Star.
London, England, 1824-07-01 00:00:00

CORONE!L INQuEsrs.

FAT L PUGILISTIC CONTEST.—Last evening, at nine..
o'clock, Mr STI RUN() and a respectable Jury assemble •
at the Portman Arms, to inquire into the cause ‘ef the
death of Thomas Watkins, who died from the ilijorit:
received in v. pugilistic contest with a men named
Thomas Fish, who was in custody in the house, to abidc
the result of the Inquest. From the evidence, it ar.•
peared that the deceased had rather a suJden qua. yet
with Thomas Fish early on Tuesday morning week ;
they agreed to settle their difference by boxing, and
stripped in Quebecestreet North. The deceased wis lG
yeas s of age, and his antagonist is a young and roe cr.
ful man, and a good boxer ; they fought several reunds,
which were entirely in favour of Fish, who struck him
with both fists, even when off his guard, and according
to the evidence of a witness, named Watkins, while
the act of rising. The deceased had no regular seconds
to assist hint. Fish was attended by his father and
brother. The deceased seemed to have fair play, but
was no match for his antagonist.—Mr.Nurton, surgeon,
stated his opinion to be that the deceased died from as
inflammatien of the bowels, caused by either a blo v or
fall.—Time Jury, at eleven o'clock, returned a verdict of
Manslaughter against Thomas Fish,who was committed,
on the Cornet's warrant, to Newgate.
Yesterday an Inquest was held in Whitecross-street
Prison, on the body t f Thomas Hughes. Mr. Thomas
Ward stated that he was surgeon to the prison, and had
attended the deceased for a considerable time; he firmly
believed that his death was acceler:eed by the free use
of ardent spirits.— Mr. Loder stated that he was the
steward of the ward in which the prisoner was con.
fined. He had known him for years ; he had been a
respectable man's mercer ; and up to the time of his laze
caption, on which he surrendered on the 21st of April
last, he had kept a clothier's shop in West Smithfield.
Deceased was extremely low-spirited, which he (wit-
ness) attributed snore to distress of mind on account cf
domestic circumstances, than to pecuniary difficulty. W
was 45 years old, and about two years since married a
girl of twenty, with whom he received a small par tier,
which bad been absorbed in the wreck of his forme.
She was his third wife, and he had by her an infant
child six months old; neither she nor any other rela.
tive had visited him for some time, which prayed on Li:
. spirits, until he became callous, and wished not to se:
any of them. Until within a few hours of his death, he
appeared as usual, and witness did not in the.least ao•
, prebend that his death was so near. Every attention
was paid to his comfort, both by the Governor and his
fellow-prisoners. Verdict--=-Diceiby the visitation ofG on.

An industrious• man, a carrier between London anti.
Richmond, who employed five fine horses in that service, was hini:
self, with the whole of the ailimals, drowned at the latter place, on
Saturday last, in conseqoulce of having gone too far into the river
in watering them. The po.ar mail has left a widow and family ua-
provided for.
Two youths, of seventeen and eighteen years,. %tete
drowned in the river, near the flour-mill, above Vaux-
hall-bridge, on Sunday. There were two others iri cow-
pany. One of those drowned, the youngest, of the
name of Weatherby, got out of the boat to bathe, and
the other, whose name was Thomson, in going to his
assistance, met with the like fate.

Four Greek youths have arrived at Boston from
Malta, to be educated in the United States, they are ie;
presented as possessing goad intellectual poWeii, and
of correct deportment. They a:I read ancient as well
as modern Greek, have more or less acquaintance with
Italian, and while at Malta made some proficiency in
English, in which they converse intelligibly.
The total quantity of tobacco seized in Scotland, in
the two years ending Ist of January last, was 69,192
pounds. The King's share of the geiitires came to
1:1,232, and the officers' share to £157. The quantity
seized in England in the same period was 414,391
pounds, and in Ireland it was 780,466 pounds, the
rewards for seising which amounted to £144,327.
A PASSIONATE MAN.—Fletcher, of Sakown, is well
known to have possessed a most irritable temper. His
footman desired to be dismissed. " Why do you leave
me?" said he—" Because, to speak truth, I cannot bear
your temper." "To be sure, lam passionate, but my
passion is no sooner on than it is off." ‘1 Yes," replied
-the servant, " but it is no sooner off than it is on."
A Prussian Clergyman appill.d to the King of Pats.
SIA for his permission to preach in his Chapel, and to honour hi t
by his presence. His Majesty thought it presumptuous for a coun-
try Clergyman to ask such a favour ; but, nevertheless, granted big
request, and told him he would give him a text to preach on, ard
that he should preach on the Sunday following, when he should he
there to hear him. The Clergyman waited with anxiety, from day to
day, for the text, as he wished to have it in time, that he might make 2
fine sermon of it; but Sunday morning cattle, and no text ; he, how-
ever, went into the pulpit with an intention to preach one of his
old sermons, thinking the King h:,d forgot to send him a text.—
The King came to Chapel soon after, and sent the Clergyman a let.
ter, which he opened and read ; the contents were—" The enclosed
is your text, you will preach immediately:" He opened the bit of
paper that was enclosed, when, to his great astonishment, be found
it quite a blank : he looked at the other side, it was a blank there
too; he held it out for the audience to look at, and said, " Bert is
nothing," and then turning it, and "there is nothing; and of nothirg
Goo created Heaven and earth :" then quoted a verse in the tr.t
chapter of Genesis, to preach a sermon on it extempore. The KJ. h
was so delighted at the great presence of mind the Clergyman la;
shewn, that he nude him his Almoner.