The Principality

THE LATE SIR ROBERT PEEL. (From the Daily News, of Tuesday, July 4.) It is impossible to exaggerate the feelings of profound emotion with which the mournful intelligence of the death of Sir Robert Peel was received yesterday in every circle of the metropolis. The sudden and appalling withdrawal from the sphere of which he has been so long the ornament and one of the moving principles* was an event which came home to every hearth, and read a lesson whose moral it is Wholly superfluous to indicate in the trite phraseology of ordinary grief. The resolution arrived at by the House of Commons is in truth but a literal reflex of the sentiment that pervaded the bosom of almost all classes of the people. At first, a feeling of incredulity was created by the startling intelligence; but when this had been removed beyond all doubt, the next very natural desire Was for more ample data than the suddenness of the occurrence had hitherto permitted being made known. In order to satisfy this very excusable anxiety, it will, perhaps, suffice if we embody the leading incidents connected with the calamity in the subjoined condensed narrative, the materials for which have been gathered from sources of unquestionable authen- ticity Sir Robert Peel had called at Buckingham Palace and entered his name in her Majesty's visiting book only a few- minutes before the accident. Proceeding dp Constitution hill, the right hon. baronet had arrived nearly opposite wicket-gate, leading into the Green Park, where he met Miss Ellis, one of Lady Dover's daughters, on horseback, attended by a groom. Sir Robert had scarcely exchanged salutes with this young lady when his horse became slightly restive. He was observed for a moment to sit very un- steadily, rolling from side to side, and the next instant the horse turned sharply round and threw Sir Robert over its head upon his face. Two gentlemen who were close to the spot ran forward and raised the right hon. baronet, holding him in a sitting posture. Dr. Foucart was the third gentle- man to render assistance. He saw the accident from a distance of 150 yards, and hastening forwards reached the spot just as Sir Robert had been raised by the other two gentlemen. Sir Robert, on being raised, groaned very heavily, and in reply to Dr. Foucart's question, as to whe- ther he was much hurt, he replied, Yes—very much," During the few momenta which elapsed before a carriage Was procured, Sir Robert became unconscious, in which state he remained until after he had been assisted into the carriage. He then slightly revived, and, again in reply to Dr. Foucart, said, "I feel better." The carriage was then ordered to drive slowly through the park to Whitehall- gardens, Sir Robert being supported by Dr. Foucart and the two gentlemen who had first raised him from the ground. They had not proceeded more than thirty yards when Sir James Clark met the carriage, and, having heard of the accident, Sir James came tip to see if he could render any assistance. Dr. Foucart requested Sir James to accom- pany him in the carriage to Whitehall, which Sir James consented to. h a few minutes after he had entered the carriage Sir Robert became much excited, and endeavoured to raise himself up, which it was thought necessary to pre- vent. The right hon. baronet then again sank in a state of half unconsciousness, in which he remained until his arrival in Whitehall-gardens. On being lifted out of the carriage he revived, and walked, with assistance, into the house. On entering the mansion, Sir Robert was met by Lady Peel and the members of his family, who had been awaiting his arrival 111 painful anxiety after having received, intelligence of the accident. Lady Peel was overwhelmed with emotion, and would have flung herself upon her husband, had not Sir James Clarke and the other gentlemen in attendance removed her. The effect of the meeting upon Sir Robert Was extremely painful. The right hon. baronet swooned in the arms of Dr. Foucart, and was placed upon a sofa in the nearest apartment (the dining-room). From this apartment Sir Robert was never removed, and so extremely sensitive; to pain did he speedily become, that it was only after very considerable difficulty that he could be vemOved from the sofa to a patent hydraulic bed which had been procured for his use. Sir James Clarke having consulted with Lady Peel,it ,W68 arranged to send at once for Sir Benjamin lirodie and Mr. Csesar Hawkins. Dr. Seymour and Mr, Hodgson, the family physician and surgeon, were also sent for at the same time. e I att njtiiee Sir James Clarke and Dr. Foucart remained in attendance until Mr. Shaw (Sir Benjamin Brodie's assistant) came, i-ived, a a When the former left. At length Sir Benjamin arrived, arid a consultation took place between the whose names are above given. A formidable diiffculty presented itself at the very outset of the case, from the distressing fact that Sir Robert's sufferings were so acute that he would not