"s trial before Archbishop 
 Courtnay — the reading of a chained Bible in the 
 crypt of St. Paul's — the martyrdom of Lady Anne 
 Askew at Smithfield, and of Ridley and Latimer 
 at Oxford — which, as then vividly described, could 
 never be forgotten, and which were the means of 
 making nianv a student of the annals of the Retorm- 
 ation. The flash of eye kindling into sympathy with 
 the subject and magnetic thrill of tone, as he caught 
 the prophetic spirit of the Reformer's undaunted 
 testimony — " The truth shall prevail " — even at this 
 distance of time stands out in living interest; and 
 Tyndal's memorable utterance, in reply to irritated 
 ecclesiastics — " If God spai e my life, ere many years 
 I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know 
 more of the Scriptures than you do" — seemed, as 
 it rolled past us through the centuries, to throb with 
 all its orio^inal force and significance. There was also 
 
THRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 139 
 
 a rare fascination, for such an audience, and deeply 
 instructive, in the allegory of John Bunyan — the im- 
 mortal dreamer. It was accompanied by illustrative 
 scenes of the Sloui^h of Desr;.jnd, tlie House of the 
 Interpreter, the Palace called Beautiful, the dreadful 
 Fight with the Foul Fiend, Douhting (Jastle, the 
 Delectable Mountains, the Enchanted Gi'ound, the 
 Land of Beulah, and that mysterious River crossed 
 by the I'ilgrims — where, accompanied l)y the shining 
 ones, and the ti'umpets all sounding around them, they 
 passed up through the golden gates into the glorious 
 city. Books of travel, marvels of science, the culture 
 of nature, an exhaustless fund of incident, for instruc- 
 tion and gratification, Avere also placed under exacting 
 contribution. But especially did this honoured Super- 
 intendent delight to expound the Word of God, and 
 from the richest of all trea.sures to bring out things 
 new and old. There were some selections, as for 
 example the Ten Commandments, portions of the 
 Sermon on the Mount, Narratives of the Evangelists, 
 the Twcdfth of Romans, and other teachings of Holy 
 Scripture, to which I'cpeated attention was turned ; 
 and, because of the settiiiu" which in wealth of thous'-ht 
 he gave, many a gem of inspii'ed truth was seen to 
 flash with a brighter and purer glow. Indelible has 
 been the impression thus pro<lueed by a ])assag(} such 
 as that in Proverbs : — " Let not mercy and truth 
 forsake thee : bind them about thy neck ; write them 
 on the table of thy heart : so shalt thou find favor 
 
 
140 
 
 HON. JUDGE VVILMOT. 
 
 and good understanding in th-^ sight of God and 
 
 man. 
 
 Is it riglit that there slumld be anything of unique 
 interest in the supreme consecration of splendid intel- 
 lectual gifts to such a department of Christian work ? 
 May not the very best minds and richest culture, 
 which churches and congregations can possibly supply, 
 find in the Sunday-school an ample sphere ? " Virtue 
 and intelligence," according to Chief-Justice Marshall, 
 an eminent Jurist of the United States, " are the 
 basis of our independence and the conservative prin- 
 ciples of national and individual happiness ; and 
 Sunday-school institutions are devoted to the pro- 
 tection of both." " The common school," says Sir 
 Charles Reed, a member of the British Parliament, 
 and a devoted Sunday-school worker, " contemplates 
 the physical, intellectual and moral being ; the Sunday- 
 school, the religious and spiritual. The public school 
 has its limits ; but the Sunday-school knows none, for 
 its teaching crowns and glorifies the completely 
 educated man." 
 
 Reluctantly consenting, on a Sunday-school Anni- 
 versary occasion, to conduct the service, a passage was 
 very appropriately selected: Sujfer little children to 
 come unto me, (C7id forbid them not; foroj such is the 
 kingdom of God. " I have heard him," said one of the 
 most intelligent of his auditors, " at the Bar, in the 
 Legislature, on the Bench and the platform, but never 
 with a more genuine satisfaction than in the service of 
 to-day." 
 
CURISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 141 
 
 and 
 
 the 
 
 Amongst recollections of inflnence and usefulness, 
 fragrant as the breath of a summer morning, running 
 along the line of many liright and happy years, bring- 
 ing out the best and most benign qualities of a noble 
 and beautiful character and sympathy, were numerous 
 incidents which must fail to find any ade({uate record : 
 exquisite renderings of tuneful melodies and of strains 
 sweet and familiar as household words — visits to the 
 sick room, eagerly anticipated ; winged petitions and 
 tender, loving words, where fever or consumption was 
 wasting the child of weakness — scenes, " privileged 
 beyond the connnon walks of virtuous life, quite on 
 the verge of heaven," where brightness suffusing the 
 countenance of the suti'erer was eloquently expressive 
 of strength renewed and of the unutterable gratifica- 
 tion afforded — touching and yet exulting reference to 
 the early departure of some beloved member of his 
 charge ; of triumph over death, lite radiant with im- 
 mortality,and the consummated blessedness and fulness 
 of the beatific vision. Delineation of memories such 
 as these, that linger with us like the thought of a 
 beautiful vision, demands the pencil and inspiration 
 of genius, and, in this sober sketch, may not be at- 
 tempted. 
 
