The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-04 00:00:00

TR-E ROYAL ITER HOSPITAL INQUIRY.
(THIS DAY.)

This inquiry was resumed at ten o'clock this morning.
The court was, as on former days, densely thronged by
professional gentlemen and others.
Mr. J. B. Angeuven, one of the house surgeons at thr
Royal Fre© Hospital, stated he performed the post moron
examination on the deceased a few hours after death. He
discovered that the instrument, instead of passing direct into
the bladder, opened the uretha. He found a stone in the
bladder. From the position of the wound the forceps did
not appear to have clutched the stone. It is much more
difficult to enter the bladder of a child than in that of an
adult. He had known with the best of operators the
operation taking over half an hour. After taking the cal-
culus from the bladder he gave it to Mr. Cooke. The
bladder was taken away from the body and kept in the
museum two or three days, after which it was buried. (The
stone taken from the bladder was produced.) Mr. Cooke
was a very fair operator. Such a mistake, as the knife
missing the bladder, had frequently happened before. Sir
Astley Cooper had mentioned such cases in his treatise on
lithotomy. It was impossible to say how long the
child might have lived, with such a atone in its
bladder. Ho (witness) considered such an operation
necessary. He did not witness the operation, for
while the operation was being carried on he was en-
gaged administering the chloroform. The patient under
the influence of chloroform would not be susceutible to pain
at all. He saw nothing during the operation of gross igno-
rance or incapacity on the part of the operator. Such cpe-
rations were always very dangerous, and fatal consequences
were not to be wondered at. Fatal results would ensue
notwithstanding the best of skill. The operation on a
child sometime takes two or three minutes, and at other
times rnuchlonger. Before commencing, the operator should
have all the instruments required in the operation laid
upon the table. Some delay in the operation in question
ensued, through the instruments not being at hand. It
was Mr. Sanbell's duty, as senior house-surgeon, to have
the instruments in readiness. He (witness) certified the
cause of death in the case of the child as resulting from
inflammation of the internal surface of the abdomen,
which inflammation was not all an uncommon occurence
after operations for lithotomy.
Mr. Wm. Coulson, surgeon, and an eminent operator,
who performed a second post mortem examination a
month subsequently to the preceding one, said he found
the bladder was gone. He could not, from the condition of
of the body, form an opinion as to the cause of death.
With the most eminent surgeons such mishaps as the in-
strument missing the bladder and passing elsewhere had
occurred. The instrument frequently, or ho might say
occasionally, passing between the rectum and bladder,
was not an uncommon occurrence. Such might occur to
himself to-morrow. In children such mishaps were more
frequent than in adults.
By Mr. Ballantine—He (witness) made the post-mortem
examination by order of Mr. Wakley. Any delay in the
procuring the instruments necessary for the operation
tended to endanger the patient under operation.
Mr. F. C. Skey, surgeon, residing in Grosvenor-street,
Grosvenor-square, was next examined, and after having
undergone a cross-examination at the hands of the counsel,
the inquiry was adjourned for a brief period.

LAW INTELLIGENCE-(THIS DAY).

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
APPREHENSION OF A BANKRUPT.-EXTRAORDINARY

CASE.

(Before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
IN RE FIELDING.

This morning Alfred Fielding, described as of Nelson-
street, Greenwich, jeweller, &c., against whom a petition
in Bankruptcy had been filed, but wh6 had absconded, was
brought up in custody of Mr. Hamber, the messenger of
the Court, having been apprehended by him yesterday
afternoon. From the statement to the Court by Mr. Ham-
ber, it appeared that the bankrupt absconded, and from
the information received, it was discovered that lie had
gone to Paris, but returned, and traced by Mr. Hamber to
a house in the borough, where he was taken into custody.
Property I been tlicen under the bankruptcy, amounting
to botween 303.. and 4001.

The bankrupt underwent a very rigid examination, and
admitted that he had been in the habit of selling goods to
a person whose name he believed to be Levy, but he never
asked his name or where he lived. _ _ .

