The death of Charles Henry FAIRWEATHER, which took place at his residence Orange Street at 9:40 o'clock last night, removes one of St. John's prominent merchants. Mr. Fairweather's illness was of a long duration and he has been confined to his house since last November. Mr. Fairweather, who was born at Norton (Kings Co.) in 1826 came to St. John when but 13 years of age and early in life laid a well and deep foundation of a solid business career. The name of the firm of Hall & Fairweather, wholesale grovery and provision merchants, is familiar in business circles throughout all parts of Canada. It was established in 1854 and up to the present retained the same individuals with which it started, namely S.S. HALL and Charles H. Fairweather. The firm from the outset made a specialty of flour, teas and other heavy lines. They were the first in St. John to begin the regular importation of tea from China and were heavy importers of flour from Ontario. As long ago as 1887 they brought in that year 60,000 barrels of flour from that section of the Dominion, the greater part of which was distributed from St. John to their hundreds of customers throughout the Maritime Provinces. Hall & Fairweather were the first and possibly the only St. John firm to have connection with the New York produce exchange. A member of the firm became a member of the exchange in 1863 and thus inaugerated the system of dealing in first markets and avoiding the profits of middlemen. Mr. Fairweather took a lively interest in the welfare of St. John. His views and opinions and the figures prepared by him touching the national policy and devlopment of industry attracted wide attention and were frequently quoted on the floors of Parliament. His paper on Interprovincial trade, read before the St. John Board of Trade Jan. 22nd, 1885, was a valuable contribution to the commercial literature of the country. He filled the position of the Dominion Board of Trade and was twice a delegate from the Canadian body to the Board of Trade of the United States - at St. Louis in 1863 and at Detroit in 1866. He was for years a director of the Bank of New Brunswick, a member of the corporation of St. John's Church and a liberal contributor to its financial schemes, a member of the board of city school trustees and treasurer of the Relief and Aid Society from its organization soon after the great fire of June 20, 1877. He was also for 3 or 4 years one of the commissioners of the Intercolonial Railway and was one of the promoters and managing directors of the narrow guage River du Loup railway during the period of its construction from Gibson to Edmonton. Politically Mr. Fairweather was a staunch Conservative. He was twice married and leaves five sons and two daughters, one of the latter the wife of Alfred MORRISEY, stationer of this city. The funeral will take place from his residence tomorrow 2:30 o'clock with service in St. John's (Stone) Church 3 o'clock.