The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-06 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sizt,—l have taken the libelly of troubling you with a
few lines ori a paragraph in your paper, headed " Com-
mittal of a Druggist for Manslaughter ;" and leave it to
you whether you consider it worthy of notice, knowing
you are ever anxious to suggest any plan for the good of
the public, and remain your obedient humble servant,
Albany-road, Camberwell, Jan. 3. J. E. H.

If the druggists would adopt the plan of packing
Epsom salts only in purple paper, it would be the means
in many cases of preventing the sacrifice of human life.
If that had been done Mrs. Watts would not now hare
had such trouble and anxiety heaped upon her, and
which her poverty ill fits her for, nor her husband have
had to suffer such agonising and excruciating pain, of
which death relieved him ; nor Mr. Watkins have to
endure the privations of incarceration nor the stigma of
manslaughter. It is said tartaric acid was served in-
stead of Epsom salts in this case ; in another it might
be oxalic acid, sshich most resembles it. Be it whatever
acid it 'may, the purple paper would show it was not
Epsom salts : all acids would change the colour of purple
paper—Epsom salts would have no effect upon it.

SUPPOSED MURDER of MR. MAY,

AT BETHNAL-GREEN.

An account was published on Friday of the myste-
rious diappearance of Mr. William May, a silk-manufac-
turer's agent and traveller, resident in King-street, near
Bonner's Hall, Bethnal-green, who has been miming up-
wards of three weeks, under circumstances very distress-
ing to his family and friends. The last time he was
seen was on the 9th of December, and on the following
morning his hat and handkerchief were found near the
Canal-bridge, at Twig Folly, Bethnal-green. The body,
it was supposed, might have been thrown into the canal,
and a statement of the facts which afforded ground for
that suspicion having been laid before the magistrates
at Worship-street, a communication was made to the
Directors of the Regent's Canal Company, who, with
the utmost readiness, agreed to afford every assistance
in ascertaining the fact, by drawing off the water from
that part of the canal. Yesterday morning, accord-
ingly, at an appointed time, the canal between the locks
at Twig Folly and Mile-end, an extent of probably half
a mile, were completely drained, in the presence of the
police and au immense number of spectators, and the
whole bed of the canal through that space was carefully
examined, hut without any discovery. The process oc-
cupied nearly three hours, and the investigation was so
far satisfactory as to have demonstrated that neither the
missing gentleman, nor any other person, had been
drowned there.

THE ALLEGED MURDER AT SLOUGH.—We are
requested to state that Johu Tawell, the person now
in custody on suspicion of being concerned in the death
of a woman near Slough, is not a member of the Society
of Friends.

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—On Saturday a Com-
mission of Lunacy was opened before Mr. Commissioner
Barlow and a jury of twenty-four freeholders of the
county of Hampshire, at Down Hurstburne Priory,
near Andover, the seat of William Smart Slade, Esq.,
to inquire into the state of mind of that gentleman.
The Commission, which was taken out by the
brother of Mr. Slade, described the unfortunate
gentleman as a paper manufacturer, and he still
occupies mills and works for the manufacture of paper
of Hurstbourne Tarrent. It appeared from the evidence
that the unfortunate object of the inquiry had been twice
married, and has a family by both his wives. Some dis-
pute arose as to the validity of a will made by him dur-
ing the last summer, prior to July, and in order to test
the validity of such will, and secure protection to Mr.
Slade and all branches of his family, in reference
to his property, the commission had issued. During
the last twelve months Mr. Slade had become very
strange in his manners, and exhibited at times
weakness and indecisions of mind, but nothing very
peculiar happened until the month of June last, when
his second wife died. The shock at this event was so
great, that it caused Mr. Slade to be affected with para-
lysis, and from that period his mind appeared completely
shattered and gone, notwithstanding the best medical aid
was procured. Mr. Slade now became quite incompe-
tent to manage his business, and in transactions he had
he sold paper below its value. The jury ultimately re-
turned a verdict " That Mr. William Smart Slade is of
unsound mind, and wholly incapable of managing him-
self or his affairs, and has been so since the Ist of July,
1844."

EXTENSIVE FIRE AT HACKNEY.—Yesterday morn-
ing, about fonr, a very alarming fire happened in the
house of Mr. Fraser, cheesemonger, Oxford-place,
Hackney-road. Not a moment N% as lost in spreading
the alarm, and by great exertion the family were soon
aroused. The engines were soon on the spot, but not-
withstanding the firemen and those present used their
utmost exertions, by five o'clock the entire house, stock,
and furniture belonging to Mr. Fraser were entirely
consumed, and the roof of the house adjoining, in the
occupation of Mr. James, was partly destroyed. The
fire is believed to have originated from a clothes-horse
full of linen having been left before the kitchen fire on
the previous night.

