New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4928, 8 January 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1877.

•We have it on the high authority of the, Giver of all good things, whom waalike reverence and adore, that in the midst ot life we are in death ; and the trutlvol this fact is' constantly and paintully brought under our notice by events ot everyday occurrence. In our last issue we briefly announced the death ot bir Donald McLean, and we do not propose to write a long article on thejaresent occasion, as we purpose publishing towards the end of the week (so that it may also appear in the Mail), a short account of the late Sir Donald McLean s career in New Zealand. i As we anticipated when we wrote the short notice last Friday evening, which,, with some difficulty, we were able to getinserted in the Mail, the intelligence ot Sir Donald McLean's decease has been received in every part of the colony with feelings of the deepest regret by all classes of the community. The natives, as far as we have been able to learn, displayed the most acute emotion when they heard the sad news, which, in most instances, came upon them very unexpectedly. They have lost one whom they esteemed and respected, who was their sincere friend, who always dealt fairly and honorably with them in his public as -well as his private capacity. Few men ever enjoyed more deservedly a higher reputation than. Sir Donald McLean, and it has seldom been the happy fortune of any public mantoac-j complish so much real good m the course of comparatively speaking a short period;! but. this was done by making immense personal sacrifice, and ended in his at last yielding up his life in the service of his Queen and his country. Sir Donald McLean was essentially a man of peace; he regarded shedding blood unnecessarily as a sin; and the whole object and ambition of his life was to reconcile the two races inhabiting New Zealand, which may ( be justly termed a land flowing with] milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; and he lived long enough to be satisfied that he had not labored m vain, and felt certain that the good seed he had sown would in due time yield abundance of fruit, if those who followed him were only wise enough to tread in his footsteps. He entertained no doubt that New Zealand was destined to become a great and prosperous country, and felt that he had a right to expect that his name would always be recognised as one of its greatest benefactors. When referring to the late Sir Donald McLean last Friday, we spoke of him as a truly brave man. Few know the risks he encountered, but his gallant and stout heart never failed him when he had to face danger in the discharge of his duty; then death had no terrors; he relied, like when he went forth to do battle the Philistine, in his God, and he trusted not in vain. He set an example which has often been followed by Mr. Parris, Mr. Booth, and many others we could name, who have frequently marched to what appeared as likely to lead to their death as if they had volunteered to head a forlorn hope, but their bravery and determination proved their safeguard. Their enemy respected and admired their courage, and felt that to take such lives I except in fair and honorable warfare would be a disgrace which they, poor ignorant savages as they were often termed, would have scorned to bring upon themselves.

The death of Sir Donald McLean is one of those events which ought to convince us all that the Omnipotent power which governs the world moves in a mysterious and wonderful manner. _ According to our poor weak fallible judgment, he was a man likely to live to a good old age. He had worked hard and acquired a competence, and looked forward to enjoying life and spending the rest of his days in peace and comfort; but the call came, and this land will know him no more. He has gone to a better world, and those who knew him best believe, if he had been able to answer such a serious question at the last, his reply would have been "And now Lord what is my hope : truly my hope is even in Thee."

FUNERAL OF SIR DONALD McLEAN. (FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Napier, Sunday.

Sir Donald McLean's ,, funeral has just concluded. Between two and three thousand people were on the ground. Personal friends of Sir Donald headed the procession, then the Victoria and Scinde Masonic lodges, about 80 members ; next came the Good Templars, about 60 ; Odd Fellows, about 40 ; some Hibernians, and then the general public. The Rev. David Sidey, of St. Paul's (Prebyterian) Church, conducted the church service ; then the Rev. D'Arcy Irvine, chaplain of the Victoria lodge, E. 0., conducted the Masonic service. Some Masons formed round the grave, and went through the ceremony ; others were prevented from doing so by the pressure of the crowd. The hymn, " A few more years shall roll," was sung, and the procession then re-formed and marched home. Telegrams were received yesterday from Wellington stating that if the funeral could be put off the Stella°would come down with the members of the Government and others. Mr. Ormond replied that it was impossible to put it off. Major Atkinson then answered ; —" Ministry would be with the mourners in spirit." In discoursing yesterday morning on the death and burial of Moses,- from Deuteronomy xxxiv. 5,6, the Rev. Mr. Paterson paid the following tribute to the memory of the late Sir Donald McLean : "It is right we should honor the name and memory of those who lived a brave, manly, upright life, who devoted themselves to the public welfare, and who by their ability, energy, and zeal rendered great services to their country. When their work is done and they have taken their departure from amongst us, they ought not soon to be forgotten by us. This colony has but a recent history, yet it is not without its roll of honored names ; names of- those who took part in its early foundation, and who wisely planted the seeds whence have grown up and developed our social and political institutions ; names of those who, at the peril of their own lives, defended from the hostile natives the lives and homes of their fellow colonists; and names of those who spent their strength in unwearied devotion to the highest and best interests of the community. In this roll of honored names is now included that of him who on Friday last closed his earthly career, and whose mortal remains are to-day to be committed to their last resting place. This is not the time or the place for panegyric; but we cannot but refer to the long and valuable services which the late Sir Donald McLean in various capacities rendered to the colony; to the energy and ability he ever brought to bear on the work entrusted to him; and especially to the sagacity and straightforwardness which characterised his native policy, and which so won the confidence

of the natives, and so largely contributed [during recent years to the maintenance of peace. There may be differences of opinion in regard to some parts of his native policy; on that I do not here enter, it lies beyond my province"; but this fact will, I am sure, be grkfully admitted by all, that when he took the helm of native affairs the whole was "suffering'and depressed from a native war';, that in a;- very short, time after peace was established,', which has never since been broken; and ;that N that peace tended greatly to restore confidence and-prosperity in a,lmost every department' of commercial and political life. For theße great services, if for nothuig else, his name should be - held in grateful remembranceby his fellow-colonists. The ways of Providence are soften inscrutable. He whom the country mourns to-day seemed but J a few months ago still in the full vigor of life : his robust frame seemed the very embodiment of health and strength : he was in the very midst of his work, and in the full enjoyment of the honors which his Sovereign and his countrymen had conferred upon him. It seemed as if he had still many years of an active public life before him. But disease attacked that robust frame ; and weakening strength—the weakening hastened by care and worry—compelled him to resign his office. The hand of death was upon him. After a short but severe illness his earthly life came to an end ; he passed into the Eternal world, and only his name and memory now remain with us. He had scarce left his post of work and duty when he sank and died. To us and to those personally related to him, it is most comforting to know (as the telegram announcing his death informs us) that in the last hours of life, as his immortal spirit was neanng the Eternal world, he was heard "now and then muttering some words in his native Gaelic tongue, of a tenor showing his mind to be occupied by thoughts suitable to the imminence of his entrance into a future state." It is a orand thing to live an honorable, a useful, and a noble life. It is a blessed thing to die a peaceful, hopeful, and happy death—to die the death of a true Christian who has peace with God and assured hope in Christ. May we live, in some measure at least, such a life; and, through God's infinite grace, die such a death. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them."