OBITUARY.

« ME JOSEPH PALMER. Mr Joseph Palmer. .'. well-known resident of Christ church, died Inst , evening. Ho had been, for tho last fitty-four year?, a well-known figure- in i tho city. Ho or.nio from an old Bed- | fordshire family, and was Horn in T.on- j don in Ho va' educated in Hug- ' laud, and afterward* onior.'d tho service <-.<" tho Union Bank of Australia in London. In IS-30 ho was sent out to Sydney as clerk, and m tluNso day> of quick travel it may ho noted that, though tho vessel in whi:-h he travelled was three months on tho journey, .t was the quickest voyage on record tor that year. Soon after his arrival in New tsnith Wales, Mr Palmer \v<is appointed to tho Adelaide branch of tho Bank. The journey to Adelaide \vn.» performed in tho forty-ton cutter Louisa, which took one month to do tho trip. Mr Palmer saw a good deal of what might be termed "active .service" •while stationed in Adelaide. Those were the halcyon days of gold-mining in Australia, end tho Adelaide branch was called upon to do a Jargo amount of gold pin chasing. Mr Paimer continued in the Adelaide Bank till 18ji>, when lie was transferred to Lyttelton, then the sole branch in the provincial district. Soon after his arrival he opened the office in Christelnirch. and he u<-ed to rule over the Bridie Path twice a week to superintend it until his permanent removal to Christehurch about two years later. It is interesting to record, in connection with the opening of the Chri&tchurch office, that tho late Mr Palmer was offered as a sito for the building that part of the city now known as the Triangle, hut he then regarded the price nsked as too high. Tho business w:is first carried, on in a wooden building in Cashel .street, and the present site was purchased sewn after. The first Bank erected thereon, a handsome atone building, was partially destroyed by tire in 1882, and was replaced in the samo year by the existing building. For a number oi years prior to 1890 Mr Palmer was chief officer and inspector of the Bank in New Zealand. For some time previously he had been anxious to retire, and when he visited England some years ago he expressed his intention not to re6umc duty when he returned. However, the directors in England expressed :-<> much appreciation of hi* borvioe.s, and were so anxious for him to continu- , his connection with the Banu. that Mr Palmer acccd< d to thenrequest. He continued to hold office of inspector until Mr Thomas, the present inspector, was appointed, Mr Palmer retiring and "Decoming a director. Apart from his connection with the Bank, Mr Palmer was one of the origiual projectors of the union Assurance Company, and was a director of that company until it was taken over by the Alliance Company, and he was then made a director ot that company. It is interesting to note that Mr Palmer was the last surviving of the original members of the Uniou Assurance Company. He had other commercial and business interests in New Zealand, and held the Commission of the Peace.

The late Mr Palmer was for many years closely associated with local institutions. He was a life member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and had been connected with the Association for a lengthened period. He had for long been a member of tho Christchurch Chamber of Commerce and the Canterbury Jockey Club, and was a director of the Christchurch Gas Company. He was a staunch Anglican, and was one of the very old members of the vestry and congregation of St. Michael's. The late Mr Palmer was married, in 1856, to a daughter of the late Sir James Hartle Fisher, of Adelaide. There was a family of four sons and four daughters, of whom one daughter (Mrs John Lee) predeceased her father. The surviving members of the family are:—Dr. Palmer - (Christchurch), Mr Geo. Palmer (England), Mr tselby Palmer, and Mr E. V. Palmer (Gisborne), Mrs Geo. Lee (who is now in Australia), Mrs R. Allen (Cbrfstchurch), Mrs T. Y. Wardrop (vrho is also in Australia), and Mrs T. Cowlishaw (Christchurch).

MR J. J. DEVINE.

(press association tei-bgium-)

WELLINGTON, August 16. . Mr J. J. Devine, solicitor, a resident of Wellington since 1876, who had served many years on the City Council, and had taken a prominent part in the affairs of the city, died to-night rather suddenly, aged fifty-four years. Mr TV. J. Dennis, who died somewhat suddenly at his residence. Canal Reserve, Linwood, on Monday evening, was a well-known resident of Christchurch, and was for many years an active worker in volunteer circles.