The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-13 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON
THE EARL OF ALBEM.XItLE.
An investigation, in the nature of a writ de
lunatico inquirendo, was gone into-yesterday at Far-
rance'e Hotel, before Commissioners Barlow and
Winslow, and a highly respectable jury, to ascertain
the state of mind of the Earl of Albemarle.
Mr. Stinton attended on behalf of the parties pro-
secuting the inquiry, and Mr. Calvert watched the
case for his Lordship.
Mr. STINTON, in opening the case, stated that the
present Earl was fifty-three years of age. At the
death of his father he succeeded to some estates of
considerable value in the county of Norfolk, yield-
ing about 9,0001. a year, but which were considerably
incumbered. Messrs. Medcalf and Woodhorne had
long acted as the solicitors to the Keppel family, and
they had undertaken this inquiry on behalf of the
Countess, to whom his Lordship was married in 1816.
The question for the jury was, first, was or was not
his Lordship of unsound mind ; and, secondly, if he
was, when did he become so ? These were the ques-
tions the jury would have to decide after hearing the
evidence; and without detaining them with a
lengthened detail of 'the circumstances it would clis•
close, the Learned Counsel mentioned one or two of
the chief' features of the case, and then proceeded to
call witnesses.
The first witness called was Dr. Sutherland. He
deposed as follows :—I have much attended cases of
lunacy. I was called in on the 25th of July last to
visit the present Ear!. I was called in by Lady
Albemarle. Colonel Keppel, and Mr. Parkin and Miss
Birne, were present when I arrived at his Lordship's
house. I found his Lordship excited, and I found
those physical symptoms which led me to be-
lieve that he was labouring under paralysis
peculiar to people who are insane. There was a
tre sibling of the upper lip. His Lordship
was in an excited state from having burnt his clothes.
On the 26th July he was received into my house
(Blackland; House), under the usual certificate,
si-vied by Dr. Southey and another gentleman.
When he came into my house he had a frequent
pulse, his head was very hot, and he was very much
impaired in his general health. He told me he had killed
a broker at the sate at Willow-bank ; he had attended
and had knocked the nose off another. On the lit of
August I met him in the garden at Blackland s, and
• he was crying. I asked him what was the matter,
and he said he had been up to heaven and there were
a million persons in the world unrepented, and that
his Saviour had commanded him to erect a guillotine
on that spot for their execution. From that time to
the 30th of October he had paroxysms of maniacal
excitement, exhibited by the usual symptoms,
such as hot head, quickness of pulse, uttering loco-
hereetly, and sleeplessness at- night.. It was suc-
ceeded by great emaciation and extreme exhaustion.
On the Ist of November I told him that his father
was alarmingly ill, with the view of breaking to him
his father's death. He then said his father was
fifty-five and he was twenty-five years of age. On
the 31, when I went in'o the room he said he had just
returned from Austria, and had sailed hundreds of
times round the world. On the sth of November he
said he could take- out live coals in his hands without
hurting them; . that he could make watches out
of dirt, worth 5001. each; that he could
make valuable jewels out of pieces of paper;
that he and Mr. Coke were the richest men in Eng-
and ; that they possessed Norfolk, Suffolk, \Vales,
and Ireland. On the Bth I told of his father's
death. He asked when he died. I told him, and
he received it with great indifference, and then
he said he must be proclaimed king, under
the title of Charles the First. On the 10th
of Novern'aer he said I must be mistaken as to
his father's death for his tailor had brought him
to life again. On the Ist of December he told me
lie had large sums of money in different banks—he
named one the Paradise Bank, and said his income
was 490,0001. a year. He said also that he had valuable
'West India property. On the 4th he told me that he
was 25 years old, and had been at the battle of
Copenheg 7% I asked him how that could be, if he
was only 25, and he said he had died, and risen again.
He said he had died three times, that he had been
crucified, and had lived in the time of the twelve
Apostles. On the Bth he said he had killed 150 men in
fighting; on a former day he told me he had killed 70.
He said, also that he was a very good winner, that
he had ran against the Hero and Flying Dutchman,
and beat them both. On the 11th he said he had
ascended up to heaven, and baptised 50,000, all of
whom he had thrown into the sea—one was a speckled
child, which he had killed. He had seen him this
morning, but he made no observations. He was
decidedly of opinion that since the first time he had
seen him he had been and still continues of unsound
mind, and'unfit to manage his own affairs.
