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    jAKtTABY 3,1857.} THE IiEABEB. ¦ . , 3

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    DINNER TO LORD PANMURE. Lord Panmure was...

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    ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN" DEATHS. A Mr. Edwa...

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    The Death Of Hugh Midler. We Briefly Men...

    attacks upon his person , there was added an exciting and over-mastering impression that his house , and especially that museum , the fruit of so much care , -which was contained in a separate outer building , were exposed to the assault of burglars . He read all the recent stories of house robberies * He believed that one night lately an actual attempt to break in upon his museum had been made . "Visions of ticket-of-leave men prowling about his premises haunted him by day and by night . The revolver which lay nightly near him was not enough : a

    broad-bladed dagger was kept beside it , while behind him , at his bed-head , a claymore stood ready at hand . A week or so ago , a new and more aggravated feature of cerebral disorder showed itself in sudden and singular sensations in his bead . They came on only after lengthened intervals . They did not last long , but were intensely violent . The terrible idea that his brain was deeply and hopelessly diseased , that his mind was on the verge of ruin , took bold of him , and stood out before his eye in all that appalling magnitude in -which such an imagination as his alone could picture it . "

    It was not until Monday week that he mentioned anything about these head disturbances . He then called on Dr . Balfour at Portobello . " On my asking , " says that gentleman , in a communication to the Witness , " what was the matter with him , he replied : — ' My brain is giving way . I cannot put two thoughts together- to-day . I have had a dreadful night of it . I cannot face" another such . I was impressed with the idea that my museum was attacked by robbers , and that I had got up , put on my clothes , and gone out with a loaded pistol to shoot them . Immediately after that I became unconscious . Plow long that continued I cannot say ; but when T awoke in the morning I was treinbling all over , and quite confused in my brain . So thoroughly convinced was I that I must have been out through the night , that I examined my trousers , to see if they were wet or covered with mud , but could find none . '"

    The next day , a consultation was held between Dr . Balfour and Professor Miller ( a relation we presume ) , the result of winch the latter thus communicates : — - " "We examined bis chest , and found that unusually well ; but soon we discovered that it was head symptoms that made him uneasy . He acknowledged having been night after night up till very late in the morning , working hard and continuously at his new book , ' which , ' with much satisfaction , he said , 'I have finished this day . ' He was sensible that his head had suffered in consequence , as evidenced in two ways—first , occasionally he felt as if a very fine poniard had been suddenly passed through and through , bis brain . The paia was intense ,

    and momentarily followed hy confusion and giddiness , and the sense of beiug ' very drunk , ' unable to stand or walk . He thought that a period of unconsciousness must have followed this , —a kind of swoon , but he had never fallen . Second , what annoyed him most , however , was a kind of nightmare , which fo r some nights past had rendered sleep most miserable . It was no dream , he said ; he saw no distinct vision , and could remember nothing of what had passed accurately . It was a sense of vague and yet intense honor , with a conviction of being abroad in the night Avind , and dragged through places as if by some invisible power . ' Last night , ' he said , ' I felt as if I had been ridden by a witch for fifty miles , and rose far more wearied in mind

    and body than when I lay down . ' Suffice it to say , " adds Professor Miller , " that we came to the conclusion that he was suffering from an over-worked mind , disordering his digestive organs , enervating his whole frame , and threatening serious head affection . We told him this , nnd enjoined absolute discontinuance of all work—bed at eleven , light supper ( he had all his lif e made that a principal meal ) , thinning the hair of the head , a warm sponging-bnth at bed time , & c . To all our commands he readily promised obedience . For fully an hour we talked toge ther on these and other subjects , and I left him with no apprehension of impending evil , and little doubting but that a short time of rest anil regimen would restore him to his wonted vigour . "

    Shortly afterwards , the servant-girl entered the dining-room , to lay the table , when" She found Mr . Miller in the room alono . Another of the paroxysms was on him . Ilia face was such a picture of horror that she shrank in terror from the sight . Ho flung himself on the sofa and buried his head , ns if in agony , upon the cushion . Again , however , tho vision flitted by , and left him in perfect health . Tfco oveniiig was spent quietly witli his family . During tea ho employed himself in reading aloud Cowper ' s ' Castaway , ' the ' Sonnet on Mary Unwin , ' nnd one of his more playful pieces , for the special pleasure of his children . Having corrected Rome proofh of the fortliconriiig volume he went up Blairs to his study . At tho appointed hour ho Lad taken the bath , but unfortunately his natural and peculiar ropugnanco to physio , had induced him to leave untaken tho medicine that had been

    proscribed . Ho had retired into his nlccping-room—a small apartment opening out of his study , and which for some time past , in conHfrlcration of tho delicate ntnte of his wife ' s health nnd tho irregularity of his own houru of study , ho occupied at night alone—and laid Homo tuno upou tho bed . The horrible trance , more horriUo

    than ever , must have returned . All that can . now be known of what followed is to be gathered from the facts , that next morning hia body , half-dressed , was found lying lifeloss on the floor , the feet upon the study rug , the chest pierced with the ball of the revolver pistol , which was found lying in the bath that stood close by . The bullet had perforated the left lung , grazed theheart , cut through the pulmonary artery at its root , and lodged in the rib in the right side . Death must have been instantaneous . " The following lines addressed to his wife were found lying on the table beside the corpse : —

