The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1820-01-07 00:00:00

AN EXTRIORMVARY CA I Sk OF LUNACY.. A- very eztraardina►y case of lunacy recently rrecarred in a village in the West of England, which. from the violent character of the proceetlingv con nected with it. and the great fa:stene, political in flamer. and respecsallitity el - 11k T4E - it% has caused vouch conversation among all ctn.«. of peo ple. There are many, indeed, wins do not scruple ;tar affirm, that the CotniiiissCOn was procured by very artswArrantalde means, to gratify a certain private pirlue, and that the mitry were induced to•hriurin yuditt of Lariat, at• the illlll,lllCe of a set of designing &Howl., Who, from having some i. ~oericr with the Lord of the Manor, think in • brow-beat the whole village,. sod have s it is feared, conspired together in the present instance, for the purpose of Utitaining the custody of the unfortunate lunatic's person and estate. The circurnstances of the case are in themselves so singelar, and the characters of the person+ comprising this little coterie so question. t.b!r, that the greatest pubhcity ought-to be given to both. The Lord of the Manor is a very worthy Gentle matt, and, although he lives very retired, is con fessedly one of the most accotnplashed men in Eng- , :and. Those who know hem best love him most.' end there is not a Man in the - manor who would not he glad to hay down his life far the service of the . Lord ; but it is the custom of the manor that the. Lord should resign the entire management of the estate to a number of stewards. and to this is at leihuical a want of humanity and of attention to the interests .01 the poorer order of the tenant% which is attended with the worst consequences, and makes. many of them very discontented. The little club we have already Noticed con sists of these stewards. Their conduct has in many instances disgusted the tenants, whom they keep at a rack rent, and continually harass for money. until they have reduced many of them from affluence to poverty. The head steward is a Mr. ✓entry, a very plausible f►ir-spoken man, who his the u►anugement of the money matters; lie is assisted by a little old gentleman, whose duty is to regulate the amount of the rents, and receive them, and to take care that his master's t:►ble is well supplied—the interests of his debts kept down, and that there is money enough to pay all the expenses of the house and estate; but while Ise is busy in collecting the money o► the one hand, Isis fellow stewards are Still more industrious in spending it on the other, so that bis labour seems to be as vain as that of the young ladies, who we are told in ancient story, were condemned in hell to fill a sieve with water. The Seneschal of the minor was in his youth a lawyer, and having snent a large portion of his life amidst the quibbles e' the law, is very ill fitted for the management of a Large, estate. • When he ventures upon this point Is. commits many egregious blunders, but he gives general satisfaction to the suitors of the manor court by his inflexible integrity, and the extent of h legal knowledge. ~ r •. The moot prominent character among them. however, is a fellow commonly known by the name .)t Fighting Bob. This man was the son of a Toy r.•prct:ible old lady io the west, and in his youth dtviayed a noble spirit and much honourable am luoion. so that his old moihrr smiled upon the boy maternal folidne4o, und her friends cungrstu- I her upon a son who would crown her old age with respect and honour. But he unfortunately fell in with some sharpers who corrupted his mind, and he soon became one of the worst of the whole gaog. To gratify his bad passions, lie squandered I is parent's property, and then wheedled and cheated I er trio a very disadvantageous match with an old gv,i;enrin in the neighbourhood, one Mr. Bull, svi,o prinnit , ed on the marriage !o adopt Bob. lady would not consent to the union, so •br was dragged to the altar, and though she still lingers on a miserable existence, tier bosom bears t:int ks of the violence that was used:-her spirit, before this event was daily rising, has been bee.ten down, and her heart is almost broken, but her hopeful son, sot, has been adopted by the old cud still pursues hit old courses. He has very much displeased his step-father lately, by Lic e mtravagance; forin tome visits which he lately made to Vienna, Aix-la-Clispelle, and Paris (who but Bub 9 ) be mouldered immense sums, nobody knows how, in company with