The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-09 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.

Yesterday a commission of lunacy, opened on Thurs-
day last, the 2d inst., was resumed at the Swan Tavern,
Fulham, before Mr. Commissioner Barlow, to inquire
into tho state of mind of Mr. John Wood Willie, a re-
tired surgeon in the East India Company's service, late
of Hollywood-place, Fulham-road, and now an inmate of
Kensington House Asylum, Kensington.
Mr. ildwin James attended as counsel, and Mr.
Ashurst, as the solicitor, in support of the commission,
and Mr. Sergeant Allen and Mr. Stinton appeared to
watch the case on the part of Mrs. Willie, tho wife of the
alleged lunatic.
Before the proceedings were commenced the alleged
lunatic was ushered into the room, and accommodated
with a seat next to the Learned Commissioner.

....
The jury having been sworn, and the Lord Chancel
lor's commission read,

Mr. Willie said he must beg leave to quit the room, as
ho would not sanction by his presence the proceedings,
and accordingly left the room.
From the evidence it appeared Mr. Willie, who had
been in the East India Company's service, fancied the
officers of that company were persecuting him; that ho
had married one of his servants, to whom he had given
large sums of money; that he was in the habit of hunt-
ing for devils about the house; and that his conduct was
generally very wild.
The Learned COMMISSIONER briefly summed up, the
jury not requiring him to go into the evidence, and on
his concluding the room was cleared for the jury to con-
sider their verdict.
Captain Bagne, R.N., the foreman, said the jury were
unanimously of opinion that Mr. Willie was of unsound
mind, and incapable of managing himself or his affairs,
and had been so from the Ist of February, 1845.
The inquiry then terminated.

ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH IN THE UNITED STATES.—
The following is a table of the electric wires finished, in
progress, and contemplated, as far as is known :
Finished and working
In progress.
Contemplated 2,000

7,859
As many of these have two wires, the length of wire may
be safely estimated as exceeding eloventhonsatid miles.
—New York Herald.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.—BREMEN, Nov. 28.
—Our corn trade is very s'ack ; only so much wheat
was sold as is actually required for consumption.
Rye is rather more in request, but the buyers will
not give the prices asked, and the trade is therefore
very limited, for exportation chiefly. In barley our
imports are greater than the demand, consequently
there will probably, ere long, be a fall in the prices.
PESTH, Nov. 19.—The Leopoldi market is just
over, but it has unhappily proved indifferent, espe-
cially in silk and cotton goods ; woollen goods only,
and those principally of ordinary qualities, were on
demand. The best sorts of wool, which the holders
refused to sell at reduced prices, remained on hand ;
some few purchases were made just at the close of the
market. Spirits and tallow were dearer ; corn fell,
though very slowly. The pay day went off in per-
fect order.

STETTIN, Nov. 26.—We still continue to have fine
weather for the season, and the navigation is still
everywhere open. So long as this continues to be
the case there is no fear of any fall in the prices of
our articles of inland products, for some parcels are
sure to be in demand for shipment. Our agricultural
labourers are busy in the fields, and it is remarkable
that in many of our largest larms they have not yet
begun to thrash the corn. The prices of all sorts
continue firm.

MAGDEI3URG, Nov. 28.—During the last week
the arrivals of grain here have bean considerable ;
compared, however, with the same period in former
years, they are but small. Prices have remained
pretty much the same :—wheat, 6.1 to 66 rix dollars
per wirpel ; rye, 44 to 45 r. ; barley, 39 to 41 r. ;
and oats, 28 r. per wirpel.
THE CHOLERA.—The latest account from Con-
stantinople, dated the 17th, gives a satisfactory state-
ment regarding the cholera. The quarantine, which
immediately on the appearance of some few cases, was
instituted, in regard to all provision ships, has been
removed by a declaration of the Board of Health,
in the cases of ships and steamers which have
no cholera patients on hoard, and certify to
there having been none throughout the voyage.
The number of persons who have been attacked with
cholera, since the 24th of October, does not exceed
30, and of these not more than a third have fallen
victims.

