On the 14th the Directors and their legal advisers met for thereading of the report, with closed doors. These were the termsin which the Commissioners related the results of their inquiry:'Private and confidential.

'We have the honour to inform our Directors that we arrived in Veniceon December 6, 1860. On the same day we proceeded to the palaceinhabited by Lord Montbarry at the time of his last illness and death.

'We were received with all possible courtesy by Lady Montbarry's brother,Baron Rivar. "My sister was her husband's only attendant throughouthis illness," the Baron informed us. "She is overwhelmed by griefand fatigue--or she would have been here to receive you personally.What are your wishes, gentlemen? and what can I do for you in herladyship's place?"

'In accordance with our instructions, we answered that the deathand burial of Lord Montbarry abroad made it desirable to obtain morecomplete information relating to his illness, and to the circumstanceswhich had attended it, than could be conveyed in writing.We explained that the law provided for the lapse of a certaininterval of time before the payment of the sum assured, and weexpressed our wish to conduct the inquiry with the most respectfulconsideration for her ladyship's feelings, and for the convenienceof any other members of the family inhabiting the house.

'To this the Baron replied, "I am the only member of the familyliving here, and I and the palace are entirely at your disposal."From first to last we found this gentleman perfectly straighforward,and most amiably willing to assist us.

'With the one exception of her ladyship's room, we went overthe whole of the palace the same day. It is an immense placeonly partially furnished. The first floor and part of the secondfloor were the portions of it that had been inhabited by LordMontbarry and the members of the household. We saw the bedchamber,at one extremity of the palace, in which his lordship died,and the small room communicating with it, which he used as a study.Next to this was a large apartment or hall, the doors of whichhe habitually kept locked, his object being (as we were informed)to pursue his studies uninterruptedly in perfect solitude.On the other side of the large hall were the bedchamber occupiedby her ladyship, and the dressing-room in which the maid sleptprevious to her departure for England. Beyond these were the diningand reception rooms, opening into an antechamber, which gave accessto the grand staircase of the palace.

'The only inhabited rooms on the second floor were the sitting-roomand bedroom occupied by Baron Rivar, and another room at somedistance from it, which had been the bedroom of the courier Ferrari.

'The rooms on the third floor and on the basement werecompletely unfurnished, and in a condition of great neglect.We inquired if there was anything to be seen below the basement--and we were at once informed that there were vaults beneath,which we were at perfect liberty to visit.

'We went down, so as to leave no part of the palace unexplored.The vaults were, it was believed, used as dungeons in the old times--say, some centuries since. Air and light were only partially admittedto these dismal places by two long shafts of winding construction,which communicated with the back yard of the palace, and the openingsof which, high above the ground, were protected by iron gratings.The stone stairs leading down into the vaults could be closed atwill by a heavy trap-door in the back hall, which we found open.The Baron himself led the way down the stairs. We remarked that it mightbe awkward if that trap-door fell down and closed the opening behind us.The Baron smiled at the idea. "Don't be alarmed, gentlemen," he said;"the door is safe. I had an interest in seeing to it myself,when we first inhabited the palace. My favourite study is the studyof experimental chemistry--and my workshop, since we have been in Venice,is down here."

'These last words explained a curious smell in the vaults,which we noticed the moment we entered them. We can only describethe smell by saying that it was of a twofold sort--faintly aromatic,as it were, in its first effect, but with some after-odour verysickening in our nostrils. The Baron's furnaces and retorts,and other things, were all there to speak for themselves,together with some packages of chemicals, having the name and addressof the person who had supplied them plainly visible on their labels."Not a pleasant place for study," Baron Rivar observed, "but my sisteris timid. She has a horror of chemical smells and explosions--and she has banished me to these lower regions, so that my experimentsmay neither be smelt nor heard." He held out his hands, on which wehad noticed that he wore gloves in the house. "Accidents willhappen sometimes," he said, "no matter how careful a man may be.I burnt my hands severely in trying a new combination the other day,and they are only recovering now."