some groat swells that lie met there, and who probably cheated him, and he brought home nothing for his money and some esten , ive estate~ in the West Indies, but • few sattif buses. which he says on his chimney-piece, tither tot. anew, or is • memento of his folly. Bob mice set up for a slowing:ft. but at a fair be met with a Merry Andrew on a neighbouring stage, who Laving more - wit and humour, was drawing off all customers. Bob grew angry, but the jester laingbrit at him, and said lie was tot fit for a show woo. §o Bub chal!trized the Merry Andrew to box, and had rather tilt - boner of it in the scratch. Soon afterwards. liar:Tist, they met again, sod made up iiirsr•ibtferenctwover a pot of porter, and agreed to jute Comicirty v iri ruture. By Bois's in tegre& ,/,,draw obtained-. 4' place from the Lord of 511! Nlanur. Fie ! was tirsta little awkward io his s ituation. (pr ist every tura lie met souse person iir•uwit forriletly to . ridicule ; but he was Bieber much trirubled • with anikruise Amite. itto he brouuril it out, awl eltitiougli be Rill iffains a . vil• 1,4 • . • • •At •fr 1 . • -. .6 ' ' ' 1 0 • p,! CSNL lainous trick of grinning and jesting, he hu the good sense to limp his mouth straight, r whenoey of ' his new friends .fleapt do speak, or in . uoy sailer Ivey contrive to make themselves ridiculous. I Now them was a very respectable nsaileman in the village, of a diaposition somewhat testy, who frequently. betatne very angry at the conduct of these Stew:iris, reproached them Sn every company with ignorance and extravagimer, and even some times gave them hard knocks with bis cane when ever any of them happened to fall in his way. He undoubtedly displayrdon sense occasions great in• losriperosiee. for wiiich, by the custom of the manor, he miight have been set iw the.slocks ; but the stew aids hari;Oured aping liiin a deadly enmity, and nothing would satisfy their love of vengeance but that this -troublemnie fellow should be declared a fanatic, and be pat into a strait waistcoat. They knew it would be hard to prove the man's insanity, so they pro Cured a certain Doctor, from Sidmouth, who, although he affects to be a regularly bred physician, is reputed -by many to be little better than a mere rack, to make an affidavit of the gen deinaii'a want of understanding, and they counted upon packing a Jasy among the sellouts of the ma nor, who would. take the Doctor ' s word stasofficietit evidence. In their • !minion for the commission, they represented themselves as the next friends of the lonalic, although it . is notorious that they always bore the deadliest sunnily to the unfortunate suf ferer, not merely from the thumps he occasionally dealt them, but from the . impediments he was con stantly throwing in the way of their jots and extra vagatice. The Doctor declared in his af f idavit, that during the last three years he had carefully observed the behaviour, words, and actions, of the lunatic, Mr. Printer, and that he lr•oked upon him to be. per son deprived or his reason in a very great degree. That he had frequently, with great horror, heard him abuse in a very violent manner the seer. sal members of the Stewardry, and even saw him strike them ; that he had heard him speak blas phemy and sedition by the hour, and had even sometimes heard him endeavouring to excite sun dry persons to assault Andrew and Bob. That the lunatic sometimes would amuse himself by writing profane parodies upon the Liturgy, would fancy himself of various hideous shapes, would occasion ally call himself Medusa, and snit his language to this assumed character, and at other times imagine himself a Gorgon, ■rid terrify the beholders with his frightful hi►siugs. The Doctor concluded by expressing his belief that the said Mr. Printer was incapable of governing himself, and ought forth with be put is a strait waistcoat. Upon this affidavit, the writ was issued to in quire into the lunacy, and a very numerous Jury was assembled, but it was remarked that the far greater portion of the Jury consisted of the near friends and connexions of the Petitioners, and would readily do any thing that they required. But the most suspicious part of the proceedings was, that the only evidence submitted to the Jury was the Doctor's affidavit, and this was confirmed, as the Petitioners said, by " the notoriety of Mr. Printer's lunacy." The Commission being opened, Bab rose to ad dress the Jury. Having wiped his eyes, he, in a faultering and sobbing tone, said—" I vow to God that I look upon myself as the most utifortunate of men in being compelled to proceed to such extremi ties with my dear fling,. Mr. Printer ; but those who know roe best will give me credit when! affirm— (Some coughing)..