The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 13, lBlB.

the alleged lunatic was set at liberty, and now re-
sides in private lodgings. Here then was a case
in which the law was violated, and in which the party
aggrieved had no opportunity of appealing to any
authority until ten months after his incarceration--in
which the Commissioners, notwithstanding such vio-
lation of the law, continued him in custody, although
they themselves admitted that he was not insane, and in
which they neglected to take the evidence which
the alleged lunatic offered to prove that he was of
sound mind, taut in which superintendent, Commis-
sioners, and all concerned, released the alleged lu-
natic from his confinement the moment they found a
stir was made about the case, and thus tacitly admitted
that they had been guilty of neglect and carelessness at
least, if nothing worse. The representation of the
case, as made to Sir GEORGE GREY, conveyed a dis-
tinct charge of laches against the Commissioners in
Lunacy, and yet so completely is the Home Secretary
blinded by the, heaureaucratic spirit which impels every
official to keep the public from prying too closely
into official secrets, that he directs his secretary,
Mr. WADDINGTON, to inform the committee of the
Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society " that there does
not appear to be the slightest ground for complaint in
this case." It is as useless to complain to the Home-
office of the Commissioners of Lunacy as it was
under the GRAHAM regime to complain of the Poor-

law Commissioners, and as a Parliamentary inquiry
into the conduct of the Poor-law Commissioners
brought to light abuses of so flagrant a nature as to
necessitate the sacrifice of the Commission, so do we
believe a Parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of

the Commissioners in Lunacy would be followed by
a similar result.

In prosecuting their inquiries as to the best means
of promoting the dispatch of public business in the
House of Commons, the Select Committee appointed
for that purpose entered into a minute investigation
of the mode adopted in the French Assembly and in
the American House of Representatives. Their in-
formation on these heads was obtained from the
highest sources, M. GUIZOT being their informant as
related to France, and Mr. CURTIS, of New York,
who had been some years a member of Con
greys, answering for America. The com-
parison thus instituted between the three
Houses of Legislature tends to exhibit in a
great degree the admirable qualities of our own.
The English House of Commons was the type of both
the French and American Chambers. "In the be-
ginning of our Constituent Assembly at the Revolu-
tion," said M. Guizor, " MIRABEAU asked ETIENNE
DUMONT to give him a sketch of the proceedings of
the English House of Commons, and ETIENNE DU-
MONT gave to MIRABEAU such a sketch ; it became
the model of the first rules of our National Assembly ;
so that in the beginning of our Revolution the pro-
ceedings of your House of Commons became the
source of ours. In 1814, when the Charter was
granted by the KING, the same rules were
adopted, with some changes." In the same
manner Mr. CURTIS says, " The rules and orders of
the House of Representatives at the establishment of
the Government in 1789 were nearly the same as
those of the House of Commons. They have been
since considerably varied, chiefly from the necessity
of facilitating the dispatch of public business." Thee
it appears that the general organization of the British
House of Commons has been adopted in the Assem-
blies of France and America, while in both these
countries some practical alterations have been made
for the purpose of facilitating the dispatch of business.
Being likewise anxious to promote this very desirable
olject, the Committee of Inquiry proceeded to con-
sider these alterations, in the hope that the English
[louse of Commons might, in its turn, be benefited
by the «,xample of France and America. The prin-
cipal points of consideration were the practice of
closing a debate (La cloture) which exists in France,
and the " One-hour rule," which cuts short the
speeches of the orators of America.
The &lure is thus described by M. GUIZOT

6, It was not in the first rules of the Constituent As-
sembly, but it was introduced afterwards. Before it
was introduced the debates were protracted indefinitely,
and not only were the debates protracted, but at the
erri, when the msj,irity wished to put an end to the de-
bate, and the minority would not, the debate became
very violent for protracting the debate; and out of the
lieuse, among the public, it was a source of ridicule.
Many laughed at the debates, and then a measure for
demanding the closing of the debate was introduced.
Die proceeding is this—a Member, or some Members,
call 'La citture,' the President puts it to the vote,
and if a nanber in the minority wishes to object to it,
to oppose the closing of the debate, he can speak if he
wishes, but only one can speak. Lie gives his argument
against closing the debate, and the House hears his argu-
ment, and then the Speaker puts this question—' Must
the debate be closed? "