'We mention these otherwise unimportant incidents, in order to showthat our exploration of the palace was not impeded by any attemptat concealment. We were even admitted to her ladyship's own room--on a subsequent occasion, when she went out to take the air.Our instructions recommended us to examine his lordship's residence,because the extreme privacy of his life at Venice, and theremarkable departure of the only two servants in the house,might have some suspicious connection with the nature of his death.We found nothing to justify suspicion.

'As to his lordship's retired way of life, we have conversed onthe subject with the consul and the banker--the only two strangerswho held any communication with him. He called once at the bankto obtain money on his letter of credit, and excused himself fromaccepting an invitation to visit the banker at his private residence,on the ground of delicate health. His lordship wrote to the sameeffect on sending his card to the consul, to excuse himselffrom personally returning that gentleman's visit to the palace.We have seen the letter, and we beg to offer the following copy of it."Many years passed in India have injured my constitution.I have ceased to go into society; the one occupation of my lifenow is the study of Oriental literature. The air of Italy is betterfor me than the air of England, or I should never have left home.Pray accept the apologies of a student and an invalid. The activepart of my life is at an end." The self-seclusion of his lordshipseems to us to be explained in these brief lines. We have not,however, on that account spared our inquiries in other directions.Nothing to excite a suspicion of anything wrong has come toour knowledge.

'As to the departure of the lady's maid, we have seen the woman'sreceipt for her wages, in which it is expressly stated that sheleft Lady Montbarry's service because she disliked the Continent,and wished to get back to her own country. This is not anuncommon result of taking English servants to foreign parts.Lady Montbarry has informed us that she abstained from engaginganother maid in consequence of the extreme dislike which his lordshipexpressed to having strangers in the house, in the state of his healthat that time.

'The disappearance of the courier Ferrari is, in itself,unquestionably a suspicious circumstance. Neither her ladyship northe Baron can explain it; and no investigation that we could makehas thrown the smallest light on this event, or has justified us inassociating it, directly or indirectly, with the object of our inquiry.We have even gone the length of examining the portmanteau whichFerrari left behind him. It contains nothing but clothes and linen--no money, and not even a scrap of paper in the pockets of the clothes.The portmanteau remains in charge of the police.

'We have also found opportunities of speaking privately to the oldwoman who attends to the rooms occupied by her ladyship and the Baron.She was recommended to fill this situation by the keeper of the restaurantwho has supplied the meals to the family throughout the periodof their residence at the palace. Her character is most favourablyspoken of. Unfortunately, her limited intelligence makes her of novalue as a witness. We were patient and careful in questioning her,and we found her perfectly willing to answer us; but we couldelicit nothing which is worth including in the present report.

'On the second day of our inquiries, we had the honour of an interviewwith Lady Montbarry. Her ladyship looked miserably worn and ill,and seemed to be quite at a loss to understand what we wanted with her.Baron Rivar, who introduced us, explained the nature of our errandin Venice, and took pains to assure her that it was a purely formal dutyon which we were engaged. Having satisfied her ladyship on this point,he discreetly left the room.

'The questions which we addressed to Lady Montbarry related mainly,of course, to his lordship's illness. The answers, given with greatnervousness of manner, but without the slightest appearance of reserve,informed us of the facts that follow:

'Lord Montbarry had been out of order for some time past--nervous and irritable. He first complained of having taken cold onNovember 13 last; he passed a wakeful and feverish night, and remainedin bed the next day. Her ladyship proposed sending for medical advice.He refused to allow her to do this, saying that he could quite easilybe his own doctor in such a trifling matter as a cold. Some hot lemonadewas made at his request, with a view to producing perspiration.Lady Montbarry's maid having left her at that time, the courier Ferrari(then the only servant in the house) went out to buy the lemons.Her ladyship made the drink with her own hands. It was successfulin producing perspiration--and Lord Montbarry had some hours ofsleep afterwards. Later in the day, having need of Ferrari's services,Lady Montbarry rang for him. The bell was not answered.Baron Rivar searched for the man, in the palace and out of it, in vain.From that time forth not a trace of Ferrari could be discovered.This happened on November 14.

