The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-12 00:00:00

CURIOUS. CASE.

DORCHESTER.—A person was summoned to prove
the settlement of his wife, who is a pauper lunatic in
our County Asylum. On being sworn he solemnly
declared that the woman in question was not his "law-
ful" wife, although she had been reputed to be so ;
which asseveration greatly astounded a Rev. Magis-
trate, who said he had seen the certificate of the mar-
riage, in France, made out and signed by the cure,
and upon which certificate, obtained from the man
who now denied the woman to be his wife, an adju-
dication had been made. The witness still persisted
in his former avowal, and called God to witness that
he had never been married to the woman, either in a
Roman Catholic Church in France, or in any place of
worship there or elsewhere. He admittted that
she had lived with him, as his reputed wife, and
that he had had three children by her, the eldest of
whom is now 27 years of age, and said he would have
continued to take care of her, had not her conduct
become such, from aberration of mind, that he could
not live with her. Being asked several questions
by the magistrates, he said the paper purporting
to be a certificate, was not a real certificate, but was
in fact, a forgery, made out by one of the sergeants of
his regiment, who could write good French, and
given to him, because publicans, when soldiers were
billetted, would not take in their wives except they
showed the certificate of their marriage : the sergeant,
he said, made out half-a-dozen such certificates at the
same time, for men who had foreign women with them
who followed them as wives, but who had never been
married. The old pensioner then gave a history of the af-
fair. He said he had fought for his king and country, for
many years, having been twice wounded, once in the
leg, at Waterloo, and once in the peninsular war, in
the nose, by the spear of a Polish soldier (the loss of
his nasal organ proved that he had been wounded in
that prominent part) ; after the battle of Waterloo he
met with this girl at Limbourg, and she appeared to
be very fond of him, there being no love lost between
them, as he was somewhat fond of her; she followed
him until his regiment was about to leave for Eng-
land, and he would have made her his wife but for
the Colonel, who refused to grant leave, notwithstand-
ing great importunity, the' gallant officer observing
that he would not consent to the taking over of fo-
reign wives, as there were women enough in England.
He told his fair one this, with a heavy heart, not daring
to get married against the orders of his Colonel, as he,
being then a sergeant, should have been reduced to
the ranks, and probably otherwise punished. She
wanted to follow him to England, whether married
or not, but he pointed out to her that she could not
be taken on board the transport ship, and therefore,
however reluctantly, he must leave her. But no dif-
ficulty is too great for woman's love to encounter;
she had some little acquaintance with the Commis-
sary's wife, and hired herself as a servant, in which
capacity she was taken across in. another vessel, so
that, after he had arrived with his regiment at Dover,
she soon found him out, and, to his astonishment, his
French lady-love was by his side again. Well, after
such devotion, the soldier had not the heart to
slight her, and she continued to follow his fortune,
and had lived with him, as his better half, till the
calamity which had fallen upon her happened. This,
be assured the Bench was the real state of the case—
he had not .before denied her to be his wife, because
he had not been called upon to do so ; but being now
required to speak the truth, upon his oath, he should
say what was utterly false if he said she was his wife,
which he again most solemnly declared was not the
case. The Bench then proceeded to take his evidence
as to his own settlement, with the view of further in-
quiry.—Dorset Paper.

• The celebrated clarimette player, Signor Erneste
Cavallini, has just arrived in this country.
DESTRUVrION BY FIRE OF 500 QUAILS.—On Sun-
day night, about 11 o'clock, a fire broke cut in the cellar of
the house No. 23, Turnmill-street, Clerkenwell, in the mai•
pation of Mr. Davenham, an extensive dealer in pigeons,
quails, &c., wha a few months ago by a similar calamity lost
above 1,000 pigeons. The discovery was made by policeman
Ware, G 140, who saw a body of -smoke issuing from the
cellar, and gave an immediate alarm. At that time the in-
mates were in bed, but they all succeeded in making their
escape by jumping out of the window, with the exception of
Mr. d, I,lOrter, brother-in-law *f Mr. Davenham. He was in
A ream on the second floor, where he was discovered asleep
by a man in charge of the Hatton-garden fire-escape ladder,.
and was let down by that machine amidst the cheers of the
spectators, the flames then rapidly ascending the staircase.
The Faringdon-street, engine, followed by those from White-
cross-street and Watling-street, attended by Mr. Braldwood,ater
quickly arrived, and there being an abundant suppl fw
the fire was soon overcome, the lower part of the ooeshoYuc:sueaaillsonine
being damaged. There were in the cellar
Mr. Davenhamabov is insured
cages, all of which were destroyed.
lost his life while the
fire was raging
in the Hand-in
-Haeling Ainnitoanthne cellar, but was fortunately
rescued
rescued by the Bremen. He, however, WO much hurt, and
was obliged to have surgical assistance.

