photographs of her dead child.

Ms Darlene Bernice White, along with other witnesses, confirmed the presence of bruises and burns on the body of her ten-month-old daughter, Cannice Joann White.

The child died last May in the intensive care unit of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after being brought in by her father.

The inquest, which is expected to last to the end of the week, is taking place before a jury of nine which will determine the cause of the child's death.

Ms White, a 26-year-old native of Muncie, Indiana, was visiting the child's father when her daughter died.

Under questioning by Crown Counsel Mr. Mark Pettingill, Ms White said she and Mr. Daniel Cann of South Road, Paget, became intimate in 1989 while she was visiting the US Naval Air Station.

Ms White said she discovered she was pregnant after returning to the US. She told Coroner the Wor. Will Francis that she decided to have the baby alone and not to tell Mr. Cann.

But six months after the child's birth, Mr. Cann learned of the baby's existence and contacted her to confirm the story.

Ms White said Mr. Cann seemed "interested and elated'' about the baby, and telephoned her often to check on his daughter.

In March, 1991, Ms White and Cannice flew to Bermuda for a visit, staying with Mr. Cann's oldest daughter, Ms Denise Thompson, at her house on Loyal Hill, Devonshire. Mr. Cann stayed at his own residence throughout the visit.

At no time during this trip was Mr. Cann left alone with the baby for an extended period. Ms White said he occasionally changed her diaper and put her to bed.

The pair returned to the Island in May for another visit, once again staying with Ms Thompson.

Ms White testified that on this visit, Mr. Cann asked to have the little girl for a full day, so he could "get to know his daughter''. On the morning of May 29, he picked her up at Mrs. Thompson's house.

Ms White testified Cannice was wearing a sundress when she left and there was "nothing remarkable'' about her behaviour.

At about 5 p.m. that afternoon, Mr. Cann returned with the child, who was then clothed in shorts and a tee shirt. He told Ms White that Cannice had had "a rough day''. Mr. Cann said the child had first fallen off a couch while playing and hit her head, then later pulled a hot clothes iron down on herself.

Upon examining her child, Ms White found burn marks on the top of Cannice's hands and stomach, and "faint bruises'' on her face.

Ms White, who was sat during her testimony, began to sob as she identified these injuries on photographs of her daughter's body.

She said the sundress Cannice wore earlier that day was handed to her in a bag, and it showed no signs of "burning or blood''.

Police Sgt. Donald Cutts, who photographed the scene of the alleged accident with the iron, said there were no burn marks on the carpet despite being told by Mr. Cann that the iron was "on the highest setting''.

Three other witnesses who saw the child earlier that same day confirmed Ms White's description of Cannice's condition, and also noted that the infant "was not acting like a normal child of that age''.

Mr. Cann had stopped at the Brangman Home to see a a former co-worker, Miss Charmaine Riley, who was a resident there.

Miss Riley, and staff members Ms Euline Ann Ming and Ms Elsie Louise Sharpe, said that in addition to the bruises and burns, there was a "blood clot'' in one of the child's eyes.

Ms Sharpe, who has been involved with social work for 25 years, told the inquest that she "knew right away the child had been abused'', because she felt a child that young could not have inflicted such injuries on herself.

She was also "frightened'' by the blood clot, because during her training, she had been taught that "blood in the eye meant injuries to the head area''.

The child's mother told Mr. Francis she accepted Mr. Cann's explanation that the injuries were accidental.

Ms White said her daughter became "feverish'' that night, soaking the tee shirt she was wearing. Believing the high temperature was due to teething, Ms White said she gave the infant some Tylenol and put skin gel on her burns.

The next morning, the infant appeared to have broken the fever.

Mr. Cann again picked up his daughter, telling Ms White he was going to take her to the beach. The next time she saw Cannice, she was in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Dr. Elizabeth Crerar, who was the attending physician in the emergency room, said Mr. Cann "did not appear to be panicked'' when he walked in carrying Cannice.

Dr. Crerar said she immediately realised the child was not breathing, and she was unable to find a pulse.

The infant was rushed to the resuscitation room, where she and other personnel began manual ventilation and cardio-vascular resuscitation. According to Dr.

Crerar, Cannice's veins had collapsed, and a special infusion into her leg bone failed.

During her examination of the child, she noticed haemorrhaging in both eyes which indicated a rise in pressure on the brain.

She told the Mr. Francis she did not believe Mr. Cann's explanation of his daughter's condition -- that she had tumbled down some stairs at his house and struck her head. Nor did she believe the burn wounds were consistent with the scenario put forward by Mr. Cann.

Mr. Francis has instructed the Coroner's jury that the hearings were not a trial, and that their function was to determine who the deceased was, and when, where and how they died. The jury must also attempt to identify the person or persons responsible if they determine the deceased was a victim of manslaughter or murder.