The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-21 00:00:00

ILL-TREATMENT OF A LUNATIC. 1 Emma? OF

On Thursday, at the Police - office, Loughborough,
Henry Black, farmer, was charged with unlawfully
receiving to board and lodge John Wild, a
lunatic, his house not being licensed for the re-
ception of lunatics. Ho was also charged with
ill-treating the said Wild. The unfortunate lunatic is the
son of a deceased clergyman, and has been under restraint
from an early age. Mr. Black, the defendant, has
had the care of him for the last thirty years, and
it is supposed that his treatment was the result
of mistaken motives, arising from inexperience.
Mr. Law, solicitor, instructed by the Commissioners in
Lunacy, appeared for the prosecution, and strewed that
by the Act of Parliament a person having the custody of a
lunatic must have his house registered, in order that the
commissioners might visit the lunatic periodically. The
medical superintendent of the county asylum, who visited
the defendant's house under an order from the Lord Chan-
cellor, stated that Mr. Wild was seated in a chair fastened
to the wall by iron stanchions. He had on a pair of
iron handcuffs connected by an iron chain, and the chain
was fasted to a staple in the window-sill adjoining. The
man could stand up, but the position was a constrained one.
The defendant put in a plea of not guilty, and was
committed for trial at the assizes on the first
charge. The second charge was proceeded with, and Mr.
Buck, the medical man before referred to, stated it as his
opinion that Wild was a harmless and childish per-
son, and that the mode of treatment pursued
towards him was both improper and cruel. He
was now in the asylum, where he had not required
mechanical restraint. His understanding had improved
since he had been removed to the asylum. The defendant
pleaded not guilty to this charge also, and said that those
who had given evidence had not had sufficient experience
to make correct statements. Mr. Story committed him
for trial on this charge as well, but allowed bail, himself
in £2OO, and two sureties in £5O each, being required in
both cases.

THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The EcOurclay Review thinks that even with neY/
strategy and vigour it is useless to expect that the existing
police force can extirpate the present generation of
ruffians and rowdies. The new Act will give them
greater power to deal with habitual criminals. But it will
also add to their dangers and difficulties. Many of the
criminal class have heretofore had a sort of recognised
truce with the police. Henceforth it will be open war.
There is now an end to the two months' sentences for
assaulting the constables. The police have now wider
functions and greater protection. With many of the
criminal class now it is a question whether they shall
ld
down the police or be put down by the police. The bo
and reckless will prefer war to the knife rather than cog-
cession. In fact, the class which lives by violence and
theft must be prepared to beat the police or see the
bread taken out of its mouth. The pluckier and
hardier will have no scruple as to their decision ; the more
timid and trimming will prefer the poor-house, emigY3.
tion, even work, to the conflict. Clearly in the worst dis-
tricts the police will have no easy time of it ; and the ad•
ministrative ability of Colonel Henderson will be fullY
taxed by the disposition of his men, and by the aPP°l'
tionment to each division of its appropriate share of n
new and dangerous duty. When all is done, however,
that a police can do, how much will remain still to he
done? How shall we rid ourselves of the savagery which
seethes and ferments within our streets, alleys, a.'
courts? How purify our Summers-streets and Leather
lanes? What preaching—what instruction—will cleanse
these foul and putrid masses of living humanity? Shell
we be compelled to supplement the civil force by vellt
teer levies, and to organise vigilance committees in tu;
heart of the capital? 0 r shall we trust to the infusion e''
a more benign spirit among the rough and rugge!,
children of crime ? Alas ! that it should be so easl "
propound such questions and so difficult to answer theni'
The Spectator says that the critical event of the year
an industrial sense is always the harvest. We hap! t°
reckon up every autumn how our bet with Nature bas
turned out, and we are much poorer or richer according
as we have lost or won. According to the best accont%
eather-
there is now little doubt that the bet this year lies been
lost. A genial spring was followed by an ungenial sump
mar and 114rvest,•time ; and though there is much harve6e
work to do; the truth must be recognised that the gere„
has gone against us. The wheat harvest, which is by Is`
the most critical one, will not be an average °elf:
authorities say will be much under the average. 9:l'e.„,
is considerable variety in the reports, but the;
mainly come to this—that while the crop is good in
ford
5°113,
places, usually on land not in ordinary years the best Lveis
wheat, it is poor, as a rule, and especially on the fan
where the bulk of the crop is grown. And this is not silo
While the yield per acre will be less than usu'l' ,"
iG
quality of the produce will be very inferior. To Puw
technically, the weight of the grain per bushel will be es6° 3
siderably less. The superiority of quality in the 1 to
lit
crop was reckoned to have added 5 per cent. or more
its weight and worth, and the inferiority in the preetie
year will have a corresponding effect in reducing t
harvest value. Fortunately, the returns in 9,ll'l:sre
all other departments of agriculture are g°°°' t
even very good ; but the cardinal effect is aga,„:.