In answer to questions from various Members of
the Committee, and a very apposite case exemplified
by Sir H. PEEL, M. GUIZOT still further developed
the practical effects of the cloture. He also declared
it as his opinion that the power had never been made
use of to put a stop to!liscussion in an oppressive
manner. " Upon some special occasions," he ad•

mitted, "the minority have complained that the
debate was closed; but generally, when the question
has been decided in the affirmative, the minority
have submitted without difficulty. I think the
majority never abused that power." So thinks M.
GUIZOT, and so it may be in fact; yet, not-
withstanding such a supposition, we think it
would be advisable to pause before any
such arbitrary regulation is introduced entire
into the house of Commons. In the House of

Commons freedom of speech, with a facility to ex-

ercise that freedom, is not only a desideratum, but a
necessity. It is true that long and dry discourses
are most wearisome, and that some speakers appeal

rather to the dormant than to the intellectual &cut-

ties, as is evidenced by the empty benches around
them and the crowded sofas above. Still, tedious as
some speeches may be, it is better, infinitely better,
that the public time should be occasionally
wasted, and weary legislators indulged with
a doze at the public expense, than that by an untimely
use of the clOture a debate should be put an end to
ere the subject has been half discussed, and some
praiseworthy measure be stifled in its birth. Better
let us be annoyed by all the abuses attending a free-
dom discussion than suffer that freedom to be in
any the slightest degree interfered with: The

They each gave a certificate authorising his incarce-
ration as a lunatic, and each alleged as the fact on
which he had formed his opinion, that the patient had
threatened to destroy himself whilst under the influence
of intoxicating drinks. Now, as neither of these gentle-
men had ever seen or had the slightest personal
acquaintance with the alleged lunatic, until after his
incarceration in the asylum, and as it is not very pro-
bable that while so incarcerated he was permitted to
have access to intoxicating drinks, we presume
they must, after the manner of Sir JCHIN
FALSTAFF, have known " the fact" " by instinct.'
The alleged lunatic remained incarcerated in the
asylum for ten months before he was visited by the
Commissioners in Lunacy. When introduced to
them he informed them of the illegality of his seizure,
and complained of the injustice of his confinement;
and on his appealing to the superintendent, that gen-
tleman declared, in the presence of the Commis-
sioners, that he had never seen the least symptom of
insanity in the alleged lunatic since he had been in
the asylum. The Commissioners told him, on going
away, that they would do something for him
shortly. Two months after this he had
another visit from the Commissioners, who
informed him that there was no charge of in-
sanity against him, but that he must remain where
he was, as he was incapable of taking care of him-
self—but stated no fact in support of such opinicm.
The alleged lunatic at once emphatically denied the
justice of the conclusion at which they had arrived,
and for proof of his competency to take care of him-
self, referred them to several of his relatives, to the
lady at whose house he was lodging when he was
seized, to his usual medical attendant, and to a person
at whose house he had lodged for nearly 20 years,
Shortly afterwards he communicated a statement of
his case to the Alleged Lunatics' Friend Society. The
Secretary called on the persons to whom the alleged
lunatic had referred the Commissioners (not one of
whom, however, had ever received the slightest com-
munication from the Commissioners), who fully bore
out all the statements made by the alleged lunatic to
the society. The committee of the society applied to
a well-known nobleman, who is as remarkable for his
humanity as he is for his high scientific
attainments, and who is a magistrate for the county
in which the asylum is situated, and in a short time

same, or a very similar argument applies to the
American " One-hour rule." Mr. CURTIS speaks
highly in its favour ; he says it has greatly facilitated
the dispatch of business and improved the quality
of the speeches. This rule would be most
unwelcome, and little beneficial in St. Stephen's.
It is true it would materially condense Mr. ArsTay's
indignant denunciations of Lord PALMERSTON, hut
also it would disagreeably put a stop to those displays
of eloquence of which the House of Commons is oc-
casionally the theatre. Who would not lament were
the oratorical displays of Mr. MACAULAY (though
unhappily the rule would not now apply to him),
were the fervid eloquence of Mr. SUEIL, the brilliant
sallies of Mr. DISRAELI, or the statesmanlike orations
of Lord JouN RUSSELL and Sir ROBERT PEEL con-
fined to sixty minutes by the clock I The Committee
has done well in recommending neither the American
nor the French mode of shortening a debate. With
all its faults, the original system of the House of
Commons is superior to those of its imitators. Its
faults are those of its individual Members—faults of
which, we trust, last session has seen the last display.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
In consequence of the vote of the Assembly on
Monday, on the subject of the laws relating to the
press, M. EMILE DE GIRARDIN has retired from the
editorship of the Presse, and intends if elected to carry
on war against the Republic from the tribune. In
speaking of the vote of the Assembly, M. DE GIRAR-
DIN says, " The bearing of this vote is immense. The
authority of the chief of the executive power is now
unlimited. The liberty of the press has ceased to
exist in France."
It would appear from the electioneering pla-
cards with which the walls of Paris are
covered, that M. Emma DE GIRARDIN has
formed a coalition with Prince, Louis NAPOLEON
and with M. EMILE THOMAS, ex-DirEctor
of the Ateliers Nationaux. This union, representing
as it does military despotism, socialism, and Or-
leanism, is not so strange as at first sight it appears.
They are all united by their hatred to the Republic
of order, equality, and obedience to the law.
M. DUPOTY, who under the Louis Phillipist regime
was imprisoned at Mont St. Michel, by order of the
Chamber of Peers for " moral complicity" in the
plot of QUENESSET is also a candidate. The case of
DUPOTY was the first in which M. HEBERT ventured
to propound his atrocious doctrine of moral complicity.
It would appear as if the union between the Thiers
party and the Government had not been effected,
inasmuch as we find in the Constitutionnel a bitter
attack on the appointment of M. PASCAL DUPRAT as
Minister to Vienna.
The success of Prince Louis NAPOLEON at the ap-
proaching election for Paris seems certain, and some
persons are so sanguine as to imagine that his chance
of being elected President of the Republic is by no

