OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1253, 9 October 1911, Page 5

OBITUARY.

MINISTER DROPS DOWN DEAD, By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyrieht (Hcc. Ootobor 0, 1.5 a.m.) Melbourne, October 8. Mr. Batchclor, Commonwealth Minister for External Affairs, died suddenly whilo on a walking tour near Warburton, in Gippsland. Accompanied by a parly of prominent public men, the body will be taken to Adelaide for burial. The Houso will be asked to adjourn on Tuesday as a mark of respect. While assisting to convey tho body to Warburton, Mr. Higgins, of the Arbitration Court, slipped and fell, seriously injuring his ankle. It.is thought that a bone has been, broken. The late Mr. Egerton Lee Batchelor was born in Adelaide in 18G5. At first a State school teacher, ho was later an employee in the Government locomotive workshops,, and was connected with tho Adelaide branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers for a number of years, being four years.its president. He was also president of the Railway Association, and secretary and president of tho United Labour party. Prior to federation he held office as Minister for Education and Agriculture in the Holder Government from 1899 till 1901, when ho resigned to enter the House of Kepresentatives. Ho was Minister for Homo Affairs in the Watson Government. Mr. Batchelor was not a fluent speaker. Ho displayed, however, a tenacity which could not be gainsaid when once he applied himself to a question. Ho ■ was regarded as one of the moro useful members of tho party, and was reappointed Minister for External Affairs on the Fisher Government : taking olhce. MAJOE-GENEEAL HOOD. Melbourne, October 7. Major-General Hood, Chief of tho General Staff of the Commonwealth Military Forces, and ex-Inspector-General, is dead. He recently suffered a nervons breakdown, and obtained six months' leave, but his death was not expected. MajorGeneral Hood roso from I'he ranks. The late Major-General Hoad, C.M.G.. was born at Goulboun, New South Wale?, fifty-five years ago.. Ho saw active service in the Boer war, and was present at tho advance on Kimberley, at the actions at Vet River, Zand Eiver, near Johannesburg, and Pretoria, and Coksburg. He was mentioned in dispatches, and received the Queen's Medal with clasps- He was the Commonwealth Military Attache with tho Japanese army in Manchuria in mi, and received the Order of the Rising Sun from tho" Emperor of Japan. At the Queen's Jubilee in 1897 he represented the Victorian headquarters staff. He was the first native-born Australian chosen as the military head of the Commonwealth forces, and has filled staff appointments under some of tho best generals in tho English Army.

CAROLINE, COUNTESS OF SEAFIELD. (Eec. October 8, 5.5 p.m.) London, October 7. The death is announced of Caroline, Countess of Seafield, widow of the seventh Earl of SealieM. It is reported that the lale countess made a bettloment wheroby the estates connected with the earldom will now revert to the Earl of Seafield, formerly of Timaru, New Zealand.

The late Caroline, Countess of Seafield, was born scvonty-onc years ago, and was a daughter of the eleventh Baron Blantvre. She married tho seventh Earl of ;Seafield ; dn'-1850, and survived him by -80 years. The present Earl, James OgilvieGraut, is tho eleventh of, the line, and a great-nephew of tho deceased lady.. He was formerly ,a resident. of Tiruani, where his fathot, tho tenth Earl, was ill the Government service. Tho heir-pre-sumptive to the earldom is stated by "Whitaker's Peerage" to be the Hon. Treva Oeilvie-Grant, of Wellington. The present Countess of Seafield is a daughter of Dr. Townend, of Christchurch. The Dowager-Countess, mother of the present Earl, and a daughter of Major GeoTge Evans, of New Zealand, lives in England.

AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST. New York, October 6. Tho death 15 announced of Mr. William Eleroy Curtis, one of tho foremost journalists in'the United States.

Mr. Curtis joined the staff of the "Chicago Inter-Ocean" in 1873, and remained there until 1887, when he was appointed Washington correspondent of the "Chicago Herald." He was appointed special commissioner from the United States to the South American Republic, 1901, he was chief of tho Latin-American Department, and historical secretary of the Chicago Exposition in 1891, and.was commissioner of the Chicago Exposition to Madrid, and special envoy to the regent of Spain and Pope Leo XIII in 1892.

SIR CHARLES LAWES WITTEWRONGE. (Roc. October 8, 5.5 p.m.) London, October 7. Sir Charles Lawes Wittewronge, Bart., the sculptor, is dead, aged GB. The deceased was the second baronet. He was president of tho Incorporated Society of British Sculptors, and vicepresidont of the society for extending tho tanious Kothamsted experiments in agricultural science He was a noted athlete id his day, and in 1565 was one-mile running amateur ohampion, and amateur champion oarsman. In 1899 ho held tho quarter-mile, one-mile, and six to 25 miles amateur cycling records. Ho won tho Cambridge sculls, tho Diamond sculls, tho amateur championship of tho Thames, and innumerable other vowing, cycling, and running races, etc.