NINETY ONE YEARS OLD

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 897, 17 August 1910, Page 6

NINETY ONE YEARS OLD

% 'DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM PHILLIPS. §: ; ; \ REMARKABLE. CAREER. ;.. yft ; > ADVENTURES,IN THE/EARLY, DAYS. ; A ■' ; ;■ ;Mr. William Morgan Phillips, a very V'.:..' old{fesident of .Wellington, and one whose Yy.- ' 'experiences went pretty well back to the .-' beginning/of civilisation in this part of I--;.:.-.; - the',.world, ,"died athis.residence, Georgq-.V.-Setreet, yesterday. Tho deceased was ,in /'■■; ■■')his' , niiioty:first year, yet so remarkable ;..! [ ' was, his physique that he could ■ have ./.■■/'■ ipassed easily for 70 a year ago. ■'■ .!■:'■■. .■ ; : :It'is ; 61 , years since. Mr.'Phillips came J -to-the: colony'in. the' Olympus on- her :: ■'• second voyage and he often told how in those :';',. 'days wages 'were low—a man might not ...■ "earn niore than ten shillingsfor a week's .: . work, and foot!. was; scarce. ! It was im- :..■ - possible' to get beef.or mutton, and Ame- ■.'.'■'.;.' rican pork was.the stand-by, with an oc-. :■ casional fresh dish, rif one happened to ■ -.'..- .'kill a bush;pig.■■', Hjt. Phillips spent the v!!'first 'feiv years in.Nelson, and he had ' ; . divers .misadventures' there. On one oc■y:V...casi6n the company mustered, a force of '' ..'■ <i 'hundred men:,to go out to Sappy Val- .:."'. .'ley; where i a.\Native was ;making him;eelf very troublesome. ' The men were' r /-' : ', lemartly. fitted out with uniforms "of white . . : . Itroiisers and. blue , coats, and they car- :; lied nvuskets of historical interest. They ;.y' .were, Tower' muskets, 200 years, old, that' V the company-had bought cheap, and Mr. .■':"•..' -Phillies, -who, was.'.unable! through illness to accompany the men out to Happy ■;'■■• ■ Valley,, where they did ; nothing but. par- ' ::.' ley. and return,, found himself in much '"■'■-', more..danger.when 'he took his musket -:■'';;■ and went out to'shoot■ pigeons... He did '".-.'. 1 .not kill.many pigeons, but tho kick of ; .- : .' the gun broke, his' collar-bone. Another ;. .-■ " time he was on a cutter, in Nelson-Har- : • ,"„ bour, , and let an anchor go, '.without..no-. . .-., ; ticing that" his coat .had become 'caught '■.;'in it-Over he wont,, too, and, down at /..;.' the bottom of the sea, he had to cut or '."■ ;'' ■ tear himself loose,-as-his; mate, in .the ■:•':' excitement of- , .the, moment (did not. make ■■/'.■■'■ any attempt'to:haul him up.' '■-■-'[■ ;■..". :' The sea was the favourite element for •. ; .'■• -Mr.- Phillips's adventures, and twice ho ■:■;.: pulled drowning people out' of Welling- '... ..ton Harbour—once.it was* man from a i ;, boat, and once:a woman,-who was found' ''■•'. '■' .in'-the harbour off what is now■ the site, ; : ;,'.i of the Hotel.Cecils I. '.;•'.- -~.-. ■.- : .■■■: :.';';■ -Mr. Phillips .'used to tell'-how heand,| l".-;'.' his wife were living at the Hutt'at-the ..." time;of. the" great earthquake, and the ■:■/:■' thing that , impressed .him .most was the ■';-..'.•: change in the river. .When he looked'at -,•:, ,j at, it was running bank high, and when '."',''v.ihe mentioned, this fact very soonafter-' .;',,. .wards to some of the.men who came at ,-'.,. ; ]once to his house, ,they : looked again, and i , :;,; .'found, the river, was almost dry. In'.a '■••'. :>■': (few minutes, he. said, the riverbed had ,v :::.Jifted 'four-feet. < ■• ■';■/:;.. ,'" .: •" ■ •,.-•••. ..' ■: ',;.' Before Mr.' 'Phillips came ■to the col- ;;. :ony, he/lived in London,' where he was Zγ , in'- the employ of the original,Eothsehild, ■ •;.', -ihe.. founder of. the great, house, and he ; '... .has given! a curiously vivid account 'of .::. ( i.the last' scene in' the banker's story. .';-' : Rothsohild■ had, gone, across- to Frankfort :'■■-. to attend his son's- wedding, and died ■y'i.ithere suddenly. They brought :hini to' :..■.■•■England.for burial,.the coffin wrapped in. '•... ; 3ieayy casings of lead,.'so-heavy that no :;■': vehicle could carry • it, until they brought \ { .'■'■'; ope of'the wagons on. which cases of ..■•; : t -bullion: were.carried, when going to or ..;.'.' rfiom Europe. Soma of that'bnllion:had ;-;p- gone..to.help■ Napoleon; it had played-ani '■';":.-!■• important part in' European affairs, and ; Jfj' there seemed a' singular appropriateness ':;/: i : ,;that. brought' the old .financier, to his last r.'V'ihome along the bullion road/. .■'■■ '■:'■ >:.';.::; ..India,'and the'first Afghan War.very .:■-. nearly., got Mr., Phillips," for one,'of, his V.v'v friends)persistently;ur»ed him to' accora- ;•.-'.': pany. him to'lndia., with the troops that;'.v v ....were; going to; Afghanistan, but , ; 'while, .;■.':■.they debated as to which boat they would ;.;,. •Mi take.. tho flaming, posters: stuck all over .; ; {London, vaunting the charms of. -,'New ''; .;. .caught, the. young ■ man's'-' eye. ,'.',...- "and.he'.went : straightway to the office of ;■ jf. : the.; New ■_ Zealand land .7 Company,' ; ':-;y .where he paid , : his.: passage .money. >:.■.'.. 'was very glad afterwards that he ;,.:.;;'■'did_ ; so, for the Englishmen in,lndia'were '•■.:) > -\'[T«ry'.quickly pressed into the service, and , : ' ..-'Bent.off.to fight the Afghans.. -■ ■: . . .'iv..;: 'Mr. Phillips.' ; by the. way, was a mem- : Jr. -; tier-, of' the. .'Nelson- Provincial Counoil,

>~;= :land he had: many "stories to tell concern- ■;.' y^ing'•■its affairs. . Hβ .is. survived ;by a r';:v ■.■•). jfamily of.five—tiro sons and-three-daugh-" ;.:: . Iters./They.; com prise Mr. W. J. Phillips, ;V.: ; .'- V |a. foreman- at the ■ Government Printing ■'Av:.-.(Office; Mr. S. ■•Phillips;'■■ ohotoerabher, :,■■-:.• London; -Mrs. >Roberts, : of Goldie's'Brae; « i Misses Ph'illips, .'of this city. i; ; ■'{There:'are. also a number of grand ■'. and . ; i/,"- "great-grandchildren; .•■■.-■■ )' " . ,■. ■■^v' 1 ' --'.The funeral will take; place to-day.7 r