The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-30 00:00:00

81111P11'HECICS.

[From the Dumfries Coo 110..1
The sloop Resolution, Appleby, master, of Bangor, laden with
bullocks, sailed from thence for Whitehaven, on Thursday, the
22d curt. The wir.d blowing a fresh breeze from S.W. the master,
who had formerly visited Garlirstown harbour, bore for that port,
the entrance to which is excellent, but, from some unaccountable
infatuation, the vessel was run aground amongst the rocks near
the White Isles, on Friday night, the 21d curt. bhe has sustained
considerable damage in her hull, and, unfortunately seventeen of
the bullocks were drowned. These occupied the lee aide of the
ship; the remainder of the poor animals, consisting of twenty-six,
were placed on the weather side of the ship, and from the prompt
aid worded by roma cf the Barliestown villager., they were all
safely landed. The captain and crew, during this operation,
abandoned the vessel, leaving all sails bent ; and the forma, dur.
ing this day (Saturday) has been drowning his sorrows in a public.
house ; the crew, however, appear not to he altogether void of re..
deeming qualities, as they have made some arena today in clear.
ing away the large stones surrounding the vessel, and she will
ultimately be got off if proptr cxe7tions continue to be made.
Tito cattle belong to Ir.• John Dickson, of Bangor, and we-e in.
tended to be show,, for sale at the approaching lirotigh-itill lair,
along whh two other sloop-loath, which our sailors conclude have
reached 'Whhelta yen etc now. 3lr. Dickson is at present in Carlisle,
unconscious of his loss.

On W.-edamlay loot the body of' a man was found by Mlle bop,
on thy shore at flarloeow, in the parish of !Niglio Thera was
neither money nor papers found on him ; he wore a long. loose.
coarse blue coat, corduroy trousers, and strong shoes. Though
greatly disfigured, he appeared to have Inca in the prime of life;
his dress resciubled that of a driver of cattle: and it is probable
he had been coursing to Ireland. The body was put in a coffin,
and deventlyinterred in liirknot'reves chorch.yard. -
Since writing the above, we have read the fidlovring paragraph
in a London paper, and we think it highly probable that the man
cast on the Borgne shore had been one of the crew of the Lively:-
- Behest, Sept. 14.—0 n Saturday night, shout nine o'clock, P. sr.
the Lively, of Whitehaven, in ballast, Charles Stewart, master,
was loot on the Long Rock, near Dontighatlec, and erne hand on
board, amounting to nine in all. perished. No assistance could be
rendered from the shore, although the boat was nearly alongside.
The Captain's corpse was got on Sunday morning. His watch
(stopped st five minutes twenty-one seconds put tine) is in. the
bands of Mr. J. Lemon, of Donaghadee.'t

THE BRITISH PRESS.

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

SINGI'I.A R TERMINATION OF A CORONER'S JURY.
On Wednesday night, at nine o'clock, an inquisition wu taken
at the Bull's Hag public-house, in Crown-street, St. Ann's,
Solio, before T. H loos. Esq. Deputy. Coroner, touching the death
of a man named John Williams. •
The first witness examined was Mr. Edward Walkinson, stir.
gems, of No. 10, King-street, Soho. lie stated, that about nine
o'clock on Thursday morning, the 22d inst. he was called to the
deceased, at his house i. Chapel-place, Crown-street, and found
him in bed, in a very low and exhausted state, from a violent
nausea and evacuation. which Le understood had continued from
the day before. The deceased, who was quite sensible, said that
he had been advised by a neighbour to talcs half a teacup full of
meadow ariffton, or colchicum, infused in rum, as a remedy for the
rheumatic gout, under which he laboured. Witness understood
that his wife hid taken it before, and fancied it did her
good, and she gave the same to him. It was too late to admi-
nister any antidote, but he gave him some medicine, which he
deemed essential in the case, and saw him again on Friday, when
he was much worse ; he continued to take the medicine he had
prescribed him, and on Saturday last he sunk under the disease
and died. _ _

Coroner—l suppose the dose was made too strong, and perhaps
mixed by an inexperienced person.
The witness said that he was not aware of what strength It IMP
made, but his body was in • very weak state, and the excessive
catching caused by the mixture had worn him out, and his death
waa the consequence.
Ily a Juror—lt is • common medicine, and frequently taken by
individuals labouring under the rheumatism.
Coroner—lt is frequently steeped in vinegar, as well as rum, I
believe, is it not
Juror—l have known many persons to take it, and they gene-
rally found relief from it. It is quite evident the quantit- given
to the deceased was too much for the weak state of his con-
stitution.

