The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-02 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS._

On Saturday evening an inquest was held in the
Board-room of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, before Mr.
Payne, on the body of a boy, aged 10 years, named
John William Wicks, who died in the institution from a
severe injury he received in falling from a swing at the
residence of his parents. Much interest was excited in
consequence of the discovery of a system of unheard:of
cruelty practised towards the child by the sister of the
ward in which he was placed, and which, it was alleged,
was in some measure sanctioned by the house-surgeon,
who attended the boy. -
Mr. Bostock, the house-surgeon, said the deceased had
received a compound fracture of the arm and a disloca-
tion of the elbow joint. He died from the injuries.
The mother of the deceased here stated that whilst
her child was in the hospital he had been treated in the
most brutal manner during his sufferings from the inju-
ries he had received ; he had been strapped down to the
bedstead ; he had been carried more than once to the
water-closet in the ward by the nurse and sister, and
threatened to be thrown down the place if he did not be-
have himself ; he was also flogged with a birch rod se-
veral times, and the sister of the ward had carried her
brutality so far as to place a large plaister over his mouth
to prevent his crying ; that he had called out, " Oh, you
brute, I'll tell my mother." He had repeatedly cried
" Murder!" but the treatment was repeated more than
once immediately before the death of the child. The
plaister used was larger than a man's hand, and of a
most adhesive quality. Much astonishment and indig-
nation was expressed at the statement of the mother of
the shameful treatment used.
Rebecca Spiggott, nurse in the accident ward, was
then examined. She stated that the child had been very
violent and refractory. She acknowledged that the
sister had resorted to the means stated for the purpose
of quieting the child, and said it was not uncommon to
threaten and also to punish refractory children to pre-
vent their disturbing the other inmates of the ward.
Mr. Bostock was re-called, when he denied in any
way sanctioning the conduct used towards the child, and
said he did not think the treatment hastened his death ;
but it was most injudicious, tending to irritate the
symptoms.
Sophia Cawston, the sister, was then brought into
Court by the beadle ; but was not sworn, as she was
placed in so critical a position. She admitted having
laid the plaister on the child's mouth, and also having
flogged him with her hand, but said she had only used
the birch over the bed-clothes, and that she was com-
pelled to adopt these methods owing to his being so re-
fractory.
The CORONER—This investigation must necessarily
lead to one by the Governors of the Institution to in-
quire into the conduct of the parties who have acted so
shamefully.
The nurse, in answer to further questions, said that
the house-surgeon had suggested the mode of frightening
the children by the application of threats and the birch.
The CORONER, in summing up, expressed his regret
that such proceedings should go forth to the public, who
considered the Institution of the highest possible im-
portance. Instead of these harsh measures nothing but
kindness and sympathy should have been exercised. He
hoped no ether instance of such a kind would ever occur.
The Jury, after consulting about ten minutes, re-
turned a verdict of " Accidental death," accompanied by
a severe censure upon Sophia Cawston, whose conduct,
' they hoped, would be properly investigated by the Go-
vernors of the Institution.

DEATH OF DR. KING, CHIEF EXAMINER OF THE
APOTHECARIES' COMPANY.-At a late hour on Friday
evening, an inquest was held before Mr. Payne, at the
Cathedral Coffee-House, St. Paul's Church-yard, on the
body of Dr. Richard King, aged 56, who died suddenly
during the previous night.
Mr. John Mountain, proprietor of the hotel, stated
that for the last three or four years the deceased, who
resided at Brighton, took up his abode at his house when
he came to town, which was generally about once a fort-
night.
.He arrived at four o'clock on Thursday, and after
taking some refreshments, went out, saying that he would
take his usual supper, stewed cheese and a pint bottle of
ale, on his return in the evening. He returned at about
eleven o'clock, had his supper, and went to bed.
Mary Ann Archer, the chambermaid, deposed that at
night the deceased appeared to be in good health and
spirits ; that at ten o'clock on that morning, as he had
not risen, his usual hour being half-past eight, she
knocked at his door, and receiving no answer, she went
in, when she saw him lying dead upon the bed. She
raised an alarm, and Dr. Randall, of Finsbury-square,
and Mr. Hunter, of Tower-street, personal friends of the
deceased, were sent for. Both quickly arrived, and Dr.
Randall, she believed, offered an opinion that he had
died of some disease of the heart. No phial or suspici-
ous matter was found in the room, and the contents of
his carpet bag, which had been examined by Captain
King, of Mortlake, brother of the deceased, consisted
only of the usual articles. It was the custom of the de-
ceased to fasten his door, but on this occasion he had nut
done so. _ _ _

The Jury desired to have the evidence of Dr. Randall
or Mr. Hunter, and both gentlemen were sent for, but it
was ascertained that they, with the other examiners of
Apothecaries' Hall, were dining at Blackwall, and in
preference to an adjournment it was determined to return
a verdict of "Found Dead."