LEMBERG, Nov, 26.—The Governor of Ga-

licia, Count Stadion, has been making a tour
in those circles where the greatest distress.
prevails. The mortality in Ziwier has not
abated in any degree, and during the course
of this year to the end of October there have died,
out of 328,641 inhabitants, no less than 60,820 per-
sons. In some villages the mortality has been ex-
tremely great, in Porembka and Czanier for instance,
according to the church registers, there have died,
from the end of March to the beginning of
October, of 5,196 inhabitants, 1,011 persons ;
in the little colony of Zaglembose 150
persons died in twenty cottages on the
road between Ziwier and Wadowitz ; many cottages
stand quite empty, and the military report says that
the soldiers in marching have several times been
directed to take up their quarters in certain places,
and when they arrived there, they found the cottages
either empty, or containing corpses. Many of the medi-
cal men in the mountains have 800 sick to attend to, and
the poor people are so greatly depressed by the mortality
that they look forward to death with perfect indiffe-
rence. They wished to remove many people from the
cottages in which typhus and dysentery prevailed, and
where corpses were lying, but they refused to be
moved, saying that their friends and neighbours were
gone, and they were sure they must soon
follow them. Many scenes of the greatest
misery meet the eyes, of the medical men
who visit among the wretched people.
These reports state that in Alilnwka they went into
several cottages and found the parents lying dead,
and the poor children looking like skeletons, cowering
by the side of the stoves. Unhappily, also, the
disease is among the military ; all the hospitals are
full ; the squadron of the chevaux leger regiment,
stationed at Rent i, lost twenty men in
October. In order in some way to meet
the evil, and to secure help to the poor for the
coming winter, and spring, the Government is
setting on foot public works, on a large scale, to give
employment to the poor who are able to work ; the
sick and helpless receive pecuniary relief; the mar-
ket prices are regulated by large arrivals
of grain ; and things are so arranged that
bounds are set to speculation, and lestly the poor agri-
culturists are supplied gratuitously with seed corn ;
this is especially beneficial, for there can be no doubt
that otherwise the greater portion of the soil will this
year remain uncultivated.—Flanders Papers, Dec. 6.
AUSTRIAN FUNDS.—YIENNA, N•v. 59.
5 per Cent. Metalliques. .
4 per Cent.ditt0........................ 93
3 per Cent. ..... 65
Loan, 1834 .................... ...... 157
Ditto, 1839 .......................... 120,i
Bank Shares
Esterhazy's Loan ........ ............. 62
RAILWAYS.
The Northern, or Ferdinand • • ...• •• • • • 169
Gloggnits • • • • •• • •• • • • •• • 112

Vienna—Milan . •................... 96%
Grosetto .........• ••• • • .............. 9414
Pesth Bridge .. • • •• •• ............ --
Apennineri ...................... -
BELGIAN MAIL.

BRUSSELS, DEC. 6.—The state of business here con
tinues satisfactory, though perhaps there is not, on the
whole, so much activity as in general. This is, however,
to be in part attributed to the season of the year. Al-
though, therefore, no great transactions are now made,
it is nevertheless a great encouragement that there is no
apprehension among our merchants. The price of corn
varies but little, and in general there is a tendency to
decline, not only in the market of Antwerp, but those of
Belgium in general.
MULUAUSEN, Nov. 28.—There is an evident improve-
ment in many branches of trade, and we can look for-
ward to the settlement of accounts at the end of the year
with composure. The war in Switzerland has brought
us more trade, as well as Germany; and those manufac-
tures, especially of loom work, which are usually pro-
cured from Switzerland, have this year been ordered by
Germany, at the manufactures of Alsace. Cottons are
lower. The price of corn likewise has fallen; wheat, on
an average, is 20f. the hectolitre.
MAYENCE. Nov. 29.—Trade is brisk. The arrivals
of corn are so large that we are able to store up by
wholesale. About 2,500 :malters of corn were brought
and sold last market day, at the following prices :
Wheat, 11 fl. 12kr. ; Rye, 811. 36kr. ; Barley, 611. lkr.;
Oats, 4fl. 24kr. _ _

