The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-04-18 00:00:00

THE CORONER'S COURT.

The Common Council, after discussing the subject, re-
cently required our respected borough coroner, (Mr.
Curry.) with a view to effect a saving in the annual cost
of holding inquests of some few hundreds a year, to aban-
don the system hitherto pursued, of holding all inquests
at his own office, in Lord-street, and to hold them in the
several districts in which deaths should occur, the cir-
cumstances attending which rendered proper his official
inquisition into the facts. Those in favour of the change
quoted the practice of Manchester and other inland towns,
in which the average cost of inquests is certainly smaller
than in Liverpool, arising from various causes, including
the necessarily greater expense of witnesses in the latter.
Prom what we can learn, however, Liverpool stands in a
position, as regards this subject, very different from those
towns, and it already appears the system pursued there
will, if persisted in here, very considerably increase the
expenditure, in place of diminishing it, while, at the same
time, it;is attended with several obvious disadvantages.
District inquests can only be held in inns or public-
houses, and the cost of a room in each would amount an-
nually to much more than the rent of the coroner's pre-
sent office: besides which, a suitable room, to accommo-
date the jury, and the coroner, and his clerk, (who has to
write nut the depositions in a fair legible hand,) is not to
be had in every locality. The county allowance for a
room is 3s. 6d. Now, we had last year no fewer than 678
inquests, and it is but fair to assume that, with our in-
creasing population, and the increasing number of street
and dock accidents especially, the number will, on an
average of future years, net fall short of 700. In each
case the 3s. 6d. at least must be paid, making the rent of
the rooms, or temporary courts, £122 10s. per annum.
The rent of the present coroner's court, which is commo-
dious and respectable, though rather small wl.en serious
cases, reouiring numerous witnesses, are to be investi-
gated, is only £6O ; so that there is, on this item alone,
an additional annual cost of £62 108., or rather more
than double !

The holding of inquests, too, at public houses is itself
of a demoralising tendency, by naturally leading witnesses,
jurors, and visitors to drinking, or to contact, if abstainers,
with drinking customers of the house. It., moreover,
militates against the dignity of any court, and ought not
to be resorted to unless it cannot be avoided, as may
happen in country places. The evil, in fact, is complained
of by nearly all country coroners.
Another circumstance is, that if the coroner be engaged
here and there throughout the town for a day, and has no
central office (for it is proposed to do away with it), police-
officers and others would be unable to find him, so as in-
stantly to hand in their reports of deaths,—thus causing
other improper and, it might be, dangerous delays.
One of the disadvantages to, we may say, the public,
will be, that half of the cases will not be reported in the
newspapers, and that consequently undetected or escaped
delinquents, who have caused grievous injury or even
death, may escape, no reports being published ; for it is
impossible for proprietors of papers to employ reporters
a whole day to run up and down the town in the wake of
the coroner in order to obtain the particulars of the cases
severally, and unless the informations are deposited in a
central office, and they have access to them, all notice of
the mass of them at least, must either be abandoned or
founded upon vague and uncertain rumours.
We could enlarge upon the subject, and point out what
we conceive would make the old system much more satis-
factory in some respects, and less expensive in others ;
as, for instance, by. an improvement in the selection of
juries, and also in the law respecting post morteni exami-
nations, insisted upon by some surgeons, when the cause of
death is sufficiently obvious, merely that they may pocket
their fee of £2 but we shall defer further remark until
another occasion.