    " Dearest Lydia , —My brain burns . I must have walked ; and a fearful dream arises upon me . I cannot bear the horrible thought . God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me . Dearest Lydia , dear children , farewell . My brain burns as the recollection grows . My dear , dear wife , farewell . " Hugh Mxixer . " A post mortem examination of tlie body was made by Professor Miller and other medical gentlemen , who found the brain greatly diseased , and they therefore signed a document stating their conviction " that the act was suicidal , under the impulse of insanity . " Another -tragedy has arisen out of this lamentable event . We find it thus related : —

    " After the judicial and medical inquiry on Friday ( the 26 th ult . ) , Professor Miller took the pistol to the gunsmith from which it had teen purchased by Mr . Miller in Jury , 1855 , iu order to ascertain liow many shots had been fired and how many were still in the chamber . In the master ' absence , the foreman , Thomas Leslie , an old and experienced workman , received the pistol from Professor Miller , and unfortunately , instead of taking off the chamber , looked iu to the muzzle , holding the hammer with lis fingers while he turned the chamber round to count the charges .

    The hammer slipped from his fingers , struck the cap , and the charge in the barrel exploded . Professor Miller , still standing outside the counter , exclaimed . ' That ' s a narrow escape ! ' but unhappily it was not soj for , as the smoke cleared away , he saw the poor man ' s head gradually droop , and his body fa ll lifeless on the floor . The charge Lad entered his " right eye and penetrated the brain . Leslie was a steady , trustworthy man , and had been twenty-five years in his present employment . He has left a widow and a family of eight children . "

    The funeral of Mr . Miller took place on Tuesday , in the raidst of an unusually large concourse of spectators . The shops along the route were for the most part closed , at the request of the magistrates ; and very great respect was shown to the memory of the deceased geologist and pressman .

    Jakttaby 3,1857.} The Iieabeb. ¦ . , 3

    jAKtTABY 3 , 1857 . } THE IiEABEB . ¦ . , 3

    Dinner To Lord Panmure. Lord Panmure Was...

    DINNER TO LORD PANMURE . Lord Panmure was entertained on Tuesday evening at a public dinner by the county gentlemen of Forfar , to testi f y their respect for his Lordship as Lord-Lieutenant of the county , and as an acknowledgment of his public services as Minister of War . To accommodate all parties in the district , Arbroath was selected as the most central place of meeting , and the new Markethall was elegantly decorated for the occasion . The building is constructed after the model of the nave of the Crystal Palace . The company assembled at four o ' clock , and occupied every seat on tho ground-floor , while tivo hundred ladies filled the galleries . The chair was occupied by Sir John Ogilvie , Convenor of the county , supported on the right by Lord Panmure , Lord Kinnaird , the Hon . William Maale , Viscount Melville , Admiral Sir Hoxiston Stewart , & c . ; and on the left by the Marquis of Breadalbane , the Earl of Southcsk , tho Earl of Kintore , Viscount Duncan , M . P ., the Lord Advocate , & c . Lord Panmure , in the course of his speech , alluded to the inquiry into the state of the English army in the Crimea , made by Sir John M'Neill nnd Colonel Tulloch , who had been sent out , not , as had been supposed , with any vindictive wish to punish tho supposed guilty parties , hut simply with a desire to collect information as to the cause of the mishaps . Tho report of tho Commissioners , he believed , had been made with great fidelity , and without a desire to rnjnro the feelings o any British officers , but simply with a wish to tell the truth . Many of the reforms iu tho army for which he had received credit hnil been commenced under tho Duke

    of Newcastle . " It was my lot , with the Rid of my colleaguos , to make a radical change—and 1 do not use the term off ensively—in the constitution nnd command of the British army . Already had tho Duke of Newcastle boon establishing a distinct department "Which would mnnnge tho affairs of Avar in tins country . It is not only essential that such n department should exist in time of war ; for , believe me , there are matters sufficient for a very large department even in times of tho most profound pence . { Lovd cJicera . ") I was accused of applying too stonily to reform during a period of exuding wnr ; but the fact was I found wo could not carry on the wur without the reform , nnd I determined , whatever tho risk , to accomplish tho change You will rcadil } believe the necessity of this when I tell you thnt , till

