The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-19 00:00:00

RIT.RAO.RDINARY CASE OF LUNACY.

On Monday a special jury was empannelled before
?Fr:lnc-is Barlow, Esq., one of the Masters in Lunacy, in
Clement's-hall, Clement's-inn, to inquire into the state
of .mind of Jonathan Child, Esq., formerly a captain in
the 12th regiment of Lancers.
...;ir Frederick Thesiger, Mr. Montague Smith, Q.C.,
andt Mr. Hodson appeared in support of the commission ;
Mr. Montague Chambers, Q.C., and Mr. J. A. Russell
on behalf of Captain Child • and Mr. Locke appeared on
1 ehalf of the " Lunatics' Friend Society."
From the opening address of Sir F. Tliesiger, which
c •ccepied more than six hours in its delivery, it appeared
t bat Captain Child was the second son of Mr. Child,
o f Kinlelt Hall, in Shropshire, and was entitled to the
r, eversion 01
f 4,0001. a year on his father's decease. He
v, as now in his 43d year. At the age of 18 he entered
oie Lancers as „-ornet, and at a particular period after his
his disposition, which previously bad
jb'eienninpgectuhle army,iarly ae.qtiong.te and engaging, was marked
by a decided change. He became proud, impatient of
control, hot-tempered, and inordinately vain, besides
beiing averse to his mother, to whom he had previously
be en fondly attached. He also indulged in such
13,7ish extravagance that his father had to inter-
pose and raise money en the estates. About the
year 1838 he became possessed with the extraor-
dinary infatuation that the Queen had a marked
attachment to him, and that she evinced her affec-
tion in an evident manner every time they met.
Captain Child had at last even written to her Majesty,
inviting her to open a correspondence, and that he quar-
relled with his brother and other' members of his family,
who had implored him to desist, and endeavoured to
disabuse him of his unfortunate notiOns. Subsequently,
i on account of the continuation of his extraordinary con-
duct, it was intimated by the authorities to his father
(who had shrunk as long as possible from measures of
restraint) that if he did not take the neceoary steps they
must proceed to do so themselves ; and after further
communications with Lord Hill, Mr. Child at length
had his son placed in the care of Dr. Mon 'o, of St.
John's-wood, whence (his delusions having parsed into
the chronic stage) he was removed, in 1851, to Hayes
Park, near Uxbridge, where he came under the control
of the Commissioners in Lunacy.
_. _

At the termination of the learned counsel's address,
the inquiry was adjourned till Tuesday.

ADJOURNED INQUIRY.
This inquiry was resumed yesterday in Clement's-inn
Hall.

Mr. Lutwyche, secretary to the Commissioners of
Lunacy, produced all the letters that had been received
from Capt. Child since his confinement at Hayes-park.
Two hundred and three of the letters were in cipher,
but Mr. Lemon, of the State Paper Office, had furnished
witness with the key thereto, and thus provided witness
could read most of them with the greatest ease. The
reading of these and the other letters written by Capt.
Child (which did not betray symptoms of mental disease,
but rather the contrary), occupied the whole morning.
They all more or less contained protestations against the
ete.'ntinuanee of his detention, and the legality of his first
iuc arceration in an asylum. In one he declared that he
never entertained the idea that the Queen had formed
an attachment for him since the month of June, 1840,
and that he had been misled into the impression that the
was attached to him, by what he conceived to be some
peculiarity in her manner towards him, at the opera.
But even these erroneous impressions he urged were
wanting in all the essential characteristics of insanity,
and it did not follow that because he had fallen into
error, he was therefore of unsound mind.

Many of the letters related to pecuniary matters be-
tween bimself and his father, and complained of the
course which the latter had taken.

Mr. Locke said that the Lunatics' Friend Society, for
whom he appeared, having been charged with unneces-
sarily meddling in the case, the letters addressed to the
commissioners would show whether that was a just
charge or not. In cross-examination Mr. Lutwyche said
the letters contained many remarks upon politics, and
were written with great ability, being, in fact, beautiful
specimens of composition.

I - Mr. Leman, Of the State Paper office, deposed to
having easily succeeded in deciphering the letters. The
words " Serat" and " Gemo" meant the Queen ; "Lo-
renzo" stood for Prince Albert, and "Dore" signified
the Duchess of Kent. The letters "K. 8." meant her
Majesty's ministers, and " Friend" was applied to Louis
Napoleon.
Mr. Charles Babbage, Professor Wheatstone, and Mr.
T. F. Lewin, gave similar evidence.