-will give me credit when I affirm —(!'Ties of " Hear, hear," front his friends around him)—th-at, in the present proceedings, I am :actuated ►olely by a strung principle of attic tion.—(Some loughing.)—True it is, that the on. happy subject of this inquiry frequently insulted sod displeased me, and not (infrequently gave me such hard knocks as I could neither parry nor re turn ; but this only *hewed the wholesonte strength of my respected frieud's Constitution, and God forbid that I should retain in auger the recollection of such lively frulics ! But though I and my friend Andreto may cheerfully submit to such playful sallies, can we expect that others will be equally submissive? Besides, the unfortunate Gentleman ha• of late indulged in conversation in the highest degree dangerous, which iasteed could I proceed only from insanity. You have heard from the Doctor's affidavit, that he has indulged in speaking blasphemy and sedition; and though I must admit, that occasionally his conduct is or derly and decorous, and when iu good company his language is pious, temperate, and loyal—yet, when he goes among the working people. he does nothing but tell them that Andrew and I are a very quew pair —(Some laughing)—that our little corps of yeomanry, which we keep up to frighten the crows, is too expenrove—snd that the Parson of the parish dues but little work for his money. This is nothing short of treason and blasphemy. and if you suffer him to go at large. you will be turn ing your backs upon yourselves, the parish will stand prostrate at the feet of the tenants, and you will embark 117101 t a new feature which will become the fUndurnentul essence of your policy.— (Some confusion.)-'-- Heaven knows, however, that what I shall propose is all fur love of Mr. Printer ; for I fear his conduct will bring down upon him the anger of his neigh boars, and cause him some dangerous mischief. ifwe do not inter fere and prevent him has titian% indeed made a questinii among the ils, dm it would not be prudent to prescribe hit walks to him, but this w 45 quickly abandoned. We, therefore, give him perfect liberty—(Cries of 1 0 Hear, Aear"j—only we shall always keep the tatrait waistcoat on hint.—( Loud laughing.).— ' About his body shall he tied a u ig rope, one end it which shall he held by a keeper, who is always p accompany him, and whenever he goes to walk, he shall previously leave a deposit as a security for his good behatiours; shonid he conduct himself im. properly, we propnsr, not that he shall be put to death, but _merely sent to Botany Bay, or some other foreign country. Considering what trouble I have that taken to secur.' my poor friend from incurring the hatred of his neighbours, no body can doubt my warm affection, uud the bitterness of my regret. The worthy Gentleman sit down overpowered by liss feelings, word all hit , friends around him blub bered iii sympstli, In the Jury were fortunately some Gentlemen who happened to be acquainted with poor Mr. Printer, and had watched his conduct and words as atten tively even as the Doctor. They were at first much surprised at !taming their poor friend's misfortune, but could not avoid laughing at Bub's professions and proof of his friendship ! Some of them gave the poor man a good character for sense, piety, loyalty, and discretion; but it was objected that they had only seen him in his lucid intervals, or in good company. They strove hard, however, to save his body from the strait waistcoat, but could succeed only in 'swing him from being sent, at Bob's discretion, to Botany Bay. The Jury final ly rrtnrned a verdict of Lertacy, and the Doctor instantly clapped on the strait waistcoat ; a rope was tied about the poor man's body ; lie is obliged to pay for every word he speaks, and to give secu rity every Inns he walks abroad fur his good be haviour. His neighbours, who loved and respected him notwithstanding his few foibles, now complain that they hate lost their best friend, and execrate those who subjected a worthy man to such severi ties. Mr. Printer's spirit is not vet broken down, arid he looks forward to better days, when his merits will be better understood, and his body be released from the disgraceful fetters with which the mercies of his kind friends have invested him. the moment when the pestilence