The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-12 00:00:00

SUSPECTED CHILD 1111.711dER.

THE CORONER'S INQUEST RESUMED.
to our Paper of Friday last we gave the proceedings of a Coro,.
ner's Inquest which was held touching the death of a new-born
male infant, which had been preserved with rose leaves and musk,
and packed in a Casket, and forwarded from Winchester by one
of the Southampton coaches to Mr. Tricker, cooper, Vincent.street.
Vincent-square, Vauxhall road. It *ill be recollected that at
the close of that Atting the inquiry was adjourned till a fttthre day,
in order that Weale, the officer of Queen-square polite, might
proceed to Winchester, to investigate the revolting business, and,
if possible, to arrest the individuals concerned.
Since the publication of the pmeeedings in the newepepers, the
utmost anxiety prevailed amongst the Magistrates of ilinehestef
to assist in bringing the delinquents to justice; and Os Weak's
arrival there he met with every facility in the futherance of his
object. Yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, the officer arrived in
London ; and, pursuant to adjournment,
The Coroner (Mr. Higgs), and the Gentlemen of the JurY, fee
assembled, at eight o'clock last evening, ai the house of Mr.
Sambrook, the Regent's Arms, Regent-street ; and the following
further particulare were narrated by Weak, the officer, touching
the extraordinary affair:—
On leaving London he took with him the rush basket and the
apron and cambric handkerchiefs that the infant tan packed in, and
on his arrival at Winchester on Saturday morning he learned that
the basket had been purchased at the shop of Mr. Harper, a basket..
maker and oilman, on Monday morning, the 4th instant (the day
before the parcel was received by Mr. Tricker), but that gentleman
could not recollect to whom he sold it. He next ascertained that a
young lady, named Jane Sturgesi, residing with her mother in
the church-) and of Winchester Cathedral, bad beet delivered on
the same Monday morning of an illegitimate child by Mr. Lyford.
an accootheur, which he left doing exceedingly well, but on going
to the house in about two hours after he was surprised at being told
that the infant was dead, but so offer was made to him to see it,
although he expressed himself much astonished that such a healthy
strong child should die so shortly after its birth. In conitquence
of this information he, the officer, had an interview with Mr...
Lyford, who declared the child belonging to Miss Ntirgess was a
male child, and its features, upon a description, exactly corre.
sponded with that of the deceased. Weale next proceeded to Stara
gess's house, and found the female, Miss Sturges'', In a very
dangerous state of health. On putting several questions to het rexa
tive to the child of which she hail been delivered she said, that it
was a little girl, and that lie bad died, and that her brother had
made a mall box for him, and she had given it to Heathcote, the
grave-digger, to bury. On the production of the rush basket she
declared she had no knowledge of it, but Said the apron she thought.
woodwas theone she had wrapped her child in, but swear it %ea..
In consequence of these suspicious circumstances, he applied to
Mr. Newbolt, the Magistrate, who granted a warrant for the sp.
prehensiou of Jane Sturgess, the mother of Miss Sturgess t Heath-
cote, the gravedigger t and a butcher'ts boy named Edwards.
against whom strong suspicion was entertained t sod on Saturday
afternoon they were examined before Mr. Newbolt, the Magistrate.
and several of the Corporation of Winchester, when the following
depositions were taken, and the child that had been buried by
Heathcote, was exhumated and prodyced in Court.
Mr. Beare Lyford, surgeon, of Winchester, stated that he had
seen the child that had been taken from the grave in the Cathedral
Church-yard ; but he could not say upon his oath that It was the
same child that he had delivered Miss Sturgess of on Monday last,
although he believes that the child of which he so delivered her,
was a male child, and the one this afternoon produced is a female.
Mrs. Cooke, of Wincliescetlasted that she was present with the
child soon after the woman's delivery, and she thought she heard
Mrs. Sturges., say it was a girl. She saw her wash the child with
brandy, and doing all she could to recover it ; bet she could nos
recollect whether it was a male or female infant. _

Louisa Sopp stated that she saw the child soon after it was been.
and it was a female. She saw it at half-past six o'clock in the
morning, and was quite sure it was a girl, and heard the doctor say
(when the mother asked what sex it was) that it was a little girl ;
and Mrs. Sturgess told her daughter, saying " There, I told you
it would be a girl."
Mr. Biggs, the bookkeeper at Winchester, said, that he eerily
believed that the butcher's boy was the person that had brought
the parcel to him, but he could not swear to him, This wail
strongly denied by him.
The 3lagietrates, not considering there were any charges attri.
butable to any bat Mrs. Sturges*, they were discharged, and she
was placed under recegnitancea to appear when called upon.
B'eale further stated that he ascertained that a man had put.
chased some musk on Monday morning at a ehymist's, at Wir-
chetter, stating that it was for Mrs. Barnard, in Winchester, and
on inquiry of that lady, she positively denied having sant any per-
son for it.

