The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-10 00:00:00

A sTLEY's ROYAL AM P RIT 13. EAT it E.

Lessee and Manager, Mr. William Coolce.
The popular piece, the Cossacks, whose career has been most suc-
cessful, will shortly be withdrawn, to admit the production of a
Grand Military Spectacle, embracing many of the principal events
of the present War between Russia and Turkey !
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Enthusiastic reception of the new Equestrian Ballet d'Action, the
poetry of motion !
THIS EVENING, AUGUST 10,
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And daring the week, THE COSSACKS ; or, Vive la France.
After which, LES FREUVES DU GENIE, or S ;, nes In the Circle,
invented and arranged by Mr. William Cooke, who, in the course of
the evening, will exhibit (upon his hand) a horse whose height is
only 15 inches.
HERR CHRISTOFF, the first Rope Dancer in the universe.
To conclude with the new Equestrian Ballet d'Action, by Mrs S.
G. Healey, called THE KNIGLI r AND THE WAFER LILY;
Love Among the Mermaids.
Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W
West.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Taus DAY —Morning 59 min.after 2 I Evening 24 min.aft. 3
al-miaow—Morning 45 min.after 3 1 Evening 7 mia.aft. 4

THE WEATHER.—Sun OPPICA, Amt. 10.
THEBMOMICTZB, IN THE SHADE.
71— highest since noon on Saturday.
60—lowest this morning and daring the night.
71—this day, at noon.

BAROMETER, 29.91.
WIND, W.—Light airs, and fine weather.

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glorious alliance between France and England, we
know not where from the events, warlike or legis-
lative, of 1854, her most gracious MAJESTY can
select for her Speech from the Throne any fitting
theme of congratulation.

Yesterday, MARY ANNE BROUGH was tried at
Guildford for the murder of her children, at
Esher, on the 9th or 10th June last. One in-
dictment out of the six on which " true bills" had
been returned was only proceeded with ; but the
verdict thereon was decisive as to all the other
charges, the evidence in each case being identical.
The result has been "an acquittal on the ground
of insanity"—the effect whereof will be that the
miserable woman will be detained in custody,
during her MAJESTY'S pleasure, as what is termed
" a criminal lunatic." No matter how complete
may be the restoration of her faculties, no matter
though she may be to all intents and purposes of sound
mind, memory, and understanding, she must still
linger out her existence among the insane, with
scarcely a hope of future liberation. It is true
that the Royal prerogative may be exerted in her
favour ; but so might it be had %he been con-
victed of the fearful offence laid to her charge.
And the prospect of release, if it can be at all
entertained, must be very remote—indeed, so
much so as to reduce any hope that can be in-
dulged in to the very faintest character.
We have referred to this to show that, although
acquitted of the murders, the wretched offender
will not escape with impunity from the conse-
quences of her fearful crime—that a bitter ex-
piation still awaits her, than which many persons
may consider even an ignominious death on the scaf-
fold less horrible. The pangs of conscience must
perpetually haunt "the modern MEDEA. " in her
melancholy seclusion, where she can find nothing
to divert her mind from the awful reminiscence of
her atrocious guilt.
The circumstances attracted so much attention
at the time, no less from the heart-rending nature
of the transaction, than from the important sta-
tion formerly occupied by the culprit in reference
to the heir apparent of the British Crown, that
they must be fresh in the recollection of our
readers. It is therefore only necessary to make
brief allusion thereto in reference to the defence
set up by her accomplished and able advocate—
the only one possible under the circumstances—
viz., that at the time when the awful out-
rage against the law of nature was com-
mitted—when the mother with her own hand
deprived no less than six of her own children
for whom she had previously manifested the most
affectionate solicitude of their lives, she was not a
responsible being capable of distinguishing right
from wrong, or aware that she was perpetrating
an act, alike forbidden by the Divine and human
law. Nothing less would be sufficient to justify
the verdict under the existing law. And it cer-
tainly seems as if the jury strained a point, in.
order to avoid the exercise of a very painful
duty.

