Mr. Henry George Bell , formerly in business on a large scale, as a flax-dresser at “Amerfoot,” Blenheim, was born in London, England, in 1837. He went to sea at the age of fifteen, and remained there for about six years. In 1860, he landed in Sydney, and shortly afterwards crossed to New Zealand. He settled down in Marlborough, and followed bushfelling for a time, but in 1874, he turned his attention to flax-milling. Mr. Bell was for a time manager of the Government Reserve accommodation house, on Manuka Island, but had been previously stationed for nine years in Fabian's Valley. In 1874, he leased the Waihopai Reserve, and carried on sheep farming for twenty-one years, besides conducting the accommodation house. At the expiration of his lease, Mr. Bell, having been burnt out of his flaxmill at Waihopai, removed his plant to the “Amersfoot” site in Blenheim. A few years ago he met with a painful accident, which dislocated his hip, and since then he has been unable to take a very active part in local affairs. He is, however, a member of the Marlborough Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Bell married a daughter of the late Mr. William Pipe, of Fabian's Valley. He is now (1905) out of business.