The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-01 00:00:00

LORD ASHBURTON.

The
• FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
appointment of Lord Ashburton, and the
sum to
reference made to it in the daily papers, would
iTnoto indicate a great reliance on the success of the
' it 88.1 n, and most certainly betokens a wish to magnify
u
4_,s IMportance. How far the ends attainable by a
rented man may be accomplished by Lord Ashburton,
of course, in the future, and it is difficult to calculate
oLupon the probable result ; but there is one question
ch, in the mouths of many, has not yet had, the ad-
antage of publication, and is far from easy of solution.
tics Lord Ashburton received his appointment for pri-
Vate interest, or those of his country ? Does his connec •
tion with the house of Baring and Co. not render
jt more than possible that he will not neglect to super-
94end the trading affairs of that house ? And do not the
htaense cotton dealings of the Barings almost exclude
:..e hope that any time can be found by the Voble Lord
',..transact public business in America?. Assuredly in this
1,71,0 Personal is the most profitable to attend to. Let the
Nile, then, know why we have determined hastily on
frekl a Special Minister to America ; and although;
the ho'" vast American speculations in cotton, &c., of
Iltagi,r) of Baring and Co., it is almost a delusion to
,"444,1,44,1Y event of public benefit can occur, yet there
—ltY a..,,"Z
ie, the conseqnt paucity of blAnders that
'Pated from he Plenipotentiary.
•

CORONER'S
---
- .
i T ''°I2.ONER'S
,)2.., , Two -I)
—Late on Satur-
INQUEST.
Coy'cl ~i CLATIIB. FROM SUFFOCATION. .
nto before Mr.
4t•Rl 0. teltviaslcmg investigation was
at „„ C'eni,e,, , Coroner for the Southern IDivision of the
a maiden lady,
- °n`iliej bocrtlssex, at the Horse and Wells Inn, Woodford,
tigQd ,panes of Elizabeth Ann
7,1:
,d Sarah Ashauld, her Friday,neice aged 11.
th., '1? circumstance excited a most painful interest in
' villa • '
(Slrs:c ge: 111 consequence of the landlady of the house
" the
erstion.
a„, ) where the parties lived having a.lso.ohdeieend
'eine i8---".e night through fri ht • but she avinb
Iltere wine an an ill-state of health, Coroner thought
. . el_
'lei - -43 no occasion for an inquest to be held upon
bider,Job 'e first witness called was
_p-(l';_rd, a carpenter its the employ of Mr.. Gershon,
Lttethe ti,„,"tinniatie's--row, near Woodfood, who saainddtiiivaed
in
40,Persotis were tenants of his master,
uallet.-4„iing house. On Wednesday morning lasrat
make
ally caned with the bread, and, not being able,to
no• °llthe hear, went away. The deceased child
114 4111„•-e habit of coming into his master's house ;
Ilhi ..,tA. an as usual his master became alarmed, and
a dermtrection, between three and four o'cock, he plac?d
,_he two against their window, and looked thr.ouglli. it.
"asst -,13 deceased persons were lying on the bed in a ifed
With ttttl‘e• Raving informed his master, he, bhis order an
broke e assistance of a fellow-workman, named, Brooks,.rt
cle*Qr, 7.rt the door. On opening the deceased's bed-r9O
vitPou eY were nearly suffocated from some noxious
they -I' which escaped. The air becoming more pure
act f ntered, and. found the eldest deceased quite dead,
1414r,),41 the distorted state of the features she must
side, `anise...d in great agony. .The child. was lying by her
°F it xt ",,dead, her cap was torn to pieces, and a portion
:qatebtlnued into her mouth. Her face was covered with
.4).1. kr`bs• When he recovered himself a little he went
"led , Mee, a surgeon, who promptly attended, and
sewed to restore animation, but without success. On
centeiltig Ice room he discovered a brasier, which had
ty iltiect harcoal fire, about four feet from the bedstead.t
Iji the the
JurY---I think the poor child, who was the pe
and , village
ti Uas 100 ' . ,
must have suffered murenthhearnfhaeere aunt,
tine b , gee dying. The scratches o .
remnantserslf whilst suffering ; and I think she put the
ffluv °I her nightcap into her mouth to prevent the
IN :In of the charcoal going down her throat. There.
that tLfl",e Place in the room. Mr. Bunce gave his opinion,
Ser ' oeeeased persons had been dead 12 or 14 hours.