The officer also stated, that the Impression on the minds of the
people of Winchester was, that from the circumstance of the woman
Sopp, and the grandmother of the infant being midwifes, that the
had, on finding Mr. iryford's surprise at the death of the child, an 3
fearing a discovery, procured the female infant, and buried it as a
substitute for the one the subject of the present inquiry.
Mr. bolt, the surgeon, of llolywell-street, IVestminstcr, further
stated, in addition to his former depositions, that he had preserved
the body in a solution. There were marks on the neck of it, aps
parent!, the impression of four finger nails on the tight and Ids
side of the neck. There were no other marks of violenec.

There being no other evidence to produce in this mysterious
affair, the Jury expressed their unanimous wish to again adjoure.
as in all probability, the Magistrates of the city of Winchester.
who had taken such en interest in the business, might hear of some.
thing that would elucidate the matter ; and they et the mime tiros '
expressed a wish to have the attendance of Mr. 14 ford. the Surgeon.
lrhe CORO:. ER acquiesced, and the inquiry was adjourned, al
half-past ten. last night, till Friday next •; and a summons wit.
elent to o
Alecr...slit.ord, the Surgeon, at Wincitaiw, lot his attendance,
u that
LA,: Adam, wife of the Lord high Commissioner tor •
the lonian Islandi, arrived on the 9th of June at Trieste,
on hoard of the Engllsli frigate the Sybil, Captain Pcchel,
from Corfu. Her Lalyslutp remained at Trieste till the
20th. when she set out for the baths at Reston. The
S. bil has returned to Corfu.
•

THE NEW %U l' BILL.
The following Circular, respecting the new Jury Bill,
has been issued from the Home Office for the due promul-
gation of that important and valuable •messure, and we
think we cannot do better than • call the attention of our
readers to the subject
11'hitehall, July 4,1825.
aces—l herewith transmit • copy of the Act (8 Geo. IV, c. 50)
which has recently passed, for consolidating end amending the
laws relative to Juror* and Juries. The machinery for the eon.
'traction of the Jury lists came into operation on the Ist instant,
hat the general provisions of the Act will not be in force until the
commencement of the next year.
A. it is highly important that the duties of those who are
concerned in the formation of the lists should be fully understood,
I think it would be extremely useful that you should explain
them in your charge to the Grand Jury at the approaching
Quarter Sessions. And it will also be dexirable that you should
call the attentii.n of your brother Alegi/mates to the necessity of
their appointing a Special Petty Sessions, to be held within the
bet seven dart of September, for the purpose of receiving, eon-
sidering, reforming, and allowing • the hits : the day of holding
Which Sessions must be fixed so as to enable thi Clerk of the
Petty Sessions to give notice of it to the High Constable of tacit
'llundred, and to the Churchwardets and Overseers of each
Parish, before the 20th of August. You will find this subject'
treated of in; the 10th section of the Act.
The qualifications and exemptions of Jurors ire described in the
two first clauses; and as they are also fully seated in the Precepts,
whieh will be in the hands of the Pariah Oflicere, I hope there is
lit;le danger of their being misunderstood. The great attention
consists in making the owners of personal property qualified to
setae on Juries, which is effected by qualifying those who are rated
or asseassd to the Poor Rite or Inhabited House Duty, In 201., or
ctrapy a house with fifteen windows. • •
Vou will not fail to observe that the lists, whiarbiie been here.
tofore prepared by the Petty Constableor Tytlung-man, are row,''
according to the 6th, 7th, Bth, and 9th sections, to be prepared by
the Charchwartlina and Overseers, who are deemed to be. in the
rest majority of exact, more intelligent and more conversant with'
the subject than those on whom the duty has hitherto fallen. And '
the pewer,ip. yen by thellth clause, of inspecting the Tax Asscss-
tnenta and-Pose Rates, is calculated to facilitate the discharge of
this duty.
The 44th slid 45th sections impose such penalties on the Peen
c.d Ptiefsh Officers for the neglect of their several duties, as, it is
howl, will deter them from neglecting them.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
• • ROBERT PEEL.
Ts tbeelisteman of the July Quarter
filassious for the

