Page:New Yorker Obituary.pdf/3

 ", Oct. 16, 1838.


 * * * "Here I would gladly close my letter; but alas! alas!—I feel it my painful duty to record the awfully sudden death of poor Mrs. Maclean—not occasioned by any sickness peculiar to this climate, her general health having been very good from the day she landed until yesterday morning, when she was found dead in her room, lying close to the door, having in her hand a bottle which had contained prussic acid, a portion of which she had taken, (as was prepared by the surgeon,) the remainder being spilt on the floor. She had been seen a short time before, in apparent good health and spirits. A letter was found, which she had written to a friend in Scotland, dated the same morning, in which she expresses herself satisﬁed and pleased with Cape Coast and its inhabitants, and as finding every thing here much better than she had expected. (She told me the same eight or ten days ago, or thereabouts.) On the body being thus found, a jury was immediately summoned, composed of the European merchants of the town, (I was not among them,) and the nature of the evidence given was such as they considered would authorise them to give a verdict to the following effect:-—‘It is thought that she was seized with spasms in the stomach, (with which she was often troubled, being subject to them,) and took an over-dose of prussic acid, as she was found dead on the floor of her bed-room, close to the door, with the small bottle in her hand. It is supposed that she took an over-dose, which killed her.' Mr. M. had been very ill with the same complaint, (the spasms,) while she only felt them for a short time at once, not enough to make her ill. Indeed, whenever I have seen her, which was often, she always appeared in high health and spirits. We all deeply deplore the event. She was a person of an amiable disposition. To me she was very kind, especially during my late illness, in sending me any little thing (such as dried fruit, &c.) which I stood in need of. I fondly hoped she would have been spared; for though her literary pursuits would most probably have hindered her from paying much attention to our poor degraded Fantee females, yet even the presence of an European lady is of vast importance in this place. I have dwelt longer than I ought, perhaps, on this melancholy catastrophe, because I feared lest it should operate injuriously on the minds of any missionaries, or their wives, whom the Committee may intend to send to this station."

Since writing the above, a report of the inquest held upon the body of the unfortunate lady has been received, which we subjoin, abridged from the morning papers. The suggestions, observations and inferences which appear in the report are also copied from those journals—we of ourselves knowing nothing of any circumstance connected with the melancholy catastrophe, beyond that which has been published through the same medium: