The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-17 00:00:00

NEW PRISON.

It appeared from the Report of the Visiting Justices
of this Gaol that there were at present confined there 96
prisoners, viz., 54 males, 27 females, and 15 boys.

lIANWELL LUNATIC ASYLUM.

Mr. P. LAURIE requested the Magistrates would pro-
ceed to the consideration of the Report of the Visiting
Justices of the County Lunatic Asylum at Hanwell, and
also the Report of the resident physician thereunto an-
nexed, and which were laid before the Court on the last
county day. From the length of time that has elapsed
since the system of non-coercion mentioned in the Re-
port had been adopted at the Asylum, the Magistrates
had had ample opportunities of judging of its effects,
and were now fully competent to decide whether it should
be continued or not. He was about to propose a resolu-
tion to the effect that the Magistrates approved of the
present system. He confessed that he felt a very con-
siderable degree of anxiety as to the result of his motion
convinced, as- he was, that the question about to be
discussed was among the most important subjects that had
ever been brought under :he notice of that Court, and the
result was looked forward to with considerable anxiety by
the people of France,.Belgium, German), and America,
and if the present system was sanctioned by the Court,
there could be no doubt that it would have a considerable
effect in those countries. It was only fifty years since
that the treatment of lunatics in this and other countries
was that of criminals of the very worst character, and
the places appointed tor their reception, were neither
more nor less than ill-constructed and badly-arranged
prisons. The French were the first who endeavoured to
ameliorate the condition of these unfortunate persons
Mons. Pinel made the first attempt, which was attended
with the most beneficial results. His plan was soon after
introduced in this country, and had been attended with
success. In fact, receptacles for insane persons werenow
hospitals for their cure, and not as formerly, mere places
for their safe custody.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to
the,Hanwell Lunatic Asylum, great and important alter-
ations were effected by the late Sir William Ellis ; but
Dr. Conolly, soon after he had been appointed the
resident physician, went farther, and said, that all
mechanical restraints might be altogether dispensed with,
and accordingly, ever since September 21, 1839, they
had been altogether discontinued. A period of 'two
years had since elapsed; and, in an asyltun that, on an
average, had contained about 1,000 patients, restraint
had not been applied in any one instance, and the altera-
tion had been attended with the happiest results. He
did not intend to call upon his brother Magistrates to
pledge themselves to a continuance of the present system,
but merely that, as far as it had been tried, it had been
attended with the most beneficial results. The worthy
Magistrate here read several extracts from the reports
of the Visiting Justices and Resident Physician •, and
proceeded to remark that many persons considered
that patients disposed to suicide, and those subject to
epileptic fits, ought at all events to be kept in some
degree of restraint, to prevent them from injuring either
themselves or others. In answer to that, he would
state that, within the last year, eight patients, who
were disposed to commit suicide, had been admitted
into the Asylum ; that no restraint whatever had been
imposed upon them, and that no bad consequences had
resulted.—(Hear.) He was happy to state that the
success that had attended the anti-coercion system at
Hanwell had led to its adoption in several other asylums,
In conclusion, he would call the attention of the Court
to the Adelaide fund which. had been established by her
Most Gracious Majesty the Queen Dowager, for the pur-
pose of providing for the future welfare of persons on their
being discharged from the Asylum cured. He much
regretted that the report of the Visiting Justices did
not contain any notice of that most excellent charity
—(Hear, hear)—and that independent of that fund a
sum of money was not placed by the county at thz:
disposal of the Visiting Justices, to be distributed as
they might think fit among more unfortunate persons
who were discharged from the Asylum to defray the ex-
penses of their return home. The Visiting Justices of the
different gaols had the power of rendering this kind of as-
sistance to disc Larged criminals, and surely the unfortu-
nate persons who were discharged from the County
Lunatic Asylum had a much stronger claim to that sort
of assistance. The latter had been rendered destitute
from no fault of their own. On their return to their
miserable homes they found them completely deserte.l.
They had no friends to whom they could apply for as-
sistance, and it not unfrequently happened that their
first effect of returning reason was to regret their restora-
tion to health, and it was a melancholy fact that many
instances 'of relapse were owing to the wretched circum-
stances in which unfortunate lunatics found themselves
placed after they had been discharged from,the Asylum.
The Learned Gentleman concluded by moving the fol-
lowing resolution :

