THE LATE WILLIAM SEFTON MOORHOUSE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2325, 16 September 1881, Page 3

THE LATE WILLIAM SEFTON MOORHOUSE.

Our telegrams published in another column inform us that Mr W. S. Moorhouse, member of tho House of Representatives for tho Ashley district, has succumbed to the disease which has so long afflicted him, and that ho died yesterday morning. The event is one of no ordinary moment to us in Canterbury. Men die day by day, but now, as years are rolling on over our heads, each seems to take away with it some one of those who, associated with the history of Canterbury from tbe first, seem as links between us and a far off past, seem indeed to remind us of the old days when everything was so different from the present Amongst the greatest of these, we might indeed almost say chief amongst the greatest, was Mr Moorhouse. It has been given to many men in these latter days to see the rise of a young nation from nothing, to die in green old age amongst a thriving population whore, on their first arrival, they found scarcely anything but savagedom and desert. But there are not many who, in their retrospect of the history of their adopted land, can not only say with just and honorable pride, “Quorum pars magna fui,” but can also point to the fulness of prosperity around them and claim that it is due in a large measure to their own sagacity, public spiritedness, and wisdom. It is not too much to say that, among the few who may fairly claim this distinction, Mr W. 8. Moorhouse held a foremost position; and none, as we believe, who remember what Canterbury was thirty years ago, who see what the district is now, and who know how it has attained prosperity, will gainsay our words. William Sefton Moorhouse was born in the year 1825, at Knottingley House, Yorkshire, the residence of his father, the late W. Moorhouse, Esq., a magistrate of the county. He studied law at the Inner Temple, being called to the bar in 1849. Attracted by the prospects of New Zealand, he resolved to make it his home, arriving in Lyttelton in December, 1851, almost at the earliest moment of the real existence of the Canterbury settlement. He shortly afterwards took advantage of the granting of a Constitution to New Zealand to enter upon public life, being elected in 1854 the first member of tho General Assembly for ‘he district of Akaroa. In those days the Assembly met in Auckland, and the difficulties and expei se f a journey to that place for a session ot the young Parliament were by no means light. At the same time he began to take an active interest in provincial politics, and although not a candidate for office when the first Superintendent was elected, he took his share in the struggle which resulted in the election of Mr FitzGerald. In the year 1857 occurred the first memorable contest for the Superintondenoy of Canterbury, and Mr Moorhouse was elected to the office, defeating his opponent, tho late Mr J. Britt an. At that time, as many of onr readers are aware, the population of the province was but small, probably not more than 12,000, and although the little band of settlers were struggling hard to push their way forward to prosperity, they found themselves hampered at every turn by the huge obstacle of the Port hills intervening between them and their harbor. Plan after plan was suggested, discussed, fought over, rejected, till at last, in 1858, the Superintendent, in an address to the Provincial Council, brought before that body a project for constructing a railway from Christchurch to Lyttelton, with a tunnel through the hills at the level of the plains. It is worth while reproducing a passage out of that address : —“ The want of a more perfect means of communication between our principal Seaport and the Plains has long been a source of great embarrassment in the conduct of the commercial operations of the province. Having the advantage of a safe and commodious harbour, perfectly adapted to a very large commerce, the germs of which commerce are now starting into vigorous growth, it has become a matter of the very highest importance that you should at once consider and determine the best means of securing the safe and expeditions transit of our marketable productions to the place of export. To this end I transmit for your consideration a proposal to construct a line of railway from Lyttelton to Christchurch direct. The line will involve a tunnel through the heights behind Lyttelton, and would, from the expensive nature of such work, require a very large outlay of money. It will, therefore, remain with you to consider whether the ultimate advantage to be realised to tho province by tho completion of the undertaking in question would or would not justify the required disbursement.” We need not new recall the intensity of the opposition which this startling proposal elicited. It seemed so entirely impossible that a population of 13,000 could successfully undertake a gigantic work of the kind, o tunnel through nearly two miles of solid rook, that many were aghast and recalcitrant. Mr Moorhouse, however, persevered. The first contractors, an English firm, after sending out special agents to examine and report, drew back frightened and refused to do the work. Mr Moorhouse at once determined to procure more courageous assistants in Australia, and, proceeding to Melbourne, successfully negotiated there with contractors, who in IS6I came over to begin operations at the tunnel. The contract price was £240,000, and a railway was also to be made from Christchurch to the Hoathoote Valley. In 1863 Mr Moorhouse laid the first stone of the tunnel arch ; in 1863 he opened the lino to Ferrytnead ; and in 1867 the magnificent work was accomplished, and tho train ran through to Lyttelton. Seldom has there been seen a more striking instance of thorough courage and determination carried to full and deserved success, of prescience and public spirit displayed under seemingly moat adverse circumstances and crowned with their due fulfilment. To persons who come to Now Zealand now, the “Hole in the Hill ” may seem but a small and ordinary thing : to those who remember what life was in the old days, what the settler’s struggles always were, what the gigantic task seemed to be to the few who heard tho first startling proposal, how absolutely tho prosperity of Canterbury has been dependent upon, the Moorhouse tunnel, it will always be the one thing standing out in bold relief in the history of Canterbury, the crowning glory of its chief founder.

