Personal.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 32, 7 February 1914, Page 5

Personal.

Mr R. Masters, who lias been freely mentioned as a possible candidate for the Stratford seat at next election, states definitely that he will no stand at the forthcoming election.

Mrs N. Fulton, who left Stratford with her husband almost a year ago, has recently returned to the Dominion in bad health. She underwent a very critical operation in the Xew Plymouth Public Hospital.yesterday, and her condition is critical, says the News.

The.Rev. J. Pattison, pastor of the Stratford Presbyterian Church, who has been spending a three weeks' holiday at New Plymouth with his family, has returned home and will occupy the , pulpit at St. Andrew's Church to-mor-row.

Messrs J. D. Healy (president) and J. B. Richards have been appointed to represent the Stratford A. and P. Association at the conference of A. and P. Associations to be held in Stratford on Monday to recommend to the Government persons for appointment to the recently-instituted Board of Agriculture.

Memories of the keen anxiety which prevailed in the Auckland district

when in the sixties ninety Rangiriri

rebels escaped from imprisonment- at Kawau Island, end enriched themselves at Tamahau, are (saj r s an Auckland message) recalled by the death last week of Mrs Charlotte Meiklejolm, at the age of 7S years. She settled at Big Omaha with her husband the late Mr John Meiklejolm, over -fifty years ago, and the escaped Maori prisoners were frequent visitors at the farm. The -natives were always treated fairly well and kindly by these settlers, however, and in consequence were never banned. The deceased lady, who was highly esteemed in the district, leaves sixty-three descendants, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Mr J. J. Taine, one of the original settlers at Wellington under the New Zealand Land Company, but now resident at North Head, Devonport,. celebrated his 98th birthday last week. Seventy-four years of adult residence in New Zealand still finds him wonderfully well—a fact which causes much' gratification to his many friends

and relations. Mr Taine, who was born at Bath, England, in 1816, embarked for New Zealand at Gravesend on September 18, 1839, in the ship Adelaide, commanded by Captain Campbell, and arrived at Port Nicholson on March 7, 1840. The Adelide dropped anchor between Somes' Island and the Maori Pa at the ihoutlv of the Hutt River. The

Tory arid' Glenbervie' also entered the

harbor at the same time. -That night t the Hutt River rose, and flooded* lowlying lands, with the result that a council of pioneers decided to move the settlement to the other end of-the harbor, and next day a landing was effected on Pipitea beach. On the voyage out Mr Taine met his future wife, Miss Leocadia de Olivera, the adopted daughter of Mr Edward Gibbon Wakefield, in whose biography will be found a very pretty story relative to her childhood days in Lisbon. Shortly after landing their marriage was celebrated. Mr Taine was a highly enterprising mn. He succeeded the late Mr E. J. Riddiford in the service of the New Zealand Land Co., and when the Californian and Australian gold rushes broke out, he, in conjunction

with the late Messrs Bethune and Hun-

ter, dispatched many vessels to both countries, their enterprise being well rewarded. In 1861 Mr Taine decided to move to Dunedin, and he resided there until 1879, when he came to Auckland. He has spent most of his time in Auckland since then, the period being broken by visits to England, the Continent and Australia.