The National Register.
London, England, 1822-08-19 00:00:00

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THE NATIONAL REGISTER .

INQUEST
ON THE LATE MARQUIS OF LONDONDERRY.
On Tuesday, at a few minutes before three o'clock. a
Jury of the most respectable inhabitants in the vicinjiy of
the estate of the late Merging of Londonderry ass entre-
netted. to inquire into the cause of the death of the. above
Noble Earl. The Coroner was Mr. Joseph Canter, of
Deptford. The inquest was held at the house of the de-
ceased Lord,and to the credit of the individnals who wet,
appointed to sniterintend the arrengementa attendant
upon this melancholy occasion, not the slightest attempt
was made to keep the proceedings secret: Directions
were given to the domestics to admit every person who
desired to he present at the inquest. The Jury having
been sworn,
The Coroner add d them in nearly the following
terms:—Upon no former occ •sion in the performance of
his duty had his feelings been so excited as by the pre--
sent utifortunate vend. He wal indeed so much affected
that they MUM pi-revive he could hardly express himself
•as he wished. Upon this aceonnt he trusted they would
excuse any trifling errors which he might commit in the
exercise of his ditty. The gentlemen of the jury. were
summoned sod sworn to inquire Wu tile cause of the
death of a nobleman, who stood perhaps as high in the
public estimation as any man in the country. That his
' Lordship had met his death under particular frircum-
stances, they doubtless must have learned. lint it was
his duty to inform them that they must remove from their
minds all impressions whit le should not be bootie out by
the evidence. The gentlemen a hoot he addressed being
neighbours of the deceased, were better able to form a
just estimate of his chat deter than lie was. As a public
min, it was impossible for him to weigh his character in
any scales lila he could hold. In private life lie believed
the world would admit that a more amiable man could
not be found. Whether the important duties of the great
office which he held p d upon his mind, and conduced
to the melancholy event which they had assembled to in.
vestigate, was a circumstance which in all probability
never could be discovered. He understood that his Lord-
ship had for some time past been so unwell as to require
the assistance of a medical attendant. This gentleman
would be examined on the inquest, and would doubtless
be competent to descuibe the disease and affliction under
which his Lordship laboured. That the dreadful blow
which deprived the noble Lord of lite was indicted by his
own hand, he believed the jury, when they came to hear
the evidence, could slot doubt. He understood it would
be proved that no person in the house, except his Lord-
ship, could have committed the act. When the jury
should examine the situation of the body, and hear the
evidelice that would be submitted to them, he was con-
vinced that they would be perfectly unanimous in that
, past of their verdict which went to declare the manner in
which the deceased use: Ilia death. lie felt that it was a
matter of delicacy to allude to the other part of the ver-
dict, and lie would not presume to anticipate what it ,
might lie ; but lie trusted the result would be that which
all good men desired. If the facts which he had heard
were proved in evidence, be thought no Man et/11111.1,1111it
that at the time lie co ;;;;;; 'turd the rash act Ilia Lordship
was labouring under a mental delusion. If, however, it
should suitor innately appear that there was not sufficient
evidence to cruse whist a•.re getter:illy ciniddeted the jos
dicatioll3 of a disordered mind, he fluster' that I', jelly
would pay some audition to his (she C••rinter's) liutnble
opiiiielt, which was, that nu man could he is I.rs primer
senses at the moment he committed so rash an ..es .os s• I
111111del. His opinion was in eOIISOII4IICO with every mo.
ral sentiment, and of the information which tc! wisest of
milt lied given to the world. Tue lii!de steeled 1 Lai a
snail thing to nothing ass strongly as Isis owls Isle. Ho
therelore stewed it as an axiodi,isnil an abstract prinet-
ple, that a snail most iireessat ily be not of his mind at the
moment tit destroying him,. Id, The jury, 01 coulee, would
Hitt adopt hitt 10111011 n; this 'Mild, nidess it wet ein
IltdsUll atilt their own. lie would slot luoger occupy the
WMe and attention of the jury than to express pleasui e
at seciag so respectable a body of geistieinen, and to add
a hope that they would acquit themselses of their im-
im'taut slaty to the satisfaction oldie poitiiie, es well as of
their utVii Coll2lCletleell. He sushi apologise for say it.g a
few woi (Is more. The body was lying lip stairs, and in the
room adjoillins; to that in which it lay, the lirrchiusiess at
present 'a as, and flout thence it lied been found iitipussi•
ble to remove her. To picture to the imagination any
thing like the date of that noble lady's mind was altoge-
ther impossible. The partition which divided the room in
which the body lay from that which the Marchioness at
present occupied was so thin, that the least noise being
made in the ter mer could not fail lobe heard in the latter.
TIM forme tit' law, however, requited that the jury should
view the body, amid judge lions the external marks which
it might exhibit, of the causes which lied pt induced death :
he therefore had only to request that the gentlemen would
he as silent as possible. He was abound afraid that the
creaking of their 1111001 might be the Melilla of reciting
ideas which would wound the feelings of the noble Mar-
chioness. He was sure, under these circumstances, the
jury would do every thing in their power to prevent the
least noise, and lie might observe that it would be desira-
ble to abstaiu from talking in the room where the busty lay,
because any conversation lutist certainly be heard ths wog!'
the almost, he might say, paper partitiou. Ade, the jury
had satisfied themselves by viewing time body, they would
returo to execute the teasel ll ii ig psi t ut their duty.
Dialog this address of the Coroner, the domestics of the
untot tamale Alarquis who wet e in ilie room, tar lila most
part, shed teats; indeed, the love which the sesvauts of
his Lordship bore towards bins was, we will not say sur-
to Wing (fur kind and Immutable ti eminent from a gentle-
surd to those poisons who are depeuileist upon him, must
ever procure such a result), but highly etedttable both to
hint and the individuals who composed his honsettuld.
Before the jury left the room for the purpose of seeing
the body, cue of them suggested that Isis colleagues, as
well as I self; should take oft their shoes, in sailer to
prevent as far as possible oily noise that might br ewes'd
by them in walking. 'flits hint was iiimeinetely meted
upon, and the jury left the room.
The body was enveloped in a dressing gown, slid the
head aas covered with a handkerchief. The tart were
towards the window. The blood which pit:ceded 111J111
the wound was still upon the ground.
Alter being absent about lu 111111111 v., the jury returned
evidently much affected by the indeed.. y spectacle
which they had just beheld.
The first witness called was Anne RaLinsuit, also being
swum, tle;seacti as follows:—'• I. wait upon the chi