PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 63

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Mr Duncan Guy, solicitor of Dann-e----virko, aged sixty-five years, died suddenly in tlie street at Rotorua lastweek.

Mr and Mrs J. Strang, of Palmerston North, returned from a visit- to Australia by the Victoria last week. Mr B. N. Martin, of the Telegraph Department at Napier, has been promoted to be chief officer at Christchurch.

Mr T. P. Burke, Government Poultry Expert, has been made a presentation on his transference from Wellington to Dunedin. News has been received in Wellington of the illness of Mrs Knight, of Melbourne, mother of Dr Prendergast Knight, of Wellington. Mr C. Peach, chief clerk at the Napier railway station, has been appointed station-master at Grey town. A farewell presentation took place at Napier last week. An annual pension of £216 13s 4d has been granted to Mr A. E. Cresswell. of the Post and Telegraph Department, to commence from April Ist. 1905. Mr J. Y. Bartholomew, of Feilding, intends leaving for England, via America, by the Sonoma on the 2nd prox., for the purpose of pursuing his medical studies. The Hon T. Jv. Macdonald, M.L.C., and Mr F. W. Haybittle, of Wellington, will act as judges of the elocutionary competitions at the Marlborough Exhibition, at Blenheim, next month. Mrs F. J. Ellis, of Ohingaiti, died at Bulls last week after a long illness. Tho deceased, who was forty-six years of age, was a sister of Mr Valder, a late partner in the firm of Ellis Bros. Mr A. McKenzie, of Waimatuku, Southland, has been appointed manager of tho Taratahi Dairy Company’s factory, Carterton. He succeeds Mr Grant, who has received an appointment from the Government as grader and instructor.

Mr Daw id Wagg, an old Nelson resident, died at Richmond last week at the age of eighty-six. Mr Wagg was one of the earliest lay preachers of the Methodist Church in the Nelson district. Lieutenant Ho veil, son of Dean Hovell, of Napier, who • lias been on a visit to his parents, left Napier last week by the Mararoa, en route to Singapore, to rejoin his regiment, the Manchester's.

Mr Harold Light, formerly of Wellington and Nelson, 3ms been appointed organist to the Pitt street Methodist Church, Auckland. When up for his degree as Fellow of the Guild of Organists in London, Mr Light attained the highest marks, and on that occasion was the youngest candidate. When the San Francisco mail left Loudon tho heat of an extra warm midsummer was making life uncomfortable in the metropolis. Mr Walter Nathan, of the firm of Messrs W. M. ihumatyne and Co., mentions this in a private letter, and says that, he was then on the point of leaving for the cooler atmosphere of Switzerland,

Mr E. Hornemam, formerly of Wellington, who was lately in charge of the farm at the sanatorium near Cambridge, has settled in Hamilton, where he has opened a farmers 7 agency business. Last week’s “Gazette” notifies the reappointment of the Hons F. H. Fraser and T-. K. Macdonald, M.L.O.’s, and Mr T. M. Milford. M.H.R., as members of the Wellington Harbour Board.

Miss Pettit, matron of the Wellington Hospital, and Miss Payne, matron of the Rotorua Sanatorium, have arranged, with the consent of the Government and the Hospital Trustees, to exchange positions. The change will take plaoa at the end of the month. Miss Payne was formerly matron of the Wellington Hospital for some years. Among the passengers by the Athenio from London last week w re Dr G. J. and Mrs Flail, of Limerick, Ireland. Dr Hall, who is quite a young man, was for a time medical officer in the Union line, running between London and Capetown, and was also on a liner trading between England and Buenos Ayres. It his intention to practise in the Rangitikei district.

Mrs W. I. Crawford, whose fine miniature painting has given great satisfaction to many Wellington patrons, has unfortunately been ordered, under medical advice, to discontinue that work, owing to an affection of the eyes. Smo3 the death of her husband, nearly three years ago, she has visited the Old Country and Australia. In the larger citiei of the Commonwealth she had many patrons, including Lady Bray, of Adelaide, Lady Stone, of Perth, and Mr A. E. Morgans, the West Australian millionaire. Mrs Crawford has now accepted an engagement under the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia.

Mr James' Nicholls, postmaster of Niiedn, • whose death is attributed to the effects of the recent earthquake, was a we 11knjwn and highly respected settler. About fifteen years ago he took up a considerable area of land in the locality which was then known as BulltaiL. This land he was required, by the conditions of settlement, to clear and grass. It contained a lot of valuable timber, and had Air-Nicholls, like some of his neighbours, ignored the conditions, and contended with the Land Board, instead of incurring a heavy expenditure for bushfelling, lie might have made a competence from sawmill sit,. Mr Nicholls, however, took his wife and family into the bush, and proved himself a valuable and exemplary settler. It was largely due to his efforts that a school, church, public hall, creamery, and post and telephone office were established at Nireaha. Although over sixty years of age, Mr Nicholls was of robust and vigorous health, arid for years, in all kinds of weather, executed a journey of over twenty miles on foot, over fairly rough roads, every day, carrying the mails, including letters, books, papers, and parcels from Fketa-lmna his residence. Mr Nicholls was an ordained clergyman, but being inflicted with deafness, had to relinquish his calling. He held services, however, on Sundays, in various schoolhouses in the district, and a year or two ago succeeded in getting sufficient money subscribed to erect a church. About a year ago Mr Nicholls had the misfortune to lose his wife. He leaves a family of sons and daughters, some of whom reside in Auckland. For a considerable time Mr Nicholls was a Commissioner of the Peace. His death is attributed to the earthquake shock causing* a rush of blood to his head.

Colonel Charles Fysho Kefjerts, C.M.G., Hon A.D.C. to his Majesty the King, is at present on a visit to Sydney, and is expected to make a tour of New Zealand at an early date. Colonel Roberts has had a particularly distinguished career. He was born at Ickwell, Bedfordshire, on August 20th, 1837, and is a son of the late Captain Charles Roberts, of the 59th Regiment. He married-Alice Caroline, daughter of the late William Bradley, of Goulburn, Now 'South Wales. The colonel received his military education at Oarshalton, and the Royal Military .. Academy at Woolwich. He was gazetted second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery' in 1855, and promoted to a first lieutenancy the same years. In 1863 he obtained his captaincy, and was made BrevetMajor a few months later. He served in the Crimean campaign with the right siege train in the trenches at the siege and fall of Sebastopol, and was present at the bombardments of June 6th and 17th, and August 17th, 1855. He was wounded in the advanced trenches, and was subsequently severely and dangerously wounded by the explosion of the French powder magazine, on November 15th, 1855. He was personally commended by Lord Raglan, Commander-in-Chief. and wears the Crimean (and clasp), Turkish, and Sardinian medals for valour. Colonel Roberts was in India during the troublous times between 1857 and 1861, part of which time he was Station Staff-Officer at Dacca. He commanded the artillery with the Sikkim Field Force under Colonel Gawler, for winch service he was mentioned in despatches, and received the thanks cv th-a Gc-vernca-General in Council. In 1873-74 lie was secretary t-o the AgentGeneral for New South Wales, and was Commandant of the artillery forces of that State from 1876 to 189 R. s . V.