26 SEPTEMBER 1829, Page 4

THE INQUEST ON Mas. PHILLIPS—The extraordinary sensation occasioned at Finchley

by the sudden death of Mrs. Phillips, has rather increased than diina nished since the verdict returned by the Coroner's Jury, " that the deceased's death was occasioned by an overdose of laudanum taken medicinally." The " palpably false evidence given at the inquisition," says the Chronicle, together with the unsatisfactory manner. in which it was conducted—" a very important person connected with that inquiry being asleep during part of the time"—hare induced the Rector and Parish-officers of Finchley, with the concurrence of lb. Phillips, the husband, to solicit Sir Richard Birnie to enter into a full investigation of the case. Sir Richard has consented, and appointed the investigation to take place on Thursday next at Bow-street. Mr. Adolphus, who attended on Thurs- day to make the application, observed, that a good deal had been said respecting Mr. Snow and his assistant; but there did not appear to he the slightest grounds for imputing blame to either ; and to prove the fact, it was only requisite to state, third of the eight ounces of laudanum which Mr. Snow had upon his premises for some time previous to the decease of Mrs. Phillips, not a particle was found to have been touched when the bottle was examined after her death. The fair in- ference to be drawn from that circumstance was, that no mistake could possibly have occurred in preparing Dr. Tweedie's prescription by the gentleman alto acted for Mr. Snow. Sir Richard Birnie volunteered his good word both for Mr. Snow and Mr. Hill the assistant. Mrs. Phillips, at her marriage, settled emote Mr. Phillips 10001.; but by a will executed since the marriage, she bequeaths to him the sum of 23001., to receive the interest for life, with power to leave one- half to any person be nosy think proper in case of his death ; • she also bequeaths 3001. to a child he had before his marriage with her. The ONCCHturS postpone proceedings under this will, until the case be further investigated.

Inquests have been held on the following cases, in each of which the Jury re- turned a verdict of " Feb° de Sc.'' A young woman in the service of the Rev. C. S. Bennett, Rector of Avington, Hants, destroyed herself by taking arsenic. From the evidence given no cause could with certainty be assigned thur the deed, the deceased never having confided her secret to any one ; but it was believed to have arisen from the supposed inattention of a young mall for whom she enter- tained an attachment. There have been live attempts at self-destruction in that district, three of them proving fatal, within a fortnight—a boy, nine year of age, hanged himself in a sawpit. No motive could be discovered for this, but that the boy was very sullen and lazy, and his master had threatened to tell his parena of his negligence. Mr. George Young, an excise-officer, of Brentwood, in Essex, was found near Mr. Jenkin's nursery, Regent's-park, bleeding, and tumble to speak ; he died in a few minutes. William Cook, a labourer, traced the lilted a quarter of a mile from the place. There were two incisions in his throat, as if done with a razor ; there was no blood on his hands. Mr. John Dorset, of King- street, Westminster, knew the deceased intimately ; about six weeks ;ego in lad seen him' when be appeared low and desponding, but without any assignalde cause—he was in comfortable circumstances. The Coroner's inquest returned a verdict of temporary derangement. Mr. John Guyde, for many years engraver to his Majesty's Board of Ordnance, was on Wednesday morning found dead in his bed. For some time past his had been in the habit of taking laudanum, and his wife having procured a more than ordinary dose for him on the night in question, the circumstance gave rise ten ca- rious reports through the neighbourhood. They were contradicted by the evi- dence of Mr. Read, a surgeon, who had examined the body, and gave it as his opinion that death was produced by apoplexy. The same verdict was given at an inquest held on the body of John Green: a gardener, who was found on Wednesday morning in the garden of Mr. C.Cloall, of y{ by a servant in the family : a razor and a small looking- glass were found hard by, both covered with blond. Mrs. Eleanor Thompson, a woman who had nursed Lord Adolphus, London- derry, destroyed herself on Saturday last by taking poison. It appears that she bad made several previous attempts on her life, in a state of melancholy insanity, occasioned by the loss of two of her own children.

A poor woman, who had been insane for some time, was left alone for a few minutes, when she set fire to her clothes; she was so dreadfully burnt, that after lingering for a few days in Middlesex Hospital, she died.

