The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-08 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY AFFAIR.

A very melancholy circumstance occurred at
Ilythe, early in the morning of Wednesday. Lieut. GEORGE
DYER, of the Royal Navy, on the coast blockade service,
commanding the Fort Twice station, was out on duty for the
prevention of smuggling ; and it seems, through inadvertence,
was shot by a seaman of the Ramillies, under excited feelings
produced by the report of a body of armed smugglers being at
hand. The circumstances will be best explained by the pro-
ceedings of the Inquest held on the unfortunate event, at the
Guildhall, on Wednesday, before JAMES SIIIPDEM, Esq.
Mayor and Coroner for the time being, for the town and port of
Ilythe, and the liberties thereof.
George Lewis, a petty officer of the Ramillies, was first ex-
amined, and stated in substance as follows :—At about a guar-
ter to one I spoke to Lieut. Dyer, who was on the Stead, in
answer to his enquiry respecting the hour. I was walking
near him for a matter of an hour. A bout half-past two a
firing was heard in the direction of Shorncliffe ; I sung out to'
Lieut. Dyer, "Sir, there's firing to the eastward!" when at
that precise moment James Lemon, a seaman also on duty on
the beach fired. I exclaimed " You fool, what do you fire
for ?" Lemon said, " I did not know who was coming—l
hailed, but no answer." I replied, " Were it so, if they were
smugglers, why should you fire without an act of ?"
An instant after the tiring, Michael Divine (the orderly) sung
out "Good God ! Mr. Dyer is shot." The deceased was
about ten yards from a storehouse on the beach advancing to-
wards toe when 1 reported the firing. I did riot hear Lemon
hail—he might, or he might not, have done so. Supposes
Lemon might have been about 51) yards froM the Lieutenant
towards the water's edge, the water being low down. Found
the Lieutenant stretched at his full extent, and apparently
dead. It is a general order in the service in which I ant em-
ployed, that no one shall fire without violence having been
first threatened or offered. About hslf past one, a communi-
cation was made along the coast from the Westward, that an
armed party had been seen passing to the Eastward. 'The
night was dark, and an object could not be identified at fifty
yards distance.
Michael Divine, seaman, and orderly to Lieutenant Dyer,
was walking by his side towards the foil of the beach, when
the musket was fired ; turned his head to speak to his Officer,
when he saw his head drop, tnd he fell forward on the beach.
Deponent turned hint on his back, and perceived he was dead.
Did not hear Lemon trail ; must have heard him, if he hailed
in a loud voice properly. Corroborated the deposition of the
, last witness. Lemon did not attempt to escape after the fatal
shot.

James Lugg, seaman, was also on duty ; a communication
was passed along that n fighting party had passed Moncrieff,
and were proceeding to the eastward. •
Mr. Glasgow, Assistant Surgeon of the Itamillies. was in.
formed by Lieut. ,lull, about 3 o'clock, that Lieut. Dyer had
been wounded ; found that he had been taken to Sunderland
Fort, and • was dead ; on examination, found four gun-shot
wounds, one on the sternum, near to the right clavicle, which
was fractured, entering in an oblique direction towards the left
shoulder, which wound alone must have inevitably occasioned
death by injuring the vital organs.
Thomas Walker' a petty officer, as well as the deceased, had
repeatedly directed the men generally, and on one or more
occasions, Lemon individually, if a party came down on the
beach, the men were not to use their arms, unless violence was
first used towards them, -or arms or weapons were visibly op.
posed to theme In consequence of the communication from
the westward, all hands on Fort Twiss 'were directed to be in
readiness to turn out. Deponent saw Lieutenant Dyer, and his
orderly, about one o'clock ; supposed they might be smugglers,
and went up to them to ascertain who they were.
The Inquest, after a patient investigatiorr,' recorded a verdict
of Mandaagliter against James beMon.
The deceaSed was much respected as an officer and a gentle.
man ; and his unfortunate end is the theme of general sympathy
and regret.—(Kcntialt Gazette, April 7.)

