The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-08 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

Yesterday an inquisition was held at the Hero of Waterloo,
Waterloo-road, on the body of Mr. Alfred Hopkinson, who
destroyed himself by drowning in the Thames, on Friday, the
10th of November last.

It appeared from the evidence that deceased was on good
terms with all his family, and that he enjoyed their full confi-
dence from the circumstance of his conducting the business of
his father. Deceased was afilL2ted with an eruption on his
hands which had baffled medical advice, and having been I-a:—
jetted in proposals of marriage to a young lady to whom he,
was attached, it is conjectured he attributed it to his unfortu-
nate affliction, and fell into a state of despondency, which led
to his suicide.

The jury returned a verdict of " Temporary Derangement."
Yesterday evening an inquest was held in the Board-room
of Middlesex Hospital, before Mr. Stirling and 'a respectable
jury, on view of the body of Mr. Frederick Chipps, aged '24,
who was killed under very dreadful and affilcting circumaances.
It appeared from the evidence that the deceased was a
checsemonger, and resided at No. 17, Rathbone-place, Ox-
ford-street. He was exceedingly partial to pigeons, a number
of which birds he kept on a large platform erected on the top
of his house. On Sunday morning last, between eight and
nine o'clock, he went on the roof to make some arrangements
amongst his pigeons, when he unfortunately missed his fo..ting,
and was precipitated head-foremost into the back-yard, a height
of nearly fifty feet. The unfortunate young man was taken up
in a frightfully mutilated coalition, and conveyed to the above
hospital, where he expired shortly afterwards from the (head-
ful injuries he had received. The deceased was a very respect-
able steady }ming man, and at the tine of the fatal catastrophe
was perfectly sober. What adds to the sad calamity, he was
to have been married in a few days to a young femal,, the
daughter of a respectable tradesman in the mlgh')curhood,
who is in a state of severe afitction at the tn!lanchuly occur-
rence.—Verdict, " Accidental death."

Owing to the heavy fog on Saturday night last,
near London, and which prevailed to a t'onsiderable distance
from it westward, the London, Bath, and Bristol mails di,l not
reach this town on Sunday last until nearly four hours after
their usual time of arrival.— Taunton Courier.

Yesterday morning a fine young woman, of the name
of Ann Tilbrook, residing as•servant at /,1,). 46, Wells-street,
Oxford-street, unfortunately fell into the haA area, from the
second floor window during the time she was cleaning it, a
hei,!,ht of thirty feet. It appears that the unfortunate female,
after cleaning the inside of the window, insisted on standing
outsitle of the sill though repeatedly requested not : in a few
minutes afterwards she fell, it is supposed, f,om her head turn-
ing giddy. Assistance being promptly procured, she was raised
from the stone pavement apparently lifeless, and conveyed on
a shutter to Middlesex Hospital, where she lies without the
remotest hope of recovery.
TILE MAGISTRACY.-The new Commission of
the Peace is not yet issued ; we therefore take one more
opportunity, it may be our last, •of reminding our excellent
Lord Lieutenant what the inhabitants of Somerset confidently
expect of him. It is now in his power to make more even
the balance of parties on the Bench. Fur years past the
popular cause has suffered from the want of litieral Magistrates.
T, e few we possess are continually outvoted by the over-
helining majority of Tories, with which a long reign of
Toryism has packed the Bench. This crying evil it is now
in his power to amend. He may immensely advance the
cause of which he is so old and tried a friend, by appointing to
the, Magistracy such a number of gentlemen of decidedly
liberal principles as shall give to those principles that pre-
ponderance upon the Bench which they enjoy among the in-
habitants.—Somerset County Gazette.

VIDOCQ.—We mentioned, with several other jour-
nals, the arrest of Vidocq, and the discoveries made in, his
lodgings at Paris and St. Maude. This affair is bee ming
daily more intricate, and assuming a more serious turn Oa%
was at first supposed. The former Chief of the Safety Police
had formed, in Paris, an extensive establishment, to which the
dupes of swindlers, well known to Vidocq, were in the habit of
applying for the recovery of their lost property. By promising
him a certain per centage, they were sure, if not of getting
back their money, at least of securing their debtor. Vidocq
derived a very handsome income from his undertaking; he•
kept up a regular intercourse with men placed in situations to
to be well informed on various subjects ; he had, in short, or.
ganized in the capital a sort of private police. He likewise
undertook some money transactions, and, by accommodating
officers of the Administration with any sums they wanted, he
contrived to be initiated by them in a variety of secret details.
At a moment when several foreign Governments are known to
keep up in France a numerous and active police, the facilities
thus afforded to Vidocq to come at important information are
certainly not without danger. We hope the conduct of the
late Chief of the Safety Police will be strictly investigated.
The Government must show no weakness. \\'c do not sup-
pose that foreign agents care for anything in the affair ' • still
they might be concerned in it ; and the bare possibility thereof
imposes on the Government imperious obligations.—Le Com-
merce. _ _

