News of the Day.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 386, 18 June 1866, Page 3

News of the Day.

Important Land Sale.—We would draw public attention to an important sale of land which will take place to-morrow (Tuesday) at 2 p.m., by Mr John Stuart, at his mart, Eastern Spit. Geocsries, &c. —Mr John Stuart will sell to-morrow (Tuesday,) immediately after thd above, a lot of groceries, saddlery, cottage piano, and other goods. Ball. —The return ball given by the inhabitants of Napier to the members of the Colonial Defence Force came off in the Council Chamber on the evening of Thursday last, and was a complete success. Military. —We have been informed that the Colonial Defence force at present stationed in the town are under orders to proceed to Waipawu at an early date, in order to relieve the company of H.M, 14th Regt. j stationed there. ° Meanee Bakery. —We are happy to observe from an advertisement elsewhere that a want which has long been felt in the Meanee district is about to be supplied. We allude to the fact that the rising township of Meanee will shortly be able to boast of a f bakehouse, —the spirited proprietor of which will, we trust, receive every encouragement. Mr Pat Kennedy. —A number of the Spit folk were assembled at the Commercial on Friday night last, owing to the fact of the gentleman whose name heads this paragraph having intimated to the public by means of placards and advertisement that he would make his appearance there in his new (?) character as Military Settler. 1 About twenty people attended, and the performance was—well, our informant declines ; expressing any opinion on the matter. ) The Late Dr. Bateson. —ln our last ■ we intimated the fact that Dr J. M. Bateson expired suddenly at the Shamrock Hotel on Tuesday last. On Thursday, 14th June, an * inquest was held on the body, before Dr J Hitchings, coroner, and a jury, when the 1 following verdict was returned: —“ That the deceased, John Moses Bateson, died from serous apoplexy.” A full report of the ■ evidence adduced will be found elsewhere. The remains of the deceased gentleman were conveyed to town the same day (Thursday,) ! and interred in the Church of England Cemetery —the burial service being conducted by {2 the Rev. Dr Saywell.

Dinner. —The occasion of the friendly chiefs Kopu and Ihaka, and their followers, to the number of about one hundred, being on a visit to this town, was taken advantage j of by his Honor the Superintendent, and i certain other gentlemen, to give them a public dinner in the Council Chamber, by way of recognising their unwavering loyalty to her Majesty, and the services they have rendered on the East Coast during the late ; rebellion. The dinner took'place on the evening of Tuesday 12th June. Several . Heretaunga chiefs, including Karaitiana, } Renata, and Tareha, were present; as also 1 were a number of townsfolk. The affair } passed off with great eclat, and was in every ! respect a great success. After the disposal of the good things provided, there was a coa* siderable quantity of speechifying, principally in the Maori tongue.

Unsettled State of the Disaffected Natives. —The accounts we have to baud of the proceedings of the rebels in the Auckland province are most unsatisfactory. They seem by no means agreed to abide by the decision arrived at at their late grand - runauga, to await quietly the departure of the troops, or anytuiug else that may turn up in their favor ; but, on the contrary, to be possessed with another delusion which will probably lead them to the commission of more excesses both on the European settlements and the friendly I natives. That they will themselves be the J chief sufferers, there can be no doubt; but in the meantime they may commit no small amount of damage, and inflict much suffering upon the community. We give from the '< Auckland papers such details as have come \' r to hand, and which will suiiice to show that the snake of rebellion, though scotched, is not yet killed, and may yet give further proofs of its vitality.

Provincial Council. —We would remind those interested that the Provincial Council will meet at the Council Chamber to-morrow (Tuesday) afternoon, at 3 o’clock. Arapawanui. —A correspondent, under date 16th June, w r rites us as follows: “ Kopu and his men arrived here last night. This morning they mustered all the horses they could find, the property alike of Europeans and natives. One European took two horses away from them; these they had mounted, and were taking off to Wairoa, although they v, T ere his, or under his care. Kopu admits having taken four horses belonging to the natives.” RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT. Thursday, 14th June. (Before John Carling, Esq., R.M.) LARCENY. Thomas Floyd, who was remanded from Wednesday on a charger- of stealing £l3, the property of Mr Charles O’Donnell, was again brought up, and the charge being proved against him, was fully committed for trial at the next Criminal Sittings of the Supremo Court, to be held in August next. There were no cases on Friday.

INQUEST. As inquest was held at the Shamrock Hotel, Tareha’a Bridge, on Thursday, 14th Jnno, at eleven o’clock, on the body of John Moses Bateson, who died there suddenly on Tuesday, the 12th ; before Thomas Eitchings, Esq., coroner, and the following jury ;—E. Dyett (foreman), John Lingard, Louis Duval, John Murray, Joel Massey, Lawrence Dunn, Hendrick Boeen, Peter Clark, Joseph Johnston, John Lever, Israel Trask, and John M'Cabe.

