the bar was a noted pleader and conveyancer, rie displayed fine judgment, and was greatly sought after as an adviser. He was happier at arguments in banco than before juries, — Mr. Seward as a natural orator taking precedence at nisi prius. Mr. Blatchford soon became prominent in social circles, and through his suavity and conversational powers was a welcome guest at private and public entertainments. An an alumnus of Columbia College, he took great interest in its welfare, and was soon honored by being elected as one of its trustees; and later that college conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. When, during President Grant's first term, a vacancy occurred on the bench of the District Court of the United States in New York City, he was selected to fill it. From there he was, in 1878, promoted to be Federal Circuit Judge. How zealously and ably he fulfilled those judicial duties is illus trated by the pages of Benedict's Reports and in the twenty volumes of Blatchford's Reports. Legal history contains many in stances of the success and value of reports that are issued under the editorship of a judge who gave, or assisted in giving, the decisions reported. President Arthur, when a vacancy occurred on the Federal Supreme Bench, was expected to nominate Roscoe Conkling, and doubtless would have answered the expectation, only it became known that the brilliant orator preferred to remain at the bar rather than accept the intended post. President Arthur and Mr. Blatchford had been brought to gether in friendship and in legal conflicts, and the former at once turned to the latter, and named him to the vacant place. Public, legal, and press opinions immediately eulo gized the selection, and Judge Blatchford was soon unanimously confirmed. In New York City the Bar Association members often spoke of him as the " Ches terfield " of the Bench, owing to his grace and courtesy and strict observance of the first principles of amenity. He inherited graceful manners from his mother, who as
Miss Julia Ann Mumford (daughter of a distinguished Metropolitan publicist) was a noted belle in Knickerbocker society. It is certain that no one ever heard from Judge Blatchford at chambers or when upon the bench an ill-natured criticism or a hasty or spasmodic remark calculated to ruffle sensi bilities in the slightest degree. He was re markable for his considerate treatment of the young practitioner. He was a patient listener. During an argument he would sometimes interrupt to sift propositions, and could impliedly by apt questions convey to the advocate his own judicial views as to pending matters without appearing loqua cious or to be captiously interfering. He was never known to be reading cases or points of argument during the speech of counsel, as is the vexatious wont of many judges. He was eminently dignified on or off the bench without incurring a suspicion of pomposity. His heavy eyebrows seemed to be emphasizing questions; and when he wrinkled his ample forehead, his brain seemed to be beating time to the thoughts offered to his hearing. He was probably the greatest Admiralty judge this country ever knew. What the Admiralty brother of Lord Eldon was to England in his day, Samuel Blatchford was to the United States. Mr. Hamilton L. Carson of the Philadelphia Bar once re marked of Judge Blatchford : " He deter mined rules of navigation on the high seas; he ruled upon the speed of steamers during a fog, and as to process of foreign attach ment, to reinsurance of a charter party, to jurisdiction of damages not done on the water." Judge Blatchford rendered a nota ble decision as to an admiralty seizure of a municipal vessel for a maritime tort, and another in which he discreetly mingled flashes of humor with his logic when con sidering whether damage to a cargo by rats was a peril of the sea. Judge Blatchford was equally judicially effective when considering cases in patent law, or under the rapidly throttled Bank