THE LATE FIRE IN GUILDFORD-STREET.—The re-
mains of what were supposed to belong to another suf-
ferer, which were found on Tuesday, consisting of a
burnt foot, and several half•consumed bones, turn out
to be these of a lad, and upon a close examination there
appears to be little or no doubt that they are those of
the boy Robinson, who was so dreadfully burnt, and
whose charred trunk had been alone discovered up to the
period of the jury and Coroner terminating the inquest.
It is, therefore, deemed unnecessary to re-open the pain-
ful inquiry. _ _ _

LONDON SESSIONS.—On Saturday, at the London
General Sessions, Mr. E. Griffin, an undergraduate of
Oxford University, was indicted for violently assaulting
William Wren, waiter at the King's Arms Hotel, on
Snow-hill. It appeared that Mr. Griffin during the va
cation, usually put up at this inn, and gave very excellent
dinners to his fellow collegians. On Saturday three
weeks he gave one of these dinners, champagne
and bottled stout being the usual draught on table.
Wren was waiter at table, and Mr. Griffin requiring
some stout, asked, " Where's the porter ?" Wren re-
plied, " Oh, he's down stairs ;" on which Mr. Griffin
called him by one or two flash terms, and, taking
him by the collar, pushed him down stairs and kicked
him. Mr, Griffin, who was dressed in the first fashion,
admitted only the pushing him down stairs ; be was a
most impudent waiter. Mr. J. R. Brasse, of New Inn
Hall, Oxford, and Mr. J. Witcher, of Perry Hall, Hamp-
shire, corroborated this statement. The landlord of the
inn, Mr. Holloway, gave Wren a very unfavourable
character. Mr. Griffin had complained of his conduct,
on which he discharged him next day. The waiter com-
plained that the kick had disabled him. The jury found
the defendant guilty of the assault, accompanied by un-
necessary violence, and the Recorder sentenced him to
pay a fine of 101., and find sureties to keep the peace for
a twelvemonth. The fine was paid.
SELF-MUTILATION.—A very handsome young wo-
man, named Jessie M'Kenzie, who is only nineteen years
of age, the daughter of highly respectable parents, was
on Thursday last conveyed to Hanwell Lunatic Asylum,
a confirmed maniac, under the most distressing circum-
stances. For many months past the young woman has
devoted herself to the reading of the Scriptures, and had
become extremely melancholy; while in this state she
committed an act of self-mutilation almost unparalleled.
The unfortunate lunatic was at the time lying in bed, her
mother and aunt being in the same room. Suddenly the
relatives were horror-struck by perceiving a human eye
lying at their feet. The mother ran to her daughter,
and was appalled at perceiving that she had torn her
right eye completely out of its socket. The young
woman, who betrayed no agony, said our Saviour had
whispered to her the words, "If thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out," and she considered she was only
fulfilling her Divine Master's will by doing so. The
poor creature afterwards became much worse, and it was
found necessary to remove her to Bethlehem Hospital.
From this place she was discharged as incurable, and Sir
Peter Laurie then procured her admission into the
County Lunatic Asylum.
LADY PEEL AND MISS FRANCES BROWN.—The
following letter was sent by the Prime Minister to Miss
Frances Brown, the blind poetess of Ulster, on Christ-
mas-eve " Whitehall, Dec. 21.

" Madam,—There is a fund applicable, as vacancies
may occur, to the grant of annual pensions of very
limited amount, which usage has placed at the disposal
of the lady of the First Minister. On this fund there
is a surplus of 20/. per annum.
" Lady Peel has heard of your honourable and suc-
cessful exertions to mitigate, by literary acquirements,
the effects of the misfortune by which you have been
visited ; and should the grant of this pension for your
life be acceptable to you, Lady Peel will have great
satisfaction in such an appropriation of it.—l am, &c.
" ROBERT PEEL."

EXTRAORDINARY MARRIAGE.—An old man, aged
85 years, who has long been a teacher at Mauchline, and
for the latter eleven years of his pilgrimage blind, yet,
strange to say, still teaching " the young idea how to
shoot," bethought himself, a few weeks ago, of a help-
mate, and, in his peregrinations to Kilmarnock, happened
to fall in with a woman of less than half his age, whom,
on hinting his views, he found was on terms with a
younger son of Adam, and who belonged to the thrift-
less fraternity of weavers. Marriage, it appeared, had
often been hinted at by the knight of the shuttle, but
not that direct query put which is so grateful to the ears
of womankind. The patriarchal instructor had not
passed so many of the young through his hands not to be
able to take advantage of the opening thus afforded, and,
in order to counterbalance their difference of years (the
other, of being blind to her faults, provided he might be
alive to her perfections, not being taken into account), held
forth the advantages of a comfortable fireside, with
something to make the pot boil, in contradistinction to
the " muslin kaill" that would probably be her staple
commodity did she engage with his young rival. Coming
to close terms he at once propounded to leave her, should
she survive to be his widow, 1001., and a house, of which
he is proprietor. This decided the no longer thought.
less maiden to bring matters to an issue with the man of
threads. He, when pressed to declare his sentiments,
professed his unchanged regard, but proposed to wait
for better times. "No time like the present, thought
the damsel, and she closed with the offer of her aged
suitor ; and, as the bridegroom had no time to lose, the
nuptial knot was tied this week.--Kilmarnock Journal.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean are starring at the
Dublin Theatre, where they are attracting immense
houses.