The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-22 00:00:00

Gimptell to br:tv nil the patties who could hi•(,re any
on the before him on a fuftu\. v.t!en he
sh untcx w, !till inveAigwion of rt,e. case.
THAit S

Dennis Sullivan, en Ir;sh coal-whipper, of 1, Chuttle-
x-.'enli St. Grorge's- in the-East. was cha fed
before Mr. Broughton with having assaulted the person
of Mre. Alderton under the following brute! and aggrexated
circumstances, and it is hoped that the particulars may act
as a caution to females generally who enter the houses
of the poor in the vilest neighbourhoods in the cause of
religion or charity :—lt appeared from Mrs. Alderton's
statement, who is the wife of a respectable shoemaker,
that as she belonged to a society established for the pur-
peso of relieving the sick poor, and distributing tracts in
and about the neighboto hood, she went ens in company
with another ma; ren to perform what they considered to
be their duty. After =oing to other parts they stopped
at the place where Sullivan resided and commenced
distributing tracts, when the prisoner came up and
requested her to visit his wife, who he said was then lying
on a sick bed, without the slightest hope of recovery. Mrs.
Alderton, bedeving what he stated to be true, immedi-
ately consented, and accompanied the prisoner to the
top room of one of the houses, where she discovered two
empty beds and no other person in the place except the
man and herself. On the instant she became alarmed,
an i saw at a glance what was the intention of the pri-
soner, who immediately made proposals to her of an im-
prope•r -character, and afterwards attempted to violate
her person. Fortunately, however, her cries brought
the other matron to her assistance, and eventually the
fellow was given into custody.
Sullivan (who is a Catholic) pleaded in excuse that
he only put his heed upon Mrs. Alderton's shoulder,
and that he did not want any of her heretical tracts de-
livered about his neighbourhood.
The MAGISTRATE. after se►erely reprimanding the
fellow for his brutal, cruel, and dastardly conduct, fined
him 405., or, in default, one month's imprisonment in the
House of Correction.

COMMISSION of LUNACY at BATH.
A Comm•ssion de lunatico inguirendo was recently
opened at the York House, before Francis Barlow, Esq.,
to inquire touching the state of mind of Dame Anne
Hussey Bickerton (commonly called Lady Bickerton),
of No. 15, in the Circus, Bath, widow of Sir Richard
Hussey Bickerton, Baronet, deceased. Mr. Phinn,
barrister, appeared as council in support of the com-
mission ; Lady Bickerton 'had no legal assistance.
Mr. Phinn stated that Lady Bickerton had married, in
1780, Sir R. H. Bickerton, a baronet of an old family.
possessing an estate in Huntingdonshire ; that she
was at present in the receipt of an income between
1,500/. and 2,0001. a year ; and the present inquiry was
reluctantly instituted at the instance of her two great
nephews, Mr. S. A. Turner and Mr. C. Turner, for the
safety and protection of herself and her property. The
Learned Counsel then alluded to the various delusions
to which the unfortunate lady was subject. one of
which was that her husband (who died in 1831) was
still alive, and she constantly had a cover laid at dinner
for him; another was that her late sister, Mrs. Munro
(who has been dead several years), was also still living,
and what was still more singular was, that Lady B.
mistakes Mr,. Pairhuret, the wife of a tradesman in
Bath, for her sister, Mrs. Munro. Another singular
delusion under which she laboured was that her house
in the Circus was an inn, and she constantly treated
her servants as if they belonged to an inn. It was
also remarkable (and had been a source of some
inconvenience to a neighbour) that Lady B. imagined
that the next house to that in which she lived
was her oNfn house, and she was continually goirg to
the next door and demanding admission. Besides these
acts, which, perhaps, of themselves would scarcely have
been sufficient to justify such an inquiry, she had con-
tracted a habit of wand-ring about the town, and calling
on all sores of people uninvited, and had proved beyond
a doubt she was deprived of her reason. Her Lady ship
was introduced into the mn, and took a seat beside the
Commissioner, who put a variety of questions to her
Ladyship, touching her domestic arrange ments, in regard
to which her impressions and answers seemed extremely
vague and indistinct ; and her replies were, for the most
part, ramoling and irrelevant. The evidence of Mr.
Wood, Dr. Spry, and Sarah Fountain, showed that the
subject of inquiry did not possess the common reasoning
faculties. The jury returned a unanimous verdict,
" That Lady Bickerton was of unsound mind, and inca-
pable of managing her affairs, and that she had been so
since the Ist of March, 1845."—Somerset GountyGazette.

