THE LATE MR. JOSEPH WEBLEY.

(From ' The Colonist,' June 29.) We regret to learn of the death of Mr Joseph Webley, which occurred at his residence, Toi-Toi Valley, on Saturday afternoon. Our deceased fellow-townsman was a native of Stroud, Gloucestershire, and when coming to New Zealand with his family he resigned the position of manager of large woollen mills in the town of his birth. He arrived in Nelson by the ship Creswell on the 9th February, 1858, and some little time after he had settled down in this city he entered into partnership with the late Mr Blick and started the Nelson

Woollen mills. The partnership was afterwards dissolved, but the mill was kept going, and the tweeds manufactured there became celebrated far and wide for their excellence. A silver medal was awarded them at the first Dunedin Exhibition, and subsequently they secured a bronze meial at Vienna, a silver medal at Christchurcb, and another at the Nelson Exhibition. After a number of years Mr Joseph Webley retired from active work, and his sons conducted the mill, but other mills were started at Mosgiel, Roslyn, Kaiapoi, Oamaru, Onehunga, Wellington, and Ashburton, and, with later machinery, they succeeded in obtaining command of the market. The deceased was the first to start the manufacture of tweed in the colony, an industry that has now assumed large proportions. He was a hard-working conscientious man, not •without enterprise, but one who wished to see that all was straight ahead. For many years he has been a prominent member of the BaptistJChurch, and indeed in tbe Old Country he had received training to occupy the pulpit. Some four or five years ago, we believe,he married a second time, and he leaves, besides his widow, three sons and two daughters, with whom we sympathise in their bereavement.