OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8501, 27 February 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

OBITUARY.

, DEATH OP SIR WILLIAM FITZ- \ HERBERT. ■ Sir William Fitzjikiuskkt, K.G.M.G., died J at his residence at the Lower Ilutt, VVeli ' lington, ub twenty minutes to three p.m. or j February 7. The deceasod gentleman, >vhc I was in his B'2nd year, suffered frpm Bright's disease. \ Mr. Wm. Gisborne in his work " New Zealand Bulors and Statesmen, 1840 tc 3 1885," makes the following , reference to Sii a Wm, Fitzherbort:—" Another promineni 1 advocate of provincialism, Mr. Wim Fitz 0 herberb, now Sir Wm, Fitzherbert, came tc ' Auckland in 1856 from the province ■ o: 1 Wellington as a member of the Houf=e o; e Representatives. Although distinguished foi d mental capacity and for political foresight ■• ho had not the qualities .which instinctively . attract the sympathy and g?4n the goot a will of others. He was too shut up withir '. himself; he neither gavo nor asked foi ii confidence. His influence, howevor, was , great. Able and astute, he was tho Ulysses • of statesmen ; and although openly he was not one of the leaders of men ho did mucl e secretly to sway their action. No one woulc !, fail to recognise his intellectual power, ant o the sagacity of his counsel. Moreover 1» e was versed in political intrigue. Then e was a mystery about him which added to hit s 4nfluence. Ho was the Great Unknown. 1.1 i- cannot be said that he was a silent man, for he was not reticent in the common sens*