The Coeohee addressed the jury to the following effect: —lt was no doubt known to them all that the deceased had expired suddenly at the Shamrock Hotel, but there had been so many contradictory rumours as to the cause of death, that he had considered it absolutely necessary to hold an inquest on the body. The evidence he should call was that of Mr 11. Jeffares, of the Clive Hotel, at whose house deceased had stayed the previous night; that of Mr M’Murray, the landlord of the Shamrock Hotel, where ho died ; and perhaps some other witnesses of hi- death. He would then conclude with the evidence of the medical gentlemen who made the 2 Jos t mortem examination of the body. Mr E. Jeeeaees was*then called, but found to be absent. The Coaois'EE said that his evidence was required to show the state of the deceased on the night before, and the morning of, Ids death. It was not, however, indispensable, and the inquest would have to proceed w ithout him. James M‘Mereav, being sworn, deposed : —I am landlord of the Shamrock Hotel, and knew the deceased by sight. On Tuesday last, between ten and eleven o’clock, he came to my publichouse with the chief Eenata and two other natures. He had been drinking. I did not notice anything strange in his manner, except that though 1c spoke sensibly, it was very slowly and drowsily. 1 left the house for about two hours, and when I returned dinner was ready, and deceased was asleep on the sofa. I did not rouse him. In a few minutes after we had commenced dinner he awoke, and I asked him to join us. He did so. There were three or four people at the table at the time. I served him, and immediately after he began to breathe very heavily, and dropped his knife and fork. He look out bis pocket handkerchief and held it to his face, his head at the same time dropping over his plate. I saw his face was discoloured, and fancied he was choking. I raised his head, and his arms dropped by his side. A piece of vegetable marrow fell from his mouth. I unfastened his collar and belt and held him upright while some one bathed his head with vinegar, but in about five minutes he died. He died quietly in my arms. I had not - served him with any liquor, as 1 had been out; but I believe the barman sold him two glasses of brandy. James Tayxoe, sworn, deposed :—1 stay at Mr M'Murray’s hotel. On the 12th about 11* o’clock deceased came here in company with three Maoris. He had been drinking. He called for liquor for himself and them, and I supplied him. He drank pale brandy without water. About twenty minutes after he got another glass, which be also took without water. He then asked me if he mi lit He on a sofa in the parlour. 1 told him ho could, find he lay there and slept till dinner-time, which was about half-past one. He awoke while we were at dinner, and joined us. I went into the bar, and while there hoard a cry that Dr Bateson was choking. I came back and saw that he was black in the taco. He was breathing heavily, and Mr JVi‘Murray was hoiding up lus head and unfastening his shirt collar. He died at a quarter-to two. ixEOBGS Xeeeakd Kussexx, M.iI.C.S, L.S.A., being sworn, deposed : —I reside at Haveloc k. On Tuesday I was in town,_and about half past two I was summoned to attend Dr Bateson, who had been suffocated. 1 came to the Shamrock Hotel as quickly as possible, and found him dead. Ho had apparently been dead two hours, his body being still warm. His countenance was tranquil, find the only mark was a slight discoloration on both sides oi the neck. He was lying on one side, and therefore this was not caused by the gravitation of the blood. I thought at once that lie had died of. apoplexy, as there ’was nothing in his throat. I atu»v. urds made a post mortem examination of the brain, and found great venous congestion, and the sub-arachnoid spaces filled with effused serum to the level of the convolutions. 1 tnade a section ol the brain, and found the ventricles completely distended with serum. There inust have been at hast two ounces, and it had apparently been accumulating for about iwcnlyhuir hours. . T; is, in my opinion, was quite sutticietil to produce ail the symptoms fflach have

been mentioned as occurring in this ease. The pressure of such an amount of fluid on the brain, both internally and externally, was quite sufficient to produce heaviness and stupor, and ultimately death. I did not consider it necessary to examine the stomach, as the evident cause of death was serous apoplexy. By a juryman.—l do not consider that the drink he had that day was the cause of his death, but his previous drinking habits. The Coeonek then said that, according to the medical testimony, deceased had come to his death, by habits which were unfortunately only too common in the colony. Such habits in time told upon all who indulged in them, and flic only thing remarkable iu this ease is that they had killed the deceased at the early age of thirty-two years. They would have to find a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence which they had heard, but he would explain what was meant by serous apoplexy, as distinguished from ordinary' or sanguineous apoplexy. In ordinary apoplexy a bloodvessel was ruptured on the brain, and a clot of blood formed ; but serous apoplexy was caused by the effusion of the serous or watery portion of the blood upon the brain without any rupture. This was the most fatal kind, as the lives of persons attacked by the other might often be saved by bleeding. He would now leave the jury to consider their verdict.

The jury, without retiring, found “that the deceased, John Moses Bateson, died from serous apoplexy.”