The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-29 00:00:00

"3. AO if there had been a real bona fide union,
Ireland would have been entitled toat least 175 Members.
" 4. That the most gross injustice is done to Ireland
by the limited nature of the Parliamentary franchise.
"England has a number of voters equal to 22 per
cent. of her adult male population. Ireland not above
one to every two hundred,
" 5. Ireland was refused any municipal reform for five
years after it had been conceded to Scotland, and for
four years after it was obtained by the English.
" 6. The Irish Municipal Reform Act is miserably de-
fective ; the franchise is rated so high
..as to exclude
from the burgess list about three-fourths of those who
would in England be burgesses.
" 7. All the most beneficial powers of the corporate
bodies have been curtailed and mutilated, or totally re-
fused ; amongst others, the nomination of sheriff--even
the recommendation of a sheriff refused.

"8. The people of Ireland are obliged to contribute to
the support of two churches—the one the church of the
smeller, and at the same time the wealthy class of so-
ciety—the other, the church of the many and of the poor.
" 9. That the most gross fiscal robbery was inflicted
on Ireland by the union.
" 10. The union enormously augmented the disastrous
effects of absenteeism, and all the evils of a distant and
remote legislature and judicature."
Mr. O'Connell, in conclusion, moved the adoption of the
following resolution:—" That it be referred to the Com-
mittee to report on the proper steps to procure an in-
quiry into the recent state trial."
Lord FFRENCH seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
Mr. O'CONNELL then moved—
" 1. That the letters of Sharman Crawford, Esq., as
they appear in the newspapers, be referred to the Com-
mittee to report their opinion upon them, with the
reasons of such opinion.
" 2. That that inquiry be conducted in a manner most
respectful to Mr. Sharman Crawford."
The motions were carried unanimously.

Mr. O'Costur.u, said be would postpone his motion for
the appointment of a Preservative Society of 300, as he
found there were more legal difficulties in the way than
he had at first anticipated.
Captain BRODERICK brought forward the reports of
the Parliamentary Committee on the following subjects
—The Irish Fisheries, the Ordnance Survey, the " In-
dustrial Resources of Ireland," Land the Fiscal Relations
between the Two Countries.

After the disposal of some routine business,
Mr. O'CONNELL announced the rent of the week to be
5411. 2s. Bd. (Cheers.)
Lord FFRENCII was then called to the chair, 2nd the
usual vote of thanks having been passed to the former
chairman, the meeting separated.

THE DOUBLE SUICIDE AT
MILE-END.

On Wednesday Mr. Baker, Coroner for the Eastern
Division of Middlesex, and a jury of the inhabitants of
Stepney, assembled at the Fox Tavern, Russell-street,
Mile-end, to inquire into the deaths of Charles William
Duckett, aged 21, and Elizabeth Williams, aged 28, this
two young persons who destroyed themselves by taking
prussic acid, under the very extraordinary circumstances
which have been already partially detailed in the columns
of this journal.
The tragical occurrence created considerable excite-
ment in the neighbourhood, and such was the morbid
taste for the horrible, that the inquest-room was crowded
The jury having viewed the bodies, which lay in the
position in which they were discovered on Sunday night,
a description of which has already appeared, the evi-
dence was entered into.
Mr. T. Williams, a brother of the deceased woman,
was first sworn. He said—l reside at No. 11, Cannon-
street-road, St. George's-in-the-East. The & ceased,
Elizabeth Williams, was my sister, and resided with her
mother, who is a widow. I knew the deceased, Charles
William Duckett, who was assistant to, and resided with,
his father, a house-agent, No. 9, Raven-row, Mile-end.
I have observed that my sister has been very low-
spirited for the last three or four weeks. She was most
affectionately attached to the deceased Duckett, with
whom she has been acquainted for some years. I have
in my possession love letters proving that their attach-
ment was mutual. Their attachment to each other was
sanctioned by both families, and their marriage was
only delayed by Mr. Duckett's circumstances. We at-
tributed my sister's melancholy to the exceedingly jea-
lous disposition of Duckett with respect to her.
Several letters were here produced, which were ad-
dressed to the deceased Elizabeth 'Williams by Duckett;
many of them were poetic effusions, written in the most
extravagant love-sick strain.
Evidence resumed—l last saw my sister on Sunday
after dinner, when I left her at home with my mother.
She went out at half-past five on Sunday afternoon with
Mr. Duckett, with the intention, as usual, of going to
church. He told her to wrap up well, as it was a cold
night. My sister did not return from church at the
usual time, and between 11 and 12 o'clock I and my
brother went to the house of Mr. Duckett, sen., to see
if she was there. Mr. Duckett himself opened the door,
and said he had not seen either Elizabeth or his son. He
accompanied me back to my mother's, and then returned
home again, wondering where they could be. In about
three-quarters of an hour after, Mr. Duckett again
arrived at my mother's, and related the shocking occur-
rence, and how he had found them both dead at his house.
We never had any suspicion that either of them con-
templated suicide ; but, about three months ago,
Duckett borrowed the Pharmacoperia, a medical book,
from me, saying he wanted it to aid him in preparing
colours.
The Coroner here handed to him a letter which was
found in an envelope with a black border lying on, the
table in the room where the bodies were discovered, ad-
dressed " To Miss Margaret Chapman, 21, Lucas-street,
Commercial-road," a cousin of Miss Williams. Mr.
Baker proceeded to read the following, written on the
envelope immediately under the address :
" It is our last, our sacred and dying wish, that this
letter be delivered into the hands of the above lady.
Such is our final request, and whoever may this find, we
pray they may give the same to her.—Signed E. W.,
C. W. D."

