OBITUARY. THE HON. THOMAS DICK.

'As briefly mentioned last week, the Hon. Thomas Dick, an old and respected resident «f Dimedin, passed away on Monday at his residence, in his seventy-seventh year. The deceased gentleman was born in Edinburgh on the 13th of August, 1823. His parents removed to London when he was a child, but at school age he was sent back to •Edinburgh for his education, to which he applied himself well until he was between •15 and 16 years of age. He then entered the office of Mr John Roberts, a London merchant, and in 1850, when in the employ of Mesbi's James Morrison and Co., Fenchurch street, London, he was sent out to St. Helena as their representative. After a residence of seven years in that historial isie he came out to Dunedin on behalf of the same firm, landing here in November, 1c57, with his wife and little children, in the Bosworlli (Captain Turnbull). His wife dying some 12 3'ears later, he subsequently married the widow of the late Mr Frederick Walker, at one time the Provincial Treasurer of Otago, who was his fellow passenger in the Bosworth. Mr Dick's daughter, Mrs T. B. Low, and his two sons, James B. and Thomas H. Dick, as well as Mrs Dick, survive him. The public life of the deceased gentleman extended over many years. When Mr J. Hyde F,^ris resigned his seat as a member of the Provincial Council for Dunedin at the end of 1858, Mr Dick was unanimously elected to succeed him in February, 1559. During the ensuing session of the Council an adverse vote caused the Executive to resign office, and a new one was formed by the late Mr Reynolds, of which Mr Dick was a member. A bill having been passed considerably increasing the number of members of the Council, early in 1860 a general election took place, and Mr Dick was returned at the head of the poll for Dunedin, 11 candidates having been proposed, five to be elected. On the assembling of the new Council Mr Dick occupied a seat on the Ministerial benches, which he, however, quickly resigned. It was not till 1562 that She igain held an official position in the Council. At the opening of the session that year lie proposed an amendment on the Addre&s-in-Reply, carrying it by a small majority, and thereby relegating the Cutten- Walker Administration to the Opposition benches, when he himself assumed office as Provincial Secretary. Another geneial election took place j in May, 1863, when Mr Dick was again returned at the top of the poll for Dunedin, retaining the position of Provincial Secretary at the opening of the new Council. He was however, shortly compelled to resign, but was again reinstated for a few months. He succeeded Mr Harris as Superintendent^ of the Otago Province in august, 1860, but was displaced by Mr Macandrew in February 1867, when his first term expired. Mr Dick sat in the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1861 and 1862, but he was not a member of Parliament in 1863-4- and 5. In 1866 he was elected for Port Chalmers. After the first session he resigned his seat, and it -was not till 1879, on the general election ior the seventh Parliament of New Zealand, that he again appeared on the scene as a Dunedin representative, in conjunction with Mr K. Oliver and the late Mr W. D. Stewart, lhe j result of the election of 1879 placing the Hall Alinistry in power, Mr Dick joined the Administration in 1880, holding the portfolios of Colonial Secretary, Minister of Education, and Minister of Justice. Sir John Hall having resigned on account of ill-health in 1882, the late Sir F. Whit taker became the Premier, Mr Dick occupying his old position, with the added responsibilities of Postmastergeneral and Commissioner of Telegraphs. In 1883 Sir F. Whittaker retired, being succeeded as Premier by the late Sir Harry (then Major) Atkinson, but the Government continued, with one or two alterations, the same as that formed by Sir John Hall in 1879. Mr Dick consequently remained in office, cpnnnecl, however, on this occasion, to the responsibilities of Colonial Secretary and Minister of Education. A dissolution by effluxion ox time occurring at the close of this session, and a rearrangement of electorates having been decided upon, Mr Dick offered himself as a candidate for the new district of Dunedin West, having for his opponent his old colleague in the united electorate, the late Hon. W D. Stewart. After a severe contest Mr Dick won the seat by a small majority. At the general election in 1887, the contest for the representation of the district between the two gentlemen was renewed, and on tr- at occasion Mr Stewart was successful. Mr Dick was for several years a member of the Otago Education Board. Mr Dick's religious characteristics were interwoven with his life. When quite a youth he began Christian work in the slums of London among the ragged children, Stepney being the locality he selected for his efforts, and often he had bricks thrown at him while labouring there on Sundays. After his removal to St. Helena he continued his Christian work, and it was while there that he became connected with the Baptist denomination. He was greatly interested in all the evangelical work of the island, but especially in the Sunday school. It may be of interest to say that within the last few months letters had come to him from two ladies who were girls in his class, thanking him for the good they had received from him. The letters came as a surprise, as Mr Dick had not heard for over 40 years about their writers. On his arrival in New Zealand he joined the First Church, the late Dr Burns being then the pastor, and he also took up a position as one of the teachers in the Sabbath School. He -was one of the original promoters of Knox Church, and was one of the trustees. In the earlv_days he and his old friend, the late Rev. Dr Stuart, used to go out on a Sunday afternoon distributing tracts, and visiting the diggers together while they camped around the town on their way to the diggings. He wa.s on several occasions asked to become an officebearer in Knox Church in its early days, but ho did not accept office, as he was a Baptist, and as he intended, when the place was large enough, to start a church of that persuasion. 'As the town grew, and Old Knox Church became crowded out, he and some otner Baptists thought it was time to found a church of their own, which they did, the result of their efforts being the opening of the Hanover street Baptist Church in 1863. Mr Dick began the school in connection with that church in the old Planet Sawmills, his fellow-helpers being the late Mr Alfred Boot, Messrs Frank Graham, W. E. Sessions, Haigh, and others, and from that time till his death he c ccupied the position of superintendent. His whole soul was in Sabbath School work. He has also been an office-bearer in the church from its commencement. Although belonging to the Baptists/ Mr Dick always warmly supported all other evangelical churches, and anything that was for the furtherance of a good object had his support by his influence, and as far as his means would allow. lie was •hon. treasurer of the Dempsey Trust from the fame of Mr Dempsey's death. He had long been unable to do very much active work pjpng to his failing health, but up to the last

ho did what he could, and his deep interest in all religious work was very great to the close.