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could not oblige him to go. None of the passengers objected to be landed in a boat. The mate was steering the boat when he left the ship's side; he steered with a rudder. I considered that, under the circumstances, it was as safe to steer the boat with a rudder through the surf as it was with a steer-oar. The mate had been about three months with me, and came down here as master of her (the Wallaby), from Sydney. I cannot say whether he had had much experience in surf boats before he joined the Wallaby with me. I landed as the most competent hand on board. None of the passengers objected to be landed in a boat, and, as far as I knew, they where all agreeable to be landed in a boat. I never saw the flag hoisted on the flag-staff on shore, nor did I see any one on the beach beckoning to the boat not to take the bar. Had I seen the flag I should not have known what it meant. I have no means of communicating with the shore in case of any accident. The Wallaby draws about six feet six inches of water. I should require a foot more than that to come in safely. We did touch several times when we came in. The tide was then first quarter flood. I consider that a boat could have got out quite safely yesterday. I have been commander of steamers on the New Zealand coast constantly since 1857. A similar occurrence has never occurred with me before.

By a juror: I consider that it would be a great security to life and property to have a set of signals, and a life-boat and crew established at the Buller.

Alexander Brown, being sworn, said: I am chief engineer of the Wallaby. I was on deck yesterday when the boat with passengers left the side. I saw her proceeding towards the bar of the Buller. I saw particular notice, and as it got over the bar I saw the boat rise upon the sea, and then she seemed to fall down. I then saw an oar appear to project very high up. I then thought all was not right. I went aloft and could see the boat lying broadside to the sea, and there seemed to be people about it just between two breakers. I called the Captain's attention to it. He came up and told me to go full speed a-head. I went below and saw no more till we came inside the river. I proceeded this morning early, by request of Mr. Blackett, with some hands to assist in bringing in some bodies which had been found, and assisted to bring them in. The first body I saw was that of our chief officer, Mr. Fowler. I could not identify the other, he being a stranger to me. I consider that the bar was perfectly safe to land passengers over when the boat left the vessel. I should not have objected in the least to have gone in the boat. I have seen boats with passengers cross the bars of other rivers in perfect safety, the Wairau for example and the Okarito similar weather to that of yesterday. I considered the bar to be perfectly safe because there was no break in it at the time we were preparing to land the passengers. As the boat neared the bar and the sea began to increase, which made me take more particular notice than before. I did not hear any passenger object to be landed in the boat. I consider the boat a proper one for the purpose of landing passengers. I think the steamer was about half a mile from the boat when I saw the oar stuck up. The steamer could not safely have been taken nearer to the bar than she was when the boat left her. The steamer could not safely have been taken nearer to the position at which the boat left her, by steaming; but I cannot say whether, had she been so, it would have been the means of saving more lives.

James Burnett, being sworn, said: I am a surveyor and reside in Nelson. I was a passenger on

board the Wallaby from the Grey to the Buller river. When the boat was lowered alongside the steamer yesterday, I went on board with the other passenger, for the purpose of being landed at the Buller. At that time the bar seemed pretty smooth, but shortly after leaving the side of the vessel the sea increased, and some one observed that it was rather rough to land in a boat. The mate said "On the landing is nothing, the coming back will be the worst." One of the sailors—Cooke I think it was—observed, "if she will not ride over such a sea as this she ought to be burnt." Another of the sailors observed that it would be better to land to the east of the north spit, than to cross the bar. By this time a long unbroken sea rolled under us, and she seemed to ride well over it. I looked back and saw another sea coming up which appeared likely to break—it struck us slightly on the quarter, and the boat at once capsized. The next thing I observed was that my feet were touching the bottom, and I was completely under water. I then rose, and my head touched one of the thwarts of the boat. I groped about to get to the side, and after two or three attempts I managed to get my head above water and seized hold of the side of the boat, and almost immediately after she righted; after that, she continued to roll over several times, being struck by seas each time, when I was either washed off or washed under the boat, I reached it again by swimming. The first few times the boat rolled over, the Superintendent (Mr. Robinson) was alongside of me. I was then washed off by a very heavy sea, and found myself some yards from the boat, and when I got back to it I fancied that there were not so many people clinging to it. I then climbed up, and got on the keel of the boat, and at that time it seemed to be a full, we contrived to balance her for some time, and she kept in the same position, although some seas rolled over her. She righted again soon, and I managed to get inside along with some others, and some were clinging to the sides and bow. We managed, with a little difficulty, to keep her in a right position, as we were drifting outside the bar with the fresh water. I then saw a boat let down from the side of the steamer, and pulled towards us. When it reached us, some of us got into it, and I and another man remained in the life-boat. We were then towed to the side of the steamer, and we got on board. The names of the passengers who embarked in the boat were—Mr. Robinson (the Superintendent), and his son, John McCulloch, Mr. Gully, and myself. Of this number the Superintendent and John McCulloch were missing when we got on board.

By the Coroner: I think every prompt assistance was given to us from the steamer. The remark made about the roughness of the sea was made some time after leaving the vessel, and after the sea became rough. I did think it was unsafe to proceed then, but it was too late to return. I did not hear any one propose to return to the ship. The mate seemed to have no fear about going in, and was perfectly cool. I have seen the body of John McCulloch since it was found on the beach.

John Gully, sworn, states: I am a draughtsman and reside in Nelson, and was a passenger by the steamer Wallaby from the Grey to the Buller. I left the ship in the ship's boat, with nine others, passengers and crew, and proceeded to the Buller mouth. When on the bar a sea capsized the boat, and after rolling about some time—about five or ten minutes—during which time we sometimes clinging to the boat and sometimes washed off, the boat gradually drifted into smoother water, when I saw the steamer coming to our assistance very fast, and the rapidity with which Captain Whitwell sent a boat to our assistance saved the lives of those who were left in