    ¦ within a year and a few months , tfie Commander-xn-Chief had only the cavalry and the infantry under Ks charge . With the artillery he had nothing- to do , and they were placed beside him on the field or in some camp adjoining . I have , with the consent of my colleagues , placed the artillery and engineers bt this country , as they ought to be , under the immediate command of the Commander-in-Chief . ( A pplausn . ) .... I will answer for it that , should due necessity arise , we could embark any number of soldiers this country may be called upon to provide , complete in all their equipments , ten days after the order had been given . " ( Loud cheers . ")

    The other chief speech of the evening was that of Mr . T . Steere , Untied States consul , who made some remarks on the good effects of reciprocal free trade , and on the admirable effects of-an untrammelled press . On the latter subject , he observed : — " He must be a superficial reasoner indeed who does not perceive , wrapt in the thunders of the Timts , and the genial humour and flowing wit of Punch , principle and philosophy which is continually carrying them , as well as others , along towards a higher appreciation of truth , of others' riglts , and universal justice , toward the aim and end of the press , the diffusion of truth , and the cultivation and advocacy of true manners and morals , and public virtue in society and government . " ( Cheers . ")

    Accidents And Sudden" Deaths. A Mr. Edwa...

    ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN" DEATHS . A Mr . Edwabd Freeman , a retired tradesman , about fifty years of age , died suddenly at the North and South American Coffeehouse , Tlireadneedle-street . There appeared to be some chest disturbance , and it was stated , at the inquest that Mr . Freeman ' s fa ther had died ra a similar way . A verdict of Natural Death was returned . An inquest has been held on the bodies of the four men who were recently killed at one of the Blaenavon . coalmines . There had been a fire ¦ in , the pit ; water was poured down to quench it ; the air was thus turned back into the pit , and "became unfit to breathe ; and subsequently a dam was put up across the drift , so as to keep the water in . The men were warned not to go into that part of the pit ; but four of them disregarded the caution , and paid the penalty witli their lives . The man at whose suggestion the dam was put up was among those who were killed .. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death . A dreadful death has happened in the White Abbeysawmills , Bradford . William Ellis , a sawyer , descended to the shafting with a lamp on Fxiday week , for the purpose of putting on a belt . He was surprised to observe a man named Mitchell , who had do business there , rise from a heap of sawdust where lie had apparently been sleeping , and attempt to get out of sight . Iu so doing he stepped upon the boxing at the base of the unfenced horizontal shaft , which was revolving with great

    rapidity ; his apron was instantly caught ; he was whirled round with an awful velocity , and at eacli revolution of the shaft his body struck against a large wooden pillar only eleven inches and a half distant . The engines were stopped in two minutes ; but , when the workmen proceeded to the place , the remains of the man presented a sad spectacle . Nearly every bone in his body was broken , his head was shattered in pieces , and his brains bespattered the adjacent machinery . It iB thought he was skulking from his work .

    The driver of a Walthamstow omnibus was charged at Worship-street with having caused the death of a woman named Carroll , by running liis vehicle over her body as she lay prostrate . A gentleman living at Walthamstow was riding home on tho box of the omnibus , between four and five o ' clock in the a ternoon , and they had reached the end of the Hackney-road , when they saw something black fall just in front of the horses , and af terwards felt the wheels jerk abruptly over some thick substance . It being nearly dark at the time , they could not at first distinguish what it was ; but the driver immediately drew up , and tliey then perceived that it was the body of a woman , "who was still alive , but fearfully injured . She was at once taken to the London Hospital , and surgical aid was sent for as quickly as possible ; but tho poor creature died befo * e she could be got to tlie hospital . The omnibus man

    went to the Btation shortly after to make inquiries about her , and on being told the result he seemed greatly affected , and expressed much regret , saying ho had no conductor with him at the time or lie should have surrendered at once . Tho account he gave of the occurrence was , that a cabjwas going in the opposite direction , to his , and that tho woman , hi stepping hack and trying to save herself from tho cab , got confused and placed lierself before his leader , which knocked her down , jumped and sprang forward , and tho wheels wont clear over her body before lie had time to pull up and prevent it . A paa-Bcngcr in the omnibus at the time of the occurrence p ; avc tho driver , whom ho had known many years , an excellent character for honesty , sobriety , and general good conduct . Tho magistrate said that , a 3 an inquest would b < held on the body , ho should order tho accused t « entoi into his own recognizances to appear to answer anj charge tliat might bo made agmnat him .

    At tho commencement of hostilities with Iiussio , 11 1854 , mi oM Finland liuhorman , named Romanoff Mena chikon " , underwent impressment into the English nseva scrvico . jind served on board tho llccln , Captain Hall

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 3, 1857, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_03011857/page/3/