ALARMING CONDITION OF THE

COUNTRY.

We have been told that Lord Francis Egerton is about
to raise a yeomanry corps from amongst his numerous
tenants. Should this be true, and we have no reason to
doubt the truth of our interment, it will show that his
Lordship is resolved to be prepared against any emeute
in his own neighbourhood. The example will probably
be followed by all the Tory aristocracy, and thus a new
military force will be created, auxiliary to the Tory Go-
vernMent, and for the suppression of any disturbances
that may arise from the continuance of the corn mo-
nopoly.
There is too much reason for alarm. We have been
close observers of the state of the manufacturing dis-
tricts for the last quarter of a century, and we venture
to affirm that there never was, during all that period, so
intense and wide-spread distress as that which is now ex-
perienced. We have had sudden depressions, which oc-
casioned great suffering, but they were of comparatively
Short endurance but there has been a gradual progress
downwards for the last two or three years, till the profits
of business and the reward of labour have fallen below
what we ever remember them to have been, and this,
too, without any reasonable prospect of amendment. The
census shows that fully Oile,tentli of the houses in the
manufacturing towns of Lancashire ere Untenanted ;
and we have good grounds for belief that the omit=
piers of another tenth are totally unable to pay rent.
This shows an enormous diminution of the means of
subsistence, even with those who are partially employed;
and we know that a great number of persons are without
employment at all. One half of the hand-loom weavers
in :Manchester are without work ; and a great proportion
of them are Irish, who have no claim to parochial as-
sistance. We saw four of these men yesterday—men of
good character, as their late employer testified—
endeavouring to raise amongst the benevolent a few
shillings to save their families from starvation, and their
story was heart-rending. One of them said 1 "What
are we to do ? We cannot get work ; we are not en•
titled to parish relief ; we have no other choice but to
lie down and die, or put out our hand and steal."
No country can be tranquil while this is the condition
of a great portion of the people. It cannot be expected
that men will peaceably lay themselves down to die.
We cannot expect that, on the verge of starvation, they
will forget that they have been thus reduced by bad laws,'
that they will exercise forbearing thoughts towards the
men who support those laws. There is, in truth, much
cause for tear. The elements of combustion are laid.
A spark may ignite the whole in a moment. Take, for ex-
ample, Paisley, where the manufacturers, with two or three
exceptions; are involved in one common ruin. There is
the whole populaCon of a large town unemployed. Let
thee° be but an extensive bank failure in Lancashire,
and we should have whole towns here in the same de-
plorable quitclaim And all this without the hope of
amendment
Will the raising of bands of yeomanry be instrumental
in preVetithig ail etplasitin On the contrary, it would
add to the existing, causes of discontent. A few hun-
dreds of hot-headed partizans; acting as the Manchester
yeonianry of 1810 diet might involve the whole country
in it civic Wai'.—Alanehatee rifiltfi/

THE StROTATOR AND THE WEEKLY CHRO•
rtiftt,-=,lli dig last tiiimlelt ot a hiltitlitY tiq*spaper, the
avowed proprietor and editor of which is Ur; 0: Wad,
M.P. for SheffiekL an article appeared; plainly ptirporting
to be front Mr. Ward's pets, in etaitiitttation of a long
series of lauds on the character ofthis journal as Eh
opponent of the Whig Government ; but surpassing
most of the previous lucubration of the same writer in
scurrillous abuse and indulKing in perso_ial Imputations
of a kind rarely resorted to iii political 'warfare or part'
wrangling. It has ever been our rule, and we hope it
may be added, our invariable practic% to preserve the
pages of this journal from the advocacy of mere personal
interest, or quarrels either a,ggre.,sive tlefonsivti
when we notice Mr. Wrrd's grossly indecent conduct iii
the present instance, lest that might be supposed to de-
rive countenance from our silence, it is only to say that
the whole tissue of his statement—in its aim and ten-
dency—in its direct charges and indirect insinuations—
is false. What further course of vindication we shall
take, must be through another medium than the Spec-
tator.—Spectator.
SANDWICH.— EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUAI-
- is now to be seen in the bed-room of a
person named Farrier, eighty-five years of age, a swal-
low's nest with three young ones ; some time since the
hen bird had great inclination to take possession of part
of the chamber, and to which the old gentleman, having
no disinclination, opened his easement early every morn-
ing, and allowed the birds to build their nests unmolested
on the top of his bedstead, where they: have hatched
their young, and continue flying in and out at pleasure
(a pane of glass being taken out to accommodate them),
feeding the young ones, without being at all disturbed
by the numerous visitors who have been to see them.—
Dover Chronicle.