THE GREAT FRENCH NORTHERN

RAILWAY.

The inauguration of the Great French Northern Railway,
on Sunday, has excited very lively emotion in Paris—an
emotion which is shared, we are sure, by the whole of the
vast district through which that line of 300 miles passes.
The emotion to which we allude must not be understood to
have its source in mere prospects of gain, promising as they
may be. There is. for the French public, a more gratifying
view of the matter than even this, to understand which we
must look a few years back. When the Soult- Guizot Ad-
ministration came into power, nearly six years ago, there
were not thirty miles of railway in the broad realms of
France; she was, with regard to railway communication,
not only behind all civi:ised Europe and America, but put
to shame by little Belgium at her own door. Nor was
there the slightest promise afforded of a disposition to
shake off this almost middle-age state of backwardness.
Nay, worse than that, the country of the revolution of 1789,
and of the monarchy of July, had returned to the
exploded system of fortification applied to a capital
of a million of souls. While the rest of the world
was swept into the current of newly-created enterprise,
France was obstinately furbishing her rusty armour, and
bolting and barring her doors upon her stagnant and profit-
less treasures, when all around were stripping for the race,
and invoking light and air for cheerful and peaceful contests.
With 6,000,000/. sterling pledged for walls and fortresses—
with we know not how many millions engaged for war pur-
poses of all kinds—with a nation excited by its own work,
fancifying itself offended, and bound to a quarrel—an active
Opposition—an envenomed press—the Soult Guizot Ministry
had to begin their work ; and what was the business they
had to do? They had to create what was then unknown in
France—the system of associating citizens for public works.
The greatest financial operation at that time conceivable to
the public was a loan, and all political financial experiment
was bounded by a conversion of the Five per Cents.
The idea of a public road being undertaken by any
other being than the Ministre des Travaux Publics, or
executed under any other eye than that of the engineers
des pouts et chaussees, never entered the head of a
people nursed in the lap of centralisation. To cure this de
feet—to give the people the habit of taking an interest in
their own business—to divert their minds by healthful em-
ployment from an eternal brooding over the injuries inflicted
by a Government who would not let them loose upon Europe,
the Cabinet conceived the happy thought of erecting the Eng-
lish mode—if we may so call it—upon the foundation already
existing at home; and by the law of June, 1841. a Bill,
marking out four great trunk lines, was submitted to the
Chambers According to this law the Government was
authorised to undertake at once the whole of the prelimi-
nary works, leaving to companies, to be accepted by public
adjudication, the placing of the rails and the working of
the lines. As soon as the principle originated by the
Government had worked its way into the public mind
—and it took two years more even to do that—aided un-
questionably first by the success of the Rouen, and after-
wards br t..e Orleans line. the reaction was as violent as the
stagnation had been complete. Companies sprang up in
scores, and the new care imposed upon the Government was
to manage and direct the ardour which it had altogether
called into lite Whatever evils may have sprung up by the
side of good, the good itself was great and most wholesome.
The feeling was like the discovery of a new sense. People
fot nd that there were other stimulants than war. Peace,
too, had been stainless conquests; victories over time and
space were seen to be worthy of men. Tribute paid by
pleasure-seeking strangers, or merchants diffusing wealth,
was neither despicable nor inglorious. Meetings of direc-
tors were better than councils of war, and a plan for
' carrying a railroad instead of an army into the heart of a
neighbouring country not unworthy the generals whose
swords were turned into ploughshares—steam and elec
tricity, science and commerce, tree intercourse, just ex-
change, honourable profits, bold speculation, and well-
conceived enterprise were found no bad substitute for all the
pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war. France, too,
began to be ashamed of her backwardness. and so eagerly
have the railroad works been pursued that this Great
Northern line, which has prompted our remarks, has been
completed within four years from the passing of the general
Act of 1841, at a cost of 180.000,000 of francs. Those who
have taken the trouble of following us thus far will under-
stand why the opening of this railway ha, been marked as
the occasion of a public rejoicing. We hear of flag: and
banners. and discharges of cannon, and dinners, and public
balls—of a King meeting the new invader on the threshold
of his dominions, and greeting the conqueror, who is no less
the conquered, for the victory is mutual. Conr.:e opened a
siege to the seund of violins; why should not festivity mark
these more happy triumphs of these our own times? The
true victors are Soult and Guizot and Dumon. and as such
they wilt be hailed by the electors in the appeal now about
to be made to them for their ratification of the prolific peace
deeds of the present Parliament.—Herald.

