OBITUARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7226, 28 April 1884, Page 5

OBITUARY.

llknby John Tancred,

Tito Colony can ill afford to lose such a citizen as the man who passed away from amongst us yesterday. We have not many of whom it may be said, as may be said of Mr Tancred, that no single person, of whatsoever shade of opinion or party, could have other than words of deep regret for Ids loss. Of late years Mr Tancred has not, been before tho "public ns the holder of high politieal office, and perhaps amongst our younger generation there may be some who do not know what he has been, or what lie has dene, for New Zealand. Only, however, amongst late arrivals can such as these ho found, for of those who have lived here mere than six or seven years very few of any intelligence can be ignorant of his life’s honourable record. But it is not so much because of the actual deeds of tho man as because of the manner of doing them, of his high character, his unblemished honour, his acknowledged ability ; because of his undoubted claim to respect both in public and private life, that we sav the Colony can ill afford to lose him. Mr Tancred has lived here for nearly thirty-five years ; he has taken part in manv stirring events, many political struggles. many Colonial or local works ; he was associated at various times with men of such different character as Sir John Hall, Sir Julius Vogel, Mr Sowell, Sir Frederick Weld. Mr Stafford, Mr Fitzgerald; and it may be affirmed that no one of these or anr other who knew him, whether as an opponent or an ally, ever ceased to thoroughly honour and respect him. Nor, indeed! is'it to bo imagined that, because his name has not been so loudly proclaimed as those of many other colonists, his work has not been at least as good, if not in all probability much better, than theirs. Few men of such sterling worth as Mr Tancred are found in any community. New Zealand has suffered a loss which it will be very difficult to retrieve.

It is not possible, at this so short notice, to put forth anything like a detailed account of his life and labours. It Trill, perhaps, be a useful task for some competent biographer to do so soon. Mr Tancred’s life would embrace a very fair history of the Colony from the year 1851 to the present time, for he was connected with its affairs in many important ways, as may be gathered' from the imperfect and brief sketch which we can give now. But such a biography would require much time. We can merely glance at a few salient points. Mr Tancred, a scion of a family dating back for centuries, was educated in that school of true gentlemen, Rugby, at the time when the influence of Dr Arnold was most usefully felt; and as Rugby turned him out then, so he remained till death. He made no sojourn at Oxford or Cambridge, being sent to seek honour in the ranks of the Austrian army, in which he joined one of the smartest of all the smart cavalry regiments, for which Austria was famous. Rising, as all had to do at that time, from cadet to officer, he saw service in Hungary and in Italy ; and this was no holiday business, at a period when revolution was rife, and the spark kindled in Vienna and Pesth threatened to consume the Empire. When the Canterbury Association founded their little Colony on these shores, Mr Tancred was amongst the first arrivals, and a reference to the journals of those days shows that he very early began to exercise that influence amongst his fellow colonists to which his character entitled him. In 1853 we find him a member of the first Provincial Council of Canterbury, announcing to the Superintendent the election of the Speaker. But he was soon to be called to higher duties. In 1854 the Governor of New Zealand convened the first General Assembly, and in the Ministry formed by Mr Sewell we find Mr Tancred’s name, associated with Mr Whitaker and the present Sir P. D. Bell. Prom 1856 to IBGI he filled the offices of PostmasterGeneral and Secretary of Crown Lands under the Premiership of Mr Stafford. It was during this period that the first Taranaki war was forced upon the Colony, and the events which took place resulted in the defeat of the Ministry. Mr Tancred returned to a place in the Government in 1862, under Mr Domett, but held no portfolio, and retired again in 1863, since which time he did not join any Colonial Government. He continued, however, to sit in Parliament as a Canterbury member; and, whilst he never made himself remarkable for long’and frequent speeches, it was a matter of certainty that whatever he did say was listened to with respect and attention by members on both sides of the House. Almost his last effort in this direction was made in 1870, on the occasion of Sir J. Vogel’s announcement of his Public Works policy, and Mr Tancred has not for many years past held a seat in the General Assembly of the Colony.