There is no demand for the new wine, though it is in
general better than was expected. The immense quan-
tities of good cyder whichihave been manufactured this
year will tend to depress the price of wine.
RUSSIA AND POLAND.—The authorities of Poson have
given notice that the legitimitationlcards for the:borderers
to travel into Poland, which were formerly valid for
eight days, and then for only three, will now have the
Imperial sanction for only three (Russian) miles into
the kingdom. To honest traders it is asserted by several
letters from the frontiers :the boundaries of the kingdom
are now in truth hermetically sealed.
PERSIA.—Vire have received accounts by the last
~ to
Turkish post from Teheran of Sept. 25, o
which the troops of the Shahillifazvaenht overcomeDae; h
a theeteerdin"
s eh
insur-
gentave hordes in the plains of 1
hheasrsiikdeesweirsteiornes
have arisen. .
been partly disTbahnedewdh,
oalned
oafmCohnograthsseaont
• of the Christians has broken out
re-
turned efdretsoh governmenttpheersecati
o a
in Korea, and nine native Christians and the first Roman
Catholic priest in Cochin China have been murdered.
There are about 20,000 Christians in the country, and a
French bishop and an European priest are concealed in
the capital.
THE ELECTORATE or HEssL.—The late Elector of
Hesse had addressed a letter to the States, the object of
which is to recommend them to grant to his son the
civil list, as he had always enjoyed it to that day, in
order that he may be able to pay his father's pensions to
the several servants attached to the court ; or, if this
should be contrary to the constitution, that he may be
permitted to place their pensions on the civil list or the
budget of the State. He requested them likewise never
to make opposition to his successor.
The Berlin Zeitungshalle states the following difficul-
ties which have arisen in consequence of the death of
the Elector of Hesse. By his will, and especially by
several codicils attached to it, the Elector has left a
considerable number of legacies, some of them to ansEitorgaes
amount. Among others, he has left largepe
the
to all his private servants. His son, _
these codicils. He
father
present Elector wishes to set aside
asserts, in the first instance, thathigh,nd legacies mentioned
heir, was to pay all the pensionsto him
that
his deceased
rated his private fortune far too anpodrtthtoant itfohvve,
h,
iheihs
in it, there would not revert.
part which is designated
he is entitled by
Electorq asserts, that the civil tri-
the Justlieniasna,Ctoidea,ictidhearti.is to say, the
Secondly, the new
a sovereign prince, and that, conse-
quently, the testamenttl
tri-
bunal of Frankfort is not competent to be the depository
ofis null and void. Actuated by these
seals, and
SujeencttliYoinst,heanwdi in despite of the will of his late father,
the new Elector has affixed has caused the
residence of Messrs. Woehler and Deines to be guarded
by gendarmes. He had demanded, through his Am-
bassador at Frankfort, permission to have the residence
of the _deceased guarded by Russian gendarmes, but this
was refused by the authorities of the town.—Belgian
Mail' Dec. 7.BELGIAY FUNDS.—BRUticEts,
Actual Debt, 2;4iplleirCse,ni orCen
Cent
u. .r.p.
DEC 4•t— ••
....
Rothschild's Loan, Five per Cent ...
Loan of Thirty Millions,
Ditto Three per Cent— •• • • ._
Ditto Thirty-seven Millions, ditto • • • • ••
Ditt0,ditt0,1840.....• • • ..... •
••• • • 4—Psi
Ditt0,ditt0,1842............ ••••• • • • • '—
Ditto, 1836... ..........•••••••••••••• • Ditto, 1838 —••• • • • • ...... .. •••• Ditto of the City, 1832 •••••• • • • ••
Ditto, 1843 92X
Bank of Belgium •• .• • • •• •• ••"•• • • •• "
—Brussels Papers, Dec. 7.

