Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/80

 been twice married: first, in 1842, to Ellen, daughter of the late William Hawker, M.D., of Charing, Kent, and Liége, Belgium, formerly surgeon in the Grenadier Guards, who died in 1846; and secondly, in 1852, to Anne Jane, eldest daughter of the late Captain William Hamilton, of Eden, co. Donegal, Ireland, an officer in the Rifle Brigade, who served with distinction in the Peninsular War.

Brownrigg, Major Henry Studholme, second son of General John Studholme Brownrigg, C.B., by Katherine, second daughter of the Right Hon. Sir H. W. Williams Wynn, G.C.H., was born on March 18th, 1843, and married on April 26th, 1881, Alice, daughter of R. L. Waters, Dublin. He entered the army as ensign in the Rifle Brigade in April 1861, and became lieutenant in 1865, captain in 1873, and major in 1881. Major Brownrigg, who passed the final examination at the Staff College in 1875, distinguished himself in the Afghan campaign of 1878 and 1879, being mentioned in despatches and given brevet rank as major. He was employed with the local forces in Victoria from Sept. 1883 to Sept. 1888, when he succeeded Colonel as commandant, with the local rank of lieutenant-colonel. This position he held till Nov. 1889, when he returned to England, and has since been employed in India.

'''Bruce, Lieut.-Col. John''', sometime Commandant, Western Australia, was born in 1808, and entering the army, was an officer in the 16th and 18th Regiments of Foot. He went to Western Australia with his regiment, and was for twenty years Staff-officer of Pensioners and Commandant of Western Australia. He was Acting Governor of the colony in Feb. 1862, and from Nov. 1868 to Sept. 1869, during the interim between the departure of Governor and the arrival of Governor. He died on Nov. 5th, 1870, at the age of sixty-two.

Brunker, Hon. James Nixon, M.L.A., late Minister of Lands, New South Wales, has represented East Maitland in the Legislative Assembly of that colony for a number of years; and was Secretary for Lands under from July to August 1888. When the last Parkes Government was formed in March 1889 Mr. Brunker was reappointed to the Lands Department, and held a seat in the Cabinet until Oct 1891, when he retired with his colleagues.

Brunton, William, M.I.C.E., a highly ingenious inventor, was the third son of William Brunton, also a well-known inventor, and was born at Birmingham on April 3rd, 1817. In 1847 he was appointed Resident Engineer of the West Cornwall Railway, Chief Engineer of the Punjab Railway in 1865, and District Engineer of Railways in Southland, New Zealand, in 1871. Mr. Brunton, who died at Wellington, New Zealand, on June 13th, 1881, invented an apparatus for washing and separating ores from their matrix, known as "Brunton's Endless Cloth," and also a fuse-making machine, the secret of which has never been divulged, but which at once reduced the selling price of fuse by 75 per cent Mr. Brunton became M.I.C.E. in March 1854.

Bryce, Hon. John, is one of the oldest settlers in New Zealand, having been brought to the colony as a child in 1840. He came into prominence during the Maori war, and was lieutenant in a troop of yeomanry cavalry at the time of the Hauhau advance upon Wanganui. It was on this occasion that an incident occurred which was made the foundation of a grave charge against Mr. Bryce by Mr. (q.v.) in his History of New Zealand. While Lieutenant Bryce, with his cavalry, was patrolling to the north of Wanganui, a number of Maoris were observed looting farm-buildings, and a sortie was made upon them by the troops. It was asserted by Mr. Rusden, from information alleged to have been communicated through Bishop Hadfield and Sir Arthur Gordon, that Mr. Bryce dashed upon native women and children, "cutting them down gleefully and with ease." Subsequently, Mr. Bryce went to England, and brought an action for libel against Mr. Rusden, when the jury awarded him, £5000 damages, as it was proved in evidence that there were no women present, and that the charge against Mr. Bryce was completely baseless. The late Baron Huddleston presided at the trial, and Sir appeared for Mr. Rusden. In 1871 Mr. Bryce entered Parliament as member for Wanganui, and on Oct. 8th, 1879, he accepted office under Sir as Minister for Native Affairs. About this time a tokunga 64