The Earl of Shaftesbury, president of the lunacy com-
missioners, deposed that he had had an interview with
Captain Child on the 10th of January, 1852. Two other
commissioners were present. On the 22d of that month
he signed a report expressing his opinion concerning
the captain's condition. On oross-examination his lord-
ship stated that Capt. Child had, during the interview,
dwelt on she moral impropriety of his being detained if
he was a sane man, and made some representations as
to the manner in which he had been treated. He ap-
peared a man of ability, and entered on his argument
with great ingenuity. He (Lord Shaftesbury) was greatly
impressed with his whole manner. Capt. Child con-
versed with great acuteness and skill, and was a person,
he considered, calculated to be an ornament to any
society, if he could keep himself under control.
Re-examined—This interview took place a year be-
fore the letters in cipher were sent. He considered
Capt. Child to be decidedly of unsound mind, although
he conversed so skilfully.
Sir F. Thesiger having read a number of the letters
addressed to " Serat" or the Queen.
Capt Child was then introduced, his appearance ex-
cited considerable interest. He is of slender build,
about 5 feet 10 in. high, with a thorough military bear-
ing. His answers to the q iestions put to him were
given with much shrewdness. Their substance was
that he had certainly considered that the Queen's man-
ner to him at first had been somewhat marked, and he
could excuse the letters he had written to her, though
he could not justify them. The letters in cipher were
mere nonsensical effusions, written to exercise his
imagination in confinement, and in an off-hand sort of
way, without any fixed purpose. " Serat" might mean
the Queen, or Brittania : it was only a figurative ex-
pression. The letters were as absurd to him as to
anyone else. The fact was he was determined to
write constantly to Mr. Lutwyche, until that gentle-
man answered certain questions which he had put
to him. -He thought that paper so scribbled would
be good enough- for the purpose. The cipher letters
were written for his own amusement, not with the
idea that anyone else would see them or be inter-
ested in them. There were indelicate expressions in
them, no doubt, but they were in oipher, and Le
was vary sorry they bad been exposed, as they were not
intended to be, and the very fact of there being
such expressions was of itself sufficient evidence that
the letters were never intended to be read by any
one ; they were written for the employment of
his time, and were not :Mended to be known
to any human being. lie had burnt, an immense
deal of that sort of writing; and he invented the I
cipher, because he wished to make secret memoran-
dums while in confinement in Ireland. It was very
stupid of him to send these papers in cypher to Mr.
Lutwyche, and he would never do it again. Other per-
sons had thought that the Queen had paid him marked
attention. He must decline to say who they were, but
he would tell anything to settle the question of his in-
sanity. The Queen paid him attention both before and
after her marriage, in a marked manner, but be did not
mean to say that anything wrong was intended by it,
but there was a marked manner. He would much rather
not say who beside himself observed it. He had sup-
the Queen's manner, that her marriage
with Prince Albert was a sham, it was not a fixed
opinion; but a mere supposition, which he got rid of,
not by lapse of4tilise, nor by treatment, but by proofs
that it was not a sham. It did happen that there was
draw the least Inference from it, he would not something in the Queen's
it was intended for manner,. would
even
say
At the close of Cahpitma;
by where he Was. bcuhtildit,sweaxsamfoirnasotimone, one close
The jury retired to a Captain Child's
room, and having had a
ceedings were over for the
short consultation, returned. They said, as the pro-
said, after this, he should feel it his
again in the morning.
to go
oThtielvsei
Thesiger said,
with the castehifsrom the beginning.
day, they must assemble
dutyyir
Mr. Chambers, in reply to
had seen of Captain Child clarity. acid, after what he
could was utterly impossible that he his examination, it
make sion whatevei. any conces-

Sir F. Thesiger rejoined that he should have, in the
interest of those by whom be was instructed, to take
another course with regard to the case.
The proceedings were then adjourned until this morn-
ing. _ .

Captain Child left in a carriage and pair.

THE ELIZABETH FRY REFUGE. —The annual meeting
of this excellent institution toolc place on Monday at the
house of .Messm. Overend, Gurney, and Co., Lombard-
street. It appeared from the report that 375 destitute
females had been admitted on their release from prison
since its establishment. Eighty-eight were received dur-
ing the last year most of whom have been placed in do-
mestic service and other useful occupations. Several
striking and interesting cases were adduced in proof of
,the society's success. Twenty-three are now in the
asylum at Hackney. The report was well received, anti
a committee appointed for the ensuing year. We were i
sorry to find the income was short of the expenditure
nearly 1501.

Ca 1,31

BETTING AT MANCHESTER;. JULY 18.

