The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-08 00:00:00

SUSPECTED MURDER.

BIRKENHEAD, SATURDAY.—The discovery of a most
atrocious murder within the last twenty-four hours has
thrown this place into the greatest excitement. Last
evening an inquest was held at the Dock Hotel, on the
body of the unfortunate being who perished, and the
following facts were disclosed. His name was James
Frimingham, a quiet young man, aged nineteen; and it
appears oa the night of the 24th ult. he had been par-
ticipating in the annual festival of some club. He did
not return home, and nothing was heard of him until
yesterday morning, when his body was found in the Mor-
peth Dock, bearing such appearances as to show that he
had been murdered. A black silk handkerchief was
stuffed in his mouth, the left aide of his face was lace-
rated, and the left hand trousers pocket was turned
inside out.
The police being apprised of the discovery, they were
instructed to apprehend a stonemason of the name of
Edward Silk, on suspicion of being concerned in the
death of the unfortunate young man, he having given
very contradictory accounts as to where he left him on
the preceding evening. It al,o appears that this party
when he reached his lodgings on the night in question,
was seen to have blood on his hands and pocket hand-
kerchief. Silk was then intoxicated, and on being asked
where he had left the deceased, he replied that he had
been drinking with him, and that he left him at the
corner of Bridge-street. He added that the deceased
had severely cut himself under the eye by falling, and
that he (Silk) had wiped the blood off his face with his
pocket- handkerchief.
Mr. Vaughan, a surgeon, who examined the body,
said that the handkerchief was firmly wedged down the
deceased's throat to the extent of ten and a half inches.
Suffocation was the cause of death, produced by the
handkerchief being stuffed in the throat. Deceased
could not have placed the handkerchief in his throat
himself.

The CORONER here intimated that he would adjourn
the inquiry, so as to enable the police to collect more
witnesses respecting the murder.

POST-OFFICE NOTICES. The following notices
were issued on Saturday last at the General Post-office, St.
Martin's-le- Grand :—" Mails will be made up for Sierra
Leone, to be conveyed by her Majesty's steamer Growler.
The postage on letters so forwarded for Sierra Leone will be
at the rate of Is. the hall ounce, and so on ' • and no postage
will be charged on newspapers. All letters, &c., intended to
be forwarded by this vessel must be specially addressed, ' By
her Majesty's steamer Growler.' The Growler is expected
to sail from Plymouth about the 12th inst." •4 The mails
for the Mediterranean, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon. India, Hong-
Kong, and China, will be made up on the evening of the 7th
inst. (this evening), to be forwarded bv the fortnightly
closed overland mails, vied Marseilles. For Gibraltar, Malta,
Greece, the lonian Islands, Egypt, India, &c., on the evening
of the 19th inst., vid Southampton, Corunna, Vigo, Oporto,
Lisbon, Madeira, vid Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibraltar, on the
morning of the 7th inst. (this morning), to be forwarded by
the Iberia steamer from Southampton; next packet due, the
Madrid steamer, on the 14th inst., Madeira, British and
foreign colonies in the West Indies (except Mexico, Hon-
duras, and Havannah), Venezuela, Bermuda, San Juan de
Nicaragua, New Grenada, Chili, and Peru, on the morning
of the 17th inst., to be forwarded by the Severn steamer
from Southampton ; next packet due, the Medway, on the
7th inst. (this day). British North America, Bermuda, and
the United States, on the evening of the 18tfi inst., by the
Caledonian steamer, aid Liverpool, Halifax, and Boston;
next packet due, the Britannia, on the 15th inst."

FALMOUTH, JUNE 5.--Her Majesty's brig Frolic,
yesterday
Commander Hamilton, arrived off this port
morn-
ing, from the Pacific, having sailed from San Bias December
15, Valparaiso February 11, Port Famine (in the Straits of
Magellan) March 22, and from Rio de Janeiro April 18. She
has on freight about 2,000,000 dollars; in addition to which,
also 18,000 dollars taken out of the wreck of the brig Can-
ning, which vessel took fire and sank in December last, in
Port Famine, on her voyage from Islay for London, laden
with wool, saltpetre, and 30,000 dollars on freight. The fire
is supposed to have arisen from spontaneous combustion,
and three of the crew were unfortunately drowned at the
time. The Frolic left at Rio her Majesty's ships Curagaa,
the Firebrand steamer, the Griffon (from the River Plate),
and the Crane packet, arrived from Falmouth on the 17th of
April. The Swift packet sailed two or three days before the
Frolic for the northern ports and Falmouth ; she spoke, on
the 2d inst., in lat. 48 55 N., and long. 10 12 W., the ship I
Tudor, with the 50th Regiment of Foot on board, from Cal-
cutta for London.
FUNERAL or DR. CIIALMERS.—The funeral of this
distingnished man took place on Friday. last, when his re-
mains were committed to the earth in the Cemetery at
Grange, near Edinburgh, in the presence of many thousand
persons, the funeral procession consisting of the civic autho-
rities, the gentry, the magistracy, and numbers of ministers
not only of the Free Church, but of the Established Church
of Scotland, and of various dissenting congregations, who,
together with other mourners, amounted to nearly 2,000
persons. Upwards of forty carriages formed the rear of the
procession, in which were Lords Moncrieffe, Robertson, and
Ivory, Sir J. H. Maxwell. Principal Lee, Professors Robert-
son, Simpson. Wilson, Alison, &c. The carriages of the
Duchess of Gordon, of the Lord President, the Lord Provost,
and Sir James Forrest, were also in the procescion. When the
head of the procession had reached the grave the rear had
barely entered the ground. The ranks of the procession
formed in two lines, between which the coffin, with its plate,
inscribed, " Thomas Chalmers, t).D., died May 31st, 1847,
aged 67," was borne along, followed by the son of Dr.
Hanna, as chief mourner, the relatives of the deceased, arc.
When the coffin was lowered into the ground the members
of the procession no longer retained their places ; they all
drew towards the grave, and gathered round it in one vast
and dense multitude, in silent awe, whilst dust was piled
above the dead.
The Royal Botanic Society's second exhibition of
plants and flowers in the Regent's Park will take place
tomorrow.