means a bad one. Should, however, such an election
appear probable, it would rally round the Government
all Republicans of every variety of opinion. In-
deed, it is. said that M. FLOCON intends to

propose a law fur the exclusion from the Assembly
of all the members of all the families which have
ever reigned in France. The passing of such a law
would at once crush the hopes of all pretenders.
The debate of the Constitution was yesterday con-
tinued, and the Bth article of the preamble was
agreed to.
A Bill demanding five millions of francs for the
colonization of Algeria was introduced by General
LAMORICIERE.

TheMoniieur publishes the following official con

tradictio❑ of the report which appeared in some of
the papers of the speech alleged to have been addressed
by General CAVAIGNAC to the decores of June on
the subject of French mediation in the affairs of
Italy :

"Numerous conversations, and often strangely incor-
rect, are ascribed to the President of the Council. But
till now it has not appeared that the questions treated
were sufficiently grave to require rectification. It is
impossible, however, to leave without reply articles of
newspapers, from which it results that the Anglo-French
mediation had been imposed on Austria. Such allega-
tions, calculated to affect the just sentiment of the dig-
nity of governments, must be energetically rejected.
The Government of the Republic has only had to em-
ploy wise, firm, and measured considerations in the
Italian question. The character of menace remained as
far from its thoughts as from its language. It was in-
compatible with ihe nature of its relations with the
Austrian Government."

Count I'ExELI arrived in Paris on Monday on a
mission from the Hungarian Government, and was
at once received by General CAVAIGNAIC.

The Committee on Legislation has adopted the pro-
position of ➢I. Louis BLANC, the object of which is to
interdict the publication of acte4 craccumlion in the
newspapers before the day of trial.

BOURSE.—PARIS, MONDAY, SIPT. 12.
THREE O'CLOCK.—There was very little business done
to-day, and both Rentes and Railway Shares were ex-
ceedingly heavy. The Rentes went down towards the
close of the day, and their last prices were about per
cent. below those of yesterday. There was, on the whole,
an uneasy feeling, both as regards the internal affairs of
France, as shown by the approaching elections, and the
state of Italy and Germany. For the Account, the
French Three per Cents. are the same as yesterday ;
Five per Cents. have fallen per cent. ; Loan has fallen
50c. For Money, the Three per Cents, are about the
same as yesterday ; Five per Cents. have fallen 25c. ;
Loan has fallen 25c. ; Bons du Ti Cur not quoted; Bank
of France Shares are the same as yesterday ; Belgian
Bank Shares and Spanish Active not quoted ; Rothc-
child's Receipts are the same as yesterday. Exchange
on London: 30 days, 25f. 35c.; 90 days, 25f. 27ic.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, SEPT.. 12.
Boulogne and Amiens, 6—Orleans and Bordeaux, 134—
Paris and Lyons, 4 lA.

TUSCANY.

The demands of the insurgents at Leghorn are—
"l. A re-organization of the National Guard and
arming the reserve of the same.

" 2.-That the fortresses should be garrisoned by two-
birds of the Naional Guard and one-third troops of the

"3. The abrozation of the extraordinary powers
granted by the Chambers to the Government.

" 4. A general amnesty, or rather oblivion of the past.'

VENICE.