W/LEIE'S PAINTING OF Nareaznaz COMMANDING
POPE PIUS VIE. TO SIGN Tim CONCORDAT.—One of the
greatest treats provided of late by the spirited efforts of
Mr. R. 11. Grundy, is the above fine picture, which is now
on view at his Repository, 26, Church-street. The sub-
ject is one which will be remembered by every reader of
modern history—the last effort, or one of the last efforts,
of Napoleon Buonaparte to support his tottering throne
by annexing to the empire of France the ecclesiastical
patronage of the Roman pontiff, Pius the Seventh. The
painter has chosen for the subject of his picture the inter-
view between the Pepe and the Emperor, at which the
latter insisted upon the Pope's signature to the Concor-
dat, giving him the powers required. It is beautifully
treated, and in every way worthy of the eminent artist.
The scene is the private apartment of his Holiness, who
is seated in his chair, whilst the Emperor, standing, is
extending towards him, with an air truly imperative, the
document required to be signed. The form and the face
are a little more juvenile than those which we are accus-
tomed to see as those of Napoleon ; but they are in every
respect characteristic. The decision and peremptory
feeling of the moment are displayed in the erect frame
and the firmly-compressed mouth, which has, however, a
spice of scornful expression anti contempt about it.
The unhappy Pins is, if possible, more graphically
painted, the expression chosen by the artist being that in
which his penultimate and most feeble refusal was given.
The picture is finely engraved in line by J. H. Robinson,
engraver to her Majesty, and is well worthy of a place in
the gallery of every lover of art.
LOE.To BILOUGIIANI.—It now appears from the cor-
respondence printed in the French papers. that Lord
Brougham really demanded his naturalization as a French-
man. In answer the Minister of Justice apprised his
Lordshhip "of the consequences that would ensue. If
France adopted him as one of her SOW, he would cease
to he an Englishman ; he would no longer be Lord
but Olken Brougham. He instant lost all his titles. of
nobility, and all the privileges as an Englishman." Lord
Brougham then said, " I could only enjoy my privileges
as an Englishman when in England—in France I should
be what. the laws of France grant to the citizens of
the Republic." The minister however peremptorily
declines to grant his Lordship the request on these terms,
and adds—" France admits of no participation of rights ;
she does not admit: a French citizen to be at the same
time a citizen of any other country. To become a French-
man von must cease to be no Rigliqh:nan ; you cannot
be au Englishman in England and a Frenchman in France;
our laws are absolutely- oppased to such a thing, an a,_3so.
lute choice must be made. It was for that reason that
was earefifi in pointing out the consequences of naturali-
eation.
TM: CHARTIST LEADERS OUT OF WOP.K. a
meeting of the Convention, they seemed to have hi tleelse to
do but to abuse the press. Mr. Coffey, however, gave
another turn to the proceedings, and tallit.a such nonsense.
as the following : " He thought they had been wasting
a great deal of time in talking about the press ; if the
editor of any paper had libelled them, why not order him
to the bar Of that hall, the same as it was done in another
house ?—(Ltiughter.) He regretted to hear the reporters
abused before their face, that was not his wish.—(hear.)
lie would read a letter which this morning he had received
from Col. Sibthorp,—(Leughter.) it stated that he (Col.
Sibthorp) should be delighted to see Mr. and Mrs. Coffey
to take tea with him at No. 27 Charles-street, on any
day convenient to Mr. and Mee. C. ; that there weuld
Mr. D'lsraeli and a few select friends invited to meet
them (loud laughter) [of course this letter was a forgery.]
Delegates might. laugh, hut that was not the only latter
he had received this morning; he bed outs from a distin-
guished literary lady, he would mention her neme, it was
Harriet Martineau. It began Dear Sir, I am sorry to
hear that you are in such distress; but I promise that if
you will consent to give .your wife eight days' washing
every week I will employ her."—( Roars of laughter.)

THE. BISHOP OF EXETER AND THE REV. MR. FIIORti.
—A public meeting was held on Friday, in Exeter Hall,
to hear from the Rev. J. Shore, of Berry Pomero;•, a nar-
rative of the proceedings tat:en against him by his dioce-
san, the Bishop of Exeter. The spacious hall was densely
crowded in every part. On the platform were, the Hon.
Arthur Kin nair&l, the Revs. Thomas Mortimer, T. Bin ney,
Ebenezer Davis, Dr. 3.forison, Dr. A. Thomson.—Anslie.
James Sherman, Dr. Henderson, Dr. Cook Evans, Dr.
Jenkyn, Dr. Massie, Rev: J. Bakewell, J. Thomson,
Watson, J. Smith, and about 200 other ministers and
gentlemen. The Hon. A. Kinne.ird occupied the (-hair :
and the meeting was addressed at- considerable length by
Mr. Shore, and by - several other reverend gentlemen.
The circumstances of the ca4e, between the Bishop (1 Exe-
ter and the Rev. Mr. Shore, which occupied exchti:vely
the attention of the meeting, are already familiar to our
readers. Several resolutions were adopted; and- also a
petition to 'Parliament, praying for such alterations of the
!.IW as would prevent any recurrence cf such a cour!e as
that followed M• the bishop on this octagon. The chair-
man in the (Tune of the proceedings read a letter from
the Bishop of London, to the Hon, and Rev. B. Noel,
forbieleing him to attend.