AN INTERESTING CAREER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8283, 10 November 1906, Page 7

AN INTERESTING CAREER.

The following extract is taken irom the Petone Chronicle:— Mr Henry Jackson, who died at the flutt on Ootober 29tb, was a pioneer explorer and Eettler, whose career is of more than passing interest, and was one who in the past had devoted time ' and energy in the special work of helping to develop the Empire. Deceased was the seoond eon of the late John Jackson of Lower Hutt, and grandson of Sir John Jackson, Bart, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the East India Company and grandnephew of tin late Admiral Jackson. Born in 1830, he was educated at York College in England. At the age of 15 years, he entered the Indian Navy as midshipman, and after 17 years' service attained the rank of lieutenant. During the time he was in the Navy he had charge of the marine survey m the Indian Ooean for four years, and as navigating lieutenant he surveyed the Coco channel, being then in command of H.M. surveying vessel Krishna, and sub aequenly brought the ship, in which he came to New Zealand, through that channel. Many exciting adventures were experienced on that survey. Owing to the exceptional roughness of the seas and the arduous duties to be performed, the crew, which was largely composed of Lascars, on one occasion threatened to mutiny if not taken back to Calcutta, and deceased and his young wife for many nights were compelled to sleep with loaded re volvers under their pillows. Ultimately, to pacify the mutinous «ailort, the ship returned tn Calcutta. Another Incident of interest at the same time, but of a somewhat milder form, was that when the ship was lying off the Coco Islands the great sea serpent was seen leisurely swimming by* This caused much commotion amongst those on board, and, strange to say, deceased was the only person not to see the monster. He was below at the time, aid before be could reach the deck the mysterious visitor bad disappeared. The whole of the orew, however, which included many Europeans, were positive they had seen it, and declared that its entire length was greater than the length of the vessel, which was over one hundred /eet. Deceased also had some exciting times in the Persian Gulf (which locality was In those days infested with hordes of pirates and slave-traders), where he took an active part In the suppression of slave-trading. At one period of bis life in the East, deceased was attached to the Commission, under General Sir Fenwick Williams, the hero of the Beige of Ears, for the delimitation of the Turko-Fersian boundary, and while on that Commission be travelled expensively in .Turkey, Asia Minor and Turkestan. On one oooasion he rode on horseback from Suesa, near the head of the Persian Uulf, along the foot of the Baoktian Mountains, and through Kurdestan to Mount Ararat, where the three frontiers, JRussian, Turkish and Persian, met at that titre, and thence to Trebizond, on the Black Sea, and on to Constantinople. Amongst Borne of his duties on this Commission was to climb the loftiest mountains, some of which be was the first to ascend, for observations, and afterwards spent three yeais in Constantinople, working out and preparing the plans. Deceased also spent much of : his life in India, having been all through the Presidencies of Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, and the Pnnjaub. In 1862, deceased came to New Zealand on two years furlough on a visit to his father, and during bis absence the Indian Navy was abolished. He was then entitled to the rank of captain. Deciding then t» remain in the colony he entered the Survey Depal tment, under the Wellington Provincial Government, and his Bpecial training as a marine surveyor was of incalculable service to the colony. He introduced the system of the triangulation of the Wellington Province, which system is the basis of the triangulation now in use to-day. In 1865, de ceased was appointed Chief Surveyor of the Wellington Provincial District. He retired in 1879, bat was twice subsequently offered the position of Surveyor-General. On the elevation of the late Sir Wm. Fitzherbert, then member of the House of Representatives for the Hatt, to the, Speakership of the Legislative (Council, deceased was elected to the vaoaney, but only served bs member for a short time. Latterly, deceased led a retired ■life, but always took a keen interest in local and general matters. He was a Fellow of tbe Royal Geographical Society (au honour conferred upon him for his good services), a mathematician of high -order, and at one time he devoted much time to astronomy, and at the transit of Venus took many valu. able observations. He was a Freemason, 83d for about 30 years a Justice of the Peace and one of the first Governors of Wellington College. Among his many qualifications he could well claim to be a linguist of no mean order being au fait in French, Arabic, Persian,and Hindo. sthni.