William Wentworth, greengrocer, of No. 31, Devonshire Street, Elizabeth Perry, cook, and Eliza Bowther, housemaid to the deceased, were sworn. From their evidence it appeared, that on the morning of last Friday week, the deceased, not appearing at the usual hour, the cook went up, and the deceased in a faint voice desired her to come in. The curtains were drawn, and seeing what had happened, she ran out and called in assistance. Wentworth came, and attended on the deceased until his death. Last Thursday the deceased made his will, which Wentworth attested. The deceased never made the slightest allusion to any cause which induced him to commit the act.

Mr. G. F. Whidbourne, of No. 60, Gower Street, surgeon, deposed that when he was called in he considered the deceased to be dead. He was to all appearance lifeless, and remained so for three hours. The usual remedies were applied, and upon the deceased rallying he appeared to be in a favourable condition. Last Thursday the deceased desired witness to get his pocket-book, and against witness's wish gave him a check for 100l., saying that his family were well provided for. About three hours before the death of deceased he was delirious. Previous to that witness believed that the deceased was perfectly rational and of sound mind. He was a man of very superior strength of mind. In witness's opinion death was caused by exhaustion from loss of blood.

Miss Margaret Alsager deposed, that upon the morning of last Thursday week her father left his residence at Kingston. He had, at times, appeared much depressed; which was attributed to the death

of her mother. The deceased had always repudiated the idea of suicide, and when he left said that he should come down by the last train on Friday night.

Mr. Oxenford, solicitor, and nephew of the deceased, saw Mr. Alsager on Thursday week, when he was very low-spirited. Witness attributed the lowness to some of the occupations of the deceased having ceased.

A juror. What were his occupations?

Mr. Mills considered that a question which they had no right to inquire into; what could the occupation have to do with this act of the deceased?

The juror was anxious to ascertain the cause of this act.

Mr. Oxenford said he was very anxious to give every information that he possibly could.

The juror.-Was he not connected with The Times.

Mr. Oxenford.-Yes; the deceased wrote the "City Articles ;" and having tendered his resignation, it was accepted. When witness met him, there was a lowness of spirits, but it certainly did not arise from any thing that occurred with The Times, further than that an active mind was thrown out of its employ

ment.

The jury, after a short consultation, found that the deceased died from exhaustion, the effect of certain wounds inflicted on himself, but that no evidence had been produced as to his state of mind at the time he so inflicted the said wounds.

16. POLICE.-Guildhall.—Two men habited in female attire were brought before Mr. Alderman Musgrove, charged with stealing a pin from Frederick Newhurst, of Newcastle Street, Strand. One of them

appeared at the bar in walking costume, the other had thrown away the false curls, and torn up the bonnet and dress, and appeared in a shirt; but he had still the shawl to protect him from the cold, and from the waist he was still clothed liked a woman. Amongst the articles they had cast off in the cell were a pair of stays and two napkins.

The one who still wore the complete dress, and who gave the name of Emma Anderson, at the station, now said his proper name was John Anderson, and Jane Wilson became Edward Sullivan. The latter was recognised as a strolling tumbler. Templeman, a city policeman, stated that he saw the two prisoners standing on Holborn Hill with a gentleman about half-past twelve o'clock on Sunday night.

After

walking a few yards up the hill, Sullivan stopped for a couple of minutes, and then overtook his companion again. They immediately left the gentleman, crossed the street, and turned up Shoelane. From their leaving the street he suspected they had robbed the gentleman. In a few moments a constable came up with the gentleman, who said he had been robbed of a pin, and the prisoners were overtaken in Shoe-lane. The pin was not found. One of them wore silk stockings and had very long black hair; and, their true sex not being suspected, a woman directed to search them thoroughly. The searcher very soon cried out, Officer! come in; they are both men !" and she was relieved from further trouble. The gentleman did not appear that morning to support his charge.

was

Mr. Alderman Wilson asked how Sullivan's dress was torn so much.

The officer said the prisoner had done it himself. He was now ashamed to be dressed as a woman.

Mr. Alderman Musgrove asked the prisoners why they had assumed this disguise.

Anderson, who has rather a feminine voice, said it was altogether a false charge preferred by the gentleman, because, knowing they were not women, they would not let him pull them about. They dressed as women by way of a joke, to prove that they would dare to walk to the Angel, at Islington, in that dress. They had been as far as that place, and were returning, without speaking to any one, when the gentleman accosted them.

Mr. Alderman Musgrove asked if any of the police had seen them or either of them in women's clothes before.

George Ham, a policeman, said he had seen Anderson walking up and down his beat, in St. Martin'sle-Grand, three or four times during the last three weeks. He always wore the veil, and was always alone.

Mr. Alderman Musgrove expected to hear such information.. The training of Anderson's hairwas not a momentary act. He should be happy to be convinced the whole thing was a joke, but he was apprehensive that they really intended to lure men to their haunts, under the pretence of being women, for some dreadful purpose. Such gross outrages upon the public decency and feeling must be checked in limine, and he should remand them till Friday, that the police might make a full inquiry into their past lives and habits.

They were conveyed to gaol in a cab amidst the jeers of the crowd. It appeared upon inquiry that

these prisoners were very bad characters, and were suspected of having been concerned in many robberies. They were tried and transported.

COLLISIONS AT SEA.-Two disastrous collisions at sea took place on the same night. The Albion, of 120 tons, one of the Woodbridge traders, left that place for London on Friday morning. In consequence of the unfavourable state of the weather on Saturday night, the master, Mr. W. Smith, brought close up to the Shears light in the Swin, off the Essex coast, near Walton, with the intention of remaining till daybreak. About twelve the man left on deck was alarmed at the approach of the City of London, steam ship, bearing down upon their vessel. The steamer was hailed, but it is supposed the situation of the Albion was not seen until it was impossible to prevent a collision. The engines of the steamer were promptly stopped, but immediately after the trader was under her bow, and she cut her down to the water's edge. The concussion was very great, the Albion being almost buried under the steamer. Great confusion consequently ensued, it being too clear that the Albion was rapidly filling. The steamer's crew, after much difficulty, succeeded in saving the whole of the crew of the Albion, with the exception of a young man, a son of the master, Mr. Smith, who was below in his berth, and who it is supposed sank with the vessel four or five minutes after the collision.

Another collision occurred the same night. The copper-bottomed bark, Duke of Clarence, 456 tons register, left the Thames, in ballast, on the 10th instant, intending to ship coal at Newport, for Kingston, Jamaica. At half-past one

on the morning of the 16th instant, when near the Isle of Wight, St. Katherine's Light bearing east by north about eight miles, she was run into by a strange ship, apparently American, of about 500 tons burden. The stranger was heavily laden, and struck the bark on the larboard quarter, after she dropped astern, and was soon out of sight. All the larboard quarter-deck stancheons of the Duke of Clarence were carried away, as well as the mizen rigging, her quarter boat was lost and steering wheel broken, and the ship rendered unmanageable. During Monday the rigging was spliced, and steering tackles fixed, and by the close of the day the carpenter had replaced her wheel. It came on to blow a fresh breeze from the eastward in the night; the ship under double-reefed topsails, and occasionally obliged to haul up her courses. Falmouth harbour light was seen, and unfortunately, being a revolving light, was mistaken for that on St. Mary's at Scilly. On this the ship was tacked, and they stood to the eastward, when the Eddystone light was made, and following the previous mistake they concluded that this was the Longships' light. About four o'clock on Tuesday morning they became embayed in Whitsand Bay; it was thick weather and very dark. When the land was descried they attempted to stay the ship; but she missed stays, and in wearing went ashore at high water abreast of Downderry preventive-station. She thumped heavily, and bilged immediately, and slewed round broadside to the beach. Fortunately she had run into a narrow channel between two dangerous reefs, and the crew were able to get safely ashore.

17. EXPLOSION OF FIRE-DAMP.— A terrible explosion of fire-damp occurred early in the morning, at Rounds Green New Colliery, Oldbury, about five miles from Birmingham. On that morning, twentyfive men and boys descended the pit, and commenced their labours; soon after, a tremendous explosion happened; sixteen persons were found dead in the workings, three died when carried to the surface, and another man was dangerously hurt; the remaining five escaped unhurt. It is not known how the disaster occurred. The evidence on the coroner's inquest on some of the bodies threw no light on the subject, except that the "doggy" sometimes took a safety-lamp, and sometimes not, when he entered the mine in the morning; whether he did on the morning of the catastrophe was not apparent. That something was amiss, was evident a little before the explosion; for Mr. Holland, the "butty," smelt sulphur, and warned his son not to enter a particular working; but he went himself, to look after the men, and perished, while the son escaped.

