Mr. John Donaldson , of Kew, Caver-sham, was born in the parish of Shotts. near Glasgow, Scotland, and emigrated to Victoria in 1862. In 1865 he came to New Zealand, attracted by the reports of the Hokitika and West Coast goldfields, where he had varying success. He was then for a year at the Thames, whence he removed to Otago. After some years spent in prospecting on the Otago goldfields as far as Cromwell, Mr. Donaldson determined to try his fortunes in the city. Accordingly he went to Dunedin in 1870 and began work as a baker—a trade he had followed in the Old Country. Some time afterwards he started on his own account in what was long known as the “Glasgow Pie Shop,” then a wooden building, on the site of the premises now occupied by Mr. lies, hairdresser. After several years of prosperous business, carried on with the assistance of his wife (to whom he attributes much of his success), he purchased the freehold of the old shop, together with the adjoining premises at the corner of Dowling and Princes Streets, on which stood the handsome brick structure which is still there, and which was then occupied by Messrs Gillies and Street. He thereupon rebuilt the old pie house, and, in doing so, followed the architectural design of the corner building. He also acquired the right to a lease of the adjoining land fronting Dowling Street, and on it erected the substantial building, lately known as the “Shades Hotel;” in doing this Mr. Donaldson continued the same architectural design, and thus completed the handsome block of buildings which still remains. Having successfully carried on, in the enlarged premises, the combined business of the “Pie Shop” and hotelkeeper, he, in the year 1884, sold out his interest in the whole property, freehold and leasehold, to the Mutual Life Association of Australasia Limited, whose offices are now in the corner part of the building. After taking a short rest, he purchased the freehold of the old Oriental Hotel property, on the opposite sides of Dowling and Princes Streets, and at once proceeded to pull down the old wooden building and to erect on its site (about thirty feet square) a substantial four storey brick building, which formed the first portion of the present Excelsior Hotel. Subsequently he acquired the freehold of the balance of the quarter acre section, the Princes Street frontage of which was occupied by a number of small wooden shops, and the back part of the section along the whole frontage of Dowling Street was a high precipitous rock. Mr. Donaldson at once set to work to have the section reduced to street level, and the buildings fronting Princes Street removed. The whole of the work was carried out under Mr. Donaldson's own personal direction and supervision, and occupied about two or three years. Although a great deal of blasting was required to remove the hard rocky formation, the work was carried out without the slightest accident. Along the whole of the Princes Street frontage, and part of the Dowling Street one, he erected a large and substantial brick building, completing one of the best blocks of buildings in the city, and adding largely to the accommodation of the Excelsior Hotel, which he shortly afterwards leased to Mr. R. McKenzie. Since then he has not engaged in business, and lives at his private residence, Upper Kew, Caversham. In 1890, accompanied by his wife and one of his daughters, Mr. Donaldson visited Great Britain, where he remained about nine months. Mr. Donaldson never took any prominent part in public affairs. He married Miss McPherson, daughter of an old colonist, and has a family of three sons and three daughters. His eldest son is employed in the Government Railway Department, and one of his daughters is Miss May Donaldson, well known in musical circles.