The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-11 00:00:00

THE FUNDS.-(THIS DAY.)

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK,
Extract of a letter from Bordeaux, Feb. 5 Although we
have the positive assurance given in the Chambers by 117, Sebas_
tiaai of the pacific intentions of Spain, we know for certain that
Ferdinand is arming, and that his troops are proceeding towards
the Pyrenees ; also, that levies cn masse have been ordered. The
army would already have been very formidable, if he had re_
ceived the promised money from his allies. The Duchess of
i
Berri, a long time since, wrote to Ferdinand, fhe would receive
her as Regent of Henry V., King of France, as she wishes to be
at Madrid in the month of May, to which it said the King has
given his consent.
Accounts from Ghent to the 6th instant state that an engage_
ment took place on the 4th at Watervliet, between the Dutch
troops and the Belgians. A battalion has left Ghent to reinforce
the Belgians. Captain De Bast, who took an active part in the
late affair at Ghent, is dead.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.---(THIS DAY).

COURT OF CHANCERY.
INHUMAN ABUSE IN LUNACY.

The LORD CHANCELLOR on taking his seat said, in

lunacy there were a great many existing abuses, and
among others one that a most honest and honourable Mas-
ter had not been able conscientiously to withhold from
communicating to the Gnat; and happy should the Court
be to find that all the Masters followed this excellent ex-
ample. A clergyman 'had unfortunately become a lunatic.
He had an estate yielding 6001. a year, was unmarried,
in easy circumstances, and by birth, education, and station
in life, in every respect a gentleman—a gentleman too
fully entitled to enjoy all the comforts to be derived from
his ample fortune. By the joint operation of the Com-
mittee of the person and the Committee of the estate, the
unfortunate gentleman had been removed from a private
and peaceable custody (where he had been and ought to
) to a
lunatic
diasstyalnutn poart ooffthtehkei6ngodor
a,
year,
anda lodged inn a
have remained enjoying the advantages of privacy,
seclusion,
omony
pauperd e
oubt the most mindful and anxious
Committees
were
uretaking the greatest care. An application
h
made to the Master for an allowance of 1001.
dju st
however,
been
t. andem
a year to support the lunatic ;a this pauper asylum. The
professional gentleman in town was a very respectable
gentleman, whom his Lordship had seen ; he was
however, however, a mere agent, had no authority to do anything
tihnesteruubc
jteiocntsf,roamndthdeidcnooutrtm.atelrtial
in opinion upon l
appearedmaterially
differ
to t'-e Master, and, at first, it pressed a little on the Court,
hat the Master could not act without being put in motion
such an opinion. At all events, the Masters had a
by the parties. On reflection, his Lordship was not of
without regular
duty to perform, and the power under all circumstances
so far to di.charge it as to convey immediate and full in-
formation to the Great Seal of any thing of importance
that might occur before them. Then the question was
whether the Great Seal could or could not act without
being put in motion ? Some had most thoughtlessly and
against all principle said the Great Seal could not judici-
ally put its power in motion without an application being
made to it. Whatever might be said of the judicial
actions of the Great Seal in other respects, this could not
hold good as regards the Great Seal in Lunacy. The
Chancellor merely acted in lunacy as the parens patri of
the insane; and if he waited in such a case as this without
interfering until an application was made by the parties,
his interference would be delayed for ever, because it was
clear that the two Committees having combined to act as
they had done here, not only against a high duty, but
against every christian and humane feeling, they had each
a motive for bringing the matter before the Court. Gene-
rally, the Committee of the estate was the heir-at-law, and
the Committee of the person the next of kin of the lunatic,
so that there was little difficulty in supposing it might be
easy to find persons so situated, unless actuated by high
honourable feelings, as to combine together to sacrifice the
comfort and happiness of a helpless lunatic to their own
sordid views of interest. His Lordship's course appeared to
him to be perfectly clear and easy here; it was to appoint
(which he should forthwith do) a respectable solicitor, in
whom he himself had confidence, to act in this matter,—
to make all necessary inquiries without delay, then
to move his Lordship in the matter, and to be paid
his costs (as small an amount as could be incurred),
out of the lunatic's estate. It was evident that nothing
could be SO beneficial to the lunatic as to expend a few
pounds of his money in this way. As to the powers of
the Masters, they were to exercise those powers largely
and liberally in such matters for the sake of justice, and
where they found they reallycould not extend their powers
to bring about thejestice they saw ought to be admini-

stered, they were to apprise his Lordship instanter of their
situation.

The SOLICITOR •GENERAL suggested the farther pro-
priety of his Lordship's ordering the Committees to appear
personally before him, and bring into Court all the pro-
ceeding's that had taken place in the lunacy.
His LORDSHIP had at firt.t felt inclined to go this length,
but as his information as yet rested in a certain degree on
surmise, he should be content with doing what he had
stated he should do, until the necessary inquiries were
made.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL, at any rate, hoped his Lord-
ship would reserve the consideration of the costs.
His Lc/trim-up observed, that if the information was at
all correct that he had received, the Committees might
rest most perfectly satisfied they should not have one
farthing of costs. A similar abuse had been committed in
another matter, but not to so flagrant an extent as in the
present instance.