The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-18 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.

Yesterday a commission de lunatic° inquirendo was
opened at the King's Arms Tavern, Horton, before Mr.
Commissioner Winslow, and a special jury, relative to
the state of mind of Elizabeth Fisher, a maiden lady,
aged 49, formerly governess in the family of Lord Gran-
ville Somerset, which engagement she relinquished on
her mother's acquisition of a fortune of 40,0001., but was
now an inmate of Hoxton House Lunatic Asylum.
The Commission was unopposed.
The history of this lady's case is extraordinary. About
nine years since a gentleman, named Silvester, her uncle,
bequeathed to her mother a fortune of 40,0001., upon
whom the acquisition had the effect of producing
a derangement of intellect, which communicated
itself to the subject of this inquiry, and against
whom consequently a commission issued in 1842,
when she was found by a jury to be of unsound
mind; but, she had so far recovered in 1844, as to
induce the Lord Chancellor to supersede the commis-
sion, and she was then released from Dr. Philp's Asy-
lum, Kensington House, where she had been previously
confined. Her conduct having in 1848 become violent,
it was necessary again to place her under restraint, and,
in consequence, 14th of July, 1848, she was placed in
St. Luke's Hospital, and subsequently removed to Hox-
ten House.

After hearing evidence the unfortunate lady was in-
troduced to the jury. On taking her seat by the side of
the Learned Commissioner she proceeded to recount,
with the utmost volubility, her imaginary injuries, com-
plaining, that she was unable to employ solicitor or
counsel, and that she had been improperly confined in a
madhouse.

The jury found--" That Miss Fisher is now of un-
sound mind, incapable of managing herself or her affairs,
and has been so since the 14th of July, 1848."

THE POISONINGS IN WILTSIIIRE.—CONFESSION OF
EIGHT MURDERS.—CHIPPENHAM, AUGUST. 17.—The
conviction of the woman Rebecca Smith, at the recent
Wiltshire Summer Assizes, before Mr. Justice Cress-
well, for the murder of her infant child at Westbury, was
one of the most painful cases that has occurred in this
part for many years. She was tried for the murder of her
youngest child, exactly ono month old; but she has con-
fessed to the chaplin of the county gaol that she pre-
viously murdered seven others of her children in the
same manner. Yet this woman was religious in her out-
ward d( portment. She attended Divine worship at the
meeting-house every Sabbath day, and regularly said
her prayers—praying at night (by her own showing)
that she might be preserve d throughout it, and return-
ing thanks, and !;raying for further mercies in the
morning. The only motive the wretched criminal
assigns for such deeds of horror is that she
feared that her children might come to want. She bore
the character among her neighbours, of being an
inoffensive and industrious woman, and there is no
doubt she has suffered great privations, her husband
being given to drunkenness. Her father was a market
gardener, and she had 1001. bequeathed at his death,
but the whole of this sum was squandered by her hus-
band. Suspicions were entertained that she had also
endeavoured to poison her surviving child when in in-
fancy, but this she firmly denies. On the contrary, she ex-
presses the greatest affection for this child, her only
tear (as she says) being that when she is gono her
daughter will be neglected by her husband. The ex-
cellent chaplain of the gaol is unwearied in his endea-
vours to bring her to a sense of her awful situation, and
his pious labours we trust will not bo fruitless. Her
execution is fixed for the 23d instant. Efforts are being
made in the county to obtain a remission of her sentence,
and petitions to that effect are in the course of signature
for presentation to the Secretary of State.
DEATH OF DANIEL ASHFORD, ESQ., CORONER FOR
SOMERSET.—We regret exceedingly to have to record
the melancholy death of this lamented gentleman, which
event took place on Wednesday, the Bth inst., at his re-
sidence, Shepton Mallet, after a few hours' illness, of a
most severe attack of cholera. Mr. Ashford has filled
the high oflice of one of the coroners for Somersetshire
for 21 years, with the greatest satisfaction to the county.
Mr. D. 11. Ashford, one of the late coroner's sons, has
become a candidate for the appointment, having !Try, d
the office of deputy-coroner for some time,—.s:herbortte
Journal.
TREASURE FROM CniNA.—The vessel Angheltin:,
just arrived in the docks from Canton,
cases of spccie, consigned to order; the Wilszt,f
goSld
dus:, utgewar tl,
Irisabinro
also from Canton, has brought on© box
d 74 boxes of
and two boxes of treasure, addressed,
yew,
orn
treasure consigned to order; and
Accra, one ease of pcld dust and one
ca lc of bullion, ad-
' ~
drest:ed to fifm of commercial eminence, and .1 urge
quantity of 61 casks of guinea grains, consigned to order.
The issue of the new florin coinage took place on
Thursday.