The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-03 00:00:00

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CORONERS' INQUESTS.
Yesterday morning an inquest was held at the GreyheandTavem,
Kennington Common. before RICIIARD CAllTell, E"., on view
of the body of Mr. William Webb, a tespeotablo wine-oisrehant,
who destroyed himself on Weinewlsy night.
Jane Knowlton, who lived in the deceased's service in Church.
row, Lambeth, dity•ed, that on Wednesday night, shout eleven i
o'clock, when the family were about to retire to rest, the deceased
called her, and inquired whether the candle was extinguished in
the kitchen. On being answered in the atiirreetise be said, " that's
right," anti walked back into the parlour. Witness did not hear
any more of him that night. The following morning, about 4..!11
minutes before six o'clock, on her coming down stairs, she per.
Iteived her matter's chnir.ber door open, and being surprised at
that circumstance she walked into thwerioni, and discovered that it
had not been sleet in. She then called her young master, who im.
mediately hurried on his clothes. and they both proceeded over the
house in search of the deceased, for whose safety they had the mast
alarming apprehensiens. Bet 31r. Webb was not he found, and
they proceeded to the stable. where they "saw him lying on his
back ; the blood was flowing front his mouth, and he had a pistol
firmly grasped in hilt right hand. Witness immediately went the
medial assistance, and a surgeon accompanied her bock, who pro..
Dowered her master to be dead. ln March last two of her roaster:a
sons died, and be had been in a low and desponding state of mind
from that period, and more than usually so during the last few
days.
11:r. Bryant. a surgeon, deposed that on examining the deceased
he discovered that the roof of the mouth was completely destroyed
by the contents of a pistol, which appeared to have beta discharged
into the mouth. tie had known the deceased, who was a man of
grent respectability, for several years. Within the last tive'or
six months past he had observed in him a deep rooted melancholy,
so much so that the moment he was called to attend him he was of
of opinion that the deceased had destroyed himself in a lit of
temporary insanity reclined by the above causes.
The Jury were satisfied as to the state of mind in which rite
deceased was when be committed suicide, and returned a verdict—
" That the deceased had destroyed biMself whilst laboutiog wades.
a fit of temporary insanity."

GROSS NEGLECT OF A NURSE.
Yesterday evening an inquisition was held at the Oriffia, NIL
lien-street, Strand, before T. Higgs. Esq., on the body of a child
named William Shand, aged aescri months, which was alleged to
have died through the neglect of its nurse.
Mr, William Shand, of Buckingnam-atreet, artificial leg-makes,
stated that the deceased was witnexes son; last Tuesday week he
I took the deceased, who was silting in hash'', to a woman, Mrs.
Mary Biggs at Ealing-dean, Afiddlettex, for the purpose of
weaning. Mrs. Fhand left the deceased in Afro. Bigg's arms. He
received a letter Mat Thutoday week from Afro. B. elating the chiid
was in good health bat had not forgotten the breast. On Moodsy
morning last, about six o'clock, witness's mother-in-law came up
to town and informed him of the dangercips state or the child ; he
instantly procured a hackney-coach, and sent Mrs. Shand, Who
returned about two o'clock the same day. Witness had Mr. Mac-
donaid, a medical gentleman, in attendance; he examined the
child, and dressed the wound or sores, and he died about one
o'clock r-xt morning.
Mr. 10. Macdonald, of Buckingham-street, surgeon, corrobo-
rated the evidence of Mr.:i!:and. .

In answer to a question by a Juror, this witness stated, that if
medical assistance had been resorted to earlier, the child's life '
might have been saved in his opinion, at least from the naturally
strong, constitution of the child.
Mary Bigg, the wife of John Ili:;, of Ealing-dean, said, the
child was brought to her nurse, and last iVednesday week she dis-
covered he was somewhat relaxed in his bowels; she gave him some
arrow-root during the evening, and by two females who were going
to town she sent s message respecting the child's health; she sup.
posed his mother would have called on Sunday with some baby-
linen, but she never came, and witness was, in consequence, com.
pelled to wrap the child up in any thing she could make use of.
By the Foreman of the Jury.—Did you ever state to the grand.
mother the sores on the child ?—Ycs, Sir, I did, and she said it was
the tooth-rash ; witness frequently applied fuller's earth on the
body, and some of it might have got on the *ores, but it was never
purposely applied.
John Bigg, the husband of the nurse, stated, that he paw the
child undressed the lint nigh, and that it had several sores about
the body ; they had the appearance of blind biles.
Mrs. Maria Sband, the another of the deceased, declared that
when she delivered the infant to the nurse it was tree from spot or
blemish.

,
Dire. Bigg, the nurse, persisted in denying this statement.
After some further diseussion, which lasted till eleven o'clock,
the Jury unanimously agreed to the following verdict :—" The de-
ceased came by his death in consequence of the gross neglect and
inattention of the nurse, Mary Bigg."

PALACE Courr.—ln consequence of the death of Bur-
ton Morice, Erg. the Judge of the Palace Court, which
en happed on Wednesday lest, the sittings are suspended,
and the eases which stood for heating yesterday were of
' necessity adjourned till Friday next.
CRISIS& METHOD or RPAIIIIIO Duces.—ln China,
the rearing of ducks is an object of great moment. In that
country the major part of them are hatched by artificial
heat: the eggs, being laid in boxes of sand, are placed on
a brick hearth, to which is given a proper beat during the
time required for hatching. The ducklings are fed with
crawfish and crabs, boiled and cut small, and afterwards
mixed with boiled rice; and in about a fortnight they are,
able so shift for themselves. The Chinese then provide
them with an old stepmother, who lends them where they
are to find provender, being first put on board a sampane,
or boat, which is destined for their habitation, and from
which a whole flock, often, it is said, to the amount of
three or four hundred, go out to feed and return at corn-I
mend. This method is used nine months out of twelve,
for in the colder months it does not succeed, and is so far
from a novely, that it may be every where seen ; but more
especially about the time of cutting the rice, and gleaning
the crops, when the masters of the duck-sampanes row up
and down the river, according to the opportunity of pro-
curing food, which is found in plenty at the ebb-tide, on the
rice plantations, as they are overflowed at high water.
WITCHCRAFT,—In Exeter the belief in witchcraft pre-
vails, and that too in one of its principal streets, and al-
most in the very centre of the city, where, at the thresh-
old of a door of a tradesman, who is ill and under the
supposed influence of witchcraft, has been exhibited for
seversl days, a horseshoe, firmly nailed, to prevent the fuel
hog from gaining access to the interior of the house.—
Exeter Flying Poll.
FIRE IN CIIOIIEII-STHET.T.—About one o'clock yester-
day morning, the shop of Mr. Spencer, oil. 'an, No. 54,
Crumer-street, near the Foundling Hospital, was discovered
to be on fire. The alarm spread instantly through the
street; and by the alacrity of the neighbours the fire was
got under before it communicated to any other part of the
house, or before the arrival of any of the fire-engines ;
although a great part of the goods in .the shop was de-
stroyed or damaged. We regret to state, that a young
man, named Edgeley, had his hands and face severely
scorched, in his praiseworthy exertions to quench the fire.
The house and property were insured in the Britannia As-
surance Office. _ _ _

A very fine and promising child, 15 months old, (laugh.
ter of Mr. Mann, Drake-street, Plymouth, one day last
week was burnt to death. The servant seeing the child's
dress wet, proceeded to dry it by holding it to the fire.
Finding it was saturated with turpentine, she went to pro.•
cure a change, and on her return, she found the child
(in imitation of what she bad just been herself doing)
holding up her frock to the fire, which was instantly in a
'blase, awl therms infant was ultimately so burnt as to
cause her death after a day of the most poignant coffer-
ings.—Doesetshire Paper.
The villages of Easton and Coll}•wcston, near this place,
were agitated on Wednesday and yesterday, by the dis-
covery of the body of a newly-born ftsnale child, which
had been deposited in a grave dug in a garden at the latter
village. The Coroner from Kettering attended at Collywes-
ton yesterday, and held an inquest on the body, then lying
in the church. Suspicion of murder fell on a young 111/-
married woman named Maydwell, living at Easton, and
who, according to the testimony of a medical gentleman of
Stamford, had lately been delivered of a child. The
young woman (Y 6 years of age) is the daughter of a
pauper living in the pariah of Pilsgate, but has a sister
living at Collywcston, in the garden of whose house the
corpse was found on Wednesday. by some persons who
had ;awn to suspect that fold play had been used with
the infant. Upon the usual examination of the lungs,
with a view to ascertain whether breath had been drawn,
it was the medical nisn's opinion that the child had been
and the Jury returned a verdict to that eflict.
The woman (Mrs. Smith) in whose garden the body was
found, stated that that was the fact, and that she bad
therefore (after her mother from Pilsgate had acted as
midwife to ha sister) taken away the body in a basket
from Easton to Collyweston, and buried it privately.
It is believed that the parish of Easton will prosecute the
mother for the crime of concealing the birth.—Lincoln
Mercury.
ilunotaay.—Thursday night, or early yesterday morn-
ing the residence of John Soignee, ilf.sq. High Bailiff' of
Southwark, was entered by sane villains, ale farad the iron bu
of theme window. A consulerabloquantity of plate and wearing
apparel was earned off, which the thieves packed up by the light of
the hell lamp. which thew lit for the purpose. %%we is no doubt
of their being experienced deprtaton. Ibe aiirar.raounstris of a
dritiltiog-born wee taken etl end tin horn left behind. The sob.
bery was not discovered till }ever* martin`, when isforassairxi
girsa at the Tose-1141.