The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-21 00:00:00

Mr. G. Bryant sworn.—l am assistant overseer of the
parish of St. James, Westminster. The deceased was a
pauper child. About the 4th of April, 1835, he and other
children were removed from this house to an establishment
at Norwood, kept by a Mr. Aubin, for the reception of
pauper children. I did not see the deceased from the time
he went down until the 20th of February last, when he was
suffering from indisposition, and inconsequence-was removed
here by order of Mr. French, the resident apothecary.
-By the Jury—Each of the children sent to Mr. Aubin's
establishment cost the parish 4s. 3d. weekly. The mainte-
nance of the children in this house does not cost more than
from 2s. to 2s. Gd. weekly. The 4s. 3d. paid for each
child includes clothing and medical attendance.
The medical gentlemen having returned from making the
post mortem examination, they were severally examined.
Mr. French, resident surgeon of St. James's Infirmary,
said—l was present at the examination of the body of the
deceased, and, after a very careful examination, I am deci-
dedly of opinion that the child died of mesenteric disease.
By Mr. Adolphus—Do all the medical men who have
examined the body coincide in your opinion? Mr French
—Yes they do.
Mr. Pettigrew, who had been summoned by the parish
officers to give evidence, was then sworn, and deposed as
follows :—I was requested by Mr. Gibbs, the churchwarden,
to visit the patients in the infirmary of this workhouse. I
met Mr. Brayne, the surgeon of the parish, to whom at that
time I was personally unknown. I asked him, as the
medical man of the parish, to accompany me in this
business, but he declined. I therefore went into some
of the wards, attended by Mr. Gibbs and two other
officers of the parish, whose names I was then unac-
quainted with, but whom I have since understood to be
Mr. Penney ton and Mr. Lashi. In the ward No. 9, I
saw the principal part of the 17 children referred to by
Mr. Gibbs, as reported seriously ill. The deceased was
in another ward with another boy and an infant girl. The
condition of these children was frightfully appalling, and the
position in which the major part of them sat in their beds
was with their legs crossed under them. Emaciation, in a
greater or less degree, characterised the whole of them.
The hands of many appeared large, their bodies tumified,
their limbs shrivelled and wasted ; the emaciation of some
was so great that the intimate structure of their joints be-
came apparent ; this was particularly observable in a child
of the name of Mealey. They complained of intense
thirst ; some were flushed in the cheeks ; and I learned
from the nurse in attendance that the skin was uniformly
dry, the bones of the legs of three or four of them took on
a curved direction, agreeable to the position in which they
sat. I saw the deceased boy George Costar. His was
one of the worst cases, and evidently lying in a most dan-
gerous state. I met Mr. Andrews, the clergyman, in the
ward. I pointed out to him the condition of these children
by exhibiting two or three of them to him. Having looked
at all the children, I was asked by the officer my opinion
of them, and my reply was to this effect :—" That they
all laboured under one and the same disease, though va-
rying as to intensity of the symptoms, and that this disease
was that which is commonly described as mesenteric disease,
being connected with the digestive or assimilating organs—
that the disease is usually connected with scrofulous dis-
position of the system, and that this disease was liable to be
induced, and always aggravated, by the administration of
improper food." I represented to the officers the necessity
of inquiry into the manner they had been dieted. I was
asked by the officer whether I had any objection to go to
Norwood ? I replied I would most willingly give my as-
sistance to discover the cause of the disorder. I was re-
quested to write a report, but having hospital duties to at-
tend to, I gave a verbal opinion. At a meeting held, the
board determined that I should not go to Norwood, and I
then found the subject treated with levity.-Looking at the
disorder under which they were labouring, it was impossible
for me, seeing so many children, the- offspring of different
parents, all affected with the same disease, to draw any other
inference than that it was materially dependant upon the
manner in which they were nursed and maintained.
By Mr. Adolphus—l have been an inhabitant of the
parish ten years. I was a candidate for the office of sur-
geon about eight years ago, but was unsuccessful. Mr.
Gibbs, the churchwarden, was with me when I saw the
children. I wrote a letter to the Home Secretary on the
2d of March. There was a board held on the 29th of
February, when it was decided that I should not go to
Norwood.
Mr. Adolphus—There was no board on the 29th of
February.
Mr. Pettigrew—Do you mean to insinuate that I am
saying what is false ? Mr. Adolphus—Most certainly I do.
Mr. Pettigrew—l throw back with scorn, indignation,
and contempt, such an insinuation.
Mr. Adolphus (laughing)—l know you do. Did you
not write to Lord John Russell, stating that a-number of
children belonging to this parish were ill-treated at Mr.
Aubin's establishment at Norwood ? Mr. Pettigrew—
What I wrote to Lord John Russell was grounded upon
information given to me by Mr. Gibbs, upon whose word I
placed implicit reliance.
Mr. Adolphus—Have you been to Norwood to see the
children at Mr. Aubin's, whom you stated to the Home
Secretary to be so grossly maltreated ? Mr. Pettigrew—
Certainly not.
Mr. Adolphus—Theq, without a personal knowledge of
these assertions, you have been stating falsehods, tending
seriously to injure the reputation of Mr. Aubin. Ido
not believe one word of your statements. I censider them
false.
Mr. Pettigrew—You arc an impertinent scoundrel.
Mr. Adolphus here sat down.
By Mr. Daniel—Had the child been properly attended
to previous to December, I am of opinion it would have re-
covered.
Mr. Brayne, surgeon to the parish of St. James, was
next examined—l am in the habit of going down to Nor-
wood with the board of governors once a month. Some-
times a report was made of the state of the children. It'
is impossible to keep them clean when their bowels arc in
bad order. It is not usual to keep them in the condition
represented by Mr. Pettigrew.
Mr. :Stratton, (one of the guardians of the poor)—
What is your object, Mr. Brayne, in giving this evidence?
Is it to make a charge against twenty-one respectable gen-
tlemen of this board, or is it to destroy Mr. Aubin's es-
tablishment ? Mr. Brayne--My object is to speak the
truth.
A Juror—l say it is not.
Mr. Brayne—Then what you assert is false.
At one o'clock yesterday morning, the whole evidence
being concluded, the Jury returned the following verdict :
" That the death of the deceased, George Costar, was
caused by a mesenteric disease of a severe nature, produced
by a scrofulous habit of body. That this Jury present
that no blame whatever attaches to Mr. Aubin, the person
at whose establishment the children of this parish have been
put to nurse ; on whose part it has been proved that
every attention has been manifested by him towards them.
That in the opinion of this Jury the governors of the
poor, in choosing Mr. Aubin's establishment, have been ac-
tuated by the best and purest motives, and have been fully
justified by the corroboration of the evidence adduced be-
fore the Jury."
On Saturday an inquisition was taken by Mr. STIRLING,
the Coroner, at the house of Mr. Cox, the King's Head,
Lower-road, Islington, relative to the death of a female
child, name unknown, that was found under the following
extraordinary circumstances :—Thomas Whetstone, on
Tuesday morning, just after six o'clock, saw a small black
coffin floating on the New River, in front of Colebrook-
row. He made an outcry, being afraid to touch it except
in the presence of some ono, and police constable Barnett,
11 l N., coming up, lie pointed out to him the singular
object, which he then dragged ashore and conveyed to the
station-house. The coffin was there opened, and found to
contain the deceased, who had on a richly-made cap and
night-robe, marked with S., and was lying upon a pillow.
The child, according to the opinion of the witness, had