''it-Retnt hitp, of the K division, the summoning
that i' In answer to questions from the Coroner, said,
that 4-I°4l inquiries he bad instituted, he had ascertained
that nef•Y"ngest deceased had purchased three penny-
the` •,--"` t,harcoal on the afternoon of Tuesday, sat%,
iyge,Viu- ('t3nsequence of the room being cold. and aaFlpr,
.(34 h,,-„,'ero going to light it
liq. -`lrlot been able to ascertain when they
(the charcoal) in a brascr.
to.
tuns a.l:The last time the deceased child was seen alive
t`4 IL, (.:;!t' eight 'clock on Tuesday night, when she. _
a - (to - o
pittlli rse and Wells for half
Wili.t, „se
had been some time unwell..
Lii5,.(11441 Brooks corroborated the testimony of Bird,
aunct*,ll-"n addition, that on telling his mistress of the
-.``'' siii-e,lireutrtstance it had such an effect upon her
, Afte,,-- "L'ed in a few hours after.
enolx, - snale remarks from the Coroner on the mela.nt-
"Th.jharacter of the case, the Jury returned a.verdic ,
' tile deceased persons' were accidentally su tlocated.'
-The
Joint s, great increase of late in the number of
141 -t°ek Companies, and particularly of those estab-
led c
tit bi'ev Assuran •of Lives has given rise to consi-
N e a ces ,
tkailt f apprehensions as to the consequences likely to
I:::,ttitbrll'ianrliiattn. It
will be remembered, that during the
ntld nlnier, the subject was taken up by the Legislature,
inquiry instituted upon it. The
ever, which it was anticipated would result
11.'414 huh
ve So
serousefailure of these undertakings are not likely to
se So
Us many have apprehended, a remedy pre-
;nett. R itself in the facility with which a Company not
of it:tlig with the success which it expected can dispose
eour l'usiness to others more fortunate than itselfi -This
latel3e.has been resorted to by many of the life assurances
• ..-I04; Yi Instituted. Thus the Active, the British and Co-
ke'''. Trust, the Standard, and the New Equitable have
buslighed into others ; the last having just transferred its
abieZBS to the Protector, a well established and respect-
aP • f'tqa"Y• By these arrangements the loss and dis-
P°"
which otherwise • •
av,id olent must occur are wholly
orute,d':!l,ile a greater degree of stability necessarily
e. tne office into which these undertakings merge,
41:41t118
tat] e PrnsPerity of which they naturally serve to aug-
ylt-- Stand 1
es. an .
tee,, Lerday Emma Couldery, a girl utseven,, ilt,t)ers of age., the daughter of Mr. James Couldery,
to 1,..._ her' in Church-street, Greenwich, put a period
Ar7(r_b . existence by hanging herself from the hams-
14,__ t the second floor- of her father's house. - It ap-
ini .resr
dthat for a long timo past she had been labouring
getuitle de fora
Her parents-had consulted the medical
ilo_
viaeli of the neighbourhood without success. She had,
pro Byer' been recommended to apply to some skilful
to
tiknioners in London, one of whom pledged himself
in town2t a perfect cure. She attended him severaltimes
bea with her mother
and fully expected to have her
eanlu.ll..ge Perfectly restored. Being disappointed she be-
di, 't%; v 3: unhappy, and had been heard to say that she
vell'isn..st wish to live a burden to herself and family. She
nri Fevered by one of the family resting on her knees
c,Te t,ted by a silk handkerchief tied loosely under her
b‘4,..Vvitheut a noose, and had been dead about half an
d',`_izr, . Ihe whole of the family, of whom there are many
1;1_4, dough
married to respeetable
,tradesmen in Green
'll, are inconsolable.

DEATH OF MR. DAVIDGE OF THE
SURREY TBEATRE.
This well-known actor, and enterprising lessee,
expired last
.night, ,after many years of bad
health, and, occasionally, of great suffering.
George Baldwell Davidge was one of that
class of men whose death the middle and lower
classes of the community cannot but regret.
Twenty years, without interruption, he toiled to
administer to their gratification, as manager
,of
the Coburg, and Surrey. and Liverpool theatres,
by setting before them the wonders of theatrical
art, and we rejoice to say that, notwithstanding
many disappointments and losses, belaboured suc-
cessfully in obtaining at last a considerable fortune.
Forty-eight years ago, namely, in the year 1794,
Mr. Davidge was born in the town of Bristol.
Tired of an apprenticeship to printing, and being
smitten with the stage, be made hislirst essay in
the histronie art at Bath in a private 'line.
