OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6662, 26 March 1883, Page 3 (Supplement)

OBITUARY.

Thk death of Mrs. William White, of Vincent-street, will bo found recorded ill uur obituary column, haviug parsed away on the 27th February at the ripe age of 74 years, after a protracted illness Of nearly a year's duration. The deceased lady waa one of our eldest colonials, haviug been over half a century resident in the province of Auck'and. Hie wan the daughter of Mr. Thomas Leigh, of Huntingdonshire, who was a man of classical attainments and great critical ability. From an early ago Miss Leigh was attracted to mission work in New Zealand, and in 1529 she waa married to the late Mr. William White, who had just returned from NewZealand, where be had been stationed as a Wesle3 r an Missionary in Hokianga and adjacent districts. Immediately after her marriage she accompanied her husband back to New Zealand in the ship Sisters, which landed them at the Bay of Islands, after a four and a half months' passage, on the 31at January. ISIJO. For many years Mrs. White fulfilled the duties of a missionary's wife, until the Heke war of 1545 unsettled everything, and with other refugees she had to take shelter on board 11.M.5. Victoria, gun brig, which was sent round to bring the unfortunate settlers on to Auckland, and where Mrs. White has remaiHed ever since. The deceased lady was an active member of the Wesley an Church, and gave her heart and energies to overy good word and work in COBnection with that body. She waa a regular visitor to the Gaol, Lunatic Asylum, Hospital, Old Women's Refuge, &c , where her visits were always looked forward to with j keenest pleasure, and there are few of our ■ charitable organisations to which her aid was : not given, and in which her influence was not i felt. Up to and beyond the span allotted | to human life f.he fulfilled the duties of j President of the Auckland Ladies' Christian ! Association, arid only ceased her labours ; when set aside by her fatal illness. - lie leaves I two sons, Messrs. J. K. and T. L. White, j The funeral took place on March 1, the inor- j tuary snrvice being held in thePi tt-. 1 -.tree t Wes- J lcyan Church, at 3 o'clock. Among the clergy | present were the Revs. A. Rei<i (yu; erin- ; tendent of the Auckland Circuit), Thos. ] Buddie, Shirley Baker, J. Whewell, H. K. j Dewsbury, W. C. Oliver, W.J. Watkiu, G. W. Spence, G. Brown (\\ esleyan), B. T. i Dudley, J. S. Hill (Anglican), and T. [.lamer and Alex. Mac.lonald (Congregationali-t). I The Uev. Thos. Buddie read the survive j at the grave in an impressive manner. ! Iu accordance with tlie wish of the ' dece/isod, the members of her Bible Class ! then sang the hymn, amid the unrestrained , sobs of many in the assemblage, " Clone to Thco," after which the l.'ev. Shirley Baker engaged in prayrr. The benediction by the Rev. = Thomr.s Buddie closed the service. A large number of wreaths and flowers were deposited on the cotlin, and the assemblage dispersed as the mould covered over nil ti.at wai mort-1 of the deceased ladv, leaving ouly to them the memory of a life consecrated to active benevolence aud Christian duty. The funeral sermon was preached on March 4 in Pitt-stri et Wraleyun Chinch by the Kev. Thomas Budd'e, who selected as his text 2nd Timothy, v. 7—S, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, thall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all those that love his appearing." The rev. gentle- ' man, after referring to the circumstances

