1881, he was invited to the pastorate of the Central Methodist Church (Bloor Street), Toronto. No transfers were made that year, and, on this fact becoming known, he was immediately and unanimously invited to the Brant Avenue Church, Brantford. On the closing of his three years’ pastoral term in that city he was again invited by the same church in Toronto, and entered upon his duties in the Central Methodist Church, Toronto, in June, 1855. Since he took charge of the Central Church it has greatly prospered under his care, both spiritually and financially. Its membership has increased from two hundred and seventy to four hundred and fifteen, and the congregation has also doubled in attendance. By special collections taken on the first Sabbath of each of the three years of his pastorate, $6,000 was contributed, being $2,000 at each collection, and, with other moneys in hand, $7,000 has been paid off the church debt, and the regular Sunday collections and pew rents also show a very large increase. In recognition of Rev. Mr. Benson’s services as pastor, the official board raised his salary from $1,500 to $2,000, and in addition to this have furnished and provided him with a comfortable parsonage free. It is almost needless to say that Rev. Mr. Benson is not only a favourite with the people of his own church, but with others of the same denomination in the city, in proof of which he has been unanimously invited, at the close of his term in the Central Church, to take charge of the large congregation worshipping in Berkeley Street Methodist Church. Rev. Mr. Benson has largely enjoyed the advantages of travel, both throughout the Dominion of Canada and in foreign countries. In 1871, in company with the late illustrious Rev. Dr. Punshon, he crossed the continent, and beheld the wonders of the Rocky mountains, and the Sierra Nevadas, the Geyser springs, the Yosemite Valley, and Salt Lake City. He also enjoyed the pleasure, or perhaps, endured the pain, of a sea voyage, and visited Victoria, New Westminster, Fort Yale, and places on the Pacific coast. In 1879 he crossed the Atlantic and made a still more extended tour through France, Italy, Switzerland, South-eastern Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, and Ireland; and during his stay in London was the guest of Rev. Dr. Punshon, who kindly helped him to see London in all its phases. After his return to Canada, Rev. Mr. Benson communicated the many spirit-stirring scenes he had witnessed in distant lands to appreciative audiences throughout Ontario, by eloquent lectures on “The Wonders of the Yosemite,” “Across the Continent,” “British Columbia,” and more recently, on “Memories of Rome,” “Switzerland,” “In Rhineland,” and on London, Paris, and some of the Italian cities he had visited. He is an earnest worker in the Sunday-school, and is always ready to labor for the Master. As a teetotaller he is most pronounced, and is strongly impressed with the idea that nothing short of the total prohibition of the liquor traffic will save this Canada of ours from becoming like many of the places he has visited in Europe—slaves to the intoxicating cup. Rev. Mr. Benson is one of the directors of the Grimsby Park Company, and has been director of services for the past four years. Under his able management this park has been an extraordinary success, and year after year it is becoming one of the most favourite resorts for those who seek quiet, with a moderate amount of physical and intellectual excitement, during the summer months. On the 9th of July, 1867, he was united in marriage to Julia, third daughter of the Hon. Walter McCrea, judge of Algoma county, Ontario, and has had a family consisting of nine children, seven of whom are now living, five daughters and two sons.
