The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-16 00:00:00

DEATH. OF WILLIAM THOM, THE
INVERURY POET.
TO TEE 21)ITOR OF THE DUNDEE COURTED.
Dundee, February 29, 1848.
Sir,—The pc‘inful task has been deputed to me of an.
noancing to the, :public the death of deputed
Thom, the
Inverury poet. For some time past he had been in de-
licate and decliziMg health ; and his diseased state of body
was doubtless aggravated by the uncertainty of his
circumstances, and the consequent anguish of his
honourable and sensitive mind. Yesterday, in our
city, at half- past eleven A.m., he departed this life.
He has left beblud him something more than a name,—
some true and beautiful strains—which, as " a thing of
beauty is a joy• for ever," the world will not willingly
suffer, like the inscription on the coffin. to be buried in
the tomb. He has left behind him, alas ! something
of yet tenderer and more mournful interest—a widow
and three children—the eldest of whom is only
four years, and the youngest but a few months old.
These are uttei'ly destitute, and but for the kindness of
one or two private friends, might have been cast out ere
this to the charity of the streets. I make no appeal in
behalf of the poet himself. " After life's fitful fever he
sleeps well." He has found what the most troubled and
tempest-tossed 'renderer will at last find—and which to
him was peculiar ly grateful—rest. Nor will I indulge
or express any vindictive feelings as to the treatment
which he received while yet alive. A true poet, he met
with truly poetic usage. He was caressed, but not fed,
as if one could sup on incense, or as if one public dinner
could keep a man alive for years! But I would bespeak
general sympathy in behalf of his destitute family. I
would implore every lover of literature—every one who
has derived pleasure from the departed poet's lyrics,
or from the simple story of his life—to prove
their pleasure and their gratitude true by some
more substantial evidence than exclamations or
tears. I would call especially upon those who saw him
at our late Watt Festival, and heard almost his latest
breath given forth in those brief, broken, but thrilling
accents—accents how far superior to the measured es.
dences of rhetoric—to testify by generous deeds
their sense of melancholy satisfaction that theirs was
the privilege of meeting with and hearing him for the
last time. No time ought to be lost. Indeed, no time
has been lost. Intimations to the above effect either
have been, or are immediately to be, dispatched to
Douglas Jerrold, Charles Dickens, Lord Jeffrey, and
others. But as Dundee has had the honour of contain-
ing his deathbed, let us follow the start we have acci-
dentally gained by instant, active, strenuous efforts in
behalf of his widow and his" fatherless bairns."

Messrs. Chalmers, Middleton, and Shaw, booksellers,
and Mr. Mills, perfumer, have kindly undertaken to
receive donations.

The smallest sum will be welcomed.
I am, Sir, yours truly.
GEORGE GILFILLAN.
The following are the last verses of the late William
Thom, written shortly before his death:—

BONG 01 THE DWELLERS IN DEAN TALL
Tune—" Miller o' Dee."
While we laugh and sing in this happy ring,
With a bright and a brotherly glee,
May we never forget that the sun bath set
On the homes of misery.
For oh! it may be that this chill night wind
Sweeps round some fireless hearth;
Freezing the heart of the homeless one
With never a friend on earth.
Then aye as we sing may we closer cling,
In our bright and brotherly glee;
Yet never forget that the sun may set
On the homes of misery.
Man was net made for the world alone,
The world was lent to man;
'Tis a debt we owe to Heaven, you know,
Then pay it as well as you can.
Now winter rides mad in his carriage of snow,
With his pelting rain and his hail;
May it never be said that hunger and woe
Held abiding in bonny Dean Vale.
Then aye as we sing may we closer cling,
Ii our bright and brotherly glee;
And never forget that the sun may set
On the homes of misery.

W. THOM.

THEATRE ROYAL DRURY-LA.l4E.—The performances
of Franconi's Equestrian Troupe are attracting nume-
rous and fashionable audiences to the Theatre Royal,
Drury-lane, Among the visitors on Monday and Tuesday
we recognised—the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis
and Marchioness of Douro, Count de Montemolin, the
Marquis and Marchioness of Douglas, the Marquis of
Donegal, his Excellency the Brazillien Minister and
family, Earl Fitzwilliam and family, Count D'Orsay,
Lord Chesterfield, Earl of Munster, Earl Fitzhardinge,
Lord Adolphus Fitzclarenec, Lords A. and G. Lennox,
Lord Templemore, Lord John Hay, Lady Louisa Ram-
say, Sir G. Wombwell, Sir Bellingham Graham, Lord
Somerton, Lord Canterbury, Miss Burdett Colitis, Lord
G. Paget, &c. _ _

SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH IS.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Company's ship Iberia, Captain F.
Burney, sailed today for Genoa, Leghorn, and Civita
Veochia, calling at Gibraltar. The Iberia takes out no
mails ; she has a few passengers and a valuable cargo.
The Montrose is expected to-morrow from Gibraltar,
Cadiz, and Lisbon.
FATAL OCCURRENCE ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN
RAlLWAT.—Yesterday an inquest was held at Basing-
stoke by Mr. Shebbeare, the coroner for the county of
Hants, upon the body of Thomas Ralph, aged 41. The
deceased, who had been upwards of nine years in the
service of the company, was guard of the goods train
from Southampton. On Sunday morning, and shortly
before five o'clock, the train having taken in luggage at
Basingstoke, the deceased got on the engine to give
some directions to the driver, his feet resting on the
engine and tender, when the train was set in motion,
and had proceeded a tew hundred yards, the massive
work that connects the engine with the tender broke,
and the unfortunate man was precipitated on the line,
the tender and most of the vans and trucks passing over
his body and mutilating it in a most frightful manner.
A verdict of " Accidental death" was returned.