On Saturday the rooms at the Post-office Hotel re-
sumed their bustling appearance, and new life seemed to
be infused into the .minds of the layers of the odds by
the great event at Liverpool being decided in their
favour, which rendered the settling on their part easy ;
but as regards the minor events, they had anything but
a " rosy" time of it. Ammonia's victory for the Cup
caused great astonishment, and perhaps none were more
surprised than both the owner and trainer, and although
it may be said that she had many times shown good run-
ning at home, and a great deal depended on her temper,
we are inclined to believe that ber success at Liverpool
is attributable only to pure accident, caused by the seve-
rity of the pace for a mile and three-quarters upon such
a severe course, there being upwards of a thousand yards
a dead rise at the finish, together with the recent heavy
falls of rain—consequently, long before the horses
reached home, it was difficult to raise a gallop. Am-
monia, however, who was carrying only a feather weight
viz. 6st 21b. upon a five-year old mare, managed to
struggle on to the end, coming in an easy winner. It '
is not our province to prophesy, or we might venture
to predict that, if the race had been run over again with
the same weights, over York, Doncaster, or New
market Course, that she would not have the remotesil;
chance of winning, nor would she be a much better r
favourite than she was at the start at Liverpool.
Yesterday, the chief part of the settling being goit
through, a few investments were made upon the Good--
wood Stakes. Nancy was backed at 20 to lin hun-
dreds, but subsequently we heard 300 to 10 offercad
against her. Jonathan Martin, who has been backed
for a tolerable amount at 100 to 6, seems rather un-
healthy in the market, having receded to 25 to 1. Jac-
queline and Lough Bawn are the only horses that have
been backed in our hearing for the Newton Gold Cup,
and Typee for the Nottingham Handicap. To-day,
upon the time approaching for the departure of the
special train for Newton, viz., twelve o'clock, the
rooms became deserted, at which time the odds stood
as follows :

NEWTON CUP.
3to 1 aget Jacqueline (taken).
4to 1 agst Lough Bawn (taken freely)
NOTTINGHAM HANDICAP.

7to 2 aget Typee (taken).

GOODWOOD STAKES.
11 to 2 agst Heapy (taken).
11 to 2 ,agst Tros (taken).
Bto 1 avt Diana (taken).
100 to 6 agst Muscovite (taken). ,
100 to 6 agst Exact (taken).
100 to 6 agst Miss Tennyson (taken).
20 to 1 agst Nancy (taken).
20 to 1 agst Bribery (taken).
GOODWOOD CUP.
7to 4 on Virago (offered).

EBOR HANDICAP.
100 to Bon the field (offered).

NEWTON SUMMER MEETING.

Snowdon Dunhill
Juliet
Antonia

Ellerdale filly .
Resistance ....

Donskoy .

The Cripple..

TUESDAY.

TRIAL HANDICAP.

GOLEORNE STAKES.

HANDICAP PLATE OF 70 SOVS.

HANDICAP PLATE OF 50 BOYS.

STAMFORD RACES.
TUESDAY.

SWEEPSTAKES of 50 sors each, half ft, Set 71b each.
T.Y.C. (4 subs.)
Lord Barghley's Blue Beard, by Gwalior, Norman,
walked over.
SWEEPSTAKES of 50 SOWS each, h ft, for colts Bst 71b,
and fillies Bst 41b, either out of untried mares or by
untried stallions. T.Y.C. (7 subs.)
Lord Strathmore's filly by Collingwood, out of Lucy
Rinks, Set 41b
Mr. Newton's Mariposa, Set 41b 2
Lord Exeter's Nutriment, Bst 71b
SWEEPSTAKES of 100 sous each, h. ft., for 3-year-olds ;
colts, Bst 71b ; fillies, Bst 41b ; untried stallions or
mares allowed 31b, but only one allowance. New mile.
6 subs.
Mr. Payne's Boer by Van Tromp, Set 41b (Flatman) 1
Mr. F. Knowles's Baalbec, Bst 71b (Bumby) 2
The BURGHLEY STAKES of 25 sots each • 15 ft, and 5
only if declared, &c., with 100 added for 3-year-olds
and upwards, the second to sate his stake. From the
New Mile Starting Post, once round. (30 subs., 19
of whom paid 5 soya each.
El Dorado, by Harkaway, 3 yrs, sst 21b ...(Fordham) 1
Cock Pheasant, 4 yrs, Est (carried 6st 11b) .(Wells) 2
Rackapelt, 4 yrs, Est 21b (S. Steggles) 3
Haricot, aged, 7st (carried 7st 21b) (Chilman) 4
Deciding Heat.—Won by a head.

SWEEPSTAKES of 200 sovs. each, h ft, for two-yr-olds ;
colts, Bst 71b; fillies, Bst 41b. T.Y.C. (3 subs.)
Lord Exeter's Almond, Sister to Filbert ....(Flatman) 1
Duke of Bedford's Pugnator ....(S. Rogers) 2
SWEEPSTAKES of 200 sovs. each, h ft ; for fillies, Sat 41b.
T.Y.C. (3 subs.)

Habena
.... 1
Besika 2
HANDICAP PLATE of 50 sovs. for three-yr-olds and up-
wards. Twice round.

