The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-18 00:00:00

The equal temper of the heroic heart
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

_ _
JUVENILE PROFLIGACY- IN THE
A DELPHI ARcgES.
Yesterday afternoon Mr. Langham, the deputy
coroner for Westminster, held an inquest at Sr.
Martin's Workhouse, on the body of Mary Ann
Palmer, a girl 15 years of age, who, for some time
past, has been leading a life of profligacy in the dark
arches of the Adelphi, from the pestilential atmosphere
of which she had not emerged during the last five
months, until discovered by. a policeman in the last
stage of destitution and disease. The father of the
unfortunate girl, a respectable man, carrying on the
business of a carpenter in Hampden-street, Harrow-
road, stated that deceased, who was his enly child,
left her home last November, and from that time
he bad never seen her alive, although he had
made the most anxious inqUiries about her.
Three years ago she left her home in company
with a girl of her own age, and was eventually
found in King's College Hospital, labouring under a
foul disease. Sarah Cunningham, aged 18, residing
in Charles-street, Drury-lane, said she first met de-
ceased at the Victoria Theatre, about five months
ago, and, finding her without a lodging, took her home
for the night. Since that time they had both led a
life of prostitution in the dark arches of the Adelphi.
Witness went to the arches every morning at half-
past eight and left at nine o'clock at night, but de-
ceased had never left the arches day or night for the
last five months. Many other
walk rgirls, whose clothes
were too bad to allow them to thestree
recourse to the arches for the same purposes as wit-
ness and deceased. They were in the habit of accosting
o,thhaeas
the passengers by the halfpenny boat. Joseph
Solly, policeman F 127, said he found deceased
on the sth instant in a state of utter helplessness
to St. was too weak to walk, and
Martin's Workhouse, where
inhe ththeokarchheesr.
she died on Wednesday last. The Adelphi arches were
harbours for the young and most wretched prostitutes
of the metropolis, and from their extent and compli-
cated character they completely baffled the exertions
of the police. Under the arches there were several
sets of stables, and the men in charge of them allowed
the girls to conceal themselves there when the police
pursued them. Mr. Joshua Atkins, who attended
deceased at the workhouse, said he found her suffer-
ing from a loathsome disease, her body was a mass of
ulcerations, and her chest was affected. Death re-
sulted from dropsy on the chest, occasioned by starva-
tion and neglect. The jury returned a verdict in ac-
cordance with this testimony, and the coroner de-
nouncedwhch
iw eirnetceormusis tanotflyg_rceaare
trisdevherhityunthcheecpkreodceeindintghes
Adelphi arches. At the request of the coroner, the
master of St. Martin's workhouse
from the degrading course w o said she would do
anything which would be th
her
h took charge of the
witness Sarah Cunningham
means of relieving
of life she bad been
pursuing.

