THE BANQUET.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9464, 29 July 1881, Page 2

THE BANQUET.

At 9 o'clock the members of titf^H gade and some visitors, to the E^^H of some sixty or seventy, sat off^H capital spread in the Eutland f^M lal -■ it in Host Evans's best S^"^B :r the tables had been clearwjM the usual loyal toasts duly liono^B Captain Cummins, who presided. upon the Secretary and Treasi^^B read their reports for the infonns'^H

tcr which the Chairmau rethe satisfactory position in Brigade stood* as compared ear. c - Chairman (Lieut. Shaw) " The Borough Council," tb the name of the Mayor, Watt, remarking that that eally the main support of the If it had not been for the jey had received from the d the Insurance Companies have ceased to exist long- ago. ras received with enthusiasm, ivere all the toasts that folTbe Jolly Smith," Fireman ship the Mayor, in responde Borough Council, said he bat two such important in- ; s the Council and the Brigade iuch good terms with each each case the town reaped :, He was quite sure that c might always rely upon reh substantial assistance from il as was consistent with its c rest of the ratepayers. ■ The Fire Brigade," Fireman jurman proposed "The Fire mupled with the names of Lew and Lieutenant Lighthe new Fire Police supplied a Wt, which had been attempted Hied several times, but which hssunied practical shape until [ felt sure that the Corps Lop into a most useful institful in guarding property feres, and in seconding the be Brigade to prevent further [Good Old Jeff," Foreman lew aud Lightband responded, ling the hearty way in which 111 been received, and expreslope and belief that the Corps > equal to the high expecta--1 of it. flic Old Grey Mare," Fireev. .a'ry Spurdle proposed " The ■s' ' Association, ' ' remarking :re indebted to the Insurance equally with the Borough the liberal financial assistiad received. The Brigade r have reached its present ste of efficiency had it not iiduous practice, and in this ecu encouraged, by the Inipanies, who had presented he handsome trophy which the table. ■c Song by Fireman Miller, ■me Like a Soldier Fall," ■ulptin and Kirker, whose ■ken coupled with the In■npanies' toast, briefly reft latter observing that he ■of the reputation for effiR^eil by the Wanganui Bri■fore he arrived here. fee Anchor's Weighed," Mr ■age of the proceedings Mr Became forward, and, adBptain Cummins, said it ■ very great pleasure to pre■piece (a handsome clock, ■im placed on the table) to ■which he hoped they would ■lien they had succeeded in flii their new station buildBis having been given for ■mm, on behalf of himself , Bulf:, suitably acknowledged ' ■The Lnrboard Watch," i ffr find Kirker. , Hll< -.-i- proposed " TheHonoi «." which was responded to i Hi-;; and W;itt, thenamesof i Rich being coupled with the H-Come where my Love . ft:." Messrs Drew, LightC H. mid Foster. > ■jiK'jiused '• The Wanganui , ft ' (-'oupk'd with the name . Himmiins, and in doing so 1 K the men upon their pref Bii'.id undoubted popularity, l ftii- comparisons with other Bethought he was not going ■. ftuk in saying that theßrir Biuiist popular body in the X B v,-;is mainly composed of By vigour of their manhood, B ivin;u-l;jibly strong feoling I H'v,,/.-.', who were always Bmd dare anything rather ftum-tiv.nl to cope with the OMI dangers that faced them H e " ! Jl ' PSon t efficiency had 3 > fted without rigorous prac- { mi great self-denial, much £ mit'ort. and at fires conniary sacrifice in the deiS otlmijr. The practices took ;r avkuws of the night, Avhen '" lie to look on and approve, •rallyin.Lr point wasonlythe 5) uh\ it vr,.| S a matter for *> '0111111 ion that both the *' t!io public bad the utmost a > th<- officers of the Brigade. ld niiis was a host in himself, l f ■ c v ' i!S n "^ IKnv dependent 3t B twin, however excellent, II B^ 1 -' 1 ' 1 "-* were able to step in- '£ Bs places in case of need. J ftn Thousand Miles Away," r * ftvuposixl the health of Mr " B w hich he considered the ** B cvemil .~! and went on at * ftoouio-rise Mr Watt's great !j a ftn of the Wostmere Lake, T ■ *' lc 10 Brigade would * Bless. He thought, in view I * :it ' personal differences *" ftpt away, and all together ** Bnouv to the liberal-hearted jj le Watch on the Ehine," ■F cnvlec ' secl tlic ver y warm j® Banner in which the toast at Bf 0^ C could only say g Bbey had such an efficient ft 11 gift to good account. m , W id that t]ie water was not I' ■»"% hail been established ' B>t analysis. He regretted _ -ftf," 1 ' 3 iwd, even with ref! Jft.^.'nisjndged his motives .v'W'Y^tontions. However, y[ B ■•W th|* brigade apprenh Bft igades >" " The Press," £ H and "The Host and to B* aftonvarc^ proposed and . jß> several songs were sung, *" yy broke up'ufc 2 a.m. JP^QUEST. Lty-fti Was lloW at tlie Steam jet mj' es t«'u;vy on the body of a /■P. named Mitarina / who Mhewh on Tuesday night, ■Wase, Esq., Coroner, and ■3Uiy -.—S. H. Drew (foreit. » ci T 3 ' V - L - Sim, M. M. m Join;-;, c. Hines, W. H. W'vi B«ivess. Thos. Mes- • »itv las " Tonis ' w - H- ** W, (mal '- j as interpreter. 1 » ■ V J°- vit --od the body, & m!'i' 0 "- iC - and deposed ■c (ie ." examiuund W^ms lyiu S a t the Steam &«B - tovmd them to be ** »re , and extremities nf a tt» ■n !cb 3^d been subiected el ■Pare. He could not eaj

• whether or not fire was the cause of i death. He believed the remains to be I those of a female adult. — Constable O'Connor deposed that he was on duty ) on the Rutland Hill on the night of ' the 27th inst., and at about 11.45 o'clock , he noticed a fire at Putiki. He did not t think it was a house on fire, as the blaze ; was very small. Shortly afterwards he i met a fireman, named Ward, and after ; some conversation in reference to the s fire, he went over to Putiki, arriving . there about 12.30. He found that a , Maori whare was on fire, and was nearly ■ burnt down. There was no one present at that time, but Mr Ward arrived a few l minutes afterwards, and they made a breach in the fence to stop the fire from • spreading. Some minutes later some j Natives arrived and informed them that • the hut had been inhabited, and they >. pointed out a black lump in the middle l of the floor. By the aid of a pole witness [ fished this out of the flames, and found ; it to be the remains of a human body. The other Natives did not appear at all i excited, and left the spot in a very few ; minutes. The whares near the fire were uninhabited, and he did not think there . were any Natives living within three or four hundred yards of Mitarina's i whare. — Harata, a Native woman living ' at Putiki, stated that she knew Mitarina, • and last saw her alive on Tuesday about . noon in the whare which was burned, . where she lived by herself. There were other Natives living in whares about one . hundred yards from Mitarina's whare, i but they were asleep on ths night in question. Mitarina was a very old woman, quite blind and helpless, and witness believed that she was burned in the whare. She always had a fire burning in the whare at night. — The jury returned an open verdict, there being 1 no evidence to show how the fire originated.