Henry Hampfeldt, butler to the Duke of Cumberland, drowned him-

self in the Thames on Saturday night. His body was discovered, and taken out of the water on Sunday ; and on Tuesday a Coroner's Jury assembled at the Ship Tavern, in Mortlake, to inquire into the cause of his death. The Duke of Cumberland, Mr. William Holmes, Sir John Slade, the Reverend Mr. jell. mid his brother, a al eat many per- sons belonging to the Duke's establi,shinent at Kew, and others of the neighbourhood,a..enaet I the inquest. I he Puke of 'UO111(.11010 Vvi`Nt immediately to see the body ; and on his return said, in answer to a question by the Coroner, that " the body looked a little blacker, but that he should have known it directly." neighbourhood,a..enaet I the inquest. I he Puke of 'UO111(.11010 Vvi`Nt immediately to see the body ; and on his return said, in answer to a question by the Coroner, that " the body looked a little blacker, but that he should have known it directly."

The first witness was the man who brought the body ashore. He was asked- " Was he dressed ?"

Witness-" He had a black coat and waistcoat on, a white handkerchief, black silk stockings, and shoes." The Duke of Cumberland-" That was always the dress he wore when he waited on me."

Coroner-" When was he missing? "

The Duke of Cumberland-" 1 heard of it at eight o'clock on Sunday. They missed him between eleven and twelve on Sahli day night."

Mary Gosden, servant in the pantry in the Duke of Cumberland's household, deposed, that about half-past ten o'clock on Saturday night, she was in the pantry. The deceased was there. No particular conversation ensiled. The deceased was writing at his desk. He had been writing all the afternoon, when he bad time to do so. Witness then left him, but never saw him alive after that time. She has known him about three years and a half since he has been in England. The Duke of Cumberland-" It is four years and a half since he has been here."

Witness, in continuation, said that she had frequent opportunities of con- versing with him. Since he had known that he was going to Germany-which was on Friday week, when lie heard that he was going- with his Royal Highness to Berlin-ever since that time he had been low-spit ited. Previous to that, he was continually in the habit of getting intoxicated three or four (lass a creek; after recovering from which, he was in a low and desponding state. Since the deceased had orders to go abroad, he has stated that he would rather be in Lon- don than go to Germany. When the deceased was sober, lie was very nervous.

In the course of the investigation, the Duke, who took a most anxious interest in it, repeatedly answered for the witnesses, as in the above extract.

Mary Gosden, never heard the deceased make any complaint of the Duke's treatment of him, nor utter any threat of destroying himself.

[At this time there was a great noise of persons outside the house talking loud. A juror observed, that it created much conversation among the working classes. The Duke of Cumberland-" It shocks every holy."] The witness here said, that about two months ago it struck her that the de- ceased would make away with himself. Juror-" What induced you to believe so? "-" I thought so from his manner." "Did you ever mention that circumstance to your husband ?"-" No, I never did."

The Duke of Cumberland-" I never thought that he would destroy himself, but that he was too great a coward to do so. He was very nervous if you spoke to hint."

By the Coroner-" Have you ever heard him say any otherwise than that he felt himself comfortable?"

Witness-" I never heard him say any thing to the contrary." His Royal Highness here said-" Allow me to state a few facts. I was first informed of the circumstance about eight on Sunday morning. They awoke me out of my sleep, and I was told that he had destroyed himself. The letters he had written were shown to me. After the discovery, I could only find the persons who had seen hint last ; I could not find that any one saw bim go out. It never entered my mind that he had destroyed himself; I could not believe it; but thought that in one of his moods he had gone into the garden." Coroner-" There is no evidence at present to show that he has destroyed himself. I want to find that out."

Mr. Jelf, brother to the Reverend Mr. Jelf, said-" But there is evidence to prove from the letters that he did destroy himself."

[This gentleman was very active in questioning the witnesses on some material points of the evidence.]

After some further evidence relative to the movements and appear- ance of Hampfeldt on the night on which he drowned himself, Conrad Franzihhius, a page of the Duke, said,that; from a letter which was brought to him by one of the household on Sunday, he at once con- cluded the man had destroyed himself.

Several of the Jury here expressed a wish to know whether the contents of the letter were not to be made known.

The Duke of Cumberland said-" There is no desire to conceal any thing. The letter shall be read to the gentlemen of the Jury; and any information that they may deem necessary in the present inquiry shall be freely laid open to them."

The witness was then asked by the Jury, if the letter was in the handwriting of the deceased. He replied in the affirmative.

The Reverend William Jelf, 13.D., preceptor to Prince George of Cumber- land, being sworn, translated the letter as follows.

"Dear Frauzillins-I beg you to announce to the world how far the tyrant has car- ried matters with me. After serving twenty years, and really like a slave, I can say with Mary Stuart, • I was better than my reputation,'• and do curse my soul. From Sukay I am to receive 21. sterling ; front Miss Beiehells 31.; from Mr. Jelf 15 dollars and 25 grosschen; pray take care that it conies into the hands of my father. I next beg of you to pay all my debts oust of the wages now due. First, the good honest Goe- (lecke Meyer is to have 4/. ; second, Mr. Wilk 11.16s.; thirdly, Mr. More 11.; and all bills where it can be proved. May all good men be happy. God bless the good Prince George, so that he may soon recover his sight. I curse Cumberland, and the old Ball • From the German play of Nary Stuart, by Schiller. (meaning the keward). Herewith, I renounce the splendom of the %%odd, el, is pure tool Itle,setl. Amon.