Mary DeLolfe, residing at No. 7, Chapel place, mated that she
lived next door to the deceased, who was 48 years of age. About
two years ago, she being subject to the rheumatic gout, prepared a
liquid, sonsisting of -ea ounce and a half of meadow saffron, mixed
in a pint and a half of water, and after it had been Infused nine
days she introduced half a pint of old rum into it. Witness was in
the habit of taking every now and then a table spoonful, but it
had no particular effect upon her. She took it as a cure for the
rheumatism. On Wednesday last Mrs. Langford, another neigh-
bour, came and told her that the deceased was very bad, and in
hopes of curing him she poured rather more than a table spoonful
of the preparation, and•gsve it to her to administer to him. She
shook the bottle before she
.poured it out, which she always did
when she took any. The deceased swallowed the draught, the
qualities of which he was aware, be having before tasted the root,
and he died on the Saturday following. Witness gave him
rather more than the spoonful, because she thought he was so bad.
Juror—When was the lest time you took any of the mixture?
Witness—l hare taken some three times since I gave It to the
decease I.

Coroner—How have you been in the habit of taking it, on an
empty. stomach ?
ttness—l always tale it before breakfast.
Amelia Langford stated, that on receiving the liquid front the
last witness she took it to the deceased, and said, '• this is the
stuff Mrs. Dehoffe was talking to you about ; it is the same that you
tasted the root of before it was mixed some time ago." The de-
ceased's wife was standing at the door, and witness placed the cup
on the table. In the evening witness was called In by the wile,
who said her husband was very sick, and requested to know if that
was the way the saffron operated on Mrs. Deboffe. Witness told
her it was not, and then some alarming fears were excited, and the
doctor was called in. The deceased continued retching from
Wednesday night till he died.
Juror—Was her husband and her on good terms ?
Witness—l'artieularly so; I never knew such an affectionate
couple. The deceased was a musician, and has lived in Chapel-
place for the last six years.
The Coroner said he knew well that the decoetion would cause a
violent nausea, and he recollected some years ago, a woman,
living near the Hay-market, died from having taken a wine-glasa full.
Several of the Jury who were subject to the rhumatic gout, said
they were in the constant habit of taking meadow saffron steeped
in rum; but it certainly was not so strong as that given to the
deceased. One of them said he had taken two table spoonfuls just
before he left home.

At this stage of the business, there being no further evidence to
produce, the Coroner proposed to take a view of the body, when it
was found that it was screwed down, and in such a state of decom-
position, that it would be highly dangerous to the Jury to have the
lid taken off.

The Coronet said there could be no inquest, unless they could
view the body.
The undertaker, who was present. said, that on Tuesday, he was
sent for by the wife of the deceased to screw the lid down, owing
to the decomposed state of the body, and after the searchers bad
seen it, he screwed it down very securely.
One of the Jury said, that as it had been proved that he had been
ill for some time, there could be no necessity to view the body, it
would be different. if he had died suddenly.
The °neon., said, that it was the chief part of their duty to view
the body, without which there could be no inquisition; unless they
saw it, they could not return a verdict. The only way to be
adopted, to prevent contagion, and to go through the requisite
form of viewing the body, will be to have the coffin opened in
the open air.
Mr. S. Smallhorn, the undertaker, No. 5, Little White Lion-
street Seven Dials, stated, that he was employed to bury the de-
ceased, and on Sunday last, he was requested by the widow to put
him into a coffin, having been told the searchers had seen him,
and on Tuesday morning, be screwed the lid down, and it would
now be impossible to raise it without breaking the coffin all to
pieces. The body was in a dangerous state when screwed down,
and he considered it would be attended with very serious conse-
quences if the lid was to be taken off: If the coffin was to be
opened, the Jury would not be able to discern the sex.
The Jury after a consultation said, it was impossible, In their
opinion, to view the body in the state it was represented to be in,
without serious danger to themselves, and, indeed, to the in-
habitants.

