The Express. — 1851-03-03 (London, England)

AND HOUOE T.tx.—On Thursday a numerously attended meeting was held at the Guildhall, Bath, to express the dissatisfaction of the citizens at the proposed substitute of the late government for the window duties, and to petition parliament for a full, complete, and unconditional repeal of the window-tax. The mayor (F. Dowding, Esq.) presided. Lord Duncan, M.l'., was present. Resolutions, in accordance with the object of the meeting, were unanimously adopted. In the course of the proceedings the following letter was mad from Lord Ashley :—" Sir,—lt will not, I fear, be in my power to attend the meeting at Both to-morrow, OA I have business of importance, and also a commission in lunacy on my hands. You will not, I think, be abbe to come to any definite conclusion. We do not know who will he ministers, and, of cows . we can have no knowledge of the measures to be proposed. One thing only is certain, that, whether a new ministry he formed, or the old one return, the budget must he altogether withdrawn. Touching the window tax, I may say that I have ever regarded it as one of the very worst I imposts on our statute book ; and though, when the sudden repeal of it might have endangered the public credit, I wee unwilling to take so forward a step, I am satisfied that, on any rehire= of taxes, it is among the first, it' nit the very first, that ought to be entirely removed.—l am, sir, your very olallient servant, AglILET.—Feh. 26, 1851." SUICIDE AT CHARING -CROSS HOSPlTAL.—Yesterda7 afternoon, about half-past one, a most appalling act of suicide wee committed at Charing-moss Hospital, under the following circumstance, :—The unfortunate nubs idual was a person of the name of Samuel Bridges, aged about 30, who was well known in the sporting world as a jockey. Ile had but few friends in town, his mother and chief friends being in Norfolk. Mr. 11. Lingham, the house surgeon, states that he had been in the Dow ward of the hospital as a patient for the but /41 months, suffering from an !abscess in the arm with pains in the back, but had nearly recovered, and in fact was about being discharged. Ile was always a well conducted man, and although he showed considerable despondency of late, he exhibited no symptoms of insanity, or any kind of derangement such as to induce the least suspicion that lie might despot?, himself. At the usual dinner hour he declined taking inner with the other patients, and was observed to go to the window (on the 3rd floor). Ile then took off his coat, looked out into the street for a minute or two, when some of the patients remarked that he was goingto bed. again. In another moment they saw him tilt over, and precipitate himself from the window, lodging for a few anomie on the abutment of the second floor window, and then falling on his face into the area, on the southern side of the hospital. Mr. Linglumn believes the suicide to have been premeditated, as the deceased previously destroyed all his letters and documents. Dr. Golding, together with witness, saw him almost immediately, whilst he was bleeding from the mouth and nose, with n severe contusion over the left eve ; and Dr. Golding considered that he had sustained a friseture of the skull, which was the fatal injury. When picked up there were symptoms of life, but ere his removal to the ward he gasped and expired. The deceased evidently watched his opportunity, and the inducement to his communion of the rash act is attributed to his depressed essielition from not knowing what to do after his con. Yi:leseenee and departure front the hospital. The body now swain the coroner's inquest.