The Sun.
London, England, 1839-12-24 00:00:00

SUICIDE.

EFFECT OF IMITATION.—The following just re-
marks, confirmed by every day's experience, are ex-
tracted from an article on suicide by Mr. Forbes Win-
slow, published in the Medical Gazette
A frequent cause of suicide is a perversion of the
natural instinct of imitation. In some persons we wit-
ness an irresistible propensity to imitate others. The
commission of a great and extraordinary crime to this
day produces not unfrequently a kind of mania of imi-
tation in the district in which it happened. Religious
incidents have constantly been known to occasion simi-
lar events ; and what is remarkable is, that the scene
or place of the first event seems to favour its repetition
bylother persons approaching it. Thus a supposed mi-
racle having been performed before a particular gate in
Paris, such a number of similar occurrences happened
on the same spot in a few days, that the police posted
a peremptory notice on the gate, " prohibiting any in-
vidual from working miracles on the place in question."
This had the desired effect, and miracles ceased to be
performed. Some years back a veteran hung himself at
the Hotel des Invalides on the threshold of one of the
doors of a corridor. • No suicide had occurred in the es-
tablishment for two years previously ; but in the suc-
ceeding fortnight five individuals hung themselves on the
same cross bar, and the Governor was obliged to shut
up the passage.
If this principle of imitation is so strongly inherent in
human nature,—if the publication of remarkable cases
of suicide and atrocious instances of murder has so in-
jurious an influence on the minds of others as to tempt
them to the commission of similar offences, the con-
ductors of the press ought certainly to exercise a little
more discretion in publishing, with such minuteness,
cases which ought to be concealed as much as possible
from the public eye. The commission of one murder
is often followed by others. Gall informs us of a man who,
on reading in the newspapers the particulars of a case of
murder perpetrated under peculiar circumstances of
cruelty, was instantly seized with a desire to murder
his servant, and would have done so had he not given
his intended victim timely warning to escape.
The English have been accused by foreigners of being
the beau ideal of a suicidal people. The charge is
almost too ridiculous to merit serious refutation. It
has been clearly established, that where there is one
suicide in London, there are five in Paris. In the year
1816 the number of suicides committed ha London
amounted to 188 ; The population of Paris being some
400,000 less than that of London. From the years
1827 to 1830 no less than 6,900 suicides occurred—
that is to say, an average of nearly 1,800 per annum !
The English, then, are not, par, excellence, a suicidal
people. When the inhabitants of a country are indus-
trious and prudent, the crime of self-destruction will be
rare. Out of 120,000 persons who insured their lives
in the London Equitable Insurance Company, the
number of suicides in twenty years was only fifteen!
The Irish are said to be the least disposed, of ail na-
tions in the world, to commit suicide. Dublin and
Naples are the two cities in which fewest suicides occur ;
yet in both the poorer classes are poor indeed. Dr.
Graves observes that an Irishman often murders his
neighbour, but he has too high a sense of propriety to
think of killing himself. The fact is, that the preva-
lence of murder prevents the necessity for suicide.
The popular notion that more suicides are committed
in the month of November than at any other period of
the year, is founded on erroneous data.
It has been clearly established that in all the Eu-
ropean capitals, when any thing like correct data can be
obtained, the maximum of suicide is in the months of
June and July ; the minimum in October and Novem-
ber. It appears from this that the disposition has most
to do with high temperature ; for it has been proved
that when the thermometer of Fahrenheit ranges from
80 deg. to 90 deg., suicide becomes more prevalent.

SECRET SOCIETIES IN TRAINCE.

M. Merilhou, reporter to the Court of Peers on the
prisoners of the affair of the 12th and 14th of May,
has presented to that body a very long document on the
facts laid to the charge of the persons remaining for
trial. As all the main circumstances relating to the in
surrcction just mentioned are known to our readers, we
shall not notice the first part of this report. The latter
alludes to the connection of the attempt of May with
the continuation of the publication of the Monilcur Re-
publicain, and the discovery of various seditious
writings belonging to it. It then refers to the explosion
in the rue Alontpensier, and mentions Beraud as having
been arrested as one of the authors of that attempt.
Several bombs and a quantity of gunpowder, it adds,
were found at his residence, end upon his person was
discovered a paper bearing the head : " In the name
of the Committee," which was in the form of an inter-
rogatory of the republicans, of themselves as mem•
bers of a conspiracy. The character of this paper may
juked of by a single extract.
" The right of governing belongs to us the labouring
and productive classes. For us, so long oppressed, is
reserved the glory of breaking the chains of slavery, de-
stroying the odious yoke of tyranny, overthrowing those
brigands who bear the bloody name of Kings, and of
plunging our daggers in their bosoms. Humanity has
groaned too long under them ; it is time to do justice ;
they have shared the people amongst them, and sold
them as if they were cattle ; they have wallowed in the
blood of the people, and the worthy imitator of such
examples, the monster who oppresses us, the execrable
Pidiippe, has followed in their stn ps. lie has slaughtered
our brothers who asked for their rights, or who cried
for bread ; but them he will receive the price of his
offenct,s, Our poniards nil do us justice ; for no King
is a King otherwise than by crime, and every criminal
deserves death. Yes, death to Kings and aristocrats !
to all that bourgeoisie, that class of speculators, who
have not in their souls a single generous and humane
sentiment, who laugh at our misery, and at the hunger
which tears our entrails."

