The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-14 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS IN IRELAND.

Mr. GEORGE wished to ask the Secretary for
Ireland, whether it was the intention of her Majesty's
Government to introduce any bill during the present
session to reform the testamentary jurisdictlon of the
Ecclesiastical Courts in Ireland, or to extend to Ireland
any similar measure that may be brought in for
England.
Sir J. YOUNG said, that in answer to the question
of the bon. gentleman, he had to state that it was not
the intention of the Government to bring in any sepa-
rate measure for the purpose referred to, but when the
English bill was brought forward, it would be found to
include all that was necessary for Ireland.

MISCELLANEOUS ESTIMATES.
Mr. SPOONER wished to ask the noble lord, the

member for London, when it was his intention to pro-
ceed with the miscellaneous estimates.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that properly the votes
would stand for to-morrow. It was, however, his inten-
tion to take to-morrow, first, the Jewish Disabilities
BM, and, if by that time the bill of the Chancellor of
0161 Exchequer had been sufficiently long in the hands
othon. members, to take the second reading of it. If,
however, such was not the case, the house would go into
committee of supply.
CLITHEROE ELECTION.

The House held a conference with the Lords on the
subject of the Address to the Crown, for a commission
of inquiry into the corrupt practices at the last election
for the borough of Clitheroe.
MAYNOOTH.

Mr. SPOONER gave notice that when the miscella-
neous estimates came before the house he should move
the omission of the Maynooth grant.
TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.
- - - -

Mr. M. GIBSON called attention to the injurious
effects of taxes on knowledge, and moved the following
resolutions :--1: That the advertisement duty ought to
be repealed. 2. That the policy of restraining the cheap
periodical press from narrating current events, by ren-
dering it liable to stamp duties, and other restrictions, if
"any public news, intelligence, or occurrences, or any
remarks or observations thereon," be contained therein,
is inexpedient, and at variance with the desire now gene-
rally expressed in favour of the diffusion of knowledge
amongst all classes. And it appears also to this house
that the law relative to taxes on newspapers, and
other regulations affecting public prints, is in an unsa-
tisfactory state, and demands the attention of Parlia-

ment. 3. That the Excise duty on paper, whilst imped-
ing the development of an important manufacture, also
materially obstructs the production of good cheap litera-
ture ; and the maintenance of this tax as a permanent
source of revenue would be impolitic and inconsistent
with the efforts which Parliament is now making to
promote education amongst the great body of the people.
He had proposed these resolutions in consequence of hav-
ing observed that, for the last 130 years, the
taxes to w"hlch,, they referred_ h../.1 1.... dealt
with at the same time. The taxes to which
the resolutions had reference were part of a sys-
tem which was originally adopted to restrain the press,
but still he proposed that the resolutions should be put
separately, and those who could not support the
whole would be entitled to support such parts of
the resolutions as ' they approved of. It might be ob-
jected to him that he ought to have waited till after
the budget had been disclosed to the house ; but past
experience taught him that in delaying this proposal un-
til the house was in possession of the financial statement,
he obtained no advantage whatever. The Government
might, or might not, have it in contemplation to deal
with these duties ; but be that as it might, no harm c:Aild
be done by the house informing the Government of its
views opon the subject before the budget came on. The
first resolution related to the advertisement duty, about
which there could hardly be a doubt of its expediency,
and he should, therefore, pass to the second resolution,
which did not relate to a matter of taxation,
but to a question of policy, while the third reso-
lution, which related to the paper duty, affected
an amount of taxation of 900,0001. a-year. The
resolution, however, did not call for an immediate
repeal of the paper duty, but simply asked the
house to declare its opinion that it was a tax
which ought not to be continued longer than was
absolutely necessary. Objections might be taken
to the resolution, because it was an abstract pro-
position, but almost the first resolution which this Parlia-
ment adopted was based on an abstract proposal. This
resolution pledged the house to continue and extend the
system of free tra'le) and the resolution which he now pro-
posed was framed in the same spirit. It was quite clear that
the paper duty was inexpedient. Paper was made out of a
worthless raw material ; it employed vast numbers of
people, and was essentially a rural manufacture. Com-
.

