THE LATE MR JOHN GILLIES.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 337, 26 July 1871, Page 5

THE LATE MR JOHN GILLIES.

Another leader in our Ota°;o Israel was; on Saturday afternoon last— in the person of Mr John Gillies— summoned hence to give an account of the deeds done in the bcdy. His was no life of inactivity, for alihough he resigned his Government appointment of Registrar and Chief -Return-. I \n% Officer nearly two years ago, Mr Gil- | lies continued^ until a few days before his death, to exercise fully his well known activity of mind and body. We hive now before us a contribution from his pen, dated on the 17th instant, and written during the illness which cut him off from our midst. This appeared in our last issue, and, we are informed, "was the last he ever wrote. On Saturday, the 15th Inst.., Mr Gillies was seized with a cold, which speedily settled on his chest, and on that ('ay week he lay a corpse. His ill— •ness was brief, and without pain. His mental faculties were retained by him in full viVor to the last, and while we writeso sudden has been his removal—we can not yet realise that we shall no more behold that sharp, keen eya, active step, and earnest countenance, to which we had "become so much accustomed, and now that he has forWer left this transitory scene let as learn from the lesson he so well taught us by his life, to do well our part, and let nothing" interfere between us and'" duty. Once the conviction entered his mind that it was his duty to 4o a things then nothing could turn him from his purpose — neither friends nor foes ; difficulties or trials, however painful, all must be overcome for the fulfilment of duty. Mr Gillies was born in Rothe<ay, Isle of Bute, on the 52nd April. 1802, and was therefore in his 70'h year. Io his eighteenth year he was articled to the law, under the town clerk ol his native town, and shortly afrer fulfilling his articles he entered a mercanfle office in Greenock. In 1827 ha married Isabella, the second daughter of John Lillie, Esq., of Glasgow, a lady three wenks his senior in age, and who now lives among us his widow to mourn his loss, until culled to join her husband in the regions of bliss. Hfaving then benn induced to return to Rothesay he was appointed Deputy Town Clerk land Sheriffs Clerk, also A.g«nt for the Greenock Bank. In 1833, after the passing of the Reform Bill, Uft was elected Tovn Clerk, and Clark oi the Flur'ior Trusses. In 1843 he prepared a Bill for regulating the Police and providing a gas and water supply lor RoMiesav, and was entrusted with the care of the Bill in London, while before Parliamont. He held other appointments in Buteshire, and became agent of the Wpstern Bmk of Scotland when the business of thn Grepnock Bank was taken over by it. These several appointments, combined with those of Procurator of the Sheriffs Court, and ST ( ,tary Public, he held until he tendfred his resignation thereof upon resolving to emigrate with bis wife find family to Otago, whither be arrived in the " Sla'ins Castle," on" November, 6rh, 1853. Mr <jfil!iP?, shortly afrer hh arrival in Ot-iQ-o, entered into partnership wirh Mr J. H. Harris, then the only legal prnctitioner in Dnnedin, and was admitted a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Now Zealand. Mr Gillies wis returned as a mßinber of the first Provincial Oounoil of Otago, and for some time hfld thr> office of Speaker. His experience, sound j'ido-menr, and liberal views, then contributed much to the establishment of our existing system of education. He also took an active and decided part in obtaining the passing of the Land Regulations of 1856 — tho 10s per acre with improvements — which now are acknowledged to have been the best, land laws we have ever had, and that they ever were departed from is now regretted "by many. In 1857 he received the appointment of Sheriff and Resident Magistrate of the Province of Otntro; the former office he resigned in 1863. Tn 1861 he was appointed Registrar and Chief Returning Officer f.»r th» Province, which offices he resigned in January, 1870, when he retired into private life, but has occasionally since occupied a seat on the bench in the absence of the Resident Magistrate. Mr Gillies leaves n family of fire sons and three daughters, all of whom, save the youngest son, are married and settled in life, and of his sons it may safely be affirmed that no family in the colony have shown themselves to possess more talent, and iudustrio is application of well-directed energy. The eldest, Mr T. B. Gillies, is now Superintendent of Auckland ; rh« second, Mr J. L Gillies, Speaker of the Provincial Council of Otago, our fellow sfitMer, is well known and respected by all of us ; the third. Mr Robert Gillies, surveyor, is of the well -known firm of ttillip* and Street, land and estate as-ents, Dunfdin ; the fourth, the Rev. W. Gillies, of West Taieri ; the fifth and youngest, Mr Jus. Gillifis. of New Caledonia On the dav of his death Mr Gillies had in New Zealand 33 trrandchildren alive. Mr Gillies was ordained an elder of fch« Church of Scotland in 1830, and has since remained an ever active member of Kirk Session. At the disruption in 1843 be threw in his lot with the Free Chnrch, and repeatedly represented the Presbytery of Dunoon in the Established', and Free Church Assemblies. Pprhaps no man in Rothesay, at the time of the Disruption, took such an active part., not merely in words, but in deeds and actions, as did Mr Gillie*. When they were turned out of the Chapel of E is •, (Mr Craig's and Mr M'Bnde'?,) he and one or two others, having received the offer from'old provost Jamieson, of hi* large cooperage yard, called for volunteer ca,rpflnters, and, in- one week, had it roofed over and seated for over 1000 people. He long at home took an active inrerest in the subject of education both in connection with the public schools, indus'i-inl schools ' and Sabbath schools; Mr Fulton jw'io' was raised from the pp^t'inn of lian^h schoolmaster, arid afterwards -Fre* Church school roaster, Roth esay, to tha t ot Rec ror ef the Normal Training ''/.establishment Edin-

