Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/47

 Bath, James, J.P., Secretary of Education South Australia, was appointed Secretary to the Board of Education in August 1867 and Secretary to the Education Department in August 1883.

Bathgate, Alexander, son of (q.v.), is a barrister and solicitor of Dunedin, N.Z., and the author of "Colonial Experiences; or, Sketches of People and Places in the Province of Otago, N.Z." (Glasgow, 1874); "Waitaruna: a Story of New Zealand Life" (London, 1881); "Far South Fancies" (Griffith & Farran, 1890). Mr. Bathgate has contributed many verses to the colonial press.

Bathgate, Hon. John, M.L.C. New Zealand, was born in Edinburgh in 1809, and educated at Edinburgh High School and Edinburgh University. He was admitted as a writer and practised his profession in Peebles, holding the office of Procurator Fiscal for the county for many years. He went to Dunedin, N.Z., in 1863, as General Manager of the Bank of Otago. He was elected a member of the Provincial Council of Otago in 1869, and for a time held office in the executive as Provincial Solicitor. He was appointed major of Volunteers in 1866, and practised as a barrister and solicitor in Dunedin from the year 1869. In 1871 he was elected to the House of Representatives for Dunedin city, and on Oct. 11th, joined the short-lived Waterhouse Ministry as Commissioner of Customs, which office he exchanged on the 29th for those of Minister of Justice and Commissioner of Stamps. On March 3rd, when Mr. Waterhouse retired in favour of Sir, Mr. Bathgate retained his portfolios. During his term of office he carried a district county bill and an insolvency bill; and on Feb. 20th, 1874, he retired from the House, and was later appointed to a district judgeship in Otago. Having obtained a year's leave of absence, he went to England, where he embraced every opportunity of bringing the colony before the public by lecturing and otherwise. Shortly after his return to the colony the office of District Judge at Dunedin was abolished, and in 1885 he was called to a seat in the Legislative Council. He died Sept. 21st, 1886. Mr. Bathgate was the author of "New Zealand: its Resources and Prospects" (London and Edinburgh), 1881.

Bayles, Hon. William, second son of William Bayles of Hunderthwaite, Yorkshire, was born in 1820, and emigrated to Tasmania in 1846. Removing to Melbourne in 1852, he went into business as a merchant and shipowner, and was Mayor of Melbourne in 1865, in which year he retired from active business. In 1864 he was elected to the assembly for Villiers and Heytesbury, and was Commissioner of Trade and Customs in the shortlived Sladen Ministry from May to July 1868. He has for some years past taken no part in public life. He married, in 1854, Isabel, third daughter of Arthur Buist, of Macquarie River, Tasmania.

Bayley, Hon. Lyttleton Holyoake, second son of Sir John Edward George Bayley, Bart., and brother of Sir John Robert Laurie Emilias Laurie, Bart., was born on May 6th, 1827, and educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in May 1850, and married, in May 1852, Isabella, daughter of Anthony Mactier, of Durris House, Kincardineshire, who died in April 1860. He emigrated to Australia, and was Attorney-General of New South Wales in the second Government from March to Oct. 1859, in succession to Mr. (afterwards Judge). His appointment gave great offence to the legal fraternity, as he had been but a short time in the colony; and Mr. moved a resolution censuring his nomination. It was not, however, carried. In 1866 Mr. Bayley was appointed Advocate-General at Bombay, and Puisne Judge in 1869. This position he still holds.

Beach, William, the well-known New South Wales oarsman, was born in Surrey, England, and was beaten by Trickett, the then champion sculler of the world, on the Parramatta river on July 28th, 1883. The weather was rough on this occasion, but under more favourable conditions Beach beat Trickett in three successive matches. On Jan. 26th, 1884, Trickett again beat Beach on the Parramatta; but as a foul occurred the race was rowed over again, with the same result, Beach being unwell. On April 12th following the positions were again reversed, with great apparent ease by Beach, who defeated Hanlan, the Canadian sculler, on August 16th of the same year over the Parramatta champion course in 31