The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-09 00:00:00

EARLSWOOD.

The Daily News has an interesting account of a visit to
the Earlswood Asylum for Idiots. Our contemporary
describes several " characters " in the institution. There
is the historical idiot. "This man is a curiosity. Though
utterly incapable of acting rationally, he has a prodigious
memory, and can and does answer recondite questions in
history with extreme exactitude. He is delighted to attract
notice, and favoured us with abstracts of the lives of .Julius
emsar, Henry VII., Charles 11., and Queen Elizabeth, all
given without hesitation, and with a 'gabbling volubility
which suggested a piece of rather clumsy mechanism just
wound up and uttering sounds by steam. Learning that
he had been busying himself with astronomy, we inquired
after the planets Saturn and Jupiter, to be forthwith
overwhelmed with a torrent of scientific terms, and
au intimate description of the rings of the one
and the moons 'of the other. The chief confu-
sion perceptible in this idiot's answers was a tendency
to describe Julius Czesar as Jupiter, with facetious
allusions to his moons, and to dwell upon the twenty-
three wounds inflicted on the planet, which caused his
death, `as every one who's read Roman history knows.'
This we are assured was fun." Where (asks the Daily .News)
is the line separating this idiot from the sane One youth
(continues the writer), has the gift of mental
arithmetic, and adds sums together and multiplies
three figures by three figures, giving the product
with lightning rapidity. Another and older man
is a humourist, whose bent is peculiar. He cannot read,
but if given a newspaper will pretend to read paragraphs
from it. Out of the advertisement page of the Daily News
he read three railway accidents, each with separate charac-
teristics, and all with a specific number of lives lost and a
closely particularised variety of injury to life and limb ;
two fu-es with some appreciative praise from "we" on the
gallant conduct of the firemen ; some suicides, and a
variety of general intelligence of a less exciting kind.
Each imaginary paragraph was read off without a
pause, and all sounded real enough save when the
burlesque element was introduced purposely, as when
" the coroner's jury, having considered the case very care-
fully, found him guilty of an interrogation." But the most
interesting case is that of the mechanic. He has con-
structed a model of a man-of-war and an allegorical
vessel which was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition in 1562,
both exquisitely finished, and he is now busy upon
carefully-proportioned model of the Great Eastern. He
worships mechanical and scientific knowledge. This man
is an admirable carpenter, and works so many hours a
day for the asylum, using the remainder of his time
in the designing and manufacture of his models.
Elementary treatises on geometry and naval architecture
lie on the table of his private workshop, plans and
drawings adorn its walls. His face is intelligent, his
manner eager, but chastened by •self-respect. Yet this
man is as incapable of exercising the commonest
faculties, out of his special calling, as any idiot of them
all, and employed his mechanical genius in laying a trap
for a former physician to the asylum, which might have
injured him for life. The doctor had offended him,
and a huge and heavy block of wood was so arranged
over the doorway that the first person entering would bring
it down upon his head. The arrangements were com-
pleted just before an anticipated visit was paid, and it
was only by the narrowest chance that the intended victim
escaped. The only other instance of spite we became
acquainted with during our rounds was in an idiot who
has a weakness for funerals, and who keeps a close mental
record of all the deaths occurring in the house. This poor
fellow expressed great anxiety to follow a man to the
grave against whom he has a real or fancied grievance,
adding that he would kick his coffin with pleasure.

THE QUEEN AND THE EDDY STONE LIGHTHOUSE. -
During last week a report was originated that the Eddy-
stone Lighthouse was destroyed, and the statement found
its way to Lloyd's, and thence was rapidly disseminated
throughout the metropolis. The rumour thus reached the
ears of the Queen at Osborne, who, with that anxious
solicitude for the welfare of her subjects when placed in
circumstances of peril which her Majesty has often dis-
played, at once caused a telegram to be sent, making in-
quiries. Of course it was not long before her Majesty was
assured that it had no foundation.— Western Morning News.

VICARIOUS PUNISHMENT.—Two men, named
Pierre and Tisserand, and a woman, Blanch 6, have just
been tried at the Court of Assizes, Paris, for a singular
fraud. Tisserand, a greengrocer, had been condemned to
a fortnight's imprisonment, but had attempted to undergo
his sentence by proxy. Pierre, having undertaken, for a
sum of 100 f., to represent him, presented himself at the
prison under the name of the other, and was duly installed,
but before the expiration of the time the deception was
discovered, and the man really condemned was arrested,
together with the woman. They were acquitted.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY. The o.r ford Calendar for
1869 has just been published. It appears, from comparing
it with the Calendar of last year, that the numbers on the
books have increased by 251, and that the increase in the
matriculations during the past year has been M. Christ
Church has 30 members more than at the beginning of
last year, Queen's 21, Lincoln 19, Brasenose 18,
New College 17, while there are slight increases
in most of the other colleges. There is no col-
lege in which there is any serious diminution of
numbers. Of the halls, St. Alban Hall has increased by
20, and St. Mary Hall by 13. The number of unattached
students is 36. It must be recollected that this class Of
students has only existed during the two past terms, so
that, should the matriculations continue at the present
rate, it may be expected that, three years hence, there
will be a body of unattached students numbering from 150
to 180.

ALLEGED MURDER AT lIAcKNEY.—The inquest
on the body of Samuel Giokett was resumed on Monday
evening by Mr. Richards, at Hackney. The deceased
was a workman in the employ of the Imperial Gas
Company, and at the opening of the inquest it was
alleged that he had been thrown into the Regent's
Canal on the night of Saturday week last by five
men. William Talby, of 13, St. Andrew's-road, said
that on the night in question, shortly after
twelve o'clock, he heard quarrelling on the towing
path, and saw the deceased with his coat off with five
other men. Shortly afterwards ho heard a cry of
"Police," and saw the deceased struggling in the water.
Witness tried to get him out, but could not, and then
went for assistance. Further evidence was adduced as to
the violence the deceased and the female friends ho had
with him met with at the hands of the five Men, and the
Jur/ eventually returned a verdict of "WilfctilWlr49;
Mind MN mon. tit Dliiiiiillak4oo.),",