OBITUARY

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 29

OBITUARY

DB HOWITT. MELBOURNE, March* 9. The death of Dr Howitt is announced. The deceased was the leader of the 'relief party sent in <pest of the explorers Burke and Wills in 1861. Alfred William Howitt, D.Sc, F.G.S., ethnologist and formerly explorer, was born in Nottingham in 1830. He proceeded to Victoria early in life, and in 1860 opened up country in Gippeland for the Government. He was leader of the expedition which was sent out in 1861 for the > relief of the Burke and Wills expedition, and also of the second party which left Melbourne in December, 1861, and brought back the remains of the ill-fated explorers from Cooper's Creek, via Adelaide, in 1862. Dr Howitt was police magistrate and warden of goldfields in. Gippsland. He led Government prospecting parties, and devoted much attention to geology. For some time he filled the position of Secretary for Mines. The deceased wae a recognised authority on Australian ethnology, and was present at the 6acred ceremonies of a number of native tribes. He was awarded the Mueller gold medal by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science in 1903, and received the D.Sc. degree from Cambridge in 1904 for his anthropological studies. — — — — — — — >»>«,„, MR C. W. BENBOW. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, March 9. The death is announced of Mr Benbow, well-known in insurance circles. He was 66 years of age, and for many years -was a well-known figure at nearly every book sale held in Wellington. His library contained some 4000 volumes of general literature. He came to New Zealand in 1875, and was connected with the firm of Levin and Co. till 1891, when he was appointed local manager of the South British Insurance Company, which position he held till 1906. On retiring from the managership he accepted a seat on the local directorate of the company. He maintained an interest in cricket.till nearly the last, for even after he took to his bed he asked members of hie family to read him the results of the big matches in Australia, and also to Jet him know who won the local matches. He was also well-known throughout New Zealand as a chess player, being recognised as champoin of the colony for nearly a quarter of a century. As president of the Wellington Chess Club it was his custom to open the season by playing a simultaneous match against allcomers, in which branch of play he wae particularly skilful.