152 ANNUAL REGIS T E R, 1818. [Nov. 



but he objected to all in succes- 

 sion. He ultimately insisted on 

 being allowed to go to bed, with- 

 out making an attempt to produce 

 relief, upon the ground that he 

 felt he must have a wretched 

 night ; and that if he were to use 

 medicines, it would only have the 

 effect of taking away all confi- 

 dence from his medical friends. 

 Next morning, witness attended 

 the deceased, with Doctors Roget 

 and Babington ; he found him 

 considerably altered — his skin, 

 which Ihe night before was quite 

 dry, was then bedewed with 

 moisture. His mind appeared 

 much better, and he seemed more 

 free from bodily agitation. He 

 was remarkably concise in his 

 answers to all questions, and 

 uttered nothing from v/hence any 

 thing very unfavourable cpuld be 

 deduced as to the state of his 

 mind. On the contrary, from all 

 that v/itness and the other medical 

 gentlemen could learn, it was 

 evident that there had been in- 

 creased and violent agitation of 

 the body in the night. From the 

 tranquillity of mind he appeared 

 to enjoy in the early part of the 

 night. Dr. Roget thought he had 

 had some hours of sleep, but 

 upon inquiry, the deceased him- 

 self declared he had none. Wit- 

 ness thought it was impossible to 

 say to what consequences such a 

 state as that in which he had 

 found Sir Samuel might lead a 

 man ; but knowing him so well, 

 and relying with such firmness 

 upon his mind, he never could 

 foresee the probability of the de- 

 ceased being led to the commis- 

 sion of such an act. Such a 

 catastrophe never occurred to his 

 Miiml, but he nevertheless con- 



templated the symptom of his 

 disorder with great alarm. 



William Babington, M. D. of 

 Aldermanbury, said he was sent 

 for to attend at the house of Sir 

 Samuel Romilly, in consequence 

 of an urgent note he had received 

 from Dr. Marcet. He arrived 

 between 10 and 11 o'clock. Pre- 

 viously to his going up to the 

 room of Sir S. Romiliy, he had 

 learned from Drs. Marcet and 

 Roget all that had antecedently 

 occurred ; his visit to Sir Samuel 

 was therefore short, and he found 

 him in a situation corresponding 

 exactly with the account he had 

 heard. He had however a few 

 questions to ask Sir Samuel, and 

 those he answered with perfect 

 distinctiicss, although he appear- 

 ed thoughtful and reserved. He 

 expressed to him his hopes, that 

 from the change which had taken 

 place in his situation, more 

 especially the apparent quietude 

 he had enjoyed in the night, and 

 the perspiration he was under, 

 that he would recover. He hoped 

 a still further improvement would 

 be manifested in the evening, 

 when they would again visit him. 

 Witness had applied his mind to 

 a consideration, whether the cir- 

 cumstances of Sir Samuel Ro- 

 milly's health and the state of his 

 family — of his wife's decease, and 

 the anguish this gave him — his 

 unbroken rest — his own health 

 and feverish state, together with 

 all that had been related to him 

 in the house, by his friends and 

 relations, v/ould lead to derange- 

 ment ; and was of opinion that, 

 under all these sufferings, he must 

 have been in a state of mental 

 distraction. 



The Coroner summed up the 

 evidence, 



