The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-19 00:00:00

♦ PlOlllll2 MOM AN 11114AII1TAILY

MORBID CURIOSITY.

If • board of heath were established for the pr-
one of warding over the limitary condition of the public
mind—if it were thought 'windiest to render the comma-
aity morally se will es physically wholesome—then would
be plenty of work for the new department. There might,
indeed, be sufficient Deception for a separate minister of
mental health, if soy one could be found willing aid able
to "minister to the mind disused " of tho public In (ast-
ral It is • common expression—and whoa an *spread=
is cousins there is genitally some truth at the bottom Of
it—that 7 body is "reusing mad" after awns *bp*
or other, and then can be no doubt that
ninety muffin every new and thin under an attack of tem-
porary insanity. Sometimes the inciting tease of the
mania is a pence, at other times it is a thing, and the pub-
liti 'and Is liable to be thrown off its balance by mesmerism
so magic, a seetaisfel quack or a favourite huger, and fre-
quietly by other lea innoseat agonies. The most pre',
lent of the mental complaints of the commusity is a
turbid curiosity with referents to than who stand aimed
of great alma, sad whom whole lives and aatieedeati
become at twee the 'abject. of iatesas Interest. Perhaps the
press may be blamed for gratifying the unwholesome cra-
ving which accompnies the disease, but it will be replied
that newspaper are priated to he sold, sad that the new'
basis's" is quite a distinct cocapatioa from that of motel
philosophy A nowspepar is established to supply a de.
nand, and if, instead of furaishlog the lefermation re-
quired, its 000ductors were to igen blank sheets or rebukes
to the public for " wanting to ksow," the " nadirs" of the
journal would son be limited to those employed in the
pestles room. It is discult to elembin the salt of food
and physic ; for moot people would object to being served
with pills by • pastryeen who had takes it into his head
that sweetmeats are not se wholesome es medicine; so that
his articles an is reality what they prof.. to be. If thus
Is no adultersti on of feet with falsehood, the purveyor of
sews, like the purveyor of any other commodity, ought not
to ha biassed if his customers want noon of • particular
kind of thing than is exactly good for them.
Then reflectioas ars suggested by the reports of the trial
that is now golly; cm at the Central Criminal Court, or
rather by the reports of mattin that bays really nothing
whatever to do with the trial, though they have been an.
grafted on to it. There would be nothing unhealthy in the'
appetite for inknaition as to the progress of tho important
'equity with which the colleen of justice are pow rioneeroed;
but the sort of matter that the trees feels Well
milled on to 'apply, on only be demanded by
that very popular dismal familiarly known as " mor-
bid euriotity." In the first place, the wart of Patios itself
was subjected to such arrangemerts for admiu on se were
adapted to a theatre when soon most attractive perfora-
tor' wan about to take place, and the "Palmer isorniap at
the Old Bailey " may henceforth, be mentioned as equal in
point of crushing for admiasion to the "Jassy Lind Othis
at the Onto." So great wee the anxiety to look upon • man
auspeeted of having poiumed his wife, his brother, and his
friend, that than who had been favoured with ticket" stood
for hours is the pitting rah, sad Palmer in the dock was
oven more attractive than Oda in Lachesis Borgia It
ought to imitated that though "morbid sonority" Is often
very prevalent among the female sea, the diatom his I. this
nee been confined chitty to males, for the report states that
" not more this three or four iodise wire premed."
The somparatively small cumber of thou who were, by
favonr, present at the trial ought not to be southern as
esele.inly tainted with the malady here noticed ; for mote
applitatioes for admissioa win rsfued than could be
granted ; and thousands only minion Lou applying be-
cause of the utter uolusame of doing so. It was to gratify
these, as wall as the majority of the public, that the
newspaper reports gave a minute personal elsecription of
Palmer, and a variety of other detuls, wholly unconnected
with the rosily important question of his guilt or inner
even. All the journals deathbed his person, and ono
said of him playfully, and as he night have said
himself when deniable; a horse, that he wee "sleek,
mad In good andition." &vont indulged I. physior
comical 'peculation', and spoke of his face as net indicating
the crimes with which be is charged—a remark ire
of am idea in the mind of the writer, that than are some
facts in which a catalogue of crimes is plainly written out;
like those confeselons which us kept signed aid sealed in a
molodrantatie murderer's breast, to be torn (remit whoa the
denouement nquires. Some ationate gave a eatalogeo of
his dries, and spoke favourably of its "panel plainer,"
se if it were titbit Winded to complimmit him ou his
" make up," or to express surprise that his sostems was
not son appropriate to that of • suspected poi-
soner. While they were about It the martin
might as well have prosordod to say that " his
coat gave no clue to the deeedful tale of whisk he is the
hers, his vest failed to describe what wee peeing in his
bosom, and his mist did nothing towards untying the
knots of mystery is which the cam is bound, and the ring
on hie Seger suet a pure gold, whin gave so external
sign of guilt." As if the unmet Mabel( did
act furnish • sac cleat meal for the public
appetite, though the stressing had been added, to make
se such as pomade of the dish, It woe thought arneary
to throw in • din of what are termed his " antnediets,"
but which eight ntlarr to be ailed his "rela-
tives;" for his family are all stoned up se •
portion of the repast. Having been allowed the
opportesity of pintos the family to pities, the public
before being favoured with the grand piece de mist-
weir in the shape of the trial, are Wetted with • couples of
Myles, consisting of the "the prisoner's brother from
Rarely, with • strong family resemblance, but
darker ; sad Hr. Smith, his very attire solicitor,
whou name Ins ben so trequintly before the