Tilley, Sir Samuel Leonard, K.C.M.G., Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Brunswick, Fredericton, one of the most prominent of our Canadian statesmen, is the son of Thomas M. Tilley, of Queen’s county, New Brunswick, and great-grandson of Samuel Tilley, of Brooklyn, New York, a U. E. loyalist, who, at the termination of the American revolutionary war, came to New Brunswick, and became a grantee of the now city of St. John in that province. Sir Leonard was born at Georgetown, Queen’s county, on the 8th May, 1818, and received his education at the Grammar school of his native village, and when he had attained his thirteenth year, went to St. John, and became apprenticed to an apothecary. Before beginning business for himself, Mr. Tilley was for a time in the employ of William O. Smith, druggist, a gentleman of superior intellectual parts, and who took an active interest in all the political movements of the day. It was probably from him that the future lieutenant-governor of the province derived his first lessons in political economy, and which served him so well when he was minister of finance for the Dominion of Canada, and we say, without being far astray, that Mr. Smith plainly saw that his lessons were not likely to be wasted on this clear-headed and enthusiastic young man. Young Tilley too, being sprung from loyalist stock, it is only fair to assume that whenever, if ever he should bring himself before the public, he would find a prepossession in his favour. He became a prominent member of a debating society when seventeen, and took a leading part in political discussions, and shortly afterwards became an able advocate of the cause of temperance. It may be said here that from that far-past day to this Mr. Tilley has always been loyal to his temperance principles, has always seized the opportunity to forward the movement, and upon all occasions has shown the sincerity of his character by the practice of his precepts. In recognition of his distinguished services in the cause, the National Division of the Sons of Temperance of America, in 1854, elected him to the highest office in the order, namely, that of Most Worthy Patriarch, and which position he held for two years. In enlarged politics the first heard of Mr. Tilley was in 1849, when he was the seconder on the paper of B. Ansley, who was returned by a good majority. He was one of the foremost promoters of the Railway League, organized to secure the construction of a railway from St. John to Shediac. In 1850 he was elected to the New Brunswick legislature for the city of St. John. Mr. Tilley was at this time a Liberal. The following year the Tory manipulators began to undermine the foundations of their opponents, and they seduced from allegiance the Hon. J. H. Gray and the Hon. R. D. Wilmot [Mr. Gray was afterwards appointed a judge, and Mr. Wilmot a lieutenant-governor], and these two leading gentlemen entered the government. On the day that their secession became known, the Liberal party was naturally shocked and pained at the treachery, but closed up their ranks and resolved still to fight the enemy. Messrs. Tilley, Simonds, Ritchie and Needham thereupon published a card to the people, declaring that if Mr. Wilmot, who had accepted office, was re-elected, they would resign their seats in the house, as they could not, in that case, represent their views. The electors, however, returned Mr. Wilmot, and all the parties on the card, except W. H. Needham, resigned their seats. Mr. Tilley then returned to private life. But he was not long to remain “a mute, inglorious Milton.” In 1854 the Liberals were triumphant, and Mr. Tilley obtained a portfolio in the new administration. From that time up to 1885, when he resigned his seat in the House of Commons at Ottawa, with the exception of a couple of breaks, he had enjoyed a remarkable lease of power, having been a member of the New Brunswick and Dominion governments during many long years, except the session of 1851, and part of the extra session of 1854. In 1856 he was beaten on the liquor question, but in 1857 regained power, and became leader of the administration in 1860, which position he retained till March, 1865. He attended the conference held in Prince Edward Island to discuss maritime union, and subsequently appeared at the Quebec conference, where he made a telling speech on the importance of the province he represented. The proceedings of the Quebec conference were kept from the public with the most zealous care, but one member belonging to a sea province told his wife one day that “it was no use,” he was unable “to keep it any longer.” He unburthened himself to a newspaper editor, when with the speed of the wind intelligence of the affair was spread through the British North American provinces. At once in the lower provinces a storm of opposition was raised to the scheme, and presses rolled out tons of pamphlets, placards, circulars and open letters, denouncing the scheme, and calling upon the people to rise and thwart Tilley and other enemies of his country. The ministry fell. The Irish were all the time rampant and unappeasable. They all remembered how Ireland had once been sold, and their representative newspaper became so bitter as to eventually overreach its aim. To help along the scheme and defeat the great booming of the Irish, fate brought along the Fenian scare. The government resigned, and Mr. Tilley was sent for to form an administration. A new election took place in 1866, and the antis got a still worse drubbing than had fallen to the lot of the supporters of confederation. A short time afterwards Mr. Tilley attended the conference in England, formed to procure a Chart of Union, and he was, in July, 1867, made a C.B. (civil), in recognition of his distinguished services. He resigned his seat in the New Brunswick legislature and government to become minister of customs in the new Canadian cabinet. From November, 1868, to April, 1869, he acted as minister of public works, and on the 22nd of February, 1873, he was made minister of finance. This