SUDDEN DEATH OF A LADY.—An inquest WAS held
on Monday at the Fountain, Jamaica-street, Commercial-road,
before Mr. Baker, the Coroner, on the body of Rachael liel-
lamy, aged twenty-two. Matilda Hethington, of No. 4G,
Green-street, said that on Tuesday last the deceased and Mr.
Bellamy, who was a retired surgeon, Caine from the country
and engaged lodgings at her house. Deceased then appeared
in the enjoyment of excellent health, and in the evening
went to the Pavilion Theatre. The next morning Mr. Bel-
lamy sent for a black draught, and deceased was sick all day
long, and kept her bed. She was better on Thursday last,
but on Friday her husband told witness she was again ill.
Witness went into her room and saw her in bed, gasping for •
breath, and quite insensible. In a quarter of an hour she
died. Her husband said that a short time before her death
he gave her a dose of salts. Porter, the constable, said, that
since the death of the deceased her husband had removed the
phials which had contained the medicine he gave her, and.
instead of giving the clothes she died in, according to the
usual custom, to the woman by whom she was attended .in
her illness, carried them out of the house. The Coroner said
that the case was not without some suspicion, and that it
would be necessary to have the cause of death determined by
a post mortem examination. The inquest was then adjourned,
and Mr. Garrat, surgeon, received instructions to open and
examine the body.
GUANO,--Monday the first public sales of Guano,
imported direct from Ichaboe, on the west coast of Africa,
took place in the large hall of the New Corn Exchange
Hotel, Mark-lane. The attendance was numerous, but chiefly
confined to colonial brokers, there being only three or four
farmers present.
O
AN LD CAT.—There is now in the possession of lady of this town a cat which has been in the family twenty
.vears, and a few days ago she had two very fine kittens.--
Cambridge Chronicle.
Melancholy, even love melancholy, is not so deeply
seated, at least in minds of a manly and elastic character, as
the soft enthusiasts who suffer under it are fond of believing. It yields to unexpected and striking impressions' upon the
senses, to change of place, to such scenes as create new
trains of association, and to the influence of the busy hum
of mankind.—Sir Walter Scott.
CHATHAM, JUNE 10.—On Saturday afternoon, the
Bth inst., several detachments of regiments serving in India,
arrived in vans from Gravesend at the Invalid Depot, Case-
ment Barracks, Brompton, consisting of one corporal, four
privates, of the 3d Buffs ; two sergeants, one corporal, and
25 privates of the 9th Foot ; one private of the 10th ; and
three sergeants, two corporals, one drummer, 16 privates;
with the Quarter-master Sergeant Leighton, of the 31st, with
eight women and 17 children. These corps, in charge of
Lieutenant Trevor, 3d Dragoons, embarked at Calcutta on
the sth of February, on board the ship Earl of Hardwicke,
Captain Henning, and put in at the Cape of Good Hope, re-
maining there seven days, and sailed again on the Ist of
April. On the ship's arrival opposite to the Island of St..
Helena, on the 21st of April, they hove to to take in dis-
patches for England, and after a very excellent passage of
122 days arrived off Gravesend on the 7th inst. Several pas-
sengers embarked at Calcutta, among them were General
Nutt and his lady, with two daughters; Lieutenant Burins,
of the 50th Regiment; Captain Edmunds of the 9th Foot
this officer was coining home for the benefit of his health.
He, however, died a day after the ship had passed the Bay
of Bengal. At the Cape General Nott, lady and family, die_
embarked, and were left there when the ship sailed. Moat
of the soldiers that have come home have been in India up-
wards of twenty years, some of them happened to be on board
the Kent Indianian when she took fire in the Bay of Biscay,
in the year 1825. The troops are healthy. In the British
Channel the Earl of Hardwicke spoke the Queen and the
Prince of Wales; both these vessels have troops on board,
and also the ship Maidstone, having on board Major-General
Sir G. Napier, late Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.
The late Sergeant-Major William Neelance, of the 12th
Lancers, 'from the care and attention paid to him since in
hospital by the medical authorities of Fort Pitt, is much
better. Colonel Sampson Stawell has written for him to re-
turn to his regiment, which Will be allowed as soon as he la
capable of bearing the journey.
SUICIDE WHILST DREAMING.—On Sunday even-
ing last, a young man, named William Sexton, son of the
landlordof the White Hart, Commercial Inn,
' Ampthill,
Bedfordshire, died from the effects of a wound in, his throat,
inflicted by himself, under the following singular circum-
stances. For some time past the deceased had suffered from
asthma, and at times was rather delirious. On Wednesday
night, the 22d ult., he went to bed at the usual time, appa-
rently much better in health than for some days previous.
