The Sun.
London, England, 1817-11-15 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.

CORONER'S INQUEST.-Thursday night, at nine
o'clock, an Inquest was held at the Cock public-
house, East-street, Manchester-square, before T.
STIRLING, Esq. Coroner, on view of-the body of
Mr. S. Smart, aged 60 years, who pot a period to
his existence by shooting himself with a pistol.
J. Harris, under-butler to Lady Elizabeth
Drummond, 24, Baker-street, stated, that he
had been 'acquainted Witlrthe deceased some time ;
he was upper-servant in the family, and one of
the Poor Knights of Windsor. On Wednesday
Morning last, about ten o'clock, he was pumping
water into the cisterns up stairs, when the de-
ceased passed him along the passage in the direc-
tion of the laundry ; he looked wilder than ever
he had seen him before, and was throwing his
arms about in airenzied manner. Witness shortly
afterwards heard a loud report as if a board (to
use his own expression) had broken in two; but
from the noise of the pump, he could lorni no idea
of what it was occasioned by ; however l►e called
the deceased's son, and they proceeded up the
laundry stairs, the back way to the stables, where
they found the deceased on the-floor weltering in
his blood, and the fatal instrument lying near
hiM. A surgeon was instantly sent for, but his
efforts proved unavailing:--The deceased bad se-
veial sons and daughters, all in respectable cir-
cumstances ; but one of them had the misfortune
of being insane, and was confined in a madhouse,
which so preyed on the intellects of ale wretched
father,. that he was no longer the same, but al-
ways low and desponding. He had plenty of
money, and never wanted any of the necessaries
of life.

Mr. Armstrong, a surgeon,, said, he was called
to see the deceased ; be had often attended him
before, and was.not at all surprised,to hear of the
dreadful catastrophe, as be had always held him
to be insane since the confinement of one of his
daughtets, He went to view the body, and found
a ball had passed through his right ear ; he could
render no assistance, as the deceased expired al-
most instantly.
The Coroner briefly summed up, and the Jury
returned their verdict—insanity.

Yesterday morning the house of Mrs. Mer-
.chant, cow-keeper, Nash-street, Poplar, was
bro'ken open, and robbed of an elegant pier-glass,
wearing-apparel, table-linen, &c. to the value of
upwards of 1001.
Yesterday morning, about five o'clo'ck, the
dwaing-house of Mr. Joseph Ashelford, of Maze
Pond, St. Thomas's, Borough, was broke open
and robbed of a large quantity of Brussels car-
Lyeting, and several scarlet morine curyins.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COUR't OF CHANCERY, Nov. 14.

The LORD CHANCELLOR was this day occupied
in hearing Bankrupt and rartnershii) Casei, of
no interest but to the parties concernetil.

His Honour the VICE CHANCELLOR was occu-
pied in Cause Petitions, but nothing occurred of
any interest to a general reader.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH.
SPECIAL PAPER DAY:

GILL AND ANOTHER V. DUNLOP.

This was a writ of error from the Common
Pleas. It was an action upon a policy of insur-
ance, dated the 23 of May, 1808, at and from
Lima, or any other port, &c, on the coast of
South America, to any port or ports in Great
Britain, on the Portuguese neutral ship Bons
lrmaos or Trium Americana both or either at a
premium of 18 guineas per cent. subject to cer-
tain returns for convoy. The cargo consisted of
(livers goods, dollars, and specie,wiiich were ship-
ped at Lima, and afterwards captured and detained
within the harbour of Cadiz, by persons acting un-
der the authority of the Spanish Government. The
question was,%% holier this voyage required a license
from the South Sea Company to legalize it, in ad-
dition to a license from the British Government,
which appeared to has been granted to the Bri-
tish subjects interested lo the cargo. The Court
4 Common Pleas iteld, :hat inasmuch as the 42
Geo. 111. c. 77. anthoi ises any British vessel to
trade, as well as to fisu, the Western Coast of
South Arneriel, within the Inuits theicin ;!rescrih-
ed ; and as the 45 Geo. 111. c. 34. gives the solp.f.
privileges t neutral vessels, if licensed, as are
given by 42 (..-;e0. 111. to British ships, therefore
the voyage iu question was protected by these two
Acts. With the permission of the Court below
tile case was afterwards turned into a special ver-
dict, and nor that verdict was brought under the
consideration of this Court, for their decision
upon the same question.
The case was argued at great length by Mr.
Richardson for the defendant in Error, and Mr.
Alderson, jun. for the plaintiff in Error, and,
The Coo RT, after intimating a strong opinion
against some of the grounds upon which the case
was decided below, postponed their judgment on
account of the great importance of the question.—
Cur. adv. vult.