Mr Moorhouse was compelled by private affairs to resign the office of Superintendent in the year 18G3 ; but in 1866 ho came again forward to contest tho election with Mr J. D. Lance and Mr W. L. Travers. Very great interest was excited throughout the province during this event, which terminated by the election of Mr Moorhouse by almost as many votes as his two opponents polled together. With tho exception of tho opening of the tunnel just referred to, nothing of great moment occurred until April, 1868, when Mr Moorhouse resigned. In 1870 he again contested tho seat with Mr Eolleston, but. was unsuccessful, and from that period took no direct part in purely provincial matters. In 1871 he was appointed Registrar-General under the Land Transfer Act, but resigned that office towards the close of 1872, and contested the seat for the Egmont district with Major Atkinson, but was defeated.

From that time till 1876 ha retired into private life. In the latter year he offered himself for one of the seats fur the City of Christchurch, and, along with the Hon. E Richardson and Mr E. O. J. Stevens, was elected for the metropolitan constituency of Canterbury. In 1879 ha was returned for Ashley, which scat he has occupied till his death.

We have given a very brief and cursory sketch of tho public life of Mr Moorhouso, Wo have made no allutiou to his private character; yet wo venture to say that, for those who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, the lustre of h!s public achievements was only enhanced by his private worth. A genial companion, his society was ever welcome ; a hearty friend, his aid and advice were constantly and freely given ; a generous foe, he shrank from vroids that psin and attacks that embitter controversy ; charitable without the least ostentation, his help was always to be relied on. It is not for us to trespass on domestic privacy ; yet we believe that those whom ho has left behind him will have none but soothing memories to meet when their hearts turn beck to the lime when Mr Moorhouse was still in their midst.

And now, as we said above, it is no ordinary event that has happened to us in this part of the_ colony. A gap has been made by death which cannot easily be filled. We have seen William Sefton Moorhouso travelling onward through life step by step with the young and vigorous community to which he associated himself. He, indeed, has grown old in tho journey, end has dropped down exhausted by the wayside. The settlement which he fostered in its infant struggles has grown into a strong and prosperous youth, and gives promise of a still more strong and prosperous maturity. Ho has seen the province which he loved so well start, almost with magical suddenness, from wild and desert roughness into full civilisation. In the words of a poem wo once saw—