REPRESENTATION OF LANCASHIRE.—The commit-
tee of Mr. Alexander Henry now numbers nearly 2,000
names, and there is every probability that he will quietly
take the seat without the shadow of opposition.

At the list East Sussex Sessions foillwing per-
sons, fo:ind guilty of the offences annexed to their
names, were sentneed by the Earl of Chichester to diffe-
rent periods of solitary confinement:—
Mary Hollingdale, married woman, aged 28, stealing
one work •box and other articles, value 75., and three
half-crowns and a shilling.—Five months' hard labour,
except five separate weeks in solitary confinement.
Fleury Fit,her, plasterer, aged 53, stealing four rings
and two brooches, value 41.—Three months' hard labour,
except four weeks in solitary confinement.
Mary Ship, married woman, stealing a silver teaspoon,
value 2s.—Tnree months' hard labour, except four weeks
in solitary confinement.

Jatms-Poweil, aged 17, stealing a ,gun val,to 31.
Four months' hard labour, excepting fiveweeks in soli-
tary confinement.

Jan' Unwin, single woman, age,' 30, stealing one
sheet, value 4s.—Two months' hard labour, exctpt four
weeks in solitary confinement.
Mr. Blencowe, who tried several prisoners, sentencei
them fis under:—

Amos Turner, aged IS, stealing a spade, value 3s. 6d.
—Six weeks' hard labour, except three weeks in soli.
tart'' confinement.
Samuel WaOlorn, aged 14, William Huggett, 14, and
James Ilorsectoft, 13, stealing one copper bottle, value
Is.—Waghorn t. tbiee months' hard labour, Huggett to
five months' hard labour, and llorsccroft to six mouths'
hard labour, except a week of each month in solitary
confinement.

Thomas Swaysland, aged 13, stealing seven faggots
sticks, value Is.—Prisoner, who bad been twice before
convicted of felony, was sentenced to seven years' trans-
portntiun.

PROTOSED NEW PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGH.---
Last evening a public meeting of the inhabitants of
Chelsea, Kensington, Hammersmith, and Fulham was
held at the law hall of the Swan Hotel. Walham-green,
to take into consideration what has be.en recently pro-
posed for adopting the necessary measures for consti-
tuting the above four named parishes into a Parliamen-
tary borough. John Lockhart, Esq., presided, and in
opening the proceedings remarked that it was impossible
for the two Members for Middlesex adequately to repre-
sent that great county, comprising so many and so
important local interests, and 115,000 souls, with 11,000
voters. He contended that the representation of the
c,-aintry at the present time was most unfair. lie found
that Buckingham sent two Members to Parliament with
290 constituents, Chippenham sent two Members to
Parliament with 278 constituents, Harwich sent two
Members with 188 constituents. On the other hand,
Gateshead sent one Member with 622 constituents,
Hytho sent one Member with 516 cor.stituents, Chelten-
ham sent one Member with 2,106 constituents, sad
Huddersfield sent one Member with 1,085 constituents
The chairman comcluded by recommending that no
means should be left untried to lop off from one of those
small boroughs one of the existing Members, in order
that the important and populous parishes of Chelsea,
Fulham, Hammersmith,:and:Kensington;reight be formed
into a Parliamentary borough. Mr. Mahon, barrister-
at law, proposed a resolution forming an association to
carry out the principles advocated, and pledging the
meeting to give it their utmost support. The resolu-
tion was adopted. Several members were enrolled, and
after the transaction of some routine business the meet-
ing separated.
RIADING IN THE " Busn."—Our hush servants
have a passion for reading and story-telling, which. is a
substitute for books in all wild countries. Nothing
would be easier than to take advantage of this passion
for working out good ends. I had a good many books,
voyages and travels, novels, &c., and, next to a glass of
rum, the loan of a book was the greatest favour I could
bestow. Night after night, especially in wet seasons,
have I seen them sitting in a circle round the fire,
smoking their pipes and baking their dampers in the
wood ashes, each man with a pipe and a pot of tea be-
fore him, listening with the intentness of children while
the " best scholar" read the story. After my books had
been read by every one on the river, I exchanged them
for a complete set of Scott's novels. This sort of ex-
change is common with us. I remember a shepherd who
used to travel with a pack of books that he bartered
whenever he could.—A Voice from Australia.
INCENDIARIBM.—The magistrates sitting in petty
sessions at Droitwich, Worcestershire, after a careful
investigation, have just committed for trial at the next
Worcestershire assizes a needle-maker named Thomas
Harris, of Astwood, on the charge of having wilfully
set fire to a barn on the farm of Mr. White, of Astwood
Bank. The barn was situate near to Mr. White's house,
and was surrounded by wheat and hay ricks; but the
fire having been discovered soon after it broke out, by
the prompt assistance of the neighbours and the arrival
of the engines from Redditch it was confined to the
barn in which it originated and a shed adjoining, which
were destroyed. The prisoner was seen proceeding in
the direction of Mr. White's premises shortly before
the fire broke out, and was also on the premises shortly
after it was discovered.

