Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/536

 active political controversy with the protectionists of his native country, until he has gained an exceptional familiarity with the modes of thought and expression that win favour for protection among voters. The aim of the work is to make use of this special knowledge of protectionist arguments to put together a complete and scientific statement of the free-trade case, from the point of view of one who is addressing himself to the voters of a democratic country."

Wise, His Honour Edward, sometime Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, was 2nd son of Edward Wise, and was born in the Isle of Wight on August 13th, 1818. He was educated at Rugby, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1844. Subsequently he went the Western Circuit, and edited the "Law Reports" of the Court of Queen's Bench, and a work on the "Law of Riots," and on "Bankruptcy." He emigrated to Sydney in 1855, and was Solicitor-General in the Ministry from May to Sept. 1857, and Attorney-General in the  Government from Oct. 1859 to Feb. 1860, when he resigned on being appointed a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. His health giving way, he went to St. Kilda, near Melbourne, for change of air, and died there on Sept. 28th, 1865. He presented his valuable collection of books to the Sydney Free Public Library. Judge Wise married Maria Bate, daughter of Lieut. John Smith, R.N.

Withers, William Bramwell, son of Jason Withers and Elizabeth Hendy his wife, was born on July 27th, 1823, at Whitchurch, Hampshire, and is a strong advocate of vegetarianism. He left England in 1849 for Natal, where he contributed to the Natal Witness and Natal Standard. He landed in Victoria in 1852, and after various other employments, was engaged in Melbourne as a journalist until June 1885, when he took up his residence at Ballarat. In addition to his work on the Ballarat Times, Ballarat Star, and Ballarat Courier, he has written several works of fiction. His novel "Eustace Hopkins" was published in the Sydney Echo and Ballarat Courier, and was awarded second place in the Age competition of a hundred and twenty competitors, and "The Westons" was published in the Melbourne World and Federal Australian. His other works are the "History of Ballarat," the "Ballarat Chronicles and Pictures," and his "Reminiscences of the '50's and '60's."

Wood, Harrie, was born at Kensington, London, on Feb. 12th, 1831. He went to Victoria in 1854, and settled at Ballarat, where in 1858 he was appointed secretary to the Mining Board. In 1861 he introduced a scheme for the registration of mining titles, and was appointed District Mining Registrar with a view to initiate his new system which was approved by the Minister of Mines. Mr. Wood was one of the promoters of the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum, and the projector of the Ballarat School of Mines. When the Mining Department of New South Wales was established under the Mining Act of 1874, he was, in September of that year, appointed Under-Secretary, and still retains the post. He is the author of "Mines and Mineral Statistics of New South Wales," a work specially compiled for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

Wood, Hon. John Dennistoun, is the son of the late Captain Patrick Wood, of the East India Company's military service, and was born at Dennistoun, Tas., on July 4th, 1829. When eleven years of age he went to England to complete his education, and entered as a student at the Middle Temple in Nov. 1845, but was not called to the Bar till Jan. 1852. The next year Mr. Wood went out to Victoria and entered on the practice of his profession before the Supreme Court in Melbourne. In 1857 he was returned to the Legislative Assembly for the Ovens district, having previously, in March of that year, been appointed Solicitor-General in the first Government, which, however, only held office till April 29th. In the Administration Mr. Wood was Attorney-General from Oct. 1859 to Nov. 1860, and he was Minister of Justice in the third O'Shanassy Cabinet from Nov. 1861 to June 1863. Having been defeated for the Ovens, and subsequently for Gippsland, Mr. Wood ultimately secured his return for Warrnambool. Soon after his retirement, with his colleagues in the O'Shanassy Ministry, Mr. Wood left Victoria, and took up his residence in London, where he practised his profession 520