The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-03-26
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
MARCH &c.

Our community was shocked by the announce
ment on Wednesday noon of the sudden death
Of Mr.. WILLIAM WEBSTER, who was found dead
in his Office about one o'clock P. NJ. by Mr..
Welsh the Queens coaehman, who went to de-
l'er 10 MT W. a message from a,. mel sa agsihsi
the wall, where he appears to have fallen, and
his mouth clotted with blood. From a postmor-
TEN examination, it was ascertained that the
cause of his death was a rupture or aneurism
Of the aorta. For several days previous, it is
said, he had complained of severe pain in the
chest, which appears to have excited some appre-
tensions of death, as he made his will a short
time before. He had been enjoying usual
health, and on the day of his death, attended
TO mis- business as usual, and was also ut the
planters meeting, where he signed his name as
u member, which was probably his last official
act.
Mr.. Webster was a native of Edinburgh, Scot
land, and came to these islands in 1850, where
his qualifications as a civil engineer and sur
veyor attracted attention and soon brought him
into active business. In 1853, at the suggestion
of Mr.. Wyllie, he was appointed land agent of
Kamehameha 8, and on the accession of Kane
hameha 4, also became agent of the crown lands,
which he held till his death.
In 1855 or 6 he was chosen Il representative
from this city, and continued to hold his seat
in the Legislature, having been re-chosen three
or four times consecutively. He was speaker
of the last House, and his well-known business
qualities added to a fluent command of the YER
nacular, made him a useful and popular public
officer. Indeed there are few men among us
who have acquired SO thorough and practical
knowledge of the Hawaiians, knew so well their
wants. and who sympathized more earnestly
with them than WILLIAM WEBSTER. For these
reasons he was considered as admirably fitted for
the position of Minister, and his appointment
as such would have been hailed with satisfaction
by all classes and nationalities but for reasons
which need not b. stated here, his claims were
set aside.
As a member cf the Legislature, although
invariably elected as a government candidate,
his course was Independent and impartial, and
on many questions he stood up openly and
firmly for popular rights. As a representative
he won many friends, among all classes of for
eigners and Hawaisans. And in his death the
native population Sas lost one of its best friends.
Almost any one Connected with the government
could be spared at tais time better than he.
1t was but thrcs, or four weeks ago that we
announced Mr.. Wci,ster's marriage, and his sud-
den death casts a tragic gloom over the scenes
lately clothed in ~tstivity, and leaves his widow
to mourn his untiplely end under such peculiar
circumstances, thar the sympathies and prayers
of many will follow her in her deep affection.
The funeral was attended Thursday at 4 p. NJ.
from the residence Of DR.. R. W. Wood. The
remains of the deceased were escorted by the
Fire Department, ST which he was a member,
by the Masonic fraternity and a large number
of citizens. The procession, which was an I'M
usually long one, moved thence to the Reformed
Catholic Church. where the burial service was
by Bishop Staley, after which the
body was taken to and deposited in Nuuanu
Valley Cemetery. The Queens carriage, with
Col. Kapaakea, was also in attendance, repre-
senting the Royal family.
There is a mysteriousness in this awfully sud-
den death which cannot but attract public atten-
ion. 1t is hardly four months since we had