The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-25 00:00:00

01- tening l'llli,

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1847

of patriotism that the country has come so corn
pletely into their possession, and their characters re.

main untarnished by the commission of a single crime.
SALDINFIA., on the contrary, hes been merely the in-
competent champion of an unsound cause, and he has
increased the contempt excited by his inefficiency by
the odium elicited by his cruelty and ruthlessness.
The contrasted reputations of these two chieftains are
fittingly symbolical of the credit due to the opposite
principles they are endeavouring to render trium-
phant.
,Instead of-evincing a sotnekollit:*‘*toary Xelience
upon the assi,taitic%'.ef ionatarau.cii a,
l'reliance, for' exampte, aa his actually evinced by the
adherents of MARIA, DA GLoaia—the Junta and their
captains are preparing themselves for a renewal of
the struggle. With this. intention DAs ABTAS held
a conference with POVOAS on the 18th instant at

Regoa, when they are presumed to have arranged a
combined movement for the dislodgement of CASAL
from Lamego. Upon rumours prevalent in the ca-
pital respecting the probable submission of SA DA

BA.NDEIYA to the royal authority we are disposed to
place as little reliance as upon similar reports which
were some time since circulated about the probable ter-
giversation of the President and Commander-in-Chief

of Mexico. Should the former soldier, however,
prove himself a renegade, he must inevitably meet
with the opprobrium such an execrable crime deserves.
The mysterious individual who has been watched
with so much suspicion, from the circumstance of hig

being regarded as no other than Dorn Miouer., ap-
pears to have landed on the shingles at Villa do

Conde, and to have shortly afterwards returned to
the yacht of Captain BENNET without any eciaircisse-

ment whatever. The incident seems to have been

conducted throughout in the most melodramatic
manner, and may after all prove nothing better than
a practical joke in the shape of an aquatic masquera !e.
Notwithstanding certain insinuations to the contrary,
we are not disposed to anticipate any armed inter-
ference on the part of Great Britain.

We are rejoiced to find that the Alleged Lunatics'
Friend, Society have presented to the House of Com-
mons a petition, drawing the attention of that lion.
house to the state of the law of lunacy, as laid down
by Lord DENMAN, in the case of Mrs SHUTTLE_
WORTH, and praying for its revision. The law, as
laid down by Lord DENMAN is hat case, authorises
the seizure and confinement of persons alleged to be
of unsound mind, at the instigation of a perfect
stranger, by the servants of private individuals, upon
the mere certificate of two medical men. And, not-
withstanding the Act of 8 and 9 Victoria, cap. 100,
enacts that the certificate of every medical

man, deeiaring that any person is of uusound

mind, and a proper person to be confined,
should aho set forth the fact or fact:4, hear-
say or otherwise, upon which such medical
men may have formed an opinion, Lord DENMAN,
out of his abundant respect for the opinion of "
skil-
ful persons," has thought proper to decree that such
clause is only declaratory, and has authorised the
continued incarceration of an alleged lunatic upon a
certificate in which none of these particulars are set
forth. The interpretation thus put upon the statute
by Lord DENMAN proves how more than ever neces-
sary it is that a public inquiry into the state of mind
of an alleged lunatic should precede incarceration.
Once confined in an asylum all hope of liberation

by due course of law is hopeless. It is vain
to point out that the requisites of the
statute, as regards certificates, have not been
complied with. Terrified by the cry of "mad-
man," as old women in the street are terrified by
the cry of "mad dog," and assuming that every
detenu in an asylum must be insane, the Judges de-
clare that the whole of the law of lunacy is anoma-
lous—that the directions of the statute are not com-
pulsory, and that it is their duty for the benefit of
society to remit back the unfortunate prisoner to his
former custody. The case of Mrs. CUMMING proves
the utter inefficienc:- of the present law to demon-
stration, and we prefer taking the case of .Mrs.
CUMMING as our illustration, because those who
caused her incarceration have since consented to her
sanity by
aaentelephtaiNn'egfrom he
given proof
a disposition of of their
of 1e
beliefio inl-I,err
Pr"PrtY in their favour. We take it for granted,
therefore, that no
question can arise as to the state of
as
yi nl du
mo f tilni 3
tliai
e month dy. She v.of•asl‘iineareerated in a lunatic
friend had applied for a writ oaPhbeas,
been brought up before
Lord 1846. Suppose al
DEas
g irregumlaArNi;
es upon which she W detained—
yet Lord DEN_
MAN would, in accordance with the aanldbesiht ethhearde
might have been something
the certia-
ca W 1
interpretation he I
put upon the law in the case of Mrs. SiinTrLtwoaTti,
have remitted her back to her former custody, where
she might have remained until this hour.
For, be it remembered, that although the

Since the rejection by the provisional Junta of
Oporto of the terms of pacification agreed to by
Queen MARIA DA GLORIA of Portugal in conse-
quence of the English intervention, tranquillity has
continued throughout the kingdom. That tranquil-
lity, however, is an ominous tranquillity ; it is but
the breathless lull of the conflicting elements before
th—e renewal of a more terrible and devastating tem-
pest. As we have already explained, no other answer
than the one returned to our plenipotentiary, Colonel
NVYLDE, could have been expected from the Junta,
presuming that that popular Parliament is composed
of men not entirely divested of common sense and ordi-
nary prudence. To say that the disturbances which have
so long desolated Portugal have originated in a merely
idle insurrection would be a. foolish distortion of facts
and a perverse selection of epithets. Those disturb-
ances have resulted from a spontaneous anxiety
on the part of an entire people to vindicate
their national rights and to maintain the integrity
of their constitutional privileges. The outburst is
not local, it is essentially comprehensive.and national.
It is not the consequence of a reckless insubordination
aroused by the lawless vociferations of a demagogue.
It has sprung from the very fervour of the loyalty
with which the Portuguese regard their Government,
from their antipathy to unconstitutional innovations,
and their simultaneous resolution to preserve the su-
preme authority from being transferred from their
SOVEREIGN and their Cortes to any foreign favourite
or unpatriotic statesman. Hence, therefore, the po-
pulation is desirous to obtain a solid and permanent
pacification on some such terms as those proposed by
Lord PALMERSTON ; and for the purpose of ensuring
that solidity and permanence of reconciliation they
require a guarantee for the integrity of her MA•
JESTY's intentions. Indeed, the Junta have defini-
tively expressed their willingness to accept the pre-
scribed conditions, provided only they have some
security that thole conditions will be honestly ful-
filled. What right, forsooth ! has any external Go-
vernment to interfere further than we have done for
the tranquillization of a people who have heretofore
done us no injury whatever, who evince no hostility
whatever towards us, who are fighting for the dearest
prerogative of humanity—freedom, and who abstain
from signing a most moderate treaty, because they
demand some proof of the sincerity of a hitherto per-
fidious and time-serving woman ?
If any military demonstration is entitled in an
especial manner to our sympathy and neutrality, it
is surely such a demonstration as the one which has
transferred the popular power to the Junta of Oporto,
and confiled the direction of the popular forces to a
Commander-in. Chief like the Count DAs ANTAS.
Das ANTAS is to the Portuguese the Gonfalonniere
of their liberties ; and it is because his lieutenants
have hitherto acted with that combined bravery and
moderation which are most consonant with the spir