ISbe lattropolis.
The funeral of Mr. Edward Drummond left Grosvenor Street at eight o'clock OD Tuesday morning, for Charlton, near Wool w ich ; where the body was interred. It is understood that Sir Robert Peel wished to attend, and that a great number of people wished to send their carriages to join in the cavalcade ; but the friends of the deceased de- sired the ceremony to be conducted as privately and plainly as p. s- sible. Mr. Edward Drummond's three brothers and a nephew were the mourners. The funeral service was performed by the Honourahle and Reverend Mr. Boscawen, Vicar of Wotton. A numerous congre- gation assembled in the church.
Daniel M'Naughten, the assassin of Mr. Drummond, was brought up for final examination at Bow Street Police-office, on Saturday. Mr. Hall, the Chief Magistrate, presided ; Mr. Twyford, Mr. Jardine, and several County Magistrates were on the bench. Mr. Maule conducted the prosecution on the part of Government ; Mr. Clarke, solicitor to Mr. Drummond's family, was also in attendance ; and Mr. Gurney, the short-hand-writer, took notes of the proceedings. M.Naghten, who had engaged no professional assistance, was reserved in manner, but self-possessed. The depositions taken at the last examination were read over, and some new evidence was taken. Mr. Branshy Cooper appeared, and incorporated in his evidence an account of the post =stem examination of the body. John Massey Tierney, Inspector of the A division of Police, who was present at Gardiner's Lane Station when M'Naughten was brought there on the 20th, gave some in- teresting evidence- " I gave him a strict caution that any thing he might say wouli be used against him, either at that time or at a subsequent conversation. The prisoner said that I acted fairly towards him, and that fair play was the English charac- ter. I then asked him where he came from ? He said, from Glasgow ; that he had been from there about three months; had remained seven days at Liverpool, and then came up to London, where he had been up to that time. Be told me that he had been in business for himself in Glasgow as a turner ; that he bad given up that business and was going into another line, but was prevented. I said to him that he had a good share of money. He replied that he bad, but that be had wrought bard for it ; that he did the work of three or- dinary men every day. I then told him that I had been to Glasgow to fetch a prisoner ; and asked if he knew Mr. Richards, of Gorbals, in that place ? He said, 'Yes, but not intimately.' He was counted a more clever man than Miller, the other Inspector of Police. He asked me what ship I came over in? I said, The British Queen.' He replied, No; it must have been the Prin- cess Royal.' I then recollected that was the name of the vessel ; and asked the prisoner what ship he had come to Liverpool in ? He replied, 'the Fire King.' I asked him if he had ever been at Paisley ? He said, yes. I said it was a great place for shawls. He said, yes ; they were nearly all weavers there, anti a great many out of employment." Mr. Tierney had another conversation with M'Naughten next morning- " I said to the prisoner, I suppose you'll assign some reason to the Magistrate for the act you have committed ? He said he would, a short one. I then said he might have said any thing to me on the night previous, after the caution I had given him. He then said, The Tories have adopted a system of persecu- tion against me, and have followed me from place to place with that persecu- tion.' I then said, suppose you are aware of the gentleman you shot at.' He said, 'It is Sir Robert Peel, is it not?' I said, ' No ;' but immediately retracted the word, and said, ' We are not aware exactly who it is. Recollect the caution I gave you last night—that whatever you may say will be used against you.' He then looked up, and said, But you won't use these words
against me?' I said, don't know; I gave you a proper caution.' I then left him."
M'Naughten declined to make any statement. He was committed to Newgate for trial.
Having been arraigned at the Central Criminal Court, on Thursday, he pleaded "Guilty of firing the pistol,"—equivalent to the plea of "Not Guilty as to the rest," as Lord Abinger phrased it ; and on being arraigned a second time on the charge before the Coroner's inquisition for the like murder, he simply pleaded "Not Guilty." The Attorney. General and Mr. Waddington appeared for the Crown. Mr. Clarkson appeared for M'Naughten ; and applied to have the trial postponed till next session, in order to the production of evidence from Scotland and France touching the prisoner's sanity. The application was unopposed. Mr. Clarkson applied for the restoration of the receipt for 750/. lodged by the prisoner in the Glasgow and Shipping Bank, in order to provide for the cost of his defence. The Attorney-General said that M'Naugh- ten's papers would be detained, and the receipt might become an im- portant document in evidence: but money to any reasonable amount; for the purpose of defence should be handed over to the prisoner.