'
ATTEMPT of TWO 11MAIDENLADIES to
C°CilriellulTstaSncUelCOrf Da most
E bY '8 Tailel Tio N
A m
extraordinary and
painful character, and which but for the prompt and
humane exertions of the parties concerned in bringing
it to light, would no doubt have ended fatally, has
token place in the parish of Marylebone.
About a month since, two ladies, of highly respect..
able appearance, and with manners of a very superior
order, whose names have been ascertained to be
Harriet and Julia Sharpley, called at the house of
Mrs. Turner, 41, Adam-street West, Edgware-road,
and engaged her back attic, which was at the time to
be let furnished. They paid their rent regulaily, and
went out together every day for the first fortnight,
and their general appearance, although melancholy,
plainly betokened that they had seen better days. A
fortnight since last Wednesday they ceased to go
out, and a week having elapsed since they had been
seen or known to leave their room, fears were en-
tertained by Mrs. Turner, the landlady, that
something was wrong as the door was kept
leaked. The woman in the adjoining apartment
expressed her conviction that they had no food,
as she never heard the sound of a plate or
a knife and fork. On the afternoon of Wed-
nesday, the Bth inst., Mrs. Turner, with a view to
ascertain the cause of their non-appearance, knocked
at the door and told them she wanted the room for
her son. One of the ladies replied, very wall, and
told her they would open the door in the evening.
She went up, and on their opening the door she found
them together, but they would not admit they wanted
food, although they -appeared in a very desponding
and emaciated condition. She went down and made
them some tea, and brought up some bread and but-
ter ; but, although they thanked her for her kindness,
they declined, saying they could not take it. She,
however, insisted on leaving it and came down stairs,
supposing her presence might hurt their feelings.
They again locked the door, and feeling her position
was a delicate one, the landlady did not like to dis-
turb them until Weauesaay last, eihen, having re-
ceive intimation from the lodger in the text room
that he heard moans proceeding from the back attic,
she f It it to be her duty to go to Mr. Mackenzie, the
bead and summoning officer of St. Mary's distriot,
who advised Mrs. Turner to have the door forced
open and if what she feared was true, to make im-
medi to application to the workhouse. Mrs. Turner
acte under the advice, and laid the case before the
wor ouse authorities. Mr. Collett, one of the in..
spec ra of out-door poor, immediately proceeded to
the ouse, 41, Adam-street, to visit the case, and
on r tering the apartment, he found the sisters
lyin on the bed, dressed, and locked in each
othe s arms. They were both perfectly
pector
resorted sawto
a that sen-
sible,
but were so weak from want of nourish-
,: t w unless
hours
would
nourish-
ment that they were unable to stand, and one
actu ily fainted in Mr. Collett's arms as he attempted
ptororm t tai e
hmeera.surTesheweinres
termi ate their existence, as they already appeared in
a dyi g condition. He at once, in the most humane
pa and aiseworthy manner, sent for brandy and Wine,
and ministered it, mixed with a little water, 111r°-
some
self, hich appeared to revive the unfortunate ladies.
Mr. Grant, one of the medical officers, shortly after
attended, and ordered stimulants and nourishment,
which had to be administered by force, as the .pa-
tientsi were either unwinding or too weal, LoEk e
them. They rallied a Hale, and on Thursdaet it .
con
deemed advisable, in order to insure
tbemthe case
workhouse. stant medical attendance and nourishmentw that.
Mr.
required, to remove them to the
for that purpose,
Collet went to the house with ac:b d
where they were
and when the sisters were
iiiie°bre nigreatest horror and
to betaken, they expressed
s they said,to
repugnance at going,
affected one that it was feared both
The removal so r her arrival at the infirmary of
on her way and aktbsouse, that she would have died.
Marylebone
however,Workhouse,,
ultimately placed in bed, and
They
attendee?
by
Mr. Grant and Mr. Squires, the
then attended
of the infirmary, and by the kind atten-
head qurgeonm ley,
i the nurse of No. 36 ward, they
tion of Mr.s. Li
but are by no means out of danger.
are iniproving,
difficulty the nurse compels either of
It is lit--h 'e' -ordered dth em heart-
to take toe food ,an ey se
them •
brokeh at their position.
The further inquiries of Mr. Collett have led to the
following disclosures :—The unfortunate ladies, the
eldest of whom i 5 forty-one years of age, and the
youngest thirty-nine, have en aged father and mother
reduced from affluence to live with some relative in
a small cottage at Sinefield, near Slough. Their
father formerly kept a large school in the vicinity of
Windsor. His unfortunate daughters were educated
as governesses, but being unable to obtain
support
employ-
ment find their parents being unable to
them,
they dame to London to seek needlework,
means they hoped to maintain themselves.
They
were unsuccessful, and their slender means b
exhaulted, they resolved, rather than
be a burden to
their parents, or to bring disgrace on their family by
applying for relief, to starve together. They still re-
main in the Marylebone Infirmary, and object to take
food. The condition of their apartment was perfectly
cleanly, end it has been ascertained
that the only
drink they had for • ht
more than a fortnight was the
drippings from the • pipe from the roof of the house.

works for the lerßeGctEi ofN Ta
new o Sw
wing
THE ENL HOUSE'--h9
face W •
eihngton-street South, are progressing very rapidly;
the substructure, which is of the greatest solidity, has been
carried up to the level of the roadway, and an immense
EittoSESTomiler°seut
amount of the most substantial scaffolding has been raised
for the purpose of constructing the upper part of the build-
ing, which will have a handsome stone front, to be in
keeping with the rest of the noble pile. Several of the
different departments of Somerset House have been re-
cently transferred to Somerset-place. Amongst the im-
provements it is intended to build over a waste piece of ground
at the west end of Somerset-place, and erect a gateway to
correspond with that on the east side of the building leading
from Somerset House to King's College. Sir William Bur-
nett, the Physician-General to the Navy, has removed his
official residence from 5, Somerset-place, to Wimpole-street,
pro tem.
STEPNEY COLLEGE.— SHERIDAN KNOWLES A
BArnsx.—On Wednesday afternoon, the annual treating of
the friends and supporters of this institution was held in the
College Chapel. Considerable interest was excited by the
communication of a fact on which several of the speakers
touched with evident feelings of gratification—viz , the ac-
cession to their ranks of Sheridan Knowles, the well-known
dramatic author, who, it appear 2, was baptized by immer-
sion some time back by the Rev. Dr. Innes, of Edinburgh,
and who has since connected himself with the Baptist
Church in Bloomsbury, of which the Rev. William Brock
is pastor. It appeared also that Mr. Knowles had just com-
pleted the delivery of a course of lectures on rhetoric,
chiefly with a view to secure an easy and elegant style of
delivery on the part of the students now training in thin
! institution.