'On the night of the 14th, the feverish symptoms accompanying hislordship's cold returned. They were in part perhaps attributable tothe annoyance and alarm caused by Ferrari's mysterious disappearance.It had been impossible to conceal the circumstance, as his lordshiprang repeatedly for the courier; insisting that the man shouldrelieve Lady Montbarry and the Baron by taking their places duringthe night at his bedside.

'On the 15th (the day on which the old woman first cameto do the housework), his lordship complained of sore throat,and of a feeling of oppression on the chest. On this day,and again on the 16th, her ladyship and the Baron entreated himto see a doctor. He still refused. "I don't want strange facesabout me; my cold will run its course, in spite of the doctor,"--that was his answer. On the 17th he was so much worse that itwas decided to send for medical help whether he liked it or not.Baron Rivar, after inquiry at the consul's, secured the servicesof Doctor Bruno, well known as an eminent physician in Venice;with the additional recommendation of having resided in England,and having made himself acquainted with English forms ofmedical practice.

'Thus far our account of his lordship's illness has been derivedfrom statements made by Lady Montbarry. The narrative will now bemost fitly continued in the language of the doctor's own report,herewith subjoined.

'"My medical diary informs me that I first saw the English Lord Montbarry,on November 17. He was suffering from a sharp attack of bronchitis.Some precious time had been lost, through his obstinate objectionto the presence of a medical man at his bedside. Generally speaking,he appeared to be in a delicate state of health. His nervoussystem was out of order--he was at once timid and contradictory.When I spoke to him in English, he answered in Italian;and when I tried him in Italian, he went back to English.It mattered little--the malady had already made such progressthat he could only speak a few words at a time, and those ina whisper.

'"I at once applied the necessary remedies. Copies of my prescriptions(with translation into English) accompany the present statement,and are left to speak for themselves.

'"For the next three days I was in constant attendance on my patient.He answered to the remedies employed--improving slowly, but decidedly.I could conscientiously assure Lady Montbarry that no danger wasto be apprehended thus far. She was indeed a most devoted wife.I vainly endeavoured to induce her to accept the services of acompetent nurse; she would allow nobody to attend on her husbandbut herself. Night and day this estimable woman was at his bedside.In her brief intervals of repose, her brother watched the sick manin her place. This brother was, I must say, very good company,in the intervals when we had time for a little talk. He dabbledin chemistry, down in the horrid under-water vaults of the palace;and he wanted to show me some of his experiments. I have enough ofchemistry in writing prescriptions--and I declined. He took it quitegood-humouredly.

'"I am straying away from my subject. Let me return to the sick lord.

'"Up to the 20th, then, things went well enough. I was quiteunprepared for the disastrous change that showed itself,when I paid Lord Montbarry my morning visit on the 21st.He had relapsed, and seriously relapsed. Examining him to discoverthe cause, I found symptoms of pneumonia--that is to say,in unmedical language, inflammation of the substance of the lungs.He breathed with difficulty, and was only partially able to relievehimself by coughing. I made the strictest inquiries, and was assuredthat his medicine had been administered as carefully as usual,and that he had not been exposed to any changes of temperature.It was with great reluctance that I added to Lady Montbarry's distress;but I felt bound, when she suggested a consultation withanother physician, to own that I too thought there was really needfor it.

'"Her ladyship instructed me to spare no expense, and to get the bestmedical opinion in Italy. The best opinion was happily within our reach.The first and foremost of Italian physicians is Torello of Padua.I sent a special messenger for the great man. He arrived on the eveningof the 21 st, and confirmed my opinion that pneumonia had set in,and that our patient's life was in danger. I told him what my treatmentof the case had been, and he approved of it in every particular.He made some valuable suggestions, and (at Lady Montbarry'sexpress request) he consented to defer his return to Padua untilthe following morning.