us, and we have to see what the consequences will
tvila
We do not wish it to be understood, however, that. _,
year is highly disastrous. There are some compenoti
kill be
—possibly the effects of a bad wheat harvest
r;
reduced to the minimum. This results from the excePti°,olp,
prosperity of other branches of agriculture. EverY clod
except wheat, is reported to be good. As a whole,if aG
reward of the farmer's industry will not be anything, tiot
all, under the average—at least, if we take into aee°o3.,,
the high price of his diminished crop. Consequen
iri
the agricultural classes will be nearly as well oif
as
an average year, as able to purchase manufacturestio
usual, while the purchasing power of none excePt af
poor will be sensibly diminished by the higher Pricaerdiy
bread. Looked at in this way, the loss is
ryea
great enough to change the currents of industry' :r los
to diminish sensibly the means for on ployment.
up the result, we should say that but for the dearer bread
of the poor—an incidental calamity, though a very' roa,
one—the principal result of the bad harvest is to Vs Piot
the recovery horn the shock of 1866. A good harvest reeves
have set everything in motion again, but a bad Year od
us to stagnation, and the uphill work of naYing
drudging till the losses of discredit are repaired•
must wait another twelvemonth, perhaps, for the stirn; a
to start us afresh. Other causes may suPPII Tor'
stimulus ; but nine times out of ten it takes a go°

vest, or a succession of good harvests, to do so.
1,0
The John Bull asks, How shall we destroy the hY" tia
Irish discontent? What is the next new panacea OA
rieg
to turn the chronic disaffection and disorder of term
into brotherly love and peace? What sop has I\lr' jto be
stone in store for Cerberus? The Act of Union was Oa
a panacea for Irish grievances, and the Irish 13,,arg
accepted it as such. The fresh political butter had :'`,titer
amalgamated, with the potatoes in those mouths
nately voluble in blessings and cursings, ere it way
rtielg
vered that Catholic Emancipation was the real acipa•
required, the true and only panacea. CatholicEo'l' tof
tion evoked nothing save an ardent desire on the Prflrepeel
its grateful and consistent recipients for
twera.
of the -Union, and under the able and ~retti
pulous leadership of the Irish John Bright, a i,,esecl•
little rebellion was got up, and speedily s"Plit-a bag
The real cause of much of the misery which irg13,11,, feet
unquestionably suffered w2l be found to reside me mr-ovitli
that a non-manufacturing country unsuited to thlgoelsg
of wheat, but admirably adapted for the grazing,i°bigblid
and herds, was over-populated by an underfed a
prolific people, who clung to the soil long aftaectellaatr;:joi
had ceased to be able to feed them properly. S •coltural,
advocates of small holdings even in very rich agil_ip,eato`
districts, and consider them to be actually detcybo
where the soil is poor to the unfortunate holder, son°
eA
then mere adscripti glelve, to a soil, too, vi-lisro 09'14,
adequately support them at the best of times. tiPvte
Mr. Bright will find the hobby a fine one to,re catoe,bo
but we should not be in the least surprised if 'tack. g 0
grief through it, with the whole Cabinet at hiS fail to or
question of tenant right is one which cannot beve /ea,
hand in hand with that of land-tenure. NY 00119'110
grave doubts as to the propriety of weakening can graof
of the landowner and we do not how t Can asg
r ighis which are h'ostil e to his title. see That tenancootailor
decline so to occupy, except under a lease essarY
see
such clauses and covenants as he considers nec,„Bo .be
his protection, and we confess that we are at a logy
how Parliament can with any show of right cnlbs tens
property of the landowner for the benefit of
Yet with the recent disestablishment and grbsveinKeet
lir►tt° am
our venerable Church before us, we cannot hililun reea
misgivings respecting the future, especially Wile Soto
on the overwhelming Radical majority ill I'
eOl3
Commons. the °tog
The Economist refers to the discussion °t)n rostelieber•
coinage, and thinks that Mr. Hubbard gnge 3 the ' the
far in one direction as Mr. Lowe goes that 00
He considers, if we understand bilm•sg a eeig'
imposition of a mint charge for tall such
has no tendency to augment the value 0, e opoo
Mr. Lowe, on the other hand, reasons as
t lertailjtle tht
of such a charge would with mathematical c_e, reig bob-,
complete accuracy, at all times and in all 01,a sys,;ooo,,
value of such coin. As we last week explanitas ot
that the truth lies between these two exterlieeksble
As a rule, and upon an average of years, th see oci
a mint charge' upon a coin will augment itS 83'siwarl tot
value. But it will not augment that value be sureolne
equally, and you never could at any one tinaF.,, the
it had so augmented it. The value of coin, 'lsz` Fortl
of everything . else, is determined at eeatoreen'l, eogt
moment by the supply and demand of th by ttveoplg
the long run no doubt that value is regulateilted. r;'
of production, because the supply is so regui;iii povs
will not work at a loss, and, therefore, thet•pic thglosiens
duce coin or an other article unless they tPl„pe _OP
have a profit for doing so. But at any ucositoruociter
people may have produced too much of anYt of onljf
and in that case its price will fall. The cog_ico_-1
tion is not a momentary regulator of Poeri!lie
title
regulates for a most part and on n,,,p
slight increase in the cost of produ • the riot
a tendency to raise the price
ctily or ceLe
produced, but it will not do so instan ,timer
The value of coin is daily fluctuating, au;a dove-t.
