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18 and entered the service of the New Zealand Company at Wellington shortly after the foundation of that settlement. He was then quite a youth, and was much esteemed by all who knew him for his steadiness of principle and correctness of behaviour. He remained attached to the Survey Staff at Wellington till 1844, when he visited England, and there came into contact with some of the leading men of the New Zealand Company. This led to his being engaged with Captain Cargill in lajdng the foundation of the Otago settlement, of which he was appointed Principal Surveyor. In all his undertakings Mr Kettle was conscientiously painstaking, and gained for himself the reputation of being an eminently useful public officer. It was generally acknowledged that his survey of the Otago Block was accomplished with masterly precision.

Mr Kettle held the office of Chief Surveyor of Otago under the New Zealand Company until its dissolution in 1852, and was then appointed Government Surveyor by Governor Sir George Grey. He soon resigned this position, and retired in 1853 to a property he had acquired at Kaihiku, in the Clutha district, where he engaged in pastoral pursuits for some years. In 1860 he leased his farm and again took up his residence at Littlebourne in the immediate suburbs of Dunedin. He occasionally practised his profession of surveyor, and in 1861 he was appointed Provincial Auditor of Otago. He was about the same time chosen to represent the district of Bruce in the General Assembly.

While performing his official duties with most scrupulous fidelity, Mr Kettle found time to take a hearty and active interest in every project that had for its object the promotion of the best interests of his fellow settlers; in fact, his whole life was a distinct embodiment of practical Christianity. He was one of the originators of the Dunedin Young Men's Christian Association, and up to the time of his death did much to promote its usefulness and success. He particularly interested himself in the success of the Maori Mission, to which he rendered valuable service. He took a warm and active interest in Knox Church congregation, and in the success of its various agencies. Although possessed of considerable force of character, yet he was naturally of a quiet and retiring disposition. It was in the discharge of social duties and in the amenities of private life that his genuine Christian spirit and his many excellent qualities most