'"We both saw the patient at intervals in the course of the night.The disease, steadily advancing, set our utmost resistance at defiance.In the morning Doctor Torello took his leave. 'I can be of nofurther use,' he said to me. 'The man is past all help--and he oughtto know it.'

'"Later in the day I warned my lord, as gently as I could,that his time had come. I am informed that there are serious reasonsfor my stating what passed between us on this occasion, in detail,and without any reserve. I comply with the request.

'"Lord Montbarry received the intelligence of his approaching deathwith becoming composure, but with a certain doubt. He signed to meto put my ear to his mouth. He whispered faintly, 'Are you sure?'It was no time to deceive him; I said, 'Positively sure.'He waited a little, gasping for breath, and then he whispered again,'Feel under my pillow.' I found under his pillow a letter,sealed and stamped, ready for the post. His next words were justaudible and no more--'Post it yourself.' I answered, of course,that I would do so--and I did post the letter with my own hand.I looked at the address. It was directed to a lady in London.The street I cannot remember. The name I can perfectly recall:it was an Italian name--'Mrs. Ferrari.'

'"That night my lord nearly died of asphyxia. I got him through itfor the time; and his eyes showed that he understood me when I told him,the next morning, that I had posted the letter. This was his lasteffort of consciousness. When I saw him again he was sunk in apathy.He lingered in a state of insensibility, supported by stimulants,until the 25th, and died (unconscious to the last) on the evening ofthat day.

'"As to the cause of his death, it seems (if I may be excused forsaying so) simply absurd to ask the question. Bronchitis, terminatingin pneumonia--there is no more doubt that this, and this only,was the malady of which he expired, than that two and two make four.Doctor Torello's own note of the case is added here to a duplicateof my certificate, in order (as I am informed) to satisfysome English offices in which his lordship's life was insured.The English offices must have been founded by that celebrated saintand doubter, mentioned in the New Testament, whose name was Thomas!"

'Doctor Bruno's evidence ends here.

'Reverting for a moment to our inquiries addressed to Lady Montbarry,we have to report that she can give us no information on the subjectof the letter which the doctor posted at Lord Montbarry's request.When his lordship wrote it? what it contained? why he keptit a secret from Lady Montbarry (and from the Baron also);and why he should write at all to the wife of his courier? theseare questions to which we find it simply impossible to obtainany replies. It seems even useless to say that the matter isopen to suspicion. Suspicion implies conjecture of some kind--and the letter under my lord's pillow baffles all conjecture.Application to Mrs. Ferrari may perhaps clear up the mystery.Her residence in London will be easily discovered at the Italian Couriers'Office, Golden Square.

'Having arrived at the close of the present report, we have nowto draw your attention to the conclusion which is justifiedby the results of our investigation.

'The plain question before our Directors and ourselves appearsto be this: Has the inquiry revealed any extraordinary circumstanceswhich render the death of Lord Montbarry open to suspicion?The inquiry has revealed extraordinary circumstances beyondall doubt--such as the disappearance of Ferrari, the remarkableabsence of the customary establishment of servants in the house,and the mysterious letter which his lordship asked the doctor to post.But where is the proof that any one of these circumstancesis associated--suspiciously and directly associated--with the onlyevent which concerns us, the event of Lord Montbarry's death?In the absence of any such proof, and in the face of the evidenceof two eminent physicians, it is impossible to dispute the statementon the certificate that his lordship died a natural death.We are bound, therefore, to report, that there are no valid grounds forrefusing the payment of the sum for which the late Lord Montbarry's lifewas assured.

'We shall send these lines to you by the post of to-morrow,December 10; leaving time to receive your further instructions(if any), in reply to our telegram of this evening announcingthe conclusion of the inquiry.'