The Sun. — 1844-12-02 (London, England)

SUICIDE FROM AFFLICTION.—An inquest was held on Thursday before Mr. Higgs, at St. George's Hospital, on the body of Mary Ann Jones, aged fifty-two. Isaac Jones, her husband, a shoemaker, residing in Peterstreet,: Kensington, said that for a long time past deceased had been afflicted both in body and mind, the first by an illness of sixteen years' duration, and the second by the misconduct of her two daughters by her first husband. The last information she had of them was that theylwere in Birmingham, living in an improper manner. Recently she had been very fond of reading a book entitled " Letters from the Dead to the Living," and this tended to increase her grief. Upon awakening in the morning of last Sunday week he found her trying vainly to kiss him. He stretched out his arm, and was horror-stricken at placing his hand upon a large wound in her throat. [Here the husband could not conceal his emotion.] He continued that she had inflicted the wound with a knife which he used for cutting leather, and as soon as he saw the state she was in he obtained the assistance of two surgeons, and afterwards had her conveyed to the hospital. While the surgeons were attending upon her she endeavoured to tear open the wound, and repeatedly called for somebody to blow her brains out. She died on Tuesday last. Verdict, " Temporary insanity." The Gazette of Saturday last consists of no less than eight sheets and a half. The first article in it is the copy of an order of her Majesty in Council assigning districts, under the 16th section of the 59th George 111., cap. 134, to eight chapels, all in the parish of Rochdale, in the counties of Lancaster and York. The rest of the Gazette is filled with advertisements, chiefly relating to railway schemes. Among these is a notice of an intended application to Parliament for a railway (called the Grosvenor Railway), to commence in the parish of St. George, Hanover-square, at or near the entrance from the Thames to the Grosvenor canal, and then passing over the Thames by a bridge near to the Red-house public-house, Battersea. It is intended that this railway should join the South Western Railway, and connect it with the Brighton Railway near the Godstone stone bridge. We are happy to learn that the long-expected Waterloo medal, commissioned to Mr. Pistrucci of the Royal Mint, many years back, will soon be completed by that accomplished artist. Our readers are aware that the delay has been owing to some misunderstandings which have existed between Mr. Pistrucci and the successive Masters of the Mint, ever since the time when the Earl of Auckland held that office. These differences have been satisfactorily arranged by the present Master, Mr. Gladstone ; and Mr. Pistrucci has resumed his labours on this very extraordinary work of art in a manner to give us hopes that the dies will be completed in the course of next year. These dies are not less than five inches and a half in diameter ; and we are assured that the different groups engraved upon them contain no less than 54 figures. Sir Samuel Brown proceeded to Dieppe on Saturday, in order to submit to the inhabitants of that place a plan for a fixed breakwater inside the harbour, by which vessels would be enabled to enter at any time. It was most favourably received, and there is every Herald. of its being carried into execution.—Brighton Herald.