Accounts have been received of the death of Mrs. Maclean,
wife of the Governor of the African settlement, Cape Coast Castle, formerly • Miss Landon, and better known as L. E. L. It appears that her death was occasioned by a large dose of prussic acid, which she took to obtain relief from a spasmodic attack. A Coroner's Jury found, that
. . . . . the death of the said Letitia Elizabeth was caused by her having incautiously taken an over-dose of prussic acid, which, from evidence, it ap- peared she had been in the habit of using as a remedy for spasmodic affections to which she was subject."
The following letter from Mrs. Maclean—to a female friend in Eng- land, we presume—dated on the Lith October, the day of her death, was found in her writing-desk.
" My dearest Marie—I cannot but write you a brief account how I enact the part ot a feminine Robinson Cruse°. I must KW, III itself, the place is infi- nitely superior to all I ever even dreamed of. The Castle is a tine building— the rooms excellent. I do not suffer from heat ; insects there are few or none; and I inn in excellent health. The solitude, except tm oceasianal dinner, is absolute ; front seven in the morning, till seven when we dine, I never see Mr. Maclean, and rarely any WM else. We were welcomed by a series of dinners, which I am glad are over—for it is very awkward to be the only lady ; still, the great kindness with which I have been treated, Runt the very pleasant manners of many of the gentlemen made me feel it as little as possiblt;. Last week we had a visit from Captain Castle of the Pylades. His story is very melttocholy. Ile married, six months before he left England, to one of the beautiful Miss Dills, Sir John Hill's daughter, mud she died just as he received orders to return home. We also had a visit front Colonel Bosch, the Dutch Governor, a most Fentienlaithy-like Mill. But fancy how awkward the next morning : I cannot induce Mr. Maclean to rise; and have to make breaklitst, and do the honours of adieu to hint and his officers—white plumes, mustachios, and all. I think I never felt more embarrassed. I have not yet felt the want of society the least. I do not wish to form new friends, and never does it day pass without thinking most affectionately of itly old ones. On three sides we are surrounded by the sea. I like the porta:teal dash on the rocks : one wave comes up after another, and is fin ever dasbed in pieces—like human hopes, that only swell to be dis- appointed. We advance—up springs the shining froth of love or a mo- ment white and 2.-1 time for ever.' The land view, with its cocoa and pann-trees, is very striking-Lit is like a scene in the Arabian Nights. Of a night the beauty is very remarkable; the sea is of a silvery purple, and the moon deserves all that has been said in her favour. I have only once been out of the fort by daylight, and then WIN 114:lighted. The salt lakes were first died it deep crimson by the setting. sun : and as we returned they scented a faint violet iti the twi- light, just broken by a thousand stars, while before its was the red beacon-light. The chance of sending this letter is a very sudden one, or I should have V1:11- tUrell to write to General Fagan, to whom I beg the very kindest eure'ar,is. Dearest. do not forget me. Pray write to me, 'Mrs. George Macltt,Calle Coast Castle, care of Messrs. Forster and Smith, 5, New City Chambers, Bishopsgate Street.' Write about yourself; nothing else half SO much inte-
rests your affectionate tt L. E. 31Ac LEAN."
A writer in the Courier says in reference to the above- " Ott reading the above most affecting letter, it will at once be conceived that it must have produced on the minds of the Jury an impression as to the tran- quil state of mind of' the writer, and of her having therefore verished by a mutest &plural& want of caution un her own part. But we here feel it due to truth and justice to state, that letters previously written by the same hand, a few hours, a few days, perhaps a month before, give evidence that that most affectionate and noble spirit was not always so tranquil. 11 ,houltl also be distinctly stated, that she htul never been known by her friend, in England to have resorted to the use of the deadly medicine in tfte case of spasmodic attacks."
The evidence also of her husband at the inquest is not quite satisfac- tory— George Maclean deposeth anti saith, that deponent saw nothing particular about Mrs. Maclean this morning: except that she complained of weariness; and after having, as usual, given linn some tea and arrowroot, ttt six o'clock, went to bed again for about one hour and a half. Deponent attributed her weariness to attendance upon himself while sick, and want of rest for three pre- vious nights ; that she was very subject to spasms and hysterical affections, and had been in the custom of using the medicine contained m the small bottle pro- duced, as a remedy or prevention, which she had told him had been prescribed for her by her meaical attendant in London (Dr. Thomson); that on seeing her use it, deponent had threatened to throw it away, and had at one time told her that he had actually done so; when she appeared so much alarmed, and said it was so necessary for the preservation of her life, that deponent was prevented from afterwards taking it away ; that he had been called by Bailey that morn- hug, when he found Mrs. Maclean on the floor near the door, quite senseless; that he immediately sent for the Doctor, and assisted to carry her to lied; that the efforts of the Doctor to restore life were in vain, and that deinment cannot assign any cause for her death; that thc letter in the following words, now pro- duced to this deponent, and stated to have been found in Mrs. Maclean's desk this morning, is in her own handwriting ; and that an unkind word had never passed between Mrs. Maclean and deponent."
[The untimely death of this lady will be generally lamented. The lovers of elegant literature have long been familiar with her writings, which displayed tenderness and delicacy of feeling, with no inconsider- able powers of observation and poetic genius. In the letter to her friend given above, her affectionate spirit breathes forth with its wonted kind- liness : at the same time, there are indications of that susceptibility of temperament which shone forth in the literary productions, as it affected the daily existence, of L. E. L.]
It is noticeable that an account of the death of Mrs. Maclean's uncle, Dr. Landon, Dean of Exeter, was received in London the day before that of his niece transpired.
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