The Sun. — 1848-06-16 (London, England)

BIRMINGHAM  RAILWAY.  A special general meeting of this company was held yesterday, at the offices in Moorgate-street, to consider the draft of a Bill now before Parliament for the alteration of the line of the Oxford, Worcesrer, and Wolverhampton Railway, and for authorising the directors to borrow the sum of 433,0001., the power to do which is given under the Act. To the first part of the business the shareholders present, who were numerous, made no objection. On the resolution for the second being put, Mr. Fielder, of the Stock Exchange, moved an addition, to the effect that the money should be raised by the issue of preference shares bearing 8 per cent, interest. On this a long discussion arose, in which the probability of raising the money by debentures or calls was strongly debuted, and an amendment was moved to limit the power of the directors in raising the money, but ultimately Mr. Fielder's amendment was embodied in the original motion, and thanks having been voted to the Chairman (the Hon. Colonel Clive), the meeting was dissolved.  SINGULAR SUICIDE OF A CHEMlST.—Wednesday afternoon, at three o'clock, Mr. T. Wakley, M.P., held an inquest at the Hope Arms Tavern, Oxford-street, on the body of Mr. Clement Downes, aged 25. chemist and druggist, of No. 1, Duke-street, Manchester-square, who died from the effects of prussic acid. Mr. Eyre, solici• tor, attend-,d on the part of deceased's friends. Mr. Thomas Alston O'Flaherty deposed that he was a surgeon, and resided at 59, James-street, Oxford -street. He was called to see Mr. Downes about ten minutes past seven on Monday morning. He was then dying, as he understood, from the effects of low fever, of which he had had an attack during the week. On a post-mortem examination, however, a large quantity of prussic acid was found in deceased's stomach. Mr. William Turner said he was a chemist and druggist, and resided in Rathbone-place. Deceased was his cousin. He last saw him alive about eleven o'clock on Sunday night, at No. 70, Berners-street. He called upon deceased with a friend about seven o'clock in the evening, and found him in bed in a dreadfully low and desponding state of mind, reading the Bible. He said he should never be happy in this world again. They made him get up and go out with them for a walk, thinking it would relieve him, and having partaken slightly of supper, he went home. Had frequently heard him express himself in great trouble about an income-tax Paper which had been left him, and ho appeared apprehensive that he should not fill it up properly. That preyed much on his mind. In answer to questions the witnesses stated that the deceased frequently alluded to the circumstance of the assistant to his predecessor (Mr. Farmer) having committed suicide by taking prussic acid, in the same bed-room he occupied, and which occurred about eight or nine months back. The Coroner having alluded to the painful circumstances of the case, the jury returned a verdict—" That deceased died from having taken prussic acid whilst in an unsound state of mind." ,  AN OTTER CAUGHT IN THE ED EN —An otter hunt was advertised to take place at Armathwaitecturedona Monday last. A fine male otter had been a little above the bay in the river Eden, but it "'died on Sunday evening, so that it thereby escaped a more violent fate, at Blacktnoss Pool, where he was to have made sport on the following day. Great numbers of persons from Carlisle and other places, with a medley pack of all sizes of otter hounds, assembled at Armathwaite on the appointed morning, and despite the pelting rain, determined to seek for another otter. Accordingly the Eden from Armathwaite to Hazanby was duly scoured; and, although the search proved fruitless so far as otters were concerned, the magnificent scenery, even in unfavourable weather, compensated such of the pedestrians as could appreciate it. It is perhaps not saying too much to assert that no river in Europe can equal the Eden for the sublimity of its scenery, especially ia the above locality, when either the Armathwaite, Nunnery Walks, Coom's Peak, Cat Clint, or Sampson's Chamber, would separately repay a day's ramble.—Durham Advertiser.