Several inquests were held on the different bodies. At an inquiry on Monday at Dudley, some statements were made showing that the mine was inefficiently ventilated. One witness, Edward Foley, said, "I worked in Mr. Parker's colliery: I went about six months ago, and I left work there last Friday week: I was afraid to work in consequence of sulphur. I found that sulphur existed when I first went to work in the pit, from seeing it blaze on the candles: it was always there. On Friday night week, I dreamed comical dreams, and I did not like to return. The sulphur was worse

on the Friday night. I mentioned the sulphur to some of the men ; but I did not mention my fears to the bailiff, to the butty' my master, or to Smith the doggy.' No explosion took place during the six months I was there. The doggy' generally used the lamp in the morning, and appeared to be very careful. Other workmen declared their opinion that the pit "wanted air;" the means taken to ventilate the workings were not extensive enough. A miner said,—“I do not think the air-headings are sufficiently driven in nine out of ten pits in this neighbourhood: it is not usual in the neighbourhood, owing to the expense. I never worked in any pit in which so much sulphur existed as in that of Mr. Parker." Another stated,-" I left the pit on account of the existence of damp or sulphur." Mr. Elwell, a mine-surveyor, who has examined the colliery since the disaster, also declared that the ventilation was insufficient, and the means that did exist for purifying the air were not properly employed: in some pits the "air-headings" required to be cleansed out every week, in others every month. "This accident might perhaps have been prevented, had the airheadings' been cleansed out before, instead of since the accident occurred. I think the pit might have been worked so as to prevent any great explosion of sulphur." At the close of the evidence, Mr. Haines, the ground bailiff, made a voluntary statement. He shortly explained why the workings in the crop were carried on without more air these workings would have been finished in a fortnight; and no complaints of a want of sufficient ventilation had ever been made to him. The Jury deliberated for a

quarter of an hour, and then returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Haines.

The Jury at Oldbury, on the contrary, gave a verdict of "Accidental death;" but censured Mr. Haines for imperfect ventilation of the pit.

Another dreadful explosion of fire-damp happened on the 24th instant. On the workmen entering Mr. Hargreaves's coal-mine, at Euston Burgh, near Preston, the air in one of the workings fired; seven persons were killed--four men, a woman, and two girls; six others were hurt, two dangerously.

17. DEATH FROM STARVATION. An inquest was held at the Halifax Arms, King Edward Street, Mileend New Town, on the body of Mary Anne Ryan, a widow, about 45 years of age. On the jury being sworn they proceeded to view the body, which lay in a parish shell, at the house No. 5. Spring Gardens, King Edward Street, a narrow row of houses, between which ran a black muddy ditch, exhaling the most noxious effluvia. The room in which deceased died was on the ground floor, and about six feet square, destitute of every article of furniture, bed, or bedding.

Elizabeth Simmonds, widow, said she occupied the room in which deceased lay, for which she paid 1s. 6d. per week rent. The deceased had lodged with her for some months, and paid her 6d. a week for the accommodation. She obtained a few pence per week by the making up of men's and boys' cloth caps for a person in the same street. She could not obtain more than would get her a cup of tea and dry bread, and was frequently without that. She had no bedding, but lay on the ground beneath some

rags, her head being supported by a wooden box. She owed witness 2s. for the last four weeks' rent, having had but a few caps to make during that interval, and very little to eat. Her apparel consisted of only the remnants of an old chemise and ragged gown, without stockings or shoes. About six months since the deceased hurt one of her legs by a fall, and it had, from neglect, become ulcerated, and was very painful. Witness advised her to go into the workhouse or an hospital, which she declined, saying she had nothing to go in ! On Sunday night last, witness went to her own bed, which is only composed of a heap of rags, with scarcely any covering, being in great distress herself, obtaining a scanty living by vending nuts in the streets, and having been obliged to part with every article of furniture. About two o'clock in the morning she awoke, and said,

66

Anne, are you asleep?" Receiving no answer for some time, she got up, and, approaching the spot where deceased lay, she felt that her head and face were death cold. On procuring a light she found deceased quite dead.

Mr. Clarke, the summoning officer, stated that in February last deceased applied to the Stepney parish for relief, which was given in bread and meat on five different occasions, since which time she had not applied. Also, that her son, aged 16, had been received into the house two years since, where he died.

The jury returned a verdict of "Found dead; accelerated by long continued privation and starvation.

This was one of the melancholy cases of destitution which became public at this time, and excited great interest.