. .
plaints were made of the vast extent of emigration thal
was going on. Some of our best labourers were leaving

the land ; and if the house wished to stem this tide of
emigration, let them at once remove this obnoxious tax
and all similar duties that oppressed the industry of the
land. What was the effect of this tax upon the trade
of the country ? Why, precisely this—the foreigner
came into our markets, and after purchasing up
all the raw material to be obtained, carryed it to
countries where there was no paper tax. (Hear.)
It was then manufactured into paper, and the
paper itself was afterwards sent out to supply our colo-
nies. When the paper duties were first passed, in the
reign of Queen Anne, an exemption was made in favour
of hooks printed in Latin or Greek, and the time had ar-
rived when a peculiar exemption ought to be made in
favour of books printed in the English language.
(Hear.) There could hardly be any doubt as to the
inexpediency of the paper tax. It retarded the spread
of useful information and intelligence among the people,
while it was unequal in its operation. For instance, to
produce an extensive encyclopedia for the rich, the pub-
lisher would have to pay a tax of 1,0001., whet eas, if the
work was published at such a price as to be suited to the
pocket of the poor man, the tax would- amount to
6,0001. This fact be obtained from Mr. C. Knight, who
had been compelled to pay a tax of 5 , 00 / . upon
a most valuable work, which had been sold to the
public at a cost of 80,000/. What a mockery it was to
talk about educating the people, while this inexpedient
system of taxation was continued. But this tax
was levied upon an exceptional rule ; for, while the
dealer in tobacco or spirits was allowed to sell his goods
in bond, the author had no such boon conceded
to him, but was obliged to pay all the tax be-
fore he could enter upon his speculation. No
matter whether this tax was continued or not, cheap
publications must be published, for the people
would have them, and it was now for the Legi-
slature to determine whether this class of pu-
lications should be good in quality as well as
cheap in price. He came now to the advertisement
duty. It could hardly be said that this duty was first
imposed for the sake of revenue, for it was hardly pos-
sible that a legislature which established a paper tax for
the sake of replenishing the exchequer, should at the
same time pass another duty which should have the
effect of restricting the sale of paper. As well might
they suppose that the Legislature would first pass a
carriage tax for the sake of revenue, and then proceed
to pass a law which should drive the traveller to seek
some other means of conveyance. The advertise-
ment duty was a barbarous tax, because nothing
was more necessary to man than that he should be able
to communicate his wants to the world without difficulty.
But the tax was not only unequal, but unjust, on ac-
count of its exceptions. An announcement made through
the agency of the town-crier or an advertising van was
not taxed at all. Be need nat recall to the attention of

the house the fact that the servant girl who;;;;;;1a,
place had to pay the same tax to the state for making
her want known as the peer of the realm who had an
estate for sale ; but why should advertisement duty
be imposed only upon newspapers ? Why, simply,
because, in case of books, and other sources of

advertising, such as the Catalogue of the Crystal Palace,
the Commissioners of Excise dare not enforce the law,

because it would bring down such a stain upon the
Government, that the duty could not be continued a
moment longer. He therefore called upon the house to
act in a spirit of wise legislation, and wipe the tax
entirely out of the statute book. It was only an act of
justice to the newspaper interest, and he Loped, there-
fore, the house would experience no difficulty in adopt-
ing his resolution. _

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

MANSION-HOUSE - (THIS DA Y.)

