OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7693, 19 July 1886, Page 13

OBITUARY.

DEATH OF THE HON. T. HENDERSON# I regret to have to announce (says our Wellington correspondent) the death of the Hon, Thomas Henderson, M.L.C., which occurred at twenty minutes past twelve a.m. ou the 27th June, at the residence of Mr. George Graham, Fitzherberfc Terrace, Wellington, who is married to a niece of the deceased. The fortunes of the Hon. Thomas Henderson have for good and ill been for 40 years inseparably associated with those of the province of Auckland. He was senior partner in the firm of Henderson and Macfarlane, whose names for upwards of a quarter of a century had been familiar as household words for energy, enterprise, and commercial integrity. He was born in Dundee in December 1810, and served his time as an engineer and machine maker. He removed to Perth, where he was married in 1534, and in 1840 he left for New Zealand. When he arrived in Auckland with his wife not a single house was erected. Everything was in a state of uncertainty, for no one would buy or build until they saw how the city was to be laid out and a title secured. At the first Government land sale, Mr. Henderson and Mr. W. T. Buckland jointly bought an allotment in Wyndham-street, but it was too far removed from the business quarter, and remained idle for years. He bought another allotment, where he erected the Commercial Hotel at a cost of £2000, and it was the most pretentious building of the time. In 1542 Mr. Henderson retired in favour of Messrs. J. and H. Macfarlane, with the former of whom he had been in partnership, but in the succeeding year he met with reverses and had to go to work again. He ran a firewood boat from Riverhead at first, and soon afterwards engaged in the timber trade, but he lost money, and sold out his stock by auction at 2s 6d per 100 feet. In 1845 Mr. Macfarlane left the hotel, and his brother John continued the business till the following year, when he and Mr. Henderson went into partnership as traders, becoming the firm so well known in after years as Henderson and Macfarlane. During Heke's war Mr. Henderson did the colony good service by keeping some 300 men from joining Heke and employiug them in gumdigging at Mangonui and Whangaroa. The firm of Henderson and Macfarlane purchased the schooner John Bull, 72 tons, and endeavoured to start a trade between Auckland and Sydney, but the venture did not pay, and the vessel was sold in Hobart by Mr. Macfarlane, who took flour in payment. This sold well, and wfth the proceeds were built Henderson Mill, which afterwards became known as the largest establishment of the kind then in the business. It was worked with moderate success till 1849, when the Californian gold diggings broke out, and the firm then began to make largely by selling timber to exporters, but becoming infected with the exporting fever, they lost all in the speculation. But the firm, nothing daunted, bought the brig Fanny in Sydney, and loaded her with a general cargo for tho goldfieids. Mr. J. Macfarlane, who went with her, found the market anticipated, and the cargo hardly paid loading charges. On her return the Fanny was sold to Mr. Polack, and Ml. Macfarlane again went to San Francisco in the barque Josephine. The firm chartered the Hamlet and other vessels in Sydney, and sent t'mber to San Francisco, only, however, to again find themselves forestalled, and the market glutted. The firm then sought for another outlet, and Mr. Henderson went to China in the barque Glencoe with a cargo, and the venture proving successful, he loaded with tea, sugar, etc., and he, on this occasion, brought with him fifty pairs of Chinese pbesaants for acclimatisation. These were turned loose at Henderson's Mill, and soon spread over the coun;ry. The bulk of the cargo was sold in Sydney, and the balance was brought on to Auckland. On arriving at Sydney Mr. Henderson found the Victorian goldfields in full working, and he determined to go to Melbourne, so he purchased the brig Spencer, and went in her to Melbourne. He again returned to Sydney, but went back with a a cargo and passengers, and believing he saw a large opening for New Zealand produce, he instructed his partner to get ready for shipment quantities of flour, timber, &c., and loading the Spencer with this cargo he sailed for Melbourne with his family in 1852. The result of this speculation was immensely profitable, and Mr. Henderson remained for about 12 monthß in Melbourne, making a large amount of money, which was remitted to Auckland. The Spencer was the first of the famous Circular Saw line of vessels owned by this firm, and as the firm prospered vessel after vessel was added to the fleet. Amongst these were the Invincible, Kate, Will-o'-the-Wisp, Gazelle, Constance, Alice Cameron, Sir George Grey, and Novelty, the latter having been built by Mr. A. Niccol in Mechanics' Bay. The firm opened up a trade not only with Australia, but with China, California, and South America, and endeavoured to do so with Great Britain. Mr. John Macfarlane died 1860, and his brother Thomas joined the firm in 1861, Mr. Henderson retiring in favour of his eldest son George and Messrs. T. Macfarlane and G. Von