Between. one and two o'clock the following morning he
walked to his sister's room and woke her up. She inquired
who was there, but receiving no answer, went to the door
and found the deceased. She asked him what he wanted,
but he only answered by pointing to his throat ; and on
putting her hand to the spot, she found that he was bleeding
from a wound in it. Assistance was procured as soon as pos-
sible, and the wound was dressed. On rallying, the deceased
wrote upon a piece of paper the cause which prompted him
to inflict the wound. He stated that during his sleep he
dreamed that a policeman said he would put him in the
stocks, and he replied that, rather than he should do so
he would cut his throat. The policeman attempted to do so,
and he then got up and took his penknife out of his pocket
and inflicted the wound. The pain caused him to awake,and
he then walked to his sister's room, as stated above. Infor-
mation of the deceased's death was forwarded yesterday to
Mr. Green, the Coroner for the Honour of Anipthill, and
the inquest will be held at the White Hart on Wednesday.
LUNATIC ASYLUMS.—On Monday, at the close of
an inquest held in Coldbath-fields House of Correction, a long
discussion took place between Mr. Sergeant Adams, ater.
Waklev, and the medical gentlemen present, respecting t
Mr. Wakle
lunatic
asylum. y
hu
omu
she:
and
dnthd
tchonedeirteeiotniooof
oflun aautiocsw, aenoduotthye necessity that there existed for
en
there were
ius tap isodi
upon
sixteen paupers
ipr when
ay u
up
te he
stehfervei visited
trhe
re tShLe
placePancrasheHarwell
ascertainedWAk
the asylum. ijr.
other paupe.
Sergeantr lunatic
dasAinimt
s saidwsitintghafot in the H
radmissioanwe
admission into
Asylumpp
rethered curable, were
and
therenearly 60Oweinrem4a5otes,luonfawuhcosmwohnolsye tfwrieennti
as
were anxious to get them admitted, but for whom there was
no room. He deprecated the proposition to raise the asylum
another story. Nothing short of a new asylum, built epea,
an extensive plan, and free from iron bars or any appearance
of restraint, would meet the exigency. The mild treatment
in the Hanwell Asylum worked most beneficially, as was
proved from the fact that, while the deaths in private say-
hens were ninety per cent., they were only twenty-two in
the Hanwell.
-OFFICE
othstee-oLbffiFolloeidlEy.o--afgeOndnetnwrylieutyn7ddationeyelii.
SUICIDE OF A POST
DMar; iisi, i gag acl ehrekl di
nant hinquest
r aoln
at his residence, 29, Shaftesbury-terrace, Vauxhall Bridge-
road. Mr. Dermott, a surgeon, said deceased had been re-
siding with him at the above address for the last five weeks,
and that on Saturday morning deceased's mother called him (witness) upstairs. He responded to the call, and going tip
into deceased's bed-room he found him lying dead prostrate
on the floor, in a pool of blood that had issued from a wound
in the throat, dividing the wind-pipe and carotid artery, and
which was six inches long and two deep. Two razors, with
one of which he had inflicted the fatal wound, were lying on
a chair close to the body. Deceased always appeared to him
in a desponding state. Mr. Bloxam, a surgeon, of 59, Ebuiy-
street, said he had attended deceased professionally, of 54,1(1
on, for the last two years. Just a year ago he had an attack,
of yellow jaundice, which, with the remedial used, lett him so
much debilitated, that he had been in a state of men*
prostration ever since. In October, in consequeoPo g-TaP"
toms of great excitement he exhibited,- Dr. SutherlandMtn
consulted, and he was placed in that gentleman's aaylura at
Chelsea, but after the expiration of a month, becoming
and rational, he was allowed to come home. He seed
from religious delusion, fancying himself unfit to receive,
salvation in the world to come. Verdict, " Temporary'
insanity.
that the
now in his 82d year, and an observer of the weather, h
equalled in dryness since t e year
We understand, on the authority of a gentleman
present season has not been
1785,
• t assigned no cause for this upusual phenomenon...as e which is a lapse of 59 years. The meteorologists have
j
Berkshire Chronicle.
•
THE POLITICAL MARTYRS OF 1793-4.--After m
delay a monument is at last in course of erection. The
from Burns's monument, and on the same side of the Lewin-
tion of the monument is on the Calton-hill, a little way **-
road. ln consequence of's place on Calton-hill having bed 4
obtained, the London Committee have contributed 300 mot*
to the Edinburgh testimonial. The Calton-hill of Edinburgh
is decidedly the most appropriate place for a monument to.
the martyrs of 1793. Edinburgh was the scene of their pea-
secution ; at Edinburgh should be the monument to their
memory.
The King of the French has presented our Witt
composer, Mr. Balfe, with a splendid gold medal, valsee4Aaltl
francs, in acknowledgment of his consideration of,ta.a cot-
poser's talents, but particularly for the meritsthe, Pasha
&Amour produced last season at the Opera Cup*"