The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-05 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.

For some tuat_past-a, considerable sensation has
bean produeeel7lVthe nainkt2f, .several of the in.
habitant= sot' -Irine:.:ci:Alttinted, Nlinerva-terrace, itl
the r;ki,tatmi-ronikhrsrOussopleitce of the total dinap.
retseanee of .t- kW ljli telly 'tire Vt'llpier of
tatemises- nearivr -rgeirsii4ta ti-Alland chapel, in the.
above roast, ',.tetati,Jl, appears, is unmarried.
has IK-vn h of time at Brixton,
mad became 'tenant of the house in Minerva-teracr,
which she furnished in a very elegant manner; and
krl sr very retired life, no person living in the house
with her, except nn old female attendant. This lady,
!however, was in the habit of walking about the
neighbourhood of a morning, and from that circum-
stance she was only known to the neighbours, no
intercourse having taken place between them, Miss
Norton being always extremely reserved in her man-
Pier', exhibiting a disinclination to mix in society, ot•
even to be on familiar terms with her ittiktediate
neighbours. About seven werica hgo she dis-
charged the only person who resided in the house'
h lier—the female servant ; and from that period
tip to the present time the house has been shut up,
no person ever coating forward to answer the door,
wine!' lias been frequently knocked at by the neigh-
hoers, who were much surprised at the circumstance,
knovvlsig that the occupant had not expressed her
inrontion of quitting the place to aby or the trades-
people with whom she dealt., neither had any of
the furniture, which is of a valuable description,
been removed. Fitter the house had been closed
about a week, and the lady who occupied it still
invisible, sonic inquiries were set on foot to ascer-
tain wh;st had become of her, and for this purpose
every method was tried to discover some of her
friends or relations, in order to communicate the cir-
cumstance to them, but none were to be found. The.
matter here rested from the IGth of November,
the house remaining still closed, and no appearanee'l
of Miss Norton ; until at length the inhabitants re-
siding near the spot, fearful that she might have
been murdered in the house, wrote to the landlord
describing the mysterious disappearance of his te-
nant, and the facts relative to the house having been
closely shut up ever since the period above specified.
The landlord, on receipt of the communication, pro-
ceeded
to Union-hall police-office yesterday, and pro-
ducing the letter alluded to, the magistrate (Mr.
Swabey) immediately gave directions to the chief
constable to proceed forthwith to the residence of
the lady, and either obtain entrance by forcing open
the hall-door, or through some of the windows.
Another officer accompanied the chief constable to
Minerva-terrace, and they returned to the office in
about two hours, and gave the following account of
the business upon vtliich they were sent :—Having
knocked for some time at the door of the house,
and no person answering it, they proceeded into
the garden of the next house, and from thence got
over into the one belonging to Miss Norton ; they
succeeded in throwing up the sash of the back
parlour window, and managed to enter the room
upon drawing hack the bolts of the shutters.
They then went into the different rooms on the
ground floor, and in one of them found the carcasses
of a dog and cat ; that of the latter was nearly demo-
lished with the exception of the head, and it is conjec-
tured that the dog, while in a state of starvation,
had killed and devoured it, and then died itself
from the effects of hunger. On the officers pro-
ceeding up stairs to the attics, in the back one,
lying in the bed, they discovered the unfortunate
lady, who appeared to be almost in a dying state.—
On hearing the noise produced by their entrance into
the room, she feebly turned round in the bed, and, in
a scream of terror, exclaimed, " You are come to
poison me." . The officers did every thing in their
power to allay the state of alarm and agitation into
which their presence had at first thrown her, and
after a little time she became more composed, but
from her manner and behaviour it was evident that
the unfortunate woman was. labouring under insa-
nity. She raved about her sister, and talked in an
incoherent strain during the time the officers remained
in the room. On going over the house no provision
of any. description was found in it, with the excep-.
tion of a few mouldy pieces of bread in one of the.
cupboards ; and from the state to which she was
reduced, the bones being nearly ready to start
through the skin, there is every reason to believe
that she has not tasted a morsel of food front the
day on which the house was first shut up, seven
weeks ago, until that time. The chief constable
and the landlord, who was present, immediately sent
for a medical man, and some slight refreshment hav-
tug been administered to her after her long absti-
nence, it seemed to revive her considerably. to the
room with the unfortunate lady were two cages
containing two dead Canary birds which died from
starvation, 'their stock of seed and water being ex-
hausted ; and the great probability is, that their
unfortunate mistress could not have survived the
week out, had not intimation been given to the
magistrate, who directed the house to he broken
into, if there was no other method of obtaining an
entrance.

From inquiries we have made in the neighbour-
hood, we have been informed that Miss Norton has
a comfortable independence; but her relatives are
unknown to any of the inhabitants, owing to the
secluded manner in which she has lived ever since
slit came to reside there. She appears to be about
34 years of age ; and, although now almost reduced
to a skeleton, still her features denote her to have
been a handsome woman when in health.
Great commiseration has been excited in the un-
fortunate lady's behalf ; and although her friends are
at present unknown to those who have witnessed
the lamentable state in which she was found, every
exertion will be used to find them ; and in the
mean time due attention and care will be paid to
the poor invalid, who at present labours under one
of the heaviest of human afflictions—namely, the
loss of reason.

There were relieved at the Bethnal-green
Board, on Tuesday afternoon, 3,471 persons.