der Heyde. For a number of years everything went well, but reverses took place, and Mr. Henderson was bereft of that ease and competence which he had reasonably looked forward to. In 1567 Mrs. Henderson died, and Mr. Henderson left for California in search of health, and after a 12 months' residence there he was so improved that he contemplated returning to England ; but, the affairs of the firm requiring his attention, he returned to Auckland. Subsequently his eldest son George, and Mr. T. Macfarlane, retired from the firm, and Mr. Henderson again went into harness. In a vain attempt to retrieve the fortunes of the firm, he went into the steam trade, purchasing the Airedale, Phoebe, and Lord Ashley ; but the loss of the Airedale, and the diminished subsidies, rendered the speculation unprofitable. Mr. Henderson took an active part in all the enterprises which were established for the benefit of the colony. Be assisted in establishing the Bank of New Zealand, the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, New Zealand Insurance, and Auckland Gas Company, and was an active shareholder in the first local steam companies. Politically, Mr. Henderson did not take a very active part, but conscientiously fulfilled the duties imposed on him by the suffrages of his fellowcolonists. He was a member of the Provincial Council for some time, and a member of the Provincial Executive during Dr. Campbell's superintendency. He was also for many years a member of the General Assembly, representing the Northern Division, now the electorate of Waitemata. He was a member of the second Fox Ministry in 1861-62, without portfolio. In 1879 he was called, at the instance of Sir G. Grey's administration, to the Legislative Council, a well-earned honour to an old colonist who deserved well of his country for services rondered to it. One of these services is worth recounting. In 1563, Colonel Pitt was sent on a mission to Victoria by the New Zealand Government to raise a regiment of Victorian military settlers, and ship them to Auckland. He took with him letters of credit for £70,000, but the bank in Melbourne would not advance more than £10,000. Colonel Pitt had already made arrangements for shipping and equipping the contingent he had enlisted, aud committed himself to urgent liabilities. Mr. Henderson, who had been to Adelaide on business, was passing through Melbourne at the time, and, hearing of the affair, went with Colonel Pitt to the bank, but without avail. Seeing the state of the case and the necessity for forwarding the reinforcements, he immediately raised £15,000 at the bank on his own personal credit, transferred it to Colonel Pitt, accepting his drafts on the New Zealand Government, and had the satisfaction of seeing the Victorian contingent at once despatched to the seat of Mr. Henderson permanently retired from business in ISS2, and the bUßinesß of the firm is now carried on by his youngest BOD, Mr. Henry H. William Henderson. At eight a m. on the 30th June the 8.8. Penguin arrived atOnehunga, having on board the body of the late Hon. Mr. Henderson. The remains were accompanied from Wellington by Mr. Thomas Henderson and Mrs. Von der Heyde, son and daughter of the deceased, and were met at Onehunga by Messrs. H. W. Henderson and G. Von der Heyde. The body was at once brought into town by Messrs. Winks and Hall, who had charge of all the funeral arrangements, and conveyed to the residence of the deceased in Symondsstreet. At three o'clock in the afternoon a large assemblage of friends and fellowcitizens of the late gentleman colleoted to pay the last tribute of respect to one who, from the time of the foundation of the colony, had been so intimately associated 1 with the rising fortunes of Auckland, whils

numbers of people also lined the street in the vicinity of the cemetery. At a little past three the coffin, covered with wreaths and floral emblems, principally in white camellias and violets, was borne up the slope to the hearse, and the cortege having been formed, moved onwards to the Presbyterian cemetery, the immediate relatives and a large concourse of people, representatives of every section of thecommunity, official, professional, mercantile, and commercial, following on foot, while there were also sixteen carriages following. Leading the procession of mourners were Mr. T. Henderson, Mr. H« W. Henderson (sons), Mr. G. Von der Heyde (son-in-law), Mr. David Henderson (brother), and Mr. David Henderson, jun. (nephew of deceased), the other relatives being Messrs. John Marshall, Heath, J. B. Hay, and J. 13. Graham. The grave is in tho north-eastern end of the cemetery, and in the same vault lie the remains of Mrs. Margaret Henderson, wife of the deceased, who had preceded him on the 2Sth March. ISC7, and Mr. John Macfarlane, the late gentleman's first partner in the famous firm of Henderson and Macfarlane, who died on tho sth September, 1860. The service at the crave was conducted by the Rev. David Bruce, and immediately round the grave were noticeable many faces of old settlers, friends of the late Honorable Mr. Henderson, who had been co-workers with him in building up the fortunes of the great city which they had first seen *9 a barren wilderness.