JUVENILE CRIMINALS.—On Tuesday, at the
Manchester Court, no fewer than six boys, of ages rang-
ing from seven or eight to twelve years, were charged
with the commission of different thefts.—John Harrison,
Thomas Leyland, and John Kelly, all of whom had been
imprisoned several times previously, were sentenced to
three months' imprisonment each, for having the pre-
vious evening stolen two odd clogs from a shop in Old-
ham-road, having gone in under pretence of purehdsing
a pair of clogs for one of the party. A lad, named
Beckett, only eight years of age, was charged with
haring stolen about a pound of cheese from a shop in
Miller-street. He also had been several times imprisoned,
and once whipped; and was now remanded, in order
that his parents might be sent for. Daniel Kelly was
charged with having stolen a box containing about eight
shillings from a shop in Hulme. Mrs. Stanton had ob-
served a man pass and repass several times, and suspect-
ing his intentions, she went into the shop, when the pri--
soner immediately ran round the counter, having pre-
viously secured the box containing the money, and at-
tempted to escape, but he was pursued and given into
custody. A lad named Giblin was charged with having
stolen two half-pounds of butter from a shop in Sack-
ville-street. Ho was observed inside the counter by a
man, and upon this man's going into the shop the lad
knocked, as if he wished to be served, and afterwards
asked for some buttermilk. He was then about to leaie
the shop, wken the butter was seen concealed under his
jacket. Giblin confessed that he took the butter, but
said that he was out of work, his father was dyini, and
the family in the greatest want; he was induced to com-
mit the crime from distress, and he was sorry for having
done so. The mother of the lad corroborated these
statements, and as he appeared to have previously borne
a good character, he was discharged, after being cau-
tioned as to his future conduct.