A young lady, daughter of an officer, now a member of parliament, nearlylost her life by one of the sleeves of her dress, which were of the unsightly and ridi- culous sort called " Imbecilles," taking fire at the candle. Fortunately, as run- ning out of her room in flames, she met her brother's tutor, who taking off his greatcoat, enveloped her in it, and extinguished the flames, but not before her arm had been much burnt, and the fire had penetrated through her stays to her side.

A woman lost her life last Saturday at Norwood, by her clothes accidentally taking fire.

Edward Pettit, a porter in the employ of Mr. M5Marsh, Bow Lane, was found by a maid-servant on Wednesday morning on etc floor of the warehouse quite dead, a blood-vessel had burst.

A horse in a carriage with four wheels took fright on Wednesday in the New Road, The tollkeeper shut the gate; the horse in attempting to clear it, dropped on the spikes, and was so dreadfully mangled that be was immediately killed. A man while driving a waggon down Blackheath-hill, was killed by the wheel of the waggon passing over him. The horses having been frightened by a lamp- lighter crossing the road with a light in his hand, ran furiously on, and the driver in endeavouring to stop them was thrown down.

Mr. E. L. Lewis, comedian, of the Coburg Theatre, was seized on Wednesday morning with apoplexy, which terminated his existence.

Mr. William Dixon, carpet manufacturer at Barnardcastle, suddenly expired on Tuesday evening, whilst he sat at supper in company with some friends. A man went into a shop last Saturday evening and asked for a pennyworth of pudding; he was in the act of biting it, when he fell backwards and expired. During a violent thunder-storm, on Saturday, a poor woman, who was at work with others in Thame Field, was struck by the lightning and killed instanta- neously. On Wednesday evening, as the Omnibus was driving through the Old Jewry, on its way from Paddington to the Bank, with fifteen passengers inside, it broke doss, and the persons inside were thrown into each other's arms in the most fa- miliar manner possible. The passengers, many of whom were females, were all got out" more frightened than hurt." The Paddington coachmen rejoiced.

On Monday night the Glasgow mail, on its way to London, met with a serious accident at Wansford. As the coach was pagsing over the long and dangerous bridge there, a pig ran between the legs of the leading horses, and occasioned, their starting with such suddenness and violence that the coachman was pulled from the box amongst the horses, and the coach passed over his body. One of the outside passengers, and the guard, immediately jumped down to restrain the

horses, but the leaders broke loose, and ran away with the traces at their heels as far as Sibson (the place of changing). The wheel-horses ran down the rather steep descent of the bridge on the southern side, and went in contact with the small gate of the neighbouring toll-bar, which they shivered to pieces, and knocked dawn the strong gate-post. The shock of the coach against the post was so vio- lent, that a gentleman of Oxford, of the name of Litchfield, who was the other outside passenger, was precipitated to the ground with terrible force, and when picked up was conveyed into the Haycock Inn in a state of insensibility. He hap- pily revived in a short time, and chose to proceed on his journey with the other passengers, who, together with the guard and the mail-bags, were forwarded in post-chaises. The coachman, it was feared, was seriously hurt ; but he also has since been enabled to travel again and resume his duties. This frightful accident is wholly attributable to the misconduct of persons who suffer their pigs to rove shout the fields and roads at night, which is a very common offence at Wansford. Stamford Mercury.

Mr. Randall, the auctioneer, was employed on Wednesday in selling off the stock of Messrs. Cook, coach-body-makers, in Church-street, Whitechapel, and Va,i addressing the audience upon the excellence of a coach-body which was then under the hammer, when the flooring of the room in which they were assembled gave way, and the whole party, consisting of about forty persons, tumbled into the cellar. Fortunately, however, " no accident occurred," says the account which we quote.

On Saturday morning, the Old Telegraph, Ramsgate coach, was overturned about two miles on this side of Sittingbourne. The Ramsgate coaches have a bad trick of racing, but on this occasion, it is said, the Telegraph was running only about seven miles an hour,' when the horses suddenly took fright at a party of gipsy women in red cloaks, who were passing, and darted of at a most furious rate. The driver lost all command over them, and they had not proceeded far before they rail the coach upon the footpath, and it immediately turned over. There were at the time of the accident four inside and ten outside passengers. Among the latter were a lady and her two daughters, attended by a female servant. One of the young ladies was thrown under the coach, which falling upon her crushed her in so dreadful a manner as to cause her instant death." The other passengers escaped with only a few slight bruises.

The Plymouth mail met with an accident on Thursday week, within two miles of Truro, owing to the state of the road. The efforts of the leaders; in ascending the steep hill at Pencalenick, broke the pole, and they became separated from the mach, which the wheel horses were no longer able to manage, and which begin- ning to descend, they became restive, and the coach was overturned. Four out- side passengers and the coachman were precipitated into the road; the four in- side passengers escaped unhurt.

A few days since, a young gentleman, travelling from London on one of the Cheltenham day coaches, became sleepy, and fell from his seat. His descent to the ground was impeded by his shoulder coming in contact with the coach-wheel, the evolution of which threw him upon the road in such a position that he alighted upon his feet, and he escaped with a slight bruize.

A shocking occurrence took place at Knock-hill, near Ecclefechan, the seat of Captain Dabuz, on Monday night last. Soon after the family had retired to bed nu that evening, an alarm was given that robbers were in the house. The servants immediately ran down stairs to see what was the matter. Charles Rawson, the footman, was the first to eider the parlour, having a lantern in his hand, and saw a man attempting to make his escape by the window ; the butler followed into the room with a gun in his hand, and called to the man to speak and say who lie was, or he would fire upon him. The man made no answer, but continued his exertions to escape; the butler fired, and shot the man in the belly ; he fell, and expired in less than a quarter of an hour. On investigation, it appeared that the unfortunate tnan was a neighbour of the name of Bell, who had been courting one of the servant girls. An examination into the circumstances took place before the proper authorities ; and, we understand, the butler was committed for trial, but was afterwards admitted to bail.—Carltsle Journal.

At Cappagh, in Tipperary, a melancholy accident occurred on Monday last to Mr. Vere Hunt. While upon a shooting excursion, he went into one of his tenants' houses, for the purpose of stopping for a moment from the rain ; and while there, casually laid his gun upon a bed ; it became in some manner entangled with the quilting, went off, and lodged the contents in his abdomen. The unfortunate gen-. tleman still lingers, without the hope of recovery.

On the 15th of August, Mrs.' Margaret Funk, of Hilltown, Pennsylvania, ati temptedto drive a boar-pig, when it turned upon and attacked her with much fury. It is thought she jumped back, and endeavoured to avoid it ; but her foot caught against something and she fell; the hog sprang upon her, and in an instant thrust his tusks into her abdomen, and mangled her in such a manner that she died in a few minutes.

Miss Stileman was sitting at the parlour-window reading a book ; a person, unobserved, touched her arm suddenly, and caused her to start. The involuutary effort caused the bursting of a blood-vessel, which before midnight terminated her life.—Bury Post. A calamitous fire took place on Monday morning on the borders of Suffolk and Cambridge. A cottage belonging to Mr. Westrup, occupied by his shepherd and horsekeeper, was discovered by the wife of the latter to be on fire, between twelve and one in the morning. The other inmates were instantly aroused; in one of the families there were nine children, who were removed in a state of nudity; in a short time the whole of the building was consumed, and the poor in- habitants were bereft of their little all. At the same time, two stacks in a farm- yard belonging to Mr. Hatch, about a furlong from the cottage, and on the other side of a brook which divides the two counties, were in flames. Mr. Hatch im- mediately called up four or five of his men who lived in cottages near, and having sent off for assistance, succeeded in saving a small part of his property ; but in a space of time almost incredibly short, the flames extended to thirteen stacks, and ran along the whole extent of a barn, or rather a range of barns, having five thrashing-floors, and containing sixteen mows or bays of corn, which, together with a cart-lodge, granary, three cow-houses, riding-stables, and saddle-house, were entirely reduced to ashes. Engines were brought from Mildenhall, Sohatn, Laleharn, and Fordhant, and the most praiseworthy exertions were made, but it was all to no purpose. The blaze of the conflagration was seen from the other side of Stowmarket, a distance of between twenty and thirty miles. It is sup- posed that an incendiary must have kindled both the fires, which from the distance and the direction of the wind could not have communicated with each other. Two young men named Bullman and Howard have been taken into custody, on suspicion.

On the Ramsgate coast the other day, a Customhouse-officer observing a re- markable object floating at a short distance from the land near Pegwell Bay, went out to it to satisfy his curiosity, and was surprised at the discovery of about five- and-twenty tubs of spirits tied together, with a dead man entangled in the ropes. It is supposed that he had been endeavouring to tow the tubs ashore by swim- ming, and had perished in the attempt by sinking, into the sands at low-water, or

that becominebexhausted he had been carried away by the current. In either case it is probable that he suffered a dreadful death by starvation. He was recognized as a gardener belonging to .Ramsgate, who was not generally suspected of being engaged in illicit trade.

