PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 189, 8 February 1912, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. J. S. Harkness, secretary of the National Dairy Association, is at present in New Plymouth. Mrs. Gibson, of Sutherland road, Manai*, a very old settler, died yesterday at the age of 85, leaving a large family, all of whom are grown up. The deceased lady retained her faculties tnimpaired to the last, says the Witness. The Rev. ■ Father Johnston, who has beep sixteen years in New Zealand, the last eighteen months of which has been spent in Kaikoura, has been presented by his parishioners with a purse of sovereigns on the. eve of his departure on a health-recruiting trip to Ireland. Dr. J. 0. Closs, of Dunedin, died at the residence of Mr. 0. Tringham, Pigeon Bush, on Monday afternoon, after a short illness. The deceased arrived there last week on a holiday visit, and complained of pain when he arrived in Wellington from the south, but until Saturday last was fairly well. Mr. A. H. Grant, of the local branch of the Bank of New South Wales,' who has been transferred to Dannevirke, was yesterday afternoon the recipient of presentation's from the lo<?al staff of the bank, and also from the Rovers Football Olub, of which he has acted as hon. seccretary dining the past season. Major Andrew, of the 114 th Mahrattas, who recently returned to India after spending, his furlough in Christchurch, has fallen upon high honors since rejoining regiment., He, with the 114 th Mahrattas, tool- part in the Durbar celebrations, and was selected as one of the few British officers in the native regiments to receive the.Durbar medal, three only being allotted to each regiment. He has now been selected as one of the seven officers from the whole of the Indian Army to proceed on political missions in different districts. Major Andrew's special missions are in the Bombay Presidency, where his splendid knowledge of the Mahratta language and dialects will stand him in good • stead.—Christchurch telegram. Jn the Supreme Court at Palmerston North on Tuesday morning reference to the death of the late Mr. FiUherbert, S.M., at New Plymouth, was made by His Honor the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and Mr. Loughnan, on behalf of the Bar. His Honor alluded to the late Mr. Fitzherbert's legal career and has associations in Palmerston, where he was formerly Crown Prosecutor and from which place he was appointed a magistrate. The position that the deceased had attained to was an honorable and responsible one, and His Honor had no doubt he had performed his duties to the best of his ability. Mr. Loughnan endorsed the learned judge's remarks, and stated that the relations between the late Mr. 'Fitiherbert and the legal profession in Palmerston were of a cordial nature. '

The death occurred on December 26, at Southsea, of Captain Henry Holland Torlesse. R.N,, elder son of .the late Rev. Henry Torlesse, of Christchurch; New Zealand. Captain Tories**, who' was in this fifty-fourth year', had been' in delicate health for some considerable time, and he was compelled in November to resign his post as captain-superintendent of Sheerness dockyard, which he had held for a little over a year. Captain Torlesse entered the Navy as a cadet in 1871, becoming a sub-lieutenant in 1878, lieutenant in 18S2, commander in 1896, and captain in 1902. He served in the Minotaur during the Egyptian war, 1882, and was awarded the Egyptian medal and the Khedive's bronze star. When commander of the St. George, flagship of RearAdmiral Rawson, C.8., he was present on the occasion of the bombardment and capture .of the Sultan of Zanzibar's palace in August, 1806, by Admiral Rawson's squadron, and served in the expedition landed from the squadron to punish the King of Benin for the massacre of the political expedition in the following year. For these services he was mentioned in despatches and received the general Africa medal with the Benin clasp. He was captain of the Inflexible, battle cruiser, when Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Edward Seymour, hoisted his flag in her to proceed to New York for the Hudson-Fulton celebrations in 1909, after which lie was appointed as captainsuperintendent of Sheerness dockyard. While holding this post he was decorated with the Second Class of the Order of the Red Eagle on the occasion of the visit of the Gorman Emperor in May last. Captain Torlesse (who left a widow and two daughters) was buried in Haslar cemetery with full naval honors.