The Sun.
London, England, 1830-09-18 00:00:00

INQUEST ON AIR. HUSKISSON.

The melancholy intelligence of Mr. Huskisson's
death soon reached Manchester; and as an inquest
was necessary, Mr. Milne, the Coroner, took with
ju
ry.
The speed the necessary steps for assembling a
The summonses were for nine o'clock in the morn-
ing; but the Coroner did not arrive till ten. As he
had an inquest to hold at Flixton at one o'clock,
and another to hold at Manchester at a later period
of the afternoon, he was naturally anxious to pro-
ceed with all speed to business, but this was found
impossible, owing to the accidental absence of the
Earl of Wilton, who was expected to be the prin-
cipal witness. In order that us little time as pos-
sible might be lost, he swore in the Jury at the
Grapes public-house, and requested them to pro-
ceed and view the body of the deceased. About
eleven o'clock they proceeded to the Vicarage, but
were not immediately admitted into the room where
the corpse lay, in consequence of Mrs, Huskisson
having deceived the affectionate vigilance of her
friends, and having forced herself into the apartment
where his body was lying. lam informed that it
was her anxious wish to have laid out his body her-
self, and that she said that it was Mr. Huskisson'a
wish that she should have performed to him that
ceremony. She did not, however, contest the
point, and after some solicitation on the parts of
Lords Colville and Wilton, *as persuaded to give
up that intention. After she bud been removed
from the apartment, the Jury went into it by two
'or three at a time, in order that Mrs. Huskisson's
feelings might not be wounded by hearing their
steps as they proceeded to view the body. The
body was laid on a bed, anti was covered with a
sheet. The Jury did not examine the wounds at
all; but having merely removed the sheet, returned
to. the (rates.
()tithe hurl of Wilton's arrival at one o'clock, his
deposition was taken by the coroner. He stated
that Mr. Huskisson, with several other gentlemen,
were standing outside the Royal car, of which the
door was open. On the alarm being given that the
Rocket engine was advancing upon them, he en-
deavoured to move round the edge of the door, and
in doing so became by some means entangled with
it. His movements then became confused, and whilst
in that state the Rocket passed him and knocked
him down, and the consequence was that his left leg
and thigh fell on the off rail of the way on which
the Rocket was moving. He fell in such a way that
his left leg and thigh were crooked into an angle,
so that two,parts of the whole limb rested on the
rail, one part about the middle of the thigh, and the
other just above.the calf of the leg. At this mo-
ment the wheel went over him. As soon as pos-
sible assistance was rendered him, and he was for-
warded to Eccles. His Lordship stated that the
disaster was a mere accident,—that no blame could
attach to either the directors, engineers, or ma-
chinery. His Lordship was the only witness sworn,
and at the close of his examination he read over
and signed his deposition.
Lord Granville, in answer to some remarks made
in the room, said that Mr. Huskisson was affected
with a numbness of the limb, in consequence of an
operation which he had lately undergone—a circum-
stance which might account for tine slowness and
irresolution of his motions.

The Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental
Death," but affixed no deodand on the engine, from
which it may be fairly inferred that they acquitted
the engineers and the machinery of all blame.

I have just learned a few additional particulars
with regard to the firmness with which Mr. 'lns-
kisson bore his sufferings, and the collected state of
his mind almost up to the last moments. After Mr.
Huskisson had received the sacrament, he called for
his private secretary (Mr. Wainewright), and re-
quested him to add a codicil to his will, the purport
of which he stated. Mr. Wainewright having
drawn it up, submitted it to Mr. Huskisson for
signature, after the unfortunate gentleman had sug-
gested one or two verbal alterations. I have seen that
signature, and have else compared it with a frank
given by Mr. Huskisson some short time before. The
direction on the frank is in a sloping, fluent, easy
hand : that of his last night's signature, though the
formation of the letters is essentially the same, is
more upright, and betrays great nervous compres-
sion. After he had written "W. Huskisson," and
had given the paper to Mr. Wainewright, he called
for it again, for the purpose of placing his usual dot
between the W. and H.,—a circumstance which
proves, that to the very last he retained his partiality
for all the minuteness of business.
I cannot conclude this notice without mentioning
again the extraordinary attention paid by Mr. and
Mrs. Blackburne to every thing that might alleviate
their suffering guest..
Fully relying that the details contained in this
letter are essentially correct, I was here about to
close; but it affords me much satisfaction to be able
to transmit to you a description of Mr. Huskisson's
conduct from the very moment of the accident to
that of its fatal termination given me by a gentle-
man who was present throughout the whole occur-
rence, and who is one deeply interested in all the
circumstances of the case.

