PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 143, 13 December 1911, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. Thomas Cotter was sworn in as King's Counsel at the Supreme Court, Auckland, 011 Monday. A London cablegram reports the deaths of Sir Joseph Hooker, late director of Kew Gardens, and Major Robert Lindsay, son of Earl Crawford. Mr. F. 6. Bailey, a well known Australian judge of horses, has 'been appointed manager of the' new horse exchange to be instituted at an early date at New Plymouth .by the Canterbury Land and Finance Association. A Blenheim telegram states that under the will of the late Alexander Young, of Blenheim, £2OO is 'bequeathed to the Marlborough High School to found a scholarship for the sons of manual laborers earning not more than £125 a year. Dr. Norman Maeleod is dead.—Press wire. The Rev. Dr. Norman Maeleod, D.D., F.R.S.E., was principal clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and was Moderator of the General Assembly in 1900. He was born at Morven, Argyllshire on June 7, 1838, and became minister of St. Columba Parish, Glasgow, in 1801. , Mr. O. T. J. Alpers, the well known barrister of Christchurch, is a candidate for the vacancy on the New Zealand graduates' representation on the N<hv Zealand University Senate. Mr. Alpers is a graduate of Canterbury College, and attained considerable distinction in hisstudent days. His career will doubtless be watched with some interest. Mr. N. Gqlding entertained a number of his relatives at his residence yesterday on the occasion of his 94th birthday. Mr. Golding, who must be New Plymouth's oldest citizen, is at present enjoying good health, and possesses remarkable activity for a man «f kisyears; so much so, that last Thursday he was able to come down and record hisvote. Another fine veteran has passed- away in the stalwart person of Sergeant Duffin, whose, death occurred yesterday morning at an early hour. The deceased., was born at Kilkenny (Ireland) in 1832. He was enlisted by the late Sergeant James Hill in the 57th Regiment in 1852, the same year leaving Cork with his regiment for the Mediterranean, and being stationed for some time in Corfu.. In 1854, when the Crimean war broke out, the regiment was ordered to the East, and landed the morning after the battle of Alma. The deceased experienced stirring times in the campaign, which included Balacla-va, Inkerman and the bombardment and fall of Sebastopol, in connection with which he got the medal with three clasps. One of his exciting' events in this war was when his regiment was in the trenches and the Russian sharpshooters were attacking them from a cave. An officer of the 57th Regiment called for volunteers to go and attack them, and the deceased was one of those who went and succeeded in driving every Russian out of the cave. The officer in charge was shot, and Sergeant Duffin was one of the few who escaped. He was also in the expedition which resulted in the 'bombardment and capture, of Kin-burn. He was with his regiment in India during the mutiny in 1857, being on outpost duty on the Taptee river in connection with the Central •India Field Force. His regiment cam# to New Zealand in 1801, and he saw further service in the incidents of the Maori war. He subsequently joined the A.C. Force, and was appointed Sergeant of Police in Taranaki, which position he occupied for 26 years. He carried out his duties conscientiously and was considered an able officer. For some years the sergeant has lived in retirement. He leaves several B«ns and daughters. The funeral will be a military one, and will leave St. Joseph's Church at 2 p.m. to-morrow.