Obituaries Australia

Mr. Alexander Walker Scott, formerly of Ash Island, Hunter River, died on the 2nd instant, at the age at 83 the deceased gentleman was a resident of New South Wales for more than half a century. He was born at Bombay, but was educated in England, taking the degrees of B.A. and M.A. at Cambridge, For many years he was a member of the Cambridge University senate, and he was the author of papers on Australian entomology and other scientific subjects included in the Zoological Society's transactions. While a resident in the Hunter district he was appointed by Sir Richard Bourke a magistrate of the territory, and more than 40 years ago he was instrumental in originating in the Hunter district various institutions, including salt works and an iron foundry at Stockton, near Newcastle, and a tobacco manufactory at East Maitland industries which were afterwards paralysed by the price of labour during the period of the discovery of gold in 1851. He was one of the earliest advocates of railway communication throughout the country, and in 1841, at his own expense he had a railway route surveyed between Newcastle and Maitland. At the first general election in 1841 he contested unsucessfully the electorate of Northumberland Boroughs with Major Wentworth, but he was returned at the head of the poll for Northumberland and the Hunter with Mr. W. K. Piddington and Mr. H. Hely, to the first Parliament under responsible government in 1856. Subsequently he represented the electorate of the Lower Hunter and then was summond to a seat in the Legislative Council. In 1866 he was appointed to a Lands Titles Commission under Torrens' Act, a position he held until his death. Two of his brothers, both deceased, were well known police magistrates, one of them the late Captain Scott. P. M. at the Central Police Court, and the other the late Mr. Helenus Scott P. M. at Newcastle.