136 PAST AND PRESENT OF Scotia bar (1819), James Fulton , the first attorney admitted by examination (1822), William Forgan , also admitted by examina¬ tion (1824), John Henry Pollock on pro¬ duction of a certificate from the King's bench at Westminster of his admission as an at¬ torney of that court. The seventh chief justice was S. G. W. Archibald , a member of the Nova Scotia bar, solicitor general and speaker of the house of assembly of his native province. The apj)ointment was a strange one notwith¬ standing the fitness of the man. He lived in Halifax. It does not appear that he ever contemplated moving to this Island. He merely came here to attend the sessions of the supreme court and then returned to his practice in Nova Scotia . Complaints were soon heard from the legislative assembly that the "distinguished abilities of the chief justice were not avail¬ able to the government of the colony". Legal business could not be satisfactorily carried on even during vacation in the absence of the one judge who knew the law; but to make matters much worse he was prevented by storms and ice from reaching the Island to attend the winter terms. It was suggested that the terms of the court should be changed to suit the judge, but it was decided in the end to change the judge and let the terms stand. He resigned the chief justiceship in iX_>8. His record here was good. John Lawson , a member of the Halifax bar, a man of distinguished ability, removed to this Island and was admitted to the bar in 1828. In the same year Robert Stewart , grandson of Chief Justice Stewart , was ad¬ mitted by exanimation. Edward James Jarvis succeeded Mr. Archibald as chief justice. He came to the bench with a good record which he fully maintained through the quarter of a century whilst he presided over the court. He re¬ ceived his degree of Master of Arts at King's College, Windsor, 1st October, 1810. was ad¬ mitted to the New Brunswick bar 12th Octo¬ ber, 1811. In 1823 he was admitted a bar¬ rister of the inner temple, London. During his chief-justiceship improvements amount¬ ing almost to a revolution took place in the organization and administration of the dif¬ ferent courts of justice in this Island. The day of the non-professional puisne judges was brought to a close and in their stead was appointed a barrister of experience and ability whereby the supreme court was raised to a position of dignity, efficiency and strength to which it had not hitherto attained. By an act of the Legislature passed in 1833 it was provided that as soon as gaols ami court houses would be provided the su¬ preme court should hold issuable terms, at Georgetown , in March and July,-and at St. Eleanor's in Juneand November of each year. These conditions lieing complied with, the court met for the first time in Prince count) at St. Eleanor's, November, 1834, and in Kings county at Georgetown , March, 1835. The other changes in the constitution of tl it- courts are more fully dealt with hereafter under their respective headings. After twenty-five years of faithful and efficient service the eighth chief justice died on the 9th of May, 1852, at the age of sixty-three years. The Honorable Robert Hodgson , who succeeded him, was born in the year 1798 and educated in Charlotte - town arid King's College, Windsor. He studied law in Halifax and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1819. In the same year he was admitted to the bar of Prince