MANCHESTER.—Since our last Wednesday's pub-
rcation the demand for Cotton at Liverpool has. greatly
abated ; which (coupled, perhaps, with the season of the year),
has caused a corresponding degree of flatness in the trade of
this town. The state of business yesterday prisefited a strik-
ing contrast to that which existed om the preceding Tuesday,
there being very little. demand either for yarn or goods ; but
there was no sensible difference in prices.—Manchester Paper.
DELICATE INVESTIGATION.—A noisy vestry
was held last week in the Church of St. Mary, Sandwich, et
which the Rev. Mr. Hambleton presided. The object for
which the vestry was convaied was to institute a delicate in-
vestigation into the conduct of a parish sexton, who, it was
alleged, had broken the seventh commandment, and had thus
brought scandal upon the Church, of which he was an officer.
The sexton was suspended from the duties and emoluments of
his high ecclesiastical office for six weeks.—Kent Herald.
On Saturday afternoon, a cabinet-maker, named
Walter Duncan, of the advanced age of 84, committed suicide
by blowing out his brains with a pistol, at No. 2, Fitzroy-
place, New-road. He had been in the habit of sisitiag an aged
idy residing in the above house. He had ca'led a little before
two o'clock on Saturday, when not finding her at home, he
desired her daughter, who lived with her, to send out for a
pint of ale. He then gave a few h df-penco to the children of,
the latter, after which he went to the door and discharged
pistol at his head. He died immediately. No cause can be
assigned for this rash'act. He was a man of temperate habits.
.A few days ago an eagle was discovered on
Thivaites Fell, near Broughton-in-Furness, by a boy of the
name of Jackson, of Swinside. The eagle being on low or
level ground was unable to rise, and the boyr after a " hard
siege," brought home the vanquished bird, though not with Out
the usual tokens of war amongst boys, viz., tattered garments.
The eagle, which is a remarkably fine one, and of a large size,
is now in the possession of John Lewthwaite, Esq., of Broad-
gate. —Kendal Mercury.
A Noble Earl, whose gastronomic tendencies are
well known among his friends, lately ordered and demolished
the following dinner (soles) at an inn :—Peas-soup, stewed eels.
boiled chicken and bacon, saddle of mutton, tart, jellies, and
cheese—the whole washed down by one bottle of sherry, one
of port, and one of claret.
;Captain Peters, of the ship William, of Edinburgh,
was put on shore on the. waggon train at the Spout, on the
river Tyne, on Friday last, and not being aware of the rapid
pace at which the waggons move, in attempting to cross be-
fore a train, he was knocked down and cut to pieces by several
Vehicles passing over his body.—Tyna Mercury.
On Saturday week a fine young man, about 21
years of age, was drowned off the creek at Barking. It ap-
pears from the statement of the mate of the Amity of New-
castle, which was anchored on the Kent shore, that he sew
the deceased fall overboard from his vessel close on shore near
the creek's mouth ; and as the vessel drifted away the deceased
was seen struggling in the water up to his neck, evidently
held fast by the mud, from which he could not extricate him-
self. There was, unfortunately, no boat with the collier by
which assistance could be offered, as the captain had gone to
Woolwich. The mate continued to call, and although several
vessels were passing up with the tide, no one heeded him-
The water gradually rose over the poor fellow's head, and be
perished.—Maidstone Gazelle.
CLEANLINESS.—TWO young beech trees, planted
the same time, in the same soil, at a small distance from each
other, and equally healthy, were pitched upon as the subject
of the following ipiperinier4 i—They were apeorately Me
sured : and as Soon as the bads bpg.,ll to swell in the 'spring:,
the whole trnlik pf one of them was cleansed of its moss and
dirt, by means gf
a
brush and soft water. Afterwards it was
wattled with a wet flannol, twie@ or tripe eye!! week; tjll
E about the middle of summer. In autumn, when the annual
growth was supposed to be completed, the beeches were again
t measured ; and the increase of the tree which had been
washed, was found to exceed that of the other, nearly in the
orojeOrtfon tO WV,