DEATZ FROM WANT.—Yesterday, Mr. William
theate
ri,i
buted
Carter held an inquest the Roebuck, Great Union-
street, Southwark, relative to the death of Caroline
Squires, aged 39 years, who, it was alleged, hadsd deceased
died
wasf ro mhwtsawnt.ife. Joisieep
wash S qau raebso statedurer
at
thehu w
t
had been out of a situation for nine months, during
which time he and his family had suffered the greatest
privations. He obtained a little employment by jobbing,
and on an average could only earn about ss. a week, and
very often not so much. Coroner—Had your wife and
children sufficient food ? Witness (crying)—Oh no, sir,
we sometimes were compelled to go without. Coroner—
Why did you not apply to the workhouse for assistance
under such distressing circumstances ? Witness—
Because my wife and I were rather disposed to suffer
anything than seek parochial aid. On Sunday morning
last the deceased complained of severe pains in the head
sad chest, and said she feared she was dying. Witness
ran for Mr. Brady, a surgeon, in the Blackfriara-road,
who attended immediately; but on his arrival, he at once
pronounced life extinct. The deceased was near her
confinement. Coroner—Do you think her death has re-
sulted
cn‘i'etNnhteatnduecorauelraissdheemdatehhna;td:
minutesfromca emleerwattamendetreturned ?btyh e
the
ewi t
a few
anetetnheacs awne reaels
The worthy coroner kindly handed the husband a sum of
purpose of meeting his
money, to which the jury unanimously added, for the
nt
present exigencies, which the
fdcYisoe
pet
sufficient
oiffiSfo r • The jury after
poor fellow received in a truly thankful manner.
OVERFLOW or Two RIVERS. - The overflow of
the rivers Cal and Darr, in the Vale of Todmorden,
which occurred on Saturday evening last, had the effect
of almost paralysing a large number of the inhabitants
in the neighbourhood where its effects were experienced.
In consequence of the incessant rain which came down
in torrents, the river Darr: commenced its over-
flow about ten o'clock at night, and in less than one hour
the houses erected at Pat Moss, called Cobden-row,
o
became inundated with water, which rose to the height
from three to four feet. Nearly all the houses for
half a mile on the 13urnley•road from Todmorden
suffered a similar result ; the highway presented more
the appearance of a river than a road. The houses in
Salford were also favoured with a fair quantum of the
watery visitant, filing the cellar dwellings to the very
overflow
hasn ch :srt etart Le'd much
dram.
top. The water up to Monday had not subsided so as to
rtl that the Rev. W
allow the parties to enter their respective houses.
i The.elli
te,uemnauersneutarilencia
tfuindeesutnenedei
gxtnpo e encsot
atued neighbourhood.—son, Vice-Principal of Magdalen Hall, has W.
Jacob-
nomi-
nated by her Majesty to succeed Dr. Hampden,
been
designate of Hereford, in the Divinity Bishop-
designate chair at Oxford.
Mr. Jacobson's opinions are moderately Liberal, and not
Tory, as we were led to su
Oxford correspondent. ppose on the authority of an
We hear that there is no foun-
dation for the report,
circulated on Tractarian authority,
that his Grace the Primate had joined the High Church
and Tractarian Bis
hops in remonstrating against her
nomination of Dr. Hampden to the see of
Hereford.—Chronicle.
OoIR WALTER SCOTT'S PIPER.—We learn from *
gentleman in Edinburgh, that among the latest victims
of the fever at present raging in that city was John Bruce,
or " John of Skye," for some years the Highland piper
at Abbotsford. In his best days John was a fine athletic
man, and when dressed in full costume, playing a pi-
broch, or marching up the dining-room at Abbotsford,
to receive from the hands of his illustrious master his
Celtic quaich, brimful of Glenlivat, he had a most im-
posing and picturesque appearance. Latterly, however,
the poor fellow got wild and unsettled. He imagined
himself to be a descendant of the great Robert Bruce,
and hinted at his preteotions to the throne, which only
his regard for " the young lady Queen " prevented him
from asserting. Ho still wandered about, old and indi-
pipes which he had received from Sir
gent, playing the
Walter. Though more than seventy years of age, and sub-
jected to much hardship and privation, John of Skye
walked erect, and had a military air to the last. There
was no relation to claim the poor piper's remains, and
his body was sent to ono of the dissecting rooms. A
medical student purchased for a trifle the bagpipes
which he was so proud to bear as a gift of the great
Magician, and with which he had once charmed " high
dames and mighty earls," in hall and greonwood.—Ross•
s shire Advertiser,