The Coroner then said, there was an end of the inquiry, as he
could not receive any verdict without a view being taken. It was
a very awkward business, and what was very unfortunate, he could
not issue 1.4 warrant for the Interment of the Imdy.
The Jury persisted that they could not with safety to them-
selves stand by while the coffin was opened ; arid under those cir.
cautstances, the Coroner ordered the Court to be dissolved, and no
verdict was returned.

On Wednesday evening an Inquest was held before THOMAS
STIRLING, Esq. Coroner, and a respectable Jury, at the Bell and
Crown, King-street, Camden-town, on the body of Mr. Thomas
%Vallls, tic principal partner of the firm of Wallis and Sons,
coach varnish manufacturers, of Eong.aere, who died suddenly in
his bed, at his residence in King-street, Camden-town, on Sunday
morning last.
The deceased had attained the age of 81 years, nearly 60 of
which he had been in bui,iness, and had been an inhabitant of
Camden-town about four years. He had been long afflicted with
an hectic cough, which, it had been observed, had troubled him
very little for the last month.
The first witness examined was Thomas Harding, of No. 48,
Velstead-street. Somers-town, carpenter, who, being sworn, de-
posed that nn Saturday evening last he was with the deceased, at
his house in Camden-town, between seven and eight o'clock. The
deceased appeared in his usual health when he first went, but pre-
sinus to 114 leaving complained of a violent pain in his chest.
Witness mentioned it to his daughter, and said that he had expo-
rienced the spasms in the stqautch, and had found relief from a
little warm brandy and water. The old gentleman said he had no
brandy in the house, but gave witness a 10/. note, and requested
him to go the Bell and Crown, and get a shilling's worth of brandy
and water, which he did, and took back the change and gave it to
the deceasel Witness soon after took his leave to return to his
house. Bevil on the following Sunday of deceased's death, and
went on the following morning to his house, and saw his daughter,
who told him he was no more. He was afterwards shown into
the bedroom of the deceased, where he saw the corpse laid out on
the

The undertaker stated to the Jury, that when he put the de.
ceased into his coiFn, he observed no marks of violence on his per.
son, but his lingers and nails were discoloured ; and he had no
doubt, front his own experience. that the deceased hat: died front
some cause produced by the sudden stoppage of the circulation of
the blood.

In this he Wall confirmed by the surgeon who had been In the
habit of attending the deceased fur some considerable time, and
who was of opinion that he had been seized in the night by a vio-
lent tit of coughing, which had produced suffocation and caused
his death.

From the evidence of the daughter of the deceased, it appeared
that he was an early riser, and not having made his appearance on
Sunday morning at his usual time, she went into his bedroom, and
found him dead in his bed. A surgeon was sent for, but his assist-
snee was of no avail: anti, front t.te appearance of the body, the
surgeon wss of opinion the deceased had been dead two bouts be-
fore he arrived.

The Jury having viewed the body, returned their verdict—." That
the &ceased died by the visitation of tiod."

On the afternoon of the sante day an inquest was held at the
Half 11Inon. letwer.street, Islington, on the body of John Donovan,
a brick-maker in the employ at Mr. Scott, of Islington, who died
In the brick. field.

It appeared from the evidence, that, on Saturday week last, the
deceased left his work, as lie informed his fellow-labourers. for the
purpose of going down to Bristol to see his wife and family, and
returtud on the Friday week following, when lie resumed in the
brick-field, and took up his lodgings in the Rand-house, but did
not work. lie complained of excessive fatigue and dines*_ lila
was able to walk out, but got worse every der. On Monday l.st
be went out to some doctor' and got bled. His son, a boy about
ten years of age,. slept with him. Early on Tuesday morning the
boy left his father in his hammock in the Band-house, anti went to
inform his uncle, who lives on Saffion-hill, that his father was so
bad he could hardly speak. About ten o'clock on the same morn-
ing two labourers in the briek-tield went into the sand house fur
some tools, and found the deceased dead in his hammock.
The son of the deceased, in answer to a question put to hint by
the Coroner, if he knew where his mother was, appeared much af-
fected, and answered in the negative.
• The Jury, after viewing the body, returned a verdict that the
deceased bad died by the vtsitatlon of Clod.