DEATH OF MR. FRANCIS JOLLIE.

It is with the most keen- regret ..that we have to unnpuuce.. thiu. death, of Mr Jollie, which, took place at his residence, Peel Forest, on Wednesday morning lust. Mr Francis Jollie was' one of the oldest settlers m New' Zealand, having come to the colony m the' year 1842 as the agent, m Nelson, of the New Zealand Company. In that proyince he resided lor muiiy years, and was highly esteemed by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. -As to. his surly life m New Zealand, Mr Jollie thus referred to it m a speech he delivered m Timaru, on the 15th December, 1865, on the occasion of a. public dinner being given to him when he determined to seek the suffrages of the newly formed district of Gladstone, m which he resided. Mr Jollie then said : — My noviciate as a Nelson settler, one of the small baud of men who came out to found that settlement, and to help m laying the foundations of, us we then thought, a great and united country, began : ns far back as January, 1842. I watched, m common with my fellows settlors, with eager and sometimes almost despairing eyes for many years, the slow advanco of people iind civilisation to our shores. ; 1 keenly recall the horrible massacre of the Wairau, and the loss of twenty-two settlers, some of them the foremost men of the place, men of whom "any community might be proud, but whose memory I am sorry to say for the credit of the Nelson Province has beeu sadly neglected hitherto; for their graves remain still unfeneed and unprotected on the banks of the Tun Marina, notwithstanding £300 was handed over by the General Government to that province several years ago for the purpose of erecting a monument to them. I well remember the first outbreak of war at the North, one of the direct consequences of that sad affair of the Wairau ; the long and chequered struggle between the British Q-o-. vernment and the New Zealand ' Company, with its evil effects on the prosperity of the south ;■ the interest and expectation with which we heard of the appointment and greeted the arrival of the present Governor Sir George Grey m 1846, and, saw the dawn of better times for New Zealand colonists m the gradual arrangement, after infinite delays and complications, of the many vexed and long-standing grievances connected with land and titles to land ; f the agitation which then ensued, particularly m the older settlements of the south, respecting the terms we were to have or propose for the future constitution of the Colony, m the discussion of which questions I shared with Mr Weld, Mr Stafford, Dr Featherston, Mr Fox,l)r.Mohro, and other prominent public men of that and the present time; then lastly, for' I need go ho further, as it comes dow : h to • ydtif ' own more recent and better known, period, the passing, proclaiming, and bringing into force by the present Governor, of the Constitution Act, which.

itself of course forms quite an epoch m our annals, to which' we owe it that there is a General' Assembly m which we can be represented; and that I am here before you to-day j as your invited guest, endeavouring to express j to you my grateful acknowledgements for your | consideration not only on this occasion but during all the circumstances and events of the last five rears, for we hare had no differences, and you have never distrusted me or j sought to fetter my discretion with regard to the opinions I should express or the course of conduct I should pursue on any question, whether of local or general importance. About the year 1855 Mr Jollie went home to England, and returned, we think, "in 1858, when he married, and after residing a short time near Christchurch, took up his residence m 18G0 or 1861 on his run at Peel Forest. Mr Jollie, whilst a settler m Nelson, took considerable part m the politics of the day, and was well known as an earnest and honest politician, and there are few men m the colony who were more au/ail at the early political history of New Zealand than was the lamented gentleman. On the Timuru district being declared an electoral district, Mr Jollie again sought political life, and m 1861 was returned as member for this district iv the General Assembly.. He retained his seat for Timuru for nearly five years, and at the separation of the .Timaru district into two districts—the Timaru and the- Gladstone, m 18C5— the services o e Mr Jollie were eagerly sought by his okl constituents m the Timaru district. He, however, whilst thanking the electors for the confidence they evidently reposed m him, preferred standing for election for the newly formed district of Gladstone, waiving'/ liis' : cluim to Timaru m favor of his friend Mr Alfred Cox. For nearly ten years, then, Mr Jollie has represented the interests ,of South Canterbury m the General Assembly, and no one, whatever may be his political creed, can, ■we feel sure, but say that there was no member who devoted himself more thoroughly to the business of the House. In the dry detail work m committee, or m debate m the House, Mr; Jollie always was seen m the front rank, and his opinions invariably received that respect due to a gentleman of his varied knowledge — especially when treating of colonial matters — and thorough well-known honesty of purpose. No act, perhaps, endeared Mr Jollie to his constituents •'■ more than his constant endeavour, m season and out of season,' to procure- for them the boon of local self-government. He long assisted m this question, and at last the united efi'orts were crowned with success by the establishment of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works. At the same time, whilst battling the question of local: self-government m his place iv the House, Mr Jollie also lent valuable assistance to the cause outside, he having contributed a most valuable paper to the Timaru Local Government League, m 'which he thoroughly reviewed, m a statesmanlike form, the whole of- this most difficult question. : ■ , ? : '.''[• Mr Jollie, during his parliamentary career, has occupied a higher position than that given by a seat m. the House of Representatives. In August, 1866, under the Stafford Government, he was offered, and accepted a seat m the Cabinet as Colonial Treasurer. The office, however, he did not hold long, a change of Governmenthappening soon aftereompelled him to leave the Ministry,, although not. before he had given proof of his ability for the office he held. On the rising of the Assembly last session, Mr Jollie intimatod privately that he intended retiring from pplit.ical life, and the intimation was received with sorrow by his many persoanl and political friends. As no public intimation': however, had been given of his retirement, his numerous supporters had determined to ask him again to stand for. the district .he-Ji'ad so long and so faithfully represented, and it was only on the day previous to the news of his death being received, that a gentleman — a personal friend 'of ■ the ' deceased 1 — 'was asked to write to him to beg of ; him. to re-consider his resolution, and to state that should he come forward as a candidate 1 at the approaching general elections, he would, be warmly supported by many of his old 'friends, and that his return was considered as almost certain. •' ■"•'-'< ■'■ ''■' ' " '■'•'' Besides, being known as an honest politician, and a hard working public servant, Mr Jollies worth was recognised 1 in ''another field. As a political writer -"his value was known, and the columns of^t\ie' Neliori Examiner, m former years .used 'frequently*' we believe,, to have the services^of his facile pen, and we ourselves have to acknowledge many contributions to the columns of the Timhru Herald.. .;.. . . , :.■■■■-. ,;.-, The deceased gentleman represented a type now fast passing away— that of the old colonist, who has seen and taken part m the many vicissitudes incidental to the struggles pecnliar,to.a young colony. For twenty-eight' 'years 'the late Mr Francis Jollie was an active participator m most of the events, political and other, that have taken place m New Zeal mid, and his vigorous and clear mind has left an impress on them which will not be readily eradicated. It is no figure of speech to say that Mr Jollies loss will be acutely felt," and, it will be many a long day before his place as' a thoroughly conscientious public 'servant will be adequately filled. , . . . Wo Believe that the approximate cause of Mr Jollies death was from the effects of a sun stroke, which happened to him some time since, aided by the action of some internal disease, which he had for a long time •suffered under.