 In the mere fact of elevation to distinctions and 
 dignities of public and official life, Ijeeause of infir- 
 mities incident to humanity, ma^' not unfrec^uently be 
 found a searching and a severe test of the validity and 
 genuineness of principle and Christian character. The 
 present Lord Chancellor of England — the successor of 
 
142 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 illustrious men and of imperial minds — one of the 
 most distinguished members of the Conservative 
 Cabinet — is a faithful and self-denying Sunday-school 
 teacher. When tirst, as insignia of ofKce the Chancellor 
 was honoured with the custody of the Great Seal, as if 
 the very idea of condescension to a sphere of ordinary 
 and unostentatious Christian work were inadmissabie, 
 a personal friend remarked to him that of course he 
 could not now continue to teach in the Sunday-school. 
 " Why not}'' asked Lord Cairns —in a manner and tone 
 that were sufficientl}^ expressive of decisive purpose.* 
 It has been told, when appointed Lieutenant-Gover- 
 nor, a report was put int(j circulation that Judge 
 Wilmot's Superinteiidency would be resigned ; and 
 that the oversight and <lrudgery of Sunday-school 
 would not be deemed compatible with the elevation 
 and dignity of official administration. To some of the 
 young people, impressed with an excessive sense of the 
 grandeur to which he had been raised, imparting to 
 current rumour an air of probabilitj^ the matter was 
 one of serious moment. A little fellow from one of 
 the smaller classes resolved himself, or was constituted 
 by acclamation of that somewhat extraordinary group, 
 a deputation to demand explanation. After listening 
 with amused interest there was a positive assurance 
 that no such traitorous thouLdit had been entertained. 
 He could never prove recreant to duty. The satisfying 
 intimation was also given that, " if by any possibility 
 duties were found to be incompatible and one of 
 
 Christian Herald, London. 
 
C'limSTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 143 
 
 ance 
 ined. 
 
 ying 
 jility 
 e of 
 
 two offices iiiust b(! surrendered, in preference to the 
 Governorsliip with its honours and emoluments, he 
 would cling to the Sunday-school." 
 
 In affinity with love for flowers and music was his 
 sympathy with and ati'ection for sunny child-nature. 
 There was, beneath and beyond, belief in the bound- 
 less possibilities of their mental and moral being. The 
 children of the Said )ath -school were known to him by 
 name. In the most dignified company, without a 
 winning smile and a magnetic word of kindness, it was 
 not v-asy for him to pass them even in their dusty play 
 upon the street. It was a gratification of the very 
 highest kind to gather around him the early, ])eautiful 
 and unsophiscated sympathies of the little ones ; and 
 to control, touch " those chords so fine," — 
 
 "And tune their hearts too high 
 For aught beneath the sky." 
 
 Did not the feature of character, thus indicated, 
 more than scintillations of genius, splendid corrusca- 
 tions of speech, and brilliant successes of life, consti- 
 tute his real greatness and claim to special tribute ? 
 Recently there was a review of the Austrian cavalry 
 before the emperor and empress. Just as a squadron 
 of hussars swept out from the main body of thirty 
 thousand horseman, a little girl not above four yeai's 
 old darted from her mother's side in the front line of 
 spectators and ran on to the open field directly in front 
 of the advancing host. The squadron was at full 
 gallop. It was close at hand. The death of the child 
 
144 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 sceincd inevitable. A tlirill of horroi- passed over the 
 powerless spectators. The empress, a full observer of 
 the scene from the carriage, uttered a cry of horror 
 at the sight of the little one just to be trampled to 
 death by a thousand hoofs. At the instant a trooper 
 swung himself down from the saddle, along the side 
 of his horse's neck, and catching the child lifted it with 
 himself safely into his saddle without slackening his 
 speed or breaking the alignment. The little one was 
 saved. Ten thousand voices raised a shout of joy. 
 The empi'css and the mother burst into tears of 
 grateful relief. And the emperor, summoning to his 
 presence the noble soldier, took from his own breast 
 the richly enamelled cross of the Order of Maria 
 Theresa, and hung it about the neck of the brave 
 hussf 
 
 jsar. 
 
 * 
 
 To the Austrian hero, for that intrepid act, the rescue 
 of a child from a great and immediate peril, we gladly 
 and cheerfully accord the very highest recognition. 
 Boundless applause of spectators, imperial approba- 
 tion and award, jewelled cross and decoration of an 
 illustrious Order were all w^ell and worthily bestowed. 
 Through that noble deed a little girl had been 
 snatched from the jaws of death. But are there no 
 wreaths wov^en for those who, spurning sellish ease, are 
 ever on the alert to save children with all their im- 
 mortal destinies, from sin and vice and ignorance and 
 other perils — more to be dreaded than the trampling 
 hoof of Austrian cavalry ? Shall not recognition of 
 
 * Londou atamlai'd. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND \V()I{K. 
 
 145 
 
 I I 
 
 grandeur and of a greatness, due to 1 ugliest and 
 holiest lieroisin, be accorded to men and women who 
 unseltislily minister to the least of the little ones I 
 When famed and lauded distinctions of earth are for- 
 fjotton, warrioi's'chaplets withered, gold of the million- 
 aire cankered, storied urn and sculptured marble and 
 glittering mausoleum wasted to dust and ruin, then 
 shall service of Christ and self-denying toil for the 
 welfare of souls obtain full and final recompense : 
 
 " Thy feet shall stand on jasj)or floors ; 
 Thy heart shall seem a thousand hearts, 
 Each heart with million rajjtnres tilled : 
 Thou shalt sit with princes and with kings." 
 
 The department of the school to Judge Wilmot of 
 special and unfailing interest was the Infant Class — 
 which, as conducted in that charge, has been carried 
 up to the very highest point of excellence. It was 
 a class which of all others the Superintendent never 
 failed to visit. The beaming countenances of bright 
 children told of the genuine delight with which they 
 listened to even his most commonplace remaiks. To 
 this class we may accompany him on the last Sabbath 
 of his life : " Now children," he said on that occasion, 
 your old superintendent will leave you some day and 
 what shall I do if some of you fail to meet me up there? 
 Why heaven will be no heaven without my children ! 
 I will jus*t wait and watch at the gates of gold. If I 
 miss any, I will say surely they have not strayed away. 
 Some of our children have left us, and they are with 
 a 
 
 m 
 
146 
 
 HON. jrnOE WILMOT. 
 
 the angels now. Then I like to think that they grow 
 through the eternal years. Children will not always 
 remain children in heaven. Their minds and forms 
 will develop there as well as here." At this moment 
 there was a trace of disappointment in the teacher's 
 face,* for the shadow of a sore bereavement had fallen 
 upon her life, and there had been the cherished hope 
 of meetinjj the little one unchan<.;ed in form : " Ah ! 
 well," he said, " you will be fully satisfied." 
 
 The consecration of service was not bounded by the 
 limits of one charge. Representatives of the several 
 Sunday-schools in the City of St. John, " Church of 
 England, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, Baptist, Congrega- 
 tional," resolved to mark their sense of appreciation 
 by some special token. ■{• The reply of Judge Wilmot 
 was as follows : 
 
 "Gentlemen, — I receive with great pleasure the 
 Books and Diagrams which you have presented to me, 
 on behalf of the St. John Sunday-schools, for the use 
 of the School under my superintendence at Frederic- 
 ton ; and for myself, and in the name of my beloved 
 
 * Mrs. Wm. Leniont. 
 
 + The following document, copied from Th' 
 
 ifHy needs 
 
 no explanation : — 
 
 At a meeting of Superintendents ol i«i, Is, i he City of 
 
 St. John and Parish of Portland, heldii ae room .1 the Voung Men's 
 Christian Association, on the evening of May 2.'''ih, 1858. 
 
 On motion, it was unanimously Resolved, 'i liat we tender to his 
 Honour Judge Wilmot, on behalf of the Sabbath-schools, which v 
 respectively represent, our sincere and hearty thanks for the great i; 
 terest he has manifested, at different times, in the welfare of .r 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WOllK. 
 
 147 
 
 teachers and scholars, and J thank you for your wry 
 valuable and useful present. 
 
 " On the occasion to whicli you refer, 1 found an 
 abundant lewnrd in my work, and yet a j^ieater reward 
 after my work, in the assurance, that anion^^ teachers 
 and scholars, a fresh inteiest was thereby awakened, 
 not only in the ^^t'n^s^^/, but in the shnjij of tlie Holy 
 Scriptures, And as you have now furnished nie with 
 a bountiful supply of materials for future lectures, \ 
 shall look forward with great pUjasure to the first 
 favourable opportunity for again addressing the St. 
 John Sabbath -sell ools ; when we shall either traverse 
 the ' Catacombs of Rome,' and explore the sepulchral 
 records of primitive and persecuted Christianity, or 
 make an excursion among the monumental inscriptions 
 of ' Ancient Egypt,' and there read the hieroglyphic 
 history of the captivity and deliverance of Israel, in 
 perfect accordance with our (nvn inspired history ; or 
 range the fields of 'Fulfilled Prophecy," and gather 
 materials to strengthen our faith and confidence in the 
 
 
 needs 
 
 to his 
 liich ^ 
 reat ^ 
 
 of r 
 
 Schools, aiul more particuhiily for the kind iniunier in which he met 
 and addressed them during the past winter. 
 
 And further Jlrsulvrd, That we request his acceptance of a Lihrary 
 for the use of the Sabliath-school at FreiU'ricton, over which he ])resides ; 
 and also of four sets of Diagrams, as a small token of our gratitude and 
 esteem. 
 
 Resolved, That Dr. Paterson and !Mr. J. R. Ruel he a Comndttee to 
 present these Resolutions, with the Lihrary and Diagrams, to Judge 
 Wilmot. 
 
 James R. Ruki., James Patekson, 
 
 Secretary. Chairman, 
 
148 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 I 
 
 J 
 
 Divine inspiration of the Bible ; or illustrate the de- 
 grading superstitions and l>arl>arous cruelties of 
 ' Paganism and Idolatry,' and contrast, there'vith, the 
 benignant and peaceful intiuences of a pure and holy 
 Christianity. 
 
 " The statistics of your schools are highly gratifying 
 to me. What a responsible work ! How incalculable 
 the value of faithful and affectionate instruction from 
 Sal)bath to Sabbath to THREE thousand two hundred 
 youthful and immortal minds ! Ever remember, that 
 loving, faithful teachers, are sure to find loving and 
 attentive scholars ; and the reward is certain, for ' in 
 due season we shall reap if we faint not.' 
 
 " ' The Book for both worlds ' is the Book for our 
 Sabbath-schools ; and he wdio teaches the science of 
 Christianity from that only text book, may always be 
 assured that he never teaches alone, for He who has 
 promised that His Word shall not return unto Him 
 void, will assuredly accompany that blessed word with 
 the teaching of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 " Committed as I am for life, to the delightful work 
 of Sabbath-school teaching, I shall at all times feel a 
 deep interest in the success of your Sabbath-schools, 
 Our work is one — our hook is one — our God is one — our 
 Redccuier is one — our Comforter one — our throne of 
 (jraec one ; and with all of every clime ana kindred 
 and people and tongue who shall receive the final and 
 eternal reward in heaven, the sony will be one — ' To 
 Him that loved us and w^ashed us from our sins in His 
 own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto 
 
CfiniSTfAN TJFE AND WORK. 
 
 140 
 
 God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion 
 for ever and j\er.' 
 
