The Statesman.
London, England, 1824-01-26 00:00:00

Ti-fg STATESMAN

""----varvitratriren."---P"
Of the new Galleries projected fur the enlargement of
the British Unseats', the follow*- is a description from a
slight sketch by. oie of the officers of that Institution.
The ground plot behind the Visseurn is to be built upon
to form u magnificent range of °Aerie., leaving an open
quadrank le. On the east side, 'upon the ground floor, the
centre will form an apartment 3io feet in length, intended
to receive the library presented t, the nation by our mu-
nificent Sovereign. On the left of this will be the apart-
ment for manuscripts; and on the right, another for the,
collections of the late Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. The whole
ranee of this floor is 700 feet.

1. Over the. King's Library will be built the Reps!'Picture
Gallery, which will Fontein the superb collection recently
purchased of the Kxecators of the late Air. Anieretein ;
to which will be added, the valuable specimens of the old
masters, collected by Sir George Beaumont, Batt.. which
this distinguished amateur pa'nter has nobly presented to
this national gallery.
On the opposite or West side, ',idly built upon as the
Statue Gallery, a continuation will be msde, as we learn,
to the length of seven hundred feet, for an extension of the
collection of waive. marbles. The North angle", to the
same vast extent. will be occupied on the ground finer for
collections of Natural History. When these three sides are
completed. the present building sill be pulled down, and
the site re-occupied by a nalgnificent building,to complete
the square, in which will be deposited that extensive
public library which occupies so large a portion of the old
crurture•

The lofty wall, with the gate, will be taken down, and
the first quadrangle will be exposed, as it is intended to
sootily the place of the wall by an elegant iron railing.
From a gate at each end sill he a semicircular drive up to
the central entrance of the main bnilding, accesillie only
t.l private carriages, which will be admitted through an
arch beneath a grand Sight of steps, to the inner qutd-
rmgle. On the si•fe of this drive will he a colonnade fur
tot passenger* up bt the grand entrance.

InE"'"'""44o!"..'

,

ta111114,5f EPIPHANY SESSIONS, JAN. 13.

•
TRIAL OP A SURGEON AND A MEDICAL STUDENT
• . FOR MALMO A DEAD BODY.

JOHN WRATH E RLEY, aged 21, and THOKTHOMPSON,
aged 23, the Resurrection-men lately apprehended at Sunder.
land, were indicted upon a charge of opening the grave in
which the !Pitly of Elizabeth Hedh y; deceased, was interred,
in Sunderland Church-yard, and of unlawfully and indecently
carrying away the body. Thompson pleaded guilty ; but Wea-
therley put himself upon his trial. Mr. Losil stated the case
to the Jury; and the case proved in evidence was, that the
prisoners being strangers in Sunderland, took lodgings there,
and made a point of attending all the funerals that took place,
and were in the habit of loitering about the church-yard. O
the 21st of December last, the body of the deeeased Elizabeth
Hedley was interred in the church-yard. Her father was about
purchasing a burial place in the church-yard, but the purchase
not having been completed when his daughter was buried, she
was Interred in another part of the church-yard, with the
intention, when the purchase was completed, of re •
moving the body to another grave. On the 25th of
December, in consequence of the purchase having been
then completed, the grave was opened for the purpose of
removing the corpse, but on coming to the coffin the body was
discovered to have been already taken away. Suspicion having
fallen on the prisoners, Thompson was apprehended in the
church-yard, while leaving a funeral which he bad been at-
tending. He was conveyed to the lock-up-house ; but he re-
fused at first to give any account of himself, or to state where
he lodged. Eventually, however, he agreed to conduct them
to his -lodgings, provided he was protected from the violence
of the mob, which the knowledge of the circumstance of his
baying been apprehended on such a charge naturally collected.
The police officers were proceeding towards the lodgings with
him, followed by the molt, who loudly reviled and threatened
him, when they happened to meet Wentherley. lie, per-
ceiving their approach. attempted to escape, but he was int-
tweiliately pursued and taken, and with los companion, con-
ducted to their lodgings. There, in an inner room, a box
(which it was proved Weatherley had ordered to be made, but
which Thompson took from the joiner's) was found, contain-
ing the body of the deceased, packed up and and ready for
sending away, addressed to a person in Edinburgh. There
were also found a number of human wet'', and an instrument
used in tooth-drawing. After the prisoner Weatherley had
been in custody, he said that Thompson was a foul for bring-
ing the officers to his lodgings so soon, as if he had more
time be would have thrown the body over the banks,
and so destroyed the principal testimony against them.
These were the leading facts of the case to connect Weather -
ley with the offence charged against him.