ST. ANDREWS, HOLBORN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

Sts—Will you favour me by inserting in an early pub-
lication a few observations on the proceedings at the late
Parochial meeting of St. Andrew, Holborn. This is the
second time the proposition for an additional church has
been received in the same uproarious manner. It is natu-
re! to ask a reason ; the answer is obvious: the parishioners
are jealous of the Rector's motives—and on sufficient
rounds—he seeks his own emolument. Has he not ob-
tained a recent law to he passed, assuring to him a large
portion of the 2s. 9d. rate to which the City liberty of the
parish is liable, under an obsolete law, long disuse], and
the confirmation of which is very debateable? And does
he trot now propose to annul that law upon new arrange-
ments to be entered upon? Is it probable he would propose
such a measure unless he were to derive advantage, from
it? We will examine the subject as shortly as possible.
lie had already tried the rendering two liberties of the
parish to be liable to personal tithe, but the disquisition of
Sergeant Sellon exposed the weakness of that claim ; his
next attempt is introduced under appearance of self-denial;
he proposes to relinquish what he had obtained from the
Cry liberty, but he requites that one uniform rate should
ride over the whole parish, and thus, by relieving the
titheable district, to gain that as an ally in combating the
two untitheable districts. The proposed rate is of modest
appearance, not likely to alarm the parishioners as the
2s. 9d. rate, but competent to the producing an income of
2,400/. per annum. As an inducement, the number of
curates is to be increased to five, and 1,0001. of the income
IS to be distributable among them. This scheme promises
fairly; but what, in few words, is the result of it ? That
the Rector, upon the actual state of things, receives for
tithes, Easter offerings, &c. exclusive of surplice fees, &c.
1,1001. per annum, and has to pay thereout two curates;
he proposes, in lieu thereof, to receive 2,4001. per annum,
and to distribute 1,000!. thereout among five curates. Will
may the parishioners exclaim, " we will have no more
churches or parsons, those we have are sufficiently bur-
densome;" well may the two untitheable liberties refuse
to be amalgamated with that which is titheable: they
would be fools indeed to exchange their present church rate
of lid, in the pound, for one that would amount at least
to 44. A.
Saturday, July 9.

It is now understood that the building for the Baths
wl,ll be immediately commenced. Workmen are at present
employed in digging a channel from a bay, near low water
mark, to the proposed site, whereby pure water will be
obtained at all times of the tide. Plunging-baths are, we
*understand, to be added on the outer side of the warm baths.
—Sot thy mpton Herald.
Emma Ttow.—An interesting experiment is makinT at
Lindfleld, in Sussex, regarding the instruction of the
poor. Some benevolent individuals, conceiving that the
labour of children might be made to pay for their educa-
tion, have united, and built :.•hool-roorns at the above-
named place, of sufficient capacity for 200 boys and 200
girls. During one part of the (lay (from nine to twelve)
the children at.: to be taught reading, writing, and arith-
metic. In the other part (from two to five) the boys will
be instructed, in classes, in agricultural labour, when the
weather permits, and in some of the most useful mechanical
arts: while the girls will be employed in needle-work, the
duties of the household and dairy, making butter, netting,
straw platting, and in short every species of domestic in.
duatry that will contribute to snake them vtluable servants.
At the commencement,the parents or friends of each child
will pay 3d. a week for its education ; hut the projectors ,
of the undertaking are confident that experience will soon
confirm their theory, that the produce of three hours' la-
hour of each child par day will pay the expenses of the
establishment; in which case the weekly charge will alto-
gether cease. The success of this first experiment of
Liodfield will be rapidly followed by similar attempts in
other parts of the country. •
On Saturday last, as some workmen were digging a cel-
lar, at the corner of Thief-lane (York), where lately stood
a small house, which from authentic records is known to
have been there more than four hundred years, dug up (to
use their own language) " a pot with an egg in it. This
vessel was found five feet below the surface of the earth ;
and on close inspection there was also found, about half a
foot lower, a paved footpath ( r causeway, in a direct line
from the river Ouse across Blossom-street. Some coins
were alas. found, but they were too much defaced by times
to be worthy of notice. There were also the skull and
bill, quite perfect, of a small bird of a very extraordinary
form, and some other singular remains, the greater part
of which are now in the private collection of the editor of
this Paper. The vessel and the egg were carefully re-
moved, and have since undergone a minute scrutiny, in
the course of which they have been found closely connected
with . the obsolete customs of other times, and with the
classieal history of other nations. The " pot" is nothing
mere or less than a Roman urn, in a very perfect state of
presiavation though differing in form from those which
have lately been found. The shell of the egg was also
perfect, excepting a hole on one side of it, whence the
yolk seems to have been extracted. It was in the centre of
the urn, surrounded with sand or fine earth ; and not far,
from the place where it was deposited, the workmen foundl
another urn, which whilst raising they broke in pieces.—
We have noticed this discovery more than is usual, because
the urn is the only one we know of that Laa hitherto been
found in the vicinity of York, with an egg in it. Such
hying the case, we shall conclude this article with the fol-
lowing brief extract from an excellent Archeological Die-
t ilnar", which is now before us. "An egg, in the Egyp-
tian Cosmogony, was an emblem or symbol of the world.
It was considered as bearing the same analogy by the Chat-
(lnns and the Chinese. The egg, with itie yolk in the
midst of a fluid,4different densities at different distances,
and surrounded F# a shell, is no had representation of the
kencave sphere of the heavens, including the air and the
terrestrial ball in its bosom. The Phenicians are said to
have worshipped as egg. Egga were also made use of in
lastrear both by the Greeks and Romans." With the
r probable connexion
well-informed reader
further comment.—

I castrations, both by the Greeks and Romans.'
• nature of those histrations. and their probate
I with the subject of this article, every well-infi
will be sufficiently ac9uainted without further
Torb Herold.
r.
• k
•.