It is said that when the Queen was in Scotland, Sir Robert Peel in- variably rode in one of the Royal carriages, and Mr. Drummond in Sir Robert Peel's own carriage ; and that Mr. Drummond actually was pointed out to M'Naughten as Sir Robert If this is true, the assassin's confidence would have been complete when he saw Mr. Drummond leave the house of Sir Robert Peel in Whitehall Gardens. This is somewhat confirmed by the statement of the Durham Advertiser, that in Durham, on the return from Scotland, Mr. Drummond was mistaken for Sir Robert.
The papers mention another of the suspicions excited by M'Naughten's loitering about the public offices. On the 17th, he was observed by gergeaot Jones of the Tenth Hussars; who accosted him, and invited him to must; but he said he was merely waiting to see a gentleman.
The Sergeant saw him again next day, and repeated the invitation ; at the same time offering to treat him to something to drink. M'Naughten accompanied him to a public-house—more as if he did not know how to refuse than because he felt any inclination ; and to Mr. Jones's reite- rated questions be gave no other reply than that he was waiting for a gentleman. Mr. Jones afterwards told a Police-officer of the A division to keep an eye upon the man, for he was convinced he was "after no good."
A curious scene took place in the Court of Exchequer on Saturday. An action was brought by a Mr. Lindus against a Mr. Parfitt, on a bill of exchange ; and a bill was produced in court as the one in question, to prove that it had beer paid. It appeared, however, that there was some variance between the names of the parties on the bill and those set forth in the declaration. Baron Gurney instructed the Jury, that in point of law the defendant had failed to make the plea that he had put on record, and therefore they must return a verdict for the plaintiff. One of the Jury asked whether he was to understand that that was the law of England?—a question which seemed to amaze the Judge. Another Juryman asked if the bill had not been paid, why the plaintiff did not produce it ? Baron Gurney said, that was not a question which ought to be put to any counsel. After some curious debating of the matter between Judge and Jury, in the course of which Baron Gurney ad- mitted that there was a hardship in the case, irremediable, as it arose from an error in the pleadings, the Jury, against the repeated direction of the Judge, returned a verdict for the defendant. The Judge told them that the verdict could not stand a day, as it was not good in law.
At the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, the Rev. W. Bailey, LL.D., was tried for forging and uttering a promissory note for 2,8751. The facts of the case were stated when Dr. Bailey was committed for trial from Bow Street. The forged note purported to have been given by Robert Smith, a well-known miser, who lived and died rather re- cently in the neighbourhood of Seven Dials, to Miss Smith, the Doctor's sister. After his death, Dr. Bailey presented the promissory note in question, and also an I 0 U for the same amount to the administrators of Smith. The validity of the note was disputed. Miss Bailey, the Doctor's sister, to whom it was alleged the note had been given, brought an action against the representatives of Smith; at which trial Dr. Bailey gave evidence, and swore that the note had been given to him by Smith. The Jury, however, did not believe his evidence, and returned a verdict for the defendant. Subsequently he was apprehended on the charge of forging the promissory note and the I 0 U. After a trial of nearly twelve hours, the Jury found Bailey guilty ; and he VMS sentenced, by Mr. Justice Williams, to transportation for life.
William Cannell, a waiter at the Auction Mart Tavern, was re- examined at the Mansionhouse, on Tuesday, on a charge of shooting at Elizabeth Magnus, the bar-maid, with intent to murder her, on the night of the 12th December. He was in love with her, although she was nearly twice his age ; and revenge for the repulse of his addresses appeared to be his motive. It seems that he bought the pistol at a theatrical dress-shop, in March or April last, while he was waiter at another place. Mr. J. J. Adams, a surgeon, said that the ball had passed completely through Mrs. Magnus's body, and that she was not yet out of danger. The case of Mr. Drummond had been mentioned to her, and it caused her much excitement. The balls seemed to have taken nearly a similar direction in the two cases, but Mrs. Magnus's wound had appeared the more dangerous. Cannel), who cried through- out the examination, averred that Mrs. Magnus knew he did not mean to shoot her: she had admitted him to the closest familiarity, for which the servants annoyed her, and she spat blood from the excitement : he was tired of his life, and intended to shoot himself; and as he was at- tempting to kiss her in the passage, she raised her arm and the pistol went off. Mr. Wilkinson, who conducted the prosecution, said that there was no ground for this story. Cannell was remanded.
