The obituary of Monday's Times notices the death of one
of the earliest and wealthiest settlers in Victoria, the Hon. W. H. S. Osmand. Mr. Osmand, a Devonshire man, barn in the early "twenties," entered the Royal Navy—his father had been surgeon on board the Swiftsure at Trafalgar—but soon left it to seek his fortune in Australia. There by a stroke of luck he started a sheep and dairy farm in the centre of what proved to be a rich goldfield at Stawell, and when the " rush " began made his fortune as a provision dealer, taking payment from the diggers in the form of liens on their claims. In this way he became practically the owner of the Stawell goldfields, acquired immense station properties in Western and South Australia—his total representing eight million acres—and was reputed at his death to be worth over 22,000,000. Mr. Osmand, who was a Member of the Legislative Council of Victoria, kept a steam yacht, and visited Europe, was thus a very different type of millionaire from his contemporary, James Tyson, the " sundowner " squatter, who died intestate the other day, leaving a fortune of over £2,000,000, £68,000 of which went to give him a proven domicile after his death.
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