His Honour directed the examination to be taken in
writing, for unless the bankrupt gave more satisfactory
answers, it would be his honour's painful duty to commit
him to Newgate.
The examination was resumed, and the same answers
given.
Mr. Hamber produced some memoranda and duplicates
found on the bankrupt. One of the papers was a stamped
receipt, made out in favour of James Scott, and signed by
the bankrupt, for 8591. 21. 6d.
The bankrupt, on being questioned on this subject, per-
sisted that he had only written it for " amusement," and
that a list of items amounting to that sum was all ima-
gina.
Hisy Honour said this was the most extraordinary ex-
planation he had ever heard, that. a stamped receipt should
be made out for mere amusement, by a man who had
absconded. He would adjourn the examination to give
time to look through all the documents, and removed the
bankrupt into custody. He entreated the bankrupt to
reflect, and consider the consequence of his adhering to his
present story. He should have the examination, so as not
to say he had been misi,aken. The bankrupt had better
take timely advice.
The case was adjourned accordingly.

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY).

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)

CharTeg Watt, 24, artilleryman, pleaded guilty to steal-
ing a purse and 51., the property of John Martin.
In answer to the Recorder, the prosecutor, a corporal in
the Artillery, said that the prisoner had been for 7 years
in the regiment, and had borne a good character. Ho slept
in the same room as prosecutor, and the money had been
taken from his (prosecutors) box, which was underneath
his bed. When the money was missed, prisoner tried to
lay the charge upon two other soldiers in the same regi-
ment.

The Recorder in passing sentence said, that he was
sorry that a man, who had borne a good character, had
been guilty of such an act. It was a bad offence to rob a
cAurade, and that aggravated by endeavouring to affix the
guilt upon other persons. Prisoner being drunk at the
time he committed the offence, could not be taken as an
excuse for his behaviour.

He was sentenced to six monti:e imprisonment and hail
labour.

Caroline Ilazell, 44, married, a miserable looking woman
with an infant in her arms, pleaded guilty to stealing a
watch, value at 151. 155., from the dwelling-house of Wal-
ter Searle, it being his property. It appeared that, on the
10th of nne, the prisoner was taken upon a stretcher,
quite drunk, to the Greenwich Union, and upon her was
found the duplicate of a watch, pledged for 31. 10s. The
police having received information that a watch had been
stolen from prosecutors's, which is in the neighbourhood,
the pledge was inspected, and found to be the one in
question.
The prisoner said she was in great distress, and had
called at prosecutor's to solicit alms, and seeing the watch
hanging up she was suddenly tempted to take it.
The Recorder asked how the pawnbroker could take in
such a pledge of so poor a woman ?
The pawnbroker said they made every inquiry. The
prisoner came to their shop to buy a wedding ring.
The Recorder sentenced her to three months' imprison-
ment and hard labour, and said he would not order the
money found upon the prisoner to be given to the pawn-
broker ; it belonged to the Sheriff. ,

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT CND LOSS OF
LIFE.

FALL OF THREE HOUSES—(THIS DAY.)
This morning, shortly before 12 o'clock, an accident,
which it is to be feared will be attended with the loss of
several lives took place at the back of new Victoria-street.
It appears that the houses on the right side of Saffron-
hill, which are to be removed for the purpose of erecting
large houses on the left of new Victoria-street, were to-day
being pulled down, and the old materials carted away. A
little before 10 o'clock eight men were on the roofs of three
of the houses removing the roof prior to taking down the
buildings. Two men were in the act of fixing up a cross-
tree or pole for lowering the materials, when the roof of
the lower house fell in with a tremendous crash, forcing
out the walls, which had the effect of carrying away the
two adjoining houses, and burying under the ruins seven
human beings. Up to 12 o'clock only three had been got
out. With respect to the others, from the weight of mate-
rials upon them it is not likely they will be got out alive.
The three poor unfortunate men who were got out were
immediately placed in a cot and taken to Bartholomew's
Hospital. At 10 o'clock the face and shoulders of another
man had been cleared, but a large beam was lying across
the lower part of his body,• and as that was completely
embedded in the debris of the ruins, there was very little
chance of his being got out for some hours ; at the same
time they were administering restoratives to him, but
with very little chance of his surviving.
The spot under which the other bodies are buried has
not been ascertained, but a very large body of men are
engaged in clearing away the immense body of materials.
Tho men at the hospital are so badly wounded that it
is feared none will survive.

At the time of going to press men were busily engaged in
endea vouring to find the other bodies.

As most ofthe men were employed by different masters,
and as they are strangers in the neighbourhood, their
names have not been ascertained with any degree of cer-
tainty.