Two interesting contributions were acknowledged by the Lord Mayor on Monday-51. from a mate on board the Erebus for the widows and orphans of the crew of the Conqueror; and 101. from Messrs. Roberts, Curtis, and Co., "part of a legacy of 1,500 francs bequeathed for the poor of London by the late Archbishop A. L. De Montblanc, Archbishop of Tours, in France; who directed in his will that preference should be given in the distribution of the sum to those of his own (the Roman Catholic) faith." This gift has been sent to other offices.
At an inquest on a young woman, in Marylebone, on Monday, Mr. Wakley delivered some remarks on insanity, which, coming from the Surgeon-Coroner just now, possess considerable interest. Elizabeth Heath, the deceased, had been out in service, and was seduced by her young master. In June last she gave birth to a child ; and although her brother-in-law, William Tillet, clerk to the Cemetery of St. Giles's, took her into his house, her seduction preyed so much on her mind that she went mad, and was confined in a lunatic asylum at Bethnal Green. On Christtnas-eve her brother-in-law fetched her home. On Sunday she hanged herself. She had attempted to destroy herself before she was confined ; but her brother-in-law expressed a belief that she was in a sound state of mind on the day of her death. In commenting on the case, Mr. Wakley observed that much mischief was occasioned by the manner in which Coroners' Juries returned verdicts of insanity on very loose evidence— Suppose, instead of committing murder upon herself, as in this case, this person had killed any one else—suppose she had stabbed or shot any one, or administered to them arsenic, laudanum, or any other poison—ought she to be exonerated from all responsibility which attached to such crime, because she had, forsooth, at a period of twelve months prior to its committal been consi- dered in a state of unsound mind ? If such a principle were admitted, society at large would be placed in the worst and most dangerous condition possible. He was convinced that evil rather than good resulted from juries attempting to give an opinion as to the workings of the mind of a person at the time they committed such an act. No example more dangerous-could occur than to bold out to persona a temptation to get excused for crimes by a plea on their behalf of insanity, as under that plea the most atrocious of murderers might escape justice. For instance, supposing a man said to himself, 1 haves deadly enmity against such a person, and I do not mind killing him; but I like not the gallows; for if I poison, stab, or shoot him, I shall be hung, =WS I am regarded at my trial as an insane man. I will, therefore, at once do things which appear to be the acts of a lunatic, sod br and by will shoot the person I hate. Accordingly, after a few months or a year or two, he watches for the man, provides a pistol, loads it, primes it—does not put in sawdust instead of powder, nor the ball first and the powder after. He proceeds to the place which his victim frequents ; does not shoot hint in his foot, his hands, or his hat, but in a vital part, sod effects his object. He is arrested, practices an eccentric line of conduct, is committed and tried for the murder. On evidence of his conduct twelve months before, he is declared by the Jury to have been insane when Ile committed the murder, escapes the gallows, and is comfortably lodged in a lunatic asylum for the rest of his life. This was a lamentable state of things, and the law which perm.tted it was defective. It was equally so in cases of self-murder; for he would not believe that any person who could destroy his own Acing body would care one fig about what was done with it after death. It would he far better that Coro- ners' Juries should, in cases like the present, express their opinion as to whe- ther the act was committed by the deceased party themselves or not, without referring to the state of their minds at the time.
The Jury returned averdiet, "That the deceased destroyed herself by hanging ; but in what state of mind she was when she committed the act, they had no evidence to show."
The house of Lord Hillsborough in Upper Grosvenor Street was burnt down on Saturday morning. The fire broke out before six o'clock. Sir George Larpent and his family were in occupation of the mansion, and they had started but half an hour before. for Bristol, on a visit to a sick daughter. James M•Lean and Charles Goddard, two firemen, in rendering their assistance to extinguish the fire, were thrown from a considerable height, in consequence of a flooring on which they stood giving way. Goddard was only slightly hurt ; but M`Lean was seri- ously injured, and was removed in a dangerous state.
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