permit any minute examination of his injuries to be made by the medical men. The slightest touch in the vicinity ,of the injured parts gave him intense agony, and the only manner in which he could be treated, tinder the circumstances, was to assume that the comminuted fracture of the clavicle (which Was evident to the eye, on the right hon. baronet's being undressed) was the only broken bane, and that tiw? ribs Were Uninjured. After, the consultation. it was determined to reduce this fracture, but to the extreme sensibility of the patient, the operation was not completely performed, and at the expiration of a few hours the patient entreated that he might be released from the bandages, and they were Accordingly taken off. During 'Saturday evening, Sir Robert Was permitted to see Lady Peel and the members of his family; but after this time it was thought advisable to exclude all strangers from the apartment, iu order to lessen the probability of subjecting the patient to any degree of excitement. Sir Robert passed restless night on Saturday, his extreme sensibility to touch increasing hourly, and his symptoms altogether becoming l'ory alarming, which at the first, we believe we are correct in stating, some of the medical gentlemen in. attendance did iiot consider them to be. On Sunday evening the patient's Pulse having increased from between 80 and 90, at which it had ranged after the accident, to upwards of 100, it Was deemed necessary to take some blood, with a view of reducing iiiflamation. Twenty leeches were accordingly applied to the left shoulder by Dr. Foucart, and a large quantity of f blood was obtained. There was no positive improvement in the condition of the patient from this operation, and he con- tinued in a very precarious state throughout the whole of San- day and Monday. On Monday night the alarming symptoms Vere greatly increased. About seven o'clock Sir Robert oeeame delirious, and attempted to raise himself up in bed, In this state he continued during the greater part of the Jllght, and at intervals he "became so much exhausted that llis medical attendants several times were' of opinion that he could not survive through the night. In the paroxysms of Ws sufferings, Sir Robert's thoughts were with his eldest and dearest friends, and the names of Hardinge, and Graham, Itlid Bunson, were frequently upon his lips. At four o'clock OJ1 Tuesday morning Sir Robert fell into a sound sleep, in Miicli he continued uninterruptedly until eight o'clock. On Z7 awakingl his mind Was quite composed, and his medical pendants considered him to be much refreshed by the rest he had enjoyed. There was still, however intense cause for aftxiety. From the period of the accident tip to this time (nearly 70 hours), Sir Robert had taken 110 other sustenance than a glass of champagne and the yolk of one egg, beaten which lie was induced with some difficulty to swallow, Medicine had been administered, as a matter of course, b«t throughout the same lengthened period the system had re- gained perfectly inactive. The putse had greatly increased °!1 Tuesday, marking from 112 to 118, aiid becoming very y»'eak. At noon, on Tuesday, Sir Robert expressed himself to be a little easier. This relief was, ttnhappily^ of short Oration, At two o'clock far more dangerous symptoms than which had yet been observed presented themselves. At this time Sir Robert Began to breathe stertorously, and his S(?nses again failed him. He ceased to answer any of the Ideations addressed to him, and appeared to be sinking into a comatose state. Sir Benjamin Brodie who had left the ^lars&ion, was again sent for, and on his arrival agreed with r- Foucart and the other medical gentleman that the case !1oW assumed a most dangerous aspect. The ptilse had very weak, and marked 118, From two o'clock to 8lx o'clock, the change for the worse in the right hon, baronet's jynptouw was progressive, the pulse increasing to ISO, and gradually weaker. Stimulants were administered, ,t kad no apparent effect, and the lyroathixjg b-t- came more and more painful. The relatives were now informed 1. that all the relief medical science could afford was exhausted, 1 and that no hope whatever existed of being able to prolong Sir Robert's life twenty-four hours, The Bishop of Gibraltar ( (the Rev. Dr, Tomlinson), a very old friend of Sir Robert's, ( was now sent for to administer the last offices of the church, 1 On the arrival of the right rev. prelate it was intimated to s Lady Peel and the members ot the family that they might J now, Without risk of increasing the dangerous condition of f the patient, be admitted to the apartment in which he was t lying. In a few moments the whole family was assembled ( in the presence of their beloved relative, whose exhausted I condition, at this time, scarcely enabled him to recognise t their identity, 0 1 It is not the province of the journalist to violate the sane- tity of private feeling, and therefore this portion of our