The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-04 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS CASE.

An adjourned inquest was held yesterday before Mr.
Baker, the deputy-coroner, under circumstances of a
peculiarly suspicious nature.
The deceased, Samuel Cornish, a man about fifty-six
years of age, who acted as a steward on board the Dee
mail-packet steam-vessel, was in the habit for some time
past, on the arrival of the vessel in the port of London,
of residing with a woman named Southerland, at present
living at 44, John-street, St. George's-in-the-East. The
I)ee arrived in London about the middle of last month,
an'i Mrs. Southerland, as was her custom, went on board
and' attended deceased, who, after eating some apple-
pudding, became very ill. The symptoms, which ap-
pear ed to be those of dysentery, continued, notwith-
standing the efforts of two surgeons, and ho died on the
night of the 17th ult., and was buried on the following
Friday in the Beaumont Cemetery, Stepney. Inconse-
quence .of information forwarded to the Coroner, the
body wea disinterred on Tuesday, and Dr. Letheby, of
the London Hospital, was requested to examine it, and
analyse thaw contents of the intestines and stomach. The
jury merely viewed the body on Tuesday, and the
further impiry was:adjourned until yesterday, when Dr.
Letheby eirtvred into a long and interesting detail of the
various testa which he had applied. In the stomach he
discovered the presence of opium and saffron ; and the
large intestinal canal, as well as the smaller ones, proved
beyond doubt; that arsenic had been taken into the sys-
tem. There was no arsenic in the intestinal canal, which
had been den red out of every particle of forces, but no
doubt existed that it had been taken.
In answer .to the CORONER, Dr. Letheby said that,
under ordinary- circumstances, arsenic was never found
in the human body in such a degree as to be discoverable
by any of the known and usual tests.
Mr. Christoplher Tatham, surgeon, of Poplar, was
called in to the decased, on board the Dee, on Tuesday,
the 17th ult., and he treated him for dysentery, though
at the time ho vras
as
tt er
ne
dt could
a
no
t
survive o t
survive more than
prepa-
ration of opium, and saw no other symptoms than those
which might be the result of the disease for which de-
ceased was treated. He died the same night. Witness
204 f
hours. opinion
Iti he a
at
dthmein pi
deceased a second time the same day, and saw
a Mrs.
Southerland, whom he understood to be his niece.
attended
She told witness the deceased had made a will in her
favour, and put a paper purporting to be such into his
hand in the presence of his patient. Witness told her
she had better send for a lawyer. She sent a young
inan named Bromage, who was with her in the cabin, for
a solicitor. In the interim, witness asked deceased if he
wished to make a will, and in whose favour. He an-
swered, " I have made my will, and I wish to leave all
my property to my niece." Witness said, " Who is
Your niece ?" To which deceased, putting his hand on
NCYa. Soutkerland's shoulder, said, " Here she is." He
e
thou embraced and kissed her. In about a quarter of an
hour Bromage returned with Mr. Walsh, solicitor, Bit-
ttoerwn-hiicliri he (Mr. Tatham) was one of the attesting wit-
nesses. 'Blackwell, when a will was formally executed,
On leaving the Dee witness left Bromage, who,
ho understood resided in Holborn, behind with Mrs.
Southerli tnd, and never again saw deceased.
Sir. C. floise, surgeon, of Baines's-place, Mile-end-road,
attended tiivi deceased two years ago. He came to him
again on the. 14th ult., accompanied by a Mrs. Souther-
land. He said he bad been ill from eating a dumpling
and felt at tha time as if he should burst. Mrs. Souther-
land appeared nervous at the time. She came again in
two days after, and said deceased was delirious and had
thrown up the medicine which had been prescribed for
him. On the following Monday a person named Small-
don, who witness had no doubt was connected with Mrs.
Southerland, came to say that Cornish was dead, and
that suspicions were entertained of his having been
te
poisoned.' After that Mrs. Southerland called on wit-
ness, accompanied by a person named Pile, traveller to
caaltiinseenodfrdaepceeraseincrs tdheeatßhla;ekbufrti. karan-orowaidn,g
was to be held, witness declined saying anything until
called before the Coroner.