Shortly after he came to London, and while he
worked as a compositor by day, played at
night in a small theatre which was then
situated in the Strand, between Burleigh and
Southampton-streets. After performing at the
Adelphi, then known as the Sans Pareil, and
the Haymarket, he, in 1818, engaged at the Co-
burg, and after being many years an actor
there, became in part a proprietor, his coadju-
tors being Messrs. Bengough and Le Clerc, till
the death of the former and the retirement of
the latter left him sole lessee.
Mr. Davidge, on becoming lessee ofthe Coburg,
in March, 1826, immediately gave notice to the
public of his intention to enlarge, re-decorate,
and beautify the interior and exterior of the
theatre. The pit was widened, the proscenium
embellished with new allegorical figures, the
frontal decorations of the dress-circles made to
abound with fanciful and tasty devices, and the roof
of the theatre had a new range of lustres, a fresh
sky-painted centre, while rich gold borderings
and mouldings added novel brilliancy to the
whole. It opened with fresh vigour ; its corps
dramatique was good, and Mr. Davidge began
gradually to reap the rewards of his enterprise
and labour.
During his five years' management of the
Coburg, it is surprising that, with Mr. Davidge's
known enterprise in getting up wonders to feast
the public eye, he should never have renewed,
while at this theatre, the splendid novelty of
the " Looking-glass curtain," as it was termed,
which was displayed on the Coburg stage_
in 1822. This looking-glass was thirty-six
feet in height, and thirty-two in breadth, and
consisted of 63 divisions of looking-glass, set in a
massive richly-gilt carved frame, and which after
each exhibition, was drawn up to the roof of the
building. We cannot, having mentioned
it, resist the temptation of giving the further
history of this splendid toy. After its attrac-
tion had in sonic measure subsided, an
incumbrancer on the Theatre (for truth to say it
has been generally in difficulties), applied for an
injunction to restrain the sale; but the weight of
the glass and its settings having been proved to
be dangerous to the rbof of the Theatre, the Lord
Chancellor dismissed the application, and the
greater part of the glass has since been used in
decorating, and otherwise ornamenting the
Saloon.
Mr. Davidge, during his management of the
Coburg, introduced the " shilling order sys-
tem," first adopted by Mr. Thomas Dibdin,
and realised by it 6,000/. This sum, however, he
subsequently lost, and had no resource but an
annuity of 2001. per annum, which, in his fortu-
nate days, he had settled on Mrs. Davidge. In
1831 he failed as manager at Liverpool, and was
arrested at the suit of Randle Jackson, and
passed through the Bankruptcy Court. After
this he was engaged by Mr. Osbaldiston, and sub-
sequently by Ducrow, at whose theatre he took
a benefit.
Shortly after this he entered upon a lease of
the Surrey Theatre, which eventually proved to
him a most profitable speculation. Spacious as
is the theatre for a second-rate, with a pit mea-
suring 36 feet 6 inches, and capable of holding
about 900 persons—a gallery able to contain
above I,ooo—with the tiers of the full-circle,
side, and private boxes, Mr. Davidge, dur-
ing his able management, night after night,
by the extraordinary nature of the entertain-
ments he set betbre the public' and the excellent
acting in minor dramas which he himself and his
coadjutors displayed, generally filled every nook
and corner, and drew down great and deserved
applause upon his exertions. By one piece alone,
namely, My Poll and my Partner Joe, Mr. Da-
vidge cleared 4,000/. in one season.
The rent at which Mr. Davidge held the Surrey
Theatre was, we believe, about 1,200/. per annum.
The taxes upon the theatre alone are 3001., and
the cost of annual insurance 2001. yearly. The
receipts of the louse; under former managers,
amounted on successful nights to about 3001., but
during the proprietorship of Mr. Davidge they
have frequently been much greater.
Mr. Davidge's own characters were chiefly in
the line of imbecile and antiquated old men, and
his performance of the Veteran, or 102, was a
master-piece : by his first wife he had a daughter,
who is now dead; by his present wife, Miss
Parker, he has left no children. Ile took a glass
of sherry and a jelly half an hour before his
death, and died in the presence of his wife and
Mr. Lawrence, his Treasurer. Mr. Davidge was
highly respected by all who knew him, and his
death is very generally regretted.

THE LATE MR. DUCROW.—On Friday even-
ing as eminent artist requested permission of Mrs.
Ducrow to take a cast of Mr. Ducrow's face. The wish
was complied with, and the modeller stated that a head
and face so finely proportioned he had never met with
before. The funeral arrangements, under the direction
of Messrs. Serle, of Lambeth, Anderton, and Oscar
Byrne (his executors), will be conducted according to
his own directions some months previous to his decease,
and will take place next Saturday, on the arrival in
London of Mr. W. D. Broadfoot (Mr. Ducrow's brother-
in-law), and Signor Hillier, the managers of the esta-
blishment in Liverpool.
