The late Rev. William Schofield, the oldest minister in connection with the New South Wales and Queensland Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church, was a native of Bradford, Yorkshire, England. He was born on the 17th of June, in the year 1793, and consequently was within a few days of completing the 85th year of his life.

He became a member of the Wesleyan Church in the year 1814, and was proposed by the Rev. Dr. Townley as a candidate for the ministry, in the year 1826, and accepted by the conference of that year, so that he has held the ministerial office for the long term of fifty-two years. He left England on April 26, 1827, in the ship "Alacrity," and arrived in Port Jackson on the 9th of the following October.

He did not sustain exactly the same position as some of his brother ministers, having been engaged by the British Government as a chaplain, and his destination was Macquarie Harbour, in Tasmania, to which place he proceeded soon after his arrival in Sydney, and he commenced his labours among the prisoners in March, 1828. He continued in Tasmania until the year 1832, when he removed to Parramatta, where he laboured for two years, proceeding to Windsor in the year 1834.

In 1838 he appears to have officiated at Portland Head, and the following year to have been transferred to Sydney, where he continued for three years, the full term allowed by the Methodist system. In 1842, and the two following years, the deceased gentleman was stationed in Melbourne, and in 1845 he returned to Parramatta, and in 1847 to Windsor. His last appointment was to Goulburn in the year 1850, where he laboured for one year, becoming a supernumary, we believe, in 1851, from which date he has resided in or near Sydney.

The above sketch of his ministerial career differs somewhat from the appointments as they appear in the minutes of conference, but we have thought it best to follow the memorandum supplied to us by the secretary of the conference, and we believe really prepared by Mr. Schofield himself.

Of late years the deceased minister was unable to take part in public services, except very occasionally. He was chosen by the council of the Wesleyan College, which is being built at Stanmore, to lay one of the memorial stones, which he did a few weeks ago, as reported in our pages.

His strength had been perceptibly failing since the commencement of the winter, but his health had not been worse than usual, until Thursday in last week when, on returning from Sydney about mid-day, he felt so ill that he went to bed. On Friday, his usual medical adviser was called in, but apprehended no immediate danger. On Saturday, Mr. Schofield was worse, with serious symptoms of typhoid fever and bronchitis, and on Sunday morning it was evident that he was sinking rapidly. About half-past 5 o'clock in the afternoon he passed away to his rest and reward.

That which he had preached to others was a comfort to himself in death. He was interred on Tuesday morning in the Waverley Cemetery, most of the Wesleyan ministers of the city and many others who had known the departed attending the funeral. After making ample provision for his own immediate relatives, Mr. Schofield has left the whole of his property - worth, we believe, upwards of £40,000 - to the Wesleyan Church, to be employed as a perpetual loan fund.