was at lie will soon fix his head-gMrte►s at before. A few days of very cold weather have sufficed to put sii end to the !Inch within these twenty years has Avaged this part of the south of Spain. The extraordinary contribution for the t spew** of the armament is levied with great rigour at Cadiz, but it is difficult to get it paid, the trade of that city being in a distressing state of stagnation, in. dependent of the yellow fever, which Ira. decimated the ialisbitants. The Isle of Leon is at this mo. , anent very healthy, but part of its population is d gn es i tr i t i ryed. On the ether hand, orders have been that all the transports in the harbour of Cadiz shall be completely equipped as speedily as possible, and ready to receive the troops. New ar rangements have been concluded to increase their number. The first expedition will consist of six thousand men, to reinforce General Morillo ; but however the preparations may be accelerated, it is not expected that it can sail in less than two months. The second expedition, with Count Cal. deron at its head, and his numerous staff, will be composed of sixteen or eighteen thousand men, of all arms. It will not be ready to soil before the month of April, and every thing announces that it is destined for Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. Meantime it is certuin that the troops will embark for America with regret. The sanguinary war car ried on in those remote countries, offers to the view of the soldier only dangers, hardships, and but lit tle glory to be acquired. News from Lima, of a pretty recent date, have been received at Bilboa. They state that the Viceroy has been forced to have recourse to a loan, to meet the enormous expenses which the present situation of Peru requires, threatened as it is with an invasion by the Independent army of Chili; and on the other hind, by an attack by sea, directed by Lord Cochrane. Several merchants fearing the consequences of an invasion, have quitted Lima with all the property they could realize. The Viceroy has collected a considerable body of troops near Lima, who thew a very good spirit. It is said here that important information has been given relative to the forged orders sent to the militia regiments. It is added, that extremely curious iuforination will soon be had in this 'their, which is stated to be much more serious than was at first believed. VIENNA, DECEMBER 20. Yesterday the Ministers of the German Powers had their seventh conference. It is said the dis cussion relative to the 13th article of the Federal Act was determined, after a full investigation.— Several bankers of the principal cities of Ger many, particularly Flanoburgh and Frankfort, are now here. A loan is spoken of.—( prassels Pe. per:. January 4.) E BitITIS It PRESS. his character. I therefore propose, according desertion at ti to the Doctor's recommendation, thit be ►hould its height. I be immediately put into it;strait waistcoat. Our pubs, a. befi strtctioo, however, l i ne the - Silfortunate lunatic is for Andalusia such, that he shall enjoy perfect liberty. It was epidemic, ot indeed made a QUPSIMiI among the stroacas, whe.. thrice ravage' FOREIGN INI ELLIGENCE. PARIS PAPERS. PARIS. JANUARY 3. [The Alert fear contains the ofliciel announce• meat of the ucconchement of the Duchess d'Orleans on the first day of the month. The young Prince will bear the name of Charles.Ferdinand-Louis Philippe-Emmanuel, and the title of Duke de Penthievrel _ _ The state of M. de Serres' health becomes more and more alarming. • Letters rec Avert from Cadiz confirm the cessation of the yellow fever in Andalusia. On the eth of December the town of Xeres did not count above one person affected by this malady. A private letter from Dagana, the chief place of the French colony of the Seller% contains some interesting details respecting the state of that esta blishment. The letter is dated the ed of October last, It appears that the autumn sickness exercises great ravages, and to complete their misfortunes, war I'3o with fury between the French and the tribes of Omar and T:111.14. The tribe of Oualo alone has made au alliance with our settlers; it is since that time exposed to the continual attacks of the other negroes who devastate its territories. The English are making new attempts to establish themselves on the Niger. It seems that they are preparing to construct a galliot well armed to sweep the river of the negro canoes, sod to ascend and descend at their will, in spite of the