The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-27 00:00:00

MOST AFFLICTING SUICIDE.

On Saturday evening an inquest was held at the
Southwark Arms, Tooley-street, on the body of
William Judd, aged 60, a respectable tradesman,
who destroyed himself under the following melan-
choly circumstances :
John Judd, a respectable-looking young man, son
of the deceased (who, during his examination, was
deeply affected), deposed that he lived with his late
unhappy father in Magdalen-street, Horsley-down ;
for several months past he had been in a low de-
jected state of mind; a few years since he carried
on extensive business in the copper-plate printing
line, employing a number of men, and realizing be-
tween 3001. and 4001. a year; about three years
back he was unfortunately persuaded to give up his
concern by the members of a firm carrying on the
business of copper-plate printers, who agreed to en-
gage him ever after at a salary of two guineas and
a half per week ; having sold his presses and other
articles necessary in the trade, he entered into the
service of these gentlemen. After the lapse of a
short time his employers told him that in conse—
quence of their business becoming much reduced
they had no further occasion for his services, but, as
they did not wish him to be without employment,
offered him the paltry consideration of a pound a
week, if he chose to stay with them. His unfortu-
nate father, having a large family to support, was
compelled to accede to their hard terms, although
he felr severely such ungenerous treatment ; and
from that period, his spirits became depressed, and
his employers shortly after discarded him altogether.
The shock occasioned to his poor father by such
unmerited conduct deeply affected him, and he be-
came quite an altered man ; for several months past
he had suffered severe pecuniary embarrassment,
which increased his unhappiness. On Friday morn-
ing last he got up unusually depressed ; after break-
fast he was missed, and search being made, witness
discovered him suspended by a piece of rope to one
of the rails of his bedstead, and life was quite ex-
tinct. In the room witness discovered a letter,
which he knew to be his father's handwriting; the
letter in question was read by tha Coroner, and was
as follows :

" This is to let all my friends know that about
three years back, at the instigation of Messrs. -,
of I gave up my business, and sold all my
presses, on condition they were to engage me per-
manently at the 'salary of two guineas and a half a
week; that, notwithstanding, they subsequently re-
duced my salary to the pittance of one pound per
week, and ultimately discharged me from their ser-
vice altogether. Such conduct I always considered
most ungenerous, and it has ever preyed heavily
upon my mind. I had a good business and should
have done well; I sold all my presses at a grievous
loss. I had worked for - twenty years before I
went into business for myself, therefore I feel his
conduct the more; it has been the ruin of myielf and
family, and I shall never get over it."
Another of the deceased's sons stated that he saw
his poor father write the letter about six months
back; but he (witness) did not know at the time
the nature of it; he (deceased) had kept it about
his person ever since.

The Jury, after commenting on the aMicting na-
ture of the case, returned a verdict of" Insanity."

--- - - -
LADIES IN INDIA.

The practice of sending young ladies to India
to be married is productive (said Mr. B.) of so
much good that the prejudice which, very naturally,
exists against it is to be regretted. Great numbers
of the young men who fill civil
_and military situa-
tions in the East India Company's Service, not
being provided with suitable companions, are fre-
quently driven to the expedient of taking to
themselves native females, a practice which is
sometimes attended with pernicious and unfortunate
results. The paucity of ladies increases, if that be
possible, their value, and no event is held so im•
portant at Calcutta as the arrival of a ship from
England. The anxiety to ascertain what ladies
are on board supersedes every other consideration ; a
change of Ministry, the most important Parliamentary
discussions, sink, said Mr. B. into insignificance till
this curiosity is satisfied. A Newspaper is published
every morning, vet if a ship arrive in the course
of the day, the Editors, aware of the impatience that
exists for information, do not wait till the next
morning, but immediately publish what they call a
" Gazette Extraordinary," containing solely the in-
telligence that " The Honourable Company's ship
Mary has just arrived; sailed from England on
such a day; the following is the list of passengers,"
&c., subjoining a list of names, ut the head of
which, of course, stand the ladies. On the next
morning the Course,, or Hyde Park of Cal-
cutta, presents an unusually gay aspect, every
one appearing to the best advantage, and many
who may not have visited the Course for
months putting forth their most attractive
graces. The next ball is also more brilliant
and the attendance more numerous than usual.
Though the young men are extremely cautious in
making advances, many letters are received by the
ladies in the course of a week. By a curious cus-
tom, however, which prevails in these cases, they
are never distressed by the necessity of giving a
direct refusal. The understanding is, that if the
answer be written on India paper, the applicant
knows that all his hopes, as far as regards the lady
he has addressed, are at an end.

Nothing is more grotesque than the Indian dance,
or the Indian mode of singing. In the dance per-
formed by females called Nautches, on which they
particularly pride themselves, the feet are never
more than six inches asunder. It consists, in
fact, in merely knocking together the ankles,
which, being armed with bells, produce music
at the same time. As to singing, Mr. B. had
an opportunity of hearing a female esteemed the
Pasta of India, whose principal feat was a most
brilliant shake, performed by closing one nostril and
tapping the other with the finger ! Yet such is the
extraordinary prejudice of the natives that they will
frequently observe to an Englishman :—" We ac-
knowledge that your country is very superior to
ours; you are more clever, more wise, more opu-
lent; you excel us indeed in most respects; but as
to music, there you must admit that you do not
come any where near us!"—Buckingham's Lectures

Last Saturday was one of the most disagree-
able days we have for a long time witnessed. Drifts of
hail, rain, and snow, accompanied by cold high winds,
ushered in the morning, and continued till the afternoon,
when the rain, &C. subsided, but the air continued as cold
as at Christmas. The thermometer fell du ing the night
to 86.