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

On Friday an Inquiiition was taken by Tilos,
STIRLING, Jisq., Coroner for :Middlesex, at the sign of the
Plough, in Duval's-lane, Islington, touching the death of
Mary Ann Bolton, an infant between three and four months
old, who died on the Sunday morning previous, under the fol.
lowing circumstance, which were detailed in evidence by Maria
Bolton, the mother of the child. On the Sunday previous to
Good Friday, as she was dressing. her baby, she missed the pin
with which she pinned its cap : she looked all over its
clothes,.. and_ stbratt- the floor, but could not find it : the
child cried very much, and was extremely restless at
night, and would not sleep ; it continued so from Sunday
until the following Friday, when in dressing it the point
of a pin was discovered sticking up in one of as ears. On
Saturday it wait seized with convulsions and cried very much ;
she nursed it in her arms till 12 o'clock at night, when she
undressed, gave it the broact, and went to bed : she suckled it
again in the course of the morning; but did not know at what
'hour; the child took the breast as usual. She awoke between
five and six o'clock on Sunday .morning, and found the
child lying on her arm motionless; she did not imagine at the
time that the child was dead ; but subsequently discovered that
it was ; she awoke her husband, and he got up and called
in a neighbour, but no. good could be. done As the child was
quite gone. A surgeon saw the child on the following Tues-
day, and said that it died in convulsions. Frances Claris de-
posed, that she lived in Duval's•lane,. opposite to Mrs. Bolton,
who told her on the Sunday night previous to Good Friday, that
she had missed the pin out of the child's cap, and that the Child
cried very much at night, and she could not . rest, and was
very unhappy, as the child had never cried or been restless
at night before. She saw the child the next and following days,
it appeared better, but very .dull. On flood Friday the father
of the child came to her house, and said that there was a pin
in the child's ear. She, went over with. him and saw the paint
of a pin sticking up in the child's ear ; • its father went out and
procured a pair of tweezers, and with them she drew the pin out.
She (lid not observe any difference in the child after the pin was
taken out. A bout half-past. five o'clock on Sunday morning the
child's father came and told her that he was afraid the child - was
dead. She went over with him, and found that it was quite dead ;
the face, and one side which had lain on its mother's arm, were
quite black. No doctor was sent for at the time, as every one pre-
sent was convinced that the child was dead. She knew the woman
who had been nursing the child when the pin was missed, hut
never saw the child in her care. The mothei was a careful
and good mother to the child. There being no medical gen-
tleman in attendance to explain whether the pin in the ear
had not been the exciting cause .of the convulsions in which
the child died, the Jury returned a- verdict—" Died by the
visitation of God."

An inquest was yesterday held at Camden-town on the body
of Mr. Joseph Mottle, who resided in that neighbourhood.—
ltlt\ br someeltleceedl who was employed In the Post-Office, and who
iatime past been afflicted with a nervous despond.
ency, was found on Wednesday Morning in the kitchen of his
house with his throat cut. 'Verdict-4' Destroyed himself in
a fit of mental derangement."

On Thursday evening an Inquest was held in Pembroke-
mews, Upper Grosvenor-place, on the body of David Gar-
rett. The deceased was a carman, and on Tuesday afternoon
to tllrapest;etaerrnetell,itthoart thhee ee et; ri at nneds-sceas; eare taettt al
he was attacked by, the driver of an errand-cart, who, accord-
cwkietidt
tgmheadtebeaearsbead-
rwitityl; great violence with hi whip. While 'the deceased was
endeavouring to defend himself, their whips got entangled, and
the errand-carter dragged the unfortunate man down from his
cart. He fell on his back in the way of the wheel of hie cart,
which went over him. The errand-carter gallopped off, but
his name, Wm. Hubbard, was obtained, and the Coroner's
Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against him.