The Goldsmith's . Company -have presented-a second
donation of 25/., and the Merchant Tailors' Company a
donation of 10 guineas, to the London Society for the
Protection of Young Females, 4e. &c,

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
(From the Hampshire Telegraph.)
PORTSMOUTH, JULY 31.—The Acorn arrived at Ma- •
deira, from Plymouth, on the 21st June, and, sailed for
Rio de Janeiro. •
Her Majesty's packet Ranger, Lieut. Turner, arrived
at Falmouth, from Mexico, on Thursday, with 180,000
dollars on freight. The Ranger arrived at Belize on the
20th of May, sailed the 22d ; arrived at Vera Cruz on
the 30th of May, sailed on ie 12th June ; at Tampico,
14th June, sailed 17th ; at. Havannah, 27th June; and
sailed for Falmouth the 29th. Merchants are com-
plaining sadly of the depression of trade in all parts of
the Mexican States. Our Minister,
.Mr. Pakenham,
pressed the demands of British subjects on the Mexican
Government, and it was understood would leave the
country, if his remonstrances were not attended to. Mr.
Crawford, the English Consul at Tampico, came home
in the Ranger, and the merchants of Tampico had pre-
sented him with a service of plate, value 800 guineas, for
his firm and spirited conduct on several occasions, and
which was also marked with the approbation of the
British Government, by his advancement to the rank of
Consul. The Ranger met her Majesty's brig Victor at
Belize, Comus at Vera Cruz, and Racehorse at Tampico.
The Melville, 72, Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas, is
on her passage home from China, having sailed from
Canton on the 29th March.
The Espoir, Lieut. Paulson, arrived at Gibraltar on
the 13th instant, from Lisbon. The Implacable, 72,
Captain Harvey, arrived there on the same day, nine
days from Plymouth, and sailed on the 15th for Malta.
The Indus, 78. Capt. Sir James Stirling, and Monarch,
84, Capt. Chambers, will sail on Tuesday, the former for
Malta, the latter ship for Gibraltar. The Indus will
take out 50 supernumerary men and boys for disposal in
the Mediterranean, and the Monarch about 70 for the
same destination.
The Princess Charlotte, 104 guns, Captain Fanshawe,
was paid off yesterday. The marines, a remarkably
fine body of men, landed in high order after the ship
was cleared of seamen, and were marched to the barracks
with the divisional band before them, playing the tune of
" See the conquering hero comes."
The Illustrious, 72, will be commissioned in this har-
bour on Wednesday next, by Captain J. E. Erskine, as
the flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Sir C. Adam, for the
West Idian and American stations.

The Castor, 36, Captain Collier, was paid oil' at Sheer-
ness yesterday, and the Salamander steam-frigate, Com-
mander Henry, on the same day, at Woolwich.
The Dido, 18, and Wolverine, 16, are daily expected
in England to be paid off:
The freight ships Orbit and Earl of Durham, with de-
tachments of troops from Cork, arrived at Quebec, on
the 19th and 25th June.
The Tortoise, store-ship, Mr. Wood, commander, will
be at Spithead in the middle of August, to take convicts
to Van Dieman's Land, from whence she will proceed to
New Zealand, to bring spars for the navy.
The Afdent, steam-frigate, and Spy, brigantine, have
been commissioned during the week at Chatham.
The Alban steamer is to convey the depots of the un-
dermentioned regiments :—The 35th from this garrison
to Dublin; 97th from Cork to Chatham; 33d from Chat-
ham to Cork; and the 7th from Cork to Chatham.
PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.

