Mr. Fortunatus Evelyn Wright, J.P., is a grandson five times removed of John Evelyn, surnamed “Sylva,” but better known as the author of “Evelyn's Diary.” Mr. Wright was born in England in 1829, educated at the Portman Grammar School, and arrived in Lyttelton per ship “Samarang” in 1852. He was for four years in the service of the Union Bank of Australia, and opened the books of the Christchurch office in Cashel Street, in the shop now occupied by Mr. Duggan. In 1857, he was offered a good position in the firm of Miles, Kingston and Co., which he accepted, signing an agreement for two years; but before the termination of the first year, Mr. Wright received a letter from the Government telling him that the post-mastership of the Province of Canterbury was at his refusal. He accepted the appointment, and remained chief postmaster of the Province for eighteen years, resigning it to take the chief agency for Canterbury and Westland of the Government Life Insurance Department. During the time Mr. Wright was chief postmaster he invented a date-stamping machine, which he believes was on the same principle as the one now in use in the Post Office, Wellington. He finally left the Government service in 1876. In June, 1859, he travelled through to Dunedin to establish an overland mail between that city and Christchurch, and as the rivers had all to be forded, and there were few accommodation-houses in those days, it was not a small undertaking for one only accustomed to a town life. In 1873, he read a paper at the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury “On the desirability of dedicating to the people of New Zealand small areas of land assimilating in character to the village-greens of England.” The newspapers of the Colony took the matter up, and it resulted in the formation of recreation reserves in various parts of the Colony. While resident in Lyttelton, Mr. Wright, in conjunction with Mr. C. W. Turner, started the first Savings Bank in Canterbury, which after a life of page 377 twelve years merged into the Post Office Savings Bank, Mr. Wright managing it from its commencement to its end. He was also instrumental in starting the first building society. He was for several years a member of the Synod, a Church Property Trustee, and member of the Standing Committee. Mr. Wright was consul for Sweden and Norway for ten years. He was for some time a director of the New Brighton Tramway Company and one of the promoters of the City and Suburban Tram Company. As a volunteer he was connected with the first Lyttelton Rifle Corps. Mr. Wright has been a Justice of the Peace since 1873. He was married in 1860 to a daughter of the late Mr. Samuel Gundry, and has six sons and four daughters.