OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1879, 13 October 1913, Page 8

OBITUARY.

MR. A. HAMILTON.

DIRECTOR OF THE DOMINION

MUSEUM.

General and widespread regret will bo expressed at tlio news of the death of Mr. Augustus Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum, which occurred at Russell, Bay of Islands, at 4.30 yesterday afternoon. Some.two years ago Mr. Hamilton. suffered a severe paralytic stroko, from tho effects of which he never thoroughly recovered. Since then ho has been again slightly attacked by paralysis, and death resulted from a third attack during a visit to Russell, where ho has been for tho past week on business connected with the Museum. Tlio lato Sir Hamilton was bom at Poolo, , Dorsetshire, in 1854, and was educated at tho Dorset County School and the Epsom Medical College. Ho arrived in Now Zealand by tho ship Coliingwood in 1876, and ivas engaged as a teacher by the Wellington Education Board. From hero ho went to Okarito (West Coast) and thenco to Petane (Hawke's Bay), where ho married the daughter of the lato Mr. J. M'Kain, of that town. Whilst m Hawko's Bay ho was secretary for some years of tho Hawke's Bay Philosophical Society, and founded a museum in connection with that institute. In the year 1890 he was appointed Registrar to tho Otago University in succession to tlio lato Mr. W. H. Mansford, and three years later (on the death of Sir James Hector) was appointed Director of tho Colonial (now tlio Dominion) Museum at Wellington, an appointment that suited his tastes, and gave him amplo scopo for tho_ pursuit of thoso scientific and naturalist studies so dear to his heart. Ho has contributed many valuable papers to tho Transactions of the New Zealand Institute on a varioty of subjects, but chiefly concerning tho Maori of other days (his lore, art, and customs), of which ho was a profound student to tho end of his tliero anything of real valuo concerning tho Maori to bo gathered, any relic of unusual interest offering, Mr. Hamilton was always early in the field, and through his endeavours tho Maori section of tho Dominion Museum is easily the first in the land. He, of all others, knew the true valuo of tho collection, both on' view and packed away in boxes, and, knowing that, always keenly regretted the enormous risk successive Governments havo run in not providing a safer building than the old wooden pile in Museum Street. "Tho Government does not know what it has got in tho museum and in thoso boxes," said Mr. Hamilton, despairingly, one day to the writer, "and it strikes mo that they care as little 1" That was tho burden of his complaint wlioh overhauling the oases about a year ago, when tho new corrugated iron shod was given him aB a storehouse for his Maori treasures.

Mr. Hamilton has always evinced a lively interest in art, and liis volume, "Maori Art," is now a valuable standard work. Ho was no mean artist himself, and was a keen member of the Now Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (of which body ho was a member of the council). Mr. Hamilton was also ail ardent philatelist, and had a very valuable collection of rare stamps. Entomology was also one of his hobbies, and the really magnificent .collection of moths and butterflies stored in the library of tlio museum is Die result of his energies in that direction. The deceased was loved and respected for his personal qualities, being tlio possessor of an amiable and kindly disposition, to which wore allied the courtesy and consideration of.the best typo of Englishman.

Mr. Hamilton leaves a widow (who left for Russell on Saturday), a son, Mr. H. Hamilton (biologist with the Macquarie Island section of the Mawson Expedition), and a daughter, Miss Hamilton, of Wellington.