DEATH OF MR THOMAS BRYDONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 32

DEATH OF MR THOMAS BRYDONE.

A cable message was received qii Monday announcing the death of Mr Thomas Brydone. The news will bo read with deep regret by all who bad come in contact with that gentleman. Mr Brydono left Dunedin in tho early part of April of this year with the object of obtaining medical advice in the Home Country on an internal complaint which had be-?n seriously affecting his health since the precious September. His death look place on Friday last in London. : Mr Brydone was a native of Peeblcshire, 1 Scotland, having been born a* West Lmton in 1637, and he v?as therefore 67 years of ago at the time of his death. When young he removed with 1 is parc-nts to Blair Athol, in. Perthshire, and received his education at Perth Academy. His first business experience was gained in the office of Mr Dickson, commissioner undtr a parliamentary committee set up to inquire into and bring about a scheme for lending money to landlords for the improvement of estates under the Drainage Act^ He served with Mr Dickson for about a couple of years, and then, went a s land steward to the Earl of Buchan, Pvoxburn, West Lothian. After staying in that p6sition for a time ha entered the se-r-AJce of the Duke of Hamilton at Hamilton Palace, in the same capacity, and aiterwards engaged with the West of England Land Improvement Company as travelling inspector. This company was formed with the object of advancing money to lanellords with which to improve their estates. On. leaving the company Mr Brydone became factor to Lord Falmouth tit his estate in Kent, and subsequent'y re-entered the- service of the E-arl of Buehan at Roxburn, where, on oil being discovered, extensive works were erected. It was here that Mr Brydone gained his first knowledge of the treatment of oil. Not long afterwards Young's Paraffin Oil Company was established, and Mr Brydone became a partner in the concern during 1866-1E67, but tho imported American paraffin proved a formidable opponent, and the venture did i-oh prove successful in the face of the opposition. In 1?67 the New Zealand and" Aus- [ tralian Land Company required the services of a responsible man to take charge of its pr-op&reies in N&w Zealand, a.n<l Mr Brylona ! becoming an applicant he was appointed to the position, and left for the colony the same year. The company of which Mr Brydone was appointed manager was really an amalgamation of the Land Company and the Canterbury and Otago Association, winch had carried on separately until their incorporation* under the title of the Ne-w Zealand and Australian Land Company. Mr Brydone's previous expe-rience, it will he readily seen, amply qualified him to fill the position to which he had be-en appointed, and as time progressed the company's operations, in. tho Lands of Mr Brydone, became largely extended and eminently successful. Mr Brydone did not alone confine his atto-n-tion to the affairs of the company, but became identified with alrfLost every movement connected with agricultural and pa-s-toral pursuits. He was closely associated with the* Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society from its inception in 1876, and took a very lively and keen interest in its affairs during his long residence in O:ago. He occupied the position of president of tko> society in 1880, 1884, 1885, and 1859. and was one of the most successful exhibitors in sheep and cattle at the shows. He was practically the father of the- frozen m^eat and dairying industries, and was most untiring in his efforts in the founding of the Burnside Fres-zing Works, and was a member of the directorate. The dairy factory established at Ed-endale by bis advice was the pioneer of'ihe dairying industry. Among other things, Mr Brydone devoted a great ele.il of time and thought to making the land ia Sciit-hland more productive by the use of artificial manures and limes, and by his scientific methods of farming largely improved the capacity and. output of the Totara, Tokorahi, Clydpvale, and other large estates. The Edendale Estate, when it fell into the company's hands, was an instance of the effectiveness of Mr Brydone'st treatment of the Southland pastures rrtificially. Mr Brydone did not stc-p at agricultural and pastoral pursuits, as on the dredging industry first coming into notice- he afc once recognised the possibilities of the situation, and his enterprising spirit immediately caused him to take an active part in tho development of this -branch of the colony's resources. Mr Brydone was one of those who assisted very materially in the formation of the Agricultural Hall Comrany, to which he gave substantial financial assistance. Much of tl c great improvement in the breeding of cattle, and horses by the importation cf pure pedigree stock ia due to Mr Brydone, and he was responsible for the despatch of the fust shipment of frozen meat from New Zea'and. Among other positions of trust he held was that of director of the Milburn Lim-e and Cement Company, and lie- was for a number of years chairman of the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company. In May, 1893, Mir Brydone, prior to l.is departure -for Great Britain, was entertained in the Agricultural Hall by a very lsxge and re-present ati re gathering of prominent citizens, the particular object of the function being to make some recognition of his valuable services rendered in connection with not only the A. and P. Society, but many other societies having for their aim the furtherance of agricultural anel pastoral matters gene-rally, and on that occasion he was presented w ith a gold medal as a token of honorary life membership of the society, and with a hand-somely-illuminated address, tho text if which wa= highly eulogistic of the recipient. It was Mr Brydone's intention to have undergone a surgical operation in London, but whether this actually took place is unknown. All the large firms and many of the smaller ones in the city, on receipt of the news of Mr Brydone's demise, displayed flags above their premises at half-mast as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased gentleman.

At the months meeting of the directors of the Agricultural Hall Company, held yesterday afternoon, the following motion was passed and recorded on the minutes: — '• That this meeting expresses its extreme regret at the sudden death in London of Mr Thomas Brydone, and desires to place on record its high appreciation of the many valuable services rendered by the late Mr Brydone in promoting and extending the agricultural, pastoral, and dairying industries of this colony, which wiU ever stand as a monument to his memory, and also for his ready assistance in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the community and the extension of our industries."

A woman named Henrietta Juar^ died while under an aiiaxthftio at the hospital at Chnstohurch on Liie 14iJa.