), (6 July 1824 – 17 August 1906) was an English-born Australian forensic pathologist, drama critic, medical editor and journalist.
He received his early education in Leeds, and in 1843 he went to Sheffield to his uncle, a surgeon in extensive practice there, to whom he was apprenticed for five years.
[2] In 1853 Neild followed the gold rush to Victoria, and practised surgery for a time, but ultimately decided to stay in Melbourne, where he went into business as a chemist and druggist.
Ultimately The Examiner, The Yeoman, and The Weekly Argus were blended into one, under the title of The Australasian, in which Dr. Neild continued to do the theatrical criticism under the signature of "Jaques" or "Jacques" and in more recent times under the nom de plume of "Tahite".
He continued to contribute to The Australasian, and was in 1868 the target of a threat by J. H. Leroy, husband of the actress Madame Marie Duret, after an adverse notice.
Also in 1890, Neild was given a public testimonial at the Princess Theatre with his friend George Selth Coppin presiding.
[1] Several of his scrapbooks, previously considered lost or destroyed, have come to light and are now held by the State Library of Victoria.