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

senses,

Dr. Conolly, chief physician of the Hanwell Lunatic
Asylum, and father-in-law of Dr. Tuke, proved having
frequently seen Mr. O'Connor since he became an inmate
of Manor-house. His opinion was that the unfortunate
gentleman was labouring under confirmed and general
derangement of the intellectual faculties.
I At this point of the inquiry the Commissioner and
jury proceeded to Manor-house. As the morning was
very fine, Dr. Tuke suggested that the interview should
take place in the garden at the back of the asylum. The
Commissioner assented, and with the jury walked on to
the green sward to await the arrival of Mr. O'Connor.
Presently the shrill voice of the unhappy man was heard
echoing through the passages in joyous accents. On
emerging from the house he looked for a moment at the
group of gentlemen forming the jury, and then, fixing
I his eye on Mr. Ernest Jones, ,he at once advanced to
him, and grasping his hand warmly exclaimed, " Here's
Jones ! I love him ! I idolise him ! I deify him ! I
adore him !" The next moment, observing his former
solicitor, Mr. Turner, he grasped his hand and called
out loudly, "And here's Turner ! I idolise him ! He
is the best solicitor that ever lived ! He is a capital
fellow, is that Turner !" Mr. Bell now came in for a
share of the unhappy man's criticism. The moment Mr.
O'Connor caught sight of him, he exclaimed, "And
here's Bell ! I love him ? I idolise him ! I deify him !
What a handsome fellow he is ! What beautiful eyes
he has ! beautiful nose ! beautiful mouth ! beautiful
lips ! beautiful teeth ! beautiful ears ! beautiful arms !
beautiful legs ! beautiful feet !" and so on, with a ra-
pidity of utterance which it was almost impossible and
most distressing to follow. Mr. Pownall earnestly en-
deavoured to attract his mind to a rational subject, and
asked the unhappy man of what his property consisted ?
All he could obtain in reply was, that he had two news-
papers ; but he would not enter into particulars on this
head. The conversation having ceased for a moment,
Mr. O'Connor drew himself up, and striking both hands
upon his thighs to mark the metre of his verse, recited
with great rapidity the following lines :--
The lion of freedom is come from his den ;
We'll rally around him again and again ;
We'll crown him with laurel our champion to be—
O'Connor, the patriot for sweet liberty.
The pride of the nation—he's noble and brave ;
A terror to tyrants, a friend to the slave ;
The bright star of freedom, the noblest of men,
We'll rally around him again and again.
Though proud daring tyrants his body confined,
They never could conquer his generous mind;
We'll hail our caged lion, now freed from his den ;
We'll rally around him again and again.
Who strove for the patriots—was up night and day?
Who sav'd them from falling to tyrants a prey ?
'Twas Feargus O'Connor was diligent then
We'll rally around him again and again.
As he approached the end of this doggerel, once very
popular among his followers, Mr. O'Connor became con-
siderably excited, moving rapidly backwards and for-
wards, and betraying much of that bold address which
distinguished his oratorical displays in former days. A
word from Dr. Tuke, however, quieted him instantly,
and he replied, "I won't say another word, Doctor."
As the learned Commissioner and jury passed out, Mr.
O'Connor appeared anxious to accompany them, but
another whisper induced him to return, and he stood on
the doorway, as the company departed, exclaiming to
each as he passed, " What a handsome fellow you are !
What a handsome fellow you are !"
Dr. Tuke states that Mr. O'Connor amuses himself
with the other patients very satisfactorily, and plays at
cricket and whist with considerable skill. He invari-
ably asks Dr. Tuke to take him to town each morning,
and is always satisfied with the doctor's promise to do
so next day if he is better.
On the return of the jury to the tavern several of the
panel declared that they thought it altogether unneces-
sary to examine Dr. Tuke, but
The learned Commissioner thought it better to ask the
doctor a few questions, and commenced by the formal
inquiry as to what he considered the state of Mr.
O'Connor's mind.
Dr. Tuke—Decidedly of unsound mind.
The Commissioner—Have you seen him in his natural
state to-day ?
Dr. Tuke—No, sir ; he was very much excited
to-day, owing to the number of persons present.
The Commissioner—ls there the slightest hope of his
recovery

Dr. tuke—Not the slightest.
The Commissioner—Has he any lucid intervals ?
Dr. Tuke—l think not. He is better sometimes than
at others, but I do not think he ever has a strictly lucid
interval.

The Commissioner observed, that he had no other
question to ask, upon which
Mr. Thompson said he had no direct instructions to
oppose the commission, and, after what he had witnessed
that day, he should leave the decision in the hands of
the jury, satisfied that, in arriving at a conclusion, they
would be actuated by a high sense of their duty to the
community, and, at the same time, of deep considera-
tion for Mr. O'Connor.
The jury, without troubling the Commissioner for any
remarks, at once found "That Mr. Feargus O'Connor
was of unsound mind, and was incapable of managing
his affairs," dating the lunacy from the 10th of' June,
1852, the day on which he was committed to the cus-
tody of the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons.