OBITUARY.

ISAAC WILLIAM PHILPOTT. Tho ranks of the historical " first four shippers " were still further reduced by the death of Mr Isaac William Philpott, which took place at his residence, St Albans, on Thursday morning, at tho age of eightythree. Mr Philpott, with his first" wifo '. and the elder members of his family, . arnved at Lyttelton in the ship Randolph on Dec. 16, 1851. He shortly afterwards .'. oame on to the plains, being compelled to " swag " all his bolongings over the Port Hills, as there wero then neither roads nor bridges. With the late Mr Woodford, of Kaiapoi, ho started the first sawpit in the v Riccarton Bush. It may be mentioned here that the timber of the room in which he died, and in which he had slept for over forty-f our years, came from theßiccarfcpn Bush, and was carried by him on his shoulders from there to St Albans. He" afterwards removed to Papanui, and upon, the bush there being cut out he took to carting with . bullocks, remaining at this, occupation until 1854. In that, year ho'bought from Mr Spencer Perceval the first hor3e-power threshing machine imported into Canterbury, and travelled with that regularly for many years until the advent of the steam threshing-machine. In regard, to church matters, he was always a staunch Wesleyan and a leading member of that body. The first sermon preached by a minister of that denomination in this district was delivered,. in his house in Hagley. Park. He was one of the promoters of the original Wesleyan Chapel, in Christchurch, which stood on the sito now occupied by Messrs Kenneth Matheson and Co.'s premises in High Street. He was the first superintendent of the Sunday school held there,, and for many years held a like position in connection with the ' St Albans Church. His first wife died in 1854-, and her remains were interred in the first "ravd ■ opened in the Wesleyan Cemetery, "Bar. ' badoes Street.. Mr Philpott had lived a somewhat retired life of late years, and his end was not altogether unexpected. H<j ' leaves a widow and seven sons and five daughters, as weli as fifty-three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. "" ' '. ' '■——■' ii I—