The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-18 00:00:00

EVENING SUN

same pi u lent c-mrse ought to be adopted in nominating
Censors, in order that the attributes of the Censure may
be confided only to men of integrity and capacity, and
who can prove worthy
the confidence reposed in them—.
men knowing skilfully how to discern between the sense
and the form, and in this respect, with a certain tact,
form their determinations. In charging the superior
President to give the necessary instructions to the cen-
sors within his jurisdiction, we believe that on his side
he will reflect on the present letter of instruction in
order to fulfil the intentions of his Majesty the King.
(Signed) DE ROCHHON,
Minister of the Interior.
EICHHORN,
Min. of Pub. Instruction and Worship.
Count de MALTZAHN,
Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Berlin, Dec. 26, 1841.

ARCHBISHOPRIC OF COLOGNE.

The following is a copy of the lettet which his Ma-
jesty the King of Prussia addressed to the Archbishop
of Cologne, Baron Drost de Vischering, on the 19th of
last October :

" Monsieur l'Archevique—You have doubtles learnt
that the affairs of the Church of Cologne ha\ e been
happily arranged by the prudent intervention of the
Court of Rome ; and I have not lost sight of the fact
that you have zealously co-operated in the attainment of
an end so anxiously desired. More than a year ago
you gave me your word that ynu would take no undue
advantage of your liberty in order to return to Co-
logne. You have conscientiously kept your promise ;
and, in signifying to you my satisfaction with your con-
duct, I absolve you from your parole, on condition that,
if you wish to visit Cologne, yon will not do so before
the arrival and installation of the coadjutor.
" I could never believe that you had borne part in
any revolutionary intrigues, and my Government has
already taken occasion to refute the charge ; but,
knowing that y our honourable family is earnestly de-
sirous that I should personally make a similar declara-
tion, I avail myself with pleasure of this opportunity
to assure you, that there is no ground whatever for a
suspicion that you have abused the dignity of your
station and functions for the purpose of favouri►,g poli-
tical or revolutionary intrigues, or to assotiate your-
self with persons who had such objects in view. I sin-
cerely hope that this assurance will convey to you the
tranquillity you deserve to enjoy, and that Providence
will long permit you, in a
,quiet old age, to rejoice in
the rc-establishment of the peace of the Church.
(Signed) FREDERICK WILLIAM."

INQUEST ON A PAUPER—EXTRA-
ORDINARY PROCEEDINGS.
On Friday last an inquest was held before Mr. Wak-
ley, in the board-room of the Hendon Union workhouse,
on view of the body of John Catlin, upwards of eighty
years of age, an inmate of that workhouse.
The Coroner having received notice of the death,
issued his warrant for the summoning a Jury to meet
at the Workhouse, and proceeded to join them. In the
high road, when about to alight from his carriage, Mr.
Wakley found Mr. Tootell, the solicitor, of Edgware,
and clerk to the Board of Guardians of the Hendon
Union, waiting in his gig to announce to him that he
must proceed to an inn on the London-road, some dis-
tance from' the workhouse, to hold the inquiry, as the
Jury had been directed that morning to assemble there
instead of at the workhouse, and that the Coroner would
there also find the constable. The Coroner expressed his
astonishment at this proceeding, and inquired the cause.
Mr. Tootell replied, that the Guardians refused to al-
low any more inquests to be held in the workhouse.
The CORONER said that surely Mr. Tootell, as a la.w-
yer, must be aware that the Coroner was bound to hold
his inquest super visunt corporis, and that he could en-
force his power of entering any place where the body
might lie, in order to fulfil the demands of the law.
. Mr. Tootell replied that that might be quite true, as
regarded the Coroner and jury being admitted to see the
body, but that they must then immediately depart and
hold the inquest somewhere. else. Such were the direc-
tions of the Board of Guardians, and any attempt on the
part of the Coroner to enter the building there to hold
the inquest, would be resisted, and the doors barred
aginst him.
The CORONER said he should be extremely sorry to
resort to force, but he wasdetormined that the power of
his office and the interests of the poor should not suffer
in his person, and that if the entry of the Coroner and
the Jury were opposed, he should at once call in the aid
of the police, and, with the assistance of a sledgehammer
from Edgware, he doubted not he should speedily ob-
tain the required admission. Nothing shall prevent me
from bolding the inquest in the workhouse. The
Coroner then alighted from his carriage, and having
requested Mr. Mills, his - secretary, to proceed to the
inn and obtain the immediate attendance of the Jury-
at the workhouse, went through the gates to the
front door, where he was admitted. Two of the
Jurymen had at that juncture just arrived at the
workhouse, and pointed out to the porter that
they had been summoned for that place by direc-
tion of the Coroner, and complained with much vexation
at their being expected to go on such a day, or at
any other time, from a building that belonged to the rate-
payers to a distant house, when the body was in the
workhouse. In a short time 16 Jurymen were in at-
tendance in the hall, the remainder having arrived from
the inn with the constable, who placed now fur the first
time before the Coroner the copy of the resolution of the
Board of G uardians, which had been given to the constable
on the previous evening, with an order from the Guardians:
that he should alter his summonses to the Jurymen, and
assemble them at the inn, instead of at the workhouse.
The Jury one and all expressed their gratification at.
the intention of the Coroner, and agreed that they had
never heard of a more scandalous proceeding thrai the
attempt to exclude them from their own building on such
an occasion.
Mr. Tootell here sent for the Rev. Mr. Mutter, one of
the Guardians, on whose arrival the party were still re-
maining in the hall and lodge below.
The CORONER, addressing Mr. Mutter, pointed out to
the Reverend Gentleman the extraordinary position in
which he had been placed, and concluded by saying to
him, " I have now obtained admission into the premises,
and here I shall remain to hold my inquest, and if you or
your officers cannot find a suitable place for the Jury to
assemble in, I will see what I can do myself."
No steps being taken to find such a room, the Coroner
left the hall, followed by the Jury, and proceeded up
stairs to the door of the board-room, which he found
locked. The Rev. Mr. Mutter having also followed him,
wished to know whether he was quite resolved to fiat' a
room on the premises for the inquest, and on the Coroner
once more repeating the t he certainly was, the key of
the board-room was produced, and the Coroner and
Jury admitted.
A long discussion took place as to what occurred on a
former occasion, and the inquiry was proceeded with, but
presented no features of public interest.
The Jury returned a verdict that " John Catlin died
from effusion of serum on the brain, produced by a natu-
ral cause."