No break, however, occurred in his connection with public affairs in Canterbury down to a much later period. From the earliest days of Provincial rule he was a member of the Provincial Council, and in 18LJG he was elected Speaker of that body, retaining the office till the Abolition of the Provinces in 1875. ‘The Speaker of a representative assembly hag not to make speeches, hut there may be great differences in the action of differenWSpeakers, and it was, we are sure, the unanimous verdict of every member of the Provincial Council that the dignified urbanity, perfect impartiality, and unwearied patience of Mr Tailored were not, and could not be, surpassed. Still more, wo may fairly say that it was in a great measure to these qualities of his that the Provincial Council of Canterbury owed much of that very high character which it ever possessed amongst the Parliaments of New Zealand. Mr Tancred, as we have said, was precluded by his position from often addressing the Council. Yet the district which he represented never had any reason to complain of the least neglect, on his part, of its interests ; and there was one particular and moat important branch of the public business upon which his voice was always to be heard when required, and heard to effect, and that was the great business of Education. Hero, indeed, we come to that portion of Mr Tancred’s life-work, of which it may be said that he has erected monumentum acre pereimius. It will not, we hope, ever be forgotten whilst New Zealand has a history that, from the earliest possible date to the last day of his long and useful life, his best energies were bent steadily upon the furtherance of the cause of public education. We have said just now that it is impossible at this juncture to compile a long and detailed biography. The work which Mr Tancred did for education was so varied, so continuous, so well imagined, go steadily pursued, that it cannot be followed out here. A member iLo e filst Comm ission of Enquiry in a close watcher and helper of the progress of every education ordinance till tne end of the Provincial system, an active member of School Committees, an equally active member of the Board of Education, a zealous Governor of the Canterbury College and of Christ’s College-his hand was m every educational work, his mind always engaged in its improvement. Canterbury has had many men whose “forte” aaa been education; she has not had one .?, nght more Intelligence and more good-will to it than Mr Tancred. But lie f or ? d .°- When ’ in Wl, the "ew Zealand University came first into existence, it was felt and acknowledged on

all sides that no fitter man was to be found in the country to guide the infant institution to maturity, to help it on amidst good report and evil report, to see that, os far as possible, its benefits should be fully shared by all classes of the community ; and Mr Tailored became Chancellor of the University and held that office with universal approval till hia death. Nor is this last phrase of ours merely an unmeaning compliment, for wo aro informed that even up'to the last two or throe days he was determined, oven though pressed to take rest, to transact as much of his official business as was possible to him. The University is now a groat national institution; it has made its way in tho country and is solidly established. One main feature of its work is that it is accessible to all, rich and poor, groat and small; and for its progress ana utility, and chiefly for this last great benefit, Now Zealand is enormously indebted to Mr Tancrcd. (Space and time will not permit us to continue. Wo might say much more of our fellow-citizen's labours, oven in education, of his professorship at Christ's College, of his historical studies (a thing in which ho had probably not his equal in the Colonies), of many other useful actions and qualities'. Wo might point to his work on tho Drainage Board, on Road Boards, on Directorates of public and private companies. Wo might follow him into many paths of life, all leading to good and useful ends. But we must refrain, at least for the present. The one point which we would desire to emphasise is that with which wo began. Seldom does it occur that one can apply with such perfect truth, as to the subject of this notice, the old phrase—“ Omncs omnia bona diccre.” In most cases there may be exceptions : in this case we know of none. There ore many things which New Zealand requires, and often finds lacking, in her public men. Independence of character, impartiality, freedom from the least shade of unworthy motives, steady adherence to the one rule of the right, steady determination to do all for the best: these are great and noble qualities; these are necessary to the Colony; and these were united in the person of him whom we mourn to-day. A sentence such as we used at the beginning of this notice may fitly mark its close: It will be long before New Zealand can fill the gap caused by the death of Henry John Tancred. John Carter. Mr John Carter, of Grove Farm, Tinwald, died at his residence, on Saturday evening, about six o’clock. Mr Carter (lately of the firm of Wilkin and Carter) was an extensive sheep farmer in Ashburton County, and took a lively interest in the affairs of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was also well known in sporting circles, and owned several good racehorses. He was a staunch supporter of all the local sporting institutions, and amongst these he will be greatly missed. Mr Carter has been ill, more or less, for a lengthened period, but it was only very recently that he was confined to his bed, and his illness took a really dangerous turn only a week or so ago. Mr Carter’s age was 15.