It is neither our wish nor our habit to criticise
very severely the finding of a jury of twelve re-
spectable gentlemen ; more especially when the
error, if any, has been on the side of mercy, "in
favorern vitce." We have frequently observed that
juries have interposed themselves between the
undue severity of the law and persons whose
cases exhibited some mitigating circumstances—
that their departure from the strict letter of the
law has almost invariably been to temper jus-
tice with mercy, and alleviate the strict rules of
the law. It is also such occasional derelictions of
strict duty that lead to the revision and modifica-
tion of the existing code, to the ameliorations in
the law, which have been brought about chiefly
through such decisions, proving that there is
something defective, something that requires
alteration, in the law.
The state of the law respecting the criminal re-
sponsibility of persons labouring under insanity at
the time of their offence has been very clearly
settled by the almost unanimous opinions of the
Judges, delivered in answer to queries submitted
by the House of Lords in 3843. There was one
dissentient only—Mr. Justice MAVLE—an im-
portant exception by the way ; but the large ma-
jority of his judicial brethren confirmed
and approved of it, viz., Lords BROUGHAM;
LYNDHURST, CAMPBELL, COTTENHAM, and Wry-
FORD, and it must be deemed conclusive as to the
state of the law. We shall only refer to the
answer to the second question, where the
Judges stated that " the jury ought in all cases
to be told that every man should be considered
of sane mind unless it was clearly proved in evi-
dence to the contrary ; that before a plea of in-
sanity should be allowed, undoubted evidence
ought to be adduced that the accused was of
diseased mind, and that at the time he committed
the act he was not conscious of right or wrong."
Now, it can scarcely be said that MARY ANNE
BROUGH came within this category. She had been
detected in a serious offence against morality. She
had lost her husband, and was about to lose her
children, whom she had every reason to suppose
would be taken away from her. She was con-
templating self-murder to escape from the painful
consequences of her own guilt. And she added
the murder of her innocent children, in order that
her husband, whom she had previously so deeply
injured, should not enjoy the blessings of which
she was about to be deprived. There was some
evidence that her brain was and still is disordered,
but certainly not sufficient to show that she was
at the time ignorant of " the distinction between
right and wrong." If the doctrine, that a party
committing a crime under some " uncontrollable
influence " is irresponsible, it will be difficult to
convict of any murder the motives whereof
wero not clearly apparent. Indeed, in the
present case, there was a motive, an evil mo-
tive, but too perceptible—a motive distinctly
alluded to by the eminent Judge who presided, who
said that " if they should be of opinion that owing
to the unfortunate relation she stood with her
husband at the time she was induced to meditate
the commission of some act of violence, either
towards herself or others, and that this created an
excited condition, wilich, operating on her brain
in its diseased condition, drove her to a state of
temporary insanity, during which sho committed
the act with which she was charged, he was bound
to tell them, that this would not excuse her from
the consequences, and it would be their duty to
find her guilty of wilful murder! " They did ,
not do so, however. They undoubtedly found in
opposition to the law so distinctly explained by
the learned Judge ; and it is for legal reformers
to say whether there are not sufficient grounds for
the modification of that law, and the establish-
ment of less stringent rules in cases of alleged
insanity.

The Duke and Duchess of Wellington, after the pro-
rogation, will leave Belgrave-square on a visit to the
Marquis and Marchioness of Tweeddale, at Yester-
house, near Haddington, en route to the Highlands.
The Marquis of Lansdowne entertained the Cabinet
Ministers at dinner last evening at Lansdowne-house.
The Earl of Mansfield has left the Dowager Countess
at Mansfield's, at Langham-house, for Scone Palace,
N.B.

Earl Jermyn has left England for the Continent.
Mr. and Mrs. Oliveira have left town for North Wales.
MARRIAGE IN HIGH LlFE.—Yesterday were solem-
nised the nuptials of Frederick Spencer, fourth Earl of
Spencer, and Miss Adelaide Seymour, the only daughter
of the late Sir Horace Seymour. The imposing cere-
mony was performed at St. James's Church, Piccadilly,
in the presence of a numerous and brilliant circle of the
aristocracy and fashionable .world.
Umvxnarrx CommaE, LONDON.—The'prizes and cer-
tificates of honour for the summer term of the faculty of
medicine, and the result of the competition for the
Williamson prize for chemical research in the Laboratory
of Analytical Chemistry were announced
yesterday, as
follows :—Botany : gold medal, Henry 12andsleY ..?ssil-
ver, William Pile. Pathological anatomy : gold
medal,
Frederick G. Clarkson ; silver, John D. Scurrah ; 2d
silver, Thomas V. Jackson. Medical jurisprudence :
gold medal, J. D. Scurrah. Materia naedica : . gold
medal, Henry Maudsley ; silver (equal), Elwyn Andrew
and James Gibb 4 Blake. Analytical chemistry : Wil-
liamson prize of 50/. for chemical research, Robert Rail-
ton ; honourable mention, George Kay and Henry
Scrugham. Mr. D. Boswell Reid, jun., stood next to
the prizemen in the classes of Pathological Anatomy and
Materia Medics, and obtained a fourth certificate of
honour in botany.
CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL.—On Tuesday last, Mr.
Edwin Canton,
otonn,Aomwnhaot,foyr matantyhiyseahross,phitaasl, wasfilledthoeieechairted,
of Lecturer
to the office of assistaut-surgeon to
.
twhiethinosutittuoptpiizition, .
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