resistance of the natives. General Vandamme, one of the thirty-eight whom the King's goodness has restored to their country, arrixt l ort the Y9tlt of December at Lille, and set out immediately for Cassel, the place of his birth. FLANDERS MAIL. HAGUE, DECEMBER $O. The First Chamber of the States General met again on the Yetb, and gave its assent to the tem porary laws, by which all the measures of finance decreed for 1819, are continued for the first eight months of 1820, and which was 'missed by the Second Chamber in its sitting on the same day. By a de cree of the same date, his 111ajeSty promulgated this law, which will be binding from the day of its in►ertion in the State Gazette. The accounts of the state of the rivers are most favourable—the waters are in general falling, anti there is reason to hope they will continue to do so. Several villages of Cleves, in the Prussian territory, were inundated on the 87th, by the breaking of a dike on the Rhisse. MUM. DIECEDISKR 19. Count Calderon is incessantly engaged in esta blishing strict discipline among his troops, and in completing the corps, which were diminished by LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, MO. A Flanders Mail arrived last night, with Papers from Brussels to the sth instuot.—The temporary financial measures adopted by the States General at the ll4gue have received the Royal Assent, and are now become the law of the land.—The intelli gence from Spain is of so recent a date as the 19th last. Health is once more beginning to revisit the districts of the south, so lung a prey to pestilence, and the preparations for the long-talked-of Cadiz expedition are resumed, but they proceed with all their accustomed languor. The Government is without means, and the soldiers without inclination for the undertaking. The news from Lima is very grateful to the friends of freedom. The merchants had began to abandon that capital, from an rapine. hension of the immediate invasion of the country by the army oFChili, acting in concert with the Patriot fleet under Lord COCHRANE. We have received the Paris Papers of Monday lad. Their contents are not of any interest. A Hamburgh Mnl has arrived. The following is an eitract HAMBURGH. DECEMBER 27. The Elbe is still covered with ice as rat as Al tons, and people walk over it to and from liar burg; but at and below Altona the ice is broken up, and besides some smaller vessels, the ship Hi bernia, Captain Ma'am, from London, came-up to Altona yesterday; but the east wind having' sud denly returned to-day, the prospect of seeing the navigation of the Ellie soon opened leas vanished. The account of the Revenue for the quarter which closed on Wednesday last IDt+ !,,•rn pub hailed, and will be tumid in its official shape in an other part of our Paper. The Gentlemen of the Treasury affect " the greatest saii,faction" in lay ing it before the piddle, became there appears an increase of 70,447/. (by a miscalculation they them- selves make the increase only 60,447/.), in the pro duce of the last quarter, as compared with that of the corresponding quarter in the raiser year ; but it is to be remembered that in the quarter just closed, we must make an allowance for the produce of the new taxes, which wos calculated at 800,0001. a quarter. Now, sup i pst Opp pew duties were producliVi 11. efarille. ski dir• • trwasissoro • 'rulers! sit.a i .1111 s 1000.14 TE., ..gas atrilflAVV.iriUs 140,3* fides(' in the quarter no* ended, a. comparr4 the corresponding quarter of the last 'ear, rand.? be 747,x531. ; but we are tuld that the iwinhi- I' I r the neo duties during the lout quarter chef ;int reed 200,000/. an that the actual deficiency or r.. venue in the last quarter, un a fair cninparpron with the corresponding quarter sof the lest ever. ~ _ something less thou 140,0801. We lament to say, that in this statement thereis no subject for public corignitulution. Au I 7 ,7e il i tr, I'iper says, that the year 1818 was one of the largest tearoom ever known ; but this is not I fat. for although it excluded the years 1816 and 1617, which were years of great depression, it ftll far 'lan of the year 1815. The last quarter indeed e t . ceeds the corresponding quarter of the last yeur the produce of the Excise by 201,5031.; hot it fah r short by the larger twin of 239.e091. in the Caltorcr, which are the evidences of the extent of our fureig,, trade. In the Post-nfEce there is an int-resat , u!' 59,0001. ; but in the Stamps there is • din l i 00000 ion of 27,2101. Ihe apparent