Susanna Ellis, 4, Jenkins'-court, Ropemaker's-fields,
Limehouse, said, that deceased came to lodge at her house
last April two years, and told her that Mrs. Southerland
with whom he lodged, and who called herself his niece,
though she was no relative, had that morning mixed
laudanum with a cup of coffee, which she gave him, but
the smell was so strong he would not take it. He re-
peatedly made this statement while lodging with witness,
but still he used to go to and from Mrs. Southerland's,
who kept a beer-shop at 94, Fore-street, Limehouse, to
whom he said he had lent 501. to open it. He afterwards
went again to lodge with Mrs. Southerland, and witness
observed that whenever he went to visit her, though a
sober man, he used to look heavy and stupid.
John Ellis, husband to the last witness, corroborated
her testimony. Deceased told him he would not be a
live man if he stayed much longer with the Southerlands,
and added that they had been drugging him several
times ; upon which witness remonstrated on his going
there. Often saw the deceased arm-in-arm with Mrs.
Southerland.
Ann Blackmore, 14, Tarling-street, had known the
deceased 22 years. In April or May, two years ago, he
atc
oo
pmhaipi
mnl
in
eet hahapetpaMeda.rrs Se.
appeared
htooue t
tbhoeeorkilna
hnaid had
mst
a :oe a
is
ido
dn
Liititareyiru,emd
adfrsruougirn.s
r.
geon in the Commercial-road, where he again said Mrs.
Southerland drugged his-,, for the purpose of possessing
herself of his money and papers, adding that he had lent
her 50/. to set up a beer-shop. Mr. Kay said he had
better leave such people. Witness saw the deceased
on the sth ult., and complimented him on his ap-
pearance, 'saying " You get no drugs now." He
replied, `7 No, I think Mrs. Southerland will not
repeat the practiCe, and has entirely forgot it." He
at the same time added, that if anything should
happen to him, they might conclude ne had been done
unfairly by. He was a temperate man, laboured under
no delusion, and was to have dined with witness and her
husband on the Sunday after his death. She heard him
often say Mrs. Southerland was no relative of his. Wit.

Hesa hoard of his death ufi thu ist ult„ when sac, outligt
on Mrs. Southerland, and asked her if she was aware of
what the deceased had said about having been drugged,
to which Mrs. Southerland replied, " Oh, the world will
say anything," and added, " there is a person up stairs
who was present at his death."
_ _

At this Atage of the proceedings the further inquisi-
tion was adjourned n s it Monday next.
Sergeant Shaw, o ft to K division, who was appointed
to watch the case, then took Mrs. Southerland, who was
in an adjoining room during the inquiry, into custody,
charged on suspicion of having caused the death of de-
ceased by administering arsenic. She is a comely woman,
about 40 years of age, and is understood to have admi-
nistered for the money and effects of the deceased almost
immediately after his death. The money is said to
amount to upwards of 200 L
The case excited the deepest interest, and the evidence
of Dr. Letheby, proving the presence of a mineral
poison, was heard with breathless attention.

PARLIAMENTARY PAPER.

