The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-09 00:00:00

INFANTICIDE IN THE METROPOLIS.

At an inquest held in Islington yesterday, Dr.
Lankeater, one of the coroners for Middlesex, took occasion
to make some remarks on the very large number of cases
of infanticide which occur in the metropolis, and on the
failure of justice in instances where there is too much reason
to suspect that actual murder has been committed. The in-
quiry at which the coroner was presiding was one into the
circumstances connected with the death of a newly-born
male child, whose body was found on Thursday last in a
mews at the rear of Compton-terrace, Islington. Police
constable 270 N deposed that the dead body of
the child, wrapped up in some wool, had been
found by a little girl. The constable knew no more
about the matter; and in reply to Dr. lankester, he
stated that he had not made any inquiries on the sub-
ject in the neighbourhood of the place in which the child
had been discovered. The coroner said he supposed the
police thought the finding of the dead body of a newly-born
infant too ordinary an occurrence to call for inquiry. Dr.
Stamford, the medical gentleman who had made the poet
molten' examination, gave his opinion that the child was
born alive, and that it bad been three or four days dead
when found. The umbilical cord was tied, but not in a
skilful manner. The child bad been a weak one, and
he was not prepared to ray that death bad not taken place
from natural causes. That was all the evidence on the rub-
ject. Dr. Lankeater said that this was one of a clam of
cure which were exceedingly numerous at the present day
—much more so, he thought, than society generally was
aware of. He regretted to state that such Cane were con-
stantly occurring in London. He believed he held nearly
one inquest a day on the bodies of newly.born infanta.
These children were found under three different classes of

circumstances. First, there were cases in which there could
be no doubt that premeditated violence had been used—cases
in which the child bad been born alive and had lived fur some
short time, but in which the parents, or either of them, had
determined to get rid of it by putting it to death. In such
instances juries had little difficulty in finding a verdict of
wilful murder, but too frequently that verdict had to be
against "a person or parsons unknown." Again, there were
cases in which there was no evidence of violence, but in
which it would appear that the child had died shortly after
birth from causes which had occurred during birth,
or, as was perhaps the fact in the came then under
consideration, in which the child bad died from natural
causes, and in which, because of illegitimacy, the
mother, feeling ashamed of her position, took advantage of
the death and got rid of the body as beat she could. There
was another clams of cases, that a children who had not beau
born alive. He could not but think that something might
be done to diminish the number of each of these classes, more
especially that of actual child murder. It appeared to him
that if more vigour were shown in the matter by the police
authorities—if there were more activity in endeavouring
to find out the guilty parties—more discoveries of the perpe-
trator' would be the result. Punishment would have a
salutary effect in the way of prevention. It was a criminal
offence to conceal the birth of Ea child ; and, if rewards were
offered for the apprehension of those who committed it,
much good might be the result. A juror observed
that parishes had in some cases offered as large a reward
as 501. Dr. laoikester thought that there ought to be a
reward in every cue. The English public expressed their
horror at infanticide when it was brought under their notice.
They were not aware that the finding of the body of a dead
child was of so common an occurrent* in London that there
were instances of it every day. So common will it that the
police seemed to think no more of finding a dead child than
they did of boding • dead cat or a dead dog. This was a
blot on our civilisation, and vigorous measures ought to be
adopted with the view of removing so great an evil. In the
case under consideration the jury returned a verdict of
" Found Dead."

THE NET/ REGISTRATION OFFICE UNDER THE
LAND TRANSFER ACT.—Yesterday upwards of 20 workmen
in the employ of the government were engaged at the late
Insolvent Debtors Court, converting a part of the establish-
ment into a registration office under the recent act on the
transfer of land. The court of the chief commissioner of
the abolished tribunal has been pulled to pieces, and several
offices are in the course of erection. Two of the courts iu
Yortugalatreet are reserved for law proceedings, but as
yet nothing has been determined upon. The entrance of
the new registration office will be in Lincoln's-mn•6elda,
and it is expected that under an order of the Lord Chan-
cellor it will be opened to register estates before the com-
mencement of Michaelmaa term. _

Sr. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.—The sale of the fixtures
and materials of St. Thomas's Hospital, preparatory to its
removal for the Charing-cross Railway, commenced yester-
day morning. The sale will last five days. It includes the
fittings of the beautiful chapel, thousands of feet of York
and Portland atone, the whole of the admirable apparatus
for warming the building, an immense quantity of lead, and
no fewer than one million sad a half of bricks.

WAI}'IIO—INTM ENT AND
Pm. B.—lostant Rellef.—Sores which are daily extending, ulcers
which are hourly deepening, may be arrested in their torturing
heading oVniwednr.tced tot.icinkge healthy
action
alla,:,),:tjtgeltill
distempers of, and extracts all morbid humours from, the skin.
Old ulcers of the legs, inflammations caused by varicose veins,
and cramps of the lower limbs can sensibly be eased and shortly
cured by Hollows'', never.falthig Ointment, which represses
excessive, and stimulates sluggish, vascular and nervous action.
In constitutions breaking down under piles, fistulas, and other
similarly painful =Mies, a few applications of this cooling
Ointment will give oomfort, and a persistence in its use will
effect a cure.