nara- i tive necessarily omits all matters of detail. It is sufficient 1 to say that the lamented sufferer's energies were sufficiently < revived during one period of the interview to enable him to < indentify the features of those beloved ones surrounding his < couch—towards whom he at length extended his faltering 1 hand, and in attitude bespeaking the intensity of his feelings, whispered in a scarcely audible voice—" God bless you!" At the termination of this distressing scene Viscount ] Hardinge, who had arrived at the mansion some time pre- viously, and Sir James Graham, who had been informed of the fatal result anticipated, and had come down to White- hall-gardens, were admitted to the presence of the patient, 1 now rapidly sinking. Both of these distinguished gentle- men Were painfully affected, At nine o'clock Sir Robert had become so exhausted as to be callous to all external expressions. The members, of his family still remained near him with the exception of Lady Peel, whose painfully excited feelings rendered it absolutely necessary to remove her from the apartment. The sufferer's strength was, however, so far exhausted, that although he gave occasional indications of being sensible of their pre- sense, the power of utterance had altogether ceased, and it Soon became evident that his end was rapidly approaching. Sir Robert ceased to exist at nine minutes after eleven o'clock. There were present at,his decease his three brothers —the Dean of Worcester, Colonel Peel, Mr, and Mrs, Lau- retice Peel; three of his soiis-Mr. F. Peel, M.P., Captain W, Peel, R.N., and Mr. Arthur Peel; his son-in-law, Lord Viliters Lord Hardinge, Sir James Graham, and the medi- cal gentlemen in attendance. Sensibility to pain had ceased some time before death, and the last moments of the right ] hon. baronet were not disturbed by any physical suffering, After death an examination of the body was made, when a most important fact was for the first time discovered, "viz., that the fifth rib on the left side was fractured. This was the region where Sir Robert complained of the greatest pain, and there is much reason to fear it was the seat of mortal injury, the broken rib pressing on the lung, and producing what is technically known as effusion and pulmonary en- gorgement. The family were consulted as to their wishes on the sub- ject of a post mortem examination, but both Mr. Frederick Peel and Captain Peel objected to allow the remains to be disturbed in any way, and the precise cause of death will therefore never be ascertained. An application for permis- sion to take a cast of the face, from an eminent sculptor, was also refused, About six o'clock on Friday evening, a plain hearse, drawn by four horses, and followed by a mourning-coach and four, entered Whitehall-gardens. On Hearing the resi- dence of the lamented deceased, a handsome coffin, covered with crimson velvet, was removed from the hearse, and carried on the shoulders of eight men into the mansion. The hearse and mourning-coach presently withdrew into Privy-gardens, where they remained in waiting. At seven o'clock they returned into Whitehall-gardens, and in a very few moments afterwards the coffin, containing the remains of the lamented, deceased, was borne from the mansion through the court-yayd and deposited in the hearse, which I had drawn up at the gates,to receive it. After the coffin had been placed in the hearse, the coach drew ttp and re- ceived Mr, Frederick Peel, St. P., Viscoalit Hardinge, Sir lainps Oratinm. fttld the Ri<>'ht Hon- 11. Crfirtildhtirfi, ,!VT. P. The hearse and coach then proceeded at a slow pace through Whitehall, and up St, Martin's-Iane, in the direction of the North Western Railway Station. The removal was wit- nessed by a large number of persons who had assembled, in Whitehall-gardens, and as the cortege proceeded, the crowd increased, many persons accompanying the procession throughout the whole line of route. 1\11-. Inspector Field, and Sergeant Kendall and Sergeant Thornton, of the De- tective force, and Mr. Inspector Darkin, of the A division, were in attendance;-the three former officers proceeded to Euston-square with the, cortege, Application had been made to the railway authorities to allow the hearse to be placed on a truck and conveyed through to Tamworth, by the mail train. This proceeding is not usual, in consequence of the objection many passengers entertain to travelling on the same train which conveys a deceased person. The Com- pany have carriages for the purpose but, in consequence of a request on the part of the family, Captain Huish, the Manager of theCompany, communicated with Mr.Glyn, M.P., Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the result was, that instructions were given that the hearse should be con- veyed as desired. On the arrival of the cortege at the station, the horses were taken out, and the hearse placed upon a truck, under the direction of Mr. Brooks, the super- intendent of the