burgh, and subsequently Government Inspector of schools, was one of his most cherished friend", and went, hand in hind with him in many a good work. Mr Gillies was, we believe, the oldest member ol session of the. Presbyterian Church in Otago Sand probably in the colony, and certainly i-the*southerh hemisphere itself possessed no more" consistent and thorough true blue Presbyterian. His labors in the church as a whole, were well known, and his: diligence as an office bearer of Knox Ohurcb, Dunedin, has been highly appreciated. For a long time, spmmer and winter, in all kinds of weather,' he was in tho habit of walking out to" North-east Valley and there conducting 1 religious services on the Sabbath evenings.- He was no idler in his Master's vineyard, and many are the poor and "needy that he assisted, not only by counsel but also with his ever- ready purse in the early dnys of the Church in Otago, he undertook journeys on foot as fur as Riverton to the ] south, and the Waitaki to the north, in which tonrs he was subjected to much, discomfort and privation, but he cheerfully] performed- the task imposed upon him by: the Presbytery, to ascertain, and if possible provide for the religious wants of Uis scattered fellow-countrymen. He has all along taken great interest in the educa- j tional institutions of Otago, and no one more rejoiced in the late establishment of ovr .University which he was privileged to see opened so shortly before bis death. We rejoice to learn that he contemplated the approach of death with perfect calmness and serenity, and his trust in his Saviour proved no mere fancy, but as he expressed it, an assured hope of eternal life ' through Jesus Christ his Lord. To each of his family he was enabled to speak an appropriate word, and did not forget any one of those who were absent. Nor was he silent on other matters ; his mind was evidently particularly active in regard to the educational controversy, which, as he said, is only beginning, and his special command was, to fight hard for our present system. The general interests of the Church, as well as that of Knox Church, also were sources of remark. Just before drawing his la«t breath, he opened his eyes brightly for a few seconds, and •with aj smile passing over his face, an 1 without a struggle, he entered into his Master's. rest. 1 The funeral will take piace to-morrow, (Thursday) at half-past two, but if there is any possibility of Mr T. B. Gillies arriv-: ing from Auckland it will be delayed till Friday. However, a telegram received at a lare hour last evening, announces that he was not on board the Nebraska, so that there is litrle chance of his arrival in time for the funeral -which will therefore tnke place on Thursday at the hour nampd.