The Doctor was cross• examined by Mr. CALVERT,
Q.C.—lle had not seen the Earl before the day lie
was called in, and before he removed him to his home
he had only seen him once. The excitement under
which the Earl was labouring might have resulted
from a paralytic stroke. There was a clergyman
pz.t'sent when he first saw the Earl, whom he believed
to be the Earl's brother. When the Earl first came
into his house he visited him every day, but since
then his visits had not been so frequent, owing to
an improvement in his state. Since the Ea-1
had been with him he had seen his brothers
and sisters, Mr. Steer, and La ty Albermarle, but no
one saw him without his knowledge. He did not
kliche how often he had seen his solicitor. The Earl
hay had access to newspapers and religious books,
but he did not know V% bat the books were. His state
was such that he might have access to books of la hich
he knew nothing. Ile knew that the Earl had access
to newspapers, because on One occasion he
told him that Bolingbroke was the first fa-
vourite for the Derby. On the 6th of December, the
Earl said to him, " I will put you in the way by
which you shall make a million of money with the
malicine you ordered me. It shall supersede cham-
pagne and claret." On the Bth he told him that he
had won 100,0001. at billiards of one of
the men at Blackland House. He was subjected
to annoyances in circumstances that were
likely to produce excitement. There were
actions as well as expression on the part of the Earl
to indicate insanity, for on one occasion he nearly
killed his kseper. On the Ist of October the symp-
toms of violence began to subside, and since that time
his excitement had been gradually subsiding. The
symptonis had now assumed a chronic form. The
Ein was dirty in his habits, and had a peculiar habit
of rubbing his hair off his head.
On re examination by Mr. STINTON, the Doctor
gave it as his opinion that the symptoms the Earl
was suffering from were of a permanent character.
He fancied now that he was in a convent.
By the COMMISSIONER—Is he here? Witness—
No, he is not.
By the COMMISSIONER—CouId he not be produced
here ? Witness—Why, he has expressed a wish to
get out of a convent, and it might be dangerous to
bring him.
By the COMMISSIONER—CouId he be seen in a
private room, or at the Asylum ? Witness—He may
certainly be seen in a private room ; but I am afraid
of the excitement coming on again and resulting in
paralysis.
Mr. CALVERT said, under those circumstances he
would be no party to his being brought there, and
he would, therefore, suggest that the evidence should
be taken as far as it could go, and then the jury
should go, in company with the Commissioner, to see
the Earl. at the asylum.
By a Juror—ln consequence of his violence the
Doctor said he had: more than once felt it to be his
duty to severely coerce the Earl.
Dr. Southey was the next witness eitamined—He
said' I have directed much attention to diseases of
the brain:• On the 25th of July last I was 'called
in to see the Earl, by his own brother, but 1 had
little opportunity of conversing with him. I, how-
ever, saw sufficient of him, and of his actions
to convince me that he was insane. I
have since seen his Lordship at Blackland House,
I saw him on the sth of November, and then he
seemed to belabouring under extraordinary delusions.
lam now decidedly of opinion from what I have
seen and heard of him that he is of unsound mind, and
wholly incompetent to manage his own affairs.
Cross-examined—l have seen the Earl three times,
the 25th July, and the sth and 19:h of November.
On the 19th of November he laboured under the
delusion that he was a fire-eater. He lit a piece of
paper at the candle, arid twirling about, said he could
make jewels with it. He spoke repeatedly of his
inordinate wealth, and seemed to be quite lost upon
figures. Property, however, did not appear to be
the only subject of his delusion, for he talked of
his travels, and seemed to have strange no-
ions of time, such as that to-morrow
would be the first day of the year one.
He talked frequently of hii skill in watchmaking. and
said he could make watches worth 5001. out of
nothing. I 4th.ncqUitliited with that species of para-
lysis sleeken. in by Dr. SUtherland, and I am de-
ci iediv of opinion that it would be iiangereronuesis tod
brine- him 1 ere to day, since it might lead to
e: citem nt that certainly eveul I retard his mental
rera- cry, and iii'ght prove dangerous to his life.
By the siuty—His Lordship has made some oh-
servetisns to me abut his solicitor, but on these
o orisons they have been rather the reverse of ins
di-est.ng insanity. I have not seen him since the 19th
of al overaber.
It; w.-IsifatangatitAittithevddetOr t'shhuld. go and see-
his Lerebteeash Atsd'ic:turn.
Mr: "tingrle Henry Illu ,s surgeon,- detsectim
f•illows4ral am surgeon to aitunittitetiljltim.
tv e of Alb:vii*pbent seven. months before
the 25t1S th.the rtattethred Ins ladyy ,au.i bad fre-
-0,‘,-it"opportunities of- seeing him. I saw him
n tl.e 25th of •Vuly, and with Dr. Southey I signed
the cerefieate fur'hise goin to ifaskland House. On
that day, having been sent for by his lady, I found him
burning a portfolio and talking very incoherently