The prisoner being called upon, read a written defence. He
commenced by noticing how strenuously the Counsel for the
prosecution had endeavoured to influence the feelingsof thejury
against him. The Counsel, he remarked, had left nu stone uu-
turned by which he might strengthen his cliental ease. But he
thought the Learned Gentteatimes speech would he considered
by the Jury more sounding than substantial; and that the evi-
dence produced on the part of the prosecution, iastead of
proving him guilty of the offence with white' he mood charged,
would be found to operate strongly in his favour, and would
no doubt convince the Jury of his innocence. The plieouer
/mid he would confine his remarks to three circumstances,
which it appeared were the only things that caused the suspi-
cion of his being concerned in the conunittine of that offence
of which Thompson had pleaded guilty. The first fact was—
his going with Thompson to take the lodgings, and his lodging
in the same room with him. This, the Learned Coutistl had
contended (coupled with the other circumstances which he
should shortly notice), operated strongly in favour of the pre-
sumption that he was guilty. The prieoner stated he was a
surgeon of seven years standing; that out he was travelling
(ruin Edinburgh to Sunderland, where he inteuded to com-
mence practising as at surgeon, he met -f hompson. Ile did not
at first recollect him ; bait after some conversation, found that
he had been his fellow- stualeat at the University of Felitihro',
and that they had dissected in the same room—that he dis-
closed to Thompson his intention of going to Sunderland, avid
Thompson, having been recommended the sea air fur the
benefit of his health, agreed to accompany him—that on
their arrival at Sunderland, they took the room as had been
stated by one of the witnesses, and they accordingly lived
together. But he would ask the Jury, if, because be lodged
in the same room with Thompson, he was therethee privy
to all 'Thonipson'e transactions ? And if, because Thomp-
son has been guilty of on offence, he must necessarily be guilty
also ? Such a conclusion would he absurd in the extreme.
For if two men lodged in tile same house, a blacksmith
and a joiner, for instance, dial it follow that the blacksmith
must become it joiner, or he joiner a blacksmith ? The smote
did
Ike contended, applied to the present case; and he
therefore thought this circumstance ought to have no weielit
with the Jury is pronouncieg hint guilty. The next circum-
stance was the finding of the teeth and the tooth drawer. These
he acknowledged were his own, and were found in the room
which he had taken. He had proved front the cross-examina-
tion of one of the witnesses, that they were all single teeth;
and the instrument found was used only for drawing double
teeth. This made it sufficiently evideet, that he did not keep
it for the purpose of extracting the teeth front dead betles, as
has i
been nsinuated by the C sel : for no surgeon ever used
that instrument fur drawing single teeth, there being en instru-
ment used solely for that purpose. And if there were any sue
peons present, lie was certain, if they would come forward,
they would confirm went he said. The teeth, he ague' acknow-
ledged, were his property—that he was a dentist, and had
bought them—and there was no law to prohibit him from buy-
ing teeth. As to the finding of the body is the adjoining room,
be contended that this also was no proof of iiis guilt, as it
had been proved lie had not taken that room ; and as the key
was always hung behind the door when they went out, so d. was
very easy Gm Thompson to hare conveyed toe body there is
his absence, and which lie had by his plea of guilty acknow-
ledged. The 'wet eirentisetance to which he wetalu draw the
attention of the Jury was, hia having ordered the box in which
the child was packed. s uernpson' he said, had requested him
to order the box for him, as tie had some hardware to send to his
friends in Edinburgh. 'foot lie hat done so, and lie could
not see how that could enaule the Jury to find him guilty, for
he considered it as only a friendly turn, and if they hellish-
ed friendship from the world what would become of society ?
It had also been proved hat this wits the only time he had or-
dered any box. It had also been proved that he did not call
for the box, but that 'llismipson called for it, and actually took
it away. From this, he -.aid, it evidently appeared that it was
a scheme by which Thompson might he able to avoid detection
in case he was suspected, and that tee offence might be attri-
Felted to him. Such trawl, he remarked, were the ualy circum-
I stances under which tnc Counsel for the peosecutiou called fee
their verdict, and upon which lie ead placed so much reliance.
There was another eiretrastanze which he would briefly notice,
i not because be considered it as in the least tending to cel-
-1 urinate hint, but merely to chew the ehitte the Learned
Comma had been put to, to make out a Calf against him,
and that was his being seen in the church-yard. They baj
brought forward tie sexton, to prove that he saw Lim there,
and that he asked sever.al questions respecting the manner
of burying the dead in this ceuntry. Toe, be said, was no
uncommon thing for strangers to do—they generally enter the
church-yards, read the epitaphs, arid what not. 'the Learned
Counsel asked the sexton if did nut inquire the depth of the
grave, but the sexton appearing to have awe sense than the
Counsel,- replied, " that ne had no ocessiOn to ask, for he had
eyes and could see the depth." Has said this was in itself of
as, little use to either party, that he would nut take ap the time
of the Court by further comment, and concluded by requestiug
the Jury to place no credit on such evidence—evidence altoge-
ther cercontssential, and which ought never to he retied upon
but in cases of murder ; that if they entertained any doubt, he
demanded the Woe& of taat doubt, and that he fully expected
the Joey would return their verdict of not guilty, or otherwise
not proeen.-- lite Jury retired, and after a quarter of an hour's
deliberetioa, returned a verdict of Guilty.

Weatherlcy then-read an address in mitigation of punish-
ment, watch displayed considerable ability. He contended for
the ueceseity of the offence of which they had been convicted,
as being of the greatest importance in the study of practical
anatomy; suit declared that his fellow-prisoner and he were
not actuated by any sordid motive, but solely from a desire to
affurd facilities to the student, sad thereby render an import-
ant service to the community.
The Cooirr sentenced them to be severally imprisoned to
hard labour in the House of Correction for 3 calendar months.

The Comet on the 7th of January was in the right shoulder
of Hercules, taking a direction towards the tail of the Dragon.
It moves With astonishing velocity, as it has since passed mid-
way between the back of Hercules and the Northern Crown,
dimwit the right in of Hercules and is now continuing its
coarse between the right knee of Hercules and the right hand
of 11044.cmsd at the present time does not set. if the brit-
fleecy pf sere Comet continue, we may expect a more favour-
able sppeetnnity of seeing it about the 30th of this month, when
the Moos will be absent, and should the atmosphere be clear; it
will then be distinctly visible between the Pule and the extre-
mity of the tail of the Ursa Major, at any hour of the nigh.