The Sun. — 1862-09-25 (London, England)

DISTRESSING SUICIDE FROM STAR VA• TION IN KENSINGTON-GARDENS.  Dr. Lankester, the Central Middlesex coroner, held an inquest at the Bank of England Tavern, Cambridge-place, Paddington, yesterday, touching the death of Charles Pritchard, 41 years of age, an upholsterer, formerly a resident of No. 2, Margaret-terrace, Kensington. Gibson, a park-keeper in Kensington-gardens, stated that on the afternoon of the 13th inst.i , as he was,ae pa Wood,ssingt h that part found theartof deceased the gardens lyng called Back Lion on the ground with his head resting on his left hand, with the elbow on the ground, foaming at the mouth and groaning_ No person was near him. Witness said to ill m My man, you appear very ; what is the matter with you ?" 11/3 looked up and answered " I have him what h e had ave poisoned myself." I asked " 0 • taken, and he further replied oxalic acid, and the bottle is in ray pocket." Witness ran off for a brother constable to convey him to St. Mary's Hospital. When he returned deceased had partly risen up. In his pocket they found a small bottle and a tea-cup, and on their way to the hospital he became inseaasible ; but previous to that taking place Ile pulled out of his pocket a piece of paper -which appeared to have been used for the oxalic acid, and had "poison" written upon it. W:tm-ss produced two letters found upon his person, one; addressed to his wife, dated Sept. 3, and the other addressed to M.o. Cole, his sist( r, dated Aug. 22. The one to his wife was to the effect that that lettep would be the last he should ever write. He said h(3 was almost driven mad from having no sign of getting employment, arising from his having sunk too low in the world, and described how miserable had been his life during the last fcur years, mainly from reduced circumstances. The other to his sister C.isclosed the painful statement that he had not I L penny in his pocket, and had not eaten. a crust of 1 )read for several days ; that he had wandered a out until he could walk no longer ; that he we ga a friendless, homeless wretch, and prayed her forgiveness for committing the dreadful crime of su' ,cide. d Cole, A brother-in-law of the decease. 3, name addicted deposed that deceased had been fog maeriy to intemperate habits, and that h a had not been seen for 15 months. • 1 's Mr. Mahon, house surgeon of St tl . ary 3 Hospital, said deceased was admitted hospital the from the nr weal effects of on the 13th, and died oxalic acid last Friday night. Hi 3 told witness before he died that ho swallowed E n ounce of the poison, because he was starving, to e nd his life. The jury deliberated, and returne d a verdict of " Suicide," but left the state of dece 9.sed's naiad at the time he committed the Act an op at question.  The screw steam gunvessel Mohawk, 6, purchased by Capt. Osborn for the Chinese Government, has been removed from Hamoaze into the basin at Keyham Steam-yard, for the purpose of having her machinery examined and overhauled. The iron-cased frigate Royal Oak, 50, 1,000 horse power, was removed from Chatham harbour into No. 3 dock yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of having the remainder of her armour plates bolted to her sides. At the time of her launch the Royal Oak drew about 19ft. aft and 13ft. forward, but since she has been lying in the harbour she has shipped her iron masts and bowsprit, together with her six boilers, condensers, and other heavy portions of her machinery, amounting in the whole to several hundred tons, which has brought her down considerably more than a foot. To enable her to enter the dock the height of the blocks on the floor was considerably reduced, and a few minutes before 1 o'clock she was successfully floated, the depth of water being between three and four feet between her keel and the bottom of the dock. The projecting granite sides of the dock had also been cut away, allowing the frigate just sufficient room. During afternoon the the Royal Oak was shored up on the blocks, and last evening the operation of pumping out the dock was commenced. Every exertion will be used to complete the vessel for sea, to accomplish which some 300 hands will be daily employed on her for several months to come, About 70 of the iron armour plates have already been bolted to her sides, leaving between 200 and 300 more still to be fixed. Most of these, however, have already been annealed, bent, drilled, and otherwise prepared, so that as little time as pos Bible will be lost in the operation of plating her,  the Admiralty being desirous that no time should be lost in having one of the squadron of the new armour-plated frigates actually at sea. The short supply of coals at Portland, recently alluded to in The Sun, will soon be remedied, Mr. Leather, the contractor, having ordered large supplies to be immediately forwarded to that port for the use of her Majesty's ships. The undermentioned gentlemen have been nominated to naval cadetships:—R. W. Okes, Voysey, S. H. Kay, A. Haggard, and C. S. Naylor. The following appointments were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—Capt. W. M. Dowell, to the Barrosa ; Commander A. J. Kingston, to the Perseus ; Commander R. C. Mayne, to the Eclipse ; R. Coen, master, to the Barrosa; R. Gilpin, master, to the Perseus; A. J. A. Parks, master, to the Eclipse; B. Gregory, assist-surg., to the Sutlej ; T. H. Atkinson, acting assist. -sung., to the Satlej ; H. J. R. Miall, paymaster to the Barrosa ; C. G. Smith, aymaster, to the Perseus ; C. E. Phillips, paymaster to the Eclipse; A. Hughes, assist-pay master, to the Perseus ; W. J. C. Row, assist.paymaster, to the Barrosa; F. A. Keogh, assist.paymaster, to the Cornwallis ; John N. Colborne, assist.-paymaster, to the Hawke; J. Roffey, chief engineer, to the Sutlej ; J. Sumner, engineer, to the Sutlej ; J. Orchard, first class assist.-engineer, to the Asia, for the Savage; D. Langlands, first class assist.-engineer, to the Asia, for the Foam ; R. H. Dobney, H. R. Wills, and T. Gray, first class assist.engineers, to the Sutlej ; J. G. Taylor, first class assist.-engineer, to the PhoThe ; G. W. Robins, first class assist.-engineer, to the Indus, for the Delight ; A. S. Reeve, second class assist.-engineer, to the Sutiej ; 11. Rigby, acting second class assist-engineer, to the Sutlej ; A. Le B. Corrie, clerk, to the Eclipse ; F. J. Mould, clerk, to the Barrosa ; H. C. Jenkins, clerk, to the Pembroke ; E. R. Nettleton, clerk, to the Russell ; R. C. Webb, clerk, to the Blenheim ; and C. 31. F. Zorr, assist.-clerk, to the Revenge.