 " Looking forward with iinich pleasure to the time 
 when I may again he permitted to address yonr Sah- 
 l)ath-schools, and impart instruction with the aid of 
 yonr valuahle present, lielicve me, very sincerely and 
 affectionately yours, 
 
 " L. A. WiLM(yr." 
 
 "Saint .loliii, 'jr.tli May, IS^S." 
 
 "Detained over a Sabbath hy judicial duties, in the 
 City of St. John, Judge Wilmot looked in upon us at 
 the Benevolent Hall. There was at the time a feature 
 of exceptional charactt'r, in the work of the School, 
 which at once arrested his atterrtion. The attendance 
 of boys was in average excess of that of the girls. 
 The promise was given that, if the same numerical pro- 
 portion wei-e carried through another year, a library of 
 books should be presented for our use. At the end of 
 the year a report vras forwarded to Fre<lericton, show- 
 ing that required conditions had been fully met. Ac- 
 companied by clieery and loving words, the books 
 were duly received."* 
 
 Conscientious discharge of responsible duty found 
 abundant compensation. Suffering from excruciating 
 pain, a few months befori' his death, stai'tiug up from 
 the sofa at the appointed time, he was at his post. 
 " Years ago," he said, in answer to expostulation, " my 
 work was attended to in that department from sheer 
 sense of duty ; but, now in satisfaction and acconi- 
 
 * Suniirinteri'lcnt. 
 
i:>o 
 
 in IN, .IfTDflK WTI.MOT. 
 
 panying hlesssiiig, my comfort is rich and abiding." 
 From the Sunday-scliool under his management, into 
 the membersliip of the church, there passed a continu- 
 ous stream ; and, from the same place, there were rich 
 and constant accessions to tlie !j;*at1iered ones l)efore 
 the throne. From young people widely scatt(n*ed, 
 often at the time of their reception to Church-com- 
 munion, communications were leceived expressive of 
 gratitude for the interest and affection of former years. 
 These were results worth more to him than thousands 
 of gold and silver. 
 
 " There were distinctions of another kind," says a 
 Montreal writer, " and honorary appointments that he 
 highly vair.ed." * He was l*resident of the Auxiliary 
 Branch Bible Society, cherished a deep and intelligent 
 interest in all its proceedings, and greatly rejoiced to 
 be identified with a marvellous movement, the most 
 maii'nificent of modern times, for the translation of the 
 Word of God into the living languages of all people, 
 and its circulation amongst the various nations of the 
 earth. 
 
 At the Toronto General Conference of the Meth- 
 odist Church of ('anada, in September, lcS74, 
 Judge Wilmot was elected to the chair — subsecjuently 
 occupied l)y the veneral)le Dr. Egerton Ryerson — 
 of the preliminary meeting at which that important 
 ecclesiastical assembly was oi"ganized. In association 
 with tlie Rev. Dr. George Douglas, he was appointed 
 to the Nashville General Conference of the Southern 
 
 U'itiiexs, 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 151 
 
 Methodist Episcopal Church.* A rare deputation 
 that could not have been readily duplicated ! For 
 who might presume to wield the Douglas brand or to 
 bend veteran Ulyssus' brow ? Had that united visit 
 been made, as then was anticipated, the Dominion, 
 as well as the Methodist Church of Canada, would 
 have been nobly represented. One could have wished 
 that for once, with unquenched fire of an impassioned 
 eloquence, the Ex-Governor of New Brunswick had 
 been privileged to stand in the presence of those 
 Southern brethren. 
 
 At the Montreal meeting of the Dominion Evan- 
 gelical Alliance, October, 1874, an influential assembly, 
 in which Principal Dawson of McGill College, 
 President McCosh of Princeton, Dr. Donald Eraser 
 of London, and other eminent men took part, 
 Hon. L. A. Wilmot officiated with gi-eat acceptance 
 
 * At the ^Montreal General Conf«reiice, 1878, in behalf of an influ- 
 ential Coniniittec, by Kt'V. Dr. Anson tircen, now also nnnibcred with 
 the sainted doad, a touching and beautiful tribute was jtaid to the 
 memory of Juilgo Wilmot. The following resolution, fornndated at 
 the suggestion of Hon. S. I . Shannon, seconded by Hon. James 
 Ferrier, was cordially adopted: "That whih', for many years the 
 late Hon. L. A. Wilmot, Ex-Governor of New Hrunswick, occupied 
 with consiticuous and distinguislied advantage tlie highest position of 
 pul)lic responsibility and intluence for which, by the possession of 
 varied and brilliant gifts, he was prominently (lualified ; yet believing 
 that the best efforts and most cherished syin[iathic8 of his life were, 
 with unswet'ving loyalty, given to the Methodist Church, in recogni- 
 tion of his noble character, consistent life, and eminent usefulness, w« 
 gladly accord to his name and memory this expression and permanent 
 reconl of our esteem and veneration." 
 
152 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMcrr. 
 
 II 
 
 as President of that body ; and, " if deep interest 
 in the cause of the Alliance " — to vise his own 
 words when taking* the chair — "was any qualification, 
 he could claim a special fitness for that ])Ost.'' " He 
 thanke<l his brethren of the Conference for th.; honor 
 they had conferred upon him in electinijf him to the 
 position of Pi-esident of this organization. He had 
 longed to l)e with them from the beginning of the 
 Conference, but was prevented by ecclesiastic duties 
 at home from coming sooner. He was happy to be 
 present and bear his testimohy to the necessity of 
 personal religion, of being like Christ in order that 
 thex' might all be one in Him, and thus contribute to 
 the honor and pi-osperity of the Protestant Churches. 
 He hoped that the result of this gathering would 
 be to promote the Redeemer's kingdom, and he was 
 sure that the world would l)e the better for it." 
 
