Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/473

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DICTIONARY OF AUSTRALASIAN BIOGRAPHY.
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and your people in a condition of prosperity and peace, has been again deferred." In 1881 Tawhiao, to the surprise of all New Zealand, visited the confiscated territory in the Waikato, and was profuse in his professions of friendship towards the settlers, surrendering his guns and those of his party to the resident military officer of the district in token of peace. In Jan. 1882 Tawhiao visited Auckland, and was received with great cordiality by the colonial authorities. At the various entertainments given in his honour, he urged amity and just dealing and forgetfulness of past evils.. He had a satisfactory interview with the Premier, Mr. (now Sir John) Hall. In 1884 Tawhiao visited England, having previously taken the pledge by Sir George Grey's desire. He arrived at Plymouth on May 31st, his object being to enlist the influence of the Queen in checking the aggressions of the New Zealand Government. The Maori king was successful in obtaining an interview with Lord Derby, then Colonial Secretary, who promised to forward a memorial to the Queen; but the tone ultimately taken up was that, New Zealand having been granted responsible government, the Colonial Office could not interfere in a matter eminently of local concern. Tawhiao and his attendant chiefs left England on their return to the colony on August 22nd, 1884. The King was much annoyed at not being received by the Queen personally, objecting to seeing only her shadow, as he called Lord Derby. Throughout his later career Tawhiao's attitude towards the New Zealand Government was one of passive protest to their land policy. In 1892 Mr. Cadman, the Native Minister in the Ballance Government, induced him to abandon even this and accept a pension of £225 per annum.

Taylor, Francis Pringle, R.N., Commander, Queensland Naval Forces, was born in Edinburgh in 1852, and educated at the Edinburgh Academy. He entered the Royal Navy in 1866, and after seeing considerable service was made lieutenant in 1877. Two years later he was invalided, and went to Australia, where ho speedily recovered his health, and was appointed commander of H.M.S. Wolverine in the New South Wales service—a post he retained until the vessel was paid off five years later. After a course of study in gunnery and torpedo warfare in England, Captain Taylor was appointed first lieutenant of H.M.Q.S. Gayundah, and succeeded Captain H. T. Wright as commander of that vessel, and senior naval officer and superintendent of the Queensland Naval Defence Force in Nov. 1888.

Tebbutt, John, F.R.A.S., the well-known astronomer of New South Wales, is the grandson of the late John Tebbutt, who emigrated to that colony in 1801. He was born at Windsor, N.S.W., on May 25th, 1834. Having turned his attention to astronomy and made a thorough study of mathematics, he made minute observations of the Donati comet in 1858, and of the comet of 1860. He also minutely diagnosed the grand comet of the next year, and his predictions of the near approach of its tail to the earth produced much excitement. His views, though questioned by local amateurs, were subsequently confirmed by astronomical experts in the colonies and Europe. On the retirement of the Rev. W. Scott, the New South Wales Government Astronomer, in 1862, he was offered the post, but declined it. He received the silver medal of the Paris Exhibition for his paper on the "Progress and Present State of Astronomy in New South Wales," and in 1873 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Mr. Tebbutt is the author of "Sixteen Years' Meteorological Observations."

Teece, Richard, son of the late William Teece and Catherine his wife, was born in the Bay of Islands, N.Z., on April 29th, 1847, and went with his family to New South Wales in 1852. Having gained a high reputation in connection with actuarial and assurance business, Mr. Teece was appointed general manager and actuary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a position of high responsibility, which he still holds. He has been President of the Free Trade and Liberal Association of New South Wales and President of the Australian Economic Association. He is also a Fellow and member of the senate of the University of Sydney, President of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Great Britain and Ireland, member of the American Society of Actuaries, member of the

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