public," sod who is introdneed Into the bill cii
fare, is the pleura, form of a puff. Oa the seeped day
there stewed to he some little didthelty Is dadlag fresh (cod
far the satisfaction of the public appetite, sod the jury
were brought la by way of additional mf.easwf, with
sager sad batter, for they were proointheed geed•
loo►fag m well r respectable, and appineetly
" sore the scree for beteg kept from their horses."
Palmer, beeremer, wee served up is sot eso► geed medi-
a= ea the mead day ; toe "there wee s heaviness about the
eyes that spoke forcibly of a arouses night." Heavy eyes
generally speak feebly—not forcibly—when they musk at
ell; bat public curiosity required sosnothieg remarkable,
and this wee rely to be obtained oat of Palmer's eyes—
the rest of his far bad bees used up on the
previous day—by attributing to them a amel
If the trial lutenist* lesser, sad the appetite of the one-
Enmity metleses to be as vendee. se It hes been hitherto,
there will be some diSselty Is furnishing a ripply of suf.
Ardently 'station food• Perhaps the dish here offered, of
"peas, a limas routed," may MVO In a prom:save be-
twee* the othrese—the trial sad the verdict—will*, whe-
ther favourable or otherwise to the primer, may, it Is to
be hoped, be—the desert.

Most people (observes the Ames) hare heard of
fleet.* marriages, bet few probably are swat. of the
startling abserdlty of the setsal law. Withla the limits of
Scotland a eras ■ay be startled without buoying it. No
Hasse, so bassi, so vegleintios, so wham is aecagary.
Any boy of 14 may cestreet marriage with say girl of 12 by
a word or a peragreptt is a letter. All that is required is
proof that at goose thee the stale hes mid or witted to the
Snub, "Yes are say wife," or words to that asst. The
wadi say be uttered is feat, as was the ease is sae lastest*
where a youth fogad himself samipeetedly monied to his
gnat surprise; they may be spokes daring lagssiaation ;
they say be seed la the lowest Moat is the mod depraved
women, and they are biadiag la law. The was sad
wises are legally wedded samidlig to the law of Sistlasd.
Eves a pair who stayed a day at as lea \are \sea MIS te
he sea sad wife, because the gestheass gave their agues
es " Mr. esti Mrs. A."

The Ample mad the Null aura of D....rep, on
the west et Gomm, tell dew.. hw days bask, belying
beseath Its raise the std eases meshed Wit, 80 rue et
ego, aad b servesh