under which the apostle Paul uttered these remarkable words, alluded more particularly to the life and life-work of the deceased l*dy. He had known her since the year I.S2S, when he met her in her father's house in England, and the friendship then commenced between them had only deepened and strengthened in the 53 years which had elapsed since then, and it now fell to his lot t<» preach her funeral sermon. Among the prominent traite of lier character were zeal in well-doing; steadfastness, as she had been a consistent member of the Weslsyan Church for 57 years ; and catholicity of spirit, inasmuch as she had worked and was willing to work with all who loved the Master. ! In iicr early life she had been !ed to think of serious things through her friendship ffi:h the wife of of England clergyman— a lady who was the niece ol the celebrated ' Fletcher, of Madeley, andoneof themost noted I women of John Wesley's time. During the off'ertorv the choir sang the anthem Blessed are the (lend that die in the Lord," aud at the close of the Benediction, the organist, Proie-i-or Lambert, rendered "The Dead March in Saul." 1 An obituary netice in another column records t e fad that M. Francois Rayer, tho o -vuer of the Mount Albert vineyard, is dead. It wiil be remembered that some time ago w mentioned that he was very ill, and not expected to recover. He suffered until 00 Fridav, March 2, when death put an end to hi.i pains. He died at the comparatively early age oT fifty-two years. His death at the present time is much to he regretted, when the success of the experiment at vine growing for wine making purposes depended upon iiis knowledge and skill. On the 3rd March all the French residents in Auckland, aud some mem' ers of the French Literary Society, attended the funeral. The Secretary of the society placed on the coffin a crown of flowers, ornamented with the French national colours, and the cortege proceeded to the burying yard, where the Rev. Mr. Dudley read the buii-d service. M. A. Villeval, in the name of tile French residents and of the Literary Society, made a short speech, in which he lefcrrcl to M. Rayer's humble but useful career, and bade him adieu. Mrs. Wilson, wife of Major John Wilson, died at her residence, Cambridge, on March 8, Deceased was a Maori, and had considerable influence among the natives, owing to her birth and connections, and also her energy aud force of character. In our obituary notice is recorded the death of Mr. Richard Hudson, who has been identified with the Thames goldfield from its outset*. He had, amongst the other pioneers, borne the burden and heat of the day, and took his fair share of the duties of a citizcn without aspiring to office or seeking for prominence. Mr. Hudson had for months past been in failing health, and at length succumbed to that fell disease, congestion of the lungs. The ranks of the old colonists are being rapidly thinned by death, and in a few more years tin re will not remain many to tell the story of tiie early days of the colony. Mr. Robert Menzies, who expired at his residence, St. John's College, on the Gth March, was a well knoi\n and esteemed old identity, having been a resident here for forty-one years. He arrived in Sydney in IS3B, and four years later landed at the Bay of Islands, where he entered the service of Bishop Selvryn as butler. The deceased was 74 years of age, and leavf-3 a wife and a grown up family of yfr.ht—six sons and two daughters. °£n our obituary column will be found recorded the <ie;:ea?e of another old colonist, m the pel son of Mrs. Janet Bruce, wife of the late Mr. William Kntce, of Parnell. The deceased had resided in this province since 1539. 111 our obituary column will be found recorded the death of Mr. O. S. Ellis, of Newton, and an old resident iu this province. He had been of late years an active member of the Good Templar order, and was for several terms Right Worthy Grand Secretary of the latter. For some years past he had been a sufferer from gout, but the immediate cause of death was erysipelas. He leaves a wife ard son. The fun ral of the late Mrs. Wilson waa one of the largest which ever took place in Cambridge. Representatives were present in numbers from every district iu Waikato. The line of carriages reached from Major Wilson's residence to the Bank of New Zealand, and more than a hundred horsemen were present—nor were these all. A large concourse followed on loot to show respect to a lady whose general kindness and good work* bad won the hearts of the people. The funeral service was feelingly read by the Veil. Archdeacon W T illis and Kev. Mr. I'omare. At the least five hundred persons attended the funeral. We have to record the death of one of the pioneer settlers of Papa'Oß, Mrs. Davis, who passed awa)* on Fell. 28, at the age of 67. The deceased lady leaves those behind her who mourn her loss, and a large circle of friends and acquaintances who will miss her cht-er-ful face and kindly deeds. She came, with h.r family, to this country more than twenty years ago, in connection with the Albertland settlement ; and she and Mr. Davis have made as comfortable a home and choice a property as can well be found in this neighbourhood. The funeral took placo on Saturday, March 3, and was attended by a good number of friends, who wished to show respect for the dead and sympathy with the living. Mrs. Davis was buried in St. Mark's church ground, the Rev. J. Hewson officiating.