A letter from Venice of the Ist inst. has the fol
owing :

" Our Government has received intelligence that the
Pope is about to recal his troops. If that should take
place and we are left to our own resources, it will be
impossible for us to defend all our positions on the land
side. Happily for the last few days the Austrians have
left us unmolested, sad they have even decreased the
number of troops which blockade our city,
" The Sardinian fleet is still in the port, and as long
as the sea remains open we can receive provisions,
which tends to k ep up our courage, since it appears
certain, that no intervention on the part of France will
take place. God grant that the offer of mediation may
prevent any renewal of hostilities, and that the cora-
munication with the continemt may be open to us."

HAMI3URGH MAIL.
BERLIN, SEPT. B.—Z he Ministerial crisis has had
a very unfavourable influence upon the funds and rail.
way shares.
VIENNA, SEPT. 7.—The exchanges closed flat, from
an impression, it is said, that a new loan has been de-
cided upon.

- 11A3IBURGII lIORSENHALLE, San. 9.
Bills. Money.
Hanoverian Loan,s per Cent...... •• • • 99 98%
kuiltrian 5 per Cents ................
Bank
Anglo-Russian Loan ............... 95 94
Russian 5 percent., 'lamb. Certificate. 90%
Ditto let series Inscription .. . ... ••• • • •
Ditto, ?lope and Co., 5 per Cent..... • •
Ditto, in Certificate •. • ..........• .. • • 863
New 4 per Cent., Hope and Co. ••• • • •
Ditto Stleglitz .. . ........ ••••• • • • •
Spanish New 5 per Cent.......... • ... 7%
Ditto 3 per Cent .•••••...• • • • • • • • • I7S
Swedish Loan, 4 per Cent. • ....... •• • •
Ditto, for 1845 .......... ••.• • . •
Anglo-Portuguese Loan, 236 per Cent • •
Dutch Actual Debt, 2% per Cent ••• • •
Ditto 3 per Cent. •••...••• • • • • • • •
Polish New 4 per Cent. Loan, 1844.. • •
Anglo-Danish Loan, 3 per Cent ••• • • • 67 611%
National Bank Shares.... .. ••••• • • • • • —

THE NEW RAILWAY DISTANCE

SIGNAL.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sls,—The new signal described in this day's San,
and said to be Mr. Stovin's, and fitted up by Messrs.
Stevens and Sons, is " my invention," and this sig-
nal was displayed at the Marquis of Northampton's
Conversazione, two winters ago !! ! And, like my other
signals, have been gradually adopted by all the rail-
ways, not only in Britain, but on the Continent, and
I have never yet received one farthing of value
from one or other of the railway companies. Do
have the kindness, then, to allow me the credit of the
invention, at least, as an act of justice, and oblige
Your obedient servant, the inventor,
R. RETTIE, C.E.

We understand it is intended that the marriage of
, Lord Burghley, eldest son of the Marquis of Exeter, with
Lady Georgians Pakenham, daughter of the Countess
(Dowager) of Longford, and sister of the present Earl,
shall be solemnized in the early part of next month.
ACCOUCUEMENT OF THE EMPRESS OF BRAZIL.--
Her Majesty the Empress of Brazil was safely deli-
vered of a son and heir to the throne on the 19th of
July last.
TIIS CONDE DE MONTEMOLIN.—The Conde de
Menternolin and H.R.H. the Infante Don Fernando
Joseph, accompanied by the Duke of Medina Sidonia,
lilt town early yesterday morning for Alton Towers, on
a visit to the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury, where
the august Princes met a large and distinguished party,
comprising the Duchess of Inverness, Viscount and
Viscountess Villiers, Viscount and Viscountess Mahon,
Count Ludolf, Lord and Lady Lyndhurst and Misa
Copley, Lady Rolle, Lord and Lady Waterpark, Lady
Margaret and Mr. Littleton, Sir Robert and Lady Peel,
Lady Acton, Sir Robert and Lady Throckinorton, &c.
Many of her guests are expected at the Tower► before the
close of the week.
The Princes Grassalkovich, accompanied by the
Countess Murray, returned yesterday to Mivart's Hotel,
from visiting Lord and Lady Brougham, at their beau-
tiful s, at in Cumberland.
WINDSOR, TUESDAY EVENING. THE STATE
APARTMENTS.—The opening of the new line of railway
to Dstchet continues to materially increase the number
of visitors to the state apartments. Ever since the
opening of the new line the applicants per day have
averaged upwards of tour or five hundred, and to-day the
first train brought down nearly seven hundred, and
every successive train throughout the forenoon added
something to their number, until the lower ward of the
Castle, the North terrace, &e., were crowded like a fair,
with men, women, and children, each party furnished '
With its basket of provisions.