and sometimes another, and the value value
larly changing, sometimes upwards ann ▪ and
wards, but you cannot be sure at any ti;„h tit
there will be between the value of the 01n_,,,,e wir eon!
of differe-'l,- tav
of the bullion that precise amount CI -90
rtia 1 Dee e
amount of the mint charge imposed on vot vre
would induce us at first sight to expyct..s 11,ft'• '-statvt
B
e ,he
dwell on this now. The present point
ozzle ass wile" a,
scheme fails in intelligibility. It is a P _ oket aveelt
it, and when the highest authorities
lai•ere
are --n we 07,d
what he says about it is true or false, t
IJvrooce. OW,
Some say he is right and some say he Is ~,rtgis'ila
no it,
this seems to us a fatal flaw. A Plan in 'oodersts, aai
be adopted either because everybodY,_ • nation sa
risea;sigoinito.f itßourt
hbeecreaunseubtuhsymuousdterresstapuecdDsetlor reason,
rat'.
the most respected persons tin not agree. . :orete,ioo
rn°sv to
The Saturday Review considers that thte thig to tali
of Napoleon's enemies must admit Oa ndeciioe dery
at least he has done well. They Ina they CaTill°far tse
advantage of the boon accorded, lint coe!,_
that it has been accorded generously.ec,,, thectl.,
Amnesty will have any appreciable in finus.eereatioo‘vo
03" ow
of events depends, however, on co
010 of t,epeeStof,
itself. An act of this kind may bear f the on 1,1
in2's. It may imply that a repetition 0
which it relales is 110 longer Probni'le: .3'o; it rinintiai,lll4
-ea
1.0 longer needs to be guarded against) j.
)0
that the conduct which has hitherto fore
ment will no longer be viewed
_tam_ areix.oll the
js.'o,
Amnesty of the Vith of Aug" ,t is I„ nurpo.c?.llpe Woe
assumption, it will assuredly 9,1 "" e
ern wen- tow
,i 1
earnest of the temper in which the ~o%
do
real►sciie.l„.ct9eoo.
after administered, the Alum:sly )
81h nel vr Pee
sen rderrir; fle i
worthlessinotionBrar et that
t beforels('
Napoleona theyed
c have v;ernivi. 'Teat' tone
pvtlgo:bt)
ail :I. I s:3:;:eyi
Inel
tsbuyte:t :1
till
tti
serious proposals for disarinatn
whileoaf hise old power. outbn'isa
ont
the Emperor to regain much
ltcsfd'e‘ei‘fs' tot: disunite the methods
Oso:ftpl'np( retreatl.(tl'ivbi(eiflare, sitgdnoe presentns 8, oa
ar.
victory ‘r:°°clti tdri irt:S ere;
1 VII:
161
mighta
another coup
beapEmperor ta. prO
followed upon . •,
1851 That the tis °tn te .••
ex when
intention of resorting to either
ho
letraai
uct Cdepportofevdroekbaecydti
reaction
a somen
asliodudglree;e'c°rlfEsstsli,°?jtohytlia t:,:itvi.en:11011,111r;
but it does not follow that
i
ath.QK Of Plge4 )29P1Ad_.J14_1*-0-01
would be WI.