 While loyal to the core, as a member of the Metho- 
 dist Church, he was also profoundly and prayerfully 
 inte: '3sted in regard to the prospei-ity and progress of 
 other denominations. He longed greatly for the ex- 
 istence and exhibition of a noblei' spiritual unity. 
 Facts of fraternal interccjurse amongst representatives 
 of the several Evangelical Churches in Missionary 
 lands, were perused with peculiar and giateful satis- 
 faction. At a mu 5-meetinn- of the Evanijelical 
 Alliance, lighting up the subject with illustrative in- 
 cident, he made apposite reference to tliis sul)ject : 
 " The Missionaries from the various societies laboured 
 side by side in the same field of toil. They were one 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 I ;•).'? 
 
 in Christ, and no matter of what (lononiination, com- 
 bined togotlier to meet the enemy. They ]iad no time 
 to discuss minor points of difierence, for tlie enemy 
 was pressing hard with a detei'mined front ; instead of 
 wrangling over tlic Ap(.>stolic succession or otlier 
 knotty points, they v.'ould kneel together, and, having 
 invoked God's hlessmg, would ac'vance sliouldcr to 
 shoulder and attack the enemy. There was a tine 
 illustration of such action in the Britisli arm v. At 
 the memorable battle of Inkei'inan, when the Russian 
 soldiers, maddened with spirits, a<Ivaneed through the 
 heavy mist upon the British forces, and caused the 
 right wing to swerve, several regiments were deci- 
 mated in the struggle, and the survivors were ()l)liged 
 to fall back ; and at the time Col. Kinloch gathered 
 the debris of eight or ten regiments together. The 
 men had been looking out for just such a leader ; he 
 rallied loO men, in all uniforms; each man fell in 
 alongside the other ; there was no looking then for 
 this or that company, or place, or companions, but 
 every man stepped in to iill the ranks; and they had 
 scarcely been told otl", when a si|Uare of Uussians 
 charged, but the gallant loO held 1, ')()() mm in clujck ; 
 for they stood side l)y side and slioulder to shoulder, 
 to do their duty, as faithful servants of the Queen 
 should, to the last."* 
 
 "Befcre long," he wrote, A])i'il, 1<S7(>, in tleprecation 
 of some unlovely exhibition of exclusiveness, "we 
 
 lie 
 
 * Moiitroal Jrititess. 
 
 Q' 
 
' I 
 
 lo4 
 
 HON. .TlJDrJK \VII,MOT. 
 
 shall in the, dm rch a hove ^vi past all conflicts of de- 
 nominational peculiarities." He exulted in the tlioui^ht 
 that, in heavenly sonL!' and S(?vvice, they would ulti- 
 niately meet and mingle in perfect and blessed unison. 
 That supreme ideal of Christian unity lias since been 
 fully realized ; rapturous anticipation has been satis- 
 fied and consunnnated. Amidst the light and sphm- 
 dor of emerald and gold and Imi-ning sapphire, in fault- 
 less purity befo)'e the Thi-one of (iod and the Land), 
 the raptui-e of ])eatific vision and of umitterable com- 
 munion, without a note of dissonance and with no 
 trace of the strife and (hn of earth's contnjversies, a 
 goodly fellowship, a glorious company, a noble army, 
 the sainted ones of all Evangelical Churches, an»l re- 
 deemed ones of every clime and name, unite in lofty 
 ascription ; and, in ceaseless and unwearied service, 
 chant their "hymns and holy psalms, singing ever- 
 lastingly." 
 
 " Grand, good, loving man that he was," writes the 
 Rev. Dr. Nelles of Victoria Univei'sity, "how we 
 missed him at the Montreal C-onference I We onijht 
 to have some monument of one who rendered such 
 valual)le service to the Church and to his country. 
 I recall, not only his noble career in C^hurch and State, 
 but the pleasant hours spent at his home in Freder- 
 icton — when you were stationed there."* 
 
 The last Fredericton Conference was held in 1877. 
 
 * Tlio Rev. I'lvsiik'ut Xclles and Rev. Dr. ruushon, wlioso oratory 
 signalized tlie occasion, were at that time cordially welcomed as 
 guests at Evelyn Grove. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 loo 
 
 the 
 
 The Revs. F. Sniallwood, Jeremiah .Tost, and myself, 
 all from Cliarlottetowii, were privileged to renew 
 our intercourse with the family at the Grove. It was 
 a most delightful time. One of the most <lelicious 
 experiences of our North American climate is that 
 of an Indian summer ; then a deep and soft 1)alm and 
 dreamy haze spread over and suffused the face of 
 Nature. Something analogous there was in those 
 later months of the venerable .ludge's life. There 
 was an Indian suunner of the soul, the genial warmth 
 and soft glow of kind and devout feeling, richer, 
 sunnier, and nujre beautiful than that of the seasons. 
 How pleasant aie all the memories of that last visit ! 
 
 " Fragrant as the morn, as vesper fiagrance sweet !' 
 
 The latest special effort of Judge Wilmot's active 
 life was in connection with the new Cemetery of the 
 Methodist Church. 
 
 " Besides many acts of beneficence," writes a friend 
 from Fredericton, — for many years associated with 
 him in the sacred intimacies and earnest activities of 
 Christian fellowship and of Church work — " and gen- 
 erous contributions of which you are fully aware, he 
 gave largely to various interests of the Church and 
 Sunday-school. To him we are also mainly indebted 
 for the Rural Cemetery — a beautiful burial-j)lace of 
 the dead. A few months previous to his death, for 
 generous gifts, he received the cordial thanks of the 
 officials constitutiner the Trust Board."* 
 
 At an ofliciul meeting, June lltli, 1877, with special reference to 
 
i5i; 
 
 HON. JUDGE WILMOT. 
 
