Johnston was again examined at great length before the committee of the commons; and his evidence contained strong recommendations for extending the rights of the natives of India. In 1840 he unsuccessfully contested as a liberal the representation of the Dumfries burghs. He died in London on 6 March 1849, and was buried at Carnsalloch, Dumfriesshire, where he had long endeared himself to all classes. In person he was of distinguished appearance and manners, and was highly esteemed in society. He left four sons and three daughters.
Alexander Robert Campbell-Johnston (1812–1888), younger son of the above, was born at Colombo, Ceylon, on 14 June 1812, and went to the Mauritius in the colonial service in 1828. In 1833 he accompanied his cousin, William John, eighth lord Napier, to China. He received a medal for services on board H.M.S. Nemesis in the Chinese war of 1841, and was, in the absence of the appointed governor, Sir Henry Pottinger, administrator of the government of Hong Kong from June 1841, when the British flag was first hoisted, until the close of 1842. His conduct at Hong Kong was highly commended. Johnston was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 5 June 1845 in recognition of contributions to the natural history of China, which he made during his stay in that country. He retired from the colonial service in 1852, and died at Raphael Ranch, Los Angeles, California, 21 Jan. 1888.
[Family papers kindly contributed by Sir Alexander's son, P. F. Campbell-Johnston, esq.; Reports of Parliamentary Proceedings; Gent. Mag. 1849, pt. i. p. 424; Dumfries Times, 12 March 1849; Athenæum, 1888, i. 151; Royal Society's Lists.]
JOHNSTON, ALEXANDER (1815–1891), painter, born at Edinburgh in 1815, was son of an architect, who placed him at the age of fifteen with a seal-engraver in that city. He was a student in the Trustees' Academy there from 1831 to 1834, when he came to London with an introduction to Sir David Wilkie. In accordance with Wilkie's recommendation he entered the schools of the Royal Academy under W. Hilton in 1836. While in Edinburgh he had chiefly devoted himself to portrait-painting, and he brought with him to London some portraits of Dr. Morison's family, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1836 and 1837. In 1838 he exhibited there his first subject picture, ‘The Mother's Prayer,’ and sent his ‘Scotch Lovers’ to the Society of British Artists. In 1839 his picture of ‘The Mother's Grave’ at the Royal Academy attracted favourable notice, while ‘The Gentle Shepherd’ (1840) and ‘Sunday Morning’ (1841) (formerly in the Bicknell collection and engraved by F. Bromley) established his popularity. In 1841 he exhibited his first historical picture, ‘The Interview of the Regent Murray with Mary Queen of Scots,’ which was purchased by the Edinburgh Art Union. In later years he was a frequent contributor to all the principal exhibitions. ‘The Covenanter's Marriage’ (1842) was engraved by C. Lightfoot for ‘Gems of Modern Art.’ ‘A Scene from the Lady of the Lake’ obtained a premium of 50l. from the Liverpool Academy in 1849, and ‘Prince Charles's Introduction to Flora Macdonald after the Battle of Culloden’ was awarded by the Glasgow Art Union a premium which the painter declined. In 1845 Johnston exhibited ‘Archbishop Tillotson administering the Sacrament to Lord William Russell in the Tower,’ which was purchased by Mr. Vernon, formed part of ‘The Vernon Gallery,’ and is now in the National Gallery (engraved by T. L. Atkinson and C. H. Jeens). Johnston was still an exhibitor in 1884. He died at 21 Carlingford Road, Hampstead, after a short illness, on 2 Feb. 1891. His son, Douglas Johnston, a musician of some promise in Glasgow, predeceased him.
[Art Journal, 1857, p. 57; Ottley's Dict. of Recent and Living Painters; obituary notices.]
JOHNSTON, ALEXANDER JAMES (1820–1888), puisne judge of the supreme court, New Zealand, eldest son of James S. Johnston of Wood Hill, Kinnellar, Aberdeenshire, was born at Kinnellar in 1820. He entered at Lincoln's Inn 12 Nov. 1838, migrated to the Middle Temple 21 Dec. 1842, and was called to the bar by the latter society 27 Jan. 1843. He practised for several years in Westminster Hall, and went on the northern circuit until 1857, when he was appointed deputy-recorder of Leeds. He went out to New Zealand in 1859; was appointed one of the judges of the supreme court in the Wellington district in the following year, and in 1876 was transferred to the Canterbury district. As judge he tried the greater part of the native prisoners during the Te Kooti and Tito Kowaru wars. He also tried the Mūngatapū murderers. Johnston occupied a dignified position during the Maori panic of 1869, opposing the outcry for summary trials by court-martial and quoting with great effect the words of Chief-justice Cockburn (in Regina v. Nelson and Brand) against lightly superseding the ordinary tribunals (see Rusden, History of New Zealand, ii. 551). He was chief justice of New Zealand for the two years, 1867 and 1886. He was a member of several commissions