The highs floods which during the last fortnight have inundated the vicinity o

Worcester, stand unparalleled in the memory of our oldest neighbours at this season of the year. On the banks of the Severn and the tributary streams, the meadows have been so completely inundated, that the aftermath is totally spoiled; the loss to the farmers will be most serious. The floods il) the neighbourhood of Newnham, Eastham, Lindridge, Sic. have been unusually high ; the water rose with such rapidity, that a considerable quantity of peas and beans, which had been cut, were swept away, the owners not having sufficient time to secure it. The Kidderminster and Aberystwith coach, with four inside and eight outside passengers, had proceeded to within a short distance of the bridge (the water being then up to the horses' traces), when some persons most fortunately called to the coachman to stop, and having acquainted him of the danger he was ap- proaching, prevailed upon him to return. Had lie not stopped, the coach must inevitably have been lost, as the water on this side the bridge was near twelve feed deep.—Ifin-cester Journal.

Owing to the highs tide at Barnstable on Monday sennight, the inhabitants of the lower streets had no means of communication but by boats.

Captain Stewart, who was tried in I82S for a massacre committed by him on board the Mary Russell on her passage from the West Indies, and who has since been confined as insane, has been labouring lately under the most violent mad- ness.

As a steam-packet was crossing from Southampton to the Isle of Wight, a few days ago, a hawk was observed chasing a sea-gull ; and after making several stoops at its prey, it broke the wing of the unfortunate bird, which fell in the i packet, whither it was followed by the hawk, but the latter was driven off by the passengers. The hawk then fled towards the shore, and shortly afterwards re- turned with two other hawks; and the three birds tried to gain possession of the sea-gull with such perseverance, that two of them were taken by the passengers —the third made its escape. Mr. Wombwell's elephant had a narrow escape from drowning last week, in. passing over a bridge in Essex to go to Chelmsford ; the weight of the caravan having caused the bridge to sink in ; and it was with difficulty the machine could be extricated.

The late severe gales have done great damage to shipping. At Padstow it blew a complete hurricane. The Francis of Torquay was upset, and all on board perished. A fine schooner, apparently new, upset the disaster took place in sight of the Duke of Wellington, of Fowey, but owing to the wind and sea raging with tremendous fury, the master was unable to make any effort to save the unfortunate crew. The Hawk of Plymouth was driven against the rocks ; her crew, seven or eight persons, were lost. The Daniel was made a complete wreck ; eleven persons, eight of whom were passengers, were saved. Several vessels with their cargoes, have been lost, but the crews saved.

At Plymouth, a boat having gone from the shore for the purpose of conveying some wine on board the Britannia, having discharged her cargo, was about to return, when Mr. Barker, a midshipman, with Messrs. Curgenven, Cummings, and Scott, clerks, and two or three others engaged with the watermen to take them ashore. It was at this time nearly seven o'clock, and blowing fresh, with a heavy swell from the S.W. The party having seated themselves in the boat, another was coming down, the accommodation-ladder to join them, when a heavy

swell carried the boat under the ladder, and the ship rolling heavily at the same time, the ladder struck the gunwale of the boat, which it instantly upset, plung- ing the whole of the party into the sea, with the exception of Markem, who was holding on the ladder, to which he clung after the boat went down. Mr. Curgenven, Mr. Cummings, and Jope, lost their lives; each leaving a wife and a large family. At Ramsgate, two men went out of the harbour to tow in a schooner. One of the men got on board; the schooner happening to pitch, capsized the boat, which instantly sunk, and the poor man was seen no more. He has left a wife and eight children. The body of Captain Waters of the Hartford of Swansea, which was lost with the whole of her crew off the Devonshire coast during the late heavy gales, was found on Friday morning on the shore near the Mumbles. From the length of time the body had remained in the water, its identity could only be ascertained by the watch found in the pocket. A man named Walton was killed on Thursday night, in a pugilistic encounter with a man named Kaye, at Everton, near Liverpool. He died on the ground immediately after receiving a heavy blow in the side. He was in his twenty- eighth year, and has left a wife and three children., Kaye is in custody.