The Sun. — 1827-09-28 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST ON MR. DODD.  On Wednesday morning, at eleven o'clock, an Inquest was held at Giltspur-street Compter, befote Thomas Shelton, Esq., the Coroner, and a respectable Jury, on view of the body of Mr. George Dodd, aged 45, the late eminent engineer and draughtsman. The Jury being empanelled and sworn, viewed the body of the deceased, which lay in a shell in the infirmary of the prison, after which the following evidence was taken :  John Visitt, a beadle and street-keeper, Towerhill, on Monday week last, found the deceased lyi9g about the streets in the ward of Billingsgate, in the utmost possible destitution. On witness inquiring of him his name, and where he came from, the deceased, with wildness in his looks, said that he was a convicted felon : that the day before he had ol)tained leave of absence from Mr. Wontner, the Governor of Newgate; that he was to be tried the next day, and requested witness to take him to one of his Majesty's gaols. Witness thought it advisable to take him before the Lord Mayor. His Lordship, as also Alderman Key, and Mr. Hobler, recognizO him, and expressed the utmost commiseration at the dreadful state he appeared in, and inquired of what service they could be to him. The deceased, in the most incoherent manner, said, that he wanted to see Lord Lauderdale, and the Master-General bf the Ordnance, as he had business of the utmost importance to communicate to them. His Lordship endeavoured to call to his recollection many circumstances that had occurred when the unfortunate man was in affluent circumstances; but his answers indicated that his intellects were entirely gone. His Lordship desired witness to convey the deceased here in a coach, with a message, that every thing should be done for him, and to be brought before him again on the following Monday. On the deceased leaving the office, he accused witness of robbing him of 1161., and that he had enticed him to a brothel for the purpose of murdering him. Witness found on his person several letters, some of which were addressed to him from persons connected with Portsmouth Dock-yard, and others from Messrs. Joliffe and Banks, steam-packet proprietors : their contents were refusing to send the deceased any more money till it was ascertained whether the plans which the deceased had forwarded to them had succeeded.  An assistant to Mr. Box, the surgeon of the prison, stated that the deceased was brought to the prison on Monday week last by the last witness ; he was very emaciated, and evidently labouring under insanity. Blisters were applied, and every thing. proper done, but the deceased l►ngered t►ll last Tuesday, when he died. During his illness, the deceased had broth, arrow-root, wipe, and every other comfort.  In the course of the inquiry, it came out from Mr. Teague and others, that the unfortunate deceased was once in flourishing circumstances, that he, in conjunction with his father, some years buck, undertook the vast undertaking of forming a tunnel across the Thames, near Gravesend, which ultimately failed ; that the deceased received 3,0001. frOm Mr. Rennie, for the plan of Waterloo-bridge, and 2,0001. for Vauxhall-bridge; he also planned many other great works in various parts of England : the failure of many of which turned the deceased's brain, and ultimately ended in the misery described. A few days before the death of the unhappy man, one of his daughters called at the prison, and from whom it appeared the deceased had deserted his home for the last six months • that in consequence of many failures he met with, he took to drinking, and would wander about the streets for weeks together. The Jury returned a verdict of—" Died by the Visitation of God."  The deceased has left a widow and children.