INQUEST ON THE BODY OF CAPTAIN DRIVER.

An inquest on the body of Captain Driver, late of the brigantine Despatch, was held at the Washdyke Hotel on Monday, before B. Woollcombe, Esq., the Coroner of the district and a jury of fourteen, of which Mr Richard Turnbull was foreman. The following evidence was taken : — Herbert Boys, being sworn, said, I am a master mariner. On the day the brigantine Despatch came on shore I was on board of her. 1 identify tho body lying here as the body of Capt. Driver, of the Despatch. Hewasou board on tho day the vessel went on shore. About a quarter to eleven o'clock on Friday night Capt. Driver was speaking to me with reference to tho safety of the vessel. He was then in good health and in his right senses. After this, and while I was at the pumps, I saw the galley capsize from a heavy sea striking it. The captain at that time, about eleven o'clock, was in the galley. Tho mate asked then where the captain was, and went forward, and I heard him say, " here, the captain is under the galley, come and lend a hand." I wont forward. I and another man lifted the galley up, and the mate lifted tho captain up, and his body was passed down to me into the forecastle There was then no life in his body. His mouth aud chin appeared to be smashed, liis eyes appeared to be swollen, and his nose was swollen up. There was blood from his nose and mouth. I then went on deck, leaving the body in the ' forecastle. It might have been about a quarter of an hour from the time the galley was capsized till the captain's body was taken from under. The sea at the time was breaking right over the vessel, and we were obliged to hold on for our lives. By Foreman : I believe the vessel was driving at the time the sea struck the vessel. Tho vessel was fit to go to sea. The wind at the time was S.S. East. I cannot say if the vessel could go to sea. I was a passenger on board. Alexander Taylor : lam a master mariner. I was mate of tho Despatch on Friday night tho 12th instant. I was on board of her. I have seen the body lying here. It is the body of Joshua E. Driver. He was the captain of the Despatch. Ho was on board that night. Between ten and twclvo o'clock that night I spoke to Captain Driver in the galley. Ho told me to go down aud seo how the barometer was. When I came again on deck I found the galley capsized. My impression at the time was that the captain had been washed overboard, but after searching for him I found him buried under the galley. The men assisted mo to lilt the galley, and I drew him out from under it and got him into the forecastle, when ho appeared quite dead. I left tho last witness in charge of him to do what he could for him. The galley was a box about five feet squaro and five and a-half feet high, fitted with an American stove. I saw that the face was bruized from the blood on it. The bruize I observe now on the left side of the head must have been done at the time He showed no signs of life when I took him from under the galley. The galley was secured with a chain placed over the top, the ends secured to ring bolts in the deck. I could not Bay whether the chain or ring bolts gave way. There was a heavy sea breaking over the vessel at the time, and she dragged ashore and was wrecked. I believe the vessel was sea worthy. I think we might have gone to sea at about seven o'clock. By the Foreman : It was not more than ten minutes from the time I left the Captain till I returned to the galley. By a Juror : The Captain came on board about four o'clock in tho afternoon of that day. He appeared then in good health, and quite capable of taking charge of the vessel. The galley was perfectly secured. When the Captain sent me to look at the barometer he was quite sober. I saw no Bignal from the shore to go to sea. I did not see a rocket fired on shore. The galley was placed abaft the foremast on tho deck. The hands working at the pump could not see tho galley. As fur as I know the men did not know the Captain was in the galley. The water was up to the rails of tho vessel at. times, and was quite sufficient to drown the Captain where I found him. I cannot say whether there was any things on the person of the Captain when he was taken into the forecastle. He had a large coat on at the time. He had just turned out. I think he turned in about seven o'clock. Donald Macaulay : I am an ordinary seaman, late belonging to the Despatch. She was wrecked on the beach about five miles from Timaru. Yesterday in the forenoon I was moving some portion of the vessel that was loose, when I saw the feet of deceased. I then with others of the crew got the body out ; it was lying on some shingle insido the vessel. The Captain was taken to the forecastle when he was. got from under the galley. He was not moved when we left the vessel, but was moved since. The body when I found it was dressed as now, there was no coat on. The forecastle is below, and divided from the hold by a partition of inch plank. Part of the partition was broken down. The body had a coat on when taken to the forecastle but none when I found it. We all left the wreck when we landed, and returned after daylight. There was no one there then. The Captain sometimes wore a watch, but not always. All hands were searching for the Captain's property. The cabin is all broken up. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death," and added as a rider to the verdict, that " the jury beg to record their disapprobation of the room in which the body was placed, being totally unfit by its limited space for the proper viewing of the body." r We understand that the body of Captain Driver is to be forwarded by the first steamer to Dunedin for burial, it having been plased in a leaden coffin for that purpose.