GREAT FORGERY ON MESSRS. ROBARTS, THE BANKERS.—
CLEVER CAPTURE, AND RECOVERY OF THE CASH.
A respectably-dressed man, named Robert Renton,
aged 25, a clerk in the house of Messrs. Whitecombe and
Barton, metal brokers, of 75, Old Broad-street, was
brought up this forenoon by Michael Haydon, the city
detective officer, before Mr. Alderman Hunter, upon a
charge of forging- and uttering a cheque for 1,300/. on
Messrs. Robarts and Co., the bankers, in Lombard-
street.
A solicitor attended to prosecute.
The case presented against the prisoner was this :
On the 7th of the present month, his employers, MesSrs.
\Vhitecombe and Barton, who kept an an account with
Messrs. Robarts, expecting to make a payment for
3,0001. and upwards, signed a cheque in their cheque-
book, leaving the sum blank, which was to be filled in by
one of the firm on the party calling. It so happened that
the payment was not so large as was expected, and some-
where about 2,300/., for which another cheque was
made out and paid to the party. Towards the
close of the day's business, the prisoner, who held the
position of confidential clerk, was missing from the house,
but no suspicions were aroused till the examination of the
cheque-book, when the blank signed cheque, which the
firm intended to have filled in for the 3,0001. payment •
was gone, and on the counterfoil was written, in the
prisoner's handwriting, "cancelled." This led to inqui-
ries at Messrs. Roliarts, the bankers, where it was
ascertained that the same cheque had been pre-
sented in the course of the day for payment of
1,3001., which the cashier paid him in two Bank of
England notes, one for 1,0001. and the other for 3001.
These were on the same day cashed at the Bank of Eng-
land for 8001. in sovereigns, and 5001. in small notes.
The prisoner told the clerk that the gold was for expor-
tation, that it was going to Australia. The city detec-
tive
force were immediately instructed to apprehend the
prisoner, who contrived to elude their vigilance till late
last evening, when Haydon, the officer in corn-
Pany with Thain, succeeded in effecting his capture
in a back room of a house in Spencer-street, Gos-
well-street-road. On entering the room, Hay-
don, addresaing the prisoner, said, " Mr. Renton, I
believe I" The prisoner shook his head, saying, "No,
you are mistaken.". Haydon replied, "Yes, but it is.
We are officers, and apprehend you on the charge of
poobffiritscaoeiinrlse u
inrgfolln,na3cl dOOl. by means of a forged cheque." The
an era
00 f E
On snegalracril ngn
theism,
Bt3hse
e no
240 in
canvas Bank
sovereigns in a
pence in silver, a gold waltelg,anfodurchsahiinllinangds
eye
d-gltaesns:
a
numerous diamond rings, large amount of plate, and new equipment of clothes, linen, and carpet bags, p a
s
rently prepared fur a lengthened voyage. He had ad t'-a-
in Messrs. Whttecombe s service since August, ISese2n,
and had recently been married.
The prisoner, wile is a tall, fine-looking young man,
seemed to feel the degraded position he had plunged
himseif. He declined saying anything in answer to the
charge.
Mr. Alderman Hunter committed the prisoner to
New-gate for trial.

men

COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON MR. FEARGUS

O' CONNOR.