Elue Beard 1
Florist
SELLING STAKES of 5 soya. each, with 25 added. Once
round and a distance.

Economy
Sweetness
Chorus

NOTTINGHAM JULY MEETING.
PROGRAMME OF THE SPORT,
THURSDAY—TIIE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE HANDICAP.
THE SCARBOROUGH STAKES of 40 BOYS., added to a
sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each ; three-yr-olds, Est 81b ;
four, Bst ; five, Bst 71b ; six and aged, Bst 121 b ; mares
and geldings allowed 31b. One mile and a half. To
close the day before running.
THE ROBIN HOOD STAKES of 10 soya. each, with 50
added ; for two-year-olds ; colts Bst 71b, fillies Bst 31b;
the second to save his stake. A winner of any
two-year-old stakes value 100 soya. (including the
winner's own stake) to carry 41b extra; 200 sovs.,
71b extra. T.Y.C. (19 subs.) Lord Alfred (71b
extra), bro to The Hatchet, Louvat, The Despised,
Boddicot Squire, Prince Plausible, b f by Orlando—
lodine's dam, Martha, Elastic. Equivoque, Maid of
the Welds, Cocytns, Rotherham, Sylvia, Happy
Land, b or br f by Melbourne—Pug Orrock's d, Blue
Peter, f by Epirus—Pelion's dam, f by Cotheretone—
Maid of Saragossa.
The NOTTINGHAMSHIRE • HANDICAP of 20 soya each, 10
ft, only 5 if declared, with 200 sovs added by the
noblemen and gentlemen of the county ; the owner of
the second horse to receive 50 soya out of the stakes.
A winner of any handicap or sweepstakes amounting
to 200 soya value, with the winner's stakes, from the
time of declaring the weights to the time of starting,
to carry slb extra ; a winner ,of 300 soya value, with
the winner's stakes, from the time of declaring the
weights to the time of starting, to carry 71b extra.
2k miles. 71 subs, 46 of whom declared.

Age st lb
Orestes
King of Trumps 5 8 7
Kohinoor
Typee .
Indian Warrior 5 7 11
Nancy
Cii as eaway 6 7 9
Goorkah 4 7 8
Lough Bawn 6 7 , 2
Haricot
Cleveland (inc. Sib

Age st lb
Florist
St. Andrew
The Early Bird
The Dandy
Lady Vernon
Whalebone
Dr. O'Toole
Barrel 3 5 7
Amalgamation
Gamekeeper
Jujube
b f by California,
dam Kitty Cockle 3 5 1

ex.
Jacqueline 4 6 11
Itch 4 6 9

The SHERWOOD HANDICAP of 10 130V8 each, 5 ft, with 40
added. Gentlemen riders ; professionals 61b extra.
A winner of any handicap or sweepstakes amounting
to 100 sovs value, with the winner's own stakes, from
the tune of declaring the weights to the time of start-
ing, to carry 3lb extra ; 200 sovs, 6lb extra. One
mile and a quarter. (15 subs, 6of whom declared.)
Age st lb 1 Age st lb
Garforth a 11 4 St. Andrew
Itch
Surveyor
View Halloo a 10 10 Rudston 3 9 7
Freedom

PLATE of 40 sovs, given by the county members, added
to a sweepstakes of 5 sovs each, for 3-yr-olds and up.
wards ; optional selling weights. T.Y.C. To close
the day before running,

The CASTLE HANDICAP of 5 sovs each, with 30 added ;
a winner of any handicap or sweepstakes (after the
declaration of the weights) of the value of 100 soy's,
including the winner's own stake, to carry 51b; of
200 sovs, 71b extra. One mile. (11 subs.)
Age st lb
..... 5 8 7
Battery
Little Tom 4 7 12
Voucher 4 7 8
Dagobert
TheDTSho len
yGiSrn Domino
e di trsT I ea
STAKESs
19 343a0r fd
66:5 ; 1:7:0
11
Half-mile straight. To el

Age Bt lb
Meliora
br, g by Gabbier,
darn Lady May-
oress, by Dr
Faustus
f by Don John, out
of My Dear

rs. each. with 30 added, for
)tional selling weights, &c.
!ose the day before running.

FRIDAY.
TIIE PORTLAND HANDIDAP of 2 Boys, each, with 50
sovs. added, One mile. ,To close and name on Thurs-
day evening.
TEE CHESTERFIELD HANDICAP of 15 sovs. each, 10 ft,
only 5 if declared, with 50 added ; the owner of the
second horse to receive back his stake. The winner
of the Nottinghamshire Handicap to carry 71b ware ;
or of any handicap race of the value of 200 sovs., in-
eluding the winner's own stakes, from the time of
declaring the weights to the time of starting, to carry