of the term : but; his words often concealed his thoughts, and even his deeds were not always an index of his purposes. Hia inner self was unseen and unheard, though from timo to time it made itself felt. Often plausible and.persuasive he was seldom natural. He was a very good actor, but even in his acting he could not he altogether unartißcial Hia speeches, however, rank high as a public performance. He never tore ' a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings ;' and few could better assume virtuous indignation, injured innocence, and hopeless consternation, or excel in effective by-play. A great speech from Sir Wm. Fitzherbert was an intellectual treat, During an exciting and critical debate, while opponents were violently attacking him, he would sit immovable, his eyes shut, and overy muscle in hie face as rigid as if ib were cut in marble, apparently asleep; but when he rose to reply the whole scene was changed, Without a note, and trusting to his memory, which, no doubt from early training, never failed him on such occasions, he would answer point by point every argument of his opponents, covering them with ridiouleand discredit, and apparently routing them by force of argument. It was no pleasing prospect to be followed by Sir William FitzherberC. His debating power was wonderful, and, he delighted in oral vivisection. Hie sarcasm, always acrid, was at times almost vitriolic. The faults in his speeches were that he was too wordy, too slow, and too digressive ; bub he was on the whole logical and incisive, and the metaphors of which he was always fond were often telling, while his phrases were well chosen and expressive. Moreover, there were occasional passages remarkable for their breadth of view and for their philosophical truth. Sir William Fitzherbert held the degree of Doctor of Medicine, but he qevor practiced in New Zealand, where he has lived (up to 1885) for more than 40 years. He has held from time to time several high colonial and provincial offices. He has also been Speaker of the House of Representatives and Speaker of the Legislative Council. The latter office he still holds. As the Minister in charge of the Treasury he showed large knowledge of finance, and when ho was in pjngland in 1868 on a special mission for the purpose of consolidating the public debts of Now Zealand, find for the settlement of financial claims und counter cliiims on the part of the home oountryand the colony against each other he rendered great and good service. As a Speaker of the House of Representatives he has proved himself able and impartial." The funeral of the late Sir Wm. Fitzherbert took place at the lower Hutt on Feb. 10, when about 500 followed tiio remain's to the English cemetery, where the deceased was buried alongside the remains of his late wife, Lady Fitzherbert. Large numbers wont out by train to pay their last respects, and among those present were the Hon. J. Ballance, Premier ; the Hon. W. P. Reeves, Minister of Education ; the Hon. A. J. Cadman, Native Minister j Sir Harry Atkinson, Speaker of the Legislative Council; Sir James Frendergust, Chief Justice; His Grace Dr. Redwood, several members of the Roman Catholic clergy, heads of the Civil Service Department, and leading citizens of Wellington. A number of Maoris, both men and women, were included in the cortege. Tho chief mourners were ; Messrs. j VV. A. and H. S. Fitzhorberb, suns of deceased, and the Hon. P. A. Buckley, Colonial Secretary, son-in-law; Mr. S. Fitz lierbert, of Wanganui. The funeral service was conducted by Archdeacon Fallcourb and the Rev. Mr. Jones. Another old identity has passed away in tho person of Mrs. M. Smith, relict of the late Mr. Benjamin Smith, of tho Traveller's Rest Hotel, Southern Wairoa, She arrived in the colony in the year 1841, and has resided for 30 years at Wairoa South, and for the last eight years in Ponsonby. She leaves live sons three daughters and thirtyone grandchildren to mourn their loss. Our Lucas Creek correspondent thus writes of the death of Mr. Wm. Wilson, of Dairy Flat: —lt is with feelings of sorrow I have to record the decease of Mr. Wilson, which occurred at his residence, Dairy Flat, on Tuesday, the 20di January, at noon. Mr. Wilson was well known both here, in the country districts, and also in Auckland, and was held in high respect and esteem by all who knew him on account of his quiet and unassuming disposition. The deceased i gentleman was born in the parish of Kildtirren, County Cavnn, Ireland, on the 24th Slay, 1821, and was consiquently in the 60th year of his ago at the time of his death. On the down trip of the R.M.s. Alameda a steerage passenger, Arnold Durer, a native ; of Switzerland, died from acute rheumatism on January 24, and was buried at sea. The death of the late Mr. George Kells, of East Tamaki, has left another blank in the ranks of our pioneer settlers. The deceased gentleman came to the district nearly forty years since, during which time he has held the respect and esteem of his fellow settlers for his many sterling qualities. Ho received a captain's commission in tho New Zealand militia, and had charge of the transport corps under General Cameron during the Wuikato War, where he was regarded as one of the smartest officers in the colonial forces. For the past twenty years the deceased has led a quiet utieventfuf life, attending to tho duties of his farm, and has acted in his capacity as a magistrate, and as deputy-coroner of the district since Colonel de Quinceyleft Howick. A large number of relatives and neighbours followed the remains from his late residence to tho Church of England cemetery at Howick on January 30. He leaves a widow and :x family of two sons and six daughters. Our Waipu correspondent writes on the Bth February as follows:-—" Death is gradually but surely diminishing the number of the older members of our community. On the night of the sth February Mr. Kenneth William McKenzie passed away to his eternal homo, having attained the age of 77. The deceased was born in the parish of (jairloch, Rossshire, Scotland, bub in the clays of boyhood emigrated with his friends to Cape Breton, which forms a portion of the province of Nova Scotia, and after spending some years there himself and friends again cast themselves into the tide of emigration, finally settling in the North River Valley, Waipu, where he lived in pious and peaceful contentment, in company with his brother mid two sisters —the whole of them being unmarried." Mr. J. C. Brown, ex-M.H.R., died at Dunedin on February 6 of diabetes, after a brief illness. Sergeant Finnegan, connected with the police force in Otago for thirty years, died on February 10. News has been received from Calcutta of the death of Mr. William Woodyear, circus proprietor, who was well known in Auckland, where ho had resided for a considerable time. Mr. Woodyear died of cholera, after only two days' illness, and it is reported that though Mrs. Woodyear made every effort to secure the immediate attendance of a physician, three hours elapsed, and then a native doctor was induced to come. Some of Mr. Woodyear'a children are living in Auckland. The circus business is to be carried on by his widow. A young lady resident of Onehunga, Miss Mary J. E. Burke, who was greatly esteemed, died there of consumption on February 22 at the early ago of 23. Miss Burke was a member of the Onebunga Choral Society, and was one of the soloists when they performed "Judas Maccabeus." Mr. Robert H. Carpenter, bookseller, of Molesworth-street, Wellington, who arrived in that city in 1840, died on Feb. 24 from paralysis. Mr. Whiteford, Magistrate, of Kaiapoi, died on February 13. His death re suited from apoplexy. Deceased was aboyt to spend six months sick leave visiting his parents in Tasmania. He has been in the public service since 1871, and leaves a widow, bub no family. Ib will be seen from our obituary column that Mrs. McGregor, wife of Mr. Donald McGregor, formerly landlord of the Waitemata Hotel, has passed away, at a comparatively early age, on Feb. 11. The deceased was an old resident of Auckland, and fell a victim to a very, painful malady.

: The Standard Insurance Company reports i that the income for the year, including i the balance brought forward from last year, amounts to £89,254, and the expeni diture to £73,963. The usual interim ) dividend was paid in June, and the direcs tors now recommend that the balance be i appropriated as follows :—To dividend 7£ ■ pet- cent,, £2812; to be carried forward to the reserve fund, £4000; to carryforward 3 to next year, £5666.