The Sun.
London, England, 1824-12-14 00:00:00

.''HE CiiteOF MISS 13LENKINSOPP.

Bo W-s F. T.—Our readers will recollect the case of this
lad who had esca_ped from a private mad-house, and was pur-
sied to tonden by one of the officers of the establishment,
person who made
who applied to. Sit-IL BinN in on Thusday last for authority
rtOefhtOUlßVedi ndtsoorTavbe'rothOenr,
I tio
ttltatdkeio,hesrirb
Johnack, wchhiacyhmtahne, Mlaategivisitararteor
(tlseKifogfral.6alipitptrilirdPoiiradndMwrhiothisilltire'resitlent surgeon in the
establishment in question, waited upon the sitting Magistrate,
Mr. Mrwsitum., for the purpose of offering a public explana.
tarnof the matters contained in the newspaper reports of Friday
last. Thew gentlemen were accompanied by Mr, Cooper, the
proprietor of Debatt's, and not Knight's Hotel, 43 stated by
mistake in the former report.
Sir John Chapman sard,,ahat he was a partner in tha'Aq,
lam from .which bliss Blenkinsopp had escaped, and he was
well acquainted with all the circumstances of that lady's'aile.
was t4ca,..ef d with even more than ordinary kindness
Site .was uaque.stionably, insane, and had been iu'for a longtime. She
in the,Asylum, 00 account of the perfect harmlessness of 'her
malady, and the natant mildness of her disposition. Sir
,John hero mentioned the nature of the deldsion under which
the unfortunate lady is said to labour, but we forbear; from
motives of delicacy to the family, from repeating the desert!).
tion given by the worthy 150iftht. He produced a letter to
the Magistrate, which had been reeCiVed from Miss B.'s mo.
titer, who is residing in a very distant, part of the country.
That lady stated, that she had seen the statement relative to
the, escape of her ,daughter, and complained of the remissness
of the establishment in suffering it. She spoke in the Most affe.c.
tionate terns of her, "unhappy daughter." but'bore testimony
in the most unequivocal manner to her insanity, and desired
that her letter 'night he considered a sufficient authority for
replacing her daughter in the Asylum. - She, added, that
great as the distance was she would have come immediately to
London, but that another beloved daughter was just at the
point of death, and she (Mrs. B.) believed that her departure
would accelerate the fatal event. A notion might have gone
abroad that she bail, or was entitled to money, but that
was, not the case; she never bad any property whatever. Sir
John Chapman said, there wax one thing which he felt partial.
laxly anxious to explain. It was stated that the certificate was
signed by Dr. Pergusson., and that no such name was to be
found in the list of Physicians. It was true that that Gentle.
man was not a member of the College, but he was a graduate
of the University of Edinburgh.? and a most able and respect-'
able man. By the act of' Parliament, the signature of one
medical man was deemed sufficient to a certificate of insanity.
John Chapman then begged it to be understood that he
made no compaint of the publication of the case ; he was a
friend to -publicity, and with regard to the establishment to
which he had a share, he and his partners always courted in-
quiry. Not only Magistrates.; but any private individual, was
perfectly welcome at ail times to inspect every part of it. He
presumed, that after what had been mentioned as to the state
of the young lad,y'S mind, there would be no objection to her
.being taken back to the Asylum.
Mr. Mi5t411171.4 said, he could give no order upon the sub-
ject, but he supposed the hotel keeper would offer no resistance
to her removal.
Mr. Cooper said, he certainly should not resist the authority
of these gentlemen. He bad been actuated in the step he had
taken only by,a Motive of bumanit3r, conceiving, as he did, that
the lady was perfectly sane, a belief that had not been shaken
by his subsequent conversations with her. Lle never saw a
person more rational.
.Sir J.,Chaprnan said, she was quite rational perhaps upon
every subject but one, and upon that there could be no doubt
of her insanity.. Butdid Mr. Cooper think her taking the pos-
tillion who drove her for a ghost a proof of sanity ?
Cooper explained, that the postillion, not satisfied with
what she gave him, followed her to her apartment, 'arid when
she aimed round -and saw him, the started and said '" Oh ! 1
took you fora frhost, " and she then gave him a sovereign in-
stead of a shilling. ,
After some further conversation the gentlemen left the office
with the determination to convey Miss BlenkinsoPPhilek to the
Lunatic Asylum. 4 r

-.---;,-.- 7 ----.---
„,
ALARM OP I' ILLE IN FLE ET•V ERCET.—About
eight o'clock. last evening a. fire was discovered to
have broken out in the Cheshire Cheese Tavern,
in R ine-office-court, Fleet-street. From the
closeness of tho and the aspect of the
flakes of fire which proceeded imp) a chim-
buildings,
ney, added to the late calamitous fires
in the neighbourhood, the inhabitants, as
well as the passengers, were for a tirneof to
a
state of great consternation. Several the
housekeepers in Wine Offige!court and vicinity
were so terrified as to make preparations for
moving their fannies and'preperty from'the up-
Parent scene or devastation.
.. ortunately, how.
ever, St. Dunstan's, and several Firo•eilice en.
ones,
arrived in a few mingtes, and the supply
of water was se quick and pfeotiful, that the fire
was confined to that part of the premises where
it first made its appearance.