Last night Mr Caleb Whitefoord, 8.M., before leaving in the steamer for Kaiioura, delivered in open Court the following judg ment respecting tbe inquiry into the loss of the ketch Sarah and Mary—" That the loss m damaae appears by the evidence to have been <au»dby the rewel parting her cable whilst anchored off Motuara Island, neap entrance to Queen Obarlotte'e Sound, am drifting ashore and subsequently taking fii-e. That with reference to tne parting of the cable, which ooeurred at a shackle, the w dence of Captain Doneford, Lloyd s is that the cable was of more than usiufc strength, and the evidence given has not satisfied mc that either tfce wind or sea was sufficiently strong to aeeoonfc for the cable ptftiae if it had been properly efoured. Acoordbg to the evidence o£ the master the night wm fine and calm, the wind being «ccasionally equally, but not «o to cause any apprehension of danger, | or any precaution being fcsien. The face elicited in the evidence that tbe crew, consist ing of fire men, with their effects and some provisions, found do difficulty or danger in ieavhig tins vessel shortly after she struck,, in a thirteen foot boat, and rowing to a landing .{flew about a mile and a half away, and af(*r landing the effects and one of tie men re turning to the resiel, then Tanning oat a fed>, and subsequently returning to the landing pkoe, shows conclusively there could not iave been much eea on. According to tie master's evidence, he hwi undertaken to keep the anchor watch on the night in qt«B tioE until midnight, whicn he did according wfcie own account, by going to sleep in the

cabin. Hβ apparently thought it aeeetsary to give the Tetiel some more chain about 10 p.m., leu than *n hour before revel ws> wrecked, acd then turned in again, and went to sleep, from which he was aroused by one of the crew, who bad dis covered _ the veeiel was drifting ashore. From his own evidence alone on this point he was guilty of gross neglect in not keeping tax anchor watch in an open anchorage. 