PROMOTIONS—The following Mates to the rank o
Lieutenant :—Mr. E. 11. Beauchamp Proctor, Howe
Frederick H. Stevens, Edward H. Alston, Charles Cla.
yell. William K. Hall,
APPOINTMENTS—Captain—John Foote, to be Super
intendent of Packets, ai Falmouth, vice Plumridge.
Commander—John Russell (b) to Ardent.
Lieutenants—B. J. Wilson, additional, to the Iris, for
service on the coast of Africa ; J. S. Rundle, to the
Monarch, vice Armitage, sick .; Andrew Smith (b), to
the Hastings ; James Dalyell, to the Champion ; Philip
Hast, to command the Spy.
Pursers—Joseph Mason, to the Illustrious ; George
V. Oughton, to the Hastings.
Second Masters—Mr. Diaper, of the Atholl, to the
Partridge ; Mr. Symonds, of the Partridge, to the Pique;
Mr. Thomas Hart, to the Atholl.
Assistant-Surgeon—E. H. Derriman, to the Dublin,
from the Sheldrake ; F. M. Rayner, to the Thunder ; R.
Bothwick, to the Queen ; J. D. Macdonald, to the Win-
chester.
Midshipmen—The Hon. F. A. Foley, to the Monarch,
from the Castor ; H. Elliot, to the Indus, from the Dub-
lin ; W. Peel, to the Monarch.
Volunteers Ist Class—F. Egerton, to the Caledonia ;
F. A. S. Pasley, to the Electra ; R. L. King, to the
Queen.
Clerks—F. C. Dusautoy, to the Sapphire, from the
Athol' ; A. W. Whitehouse, to the Atholl, from the Sap-
phire ; H. Turner, additional, to the Monarch ; Thomas
Hockings to the Vanguard.
Boatswain—Mr. Birch, to the Atholl.
ROYAL MARINES—Lieut. Henry Bremer, of the Chat-
ham Division, embarked on the 19th instant on board the
Ocean, guard-ship, at Sheerness, vice Shoveller, sick in
Hospital.
PLYMOUTH, JULY 29.—The Numa, transport, Lieut.
Ward, Agent, sailed last Saturday, for Bet muda, with
stores and convicts.—The Abercrombie Robinson, Lieut.
Howe, Agent, and Prince Regent, Lieut. B. Jeffery,
Agent, arrived from Portsmouth, last Sunday, the former
with the 65th Regiment, and the latter with part of the
24th Regiment; the 65th were landed on the 25th, and
marched into Plymouth; the 24th were landed on the 15th,
and marched into Mount Wise Barracks, lately occupied
by the 11th Regiment.—The Boyne, transport, arrived on
Monday, from Portsmouth 7 with the remainder of the 242 h
Regt.: they were landed Nednesday, and marched into
Cumberland-square Barracks, Devonport, lately occupied
by the 85th depot.—The left wing of the 11th Regiment
marched for Exeter last Monday, and will _ proceed
thence to Newport, Monmouthshire, where they will be
joined by the right wing very shortly.—On Monday the
Christian 7th (Dane), 80, Captain Luften, arrived from
the Eastward ; she is getting a supply of water and pro-
visions.—The Meteor steamer arrived from Woolwich
on Tuesday, and sailed again the next day for Bristol.—
The Prince Regent, transport, sailed on Thursday, for
Deptford, with stores.—ln Harbour—Caledonia, San
Josef, Champion, and Avon and Carron, steamers.—ln
the Sound—lmpregnable, Hastings, Abercrombie Robin-
son, and Boyne, transports ; Christian 7th, Dane.
OPERATIONS AGAINST THE WRECK OF THE ROYAL
GEORGE.—The explosion of 6501b5. of powder, an-
nounced in our last number, took place on Wednesday,
the 28th instant, at the hour stated, 1 P.M., in spite of a
strong gale of wind from the westward, which, as the
tide ran in the same direction at the time, rendered it im-
possible forLietst. Hutchinson to go from No. 5 1, the place
from whence the charge was let down, to No. 4, in which
the voltaic battery was placed, the latter being to wind-
ward ; so that he was obliged to forego his intention of
firing it himself, and the circuit was completed by Ser-
jeant-Major Jones. Being fired about the time of low
water, this charge produced a similar effect in miniature
to those of the great explosions of last year, as it threw
up a column of clear water, beautifully sparkling in the
sun, to the height of 12 feet, followed by a small eruption
of water blackened by mud from the bottom. Not-
withstanding the violence of the gale, several yachts and
small sailing vessels came out to witness this explosion,
which disengaged a piece of mast from the mud, about
four or five feet long, that floated to the surface and
drifted to the eastward with the wind and tide. A boat
ordered to secure it by Colonel Pasley, failed in the
attempt, as the tow-line broke twice and the men were
obliged to abandon it, in order to save their passage to
the Success httnif which was to leeward of them ; for at
that time no boat cook' stem the united action of the
wind and tide. Next day, though it still blew a gale
and the lumps pitched violently, five divers were em-
ployed as usual, and a good cargo of wreck has been
stowed away in the hold of the Drake sailing lighter.
Thus the skill acquired by experience, has enabled the
executive officer and the men employed to work to ad-
vantage in weather which at first would have put an en-
tire stop to such operations.