OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19974, 8 July 1930, Page 11

OBITUARY.

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. A FAMOUS NOVELIST. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —BY ELECTRIC TBLBGEiPH—COfYKIOIIT.) (Eeceived July Bth, 1.35 a.m.) LONDON, July 7. The dSath is announced of Sir Arthur Conan Doylo. Arthur Conal Doyle, the novelist, was bom at Edinburgh in May, 1850, and was oducated at Stonyhurst College. After studying medicine at Edinburgh he practised as a doctor at Soutlisea from 1882 to 1890. He then went to the Arctic in a whaler as a ship's doctor and visited the west coast of Africa. During the South African wat he was physician of a field hospital. He stood twice for Parliament as a Unionist and a Tariff Reformer. He began to write in the eighties, some of his work appearing in the "Boys' Own Paper." The first of his Sherlock Holmes detective stories came out in 1887. The remarkable deductions of tho crime investigator were based on those of the Edinburgh doctor, James Bell, whose clinics Doyle attended and who by observation of what seemed to be trifles arrived at accurate conclusions about the outpatients on whom ho lectured. The public could not have enough of Holmes and even after the author had, as he thought, ended the series by killing his hero he was induced to resurrect him. Conan Doyle has also written some excellent historical novels: "Tho White Company," dealing with the English archers in France at the time of the Black Prince. "Micah Clarke," "The Refugees," "The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard," stories of the Napoleonic wars, "Rodney Stone," a sketch of the days of the Prince Regent, and "The Great Shadow"; some modern stories such as "A Duet with an Occasional Chorus" and Beveral plays including 'The Story of Waterloo" in which Irving appeared, "The House of Temperley," "The Fires of Fate" and "Halves." He also compiled two books in defence of the South African war which were translated into 12 languages, 100,000 copies being given away. He was knighted in 1902. • Conan Doyle was one of the originators of the volunteer corps during the world-war, the first unit, in which he served fot four years, being formed by him at Crowborough in August, 1914, He did much propaganda work, issuing pamphlets on war-topics, and a sixvolume history of the war. He visited the war-zones and wrote on his experiences there. After losing his son in the war he became an ardent spiritualist, and since 1918 he has devoted his life to writing and lecturing on of his new faith, his books including "A New Revelation," "The Vital Message," "The Wanderings of a Spiritualist," a novel, '' The Land of Mist,'' and a "History of Spiritualism." In 1925 he established a "Psychic Museum" containing spirit photographs and other "evidence" on behalf of spiritualism.

MR W. STUART ALLAN. The death of Mr W. Stuart Allan, ' a well-known artist, recently occurred in Sydney, at the age of 69 years. Ha was the son of Mr Alexander Sutherland Stuart Allan, first Registrar of the Supreme Court in Wellington. He went to Sydney with his family 35 years ago, engaging in commercial art, and was associated with J. C. Williamson, Ltd., with whom he prepared. the scenery for thp Gilbert and Sullivan operas at that time. His equine art was much admired. Mr Allan, who waß associated with the EoyaJ Agriculturp.l Society in Sydney for a period, had charge of lectures on country prqblepis and organised the show tableaux. In later years he was. engaged in judging art at numerous country shows. Re leaves a widow, two sons, and six daughters.

MR J. C. SMITH. (PRESS ASSQCIATIO* TBMSGBAK.) NEW PLYMOUTH, July 7. The death occurred suddenly of Mr John Charles Smith, a well-known resident who was interested in the - development of Taranaki iron-sand deposits. He was a brother of the Hon. S. G. Smith,