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New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1570, 4 May 1861, Page 3

A month since it was our painful duty to record the loss of one of the friends of this Colony, Dr. Thomson, avlio, upon the eve of his return to cast his lot with ours in Auckland, died in China; to-day the no less painful duty is ours to chronicle the unhappy accident which has deprived Auckland ot one of its most valuable citizens, and the Colony of New Zealand of the labours of a gentleman who, out of pure love for science, devoted the leisure which his retirement from public life allowed him, to the illustration of the natural history more especially of the botany —of New Zealand. Dr. Andrew Sinclair, in this service, died with harness upon his back; it was in crossing a swollen river on his return from an exploratory trip into the mountainous district of the Province of Canterbury that his valuable life was lost. The details of the accident are given in the following extract from the Lyttelton Times : —

An authentic account which we have received states that on the day mentioned the exploring party were about to proceed to the sources of the eastern and middle branches of the Rangitata, having finished the survey of the western branch, when an accident rendered necessary the return ot a man and horse to Mr. Butler’s station (Mesopotamia) ; Dr. Sinclair determined to return with them, his object being to collate the large quantity of valuable specimens of botany he had collected, to complete various drawings, anil to recruit his health which had suffered from the hardships to which he had been exposed. Having one horse between them, Dr. Sinclair and the man who accompanied him, named Richard Stringer, adopted the idan, where the river crossings were bad, of letting the horse take over one of them at a time and sending him back for the other. At one spot where the river divided, leaving an island in the middle, Dr. Sinclair went over first, selecting a not very favorable crossing. On reaching the island he endeavoured to send the horse back, but the animal refused to return and set off by himself to cross the next stream towards Mr. Butler’s station. Dr. Sinclair followed the horse into the second stream, which was fleet and broad, and Stringer after watching him for some time, went down the bank a little to find a better crossing for himself. On reaching an elevated spot which commanded a complete view of that part of the river, Stringer turned round, and to his surprise failed to catch sight of his fellow traveller. He at first paid little attention to the circumstance, thinking that Dr. Sinclair, having crossed, was resting, or gone in search of the horse ; but after watching for some time longer the painful reality began to force itself upon him, and he returned to the camp—not two miles distant—and related his sad story. Mr. Haast hurried to the spot, where on tire following day he was joined by Mr. Butler and the rest of the party. About sundown on this day the body of the unfortunate gentleman was discovered, about 300 yards below the place where he bad crossed, in a position which gave every indication that he had left the water alive. The body was some yards from the stream and the head was resting on the arm. Outside the circle of his immediate relatives in this place, Dr. Sinclair has left many personal friends, anil many who were bound to him by ties of gratitude for unostentatious and real help, often voluntarily offered, in the hour of their need. In his official capacity as Colonial Secretary, Dr. Sinclair was hardworking, conscientious, and attentive; it was hardly to be expected that, under the old system, a man in that position could have been popular, —but the personal respect of those who differed from him, and that even of those who thought themselves aggrieved, was not wanting; the bitterness of the old party spirit having long since passed away, justice is done to the man, and the intelligence of his untimely decease was received here with an expression of very general and very sincere regret.