The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-10 00:00:00

SMALL PDX IN 1105 TON.

Mr. Humphreys, the :Middlesex coroner, re-
sumed and concluded last evening at the Alma Tavern,
Alma-street, New North-road, the inquiry relative to the
death of a girl 12 ye►rs old named Elizabeth ltnice, who
died from small-pox under circumstances already pub-
lished.

George Bruce, who was recalled, stated that medicine
was procured for the deceased at a chemist's.
His wife admitted, however, tliit the medicine WAS only
a dose of castor-oil. The child had only • quilt ands
sheet to cover her. She was given beef tea and whatever
could be got fur her.
The father excused his conduct in the affair by stating
that he dared not let has landlonl know that the girl was
ill, and that ever since the matter became known he Vat
" subjected to:rnost gross ill-usage,"
The Coroner in summing up sahl that the law applying
to the ease was this- —that wherever a child was in charge
of its parents and was attacked by • disorder dangerous to
life, neglect to procure proper treatment would amount
to murder where there was a design to shorten life ; but
if the neglect was without malice and arose only from
gross or wilful disregard of duty the offence was man.
slaughter. In this case there was no grounds
for imputing to the parents any design or
desire to shorten life ; but if the jury held
that the neglect to procure necessary aid fur the child arose
from wilful dereliction of duty, it would he their duty to
return a verdict of manslaughter. If, on the other hand,
they regarded the conduct of the parents as attributable to
an error of judgment arising front a fear of being turned
into the street if they made known the state of the case,
they would say so by their verdict.
The jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict
that "The deceased died from confluent small.pos, at!
that her death was accelerated by the neglect of her la'
rents to procure medical aid for her, suit that the condui:
of the parents was highly censurable."
The landlord of the Bruce family asked the Coroner what
he was to do with them. All his other lodgers
leaving his house ; he had given it,,tice to Bruce to quit,
but he would not go.
The Coroner raid that be could not interfere in the
matter at all. He had no jurisdiction in such affairs.
The proceedings then terminated.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL Stn I ETY. —At the eveniii4
meeting, on Monday, the 14th ii.st. tSir Roderick I. Nan.
chison, Bart., in the chair), the following papers will be
read:-1. A journey to Kano. from the Niger: by (the
late) Dr. W. B. Itaikie. *I On the north-east provinceAladagaacar ;by the Bishop of Alain-Rills. .1. Diary of a
hill trill in Burnish; by Lieutenant T. 11. Lewin.
A /EARFUL iScENE AT A WHEcK.— Dining the
recent plea at Penzance, a feat NI scene occurred. The
lifeboat named the Richard Lewis. belonging to the
National Lifeboat Institution, which had rendered such
good service on Satunlay and Sunday in sated
seventeen shipwrecked men, was again called out on
Monday, and bravely hurried to the rescue of the co •
of a large West Indianian, the John gray, of 1; laS"w,
which hail gone ashore after having been einhayed all .14
in sight off Penzance. Rocket lines were skilfully amen
on board the ship, but this proffered :MI was not made use
of. When the lifeboat returned from her long and perilous
trip thousands of watchers were told that though fifteen
men had been brought away, four remained behind:
soon after, the ship broke up. aml they miser.
ably perished. The cause of these four deaths
was a common but most sad one. The master
and second mate were drunk with rum, and not only
would not touch the rocket lines, or go aboard the lifeboat
themselves, but, with threats and curses, endeavoured to
prevent the men from leaving the ship. The first unite,
a teetotaller, attempted to reason with his frenzied ceP'
tain, but, being unable to make any impressioa, resolved
to share his fate, and did so at the coat of his own life
a fourth man drowned was held below decks, be could
not move or be moved.— Wi.stero Olin:, Niece.