On Tuesday a commission, in the nature of a writ de
lunatio. inquireddo. was opened before Mr. Commis-
sioner Barlow and a
.jury of freeholders of the connty of
Middlesex, at the Roebuck Tavern, Chiswick, for the
purpose of investigating the state of mind' of Mr.
Feargus O'Connor, formerly M.P. for Nottingham, and
a leading Chartist agitator, but who since June last has
been an inmate of Dr. Tuke's lunatic asylum, Manor-
house, Turnham-green.
Mr. Pownall, chairman of the Middlesex bench of
magistrates, acted as foreman of the jury. Mr. Donald
Nicol, and several other gentlemen in the commission of
the peace, were upon the panel.
The commission was supported by Mr. Serjeant Shee,
instructed by Mr. Marshall Turner, of Lincoln's-inn-
fields ; Mr. Springail Thompson, of the equity bar,
instructed by Messrs. Powell and Thompson, of Ray-
mond-buildings, watched the proceedings for the alleged
lunatic.
Mr. Serjeant Shee opened the case in a perspicuous
address, tracing the unhappy subject of the inquiry from
his earliest entry into political life to the month of June
in last year, when his extraordinary conduct in the
House of Commons led to his being placed in the custody
of the Serjeant-at-Arms, by whom be was subsequently
transferred, on the petition of his sister, Miss O'Connor,
to the care of Dr. Tuke. The learned Serjeant said he
should call Dr. Tuke, and from him the jury would hear
that the character of Mr. O'Connor's mind had become
completely changed of late, and that instead of the strong
mind and vigorous intellect he once enjoyed, his mind
was now absolutely null, and his intellectual. faculties
were completely prostrated. Although the recollection
of his past life and the political associations he had
formed enabled him now and then to talk of things long
since past, it was not possible to fix his attention upon
one subject for any period of time, and his reasoning
faculties were entirely gone. Mr. rnest Jones, a gen-
tleman of his own profession, who had been on very
intimate terms with Mr. O'Connor, and whom he would
call before them, would state that in 1851 he observed a
great change in Mr. O'Connor's mind. He would tell
them that, whereas up to that time he had always been
observant of the courtesies of life and of a peculiarly
gentle turn of mind, after that period he was in the
Labit of breaking out iu indecent conversation and
exhibiting other eccentricities, clearly showing his mind
to beimpaired. Since Mr. O'Connor had been under
Dr. Take's management, he had never been violent.
On the contrary, he had shown the docility of a child.
This no doubt arose from the moral restraint which the
treatment of Dr. Tuke exercised over him. He believed
Mr. O'Connor was not even aware of the nature of the
present inquiry, although every • pains had been taken
to make him acquainted with it. The jury would pro-
bably consider the most important piece of evidence the
interview which the learned commissioner promised they
should have with the party himself, and no doubt this
would tend most materially to enable them to come to a
correct decision. The result of the inquiry was most
important, inasmuch as the small remnant of Mr.
O'Connor's property--1,3001. or I,4ool.—might, with
proper care, be so disposed as to provide the unfortu-
nate gentleman with all necessary comforts for the re-
mainder of his •days ; but if the protection of the Court
of chancery were not thrown round him, there could be
very little doubt he would end his days in a workhouse.
The Commissioner here asked Dr. Take whether he
considered Mr. O'Connor could be safely allowed to be
present during the inquiry. If so, it would be desirable
he should be sent for at once.
Dr. Tuke feared his presence in that room would ex-
cite Mr. O'Connor overmuch. He would himselfgreatly
prefer that the jury should visit him in the asylum.
The Commissioner said under the circumstances they
would certainly do so.
Mr. Ernest Jones was first called.—He said he was a
barrister, and since 1845 had been intimately acquainted
with Mr. Feargus O'Connor. From 1845 to 1848 wit-
ness considered his mind to have been of the most vi-
gorous character. Mr. O'Connor devoted himself to
political questions and among his plans for the amelio-
ration of the working classes was a land scheme, which
fell into difficulties in 1849, and was brought before a
committee of the House of Commons by Sir Benjamin
Hall and other members. Witness had observed the
pre-occupation of Mr. O'Connor's mind by this scheme.
He never talked of anything else from its. foundation
up to the year 1348, and he always spoke of it in a
joyous manner. He said the money was coming in
very rapidly, and he spoke of the great things he
intended to do when the scheme got into full work.
After the committee of the House of Commons had
been appointed to inquire into the scheme Mr. O'Con-
nor's mind became perfectly prostrate—his memory
failed—and in conversation he would tell the same story
over and over again. Before this period, in 1848, wit-
ness had observed a great change in Mr. O'Connor's
writings in' his newspaper, the Northern, Star. One
week he would recommend a particular course of action
on some particular question, and the next week, writing
on-the same subject, he would lay down totally different
rules for the guidance of his readers. Mr. O'Connor
was on terms of intimacy with witness's family, and his
conduct when visiting them was always marked by strict
propriety. After 1849 witness had no opportunity of
judging of his conduct for two years, but last year he
war: much struck with his change of manner. His con-
duct in society was then free and indelicate, and at
length became so bad that when he visited witness's
house Mrs. Jones and her children were compelled to
remain in privacy. About this time Mr. O'Connor
made several speeches in public in a very loose style of
oratory, occasionally interpolating them with highly in-
delicate anecdotes. At Halifax he spoke of the Queen
in a manner which proved him to be insane; and at
other places,- instead of keeping to the object of the
meeting at which he was speaking, he would burst out
in a violent personal harangue and recount to his hearers
the number of honourable members whom he had knocked
down in the House of Commons. When visiting wit-
ness Mr. O'Connor would occasionally burst into a vio-
lent fit of laughter, and then into a flood of tears, with-
out the smallest, perceptible reason for either. Occa-
sionally he would declaim on the ingratitude which he
said had been shown to him by those whom he had be-
friended, but never in a connected manner. He some-
times put his hand to his head and said, "Oh my head !"
_and again he would roar like a wild animal for an hour
at a stretch. Witness had seen Mr. O'Connor three
times at Dr. Tuke's asylum. He recognised witness,
but had not the slightest knowledge of a gentleman who
accompanied witness, and who was one of his oldest
friends, and had carried his election for Nottingham.
Witness considered Mr. O'Connor to be of unsound
mind.
Mr. Dougal M‘Gowan, printer, of Great Windmill-
street, was next called. He had been on terms of personal
intimacy with Mr. O'Connor, and had printed all his pub-
lications for some years past. Previously to 1846 he
had a powerful and vigorous intellect, and a strong,
and retentive memory. In 1851 his memory failed al-
together, and he was quite unable to fix his mind on any
one thing. Witness was present before the Master in
Chancery when the affairs of the land scheme were being
wound up, and saw Mr. O'Connor there. His conduct was
perfectly ridiculous and that of a madman. The ac-
counts of those proceedings which appeared in Time Sun
and other papers of that date were not at all exagger-
ated ; in fact, only the more prominent points were no-
ticed, and where Mr. O'Connor was stated to have
threatened to throw books at the Master's head, once
he had done so 20 times. Witness saw Mr. O'Connor
on' Sunday last, and found him in a perfectly idiotic
state

