The Sun. — 1844-08-12 (London, England)

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—Lieut. Jeays, her Majesty's ship Albion, having been suspended, attempted to commit suicide on the passage from Dublin to Cork. Providentially, however, the attempt was not successful, and he is now in hospital at Hawlbowline, and likely to do well. The senior mate and clerk in charge having been absent without leave, the junior lieutenant was ordered to take the command. The ship was brought into harbour by the second master.—Cork .  Mr. Willoughby was called to the Chair. The jury having been sworn, and a Foreman chosen, the Chairman briefly explained the nature of their duties and the particular subjects requiring their attention. They then, accompanied by two of the officers of the Court, left to examine the locality alluded to, several coaches having been, fur that purpose, provided for their accommodation. The jury having thoroughly investigated the district to which their notice had been directed (than which no part of Westmimter snore courted inquiry, as a stagnant ditch of the most abominable character, offensive alike to the eye as to the other senses, supplies the only drainage, if such it may be called, for a considerable neighbourhood) returned to Greekstreetin about an hour and a half, and their names having been called over, Mr. SMITH, the solicitor to the Court, explained to them- the manner iu which juries, similarly called, had acted ; and he particularly remarked that, by the simple process of amercing the parties immediately concerned in, extending that nuisance (namely, the occupiers of houses in Garden-street and Upper Garden-street) in a certain amount, the real owners of the property, who were the Dean and Chapter of Westminster and the trustees of Tothill-fields, would be likely to come forward to take the responsibility off their tenants' shoulders. That mode, though apparently harsh at first sight, inasmuch as the tenants were ot the poorest class, was really the most merciful, because, although these fines were hanging over the parties, the Court did not take immediate steps to exact them, for it had been proved, heretofore, that the very knowledge of their power to do so was a sufficient stimulus to set about an improved mode of drainage, and so he felt confident it would be in that case. He would call two of the officers of that Court before the jury; the first to prove—what, indeed, they themselves had but too well seen—the enormity of the evil from an experience of many years, and the frequent complaints of the sufferers in the vicinity ; and the other to lay on the table an estimated cost for the construction of a new sewer in that quarter. Mr. Robert Jenkins, the clerk of the works, was ; and Mr. Dowley, thethen surveyor,exam examined ds t onut e d the that firstthe expense for the construction of a sewer sufficient for the neighbourhood would be from 850/. to 900!.  After some more evidence of an unimportant character had been tendered, the jury retired, and remained some time in consultation. On their entrance into Court, The FOREMAN said that their presentment would be put into proper form by the clerks ; but, in the meantime, he might give the result of their consultation. It was the opinion of the jury that the tenants whom they had marked out (on the map) had committed a nuisance by discharging their drains into the ditch ; and the ;ury had decided that they—thirtyone in all—should be amerced in the sum of 301. each, making a total of 9301., unless such nuisance were abated, or such works commenced as would satisfy the Court of Commissioners of Sewers. The jury also desired that their verdict should be forwarded to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster and to the Trustees of Tothill-fields, and they hoped that those bodies would see the necessity for the filling up of the ditch, and the construction of a sewer. This being the only business for the day, the Court then adjourned.