For some time Mr. William Rowe, Thames, had been ill with bronchitis. Latterly the complaint gained upon his strength, until the Ist July, when he died. Mr. Rowe was a very old colonist in this part of the colony, and has been largely connected with the mining industry, both at the Great Barrier copper mines and the Thames goldfield. He has also taken his share in public life, having been for some time a member of the Auckland Provincial Council, and at a later date was the member of the House of Representatives for tho Thames district, where he has chiefly resided since the Thames goldfield was opened. The family he leaves behind him are all grown op. He was 66 years of age. One by one our early pioneer are joining the great majority. In our obituary columns we record the death of Mr. Robert Willis, who for the past forty years has been intimately associated with Papakura and its neighbourhood. Mr. Willis' face in the early days was well known to our townsmen, who thoroughly esteemed him for his many good qualities and sterling principles. Of late years, owing to tailing health, he has not been able to mingle in the active pursuits of life, and died at his residence at Papakura— of which he may be said to be the founder — on the 2nd Jul}'. Ho leaves a grown up family of four daughters and five sons to lament their loss. 16 will be seen by our obituary column that Mrs. Baszard, of the Wairoa, who lost her husband and several children at the Tarawera eruption, has now lost her aged mother, whose end has probably been hastened by the calamities which have befallen her daughter and grandchildren. Mr. Allan O'isiell, whose death occurred recently, was a very old colonist, and had taken part in all the struggles and vicissitudes of the colony. Mr. O'Neill was born in the County Leitrim in the year ISOI. In early life he was employed on the Ordinance Survey of Ireland. In 1842 he came out to Taranaki in the Timandra as surveyor to the New Zealand Company, but subsequently he left them and walked overland to Auckland, arriving the day of Governor Hobion's funeral. Mr. O'Neill was the first city ■nrveyor, later he was the provincial surveyor, and laid out the Great North Road to the Bay of Islands; Mr. O'Neill was also one of the railway commissioners of the first Auckland railway. For a number of years Mr. O'Neill represented the Northern division in the late Provincial Council ; he was also a member of the Church of England Synod, For some years before his death he look no part in public affairs, but lived in retirement at his residence on the North Shore. He died fall of years, respected and beloved by all who knew him. The present wintry weather is proving fatal to the aged, and among those who have just passed away are two very old and respected settlers in the pensioner settlements, who had been non-commissioned officers in the New Zealand Fenciblea. The first is Mr. Bates, who died on the 10th July, at the ripe age of 92. He had formerly belonged to the 2nd Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot. The second was Mr. Charles Dnrbridge, who died on July 11 at his residence, Panmure, in his 79;h year. Mr. Dnrbridge came out with the first division of Fencibles, with Colonel Kenny. He was for many years clerk to the Resident Magistrate's Court, Onehunga, and also officer for registration of electors, but had retired on a pension. These old veterans were much respected and esteemed by their comrades, and during the old days of provincialism exercised a good deal of political influence in their respective circles.