The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

MORTALITY IN THE ARMY AND

NAVY.

The numbers of those who perish in battle, or after-
wards from wounds, is small compared to those who die
from other causes. During the last three years of the
Peninsular war, the total number of deaths in the army
amounted annually to about 16 per cent, of the whole
force. Of these only 4 per cent. died in battle, or of
wounds which proved fatal soon after. The number of
men sick in hospital usually averaged about one-fourth
of the whole. In less than three years and a half, out of
a force the average strength of which was 61,500 men,
nearly 34,000 died, and of these only one-fourth fell by
the sword ; and this enormous mortality occurred among
a body of men, all of whom, a short time previously,
must have been in the healthiest vigour of youth or
prime of manhood ; so that it required the annual sa-
crifice of 6,400 able-bodied men, to keep in the field a
working force of less than 50,000 men 1 If such was
the amount of suffering and waste of life, when every
expedient was adopted that foresight could suggest to
provide proper food and raiment, and every other attain-
able comfort both in sickness and in health, what must
it be when these precautions are neglected ? Of such
neglect and its,terrible and execrable consequeLees,
Napoleon's campaign of 1812 and 1813 afford memor-
able examples. From want of proper supplies alone,
the French troops perished literally by hundreds of
thousands I There is a remarkable difference between
our land and sea services. The Channel fleet, which
consisted of 24 sail of the line, with frigates, &c., on its
return to Torbay-, in September, 1800, after a four
months' cruise, sent only sixteen men to hospital. The
average m ,rtality in the 3 e trs 1810, 1811, and 1812 was
only 3i per cent., since 1830 it has not been more
than 1.4 per cent., which is less than the goneral average
among men of the same age on shore.—Quarterly
Review, 1846.

BEET-ROOT AND BREAD.—The Right lion. T. F.
Kennedy, Paymaster of Civil Services in Ireland, has ad•
dressed a public letter to Mr. Labouchere, drawing at-
tention to the fact that beetroot and flour, mixed in
equal proportions, make excellent nutritious bread. We
have had the experiment tried, by rasping down a red
beet-root, and mixing with it an equal quantity of flour ;
and we find that the dough rises well, bakes well, and
forms a loaf very similar to good brown bread in taste
and appearance. We regard this as an important dis-
covery ; because there is no crop which can be so
readily introduced into Irish cultivation as the best, and
its varieties, because no crop will yield a larger return,
and because an abundant supply of seed may be had of it
from France. We have long since shown the great value
of a beat crop, in point of nutrition ; that in fact it
ranks higher than any known plant which is cultivable.
But there was always the difficulty of how to consume
it, for men would find it a poor diet by itself, and
the present circumstances of Ireland are not snch as to
justify the introduction of produce which can become
food for man only after having been transformed into
pigs and oxen. The discovery, however, in Germany, of
the facility with which it may be combined with bread,
removes the difficulty, and places beet incontestably at
the head of the new articles which should be introduced
into Irish husbandry. In its relation to potatoes. beet
stands as 1,020 to 433, if its nutritive quality is con-
sidered ; and as 8,330 to 3,480 in regard to utilisable
produce of all kinds. It is still to be determined what

kind of beet could be best cultivated for this purpose.
Red beet produces brown bread ; white sugar beet
would probably yield a white bread, and of still better
quality ; Mangold Wurzel we have ascertained to form
bread of inferior quality, but still weal& enough.—
Gardener's Chronicle.

MYSTERIOUS CASE OF POISON-
ING A T LUTON, IN BEDFORDSHIRE.
LUTON, Saturday Night.—The inhabitants of this
place and neighbourhood have been very much excited
during the past month, owing to the death, under very
mysterious circumstances, of a young lady, named Allen,
niece of Mr. Edward Woakes, a surgeon, practising here,
under whose roof the deceased had lived for twelve
months previous to her death.
The deceased was found dead in her bed on the morn-
ing of the 23d of November last, under circumstances
which could not fail to call for inquiry, and, the facts having
been reported to Ezra Eagles, Esq., her Majesty's coro-
ner for Bedfordshire, that gentleman issued his warrant
for holding an inquest on the remains. A jury accord-
ingly met on the 24th ultimo, at the George Inn, in this
place, and, after a long and patient investigation, during
which it was elicited from the medical men examined that
the death of the deceased had been occasioned by prussic
acid, in the absence of any positive testimony as to how
or by whom the poison was administered, they returned
an open verdict.
The case, however, has continued to excite a great
deal of interest ever since • and very strong opinions
having been expressed on- the subject, Mr. Woakes, the
uncle of the deceased, addressed a communication to the
churchwardens of Luton, requesting that they would
send a requisition to the coroner to re-open the investi-
gation. Mr. Woakes's application was backed by the
signatures of 22 of the most influential inhabitants of
the parish. On its receipt the churchwardens at once
acceded to the request, and enclosed the doculuent to the
coroner. Upon receipt of it, Mr. Eagles at once directed
the exhumation of the body, and gave directions to the
proper officer to impannel a fresh jury, it being consi-
dered advisable by the coroner to avoid, as far as pos •
sible all reference to the former inquiry.
This second investigation took place on Saturday.
Frederick Hawkins, M.D., of Hitchin, proved having,
on the previous day, made an examination of parts of
deceased's body with a view to test whether she was
pregnant. The examination was made in the presence
of Mr. Benson and Mr. Heale. Witness found no indi-
cations of pregnancy.
Mr. Edward Baildon, superintendent of the Luton di-
vision of the Bedfordshire police, proved having exa-
mined deceased's bed room on the morning of her death.
He found nothing bearing the marks of having contained
poison. A letter, the seal of which was broken, was
lying under deceased's pillow. Mr. Woakes took it and
said it was of no consequence. He said it came from a
young lady named Cant. Witness asked Mr. Woakes
what prussic acid he had in his possession ? He replied,
that he did not use it. He afterwards said, all he had was
contained in a small bottle, and was so weak that it would
not cause death. He said he had purchased it to poison a
dog. The witness here produced a letter from Messrs.
Evans, Lisder, and Evans, wholesale druggists. The object
of its production was understood to be to show that Mr.
Woakes had purchased of that firm a quantity of prussic
acid. [The letter was objected to, and not put in.]
Witness observed that the window of deceased's room
was fastened on the morning of her death. Mr. Woakes
did not speak to witness on the subject of deceased's
state of mind in November last, but he had done so two
days since.
George Woakes, nephew and apprentice to Mr.
Woakes, was next called.—This witness was examined
at great length. The chief points in his evidence were
his having missed the bottle of prussic acid from its
usual place on the morning of the 23d ult. The bottle
was afterwards found by witness, but not in the presence
of his uncle. The witness further stated, that on the
Sunday before deceased's death he had missed a lauda-
num bottle from its usual place, but found it directly
afterwards. None of the drug appeared to be gone.
Witness had fetched prussic acid for his uncle from a
chemist's in the town.
Fanny Plummer, a friend of the deceased, was next
called.—She proved that after a" Dorcas meeting" in
August last (the deceased and all her connexions appeaa
to have been Methodists) deceased showed witness a
small bottle, which she stated contained prussic acid.
Deceased at that time expressed a wish to die ; and sub-
sequently witness received from her a letter, in which
she threatened to destroy herself. Witness had not told
any one of this circumstance, and now very much re-
gretted not having done so.
The jury consulted for about half an hour, and at the
expiration of that time recorded a verdict exactly similar
to that returned by the former jury, viz.—That the de-
ceased died from the effects of prussic acid, but how or
by whom administered there was no evidence to show.
The inquiry lasted from ten o'clock in the morning
until eight at night.