Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 166

Transcript

In 1858 a skeleton was uncovered upon what is now the New Brighton Beach. It had evidently been landed from a boat, for the pole, in a mouldering state, was still there, by which the coffin box had been carried from the sea. The skull, was a nicely formed one, that of a youngish man, with a fine set of teeth. There were also the remains of a neck tye of some sort, a mere rag, but I think of silk. There also was a piece of tin, which evidently had been written upon, but totally indecipherable. The skull and some other articles were brought to ChCh. The remainder covered up.

S.E. Seager says that he, in 1854, saw all this, and, deposited the skull &c with Dr Haast. Dr Haast was not in Canterbury for many years after 1854. Mr Seager was in Lyttelton, one John Price had charge here, and, the present writer was there, and was "the chiel amang ‘em, taking notes”. His own impression is that taking the whole thing as it looked, it had been there quietly for very many years, from the old Explorer’s time, and that the remains were those of an Officer of some sort. One of the crew would have been tied in a canvas bag and pitched over