BATHS AND:WASHHOUSES FOR THE LABOURIZIG
CLASSEll.—Yesterday a meeting of the committee and
supporters of the above undertaking in the north-west
district of the metropolis, was held at the institution in
George-street, Euston-square; the Rev. C. W. Dods-
worth, M.A., in the chair. The general report stated
that the institution was opened in August, 1846, and
that its statistical and financial progress up to the pre-
sent period was highly satisfactory. The number of
persons who have availed themselves of its benefits being
upwards of 179,000 male and female bathers; and 16,237
poor women have washed, dried, ironed, and mangled
the linen of themselves and families to the average of
❑early two millions of articles. The society is indebted
for loan and liabilities on account of the building fund,
to 8151.; and when this sum is liquidated the establish..
ment will be self-supporting. The receipts for the past
five weeks ending the 12th inst., amounted to
1541. 14s. 4d.; the expenditure to 119 s. ss. 7d.; leaving
a profit on the working of 351. Bs. 9d. The donations
during the same period were upwards of 601.
A. very rich vein of lead ore has just been dis-
covered within the manor of Hartsop, in Patterdale.
The Earl of Lonadalo is lurd of the manor.—Carlisle
Journal.

FREE EXHIBITION OF SkLECT BRITISH MANU.
EACTURES.—The second private view of this annual ex-
hibition took place on Saturday evening, in the house of
the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Manu-
factures, and it was numerously attended by a distin-
guished assemblage. His Royal Highness Prince Albert,
the president, had previously paid the exhibition a
morning visit, and having examined its subjects minutely,
pronounced it to be every way superior to that of last
year. He was attended by the Hon. Colonel C. B.
Phipps and Colonel Bouverie, and on leaving gave
instructions that some of the most valuable objects
should be procured for his private use. Among the
visitors were the following:—The Marquis of Lans-
downe, the Earl of ilarrowby, Lord R. Grosvenor, Lord
Colborne, Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P., Mr. Baron Parke,
Mr. Rowland Hill, Sir J. Clark, Mr. J. Danvers, Mr.
Westmacot, Mr. S. Redgreve, Mr. Bailey, Professor
Graham, Mr. Auldjo, Mr. S. C. Hall, Mr. Le Neve
Foster, the Marquis of Northampton, the Earl of
Auckland, Mr. Wyse, M.P., Mr. Tidd Pratt, Mr. C.
Landseer, General Fox, Mr. Twining, Sir George
Stainton, Bart., Mr. Baldwin, Mr. R. Reinagle, Mr. M.
Ricardo, Mr. W. Tooke, Mr. Wyndham Harding, Mr.
G. Moore, Dr. Faroy, Messrs. T. Workworth, H. Col-
naghi, C. I. Richardson, T. H. Plaskett, J. G. Crace, C.
Osier, R. Z. Troughton, F. Fuller, G. E. Dennes, J.
Payne, W. S. Russell, J. Knight, R. Hunt, J. D. Sedge-
wick, E. Hawkins, &c. S‘e.
DEATH FROM SWALLOWING COAL GAS.—Yetter-
day, Mr. Baker, held an inquest, at the Royal Oak,
Margaret-street, on view of the body of David Cham-
bers, aged fifty-five, a gas-pipe fitter, in the employment
of the Imperial Gas Company, Haggerstone, who died
through ;swallowing a quantity of carbonic acid gas,
while he was at work at No. 2, Bath-place, Cambridge-
heath-gate, repairing the gas-pipe. The foreman of the
jury remarked that where there was danger in the cut-
ting and re-connexion of gas-pipes, two men ought to be
employed by the company. Verdict—" Accidental
death, from inhaling a quantity of gas, and the jury
recommended that at such work two men should be em-
ployed instead of one
:a: Coal:males liturasT.—An inquest was held yester.
day before Mr. Frederick John Manning, the coroner of
the Queen's household and of the Verge., and a jury
-
composed of officers of the Palace et the House of Lords,
on the body of Mr. Benjamin Currey, late clerk assis-
tant to the House of Lords.. It appeared that the de-
ceased gentleman was struck with apoplexy while
giving instructions to his assistants, and remained insen-
sible for some hours until his death, which took place on
Monday last. The evidence being perfectly eonclusive
as to the cause, the jury without hesitation returned a
verdict " That the deceased died by the visitation of
God in a natural way."
AMICABLE UNITED BENBEIT SOCIETT.--The 1014
anniversary of this society took place on Tuesday, 14th
March, at the Fountain tavern, Red Cross-street, Crip-
plegate ; Mr. 11. S. Brigg in the chair. This excellent
institution that has existed so many years has not de-
pended so much upon the extent of its funds as upon the
good management, united purpose, and general respec-
tability of its members. It has always paid its full de-
mand in sickness, funerals, Sx., according to its scale of
payments. Alderman Thomas Challis is one of its
honorary members. After dinner the usual loyal touts
were given, some excellent speeches were made by the
chairman, by Mr. Wright, Mr. Sparks, Mr. Evans, Mr.
Stockford, and Mr. Bowles, and the meeting broke up
soon after 11 o'clock.

Lord Blantyre embarked at Blackwall•pier yester-
day morning, on board the General Steam Navigation
Company's mail steam-ship Giraffe, tor j‘otterdam.