" That on a full consideration of the reports of the
Visiting Justices and of the Resident Physician of the
County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, at Harwell, presented
on the county day of the last Michaelmas Quarter Ses-
sions, this Court is of opinion that the system of manage-
ment pursued therein for the last two years has been at-
tended with highly beneficial results, and affords strong
evidence in support of the opinion that the personal co
ercion of the patients may be safely abolished, by the
substitution of uniform kindness, efficient superintend
ence, and constant vigilance ; and also that such system
tends greatly to the amelioration of the condition and
the increase of the comforts of the patients, and on these
considerations this Court now express their confidence
in the advantages, and their sanction of the continuance,
of the system of non-restraint as now practised in the
Hanwell Asylum."
Mr. Sergeant HALCOMBE opposed the motion, on the
ground that the discussion ought not to be gone into
pending certain proceedings that had recently been in-
stituted in the Court of Queen's Bench.

After a strong discussion, the amendment was nega-
tived by a majority of thirty-two, there being seven in
favour, and thirty-nine against it.
Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, and several other Magistrates,
eloquently addressed the Court in favour of the non
coercion system, and the resolution was carried by a
large majority.
Mr. Charles Wright Ns as elected housekeeper of the
Sessions-house, in the room of the late Mr. Richards.
There were sixty Magistrates voted, and there were three
candidates. Mr. Wright had fifty-seven votes.
The Court then adjourned, after the transaction of
some other business of minor importance.

HEDGEHOGS.
Oee of the most interesting facts in the natural
history of the hedgehog is that announced in 1831 by
M. Lenz, and which is now confirmed by Professor
Buckland. That is, that the most violent animal poi-
sons have no effect upon it—a fact which renders it of
peculiar value in forests, where it appears to destroy a
great number of noxious reptiles. M. Lenz says that
he had in his house a female hedgehog, which he had
kept in a large box, and which soon became very mild
witnessed
and familiar. He often put into the box some adder.
w'aich it attacked with avidity, seizing them indifferently
by by the head, the body, or the tail, and did not appear-
alarmed or embarrassed when they coiled themselvesvvhenthe
around its body. On one occasion M. Lenz •tnessed
a fight between the hedgehog and a viper..
hedgehog came near and smelled the snake, for with
n
seized
those i
tb y
animals t h teh eh
head, and held it fast between here of sight is very obtuse, she
teeth, but without appearing to do it much harm ; for,
having disengaged its head, it assumed a furious and
hissing vehemently, inflicted
several severe bites on the hedgehog,
men acing attitude, and
ani-
mal, however, did not recoil
mu much about
the biteTshoef tliht
when the reptile was fatigued baybiotust
efforts,
etleviper
or indeed seem to care
seized it by the bead,she At last,
teeth, compressing the fangswhich she ground between her
then devouring ever and glands of poison, and
that battles of this
y part of the body. M. Lenz says
m sort occurred in the presence of
many persons ;
eight or and
sometimes the hedgehog has re-
ceivedten wounds on the ears, the snout, and
even on thetongue, without appearing to experience
any of the ord.
of the . 'nary symptoms produced by the venom
viper. Neither herself nor the young she was
sualing seemed to suffer from it. This observation
agrees with that of Pallas, who assures us that the
hedgehog can eat about 100 cantharides without ex-
periencing any of the effects which the insect taken
inwardly produces on men, dogs, and cats. A Ger-
man physician, who made the hedgehog a peculiar ob-
ject of study, gave it a strong dose of prussic acid, of
arsenic, of opium, and of corros4e sublimate, none of
which did it any harm. The hedgehog in its natural
state only feeds on pears, apples, and other fruits, when
it can get nothing it likes better. Its ordinary food
consists of worms, slugs, snails, frogs, adders, and some-
times rats and mice.

THE CITY PLEADERSHIP.—III the event of
the promotion of one of the pleaders to the office of
Judge of the Sheriffs' Court, in the room of Sergeant
Arabin, deceased, Mr. Laurie will become a candidate
for the office of City Pleader.

It is said that the Right Hon. E. Ellice, M.P.
for Coventry, is so seriously indisposed with a complaint
in the throat, to which he is subject, that he will be com-
pelled to reside in Italy for the betbefit of the climate
during the winter season.— Worcester Journal.