Mr. Jacob Bell, late M.P. for St. Albans, was next
examined.—Having made the usual affirmation, he said
he became acquainted with Mr. O'Connor when he en-
tered the House of Commons in 1851. He had not known
him previously, nor had he any sympathy with him or his
opinions. His conduct was very free and familiar with
witness as soon as he entered the house ; in fact, alto-
gether different from that of other members. Witness
thought this singularity might arise from his being an
Irishman—(laughter)--and, believing him to be a good
sort of fellow, he tolerated him. Witness, however,
very soon found, from the strangeness of his manner in
the House of Commons, that his mind must be affected.
On entering the house he would shake hands with every
member who would allow him, from the bar of the Trea-
sury bench, calling each a " jolly good fellow," and gen-
erally seating himself among the leaders of the Opposi-
tion, facing the Prime Minister. Witness heard of Mr.
O'Connor's havini, been committed to prison for an as-
sault on the boxkeeper at the Lyceum Theatre, and be-
lieving that if he were treated as an ordinary prisoner a
great injustice would be done, he called on the Governor
of the House of Correction, from whom •he learnt that
the unfortunate gentleman had been placed in seclusion,
and apart from other prisoners. When Mr. O'Connor
returned to the House of Commons he had an alterca-
tion with Sir Benjamin Hall on the subject of the land
scheme, during which he struck the hon. baronet, who
claimed the protection of the house. The Speaker called
on Mr. O'Connor to apologise, but instead of doing so
he ran on in an incoherent strain about the land scheme,
and said he had been swindled and juggled by a number

of persons who would not pay their rents. On being
reminded that this was not making an apology, he

said, °°lf I must offer an apology, you are the best
Speaker who ever sat in that chair." (Laughter.) Mr.
O'Connor was guilty of other extravagant acts of folly
about the same time ; and on one particular occasion,
when the house was in a state of intense excitement,
awaiting the explanation of Lord Palmerston as to the

ground; on which he had left the Ministry, the noble
viscount rising to speak, Mr. O'Connor, who was sitting
behind him, rose also, and patted him on the back in a
manner which had the most ludicrous effect on the
house. On the day after he had been called on to apolo-
gise by the Speaker, Mr. C'Connor insulted Mr. Becket
Denison in his place in the house, and the consequence
was he was committed to the custody of the Serjeant-at-
Arms. Witness suggested to the house that two medi-
cal men should be called in to examine into the state of
the unfortunate gentleman's mind, and Dr. Tweedie and
Mr. Lawrence both saw him. They pronounced him
insane, and witness having reported the fact to the
house, he was released from custody on the petition of
his sister, who promised that he should not he allowed
his liberty during the remainder of the session. Mr.
O'Connor had since remained with Dr. Tuke. Witness 1

had seen him frequently of late, and was decidedly of
opinion that he was of unsound mind.
By the Commissioner—Mr. O'Connor was not aware
until a very recent period that he was under confine-
He usually addressed witness thus :—"You are

a capital fellow, Pell ; I love you."
Dr. Tweedie proved having been called in by Mr.
Bell to consult with Mr. Lawronce as to Mr. O'Connor's
state of mind. He first saw him on the 10th- of June
last year, and at a second interview on the following day
came to the conclusion that he was of unsound mind,
and signed a certificate accordingly. Witness had visited
Mr. O'Connor since at Dr, Tukc's asylum, and con- '