Captain John Wallace Marshall, who has been a Colonist for over forty years, comes of an Edinburgh family and was born in Glasgow, in 1832. Left an orphan at a very early age, he was mostly self-educated, and was apprenticed to the sea. In 1853 he arrived in Dunedin as second mate of the brigantine “Clutha,” after a voyage of six months from the port of Leith. Taking his discharge shortly afterwards at Lyttelton, he joined his brother George, who had previously settled in the Colony, and was employed in shipbuilding. He was afterwards master of one of their vessels, the “Canterbury,” and ran mails and passengers between Wellington and Lyttelton. Captain Marshall subsequently built the ketch “Midlothian” for the Heathcote river trade, and was frequently engaged as a trusted pilot. The brothers imported a sawmill which they erected at Pigeon Bay, where they acquired a farm. After working the mill for a few years, it was closed down, as it did not prove remunerative. Captain Marshall held a contract for conveying mails by whale boat, between Pigeon Bay and Lyttelton, and had many hairbreadth escapes during stormy weather. Subsequently he had charge of the “Midlothian,” between Dunedin and the Taieri, and was engaged in that trade for two years at the time of the Tuapeka diggings. He afterwards built a 20-ton cutter, the “Clarendon,” to run on Lake Waiho'a, having contracted with the Otago Provincial Government to clear Scorgie's Creek for navigation. On the completion of this remunerative work, both vessels were sold, and Captain Marshall returned to Pigeon Bay. Not long after this he bought the schooner “Lucy James,” in which he was engaged in the coastal trade for six years. In the early days of settlement in the colony Captain Marshall passed through many hard times and experienced thrilling adventures by sea and land, particularly in entering bar harbours, pursuing whales, and in getting spars out of the bush. In 1877 Captain Marshall sold out his interests, and after a four years' visit to England, settled at St. Albans, where he named his property “Midlothian,” after the vessel which he had built and worked so successfully. He was married, in 1881, to a daughter of the late Mr. William Allen, solicitor, of Edinburgh.