The Express.
London, England, 1859-10-01 00:00:00

A 81141W1 AND BANIABONS CUSTOM.

Last week an inquest was held at Plymouth on
the body of a tomes whisk had bees found In the water
ender the Hoe. In the coursed the proceediags,
Mr. Gilmour, • reatlenian present, made the following
extraordinary itatament —This morning at about eight
o'clock, my attention was directed to about which was towing
a body in tamale attire, from the rock appropriated to ladles
for bathing, below the Hoe, towards the pa-
stairs leading
to the beach, near the new baths. The body of the female
was attached to the boat by a rope round her cloths., and
she was towed in this manner with her head below water
from the rocks to the stairs. The distance from the rooks to
the stein is nearly a quarter of a mile. I know not
In what state the body woe when taken from the took' a
few minutes before, but it was manifest to me, that if there
had been life in the body when it was found on the rocks,
nay, if the woman at that moment had been in the full
vigour of health, life would hove been extloguished before
the boat reached the emirs. Whoa the boat reached the
stairs. the body, which was then foaming from the mouth,
was dragged @above by the rope and placed on a stretcher,
and corned off under the charge of the constable of the
Hoe. I asked thorn watermen who ply their boats below
the Hoe, why it woo that the two hamar who found the
body did not instantly apply the usual means for restoring
lib; and, above all, why it was that, instead of taking the
deceased into their boat, they coat her tato the ma, sad
towed her is that inhuman manner bon the roam to the
Haire. The waterworn answered unanimondy that they
were boned by law so to deal with all bodies found on the
beech; and that it was a universal custom long established
aesoag the boatmen of Plymouth, instantly. when a body
was foxed , to tow it in the water ea that body had be
towed, and to deposit it in a place of safety, until the In-
(meet wee held. Although a stronger in Plymouth I am
sot quite a stranger to the laws of England, and I soared
those that there was no such law in this country. Oa
the ocatrery, that It was an Inhume and barbarous pasotios
opposed to all law, and that I could not doubt that It would
be so declared by the coroner sad jury on the inquest as this
hilt The watermen all declared that they would be very
Indeed if such • declaration of the law were made by
authorities, because the custom did not meet with theft
approval, and that in their own opiates the proper wares
we. to apply every possible means to restore life the nioatest
the body was found. I have thee thought It my duty, as •
whams of this strange proceeding, to attend the coreser's
inquest and make this statement ; and humbly to express a
hope that such a declaration of the law be publicly made by
the exam on this occasion, and through you by the press,
se shall effectually put an end to a fallacy so dangerous, and
• custom ao barbarous.

The Coroner, In reply, said there was no ouch law as that
the boatmen had spoken of, and he could smuts them that
they were labouring under a great mistake in supposing that
It wee their duty to tow bodies, instead of immediately sp.
plt:nesse for their mtomtioa.
witness Peel said that up to that moment he had
slime nsidaretood it to be a rule of law that boatmen were
not to take bodies Into their boats, but that they were to tow
' them whore, and he believed that woe the opinion of the
boatmen gonerelly. This natal:nest was corroborated by
some boatmen who were present at the inquest.
The Coroner said he wee quits unaware that such an
opinion prevailed, and be begged therefore to thank Mr.
Gilmour for hie kindness in bringing the matter before him.
The deceased turned out to be the wife of a greengrocer
amid Goodfellow. She wage were of intemperate habit',
sad bed threatened to destroy hermit. The jury returned •
verdict of " Found drowned."

THE RECENT EXPLOSION AT EIRAIINGNAIL—The
teasel epos the bodies of those tilled
a the
ollone terrible
solder wee commenced y bed= Dr.
Bit Devi the comas; betsretrury did little more thee
view the braise sad the premier ; this. with the mead-
writs of oltaseess to Clarify, oeseplell asset' the whole
tire prior le the deeper& of ow parcel. Oas awe body hes
Iwo dog out of the roles, sad Ingmar of serhar, s that
this makes • complemat of treaty Idlrd. At Se Gass'
Hospital ewers el the Wand le at the ergo ol death.