Iltt. S lELD.—Yesterday the remains of this
musician were removed from his late residence in Berners-
street, for Westminster Abbey. The following friends
attended—viz., Croasdale, Cusac, Broadwood, Valentine
Blake, John Bernard Cramer, Vincent Novella, John
Taylor (late Editor of The Sun), and Alexander Parkinson ;
and the private carriages of John Fuller,. of Devonshire-
place, and Thomas Broadwood. , The coffin bore the in-
scription—" William Shield, Esq. died January 23, 1829,
aged 80."

THE PANTOMIMES.—The whole of these an-
nual entertainments have been very successful this season.
['he following is an estimate of the expenses attending each
of the pantomimes, both at the major and minor esta-
blishments—it may be fully relied upon :
Drury-lane, about..
Covent-garden
The Adelphi 5OO
The Surrey
The Coburg 4OO
The Pavilion
The Olympic
making an aggregate of 4,9761. for providing enjoyment
for the holyday folk. Sadler's Wells is not included in
the above sum, as that establishment (contrary to its
practice for time immemorial) produced no pantomimic
Christmas entertainment.—Morning Paper.
The Journal cm Havre contains the follow-
ing article :—" The American Captain Cornick, who for
a long period made voyages from the United States to
Havre, and vice versa, on hoard the Jefferson, lately
freighted at London to the Brazilian Consul, the new vessel
James Cropper., of 600 tons, which is now under his
command, and in which he went to Plymouth, to take on
board 400 Portuguese refugees. The winds which have
prevailed since his departure from Plymouth, lead us to
suppose that Captain Carsick must have reached, some
days ago, the place of his destination, which is known to
us, but which we are unwilling to make public, through
fear of compromising the plan and intentions of the Por-
tuguese Constitutionalists. The issue, moreover, must
shortly reveal a circumstance upon which we consiler it
expedient to he silent at present, in the interest of a cause
which is dear to us, and which we are anxious to serve by
our reserve and discretion, if unable to serve it in any
[her Way."

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FRENCH PAPERS.
(From the Gazette etc Frantz, dated Feb. 3.)

Pit:!, CFts. 2.—The three Ambassadors have
arrived at Naples. Mr. Stratford Canning arrived
there on the 14th. Count Guilleminot landed at
Baia On the 16th, and the frigate which had M. de
Ribeatipierre on board, entered the bay of Naples on
the morning of the ITO,
Sti.tS;JA!'.l‘ Thereis now in the-Lazzaretto
a this town) a rrench courier who left Constan-
tinople on the sth, or according to others, on the
Bth ; it is said that he has brought prirate letters
which have given rise to various reports. Thus, it
is said, that a qussian frigate belonging to the fleet
of Admiral Greig suddenly appeared, bearing a flag
of truce) at the entrance of the Bosphorus, and de-
Fired permission to proceed to the capital, and that
the Governor of the fort at length granted the re-
quest, after he had received orders on the subject.
The appearance of this frigate, which had no
other object than an exchange of prisoners, naturally
excited a great sensation, and the more so, as it
nearly coincided with the arrival of a French Agent,
M. Jaubert, to whose proposals it appears that the
Reis Effendi has lent a favourable ear. All kinds of
pacific news were immediately in circulation. The
next mail from Constantinople trill inform us what
truth there is in these reports.
The Augsburgh Gazette adds, that letters from
Vienna of 24th January again affirm that despatches,
the contexts of which were pacific, had arrived, and
that Lord Cowley, the English Ambassador, had
sent a Courier to London with despatches, which re-
lated to the honourable reception that M. Jaubert
had met with at Constantinople.
(From the Messager des Chumbres of Feb. 2.)

FEB. Russian Diplomatic Envoy ar-
rived at Paris the day before yesterday, and delivered
to the Ambassador of his Sovereign despatches,
which are said to 'he important.
A letter from Rome, of the 22d January, says, his
Excellency the Marquis de Ribeaupiere, the Ambas-
sador from the Emperor of Russia to the Ottoman
Porte, arrived at Rome on the 20th of this month;
he came from Naples.
(From the Constitutionnel of Feb. 2.)
PARim, FEB. 2.—The Ministry complains of the
suspicions of which it is the object, but it depends
on itself to make them cease. Let it speak and act
boldly in the principles of the constitution. So long
as facts contradict words—so long as the Scides of
M. Villele fill the principal offices—the security of
its protestations will he doubted. Doubts would no
longer exist if M. Ravez entered the Chamber of
Peers.

(From the Journal des Debuts of Monday.)
PARIS, FEB. 2.—lf we consider each member of
the Alinistty apart, each seems worthy of our praise,
but all together we feel less disposed to be pleased
with them. What is the reason ? They wait : and
all their conduct is by that means best explained.
After all, this species of policy is that which is now
most becoming. They have not wished themselves
tO make a choice—they have awaited the Cham-
bers, and their interference.
FR P;NCH Fuans.—Five per Cents., 1091. 60c. 75e. ;
Four and a half per Cents., 1021.; Three per Cents., 75f.
60r. 80r. ; Bank Actions, 1800 f.
FOREIGN FUNRS.-Neapolitan Renter, Fal. Cer. '79f.
35c. 65c.; Royal Spanish Loan, 76. ; Interminable
Spanish Annuities, 47. 46i; ifavian Loan, 4721. 50e.