The cavalcade of carriages started from the sta-
tion In Crown-street, near Liverpool, at twenty
minutes before eleven o'clock. At about twelve
o'clock they reached Purkside, near Newton, a
twice of 15 miles; there they stopped, for the pur-
pose of taking in a supply of water. Many of the
passengers in the different carriages availed them-
selves of this opportunity of alighting, amongst
this number was air. Iluskisson, who went in the
same carriage with the Duke of Wellington, and
the other distinguished strangers. It may be well
here to mention that this carriage traversed one line
of Railway, whilst all the other carriages occupied
another line, parallel with the first, end separated
from it by nn intervening space of a few feet.
Mr. Ituskisson after having alighted went to the
front of the carriage, and was in conversation with
the Duke of Wellington, who had not alighted,
when on a sudden a cry was heard that one of the
steam-carriages on the parallel line was regularly
advancing: many of the gentlemen succeeded in get-
ting into the carriage a few seconds before the ma-
chine came rolling on, at the rate of 25 or 30 miles
an hour. Mr. Iluskisson finding himself too late
seemed a little bewildered, and he either slipped
down or threw himself down purposely us the best
chance of escape, when the wheel of the other car-
riage going at this rapid rate went over his left leg
end thigh (without touching his knee), and frac-
tured the bones and lacerated the muscles and blood-
yessels to such a degree that amputation very high
on the thigh was immediately declared by a sur-
geon who was present
.on the spot to ntrard the
only hope of saving his life. lle was immediately
placed on a door, which was put upon a small
light steam-carriage,.. in which he was uecom-
panied by Lord Wilton, who undertook to pro-
ceed afterwards to Manchester for a surgeon.
There were also in the car with him Mrs. Ws-
kisser), her relation, Lord Colville, and Mr. Waine-
might, us well BS Doctor Ilrundreth, of Liver-
pool, awl Dr. Hunter, of Edinburgh. They pro-
ceeded''ttthe
rate, as is
averred by between
to tl.si(emVleiocafrtaile aptartly?.
thirty stud
forty miles cut hour. In the abseece of Mr. Thomas
111ackburne, the Vicar, he was received with the
deepestand most anxious interest by Mrs. Black-
borne, who directed him to be immediately carried
into the nearest room (the drawing-room), where
he Was laid upon a sofa. In a short time four

surgeon; of Manchester—Mr. Ransome, Mr. What-
ton, Mr. Gturside, and Mr. White—arrived, and
after a careful examination of the case, came to a
unanimous decision, in conjunction with the physi-
cians, that amputation, though indispensable to effect
a recovery, could not, without the most imminent
and immediate danger, be undertaken, until 'a re-
action should have taken place; instead, however,
of rallying, he became gradually weaker, with an in-
creasing coldness of the extremities, till after suffer-
ing excruciating tortures from spasms, which he
bore with heroic fertitude, he seemed extremely
exhausted, and after about fifteen minutes of appa-
rent stupor, he breathed his last.
From the first moment of the accident he said
that he felt he had not many hours to live, and he
gave directions for some alterations in his will, which
were carried into effect, and to which he affixed his
signature with as much clearness and precision as if
he had been in the enjoyment of perfect health.
From the moment of his reaching the Vicarage
till his death, he was constantly and most assidu-
ously attended by his devoted wife, but now
distracted widow (Mrs. Huskisson), by the Earl of
Wilton, Lord Granville, Lord Colville, Mr. W
wright, and his medical attendants, II

setice, as well as in that of the vicar, -
bnrne, who Ht his own request had previously ad-
ministered the sacrament to him, he breathed his last
at nine o'clock in the evening.