station. The- truck was subsequently attached to the train, which left train at the usual bour, a quarter to nine o'clock. Viscount Hardinge, Sir James Graham, and Mr, Goulburn, remained until after the de- parture of the train, and then returned home. Mr. Frederick Peel alone accompanied the remains to Tamworth, at which place arrangements had been made to receive them by a local undertaker. Sir Robert Peel's remains arrived at Tamworth on Friday night. Many hundreds of the inhabitants proceeded as early as ten o'clock to the station to await the arrival of the train. When the hearse containing the coffin was taken off the carriage, the assembled multitude took off their hats, and accompanied the procession to the town, many of them going all the way to Drayton Manor, a distance of two miles and a half, which was reached about one o'clock, Mr. Frederick Peel, son, and Mr, Lawrence Peel, brother, accompanied the hearse in a carriage. The funeral took place on Tuesday. Lord Hardinge, Sir James Graham, and Mr, Goulburn were present. The Duke of Wellington was invited. It, was expected that, not only all the in-, habitants of Tamworth, but thotisands of persons would come to witness the funeral ceremony from all parts of the country. The blinds in private houses are drawn down, and the shops partially closed. The churches and chapels are to be hung with black cloth, and funeral sermons preached from all the pulpits. On Friday night the in- habitants met in the Town-hall, to agree on an address of condolence to the fan iy, which was unanimously adopted. The news of the. melancholy intelligence has produced universal grief. In Paris due honour was done to the memory of the deceased. On Friday as soon as the sitting of the Assembly was opened, M, Dupin, who spoke for the first time since his re-election to the presidency, addressed the house in the following words j— At the,momeiit when a neighbouring and friendly people 18 deploring the loss which it has just suffered of one of its statesmen most deserving of regret, I think that it will do honour to the French tribune to echo from it in this Assem- bly the expression of our sympathetic regrets, and to manifest onr high esteem for that eminent orator, who, throughout the course of his long and glorious earner, haai never enter- tained any other feelings but those of justice and benevo- lence for France, nor made use of any other expressions than these of courtesy towards her government (cheers.) If the assembly deign to approve my proposal, mention shall be made of it on the proems verbal. (Unanimous marks of adhe&ion). (From the Lallcd,} Before the fatal accident which befel the tmiversally de- plored Sir Robert Peel, the right hon, baronet had not been in his usual health. For t1 week or two he had foofeed un- usually pale and languid j but on the occasion of his speech in the debate on the foreign policy of the Government, de- livered oil the morning of the ftil itiltil-Y, lie looked well and vigorous. There is no truth in the story of an epileptic e e st a! fit. The fall was accidental, and the subsequent insensibility was doubtless caused entirely by the shock of the injury. We have the best authority for stating, that Sir Robert Peel never in his life had a symptom which indicated any affection of brain- It was found that there was a comminuted fracture of the left clavicle, with considerable swelling from the first, Which, together with the excruciating pain of the whole shonlder, rendered a minute examination extremely difficult, A swelling as large as the hand might cover subsequently formed below the fractured clavicle, which pulsated to the touch synchronously with the action of the heart. When examined carefully by the eye, it was found that the move- ment of this tumour corresponded with the contractions of the auricle, and was, in some respects, similar to the pulsa- tioiis observed in the veins of the neck in very thin persons, and in certain forms of venous regurgitation. It was evident from these signs that some vein beneath the clavicle, probably the subclavian, had been wounded by the broken bone at the time of the fall, and that the subclavicular swelling consisted of blood effused from the wounded vessel. It was also evi- dent that the swelling was in this way connected with the heart, forming what might be called a diffused false venous aneurism. This is all that could be ascertained positively. Sir Robert Peel was well known to be of a gouty habit, and he was at all times extremely sensitive to physical pain. His sufferings during the whole of his brief illness were of the most agonizing kind. This might have arisen from the lace- ration of some of the nerves converging beneath the collar- bone; to form the auxiliary plexus—a complication which, as is well known, sometimes occurs from severe fractures in this situation, After death, one or two of the ribs on the left side were found to be fractured which had not been detected during life.