The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-13 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

• winless; but in consequence of the people telling him he would
be sent to Newest* b 7 the Court, he ran away that morning, and
could not be found. He added, that he hard kept his shop twelve
year*, and had never been charged with any diem against the
Excise. . .

fie called one witness, who prove,' that he was in humble eir.
cumetances, and not able to pay a large penalty.
The Covar crotricted the defendant In the mitigated penalty
of 301.; telling him hs owed the lenity to its being his first of-
fltnce.

------
The defendant appeared to thick the judgment was anything but
lenient.

POLICE.

DOW-STREET.

Tax CAM or Miss BLIWILINIOPP.OUT readers wal aced-
' lect the we of this lady, who had escaped from a private mad-
house, and was pursued to London by one of the officers of the
establishment, who applied to Sir H. Binge on nuniday List for
authority to take her back, which the Magistrate refused to give.
On Saturday Sir John Chapman. hoe Mayor of Windsor. a bro-
ther of Miss Hlenkinsopp. and Mt. Phillips, the person who made
the former application, and who is the resident surgeon in the este.
lilialiment in question, waited upon the sitting Magistrate, Mr.
Missottxx, for the purpose of offering a public explanation of
the matters contained in the newspaper reports of Friday last.
These gentlemen were accompanied by Mr. Cooper, the proprietor
of Debatt's, and not Knight's Hotel, as stated by mistake in the
former report.
Sir John Chapman said, that be was a partner in the the Asy.
lum from which bliss Blenkinsopp had escaped. and he was
well acquainted with all the circumstances of that lady's case. She
was unquestianals4 insane, and had been so for a long time. She
was treated with even more than ordinary kindness in the Asylum,
on account of the perfect harmlessness of her malady. anti the
natural mildness of ha disposition. Sir John here mentioned the
nature of the delusion under which the unfortunate lady is said to
labour, but we forbear, from motives of delicacy to the family, from
repeating the description given by the worthy Knight. He pro-
duced a letter to the Magistrate, which had been received from
bliss 11.'s mother, who is residing in a very distant part of the
country. That lady stated, that she had seen the statement rela.
tive to the escape of her daughter, and complained of the remissness
of the establishment in suf Wiring it. Sbe spoke in the most ace.
ttonate terms of her " unhappy daughter," but bore testimony in
ftmost unequivocal manner to her insanity, and desired that her
or might be considered a sufficient authority for replacing her
daughter in the Asylum. She added. that great as the distance
rill she would have come immediately to London, but that an-
other beloved daughter was just at the point of derth. and she (Mrs.
D.) believed that her departure would accelerate the fatal event.
A notion might have gone abroad that she had, or was entitled
to money, but that was not the case; she never had any property
whatever. Sir J. C. said, there was ore thing which be felt par.
titularly anxious to explain. It was stated that the certificate was
signed by Dr. Fergstsson, and that do such name was to be found
in the list of Physicians. It was true that that gentleman was not
a member of the College, bat he was a graduate of the University
of Edinburgh, and a most able and respectable man. By the Act
of Parliament, the signature of one medical man was deemed suf.
ficient to a certificate of insanity. Sir John Chapman then begged
it to be understood that Le made no complaint of the publication of
the case; he was a friend to publicity, and with regard to the
establishment in which he had a share, he and his partners always
courted inquiry. Not only Magistrates, hut any private individual,
was perfectly welcome at all times to inspect every part of it. He
presumed, that after what had been mentioned as to the state of the
young lady's mind, there would be no objection to her being taken
back to the Asylum.
Mr. 311xsou Lt. said, he could give no order upon the subject.
but he supposed the hotel-keeper would otter no resistance to her
removal.

Mr. Cooper said, he certainly should not resist the authority of
thew gentlemen. lie had been actuated in the %tep he had taken
only by a motive of humanity, conceiving, as he did, that the lady
was perfectly sane, a belief that had not been shaken by his sub-
sequent conversations with her. He never saw a person more
rational.

Sir J. Chapman .mfd, she was quite rational perhaps upon every
suNect but one, and upon that there could be no doubt of tier in.
sanity. But (lid Mr. Cooper think her taking the postillion who
drove her for a ghost • proof of sanity ?
Mr. Cooper explained, that the postillion, not satisfied with what
she gave him, followed her to her apartment, and when she turned
round and saw him, she started and said, " Oh ! I took you for a
ghost," and she then gave him a sovereign instead of a shilling.
After some further converation the gentlemen kft the office with
the determination to convey alias Blenkinsopp back to the Lunatic
Asylum.

3IAHY-I.A.BONNE OFFICE.
On Saturday, John .11acdonaki, a sweep, was finally examined
before E. Griffiths, Esq. on a charge of having committed a rob-
bery in the house of the French Ambassador (Prince de Polignac)
in l'ortland-place. The evidence was read over, and it completely
brought the charge home against the prisoner. A gentleman named
Watson, in the Prir,ce's suite, said, that the Prince did not wish to
prosecute, as it would put him to considerable inconvenience. .Me.
Griffiths Insisted upon the law's being put in force, and bound over
three of the servants to appear. and give evidence on the prisoner's
trial, who was fully committed.