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AND Loss OF LIFE...-.
About a quarter to one o'clock this morning, a fire broke
out in the Bee Hive new beer-shop, Harrow-road, in the
occupation of Mr. Malley, which, we regret to state,
was attended with the loss of life. The premises were
full of lodgers, consisting principally of navigators, most
Of whom slept at the top of the house. The fire, which
broke out at the bottom, in a short time obtained such a
fearful ascendancy as to prevent any of the numerous in-
mates from effecting their escape 'by the stairs ; and but
fur the fire-escape, which is kept at the junction of the
two roads, the whole of the inmates must have perished,
the men and females being got out in a state of nudity.
Shortly after two o'clock the building was reduced to a.
mass of ruins ; and after all danger was over, an in-
quiry as to what had become of the inmates was made,
when the pot-boy was missed, and from the description
of the room in which he slept, no doubt exists but that
he perished in the flames.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE OP SUPERSTITION
EMPLOYED TO DETECT A TnrEr.—On Saturday, Louisa,
wife ofJames Stebbins, was examined before the Mayor
and Magistrates at Yarmouth, charged with havino-
robbed the house of William J. Presant of a dressing!
ease, containing 601. in money, and a silver watch. A
witness stated that the prisoner was detected by the Bible
and key. On being questioned by the Mayor, witness
stated that Mrs. Presant having made known her loss, a
number of neighbours were summoned to meet together,
when the ceremony took place,which she described. A bible
is procured, and the wards of a key being placed in or
about the middle, the book is tied so that the key, on
being suspended by the bow, would sustain the weight
of the book; a thread is fastened to the bow of the
key, and each party in succession places the thread
on his or her finger, thus suspending the book there-
from. Some incantation is pronounced, and the
bible ' is expected to revolve if the party be guilty.
and remain stationary if innocent. Witness went on
to state that the ceremony having been performed
on several, and no effect produced, it was at
last practised on prisoner, when, to her consternation,
the Bible twirled rapidly, and she uttered an exclama-
tion of surprise and terror, and confessed her guilt.
The detail excited some mirth in the Court. A police
officer proceeded to her house, where he found her, and
took from her five 51. notes of the bank of Gurney and •
Co., five sovereigns, and two half sovereigns ; she fetched
the silver watch, and said she had bought furniture and
clothes with the remaining 29/. The box, she stated, she
threw into the river, whence it has since been recovered,
and is in possession of an officer. She was committed
for trial.—. Essex Herald.

Some highly interesting experiments have lately
been made at Portsmouth, for the purpose of ascertain-
ing the application and capabilities of the mantelet,
lately invented by Lieutenant-Colonel Blanchard, of the
Royal Engineers, to gun rocket practice, and the result
has proved highly satisfactory. The application of the
mantelet to so 'formidable a weapon of war as the Con-
greve rocket, originated with Lieutenant-Colonel Men-
zies, R. 11., commanding the Royal Marina Artillery.
FOURTEEN VESS3LS ASHORE.—Yesterday
(Thursday), we had a tremendouS snow-storm on this
coast, which has been attended with very groat destruc-
tionti amongst the shipping entering the harbou4-eofh
port (Sunderland). About four o'clock
_t
after-
noon, when it began to grow dark, it
beingwhile endeavouring
tide, a great number of large vessels, w_ inthen flood-
potatoc-garth ; and,
to proceed up the river (Wear), got
across the
),
blowingfoul of each other,
and a strong southerly wind then
river, many were driven upon the
k cont. d
st of which received rn
between that time and six 0 doe , vessels. . lune a t
intervals to ground there, in° „ or e
by driving against each °tiler N is
.—..,ort,ger 11
or less damage,
Times.