The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-20
OBITUARY..
Sir Alexander Tilloch Gait.


The telegram announces the death of
Sir Alexander Tilloch Gait at his nome
in Canada from general debility
Sir Alexander was the son OF John
Gait, the distinguished Scottish novelist
who later was identified with the In
terests of the Canadian Land company.
Sir Alexander was born in London,
September 9th, 1917, and was therefore
seventy six years Of age. he was
educated in England and Canada, and at
an early age showed decided literary
ability, contributing at the age OF four
teen to Fraser's Magazine He went to
Canada when boy and became clerk
for the British and American land COM
pany in Lower Canada. In 1S49 he was
elected member of Parliament for Sher-
brook, but resigned when the seat of
government was removed to Toronto. In
1858 he was again elected and served un-
til 1872. In 1858 he was called by Cover
nor General Sir Edmund W. Haerd to
form an administration, but declined.
He went to Europe with Sir George +.
Cartier and John Rose to obtain
federal union of the British North
American provinces, and the construction
of the Intecolonial railway. He was a
member of the executive council and
minister of finance from August, 1858,
until 1862, and again from 1854 to 1866,
and from July to November 1867. lie
went to London to confer with the i'm
perial government on the Nova Scotia
question with Sir Charles Topper in 1858,
and was again finance minister on the
resignation of Sir John Rose in 1889. He
was delegate to Washington respecting
the renewal of the reciprocity treaty in
1858; member of the fisheries commits
sion of 1877, appointed under the treaty
of Washington; conducted negotiations
on behalf of Canada for a commercial
treaty with France and Spain in 1879;
and in.1SS1 was delegate.for Canada at.the
international monetary conference at
Paris. He was Canadian High Commits
sioner to Great Britain from 1880 to 1888
The most noticeable feature of his adj
ministration was the consolidation of the
public debt with provisions for its re-
demption.
Sir Alexander was the first president of
the Atlantic and St. Lawrence railway
and carried out the amalgamation of
the road with it's branches, now constitu
ting the Grand Trunk, of which line he
was government director in 1853. He
invested quite largely in real estate in
Portland, and the large granite block on
Commercial street, known as the Gait
block, is named for him. He was a
frequent visitor to Portland from 1914 to
1874, and always made his home at the
large boarding house corner of Park and
Congress streets, then known as the
Misses Jones.
He declined the companionship of the
Bath in 1867, but was made K. @. M.
G.. in 1869 and in May, 1875 Knight
Grand Gross of the order. The Universi
ty of Edinburg conferred on him the title
of LII. d.
Deacon Andrew Sloper.
The venerable Andrew Sloper passed to
his we'll earned rest on Friday morning,
September 18th, at East Hiram of paral-
ysis, aged SO years, l month and 26 days.
He has been for many years deacon in
the F.W. church, and his life his been
singularly pure, sspeaceable and patriotic.
He was farmer, and his life work was
model of diligence, peatness- and ac-
curacy. He was man of regular habits
and cheerful temperament and to these
facts we may attribute his long and
healthful life. Hew was the Oldest man
in Hiram. He leaves one daughter, Mrs.
John Clark with whom his closing years
serene anu brdluul dS oil Iuuldu SuLuluCI
have been passed. He was a Repu blican
in politics Thus one by one the fathers
are passing away leaving legacy of
good words aud works to those who will
long cherish their memory in reverent
hearts. x
Hon. VIM. w. Cross.
Bridgton, Septembr 9-Hon. VIM. W.
Cross. one of Bridgton's foremost citi-
zens, died today in his 10Th year. He had
been selectman, a member Of the Maine
house and senate, and trial justice for
thirty years. He had also filed other
positions In boyhood he was school
mate of Nathaniel Hawthorne at Ray
mond. Mr.. Cross was farmer, lumber
man, cattle merchant and drover, and for
many years an extensive tanner as the
head of the firm of Gross, Senter &
Jordan. He was a veteran Mason and
Odd Fellow.
Maine Raptjst Anniversaries.