PERSONAL MATTERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXX, Issue 8452, 17 May 1906, Page 5

PERSONAL MATTERS.

Dr. Findlay has been elected chairman of the Victoria College Council. Sir Robert Stout has been re elected to represent Victoria College Council on the University Senate. At Sir Joseph Ward's dinner, the American delegate invited Sir Joseph to visit the United States. He has" now reached London. The Hon. James Carroll, Native Minister, has gone to the Upper Wanganui district, and is not expected back in Wellington until next week. "Gispy" Smith, a well-known English evangelist, has accepted an invitation to visit Australia, and will arrive in Sydney early next year. A very early settler of the Porirua district, Mr John Mitchell, died at his residence there on Friday, at tho age of fifty-three. He was widely known and respected. He leaves a family of three sons and five daughters. Mrs Symth, relict of the late Mr J. N. Smyth, surveyor, was found dead in bed yesterday morning, at the residence of a friend at Hokitika, where she was making a short stay. Death was due to natural causes. Mr A. Williams, who took up the office of Inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals when Mr F. Seed went to England some time ago, has now relinquished the position, which will be again assumed by Mr Seed. Mr J. W. Marchant, Under-Secretary for Lands and Surveyor General, who is retiring from the public service on a pension, was, yesterday, presented by the ActingPremier, at a gathering at Bellamy's, with a cheque for a substantial amount from officers in the Lands Department all over the colony. Miss Agnes Dawson, daughter of MiDavid Dawson, of George-street, Dunedin, gained 139 marks for pianoforte playing at the recently-held practical examination of the Association Board of the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, and Dr Ogston (the honorary local representative) has received advices from Wellington that these marks are the highest by any candidate at the 1905 postponed examination in New Zealand for any subject. One of the oldest residents of Oamaru, in the person of Mrs S. S. Smith, passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 90. The deceased lady was born in Kildare, Ireland, in 1816. Those were stirring times, indeed, when the celebrated and dreaded " Whitefeet" gang were abroad. Five days before Mrs Smith was born her father's mill was broken into by the gang for the fifth lime and burned. The death is announced of Mr Claude French Corlett, who was connected with the newspaper press in New Zealand for a great many years. In 1868 Mr Corlett started the Thames Advertiser, and a few years later he was proprietor of another journal at the Thames. He afterwards removed to Wellington, and was employed as overseer of the Post for some years. Later on he became manager of the Christchurch Press. For some years past he had been living in retirement in Auckland.

The Rev. R. J. Allsworth, who died at Wanganni on Sunday last, first came to the colony in 1857 as a Wesleyan missionary, and was stationed at Kai Iwi. When the Maori troubles broke out, he removed to Wanganui, and occupied the pulpit in the Wesleyan Church there until 1861, when he joined the Presbyterian Church, and was placed in charge of the Turakina circuit. The deceased gentleman, who was an uncle of Mr W. H. Allsworth, of Masterton, came from a very old Kentish family, and led a very strenuous life. Mr W. H. Allsworth came out to his uncle in 1862, and worked on his property at Turakina for some years. Deceased leaves a family of three daughters and one son, the latter being proprietor of the Manakau newspaper.