SAVINGS BAN xs.—The following short notice
of the annual report of the Provident Institution Savings
Bank, St. Martin's=lane, was presented to a public meet-
ing of managers, a few days since by the auditors. Tho
total amount of present deposits is one million one hun-
dred and fifteen thousand four hundred and forty-six
pounds, arising from 31,514 accounts, which are
classed as follow :-14,713 accounts not exceeding
201. each ; 9,432 not exceeding 50/. ; 4,627 not exceed-
ing lOC/. ; 1,745 not exceeding 150/. ; 869 not exceeding
2001. ; 62 upwards of 200/. ; which, with 66 Benefit So-
cieties' accounts, makes a total of 31,514 accounts, and
an accumulated capital of 1,115,4461. Seven hundred
and ninety new accounts were opened during the past
year ; the amount of deposits during the same period
was 331,922/. 2s. 4d., and the re-payment to depositors
during the year (including interest), was 306,4801. Bs. 3d.,
leaving an increase to the capital of the institution of
24,5411. 14s. ld. After all the expenses of the current
year had been provided for, a considerable sum was
added to:the surplus fund. This institution was amongst
the first '(if not the very first) of savings banks, and
perhaps possesses the largest amount of deposits of any
'similar institution in the kingdom, or in the world. The
receipts and re-payments, in small sums, average 12,000/.
weekly.
HAWKCHURCH.—On the 17th inst. a fire,
attended with a considerable destruction of property,
took place on the premises of Farmer Walbridge, at
Hawkchurch. Ten acres of wheat, between 30 and 40
sacks of potatoes, a great quantity of fuel, with ma-
chines, presses, cart, household goods, &c., were con-
sumed. There is but too much reason to believe that it
was the act of an incendiary, and a considerable reward
has been offered, in the hope that the perpetrators of this
atrocious deed will be discovered and punished.—Somer-
set County Gazette.
COLLISION AT SEA AND LOSS OF LIVES.—
In a preceding number we stated that a vessel belonging
to Southampton had been run down by the brig Commo-
dore Napier, off Coquet Island, when all on board ex-
cept the mate perished. The mate, who is a native of
Southampton, has furnished us with the following par-
ticulars :—On the night of Sunday, the 9th inst., the
Camilla, Captain Peirce, bound for Southampton, from
Leith, laden with coal, was run down by the brig Com-
modore Napier, Captain W. Clark, bound to Shields to
load for the Havannah. The collision took place off
Coquet Island, and the Camilla sank instantly. Captain
Clark immediately laid the topsails aback, and threw
out ropes to the unfortunate crew, but, as we have said,
only the mate was saved. One man, named John Harris,
climbed up the side, and the mate had his hand on the
poor fellow's collar, when the gear of the sinking vessel
caught the lower studding-sail boom of the brig and
knocked him off, when he sank to rise no more. The
Captain and two other hands were asleep in their berths
at the time. Captain Clark lowered his boats immedi-
ately, but nut a spar of the ill-fated Camilla could be
anywhere seen. The weather was hazy, and the wind
blowing fresh at the time. Both Captain Peirce and
Harris have left wives and families.—Hampshire.Adver.
MOTHERLY ADVICE.—An irritable divine, on
the south coast of Devon, struck a boy on the head with
a Bible and cut his ear. His mother, an old schooler,
expressed her belief that, being done with the Holy Bible,
the wound would soon heal. She told the boy " never
to mind but to larn his book and be a good boy, and
!hen,. if the parson hit 'tin again he was to pitch into
un. —Somerset Gazette.
CHRISTENING EXTRAORDINARY.—On Sun-
day, the 23d instant, a lady, 65 years of age, was chris-
tened in the village church of Keddington, near Louth.
—LAin csolomn
eAwlehrcautry.
novel scene occurred here last week,
a woman of bad character was
placed in the stocks. We
did not witness it, but understandaPBthati it was a source of
attraction to some hundreds.
—Hampshire Advertiser.
The Duke of Northumberland
the estate called the Magdalene Fields utssidpe
,
Berwick-upon-Tweed, from Lord Lisburne, for
purchased
the
ram
parts,
Anti-Corn-law petition was
28,000/.—Newcastle Journal
Thets, Edinburgh
closed on Friday, with 28,500 signatures. •