Mr. POLAND. Mr. Presideht, I had intended not to occupy the attention of the senate by any observations of my own upon this occasion. My distinguished colles e, who was for so many years associated in public life with s, but also in the other House of Congress, was so eminently fitted, both in thoughts and words, to do justice to his fame and memory, and to express the deep regret and rief of the people of our State at his loss, that I did not feel at liberty to weaken what he might say by any feeble utterance of my own. he knowledge, too, that other distinguished members of this body, long associated wi VJudge Conuxna, not only as Senators, but in other high Depts of the public service, would address the senate upon the an nouncement of his decease, was an additional circumstance urging me to silence. But more mature consideration has brought me, within a ver few hours, to a different determination, an to the belief that in justice to myself, as the successor of Judge COLLAIEB to a seat in this branch of Congress, and to the people of the State which so highly trusted and honored him, my own feeble vOIce ought to be added to the general mourning over his lamented d6 cease. My colleague and other Senators who have addressed us at the present time. have far better knowledge of the career of my lamented predecessor, as a statesman and a member of the General Government, than myself, for they were associated with him, and witnessed his dail labors in those great Depts, while my nowledge was merely that of the people at large, derived from the published proceed in s and debates and the current history of public affairs. lhis reason alone is ample whyI should not trespass upon a theme already so sufficiently and eloquent y presented. But the greatness an usefulness of my predecessor consisted not alone in his distinguished services to his State and nation in the 2 Houses of Congress, and as a Cabinet minister. He was eminently distinguished as a lawyer and a judge; and in these respects I doubt less knew him better than any other member of this body except my colleague; and the few words I desire to say will relate mainl to his professional and judicial character and, reputation. Professional reputation and fame, however well earued and deserved, (except at a few favorite points, and in the national tribunals.) is always local in its character, and extends little, if any, beyond the sphere of its actual administration; hardly ever outside the lines of a State., and the same is true of judicial reputation, earned upon the bench of the State courts, unless the judicial career of the recipient extends "over an unusual period of time. The reason for this is sufficiently a parent from the fact that the professional an judicial labors of law yers an ljudges are generally bestowed upon matters o mere private concern and individual interest, and however important and useful to the parties themselves, excite but. little interest in the public mind. Much the larger part of Judge Cotuusas professional life had passed before I knew him personally, for he ha been already 3 years upon the bench of our supreme court. when I came to the bar in 1836. from that time until his retirement from the bench in 1842, I was a practitioner before the court of which he was a member. During the ahort period that elapsed between his retirement from the lower House of Congress, and his return to the bench in 1850, he resumed the practice of his profession; and duringthat time Iwas a member of the supreme court of the State. Under the new organization of the ju diciary of the State in 1850, judge COLLAMHa was made judge of the 2nd ju cial circuit, and held that office until his election to the Senate in 1854. During this period I held the same office for the 4th judicial circuit, and it was during this time only that I was ever brought into very intimate personal relations with im. I learn from members of they were contemporary with Judge oununa in the earlier portion of his professional career, that his excellent natural a ilitics, to ether with his thorough and accurate knowlct go of the law, obtained by close application and study; his diligence and faithfulness in attending to the interests of his clients, and especially his unswerving honesty and integrity, soon brought to him large professional employment, and that his sphere of practice and reputation steadily enlarged up to the time he left the bar for the bench. He was ever exact and thorough in his preparation, to the smallest details, and in the conduct of trials was always watchful that no proper presentation or argument beneficial to his client should be omitted. Nor did he ever fail to see and to avail himself of all proper advantage given him, either by the weakness of his adversarys cause or by any luck of professional skill shown in its support. But his raetice of the law was honorable and manly; he never sought advantage for his clients cause by the use of craft and cunning, so, otten resorted to by less scrupulous members of the proTes profession whosion. But it was more in his character as an advocate that his peculiar and characteristic fairness was exhibited. He always presented every legitimate argument in favor of p his cause forcibl and effectively. But e never resorted to subtle and ingenious sophistries to disguise and conceal a dishonest cause, or to entrap and bewilder the triers. His style and manner as an advocate, especially before juries, were peculiarly his own is presentation of a cause to a jury was as codl, deliberate, and disiassionate as his argument of a dry question of law before the court or a question o public affairs in the Senate. He never appealed to the passions or prejudices of his auditors, whoever they were, but sought always to move and convince their judgments. He abhorred and detested every form of deceit and falsehood in others, and disdained the use of it himself. such an advocate was of course ever listened to with the hi best respect, and his arguments received all 1st consideration to which his abilit and candor so well entitled them. judge COLLAMER. came to the bench a ripe, thoroughly trained lawyer. His popularity as a judge was all that could have been expected from a man of his talents and attainments. He was especially fortunate and gifted as a presiding judge at jury trials. His ready and accurate knowledge of the law, his keen and quick ups prehension, his extensive acquaintance with men, and the motives and incentives to human conduct, and especially his strong and intuitive love of justice, enabled him at once to master a case, and detect the true from the false, and, without apparent effort, to make the truth of the case manifest to others. His manner and deportment upon the benchwere always kind and considerate; he listened patiently to even slow and plodding counselors endeavoring to explain and illustrate what he already saw clearly. He was ever prompt, fearless, and inflexible in his decisions, with nothing of timidity or fa voritism, always so painful when exhibited on the bench. It is saying no more than the truth, that he was one of the most efficient and satisfactory nisiprius judges who have ever sat upon the bench. His published opinions while a judge of the supreme court are models of judicia compositions. For accuracy of learning, terseness of statement, clearness and comprehpnsivenessof style, I do not know where they are excelled. Had Judge COLLAMER remained upon the bench to the end of his life, like Chic Justice Shaw of Massachusetts, or Chief Justice Gib son of Pennsylvania, I have no doubt his ju dicial fume would have equaled that of those eminent jurists. I have no need to speak of the character of judge Cotmnnn in his more private and persons relations, or his rare an generous qualities and gifts as a social companion.al who were ever assoeiated with him in any capacity will ever retain a loving remembrance of his kind and genial nature, his keen and leasant wit, his love and fund of aneedote is duties as a husband and father, aa a citizen and Chris tian, were ever faithfully and conscientiously fulfilled. In brief, sir, I have never known any man who came nearer attaining the full measure of what I believe to have been the great object of my redecessor in the performance o all the duties of life, from the humblest. to the hi best, to be a just man before God and his fefiowmen. The people of his and my State have ever held him in the highest respect they mourn his loss in common with the whole nation, and they will ever cherish in their hearts the mem ioriof his wisdom and his virtues. ortunate may each of us consider himself, if at the end of the journey of life he be ableto leave behind him a reputation so fullof useful ness, and a characterso pure and unsullied. The resolutions were unanimously adopted; and the Senate adjOutned.” “