The enclosures were then read ; one consisted of
poetry addressed to Miss Chapman, beautifully written
and illuminated in various coloured inks, entitled " The
Last Lay of the Broken Hearts." The verses were 24 in
number, but the following extracts will afford a fair
sample of the entire composition :
" Change thou the scene—look here and thou shalt find,
" The spirit wounded with sternest sorrow's dart ;
" The madden'd brain, the wild, the wandering mind,
" The cheek that's blighted, and the Broken Heart.
" We've loved each other, joined in hand and heart,
" Firm bound together in one holy tie,
" Forsake we cannot, and we ne'er will put;
" Together live, and then together die."
At the conclusion of the verses was written the follow-
ing :

" This is the holy vow, freely given from both our
hearts. We have lived for each other. We solemnly
and without reluctance mutually consent to die together
—testifying to the truth thereof we have subscribed our
names, thus proving our perfect will to share the grave
in the arms of one another.
" ELIZABETH WILLIAMS and
" CHARLES WILLIAM DUCKETT.
" Signed at No. 9, Raven-row, Mile-end•gate,
London, Nov. 8, 1844."
The other letter bore date the 24th inst. (the day of
the occurrence), and was signed by Duckett only It ex-
hibited great despondency, and informed Miss Chapman
that when she received it be and Elizabeth " would be
sleeping the sleep of death, for she had told him if you
die without me, you will be my murderer." The authen-
ticity of the deceased Elizabeth Williams's signature to
that which contained the poetry was denied by both her
brothers.

William Henry Duckett was next sworn—He de-
posed, lam an accountant, and live at No. 9, Raven-
row. My son assisted me in my business, and lived
with me. I knew of his attachment to Elizabeth Wil-
liams, and decidedly approved of it. Sometimes he was
labouring under great excitement, and at other times he
was very depressed. He was a very abstemious young
man. He drank no spirits, and only a little malt liquor
—one pint of fourpenny ale would make him ♦ery wild.
He never spoke about getting married. His age was 21
last July. He was not in a position to support a wife.
That preyed on his mind. About twelve months ago
he was disappointed in not obtaining a situation in the
Court of Requests, in Whitechapel ; and there had been
a marked change in his conduct ever since. I have no
doubt he committed the act of suicide in an unsound
state of mind. My son has known Miss Williams nine
years. She is 28 years of a.ge. My sox was in the habit
of reading Lloyd's Penny Weekly Miscellany, and Penny
Atlas, which are full of crimes—love, blood, and mas-
sacre.—(Laughter.) lie also read religious tracts and
lighter works occasionally. He did not read novels.
A juror—Those works you speak of are very romantic
generally.
By the jury—l have seen him reading the London
Pharmacoperia, and I thought be read it for informa-
tion on chemistry. He borrowed it ostensibly for that
purpose.

The witness here produced a large packet of letters he
had found in his sons box, addressed to him by Elizabeth
Williams. They reciprocated his affection, and one of
them, of recent date, describes the writer as very un-
happy, and stated that she cared not how soon the time
came to die with him. I last saw my son alive at half-
past five on Sunday evening, when he went out to go to
church. I went to church with his mother, and re-
turned about half-past eight. I heard nothing until
shortly before twelve, when the brothers of Elm ibeth
came aid asked fur their sister. I went with them home,
and on my return I observed that the key was not in the
door of the front parlour, my son's bedroom. I tried
the door, and finding it locked, procured another key.
with which I succeeded in opening it. On entering .I
saw my son and Elizabeth lying on the bed looked in
each other's arms and quite dead. (Witness here be-
came much affected.) I gave an alarm, and a lodger
ran for Mr. Davis, a surgeon, and I went to inform Eli-
sabeth's mother of what had happened. It is my opi-
nion that they destroyed themselves by mutual consent
on account of the world appearing
.a void before them.
and there being no prospect of their being married. I
think they must have been insane at the time they did so.
Colin M'Kenzie, police-constable 371 K, produced the
cups and phials found in the room where the bodies lay,
The phials were on the mantel-shelf. One cup turned
upside down lay. on the bed, immediately above the de-
ceased Duckett 's head, and the other was by the side of
the young woman.
The phials bore on them a label with the words
" Hydrocyanic acid," and " Poison." They were of ex-
actly the same size, and the constable stated that he had
ascertained that it was purchased at Mr. Battley's, Fore-
street, the party who sold the poison to Belaney.
Mr. H. Letheby examined.—He was a surgeon, and
made a post mortem examination of both bodies, The
intestines smelt of prussic acid, and it had got circulated
throughout the system. He had taken away the sto
machs for analysation, and found about half an ounce of