 The thought has often returned : In what way can 
 the vacancy be efficiently lilled ? God Imi-ies His 
 workmen, but carries on His work ; and the Ijanner, 
 wliich fell from hands stiffened in death, has, we trust, 
 been caught up by others of like spirit and consecra- 
 tion. 
 
 The activities of the Judge's life were continued 
 to the last. For a considerable period, previous to his 
 sudden departure, they were considerably chastened 
 and restrained by painful and threatening symptoms. 
 From neurahjin, in its severest form, he repeatedly and 
 intensely suffered ; but, the keenest distress, found al- 
 leviation and potent comfort. When almost quivering 
 with nerve-pain, scalding tears forced from his eyes, 
 w^th a sweet smile, he would olten say : "There shall 
 be no more pain ; and God shall wipe away all tears 
 from t^eir eyes." 
 
 " For the last few months of his life," writes a 
 friend, " his whole converse was of heaven. Talk as 
 you would, on other subjects, he came back to the 
 same theme. He loved to quote the passage : ' Eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into 
 
 the Fredericton Eural Cemetery, in consideration of muniiicent con- 
 tril)Ution and of personal oversight, it was — 
 
 " Hcsolved, Ttiat the thanks of tliis Hoard are dne, and are hereby 
 presented, to His Hononr Jndge Wilniot, for long and faithful service 
 in connection with this trust, for Christian zeal in all matters con- 
 nected with the Methodist ( 'huroh, and more especially for liberal 
 gifts and efforts towards procuring a desiral)le and beautiful resting- 
 place for the dead — which owes much of its present appearance to his 
 Honour's taste." 
 
 i, 
 
 K) 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 157 
 
 con- 
 
 the heart of man, the thinj:^.s \\ liich God liatli i)repave(] 
 for them that love Him.' The la.st conversation was 
 upon the same subject : the jcjlorious liope of lieaven. 
 The rapture with whicli he referred to the bright home 
 beyond even then l>rou<ijht a dread and fear, of which 
 we spoke when he liad left, that the time of departure 
 was at hand and that we must lose him soon. Through 
 all that visit there was on his face a most heavenlv 
 expression. The last words on leaving were : ' There is 
 nothhyj true hut heaven." . 
 
 My own correspondence with Judge Wilmot, with 
 more or less frequency, was extended over a period 
 of twenty years and was counted a valued and 
 honoured privilege of life. The last communication, 
 received a little while before his death, contains 
 passages graphically and glowingly descriptive of the 
 magnificence and brightness — the light and purity, the 
 beatific vision, the splendour of jewelled masonry, 
 jasper pavement, and crowns of amaranth and gold — 
 of the everlasting city of God. It closes with the 
 familiar lines : — 
 
 " Wl speak of the realms of the blest. 
 
 That country so bright and so fair ; 
 And oft are its glories confessed — 
 
 But what must it be to be there." 
 
 his 
 
 That last line of the stanza quoted in many a conver- 
 sation, like thread of gold or sound of lute, in light 
 and sweetness, was woven into and minified with an 
 almost ethereal strain. " Yes," he would say, when 
 admiration had been expressed for floral beauty, frag- 
 
ir,s 
 
 HON. JUDfJK WILMOT. 
 
 rancc, or molofly, in musing undcrtono or lipflitinj:^ 
 up with su(l<l(^ii Hash of tliought, " Howcrs arc ])eauti- 
 t'ul, music has raptur«3S, earth lias its joys. J^ut v^kat 
 mud it he to he there ! " 
 
 The " lioly of the holiest leads." The (gladness and 
 rapture of earthly .service have heen compK^ted and 
 consuniniated in the i-icher, deej^er, fuller joy of that 
 world where all .saints adore, and all seraphs burn, and 
 all harpers harp, and all chfjirs chant. In one of the 
 last social services, in which I now renieniber Judge 
 Wiliiiot, he ufave out the stanza : — 
 
 " I sec a world of .s|iints liri;^lit." 
 
 Heaven .seemed nearer while we sang. The veil was 
 lifted to the vision of faith. With intensified fervour, 
 he caught the inspii-ation of that unrivalled strain: — 
 
 " At once tli<'3' .strike tlic luirnioniou.s lyre, 
 
 And hymn the great Tlireo-Ono ; 
 He hears, He smiles, and all the choir 
 
 Fall down lieibre the throne.' 
 
 To him, in thought and feeling, heaven was not far 
 away. T'o faith's aspiring eye its golden gates ap- 
 peared. In converse and countenance there was that 
 eiiiorescence of rapt and holy anticipation which 
 artbrds the surest indication of a character and growth 
 of Christian life, ripening and maturing for eternity. 
 It is delightful, and yet almost startling, to think of 
 nearness to the .spirit land. Between the Christian 
 and heaven there is only a veil. " A veil is the thin- 
 nest and frailest of all conceivable partitions j it is 
 
CHRISTIAN I, iff: AND WoHK. 
 
