THE LATE MR. T. S. MORT, OF SYDNEY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5366, 8 June 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LATE MR. T. S. MORT, OF SYDNEY.

■ i i. .(From,the Queenslander, 18th-May.) i . .. This gentleman—whoso name will: always be identified with the greatest stride of growth, that Australia bver has made,: or ever', will make in one. generation—viz., in, the 30 years between 1848 and 1878 —-came from Manchester, and settled in Sydney some years before the gold discovery of 1851. ,He lived there at a'time when things were so dull and inactive that it was a matter. of serious hesi-: tation on his part, and a cause of anxious.con-, .sultatich with friends,‘as to whether he should, givevup a rSmali mercantile clerkship of less, than £2OO a year, and exchange : its 'solid reality for the possibly delusive hopes of an independent life as an auctioneer ; for at that time, when bread and meat were Id.: a lb; and eggs 4d. a dozen, and butter 4d. a lb., the small salaries, then current in Sydney : banks and offices were equal to twice that sum in the present day. Mr. Mort had previously married the eldest daughter of. Commissioner-. General liaidley, by. whom r -he ! has : left several sons and daughters, now-grown- up; the; eldest being Laidley Mort, Esq. But to returnthe iplungewas. made, and -the clerkship l given.up for the auctioneer’s desk and hammer, and Mr. Mort never had a moment’s cause to regret the step, for bis.eminent business habits soon brought him a connection in the general and pastoral line that sent him on the high road to fortune, and by .the time the gold discovery 'had' crowned the destiny of , Australia, : Mr, Mort, as well as his friend, Mr. Croft, of Whistler, Smith, Croft, and Go.;‘and many others who had, by business talent; risen from clerkships to: mercantile status, were men of fortune. His deposits in' one : Sydney- bank alone,.,averaged iri: 1852i£300Q pernday. ; His tasteiof floriculture and .the fine arts inowasserted itself, and his garden and picture gallery, as well as a collection of objects of vertu, at Greenoaks, Darling Point, where he had built a'fine mansion in the Elizabethiau style, were .the centres ’of attraction to , all" visitors ■to Sydney. - The ’sons of the Duke of Buobleugh, and also the sons •of 'another Scotch noble, Were amongst the early distinguished visitors to Sydney who enjoyed Air. Alort’s hospitality.- • Indeed,ihe was the central rallying point; for . though v.there. were other hospitable men of for?, tune; and) men'of .taste in the Queen of the Pacific, they all appeared to own him as the chief, and everyone went to “Mort’s,” which became a household word in. Sydney.;. ; ■ ' ' The slight reaction in pastoral and .monetary matters,' 1 in, both , of which he was deeply Concerned, Which took ' place, about the year 1855,* had a depressing effect on Mr. Mort’s ’ nervous systeriij ' already overwrought •by the 1 Stirring' 1 three - ’years which 5 preceded.' that i period;- ;and he > suffered a severe shook;; which, i caused ■£ great ? anxiety to; hist friends; 5 |H«j ;numerous,- undertakings,.such as the■ dry, dock, &c,, allnow.in full swing, with serious.reverses., But all.happily passed away ; the banks paid, his position Was saved, and he went, offi froth strengthen strength in enterprise and investment-;'of capital. A,mongst other ’matters,’ he purchased arid reclaimed a swampy tract of country at.Bodalla, in the Clyde and Shoaliiaveri. parts of Row South Wales, laud here, ;with English , grasses, in, a most cool climate, with English pigs and English cows, ho inaugurated a dairy establishment,-where cheese and bacon rival (to say the least) the ‘ choicest ! English productions of .the’ same kind, 1 despite their ancient,, old' feed, .and ■ well-sweetened pastures. . Mr. Mort was a man*' in whom keen intelligence and' restless energy- were happily - blbnded, and. he, ever anxious for the- pastoral interest which had built him up, put all • his strength into the question of sending frozen Australian meat .home;-a matter i which, ■ if successful,' would have raised the price of stock all over the continent';. Space would.failius to tell of all the public questions and matter’s which received Mr,.Mort’s powerful, advocacy in the line of progress for Australia in general, and Sydney’in particular, whose superiorty in ma'terial wealth ,over Melbourne the golden he ■ prophesied ■ in' 1852, and his words have been • well verified. 'He ’must have 1 been over sixty ; years of age at I the time of-his death; and-was : otj h [ Strong i English ooristitution that: would, .with Vi-more :humdrum life, have 1 lasted him , tw6nty,yoars longer. - There, is a golden, opportunity jin the.early, days, when. the. destinies Of’ country are young and plastic, for men like: the late'Thbmas SutcliffoMort to leave, their,mark on them in a quartsr-.century. to .ah‘extent which' could riot be done afterwards in a life--1 time of 200 years,' arid the deceased seized and made' use of that opportunity,. Hia nama will, rank.withWentworth'siri the hearts of the New. South ! Wales- people,' end his life : contrast^ , sweetly with those of the noisy selfish politicians' who try, to mar. the' fortunes of :that colony.