Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-07-31
MISCELLANEOUS.
Last Moments OF IL. Ell.

captain Maelean, the Governor of Cape Coast
Castle. She had scarcely been two months IN AZ
riea, when she was found dead in her room. with a
bottle of prussic acid at her side This mysterious
and tragic circumstance is fully explained in the
following extract from review, in an English pa
per, of late work by Captain CrIfic,shank upon
his residence in South Africa
Few passages in the personal history of modern
| literature have been more discussed tLan the va
rieus circumstances connected with the sudden
death OF this popular favorte, and as the public is
helther ample IN amount nor unimpeachable IN char
| acter, we avail ourselves of such new light as Mr.
CruleKshank may afford US. His means of KNOW
! edge were, IN any case, frst-rate. He speaks of
himself "as one who had the happiness of sea;np a
good deal OF this accomplished lady upon the coast
who enjoyed and keenly felt the fascinations of her
1 society, who only ten hours before her death b.d
sat and listened with rapt attention To her br;I-
liant sales OF wit and feeling, who was present at
the Investigations consequent upon her sudden
death, whose eyes were the last to rest upon those
rigid features recently beamng with all the ami
mating glow of fine intelligence, and who, with a
sOrrowful heart, saw her consigned to her narrow
/ resting place < | will endeayor IN nlare
in its true light short account of her too brief So
! journ in Africa.
When Mrs. Maclean arrived at Cape Coast, there
was no European lady then at the settlement, and
| her husband was in very bad health Mr. Cruick-
shank was also ILL., An invitation to visit the gov
ernOr and his wife found him in bed and it was
some days before he could venture out to the CASTLE
Il sent in my name by the servant, and Immediate
y after, Mrs. Maclean came to the hail. and well
coined me. was hurried away to his bedroom
Mrs. Maclean saying, as she tripped through the
long gallery, You are privileged person, MIR.
Cruickshank, for can assure it is not every one
that Is admitted here | took a seat by the side
of his bed, upon which Mrs Maclean sat down. ar
ranging the clothes about her husband in the most
afecti0nate manner, and receiving ample compensa-
tions for her attentions by very sweet and en-
pressive smile of thankfulness We thus sat and
ehatted together for some hours, Mrs. Maelean
laughingly recounting her experience of roughing
IL IN Africa, and commenting, with the greatest
good-humor aud delight, upon what struck her as
the oddities in such state Of society. She pointed
TO temporary bed, which had been made for her
on the floor, and said MIR. Maceans suferings had
been so great for nights, that the little sleep
which she had got had been taken there L decli-
ned 10 occupy any apartment in the castle, but
promised to call daily, during my stay in Cape
Coast to pass lew hours with them"
We pass over the daily record of social inter-
course. Mr.. Cruickshank was about to return to
England for his health. Mrs. Maclean em-
plOyed in writing sketches Of Scots heroines, for
the Book of Beauty, and as she sometimes found it
difficult to fix her thoughts particular subject,
"she seemed to have some alarm that the climate
was affecting her"
Mr.. Cruickshank writes:-"As the day drew near
for my departure, she occupied herself more and
more in writing to her friends in England. 1t had
been arranged that the vessel should sail on the
forenoon Of the 10th of October, and l agreed TO
dine and spend the evening of the 10th with the |
governor and his lady. 1t was in every respect
night to be remembered At II o'clock |
| arose to leave. Ii was fine clear night and she
strolled into the gallery, where walked for half
an hour. Mr.. Maeean joined us for a few minutes,
but not liking the night air, in his weak state, he
returned to the parlor. She was much struck with
the beauty of the heavens in those latitudes at
night and said it was when looking at the moon
and the stars that her thoughts oenet reverted to
home She pleased herself with thinking that the
eyes Of some beloved friend might be turned in the
same direction, and that she had thus established
medium of communication for all that heart wished
to express But you must not, she said think me
a foolish, moOn-struck lady, l sometimes think Of
these things Ofteaer than 1 should and your de-
parture for England has called up a world of de
lighttul associations. You will tell NJ. F., how
ever, that l am not tired yet He told me that /
should return by the vessel that brought me out;
but knew he would be mistaken. We joined the
governor in the parlOr. | babe them good night,
promising to call in the morning to bid them adeu.
| never her in life again.
AT breakfast, next day. Mr.. Cruickshank was
alarmed by summons: You are wanted at the
CdSLef MI hdClcdu ID utdu SdIu tllC
Hurrying to the castle he found that it was not
Mr.. but Mrs. AIacean-whom he had left the pre-
viouS night so wel-was no more. Never" he |
says, "shall forget the hOrrOrStricken expression
of MIR. Macleans cOuntenance. We entered the
room where all that mortal of poor l. E. l.
was stretched upon the bed. DR.. CObbOld rose up
from a close examination of her face AM told Us
all was over; she was beyond recovery. My heart
would not believe it. 1t seemed impossible that
cba vyhO ba1 T1artad man hours
so full Of life and energy, could be SO suddenly
struck down. / seized her hand, and gazed upon
her face. The expression was calm and meaning
less. Her eyes were Open fixed, and protrudng.
An inquest was Immediately held. "All that
could be elected, upon the strictest investigation,
was simply this:-lt appeared that she had risen,
and left her husbands bedroom about seven O'Clock
in the morning, and proceeded to her own dressing
ROOM which was up short flight of stairs, and en-
tered by a separate door from that leading to the
bedroom. Before proceeding to dress, she had Oc
cupied herself an hour and half in writing letters
She then called her servant, Mrs! Bailey, and sent
her TO a store-rOOm to fetch some pOmatum. Mrs.
Bailey was absent only few minutes. When she
returned she found difficulty in opening the door,
on account of a weight which appeared to be pres
sing against it. This she discovered to be the body
of her mistress She pushed it aside, and found
that she was senseless. She Immediately called MIR.
Maclean. Dr. CObbOld was sent for; but from the
first moment OF the discovery OF the body on the
floor there had not appeared any symptoms of life.
Mrs Bailey further asserted that she had found
small phial in the hand of the deceased which she
removed, aud placed upon the tOilet-table. Mrs
Maclean had appeared well when she sent her to
fetch the pomatum. She had observed in her no
appearance of unhappineSs. Mr.. Maclean stated
that his wife had left him about seven O'Clock i'll
the morning and that he had never seen her again
in life When he was called to her dressing ROOM
he found her dead upon the floor. After some
time, he observed small phia upon the tOilet-ta-
ble and asked Mrs. Bailey where it had come from.
| She told him that she found it in Mrs. MaceanS
| hand This phia had contained Seheele's prepara-
ton of prussic acid His wife had been in the
habit of using it for severe fits or spasms to which
she was subject She had made use of it once on
the passage from England to his knowledge. lie
was greatly averse to her having such dangerous
medicine, and wished to throw it overheard. She
entreated him not to do So as she must die without
it. There had been no quarrel nor unkindness be-
| tween him and his wife.
"Dr. Cobbold, who had been requested to make
! post-mOrtem examination, did not consider it at
all necessary to do so, he felt persuaded she had
died by pEussic acid He was led to this conclusion
! from the appearance Of the eyes of the deceas-
| ed and he believed that he could detect the
smell of the prussic acid about her person. My
own evidence proved that bad parted from Mr..