The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-06 00:00:00

give you my word that the fact of an officer wear-
ing a Crimean medal is made an excuse for show-
ing every possible civility to him." And the
Court should remember another thing. The
circumstances of the case were not now as they
were when, in the heat of the moment, those Rus-
sian guns were first scattered broadcast over
the country. The war then was going on. Our
countrymen had since felt proud and glad to see the
termination of the war. But several years had since
elapsed, and he only asked whether it was English-
like that those guns, at the end of seven years,
should be dragged out of a coalhole and mounted as
a sort of insult to a great nation. He mentioned
this subject in the House of Commons at the end of
last session. He took upon himself to do it be-
cause, in the first place, the army felt that those
guns were their property. It the army had been
consulted upon the matter, not a single gun would
ever have been sent to this country. It must be
borne in mind also that these were not guns which
had been taken on the field of battle, but they had
been obtained by capitulation. (Hear, hear.) His
gallant friend (Colonel Fane) knew that a gun with
the Artillery was as the colours with a regiment.
There was not a single precedent ; he had made in-
quiries in every way, and was not aw •re that such
a thing had ever yet been done. There never yet
had been a war in which we had unnecessarily in-
sulted a great country and an army in such a way
as had been done during the last five or six years.
Ile could only say that the kindness he had received
in all parts of the country (and particularly in the
city in which he was then speaking) made him re-
gret the necessity of having to say one word in op-
position to the wishes of the citizens of that great
University city. He would only ask the court, if
those guns were placed in front of that hall, what
would be the feeling of the Emperor of Russia if
ever he should come over to this country ? Tbat
city was one of the greatest in the world in the es-
timation of foreigners. Go whi.re they would fo-
reigners were always making inquiries aboat the
University and the old city of Oxford. Foreigners
on coming to that city then would not be able to get
into the town without having those guns paraded
before them. He put it to the court whether that
would be dignified. He knew that there was a
considerable feeling of contempt at the manner in
which the guns had been treated. He had re-
ceived letters from people whom he did not
know from Adam thanking him for having
mentioned this circumstance in the House
c..inmons. It was one which was quite unworthy
of this country. Of course, the question was one
for the Court's decision; but, feeling as he did the
wretched, contemptible character of the proceeding,
he could not refrain from expressing himself as he
had done. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said he apprehended that as they
were only trustees for the county property they
could not entertain the question. He agreed with
his gallant friend in opinion that, the battle being
over, the sooner they shook hands and forgot it the
better. He had no fondness for things of that kind.
(Hear, hear.)
Some conversation ensued, but the Court were
unanimous in refusing to allow the guns to be placed
in front of the County Hall.

--- ---
Suspected Poisoning at Mareham-le-Pen,

Lincolnshire.

