The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-01 00:00:00

THE SUN,

DARLIDIGTON--••Wirld S.W.-fine.
WITLTEHAVEN —Wind S.E., strong breeze—heavy rain.
NEWCASTLE—Wind S.W.—cloudy.
SHArrocil—Wind S.E., gentle breeze—heavy rain.
GLASGOW —W in d W. S. W. —rain.

The returns from the following places indicate the state of
the wind and weather on Wednesday morning at nine
o'clock :
UmKnimc—Wind N.W., calm—overcast.
B 1 aLuwaAß—Wind N., calm—overcast.

THE WEATHER.--Suw Omar., AUGUST 1.
TEtzassokuirriat, us THE SMADE.
70—highest since noon yesterday.
61—lowest this morning and during the night.
74—this day, at noon.
BARossETER, 29.94.
Wrrip W.S.W.—close, muggy weather.

communication should be separated into two distinct
services, and put out to separate tenders." The fortu-
nate formation of the Eastern Steam Navigation
Company under such distinguished auspices as
to ensure the attainment of the objects con-
templated by its promoters, will, afford that full
and fair competition which is truly regarded as
of so much consequence to the best interests of the
nation. The Committee refer to this point on
several occasions, saying that " they cannot close

their report without stating that any arrangement
which might tend to promote an exclusive traffic on
the Indian lines in the hands of one company is open
to serious objection, and that in the recom-
mendations which they have suggested for the con-
sideration of the Government, they wish
to lay down the principle, that the only
security to the public for the full advantage of these
communications must consist in open and fair compe-
tition."

They also clearly expose the absurdity of the re-
gulation which compels the employment of steam-
ships built of wood arzl not of iron, and pointedly di-
rect the attention of lese Government to the evidence
received upon the subject from the many eminent
practical and scientific men who have appeared be-
fore them. On the Government now rests the re-
sponsibility of fully and fairly carrying out these re-
commendations. The subject is one which cannot be
treated with apathy or neglect, more especially since
the existence of the Eastern Steam Navigation
Company must remove every difficulty with respect
to a proper emulation between parties ready and wil-
ling, and also fully competent, to perform the neces-
sary service with economy, security, and dispatch.
We trust, therefore, that we may speedily see the
publication of the full particulars of the terms and
conditions required, and that those will be in accord-
ance with the valuable suggestions offered by the
Committee. Indeed, no excuse could be accepted for
any carelessness on this highly important subject.

A trial of a most extraordinary character, and
which proves to demonstration the necessity for an
immediate amendment of the law of lunacy, took
place at Exeter on the 29th instant, before Mr.
Justice COLERIDGE. A farmer named Jouri YEO
was indicted for assaniting CHARLES LIJXMOORE,
knowing him to be a person of unsound mind, and
having voluntarily undertaken to take charge of him,
at Lewton Trenchard. The unfortunate man Lux-
MOORE bad been a blacksmith, and about twenty
years ago he had a legacy of 1001. left him, the whole
of which he spent in dissipation, shortly after which
he became a violent lunatic, and has so continued
ever since. The prisoner married the sister of the
lunatic, and about four years since the mother and
father of the lunatic, and the lunatic himself, were
removed to the house of YEO.
Mr. JOHN NICHOLSON FOWLER, a magistrate, thus
describes the state in which he found the lunatic on
visiting YEO'S house :
" At the end of March, in company with others, I
went to the defendant's house. I saw the de-
fendant, and told him we came to see a lunatic.
The defendant lighted a candle and preceded us to the
back part of his house. We passed through a parlour,
in which corn appeared then to be kept. We then
turned into a dark place lighted by the door. In that
passage we found a cell, the door of which the defendant
opened by drawing back a bolt. He held up a lantern
(it was eleven o'clock in the morning). We saw a man
(Luxmoore). He bad not any clothes cn—perfectly
naked. He was sitting down. The cell was seven feet
long, and between four and [five feet wide, seven feet
high, boarded entirely round, and overhead. There was
a sort of framework of a bed, with the legs cut off,
so that it rested on the floor. There was a little straw,
no covering. There was a small apperture about a foot
square, looking into a passage with iron bars to it.
There was no direct light to, the passage, which led
into three rooms—a room at each end. The smell was
so disgusting that I retired as soon as possible, and did
not examine the cell. On the Ist of July I visited the
cell again. There was no provision for warmth. I
made an order for his removal to the asylum."
In justice to Yxo, however, it must be observed
that for thirteen years the lunatic had been chained
and confined in his own father's house, in a precisely
similar manner. RICHARD WALTER, a carpenter,
thus describes the removal of the lunatic, and the
erection of the cell :
" I am a carpenter, and have known the defendant
many years. In February, 1847, the defendant em-
ployed me to go to the lunatic's father's house at Ger-
i mansweek, and take down a building in which the luna-
tic was confined. I took it down, and brought the
boards to the defendant's, at Orchard. I was there when
the lunatic was removed. He was brought out of the
house between the defendant and John Luxmoore. They
supported him, and took him away in a cart. The de-
fendant pointed out a place where I was to put up the
cell in his house. It was seven feet long, between five and
six feet in breadth, and six feet in height. There were
two iron bolts to the door, a window a foot square with
bars, but no glass. There was a cellar just opposite li
the window. I put in the frame of a bedstead, with the
legs cut off close. _ There was no sacking to it. There