" Superscribed, Franzillius." Franzillius, in continuation, said, that about six weeks ago, he was is tise pantry with the deceased ; who complained to him that he had been very emelm

abused by Mr. Ball, the house-stewarth-that he was so uniell hum t as tea in- clined to make away with himself. The deceased never complaiued of lin ItcssO highness, but his servants : he always said that be was a good master. W irnoea never heard what was the nature of the quarrel between the deceased and Mc. Ball.

The deceased wrote two other letters, one to his father, the afar lo the Puke of Cumberland's steward at Berlin. Both of them were de- livered to the Duke in bed on Sunday morning, and wore as follenv--- - K. ow, September . 1-33.

" dear Father-cm:a, not your son, tulto resigns the world in eon:, •: of a slight. My twister, the t■rt, wchew the world hates, has tortninattul in■ years I luau,• served hint faithfully :Ina honestly. awl tout 11 11:1A, any 1•11,111..!'S NIA soul, whirl' is con:tint:. Id • reputation. My friend in Berlin, ster.arti to the !nuke of Cnint,erlaitd. ha- a.na money-90', ettihlers l'elhh Bowls, 100 dollars in Polish I.l.xrh•••i 1••: stiles I hat, Baron }dared lor fur 111 the BMW. ui Ilan.,! 11■•■•■• in toy :20/ and tow ‘1,11,11,11e. Your ',On, nen .. So 1111'1104$ a heart lined ttiilt honour, bring a man to."

The second letter was addressed to M. 'blaze, steward, Berlin. " senteaostr Si, Ken • • "My f,i!;11111. Friend- -The,w lines are the last. A ef t Ito I tuke's ha the to this step to rut an end to no: ii1r. W ith trembling :amt !heeding • •e.

t line,. Pray take earn that tay l• Chau s lett beton., toe atal ntett,y may h.' • • yru

to oat :.1•0:t1 4.1unic is for you. The little litn.w■ for t} t', Ihen, 11,:r1 tilted a,lilt honour eau be irritated. Yau may 5ml, tae : • 1-..y 5.01 is ;I,,to,1 :11141 bloss4,1. /111I nitrr so many tears. sils•11In.:111110a1 no our r :• Posterity unwt knew it. En,l;raL,c your wire, and kiss your children. N1.1■. • ..• 72 Your faithful friend, note IlOnwro, The Duke of Cumberland seas examined upon oath ; the v. • • which he tittered with particular emphasis. The Duke said, that he wished the gentlemen of the Jury to know i,e ze comet anxious every tldng connected with this circumstance should be mnee stn public as possible, and he hoped there would be no hesitation on any et- parts to pat any question to him they desired to be answered. I le had itesin- gence on Sunday morning. about eight o'clock, from his page Franzillios, olio stated to Imo flarneheldt had destrnyed himself. In the hurry and wai ry the moment, as a man roused from his sleep, be was astonished, mud asked the page again what lie meant? The page repeated, that I lartiefieldt had (let:It-need himself. Ile then asked where they had found the body ? The pee Ieplhei,. the body was not yet found ; witness inquired how then he knew that the de- ceased had destroyed himself? to which the page replied, it was from the colt- tents of a letter which had been delivered to hint by one of the pages. He then ordered strict search to be made for the body about the gnmnds, and to IsaVe the ponds and river dragged. Some time after, the page returned, and delivered into his bands the two letters found in the writing-desk of I larnefieldt, arse; given above. His Royal I lighness said he felt himself in a situation of dittieeity ; but in c011Sequetice of the melancholy cireumstance which it was presumed occurred, he thought it was right, in order to throw as much light as pess:dis't: upon the cause of the act, to have the letters opened ; as he was particularly averse to opening letters addressed to another person, lie scot fur the Revereod Mr. Jelf, and that gentleman concurring with him in the propriety of opeaing the letters, they Wel c accordingly opened in the presence of two id. the deceased's fellow-servants and countrymen, one of whom road them. 1, floe the witnesses were tilpealtal to ; who separately declared the letters were untouelled until the seals were broken in their presence ; and also that the letters now prodaced Itp the Duke, were the identical letters taken from the desk of the decease,b The Duke declared that be never had twenty words with the deceased; that what he took for a slight put upon him was not intended as. such, -his Royal Highness merely wished him to remain at Kew 011 Ss instead of going to Rundell and Bridge's with the plate, because ire was: going to have company on that day, not because he distrusted his hoe on5-. Juror-" flow long was it in the contemplation of your Royal Highness t...9 send the things to town?"

The Duke of Cumberland-" When I determined to send my family over #.AD Germany. It was to be sent to Rundell and Bridge's, who were to paid: it up, I was going to Germany on account of my sou."

By the Coroner-" Ile never made any complaint that he was treated ill by any one of my family." His Royal highness then said-" There are few who can say that they brat had persons so lung in their service. Ball has been with me thirty-five yeaes, the porter thirty years, the man be has written to twenty years ; and one died last year, who was my nurse, who had been fifty years with me."

General Sir John Slade, thirty-four years Equerry to his Royal Higloutss, de- posed to the kindness shown by him to the household.

James Ball, steward, corroborated the evidence given by the Duke of Cnra- berland, as to the cause of the deceased not going to London with the plate. The quarrel which occurred between him and the deceased arose in consequenco of the deceased leaving the plate unprotected when lie was overpowerei Lsy liquor, for which he rebuked him. Witness never told his Royal Hightttr4. of it. There was no imputation on his character, except his propensity to &ink- The Jury here expressed some anxiety to have the evidence closed; wLer. M. Jelf said, " 1)o you, gentlemen, wish to have any more evidence?"

Several of the Jury replied, "Not in the least."

The Duke of Cumberland and suite then left the jury-room, and im- mediately returned home.

The Jury shortly deliberated together ; when they returned a verdiet. " That the deceased drowned himself, being at the time in a state of temporary derangement."