THE POTATO CROP —SPREAD OF, THE DISEASE.--
Since our notice in Monday's publication we have received
additional information on the subject of the disease in the
new potato crop, information which leaves little doubt as to
the correctness of the statement then put forth. We liment
to have to confirm the sad intelligence which we then gave.
We have been un easing in our inquiries and in endeavours
to procure the most correct and trustworthy information, and
we regret to say that in every case where the plant has ap-
t), oached maturity, and where artificial means to force the
plant have not been resorted to, the disease of last year has
manifested itself. We have lis morning communications
from Ballymartle, as well as from Middleton and Carrigtwo;
hill, mentioning the appearance of the blight in those dt -
tricts. In our own immediate vicinity, in the southernex.
districts especially, the disease has, beyond all question,
the
hibited itself. We could enumerate several pa
factcr o p
ishas
s übecomeffi sufficient.—Cork
le n t.—aff&crtekdE,
abucunt
itnlaire.
of yesterday, a gentle-
POTATO Hor.—ln the course
simple statementces of the
crop, in which
us some stalks of potatoes of the now- growingthe
developed towards
man who resides northward of the cityls,heatsEtaaihkeney, sent to
harvest of
the blight, as it appeared
t.
The disease ast year, was painfully eviden was full of
appettrec
part, Which
°trihnuet:riment to the tuber
about to throw out a blossom, Which
were manifestly
sap, the leaves luxuriant, and the uer
whence it appeared
was ar-
ticularly full and green. About midway down all the stalks
root. The whole
the marks of blight were apparent.
scradenotwaoluewwniatieircrdhst hteernasilyti
transmits
twsaatrtdahs je
to run itthrue"n'
bore, from the point where the
brownish hue, and in the centre th
disease struck •
in, a
to have become stagnant e "P
itself
seemed
• man who transmitted us tiv, and corrupt. The gentle-
agriculturist, says—" Istalks, and who is an excelent
with the rot or blight, send you a potato stalk attailced
so much. The
pouito from which li.at ppir's crop suffered
pink eye, and planted from.
which
this stalk grew wa, a
in, February ; the field in which it
grew lid not the di-.ease last year." This is a matter which
dignands, itnp,nn i v eBl , the gravest and the speediest atten-
tion, both at the hands 3.
of the Government as well as private
persons.

Tho Town Council of Sunderland have memorialised
Government tO introduce a Bill into Parliament for compelling
Paving and Lighting Commisi,oner to transfer their powers to the
Corporations, who are responsible to the NT pursuant to the
lines Wm of the Municipal Act. It was stated on Aio•tduy, during
the d.seussions on the subject, that nearly 30, 00/ have hod ex-
pended during the last sixteen years by the local Ito irds of Sunder-
land alole to 14ve, arising out of petty squabble, among nig 411ferent
elquptuato.