The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-15 00:00:00

MR. SIMPSON

The Montreal Gazette of Tuesday publishes•a letter, dated
St. Peter's, Fort Snelling, 20th July, 1540, which, we regret
to say, corroborates the first dreadful version of the-death of
Mr. Simpson, nephew of Governor Simpson, of Hudson's
Bay, and of his two companions. The letter in the Gazelle
is written by Mr. Peter M`Leod, formerly of Montreal. It
is very circumstantial in its details, which are substantially
the same as formerly given. St. Peter's is about 400 miles
nearer the scene where the horrible event took place than St.
Louis, from whence the first account of the tragedy was re-
ceived.

" You will recollect that, for the past two years, Mr.
Dease and Mr. Simpson (nephew of Governor Simpson), of
the Hudson's Bay Company, have been employed in the pro-
secution of Arctic discovery, by order of the company. Some
time in February or March last these gentlemen returned, on
their way to England, with reports of their discoveries, &c.
Mr. Dease went by the usual route, via the Lakes. Mr. Simp-
son (for what reason I have not learned) separated from his
companion, and determined upon proceeding to England via
the United States. By this way, perhaps, he deemed it the
most expeditious route. His party consisted of three men
and a boy. A few days after their departure from the colony
Mr. Simpson showed symptoms of a deranged mind, and, in
fact, ordered his men to turn with him, and go back to the
colony. They did so, and returned seventy miles. Again
he ordered his men to wheel about and come southward, re-
questing them to hasten their horses, in order to overtake a
party of colonists, with whorri they set out in the first instance.
They were proceeding thus, when, on the evening of the 14th,
just after the moon rose, and while the men were employed
about their horses, and preparing the encampment, Mr.
Simpson, without aay provocation, (as reported to me.) took
his double-barrelled gun, and first shot John Bird dead, and
then fired the second barrel at Le Gross, a Canadian. who
fell and survived but a few moments. The boy was a son of
Le Gross ; and he and the other person, a young man named
Bruce, without any interference on the part of Mr. Simpson,
took two of the horses, and set out to overtake the party of
colonists, whom they came up with that night. The nest
day, six men returned to the scene of disaster, and discovered
Mr. Simpson's tent extended on the ground, and, supposing
him to be under it, they were afraid to approach too close
until they were certain where he was. They, therefore, fired
two vollies over where they supposed him to be lying. - Im-
mediately afterwards, the report of a gun was heard from
between where the two carts stood. Upon going to the place,
they found Mr. Simpson extended near his mattress, with
the muzzle of his gun immediately between his eyes. The
nightcap he wore is much blackened and burned. Having
buried these three unfortunate men in the plain, the colonists
proceeded to this place, where the, arrived a few days ago.
No reasons have been assigned for Mr. Simpson's conduct
but one; and, from all I can learn, he must have been la-
bouring under a melancholy aberration of intellect, and sup-
posed that Bird and Le Gross intended killing him for the
purpose of getting possession of his papers."

MARVELLOUS.—The people at Bath surpass the Athenian
sage. He merely chewed the pebbles, but according to the
arning Herald," At Bath the Victoria Column is in every
body's mouth."

PROVINCIAL THEATRICALS.—If theatricals have declined
in the metropolis, says one of the London Sunday papers,
the provinces present as fearful a picture. Bath (once the
nursery of the stage) has ceased to pay for years. The pro-
prietor of the Liverpool Theatre resigns this season. The
York circuit, now confined to Hull, Leeds, and York, hav-
ing ceded Sheffield, Doncaster, and 'Wakefield, barely pays
its expenses. Manley's circuit has been long in the market.
The Norwich manager is forced to close some months in
each year. Charles Hill has quitted Brighton abruptly, and
that theatre is a commonwealth, alias a common poverty.
Mr. H. Bennett manages to make Shrewsbury, Coventry,
and Worcester pay ; we question if any one else could.
Munro does the same at Birmingham, but lost money at
Leicester. Beverley extracts, with difficulty, a living from
Sunderland and Shields. Young Elliston could do nothing
with Leamington and Stratford-upon-Avon. Barnett does
wretchedly in all his towns, save Oxford. Slomazi made
money at Dover, Rochester, &c., but by a system to which
slave-driving was kindness ; at present those theatres do not
pay. Shalders scrambles on at Southampton, Portsmouth,
&c., but scarcely lives. Ternan (on the new broom principle)
has done tolerably at Newcastle ; but every one of the theatres
enumerated have ,been invariably deserted when Batty or
Ryan, or other equestrian troops, carne in their vicinity.
Dissenters are taught that it is sinful to go to the play, yet
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wt they visit
ere
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not averaging 30s. per per week each, cannot exist a month,
an equestrian company, involving at least ten times the
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provinces. The returns to the authors under Bulwer's act
show that the worst and most trifling pieces are most fre-
quently played, and that the amount. received from country
theatres is decreasing week after week.