Captain the Hon. William Douglas Hall Baillie, M.L.C., Chairman of Committees of the Legislative Council, comes of an old Scotch family settled in County Down, Ireland, whose sons have been prominent in the Imperial Service. His father, a lieutenant in the 23rd Fusiliers, was a Waterloo veteran, and afterwards became Commissioner of Crown Lands at New Brunswick, and his grandfather, a captain of the 51st Foot, was present at the Battle of Minden. The honourable gentleman was born in Canada, New Brunswick, on the 22nd of February, 1827, and was sent to Woolwich to receive a military education. At the age of eighteen he entered the British Army as an ensign in the 24th Foot, and went with his regiment to India, where page 97 he was for six years, serving under Lord Gough and Sir Colin Campbell (Lord Clyde.) Ensign Baillie was in the Punjaub Campaign of 1848-9, and was present at the battle of Chillian Wallah, when his regiment was much cut up by the sheikhs. Six weeks afterwards the English had their revenge, being successful at Guzerat in dispersing the Sheikh army under Chuttur Sing. At the end of 1853, the subject of this notice returned to England, and obtaining promotion to the rank of captain in 1854, was for three years employed on the staff in the Old Country. In 1857 Captain Baillie came to Nelson, per ship “Oriental,” and settled in the Wairau, where he remained for many years. He afterwards disposed of his run of 5000 acres, and settled on his estate near Picton, where he still resides. The honourable gentleman has for over thirty years been connected with the volunteer movement, and for the greater portion of that time he has been Colonel Commandant of Marlborough Volunteer Forces. In 1881 he accompanied the expedition to Parihaka. Captain Baillie's political history commenced in 1861, when he was returned as a member of the Marlborough Provincial Council, in which he sat till the abolition in 1876. He was the second superintendent of the province, holding office in 1862-3, and afterwards for some ten or twelve years he was the Speaker of the Council. The honourable gentleman was appointed a member of the Legislative Council in 1861, and is the senior member of the Council. He has held the position of chairman of Committees for some twelve or fifteen years. Captain Baillie has ever taken a keen interest in local politics; he was several times chairman of road boards, and has held many other offices, being a member of the Marlborough Education Board for nineteen years. For many years he was an active member of the Marlborough Agricultural Society. Captain Baillie was married in 1854 to Miss Greensill, daughter of Major Greensill, Commissary of Ordinance in the Imperial Service. He has two daughters and three sons. His daughters are married to Messrs. E. B. Brown, M.A., solicitor of Wellington, and Charles W. Brown, runholder of Shannon. His eldest son is chief clerk to Messrs. Brown and Dean, solicitors of Wellington, the second is a farmer, and the youngest is at College.