The following notice of Sir Sutherland appears in the Stren, a paper devoted to shipping and kindred interests How a Scotchman excels in the kirk may best be seen in Scotland: how the same man excels in business may best be seen in London. Not of course, that he leaves his religion behind him when he—comes south of the Border, but inasmuch as we are all so completely creatures of circumstance, it should appear to be not unreasonable that, whereas north of the Tweed the kirk possesses the man, south of it, say in London, Mammon should claim him. Atall events, young Sutherland came south when he was quite a smooth-faced Ind. His parents had given hima good education, and he made the earliest use of it after his arrival in London by, entering the service of the P. and Steamship Company. But he soon saw that the ladder of progress would serve him little if he failed to acquire Eastern experience, and to the East he accordingly went when he was not more than twenty-one years of age. In India he made many friends—who served him well, when he later on went to China, by advising him in sufficient time for him to create the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, in anticipation of the Imperial Chinese Bank, or whatever other name it mizht have had. He ripened rapidly in India—even Europeans sometimes emulate the native example in that respect—and in the course found service and the high road to fortune in China, The P. & 0. Company was scarcely known then in those days, but by dint of energy he soon made its—and his own—name famous, and became a menier of the Hongkong Legislative Assembly. Mr. Thomas Sutherland found his way from China to Japan, where he built up further connections for the P. & O, Company, and having become now a man of fairly mature years he thought it high time to return to London, Fortune favoured him there—for the management of the company had fallen into a stressful muddle, and there was a capable and pushing man wanted to set matters right. Of course, Mr. Sutherland proved to be the man, and for all that the shareholders have enjoyed during the ast eighteen years they have certainly their present chairman to thank.. Durin, a series of years he completely an effectively reorganised the' company's administration; he introduced into the fleet not only now ships which were things of beauty and joy to the engers for ever, but new men, who raught the crews up to a higher standard of efficiency than had ever been the case before, Economies were effected here, and more lavish expenditure directed there, so that the various lines maintained by the Company might be placed upon a mire remunerative basis. "The result has been that the ordinary stockholders have had a ten per cent dividend for years, Tt is surely small wonder, then, that Mr, 'Thomas became Sir 'Thomas Sutherland, K.C.M.G., and in this year of Jubilee a G.C.M.G." He married late in life, when his fame and fortune were made, He has sat upon Parliamentary Commissions, and "H. W.L."—always with an eye to' business, no doubt—delights to record his move: ments in the columns of the daily press, He—Sie Thomas—hes a fine town hous andj a country residence of considerable pretensions, and, besides being the chair. {man of the P. & 0. Corapany, is on the boards of the Suez Canal, the City Bank, and other financial institutions. He is not an orator, but he "talks" business ina masterful' manner, What he has done is colossal in comparatively so short life; what ho has yet to be given is a peerage. He would prove an ornament to the Gilded Chamber.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.