103. | 
of his hut, and the fmallnefs of the entrance, 
was under the neceflity of crawling in head 
foremoft; he woutd then move round, and 
lay himfelf down, and place his feet againtt 
the little defence he had to the entrance: 
this rendered it very difficult to get in upon 
him, and therefore it is prefumed the long 
hooked ftick was put in to get hold of his 
head or mouth, and thereby turn his head 
and body round that they might drag him 
out; for, when found, his head was towards 
the cave in lieu of his feet.—-On the whole, 
the fraGure of his jaw-bone, and the confe- 
quent extravafation of blood, was, in the 
opinion of a refpe€table furgeon, who went 
into the wood to fee the corpfe, the caufe of 
his death. Coroner’s inqueft: Wilful murder 
againft fome perfon or perfons unknown. 
An imnienfe number of men, women and 
children, among whom were feveral of the 
moft refpectable inhabitants of the parith, 
(who had known and refpeéted the deceafed 
in his life-time) followed the corpfe (after 
his daughter and her hufband) to the place of 
interment, the chapel-ground at Dulwich. 
Three Gypfies have been fince apprehended, 
and committed for trial, on fufpicion of being 
concerned in the above fhocking murder. The 
eccentricities of the above unfortunate old 
man have, for a number of years paft, been 
the fubje& of mirth, to thofe who have. vi- 
fited Norwood and its vicinity. Upwards of 
twenty-eight years ago, he obtained leave of 
the Governors of Dulwich College, to form 
himfeif a dwelling on their ground, in the 
neighbourhood of Sydenham-common and 
Dulwich-wood, This dwelling, which was 
the child of his own fancy, was far fecluded 
from any other, and confifted of an excavation 
in the earth, thatched in with fern, under- 
wood, &c. In this cave, or hermitage, he 
lived for a feries of years—his daily employ - 
ment being to work in the gardens of the 
neighbouring gentry, by whom, from the 
fimplicity of his manners, he was much 
liked. He always returned to his cave to 
fleep ; and, on Sundays, ufed to fell beer, 
make tea, &c. to fuch as curiofity might 
lead to vifit his cell, of whom, in the fum- 
_ mer, there were many. About five or fix years 
ago, fome villains broke into his cave, beat 
him cruelly, and robbed him of twelve fhii- 
lings. After this he deferted his abode, and 
flept in the hay-lofts, ftables, &c. of thofe 
with whom he had been at work. Drawn, 
however, by fome ftrange impulfe to his 
‘former mode of life, he returned to his cave; 
after which he altered the conftrustion of it, 
digging it with a mouth, refembling an oven, 
into which he had juft room to crawl. 
On Tuefday, Nov. 16, fixdays before the 
veffel (in which he was failing to Italy for 
the recovery of his health) reached the port 
of Leghorn, Robert Cappe, M. D. of York, 
in the 3rft year of his age.—-The eminence 
to which he had attained in his profetlion, at 
Dr. R. Cappe—Mr. Fi Girtin 83 
this early period of life, fully juftified the 
expe€tations which had been raifed by the 
honours conferred upon him in London and in 
Edinburgh, and afforded the ftrongeft additio- 
nal teftimony to his talents and his acquire- 
ments. The coolnefs and difcrimination 
which he difcovered in the inveftigation of 
difeafe, and the uniform delicacy, yet firm- 
nefs, of his conduét, when called to aét with 
others of the fame profeflion, commatded 
their refpe&t and efteem ; while the fuccefs 
which fo generally attended his fkilful and, 
judicious treatment of difeafe, produced an 
unlimited confidence, highly favourable to 
the repofe and recovery of his patient; and 
his kind and unwearied affiduities excited 
not merely the gratitude, but the affe@tion, of 
thofe who fubmitted themfelves to his cares 
He never entered the fick-chamber but the 
countenance of the fufferer was enlivened 
with hope: he never left it, but the heart of 
the patient expanded with emotions of thank- 
fulnefs and efteem. Towards the poor, his 
humanity was unbounded; and the gratui- 
tous fervices which he devoted to them, 
were performed with as much zeal, and as 
much cheerfulnefs, as thofe which were pur- 
cnafed by the mott rich and elevated Such 
was he in his profeffional charater. In pri- 
vate life, his manners were mild and amiable3 
yet, upon every proper occafion, his conduct 
was marked by vigour and decifion. His con 
verfation was uniformly cheerful, and fre- 
quently enriched by an unafluming difplay of 
very extenfive information. His aétive mind, 
aided by uncommon induftry, had gone far 
beyond the limits of medical fcience, and 
exercifed itfelf, with very confiderable fuccefs, 
upon fuojeéts of general knowledge, €afte, 
and literature: yet he was fo unaflefedly 
modeft, fo utterly a ftranger to every oftentae 
tious wifh, that, although in his fociety the 
wifeft might be inftruéted, the moft ignorant 
were never made to feel their inferiority. 
To thofe who enjoyed his friendfhip, he was 
moft affeétionate and fincere—to all with 
whom he was connected in the common in- 
tercourfe of life, he difplayed an afability 
and politenefs, which were in him the fure 
indications of a virtuous and benevolent hearte 
A more irreproachable, a more ufeful life, 
few ever pafled ; and few will ever die more 
juftly, and fincerely lamented. 
At Mr. Norman’s, piéture-frame maker, 
in the Strand, Mr. F. Girtin, a young artift 
of moft promifing and uncommon talents. 
He was born onthe 18th or February, 179735 
and died on the gth of November, 1802, 
His complaint was an afthma, with which he 
was afflicted for many years, and bis illnefs 
was very painful; but though of fo long 
continuance, he bore it with manly fortitude 
and a fhort time before his death, he faid, 
when Dr. Monro once attended him, ‘* I do 
not care what you do with me, if you will 
only put mein fuch a way that 1 can continue 
neg to 