 i:)!> 
 
 
 
 but a fine tissue, a delicate fabric of oinbroidery. It 
 waves in tbe wind ; tbe toucli of a child may stir it, 
 and accident may rend it ; tlie silent action of time 
 will moulder it away. The veil tliat conceals lieaven 
 is only our embodied existence ; and, thoUL-h fearfully 
 and wonderfully made, it is oidy wrou<;lit out of oui* 
 frail mortality. So slight is it tliat the puncture of a 
 thorn, the touch of an insect's win«,^ the breath of an 
 infectec] atmosphere, may make it shake and fall. In 
 a bouml, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in 
 the throl) of a pulse, in the flash of a thought, we may 
 start into diseud)odied spirits, glide unaV»ashed into 
 the couipany of great an I nughty angels, pass into the 
 light and amazement of eternity, know the great 
 secret, gaze upon sph}ndors which llesh and blood 
 could not sustain, and which no words lawful for man 
 to utter could describe ! "* Suddenly, as we now re- 
 member, came the closinj^ earthly scene. A slight 
 concussion, a ruptured valve, a severed tie or tissue, a 
 broken thread, and then the lifted veil, the ministry 
 of angels, the home of the many mansions, the noon- 
 tide splendour and consunuuated fullness and blessed- 
 ness of beatific vision and of everlasting <lay. 
 
 The last SaVjbath of his life on earth was spent in 
 tbe usual routine of duty. That sacred day — its sanc- 
 tuary^ services, hyuuis of praise, litanies of supplica- 
 tion, glad tidings of salvation, connnunion of saints, 
 means of grace — always brought renewed gladness 
 
 C. Stanford : Foster. 
 
100 
 
 HON. .JlTDfiK WILMOT. 
 
 and ljaIl()W(Ml anticipation. "One thing have I de- 
 sinMl," ho could say in fervent ap])io|)riation of in- 
 spired utterance, "that will I seek after, tluit I may 
 dwell in the house of the Lord all the <lays of my 
 life, tt) behold the beauty of the Lord and to in(|uire 
 in His temple." Into the exercises of the Sunday- 
 school he entered with all his wonted interest. The 
 address at the close had some traces and touches of tlie 
 ol<l tire, for he was still ehxjuent. The subject was 
 announced for the following Sabbath, and hope was 
 expressed that there would be careful preparation. In 
 his accustomed place in the choir, with unabated 
 fervor, he led the congregational serv^ice of song. In 
 evening worship was heard, for the last time, that 
 voice of power and melody which in public praise had 
 so often exulted up to the expanding gates of heaven. 
 An arrangement was made for a musical rehearsal at 
 the Grove for the following Tuesday evening. With 
 all wonted enthusiasm, revealing the intensity of a 
 life passion, he gave the assurance that " there would 
 be a grand practice." 
 
 On the following Monday afternoon, in his accus- 
 tomed health, driving in the carriage with Mrs. Wil- 
 mot, he complained of sudden and severe pain in the 
 region of the heart, thought to have been occasioned 
 by a seemingly slight accident, caused by an impetuous 
 movement of one of the horses. He was at once 
 driven home, and a physician summoned ; but it was 
 too late for medical aid. The golden bowl was 
 broken ; the silvei' cord was loosened. With scarcely 
 
CIIUISTIAN I.IFK AND WnUK. 
 
 IGl 
 
 an articulation ho passed away. His dopartnro was 
 translation ratlier than <U'ath. Tlic sun (►f his life s(!t 
 in a cK^ar and soretic sky, to rise in the sacred, noon- 
 tide l)ri<jfhtness of unclouded, everlasting day. Tlicre 
 shall ho no n'njht there ! 
 
 Thus ransonuMl ones — " the sacramental host of Ood's 
 elect" — are " over ascendinir with sonjjs most iuhilant 
 from the faithful performance of earth's lower minis- 
 ters to the perfect service; of the upper sanctuary, with 
 its perennial and unhindered praise. They are passing 
 up through the gates of the morning into the city 
 without a temple ; and it is for other fingers than ours 
 to weave the amaranth around their hrows." * 
 
 Rapidly the ti«lings of his death passed through the 
 city. The stern fact, which for a monu'ut it seemed 
 impossible to realize, speedily threw the shadow of a 
 deep bereavement over every home. Swift and sud- 
 den that departure seemed to othei-s ; to himself the 
 event ha<l been one of calm and confident anticipation. 
 There were tokens that he was nearing the home of 
 the many mansions ; very rapturous were the visions 
 of faith. He had nothing to do at the last but to step 
 into the chariot an<l " sweep through the gates." 
 
 In a beautiful cemetery, in the sulmrbs of Frederic- 
 ton, bounded on one side by the majestic river Ht* 
 John — fi'inged and bordered by a rich, almost tropical 
 culture — .surrounded in a<ljacent park and slope with 
 grand and graceful trees — a great concourse of people 
 were gathered in the spring of 187^. From the stately 
 
 * North British. 
 
102 
 
 HON. JUDGE WTLMOT. 
 
 C'lurcli -tower — which, with heaven-piercing spire, 
 bathed in cloudless radiance, gleaming like a pillar of 
 light, crowTis the loveliest of eastern cities — in slow 
 and solemn L(me, the hell tolled out a funeral requieim. 
 They were met, those mourning ones, to commit to the 
 dust the mortal i-emains of him who foi- long years 
 had heen closidy identified with every prominent 
 movement of the community. Even that (juiet resting- 
 place of the dead, in which he had plainiod and directed 
 to the last, and which now looks tran(juil and exqui- 
 ^iitelv atti'activc, was a memorial of his taste and 
 enterprise : — 
 
 " V.'itl) silent stc]) and thoughtful lirow 
 All of the huuKui left up now, 
 They carry to that peaceful grave." 
 
 But Ivors Jrvi.ua vitai : " death is the gate of life." 
 That sepulchre is the pathway to innnortality. Beyond 
 the gloom of the grave there is a life which never 
 dies; and, insure and certain hope of a glorious resur- 
 rection, earth is committed to eai th, dust to dust, and 
 ashes to ashes. "When Judge Wilmot died, a brilliant 
 provincial luminary was suddenly extinguished. The 
 simple appreciation of tlie talents of such a man and 
 the good he did, apait fr{>m his political achievements, 
 should have led long since to some public action being 
 taken to pei'ptituate the memory of one of New 
 Bi'unswick's noblest and truest patriots."* 
 
 Freuerictoii Jicjmrlcr, October 13th, 1830. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 
 
 168 
 
 life." 
 .1 
 
 For less of lustre in life and life purpose, and for 
 public services less distinguished, there have been men 
 honored with the magnificence and solemn pomp of 
 national sepulchre. But all that was mortal of this 
 illustrious and revered Colonist, as was most meet, 
 was rendered to the mould hard by the city whf^T-ehis 
 active and beneficent life had been spent.* And grudge 
 not to others the trophied tomb (>r storied urn. To 
 him on that day was paid a rare, touching, and beau- 
 tiful tribute. A procession of some hundreds of young 
 people, members of the Sunday-school, moved silently 
 past the grave ; each one dropped a flow^er, dewy with 
 tears, upon the coffined dead. There was a deep pathos 
 in that dosing scene ; hearts palpitated as with a 
 sense ot personal bereavement ; there was a low mur- 
 mui'ing in the aii', "as the sob of an infant pierced 
 with pain." That expressicm of tearful, heartfelt 
 homage, more costly than glittering mausoleum or the 
 gold of a millionaire, was such as few magnates of 
 earth could have commanded ; and the conspicuous 
 merits, to which that unique and beau^^ful recog- 
 nition was accorded, will, for a long time to come, 
 constitute a treasured and influential memory. 
 
 ^"This Provinrc shmil'l Imvi' •^ouic mt'imiito of ilii <\i-n who 
 in [List ycius did so iniicli I'' r it, niic df wlioiii ]i;i-.-.i-d nw.iy ii sliort 
 tiino at^o and who liorc thf distini^^'iishcil ii;inn' of Chnrlf^ Fi-hiT. 
 Annth(>r w .s tlir lato lion. Mi-. Wilmot, a man of the most luillcint 
 parts. S( mo mcniciuo ol'thic should Im' phKcd in the lialls, not 
 only as a triluite to tlicir memory but to stir n\> national t'erling 
 and inspire otliers to follow tlu-ir cxampk'. " — Sixirh of H'tlUtim 
 Elder, Esq., M.P.P., iti Ifonsi- of Assembly, Fdinmrij, ISSI, 
 
164 
 
 HON. Jl'DGE WILMOT. 
 
 It was a rare lionor to, and a nobler memorial of 
 their comrade, La Tour d'Auvcrgne, the first grenadier 
 of France, as he was called, foremost in a land of 
 chivalrous deeds, when after his deatli his former com- 
 panions insisted that his name should not be removed 
 from their record. Regularly, at the regimental roll- 
 call, it was answered by one of the survivors. There 
 Avas still an inspiration in the greatness of his life and 
 the thought of unsullied and heroic deeds. His name 
 of renown they would not willingly let die. Judge 
 VVilmot has finished his earthly course; he was ever 
 foremost in the ranks ; he <lied at his post. But his 
 name cannot yet be ei-ased from the roll of the sacra- 
 mental host. His life, brightened and ennol)h,'d by 
 high and honourable service, will be perpetuated in 
 potent and endui'ing inliuence. B;j It, he heiiuj dead 
 yet Hpeal'cth ! 
 
 In fitting memorial of an illustrious superintendent, 
 a portrait by a competent artist, to which members of 
 the Sunday-school contributed, hangs in the basement 
 of the Church. If not, like the warrioi" of Breton 
 birth, named at the regular roll-call, from that sp(>ak- 
 ing canvas he looks down upon the asseud)led school. 
 He seems vet to mino-le with the scene of earnest and 
 active Christian work : — 
 
 "Nothiii<:f tiiii borcav'o him 
 Of the foivc hi' iiiath' his own. 
 Being hei'i' iUid we IiclieVL' him 
 Sometliin^ I'ar atlviUitH'd in state. 
 Anil that he. wears a truer erown 
 Than any wreath that we can weave him." 
 
 ( I!., ii 
 
norial of 
 grenadier 
 
 land of 
 nor com- 
 rcniovcd 
 tital roll- 
 . Tliore 
 ; life and 
 lis name 
 Judixe 
 was ever 
 
 But his 
 le sacra- 
 )bled by 
 aated in 
 n(j dead 
 
 tendent, 
 nbei's of 
 asenient 
 Breton 
 t speak - 
 1 scliool. 
 lest and 
 
 CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORK. 165 
 
 Over that oravc on monumental election— promi- 
 nent amonu-st memorials of sculptured i^-ranite or of 
 polished marble-in that burial place\>f the river 
 plain, In Memoriam, a simple but suggestive and 
 signihcant inscription has been chiselled. In contains 
 only name and date and characteristic passage from 
 the thirty-seventh Psalm : 
 
 THE HONOl'RABLE 
 
 LEMUEL A. WILMOT, d. c. l. 
 
 Bom 31st January, 1809. 
 Died 20th May, 1878. 
 
 The iiioutli of tlu. ri-htcoiis .sptaketli wisdom ; 
 The law of CJod is in liis heart. ' 
 
 Odarii.an Cook ani> Job I'Hi.vmo IIoiw, 4 Voiwt ii 
 
 aTRKBT, Toronto.