DEATH OF CAPTAIN BUTTON

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13011, 31 October 1905, Page 5

DEATH OF CAPTAIN BUTTON

SOLDIER AND SCIENTIST. [bi TELEGRAPH.— mess ASSOCIATION.] Christchurch, Monday. The death is announced of Captain If. .W. Hutton, F.R.S., just before the Rimutaka reached Capetown. Captain Hutton was president of the New Zealand -institute and curator of the Christchurch Museum. At the meeting of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College to-day, leeling reference was made to the death of Captain Hutton, and the following motion was adopted: "That the Board of Governors of Canterbury College desire to place on record an expression of their profound sense of loss sustained by the college by the death of Professor Hutton. As professor of biology, lecturer on geology, and curator of the museum, Professor Hutton has served the college for 25 years with great ability, and the board feel that their sense of his great attainments and their estesm for his memory will be shared by the whole community." [BY TELEGRAPH.— correspondent.] Wellington, Monday. Captain Hutton, whose death is announced from Christchurch, had an interesting career. He was at the relief of Lucknow, under Sir Colin Campbell, and for his services during the mutiny he received •- medal and two clasps. In November, 1865, he sold out of the army and came to New Zealand. Three years later, rumours of war being prevalent, Captain Hutton was requested by Sir Donald McLean, Defence Minister, to submit a plan for putting the port of Auckland in safety from any sudden attack from cruisers. This report being favourably received by the Government, Captain Hutton was sent to examine the harbours of Wellington, Nelson, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers. The report recommended the mounting of 7in muzzle-loading rifled guns, the placing of locomotive torpedoes, and the training of marine, artillery, and volunteer forces. Captain Hutton was successively appointed assistant-geologist to the geological - survey, teacher of natural science in Wellington College, and in October, 1873, provincial geologist in Otago. He held a number of other important pos : - tions, and at the time of his death was curator of the Christchurch Museum. Amongst his published works are: " Animals of New Zealand, "Darwinism and Lamarckism," and "The Lesson of Evolution."