On the 4th the National Guards of Pisa and the
adjacent country were marching towards Leghorn,
but it was feared that all the forces that could be
mustered would not be sufficient to quell the insur-
rection, and there was a talk of soliciting CHARLES
ALBERT to send 6,000 men. It was also proposed to
demand from France to lend to. Tuscany for a year
the foreign legion of Algeria.
A demand has been made to the Consuls of En-
gland, France, and America, to order the crews of
their vessels, which were in the port, to land, but
hitherto it has been refused ; the town is, however,
threatened with pillage, and the Tuscan Government
has declared that, for the present, it is not in a state
to protect foreign property.
The Chambers assembled on the ad at Florence, in
Secret Committee, when these propositions were sub-
mitted to their corsideration :—One from M. GUE.•
RAZZI was to send Commissioners to Leghorn to treat
with the insurgents, and while this was being dis-
cussed a telegraphic dispatch arrived from Leghorn
demanding, on the part of the insurrection, that
GusaAzzi should be sent to treat with them, with
full power from the GRAND DUKE and the Chambers.
The proposition was unanimously rejected, as it was
considered that to treat with insurgents was to abdi-
cate power.

Florence is tranquil, but the events which are
passing at Leghorn cause a certain degree of un-
easiness.
Letters from Leghorn of the sth inst. state that on
the preceding day General TORRES, who had con-

stituted himself Commander of the popular forces in
that city, had signed the following convention with
COSTA-REGIIINI, Colonel of the Tuscan troops, and
Commander of the fort of the Porta-Murata :
" This day, the 4th of September, 1848, the city of
Leghorn being in possession of the people, and the fort
of Porta-Murata in the power of the troops, wishing on
any terms to avoid a second effusion of Tuscan blood by
fraternal hands, the following arrangement has been
concluded:-Ist. Good harmony shall be entirely
re-established between the people and the troops. For
that purpose the troops of the line or the army of the
Grand Duke of Tuscany shall immediately re-enter the
city. No troops shall remain to guard the fort, but the
artillery, consisting of the same number of men
as are there at present. 2d. The troops of the
line shall be replaced in the fort by one hundred men
of the Civic Guard and by one hundred Polish refugees
composing the guard of General Torres. 3d. There
shall not be any change made in the institutions of the
country, conformable to the wishes of the fairthful and
wrong city of Leghorn. 4th. It is understood that
the troops shall remain under the command of their
officers. sth. The military posts in the city shall be
guarded by the Civic Guards, the reserve, and the troops
of the line, without distinction."
The Genoa Gazette, of the Gth inst., contains the
following, dated Leghorn, 4th :
" The palace of the Governor has been abandoned, and
the people are sole masters of the city. As the absence
of a centre of action might be the occasion of disorder,
the inhabitants appointed in the evening, before the
Towa hall, a Committee to watch over public security,
until the return of the deputation sent to Florence.
The Commissioners chosen were Messrs. C. Venzi, A.
Petrarchi, G. La Cecilia, R. Roberti, and A. Sgaral-
lino. The latter, who had returned from the country
two days before, declined accepting for some private
motives. The Committee immediately published a letter
from the deputies, stating that they had been obliged
to wait several hours at Pisa for the departure of the
train, and requesting their fellow-citizens not to be
uneasy if their return was delayed. In the meantime,
they had, they said, thought proper to expose the real situ
ation of affairs to the Governor of Pisa, requesting him
to retard the departure of the troops which might be
sent against Leghorn, and that that functionary had
acquiesced in their demand. The Committee afterwards
took measures to compel the bakers to furnish the regu-
lar quantity of bread, to procure guns and bail car-
tridges, and to provide quarters and food for the soldiers
of the legions intended for Venice. The inhabitants
were forbidden to quit the city. The Commission,
however, gave :regular permissions to certain persons
whose presence was not indispensable. It subse-
quently held a conference with the superior military au-
thorities, at which Colonel Bernardi, the Commander of
the Civic Guard, Commander Tonum, and the Com-
mander of the. Artillery, Ponticelli, were present. It
was agreed by common accord, that a proclamation
should be published, announcing the evacuation of the
forts by the troops and their return to their respec.
tive barracks. The night has passed tranvilly,
the people guarded the barricades with the
greatest vigilance. Sixty soldiers were set at
liberty this morning, who were imprisoned for having
refused to fire on the people; many of them have refused
to return to their regiments. The announcement that
400 soldiers, with some pieces of artillery, had arrived
from Pisa caused some excitement. It appears that
General Torres had consented to take the command of
the armed citizens in case any collision should ensue.
The Commission, which was to have waited the retur❑
of the deputies, dissolved itself this morning, in conse-
quence of General Torres having invested himself with
the supreme authority."