The Sun. — 1859-12-22 (London, England)

LAMENTABLE SUICIDE.--On Tuesday last an inquest was hold at the Plough Inn, Boddicote near Banbury, before Mr. J. Churchill, coroner, on the body of the Rev. George Mawson Nelson, 8.D., late Follow of Magdalen College, Oxford, who committed suicide at his residence, Boddicote Grange, by shooting himself with a gun on the previous day. The first witness who was examined was William Townsend, footman to the deceased, who stated that he had been in the service of the rev. gentleman about nine years, and during the last six weeks or two months ho had witnessed a great change in his conduct. On Monday morning, when he was removing the breakfast things, he asked deceased how he was, and he said he felt better, but he was afraid he should soon be as bad as ever. It appears that the deceased subsequently went into tho library, where Mrs. Nelson and other ladies were assembled, and after remaining there some time ho retired to his dressing-room and was never seen again alive. Mrs. Nelson werirM-ffie dressing-room to see if the deceased was there, and tapped at the door, but received no answer; and on one of the servants reaching the window of the sleeping-room by means of a ladder, the deceased was found lying on his side, with his back towards the door, and a gun and walkingstick near to him. There was no doubt that deceased had committed the rash act, as the door was bolted on the inside and the gun had recently been discharged. 1t appeared from the evidence of Dr. Rye, •f Banbury, whe had attended the deceased during the past month, that he had often complained of want of sleep and great difficulty in arranging his accounts. He was frequently in a very excited state as to ordinary matters of business, and at tho request of Mrs. Nelson he saw the deceased on Sunday last, after he had been to church, when ho found him suffering under the delusion of his supposed pecuniary difficulties. He prescribed an opiate, which deceased took with the best possible effect, and was much better on Monday morning; but he gave directions that he should be watched, as he thought his excited state of his mind was such as might induce him to commit suicide. The jury, after a short deliberation, returned as their verdict—" That deceased shot himself with a gun while labouring under temporary insanity." The Rev. J. D. Gould, vicar of Boddicote, was present during the inquiry. The melancholy event has created great excitement in the neighbourhood. The deceased was a gentleman of large fortune, and has left a wife and one daughter.  And as compared with the month ending the 20th of Nov. 1858, the above returns show an increase of £1,157,129 in the circulation of notes in England, and an increase of £1,895,065 in the circulation of the United Kingdom. On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the several banks the following is the state of the circulation : Ihe English private banks are below their fixed ' issue The English joint-stock banks are below their fixed issue  £221,603  Total below fixed issue in England.... £1,001,758 The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue .. £1,761,227 The Irish banks are below their fixed issue .... £1,091,364 The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of England in both departments during the month ending the 16th of Nov. was £16,861,459, being a decrease of £479,271 as compared with the previous month, and a decrease of 11,860,817 when compared with the same period last year. The following are the amounts of specie held by the Scotch and Irish banks during the month ending the 19th Nov.:— Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks £2,568,227 Gold and silver held by the Irish banks 2,550,152  15,118,379 Being an increase of £282,379 as compared with the previous return, and an increase of £160,488 when compared with the corresponding period of last year.  T 111 S