The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-13 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

An inquest was held yesterday at the Goldsmiths'
Arms, Southwark-bridge-road, on the body of John
Grey, aged four years, whose death occurred under
the 'following extraordinary circumstances :—lt ap-
poared that deceased was the son of a costermonger
living at No. 3, Red Cross-street, and on Tuesday
last the family, consisting of two or three children
and their father and mother, dined together. They
all partook of some conger eel, of which deceased ate
more freely than the rest, and was shortly afterwards
attacked by violent sickness and diarrhoea. The pa-
rents did mot deem it necessary to call in medical
advice until the following day, when Mr. Randall, a
surgeon, was called in. He stated that he found de-
ceased labouring under all the apparent effects of
cholera—via., violent purging and pains in the limbs,
&c. He applied the proper remedies but without
effect, and deceased expired the same day. From a
subsequent examination, and from the information of
the parents, he had no doubt of death being the result
of the poisonous effects of the fish. The whole of
the family had suffered more or less from the same
cause, and the father was now labouring under its
effects. The Coroner thought it was of equal im-
portance that the matter should go forth to the
public, whether the death had arisen from cholera or
from the cause assigned by the medical witness, as
in both cases it was necessary that a caution should
be given. After some further inquiry, the jury re-
corded a verdict in accordance with the medical
testimony.
Yesterday Mr. Bedford, the coroner, attended for the
second time during the present week at the Millbank
prison, and held two inquiries on the bodies of Joseph
Scott, aged 40, and Stephen Balkwell, aged 38, late
convicts at that gaol, and whose deaths happened
under the following circumstances. The evidence
proved that Scott, was admitted into the prison on the
31st of January last from Springfield gaol, and sen-
tenced to ten years' transportation for housebreaking
and larceny, after two previous convictions. He went
on very well until the sth of March, when he saw the
doctor ; he was suffering then from tubercular disease ;
ulceration of the glands followed, and he gradually
sank and died on the 11th instant. In the case of
Balk well it was stated that he was received from
Exeter prison, under sentence of fourteen years'
transportation in May last, having been convicted of
two cases of burglary. He died at twelve o'clock on
that day (yesterday) from continued fever, by which
he had been attacked a few days previously. Fever
still continued to be very prevalent in the prison,
and several prisoners were now suffering under its
effects. A verdict of "Natural death" was returned
in both cases.
On Wednesday night Mr. G. J. Mills held an in-
quest at the Fisherman's Arms, Old Oak Common,
NVillesden, on the body of Edward Armstead, aged
forty-five, a coach and harness-plater, of Cochrane-
terrace, St. John's-wood. It appeared that the de-
ceased had been in a very low and depressed state of
mind, arising from the death of his wife, for whose
loss he was inconsolable. He left his employment as
usual on the evening of the 31 inst. to return home,
but did not do so ; and early on the following morn-
ing his hat was found floating in the Junction Canal,
at the above place, and on the morning of Monday
his body was found near the same spot by some boat-
men, who, there is every reason to believe, stripped
the body of a considerable sum of money, a pair of
gold spectacles, and other articles which the deceased
had about him, as a boy who was present when the
body was discovered saw some of the articles taken
by the men. There was no marks of external vio-
lence, and the jury, in the absence of further evidence,
returned a verdict of found dead.

Yesterday Mr. W. Baker held an inquest, at the
London Hospital, on the body of Mr. Christopher J.
Smith, aged 40. The deceased was the landlord of
the Fountain public-house, James-street, Betlanal-
green. On Michaelmas-day last some alterations were
in progress at his house, and he ascended a ladder
which broke under him, and he sustained a compound
fracture of the leg. He was taken to the above
hospital, where he died on Tuesday last from the
effects of the injury. Verdict, "Accidental death."
Yesterday Mr. IV. Baker held an inquest at the
Royal Mason, Poplar, on the body of a male person,
name unknown. The deceased was found early on
Tuesday morning last in the river Thames, off Black-
wall stairs. From the dress he appeared to be a sea-
faring man, about 35 years of age, stout built, with
sandy hair and whiskers; he had a foul anchor im-
pressed on his right arm, and the letters K. B. on the
left. He is supposed to be the person who fell over•
board from the Dublin steam-packet in its passage
down the river, on last Wednesday week, but in the
absence of positive testimony a verdict of "Found
dead" was recorded.
Tan LATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT PORTSMOUTH.—
The coroner's inquest upon the bodies of the unfor-
tunate victims of the gale on Monday, at Spithead,
was resumed on Wednesday afternoon at four o'clock,
when the following evidence was elicited :—Margaret
Moore, the young woman whose life was saved by
her Majesty's boat's crew, stated that herself and the
other Party (whose names we gave on Wednesday)
put off in a boat from the Portsea Strand about two
o'clock on Monday, intending to go on board the
Grampus frigate at Spithead, on board which they all
had relatives or friends ; and that when outside the
harbour's mouth, along the Blockhouse shore, reach-
ing towards the frigate, they became alarmed, and
wished to return, but the apprehension not being
general the wish of herself was not complied with, as
the watermen said there was no danger. Whilst the
salute was being fired by the fleet on the Queen pas•
sing, one of the watermen got up to shift .the sail,
when a sea and squall took the boat and turned her
over, all in her being plunged into the water. No
help was near, and they drifted some distance ;
witness by means of a board out of the boat and
one of the oars kept herself afloat until picked up by
the royal barge.—Mr. Whitty, the Custom-house
officer, deposed to picking up the waterman Locke, as
already described. Samuel Underhill, coxswain of
her Majesty a yacht, deposed to his Royal Highness
the Prince Consort's first seeing the extent of the