increase in the Exci4-, however, is hut in the result of the new and Contritss the combined produce of the last ..1.; of the preceding quarters. We BIM learn that t i. sum of .592,000 t Ices ',ern already adVanced the Bask, upon the credit of the Malt Outies Lr 1820. Considered, therefore, merely in comparison soh the produce of the corresponding quarter in tie last year, there seems to be too great cause tot " satisfaction" or " congratulation," bill if we ex amine the produce of the revenue with relation to the expenditure it is to meet, we shall find such• cient cause for dismay and alarm. The charge on the Consolidated Fund for tier quarter ended we Wednesday, is ,c 13,160,640 The produce of the Revenue for Ilse sante quarter, is only 11469,244 Leaving • difference of . X1P9,2:3 Which sum of 109414/. la to make g.i.d the dr. ficiency already felt durtng the year IN 1!) 04111011,V. ing to upwards of 8,000,000 i. end to (tetra' , i't necessary charges of the military and naval Fok - blis h metito. the ordnance, & &c. We acknowledge that we did feel some sorpri.e when Mr. VANSITTART • short time since, in 0 Housed Commons, held forth the tsprctationih-t the produce of the revenue would neash--e project of finance which he had sot— . liainent in the last Session, but wh' our doubts upon the correctness thought it but fair to suspend r the official accounts of the e public. They are now giv. we look in vain not merely ing • sinking fund of five lions, but even fur reeeiprs ordinary expenses of Goverinneri, dim will be no sinking fund r the plan of the last Session be ther repeat, that if'the present ru ibis scale of expenditure be c . . cntoa of the EXCHEQUER m. • 1 • .ciats to a considerable amount, not • , pay millions to the Bank of Er :and, but even to meet the current charges of the year. On a former ovt•S - lion we conjectured that for these joint purpos ten millions would be required, but so disheart• n. ing are the accounts from the Treasury of • the receipt of revenue for the last quarter, that we k Ave na hevitation in saying, that even slier appropi tat. ing the sinking fund to the service of the year , a loan will be required to the amount of 15,000,E 001. Yesterday, at five o'clock, his Royal Richness the PRINCE REGENT arrived at Callao Clouse from Brighton. Yesterday the Lords of the Cour ril assembled at the Council-office, Whitehall, to investigate cllar l y. preferred against five of the inhabitants of the !•!,. of France, who have been in curtodv for sin 1 i ~:t. 00 charges under the Act of Pariiiimewt for tile abolition of the Slave Trade; when, after • minute and full teat ii iii ono' of the taittitNaes, t*ta 1 , 1 the Privoners were committed for trial, and three were discharged. Yesterday being the anniversary of the piphany, or the Mainfestation of our Saviour to 'het - kettles, the same was observed iu the Insulter at t1:- Chapel Royal, St. James's the Chur.:l Service was performed by the Rev. Mr. HoLsit.i. the Sub-Dean, assisted by two minor Caissons. Tot' ceremony of !presenting a gold box offriattkitteeii.e and myrrh, in imitation of the wise Ines of the Eat , . was performed by Colonel BROWN,. tsccoineatiiril by two Gentlemen Ushers ; after Whitt an-oppro priate autheto was sung. On Friday a detachment of the 41.1 s veteran tat lithos' arrived in Edinburgh from this : south. La ekopotre frigate, connalandei I by M. MAL LET, which recently left Rochefort , and eta in the Roads of Port Lotus, said sd on the rith ultimo for Guadeloupe. with 400 . troops an hoard. We undsrstaitil that Sir Wtt.t.to Y CONGREVE is :,bout to take out n patent for gun? s, which lire t.. discharge a calicol shot with unprecedented precision. COURT OF JUSTIcia.RT.-04 Wonder, the %I the Louts A nvot.sex add, eased the Court at citosiderahle length, relative to t 11 article which ap peared in a ;periodical Paper, pt, blished in Clesgot., (the Spirit of the flolotsj, izonstuentnig nit iI r proceedings al the Court iu the ease of Mr. Luca. of Kinkel'. the article was in a number dated the 23th of Dee. last, tend he submitted that it contained a gross contempt of this High Court. Our time cannot allow us tri.day to gq into further particulars. but the issue was, that three intim duals l a Glasgow. who, his Lordship .stated, had good reason to believe were the- proprietors of the Paper alluded to. were ordered toappeer at the bar of the Court on Saute. hay riest.-,-(Caleionian Mercury.) • mon wawa r• i 1 1 1 cs adiaarmar .4.40 vet -`o4sia • , 7 • I i i M