Another paper of a similar character, announcing the
formation of the committee in whose name the interro-
gatory was drawn out, was also seized. The act of ac-
cusation then notices the attempt to assassinate a ser-
gent-de-ville on the Boulevard St. Martin, and con-
cludes by stating that whilst the doctrines of anarchy
professed by these conspirators are repeated in modified
terms only by some of the organs of the press and in
secret societies, the evil can only be cured by a long and
persevering union of the authorities and good citizens
The Court of Peers terminated its deliberations yes'
terday on this report, and the requisitoire of the Procu
reur-General Franc-Carre. The Court gave their de
cision at four o'clock. Eight of the prisoners agains"
whom the Procureur•General had abandoned the acent
sation were ordered to be discharged. The Court de"
dared that the charges against th 34 others, three o"
whom have fled, are sufficient for them to take theit
trial. The day for the tlial is not yet fixed, but it it
expected that it will be the 15th January.—Galignanis

DEATH OF LIEUT.-COLONEL HOLNIES.—It
is our painful duty this day to announce the demise of
Lieutenant• Colonel Holmes, Deputy Inspector-General
of Constabulary, who died at his residence, Rathmines,
yesterday, 19th instant, after a long and lingering illness.
We regret to add that his son, a tine young lad, died of
treasi.es on the day previous.—Dublin Monitor.
BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, DEC. 20.—The
small quantity of good sugars on hand has excited the
apprehensions of the buyers, who have taken eagerly
what was offered at an advance of a full shilling. Other
kinds are still neglected.—dliercztry.
BREAKING IN OF A SEWER.—On Saturday
night, as an omnibus was passing through Coventry-
street, Piccadilly, the sewer, which here runs through
the middle of the road, suddenly gave way, thereby
causing considerable stoppage, and creating much con-
fusion. The kg of a horse was unfortunately caught in
the hole and broken in two places. The poor animal
was dragged away and laid by the side of the pavement,
where it was permitted to remain writhing in the great-
est agony for some time. A policeman, immediately on
the accident taking place, lighted his lantern and stood
by the opening in the middle of the carriage-way, for
the purpose of directing different vehicles to pass on
either side. In some instances they seemed determined
to ruilt on to what must have proved their destruction,
for though at first the hole was scarcely more than a
foot square, in less than a quarter of an hour it was
more than three times that size.

THE FORGERY CASE AT BATH.—On Thurs-
day James Sealy,
implicated in the charge of forging
the deeds and leases for which the Candys were lately
committed, was brought before the Magistrates for final
examination. R. S. Cruttwell, Esq., appeared on be.
half of the Stamp-office to sustain the charge of fraud
against him, by the transfer of the stamps of old deeds
to several f the forged ones, to which they had been
attached in a very ingenious manner. It was admitted
in his own voluntary statement, on his first examination,
that he had done it in one of the deeds, and on being
asked if he was disposed to make any further admission,
he declined. James Lovenbury, clerk to Messrs.
Taylor and Kingston, then deposed that the prisoner, on
the 3d instant, when first brought to the Guildhall in
custody, described to him -the manner in which he had
removed the stamps from the skins. He said he applied
a wet cloth, and let it remain two days, and then took
it off. Mr. Cruttwell, on being asked if he wished the
prisoner to be remanded till a competent witness from
the Stamp-office could attend to prove the removal of
the other stamps, replied that it would be quite unne-
cessary, as the evidence could be obtained before the
trial, and received according to the forms of the Court
at the Assize. The prisoner was then fully.coramitted
to Ilchester gaol, to answer the different charges at
Taunton Assizes.—Bristol Gazette.
A servant girl, under whose pillow were found
two bottles, labelled respectively laudanum and prussic
acid, destroyed herself last Thursday night at Camden-
town. Upon the kitchen table was found a paper
bearing the following lines in the deceased's hand-
writing :
It is not the blood of my body I do wish to wear,
heart
thc mayofj
ames Rogers I do wish to tear
HBuotp
e theins. that never rest or sleep or happy be
Until he comes and speaks his true sentiments to me.
E. A."