were some boards in it, a little raised froiii the floor. I
saw a chain attached to the lunatic, as he was coming
out of the door. I made no provision for the chain being
fastened. The chain passed through the floor, and was
fastened to a beam under."
This chain the unfortunate lunatic had worn for
thirteen years, as appears from the following written
statement of the prisoner :
" I am a farmer, living at Orchard. Charles Luxmoore,
the lunatic, is my brother-in-law. He was brought up to
the trade of a blacksmith. He was weak in his head and
strange in his conduct. His mother says he was of weak
intellect from childhood. Thirteen years ago he was first
confined. He then had the chain rivetted on his leg, which
is still on it. Ido not know that it has ever been taken off.
He has been confined in this same sort of cell for nine years
or more. About four years ago I removed him to my
house: he has been treated just as before. He never had
clothing, because he would tear it. About twenty years
since an uncle left him 1001., which he soon spent and
became violent. He was dressed yesterday. He used to
be able to read and write well, and sang well in church.
His parents have 301. a year; they are bedridden. They
thought if the parish took care of him they would have
to pay for it. None of his relations are insane."
Strange as it may appear, it is yet abundantly
clear that all the persons concerned in the perpetra-
tion of these horrible atrocities were actuated by
kind motives ; they were affectionately attached to
the lunatic, but believed that for his own safety and
the safety of those about him it was necessary that he
should be restrained and treated in the manner
shove described. There was no attempt at conceal-

ment on the part either of YE° or of the parents of
the lunatic, and the clergyman of the parish not only
did not attempt to interfere to rescue the unfortunate
victim from the cruel treatment to which he was sub-
jected, but actually appeared on the trial for the pur-
pose of justifying it. The following is the deposition
of the Rev. CHARLES CARPENTER :--
"I am curate of Germansweek, and know the parents
of the lunatic. I used continually to visit them. I
used to see the lunatic and talk to him. He never

talked to me rationally. He was close to his father's
room. I tried to teach him the Lora's Prayer, but could
not. No one could pass the house without knowing
that he was violent. It was notorious in the village
that he was kept chained. I remonstrated once with
his mother, but she showed me some torn sheets. I
should say the manner in which he was hept was not im-
proper. I do not think he could have been kept in any
other mode in his own house, from the general terror
there was of him in the neighbourhood. I never saw a
more affectionate mother in my life, and I may say the
same of all the family, particularly as regarded the lu-
natic. The defendant is a humane, kind man. I have
seen the lunatic perfectly dressed when I went in, and
perfectly naked when I left."
A short time since, among other propositions for

the amendment of the law of lunacy, there was one
made which proposed to appoint the clergyman of the
parish an ex officio visitor of private lunatic asylums.
The evidence of the Rev. CHARLES CARPENTER only
tends to strengthen the objections which we entertain
to that proposition. That ignorant persons like YEO
and old LIIIMOORE should consider it necessary to
chain up a lunatic may be readily imagined, but that
a clergyman, and therefore necessarily to a certain
extent an educated man, should be ignorant of all the
modern discoveries in the treatment of lunacy, that
he should still justify the chaining up of lunatics,
shows a degree of crass ignorance, such as we trust
cannot be paralleled in many members of the clerical
profession. YEO was found guilty, and sentenced to
six months' imprisonment. In passing sentence Mr.
Justice COLERIDGE observed :
" That a person at this time of day should be found
with a good conscience, and against whom no bad inten-
tion exists, which I believe properly to belong to you,
yet acting as you have done for the last four years is,
indeed, a most surprising thing—that you. could suppose
that you were authorised to chain for four years in a
cell, such as the evidence has described, a poor lunatic—
that you could do it really and truly with great affection
for the individual, and under the same root where an af-
fectionate father and mother were living, is a thing that
will hardly be believed, except upon such evidence as we
have heard to-day,"

The prosecution was ordered by the Commissioners
of Lunacy, and we cannot but remark that, consider-
ing the notoriety of the treatment of the lunatic, it is
somewhat strange that their attention had not been
drawn to the case years before. Such oases as these,