COCKATOO. '.19 COCKBURN. The genus .Microglossus, one of which is the great black cockatoo or ara (q.v.) of New Guinea (Microyloaxus atcrriiiius) , the hirgest of all the I'sittaci, is remarkable for the struc- ture of its tongue, which is cylindrical, tubular, capable of being greatly protrudcil from the mouth, and terminates in a cloven, horny tip. All the cockatoos arc natiAcs of the Philippines, Kew Guinea, and adjacent islands, and especially of Australia and Ta>mania. where they formerly abounded, and were luintcd for food bj- the na- tives. They live on fruits and seeds, insect larvae, etc. Some of them are frequently to he seen in confinement in Europe, particularly the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cncatua f/ale- rito), which, although of comparatively tame jdumage, is a general favorite on accoimt of its docility. None of the cockatoos learn to speak many words. Their name is derived from their cry. See Plate of CocKATOCS AND jIacav.s. Compare Parrot. COCKBTJRN, kf/btirn, Sir Alexander James Kdmvnd (1802-80). Baronet, Lord Chief Jus- tice of England. Born December 24, 1802, the son of Alexander Cockburn, who was at one time British Jiinister to Colombia, he was brought up on the Continent, and in 1822 entered at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1829. He was very successful as a practitioner, and in 1841 was made a Queen's counsel. His early practice was largely in connection with election petitions, in which he was verj' success- ful. In 1847 he was elected to Parliament as a Liberal from Southampton, and distinguished himself by the ardor and eloquence with which he supported the vigorous foreign policy of Palmerston. From this time on his jjromotion was rapid. In 1850 he was appointed Solicitor- General, and in the next year was promoted to the Attorney-Generalship. In 1854 he was made re- corder of Bristol: in 185G he was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and in June, 1859, he became Lord Chief Justice of England. In 1858 he succeeded to the baronetcy of his uncle, the Dean of York. It fell to his lot, as a judge of the Queen's Bench, to conduct the trial of the celebrated Tichborne case ( q.v. ) . His distinguished position as the head of the British bench was emphasized by his appoint- ment in 1871 to represent Great Britain in the international court of arbitration convened for the settlement of the long-standing controversy between that country and the United States over the Alabama claims (q.v.). For a sketch of his life, consult the Laic Magazine for 1851, page 193, and 4th series, vol. vi., page 191; also Law Times, vol. x.x., pages 68-88. COCKBTJRN, Alicia, or Alison Rutherford (1712-94). A Scotch ballad-writer. In 1731 she was married to Patrick Cockburn, of Ormis- ton, an advocate, and subsequently became ac- quainted with Burns. Hume. Lord Jlonboddo, and other celebrities of the day. Her lyric, "I've Seen the Smiling of Fortune Beguiling" (to the air of "The Flowers of the Forest"), has long been famous. She was one of the belles of Edin- burgh, a graceful dancer, and an indefatigable letter- writer. A relative of A^'alter Scott's mother, she all of her life sustained friendly relations with the poet and novelist. COCKBTJRN, Catherina Trotter (1079- 1749). An English dramatist and philosophical writer, born in London. She wrote several plays, among which luay i)e mentioned: Aynes de Castro (1090); l-'dtal )-'riciidsliip (1698); Love at a Loss (1701) ; and l{cfol ill ions of tiicedcn (1700). Slic is also known for lier defense of the phi- losoplij' of Locke, and later for championing the views of Dr. Samuel Clarke. A collection of licr prose works was puljlished with a Memoir by liirch ( Lonihin, 1751). COCKBURN, Sir George (1772-1853). An Englisli naval olliccr. His operations against Jlartiniquc brouf^ht alxiut the surrender of that island in 1809. He was active in the war with the United States in 1812-15, planning and executing with General Ross the marauding expeditions along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, and burning the public buildings in Washington. His last noteworthy sea employment was to convey Napo- leon to Saint Helena, where he remained in 1815- 16 as governor and commandant. He rose to the rank of admiral, was several times returned to Parliament, and was one of the Lords of the Admiralty. COCKBTJRN, George Ralph Richardson (1834 — ). A Canadian educator and member of Parliament. He was born in Edinburgh. Scot- land ; graduated at the university there in 1857 ; studied for several months in Germany and France, and in 1858 went to Canada, where in 1861 he became principal of Upper Canada Col- lege, which ortice lie held for twentj- years. From 1887 to 1896 he was a member of the Canadian Parliament. He has always warflily advocated British imperial federation. In 1893 he was chief commissioner from Canada to the 'orld's Fair at Chicago. COCKBURN, Henry Thomas, Lord (1779- 1854). A Scottish advocate and judge. He was born in Edinburgh in 1779. and was educated at the high school of Edinburgh and afterwards at Edinburgh University. He was called to the Scottish bar in 1800. and seven years later was appointed one of the advocates whose duty it is to assist the Lord Advocate in the prosecution of criminal offenders, but was dismissed after holding ollice four years. Not till the introduc- tion of jury trial in civil causes into Scotland, in 1810, did Cockburn find opportunity for re- munerative professional employment. His powers were better adapted for success with a popular than with a professional tribunal. Under the Grey Ministry of 1830 he wa? a])pointed Solici- tor-General for Scotland : and four years later he was made one of the judges of the Scottish supreme civil and criminal courts, and took the title of Lord Cockburn. He died April 20, 1854, at his residence of Bonaly, in the neighborhood of Edinbnrgli. Lord Cockburn contributed to the Edinburgh Review a series of articles on the reform of the Scotch legal procedure, which had considerable influence. Late in life he undertook the task of writing the biography of his friend Francis .Jeffrey, the celebrated Scotch essayist and judge. This was published in 1852. Cockburn will be best remembered by the Memorials of His Time, which appeared posthumously in 1850. It is a kind of autobiography, intoWhich have been inter- woven numerous anecdotes illustrating old Scot- tish life, and numerous sketches of the men who composed the brilliant circle of Edinburgh so- ciety at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
