The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-22 00:00:00

lunatic would seem to indicate his knowledge of the
true state of the case. Ualess he is to be regarded
as of: the same mental calibre as his wretched charge,
he •cannot be acquitted of having deliberately and
con tinuously exhibited some of the worst qualities
of cur nature, and it is difficult to see for which of
there rests his claim to mercy. Such a plea might
well be urged for many unfortunate young crimi-
nals who have no counsel to plead for them at the
bar of justice, but for SAMUEL PORTER has no
claim, The legal difficulty placed in the way of
his punishment is equally unreasonable and flimsy.
Such an excuse should not for a moment be tole-
rated, and if our laws are not stringent or compre-
h

ensiva enough of the point, the sooner they are
amended the better. It cannot be tolerated that
persons should take upon themselves the charge of
their afflicted relatives, and keep their very exis-
tence a hushed up secret from their neighbours,
only to torture and ill-treat them, and then escape
the consequences of their criminal actions by the
plea of its being a domestic and disinterested charge•
If such excuses are to be admitted, it is difficult to
measure the extent to which the evil may spread ;

it is impossible to foretel the evil purposes to which
such latitude may be turned. We cannot but hope
that no such defence will b 3 admitted, but that
those who undertake such a charge will be held
strictly responsible for its proper fulfilment, and
chat the culprits of Flushing will be taught in an
emphatic and convincing manner that, however long
or securely a man's evil deeds may be hidden, they
will at last be dragged to light, when he shall
reap their due reward.

His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES hes
certainly set an example to all exclusive Sovereigns
and affected potentates. He is constantly to be
seen, and his doings are perpetually chronicled as
mingling with the world, and taking an active part
in the business of life by mixing in its pleasures
and excitements. On Saturday his Royal High-
ness honoured the Oxford and Cambridge boat race
.by his presence. An additional interest was im-
parted to the proceedings by the thought that the
Prince was intimately acquainted with the details
of the exciting sport before him, and had for some
time resided at both the Universities which that day
sent their representatives to compete for the prize.
This was the first time that royalty had been
present at an entertainment of this kind,
and the favour was rendered more gracious by
the circumstance that his Royal Highness did
not go in an exclusive form, but went on board the
vessel chartered by the Thames Subscription Club.
The days of the extreme exclusiveness of an earlier
generation have long since departed, and the forms
and customs which our forefathers adhered to with
a cherished reverence have happily been merged
into a more genial and hearty style of manners.
Yet there remains much to be done, and it augurs
well for the improvement of the present and future
state of society in this respect, that the one who is
to lead the fashion, to set the style, and to inaugu-
rate the spirit of the day, is so free from all absurd
affectation and so devoid of that haughtiness which
often mars the possession of estimable qualities. In
the happy demonstration of these qualities, it is
easy to trace the effects of the excellent manner in
which the Prince spent his early years. Never,
perhaps, in the annals of royalty has so extended a
sphere been embraced and so efficacious a training
bestowed on the heir of monarchs. A knowledge
of the world can only be gained in the world ; it
cannot be taught at school or imparted in 'conversa-
tion. Travel, experience, and personal intercourse
with society can alone impart it. It must be a
source of great satisfaction to all who reflect upon
the subject, that our future King can thus interest
and amuse himself in the excitements and recrea-
tions of the people over whom ho is one day to
reign. A healthy and hearty taste for exhilirating
sports and manly exercises is no bad preparation
for more serious engagements' hereafter, while a
genial mid gracious manner is at all times a benefit
and blessing alike to him who gives and him who
receives favours.

One of the distinctive features of advanced civili-
sation is always the greater regard paid to human
life. Among savage races death and suffering count
for nothing, and when we reach the semi-civilisa-
tion of countries like China and Japan, we still

find the lives of two or three hundred human beings
reckoned as of little or no value. As nations rise
higher in the scale their progress is marked by the
increasing importance of such considerations. The
harsh and sanguinary laws which disfigure ancient
statute books are gradually repealed, until the
Draconian theory is reversed, and the destruction
of a single individual existence is held to be almost
too sacred to be sacrificed in expiation of the worst
of crimes. Still, with ail its legal care and the
moral importance which it attaches to human life,
there are many Wass, direct and indirect, in which
civilisation exacts its forfeiture, ways unknown to
a less highly cultivated state. The requirements of
trade annually make a terrible demand upon the
bone and muscle of our working population, and
some occupations are so notoriously unhealthy that
the average term of life among their followers is re-
duced to half man's alloted age. Others again are the
victims of the heedlessness of fashion or the cupidity
of their employers, and a melancholy instance of
this kind is still fresh in the public recollection.
Setting aside these ordinary and constant causes of
death and disease, however, the advancing know-
ledge and enterprising ambition of the present day
is prolific in disaster. It is not fair to count the
catastrophes of the mines among these, since coals
have been in use for many a long day, and the pro-
cess of obtaining them has some perhaps inevitable
dangers, but it is certainly high time that some-
thing should be done to reduce the number of men
who are daily falling victims to want of care or
common prudence on the part of their employers.
The catastrophe which has desolated a whole district
may be said to have been artificially produced, but
every day shows us small and comparatively insig-
nificant catastrophes which carry desolation and
mourning into many a humble home, which lay the
strong man down in the dust, and turn youth and
vigour into sickness and decrepitude. The large
number of deaths occasioned by the bursting of
boilers may certainly be ranked under the head of
preventible disasters, and the general reflection, after
reading the evidence adduced at the inquest, is that
the folly, ignorance, or recklessness exhibited in
connection with such accidents are simply marvel-
lous, The last few weeks have been rife with such
catastrophes which are of only too common occur-
rence. The folly and wickedness of risking
men's lives by leaving the management of such
establishments in unskilful or incompetent
hands', has lately received several painful
illustrations in the numerous accidents which
have come to light. Juries are beginning
to be sensible that a remedy for this evil must be
found, and took occasion the other day to append
to their verdict, in a case of this sort, a recommen-
dation that Government inspectors should be ap-
pointed to visit all factories where steam power is
employed. They also made a good suggestion to
the effect that all boilers should, in making, have
stamped upon them the extent or their power. The
reason for this was the fact that the boiler intended
fos'r a tin-bursa pow.e't engine bad had PresbUro