‘‘Lo, across tho meadows flashing, speeds the train on rapid wheel, Where the festering swamp so lately hid the bittern and the teal. Lo, the ploughman gaily drives his team across the fertile lea, Where the hungry savage lately prowled and battled, fierce and free.” He has done his work; ho has lain down to his rest. In the days when a stout heart and wise brain were needed to guide the young settlement over tho rocks and the rapids of its course, the heart and the brain were found in him, and now others have but to carry on the work which he began. It may be that, of the tens of thousands who have crowded to our shores in those latter years, there may bo many who do not know what those earlier times were like—what the men of the earlier times had to do. But, wherever in Canterbury there is a family who, from penury have become affluent, who from affluence have become rich, it is tor them to remember that they owe their comfortable home and easy life, in a very great measure, to Mr Moorhouse. Like the great architect of England “Si monumentum requiris, oircumspice,” —his monument is the whole Provincial District of Canterbury. Others have taken up and carried on his idea ; but the first initiation, the first practical stop in action, the first real beginning of the material comfort and happiness of the people of Canterbury is due to him. Mr Moorhouse will be buried at Riccarton. The funeral leaves the Christchurch railway station at two o’clock on Saturday. [By Telegraph.] [from the own correspondent of the “ PRESS.”] WELLINGTON, September 15. In reference to the death of Mr Moorhouse, the “Post” to-night gives the following particulars of the later career of the deceased gentleman;—la 1871 Mr Moorhouse removed to Wellington, and resumed the practice of his profession, and in 1874 he was elected Mayor of this a majority of more than 400 over his opponent, Mr Dransfield, polling upwards of 1000 votes—a number never equalled in subsequent elections. Ha did not again seek civic honors. His Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson before his departure from the colony, recommended Mr Moorhouse for tho honor of K.M.G., which it is understood would have been conferred on him had he survived but a few weeks longer. He had twice previously declined the proffered decoration. It is also nnderstood that he did not intend to offer himself for re-oleotion to the House of Representatives in the coming election, and that in that case Ministers would almost certainly have recommended that ho should be summoned to the Legislative Council; an honorable retreat from active political life, which no man had better earned. Formerly robust and an excellent athlete, his health began to fail some years ago ; but hie last and fatal illness began at Taupo. It was occasioned by hia camping out in a tent in June last, which brought on an attack of pleurisy of a very severe type. Having almost recovered from this, ha insisted (despite the protests of his brother and Mr Sheehan) upon attending the Land Court at Taupo. The Court lasted two days, during which the weather was extremely cold. On the evening of the second day he suffered a relapse of such an alarming character that medical assistance had to be procured from Napier. He, however, became so far convalescent as to be able to bear removal to Napier, thence by steamer to Wellington, where he was conveyed to his own residence. During the first few days after his arrival he again showed signs of considerable improvement, and upon one occasion insisted on attending his place in Parliament. He was, however, able to remain a very short time. He looked fearfully worn, and ssveral times had severe fits of coughing. On leaving to return home he bade “ Good-bye ” to a friend in the lobby in an exceedingly despondent tone of voice, in marked contrast with hi* usual cheerful manner. Immediately afterwards symptoms of the disease which ultimately carried him off began to develops) themselves, namely, abscess of the kidney. The usual operation was performed by Drs. Grace and Henry about a month ago, and was from a surgical point of view, successful ; but two months of serious illness, accompanied with much physical pain, had weakened him to such an extent that his constitution gradually succumbed to tho strain of the operation, and from that time his friends wero aware that his recovery was hopeless. Mr Moorhouso bore his prolonged and intense suffering with extreme fortitude, and maintained the natural cheerfulness of his disposition to the last. Mr iloorhousc leaves a widow and five children, one son and four daughters. His sisters wore married respectively to tho late Hon. W. B. Rhodes, the Hon. F. H. Wigley, M.L.0., and Mr Studholme, M.H.U. for Gladstone. Wo understand the insurances on hie life amounted to £6OOO. In compliance with hia last wishes his remains will bo interred at Riccarton, near Christchurch, and will bo conveyed to Lyttelton by tho Stella at three o’clock to-morrow afternoon, the funeral procession leaving his late residence at 230 p.m. The deceased gentleman was until lately Captain of the Wellington Artillery corps, and we understand tho volunteers will attend on tho melancholy occasion.