The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-17 00:00:00

CORONERS' INQUESTS.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT WATERLOO BRlDGE.—Yes-
terday Mr. Carter, the Coroner for Surrey, held an
inquest at the Hero of Waterloo, Waterloo-road, on
the body of Donald M'Donald, aged 22 years.
James Templeman stated that deceased, with a
party of young men,. were returning on Sunday
afternoon from a rowing match, upon which deceased
had betted. They had been drinking a good deal,
and the deceased was in a high state of excitement,
partly arising from being a winner on the match, and
partly from the liquor taken after. When they
reached the toll-bar on the Surrey side of the bridge,
deceased attempted to leap the gate, but was stopped
by the gatekeeper. On his friends paying, however,
he leapt over, and challenged one of the party to run
a race ; they did so for about twenty yards, when de-
ceased leapt upon the parapet, daring the other to do
the like. He ran on the parapet for about forty
yards, when he fell over, striking his head against
the abutment of the bridge, into about a foot of
water, the tide being out at the time. 'Witness thinks
the wind, which was pretty high, blew him over.
J. Caulfield confirmed the preceding evidence,
adding that the Thames-police boat was t xenty-five
minutes bringing him ashore, and that deceased was
thrown in the bottom like a dead dog.
Mr. CARTER said the conduct of the police was to
be reprobated, and, no medical man being examined,
the Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."
The deceased was the only support of a widowed
mother.

Mr. Higgs held an inquest the same evening at
four o'clock, in the "Black Bull," Little Chapel-
street, Westminster, on the body of Henry Frederick
Dumbarton, aged 38 3-ears.
It appeared from the evidence of several witnesses
that deceased was a very healthy and remarkably sober
man. That on Sunday morning last he rose at half-
past six, and took a walk till half-past eight, when he
came in to breakfast. While sitting down he suddenly
turned pale and fell upon the floor; his wife sum-
moned some of his neighbours who ran for medical
Assistance, which, however came not, and the man
died about nine o'clock. It was' elicited by the Jury,
that Mr. Campbell, the parish doctor, Mr. Paynter,
and Mr. Davis, had been successively called upon, and
they each excused themselves on the plea that they
could not leave their shops, one of them reCommending
that the police should be called to carry the dying,
man to the hospital.

Mr. HIGGS said there was no law to compol medical
attendance, but, fortunately instances of utter heart-
lessness like the present were seldom exhibited.

The Jury}-, after expressing a hope that such con-
duct woula be exposed, returned a verdict " Died by
the Visitation of God."

SINGULAR DEATH.—Yesterday afternoon, an in-
quest was held at the Hero of Waterloo, Wa-
terloo-road, before William Carter, Esq., the Co-
roner for Surrey, on view of the body of Sarah
Fuller, a maiden lady, aged 65 years. The deceased
resided in Stamford-street; and, on Saturday week
last, as she was taking up a trussed turkey to look at,
slightly pricked the back of the third finger on her
right hand, near to the knuckle joint, with the point
of an iron skewer, which was rusted. Towards the
evening the wound became extremely painful, her
hand and arm swelling greatly, and she complained of
feeling excessively ill, and was seized with violent
retching and sickness. On the following morning
she was visited by her usual medical attendant, who
found her confined to her lied, labouring under fever,
and great debility and exhaustion ; her hand and arm
were much swollen, and the latter in a' high state of
inflammation. She was treated with the view of
stopping the progress of the affection, but, on the
Wednesday following, she expired from the effects of
the irritation of the system and exhaustion, consequent
upon mortification. Verdict—" Accidental death."

PENZANCE, Nov. 10.---THE PILCHARD FISHERY.
—'We are glad to be enabled to state that, although up
to the last few days there seemed but little robability
of these mysterious visitants of the Cornish coasts
making their appearance this year, on Wednesday,
the 9th instant, they apploached in vast quantities
towards the St. Ive's shore ; 12 seans were shot, en-
closing from 12,000 to 13,000 hhds.: and yet, al-
though the weather was stormy, blowing off the land
there, should they have three or four days at most
given them of even such as it then was, they would,
be enabled to secure them all. Estimating their
value at the moderate computation of from 40s. to
50s. per hhd., they may be fairly be said to be worth
25,0001. or 30,0001—a rich prize to the takers, and a
great blessing to the surrounding country. It is also
rumoured that at Mevagissey some 8,000 or 10,000
hhds. have been taken.—Sherborne and Yeovil Mer-
I ATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—OR Saturday morn-
ing last the neighbourhood of Messrs. Russell and
Co.'s Works, at Risca, was thrown into great conster-
nation by a report that an explosion of fire damp had
taken place, and that several of the colliers had been
injured. On repairing to the spot it was found that
the report was correct, but fortunately that the fatality
was not so great as was at first supposed. On going
down into the pit, and examining the stalls, it was as-
certained that four men had been badly burned by ex-
plosion, and two, named John Thomas and Joseph
Smedley, were found dead. The NN hole were brought
to the surface with the least possible delay, and me-
dical aid obtained for the wounded men; they were at-
tended with all the care their painful situation required.
Monmouthshire Merlin.

BATTLE OF ScoßploNs.,—Four scorpions were put
into a hole dug in the earth. They soon began to
fight. The mode was curious. Having two claws
like a crab, with these they attempted to seize each
other by the head. When one happened to be thus
caught, he seemed sensible of his danger, and cried
out, and the other, regardless of his cries, turned round
his tail and gave him one sting. The one that was
stung, as if aware of its mortality, resist( d no more,
but laid down till he died. The other, as if aware of
the same thing, gave himself no further trouble.
They all had the same method of fighting, and all the
vanquished acted in the same manner. The surviving
conqueror was put to death, as too dangerous to
be allowed to escape.—Campbell's Travels in South
Africa.

FIRE ON HOLBORN-HlLL.—Yesterday morning,
about twenty minutes before one, much alarm was
created in the immediate vicinity of Holborn, owing
to a, fire which at first threatened to be attended with
the most disastrous consequences) breaking out on
the premises in the occupancy of Messrs. Martyn,
wholesale tea-dealers, situate at No. 76, Holborn-
hill. The fire was soon subdued, but not before
damage to the amount of nearly 5001. was sustained,
which will fall upon the West of England Insurance
Company. The fire was caused through an escape-
ment of gtul. under the shop.