New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 24, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 380, 24 March 1849, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 24, 1849.

We are very glad to be able to announce the final settlement of the Cemetery question, which at one time threatened to become a fruitful source of irritation and contention, but which has been arranged in a spirit of mutual concession and in a^manner reflecting the greatest credit on all parties. We have extracted from yesterday's Government Gazette thei terms ,pf the arrangement, which we have no doubt will give very general satisfaction.

Horrible Murder. — A senes of murders of the most dreadful and appalling nature was committed on Thursday night on the Porirua Road, which has created the deepest sensation of horror and astonishment throughout the community. John Branks, who with his family have heen the victims of this atrocious crime, resided about five or six hundred yards beyond the Church on the Porirua Road and about five miles from Wellington. The deceased came out among the original body of settlers, and was highly respected by his neighbours as a sober, honest, industriousman. About eighteen months ago he had the misfortune to lose his wife, who died of lock jaw in consequence of injuries she had received from the fall of a tree, leaving him with three children, two boys and a girl. The deceased had been lately working for Mr. Drake who lives in the neighbourhood, about a quarter of a mile from Branks' house, and who finding he had not come to work yesterday morning between eight and nine o'clock as usual went to his house. On his arrival he found the door fastened, and suspecting that all was not right he called some of Branks's immediate neighbours, and they went together to the. house, into which they forced an entrance, when dreadful to relate they found Branks and his, children had been murdered. Branks was lying dead in a corner near the fireplace, he had received eight wounds upon his head, face, and the back of his neck, most of the wounds were of a desperate nature, three of them penetrating the skull and any of them sufficient to cause death. The bodies of the children were found in bed, the eldest, William, was a fine boy about nine years. old, the second, Ka•therine, was about five 'and a half years old,

the youngest, John, was an infant about two and a half years old. They all had deep wounds on the head penetrating the skull. An axe with which the murders appeared to have been committed was found in the house covered withblood and hair. The things in the house were found thrown about and in disorder as if they had been ransacked for the purpose of plunder. Mr. Drake immediately hastened to Wellington to inform the proper authorities of what had" occurred. Dr. Fitzgerald the coroner, at once proceeded to the scene of this fearful tragedy for the purpose of holding an inquest on the , bodies. The inquest lasted until the evening when it was adjourned until this day. From the way in which the bodies were found it would appear that the murders had been committed in the early part of the night, after the children had gone to bed* f and before the father's usual hour of retiring to rest. A maori who saftUhe. belonged to Ilorowhenua and came with a ,«aessage from Mr. Yule, was the only native seen about Branks's house* the day before, the murders were committed. . *In our next number we hope to be able to publish an account of the proceedings of' the Inquest. A proclamation has been issued by his Excellency the Lieutenant- Governor in Maori and English offering' a reward of Fifty Pounds to whoever shall give such information as may lead to the apprehension and conviction of the perpetrators of this atrocious crime. Since the above was written we have been informed that a Maori was apprehended last night, between nine and ten o'clock, by the police in Polhill's Gulley, at Te Aro ; he was a stranger to the natives living'there, and had been there only an hour previous to his apprehension. His blanket and drawers were marked with spots like stains of blood. He had onl*/ been discharged last Wednesday from prison, where he had been committed for four months by/, Major Durie the Police Magistrate at Waikanae, for a robbery at Wainui.

Wellington Savings Bank. — Managers in attendance, Monday March 26, 1849, Mr. J. J. Curtis, Mr. Rowland Davis.

The following donations have been recentlymade to the Library of the Mechanics' Institute :—: — Whiston's Josephus, 4 vols. ; Comments'on the Gospel, 2 vols- ; Sunday Library, 6 rols. ; Londiniana, 4 vols. ; History of Greece ; Outlines of History ; Bell on the Hand ; Gregory's Legacy- ; St. Clair of the Isles ; Retrospective Review, 2 vols., by W. Fox, Esq. Derham's Physico Theology/ Butler's Analogy, by Mr. A. W. Shand. Lardner's Elements of Euclid and sundry School books.

Programme of the performance by the Band of the 65th Regiment," 'at Thomdon Flat, on Tuesday, the 27th March :—: — 1. Oyerture — Zampa. Herold 2. Selection — Masaniello Auber 3. Queen of the May Quadrilles Jullien 4. CaTatina — Vi Raviso — Sonnambula Bellini 5. Rayenswood Waltz Jullien 6. Barcarolle — Masaniello . . ;"' Auber 7. Militair. Galop Labitzky 8. Jupiter Polka , Koenig