Various rumours having been afloat for some time past
respecting the death of Jemima, mother of John Garner,
grocer, &c., of Moorhouses, in the parish of Mareham-le-
Fen, near Horncastle, whose death occurred in December,
1861, the coroner (Dr. Clegg, of Boston), at length issued
his warrant for the exhumation of the body. It had been
buried in the churchyard of the adjoining parish of
Revesby, and was exhumed on Thursday, the 27th of
November last. A post mortem examination having been
made by Dr. Boulton, of Horncastle, and Mt. George,
surgeon, of Revesby, and the body identified by the sexton
of the parish and the joiner who made the coffin, the
coroner ordered the stomach, &c., to be placed in sealed jars,
and conveyed by Police-Sergeant Lampton toProfessor Tay-
lor, the celebrated analytical chemist, at Guy's Hospital,
London, and then adjourned the inquest, which was re-
opened on Tuesday, the 16th of December, at the Red
Lion Inn, Reversby, before Dr Clegg, coroner. The evi-
dence of William Taylor, sexton, and William Weldon,
carpenter (taken. on the 27th of November), proving the
identity of the body exhumed, was read over, and the fol.
lowing additional witnesses called :
William Lampton—l am sergeant of police. On the
27th of November I received three jars, sealed, and took
them to London. I delivered them to Professor Taylor on
the 29th, with the seals unbroken, and he gave me a receipt
t'or them.
Dr. Boulton—On the 27th of November I saw a coffin
opened containing the body of a woman, and made a post
mortem examination. I removed the viscera of the chest
and abdomen, some of the blood, and a portion of the spine.
The tissues of the spine were deeply tinged and saturated
with a bright yellow colouring matter. I placed the whole
in jars, which I sealed, and gave them to Sergeant Lampton
to convey to Professor Taylor. There was some difficulty
in removing the lid of the coffin. There was no earth in the
coffin. The outer part of the body was in an advanced state
of decomposition.
Hugh George—l am a surgeon residing at Revesby, and
was present on the 27th of November when a coffin contain-
ing the body of a woman was opened. I can corroborate
the evidence of Dr. Boulton. Yellow stains were also on
the coat of the stomach and muscles of the abdomen. The
jars were sealed and delivered in my presence. The last
time I attended deceased professionally was on the 18th of
December, 1861. She was suffering from vomiting. Did
not see her next day, but sent some medicine. Saw her
again on the 20th. Had often attended her before. The
symptoms were consistent with death from irritant poison.
Ido not know on what day she died. I sent in a medical
certificate of death "after six days' diarrheas." I did not
see her between August and December 18. The medicine
then sent was for purging only.
Dr. Taylor—l am a Fellow of the Royal College of Phy-
sicians, and Professor of Chemistry and Medical Jurispru-
dence at Guy's Hospital. On Saturday, Nov. 29, I received
at the chemical laboratory, Guy's Hospital, from Sergeant
Lampton, three jars well secured and sealed. These were
kept locked up until the analysis was made. I have em.
bodied the results in the following report :
" Small Jar-7oz of bloody liquid in a putrescent state.
It was tested for mineral poison, but none could be found
in it. Large Jar (containing viscera of deceased) —On open-
ing this jar there was found in it the liver, heart, lungs,
spleen, kidneys, stomach, and intestines, with a portion of
the bones of the spinal column (lumbar vertebrae). These
organs were in a good state of preservation, so that all the
structures would be easily recognised. The heart and in-
testines were so preserved that they appeared as if they had
been taken from a person recently dead. The liver was
shrunk, small, and of a dark slate colour. It weighed
about 11b. Its structure appeared healthy. The heart was
of the usual size, scarcely altered by putrefaction. Its cavi-

ties were examined as well as the valves. There was no ap-
pearance of disease in any part. The lungs were more de-
oon3posed than the other organs. They presented no unusual
appearance. The stomach and intestines presented on the
external coat or membrane patches of a deep yellow colour.
The most extensive patches were on the stomach, and
chiefly on its under or posterior surface (that part which is
nearest the spinal column) ; one of these, covering about
five square inches, was found in the fat of the mesentery,
surrounding the intestines. The stomach was more decom-
posed than the intestines. The stained portion was firm,
but other portions had given way in one or two planes. The
interior was then laid open. There was no fluid contents
in it, but the inner coat or lining membrane was covered
with a thin dark substance, in which wore numerous small
particles of a bright yellow colour. This substance when
placed in water gave to the liquid a reddish brown colour
resembling that of decomposed blood. It was examined by
the microscope, but presented no other appearance calling
for remark. The coats of the stomach were thinner than
natural. This is the usual condition when bodies have been
buried for many months. The coats of the intestines were
thinner than natural (a result of changes in the dead body).
In addition to the ellow stains, they presented a well-
marked redness in the upper portion, such as would be caused
by inflammation, &c., taking place during lifo. They were
quite empty, and entirely decomposed at the lower part,
but at the upper part they were fresh and firm. The por-
tion of the spinal column in the jar presented a remarkable
appearance. There were in the soft parts which covered
the bones in front several patches of deep yellow colour, re-
sembling those found in the stomach and intestines. These
stains were firmly incorporated with the membrane and
ligaments covering the bones of the spine, and some were
found dyeing the flesh still attached to the vertebitc. The
fish was red and firm, and had undergone but very little
change from putrefaction.

"Analysis.--The first was to determine the chemical na-
ture of the yellow stains or patches of colour on the stomach,
intestines, and spine. Portions of the colouring matter were
removed from these different structures, and separately
examined. They did not contain any bile or biliary
matter, but consisted of orpiment of yellow sulphate of
arsenic,:mixed with arsenic in, a soluble form. This is a
mineral poison. All the stains examined were due to this
substance, which had penetrated into and had become in-
corporated with the soft structures of the body. A small
portion of the yellow colouring matter was removed from
the front of the spine and reserved. An unstained portion
of the coats of thc stomach was submitted to chemical ana-
lysis, and was found to contain arsenic in a form in which
it was soluble in water—that is white arsenic, All
parted