NEW ZEALAND.—(CONCLUDED.)
" The error in policy which your Committee have
pointed out as having in our opinion been fallen into
by the officers who have held the government of New
Zealand, in not asserting the right of the Crown to
all the unoccupied soil of these islands, is very
closely connected with another, to which we also feel
it necessary to advert. It appears to us that there
has been a want of vigour and decision in the general
tone of the proceedings adopted towards the natives;
measures have not been taken, as we think they
ought, for making the original inhabitants under-
stand that they are now to be considered as British
subjects, and must therefore abstain from all conduct
inconsistent with that character. The local authori-
ties may have been guided by a desire to treat the
natives of the soil with the most scrupulous justice,
and with the greatest consideration ; but we are not
the less persuaded that, not only in what has been
done with regard to the ownership of land, but also in
showing too much respect for native customs, they
have been led to pursue a line of policy which in its
consequences must be injurious to the true interests
of those, out of consideration to whom it has been
adopted. We agree in the opinion expressed by one
of the witnesses we have examined (Mr. Earp), that
the rude inhabitants of New Zealand ought to be
treated in many respects like children, and that in
dealing with them, firmness is no less necessary than
kindness. In the first instance there was on the part
of the natives a disposition to defer with almost super-
stitious reverence to the authority of the Govern-
ment ; and had this authority been firmly and judi-
ciously exercised to suppress intestine war, and all
savage and barbarous customs, and to enforce between
different tribes and between individuals the great
principles of justice and respect for property, no
serious resistance would probably ever have been at-
tempted. But from an over-sensitive fear of in-
fringing upon native rights, the authority which, had
it been decidedly assumed, would, there is every
reason to believe, have been willingly submitted to,
has been lost, and the consequence has been, that
murder and cannibalism have been allowed to be com-
mitted unpunished, and that very serious hostilities
have broken out between different tribes, while the
right of the British Government to interfere has been
repudiated by the more powerful party, and the want
of the promised protection loudly complained of by the
weakest. Your Committee are persuaded that an en-
lightened humanity and a regard for the real welfare
of the native tribes require that British power and
authority should be resolutely exerted to put a stop
to such a state of things, to maintain internal peace,
and to prevent native customs and usages from being
acted upon in a manner inconsistent with good order
and morality, and with the progress of civilisation.
We would beg to refer to the report of Captain Grey,
the Governor of South Australia, on the best means
of promoting the civilisation of the aboriginal inhabi-
tants of Australia, which was transmitted by Lord J.
Russell to Captain Hobson, for his guidance, as con-
taining an able exposition of the policy which ought to
be pursued upon this important and difficult subject.
" It is necessary to observe that the policy we
recommend requires for its safe adoption, in the pre-
sent state of affairs; that the Governor of New Zea-
land should have at his disposal more power than he
now possesses of enforcing obedience to his authority.
We see no reason to apprehend a successful attempt
by the natives to overturn by force the power of the
Government; we concur with Major Bunbury, in
thinking that the jealousy and rivalry of different
tribes amongst themselves would prevent their acting
with any effect against the European population,' and
we have no doubt that civilisation and intelligence, in
the event of a struggle, would maintain their ac-
customed superiority; still we consider that it is of
the utmost importance, in order to avert the calami-
ties which must ensue from even an attempt at resist-
ance to the authority of the Governor, that he should
be armed with so obviously superior a power as to
prevent any such attempt from being made. Addi-
tional means of enforcing obedience to lawful autho-
rity are required, not merely against the natives, but
against the lower class of emigrants, an account of
whose insubordinate proceedings at Nelson, which
from the want of force could not be properly put
down, will be found in the Appendix.
" Adverting to the scattered situation of the settle-
ments which have been formed, and to the importance
of their all being not only promptly protected when-
ever an emergency may arise, but also frequently
visited by the Governor in person, we conceive that
by far the most useful addition which could be made
to the force at his disposal would be that which would
be afforded by placing an armed steamer of moderate
size under his orders. In addition to this, we think
that a militia composed of the settlers should be
organised, from which we would by no means ex.
dude such of the natives as should so far have
adopted the habits of civilised life as to be fit to bear
arms in the same ranks with Europeans • we need
also hardly observe that such a force should always
be kept under the complete control of the Governor,
and that he should always have such a proportion of
regular troops under his command as not to be en-
tirely dependent upon the militia for support. We
are further disposed to believe that advantage might
result from endeavouring to create a permanent
native force under European officers, but in which
their own chiefs might also, perhaps, hold commands •
such a force would probably afford,' not only a cheap'
addition to the military power of the Governor, but
also a valuable instrument for gradually training the
natives to habits of order and subordination.
" Your Committee cannot offer these recommenda-
tions, tending to what may be thought a more severe
enforcement of authority over the natives, without,
at the same time, expressing their strong sense of the
duty incumbent upon the Government of adopting
the most effective measures for their welfare and im-
provement. With this view, we conceive that every
effort should be made to amalgamate the two races ;
more particularly, the utmost attention should be paid
to the education and training of the rising generation
of the aborigines ; and whenever their improvement
in intelligence will admit of it, the natives should be
placed in every respect on a footing of perfect
equality with their white fellow-subjects, and as soon
as possible, they should be employed in the civil
service of the Government in any situations in which
they can make themselves useful. We also attach
much importance to the adoption of a good system of
making reserves of land for their benefit. These re-
serves ought, in our opinion, to be of moderate size,
and interspersed with the lands destined for the occu-
pation of settlers ; the natives should be encouraged,
themselves, to occupy and to cultivate the land thus
reserved for their benefit, and only those parts of it
for which they might have no immediate occasion
should be allowed to be let on lease to Europeans, the
leases being restricted to a moderate term of years,
and the rents so obtained being considered as ap-
plicable only for their advantage. By this arrange-
ment the natives established upon such reserves being
scattered, a few together, amongst the European
population, would be more likely than under any
other plan which has been suggested, gradually to
adopt the customs and way of life of their civilised
neighbours ; whereas, if the land reserved for them
were in large blocks, and they were collected together
in considerable numbers, the probability is, that they
would cling far more pertinaciously to the habits of
savage life, and if so, this interesting people would
too surely melt away before the advancing tide of
European settlement.
" It is an evil of which the experience of other
colonies affords frequent examples, that the progress
of settlement is impeded by land coming into the
possession of persons who endeavour to derive a
profit, not from its improvement, but by suffering it
to lie waste until it acquires value from the labour
and capital expended in the surrounding district ; it,
therefore, appears to us, that means should be taken
to guard against this abuse in New Zealand. This
will, we trust, be to a great extent effected by the
regulations which will prevent property in land from
being acquired otherwise than by purchase; but, as
a further security, we would recommend that some
part of the colonial revenue should be raised by
means of a tax upon land. On the North American
continent, when a tax has been imposed upon land
with the view of checking its being held by persons
not really intending to make use of it, we believe the
tax has generally been laid upon wild land only.
Looking, however, to the difficulty of accurately de-
termining the degree of improvement which should
exempt land from a tax applying only to that which
is designated as wild, and to the facility thus afforded
for evading the burden, it appears to us more ad-
visable that such a tax should be imposed on al
land, whether wild or otherwise. If the tax were

low (we think it ought not to exceed 2d. an acre) it
would be unfelt as a practical burden on land really
turned to profitable account, while even this small

payment recurring annually, would powerfully tend
to discourage the retention of land by parties deriving
no immediate advantage from it.

" Such a tax ought-not of course to apply to land
now occupied by the natives, or to that held as re-