The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-08 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.

On Wednesday a commission de lunatic° was opened
at the Cadogan Hotel, Sloane-street, Chelsea, before
Mr. Commissioner Winslow and a special jury, to in-
quire into the state of mind of Mr. William Lee, of
No. 17, Chesham-street, a gentleman of large and
independent property. The commission was in•
stituted at the instance of three married sisters of the
lunatic. Mr. Bacon, Q.C., appeared in support
of the commission, and Mr. Elinslie was
instructed on the other side. Air. Bacon ad-
dressed the court at considerable length, indicating the
nature of the delusions, which, though extremely
peculiar, appeared to he perfectly harmless, at least
as far as others were concerned. Mr. Lee fancied
that nothing that he saw or heard was real. All his
friends were changed, and though he was quick in
distinguishing the voice, he could not recognise
the appearance of his nearest relative. He
thought also that his food was poisoned, and that
every person was engaged in a conspiracy against
him. Another of his peculiarities was, that though
neither a sordid nor a poor man, he could not
be persuaded to part with any money for the payment
of his servants or any accounts whatever. From June,
1849, until May of the present year, his affairs had
been managed and his debts discharged by Mrs.
Coulthard, one of his sisters. In May last, however, it
was thought desirable to leave him to conduct his own
affairs, and from that period to the present he had never
paid a single bill nor drawn a single cheque, although
he had a large balance in the hands of Messrs. Coutts,
his bankers. This statement was borne out by the
evidence of Dr. Sutherland, Dr. Watson, whe had
been a fellow-student with Mr. Lee, at Cambridge, 3.5
years iuthey, and Mr. Coulthard, the
br(ith ago,er•inlaDwr. S
.lA''hen the jury had returned from
seeing the alleged lunatic at his residence in
Chesham-street, afier a words from Mr. Elmslie, and
a brief summing up by thw Learnel Commissioner,
they unanimously found that IVilliam Lee was of
unsound mind, and incapable of conducting his own
affairs, and that he had been so since the 18th of
June, 1849. I

HdSTORY.
ROMANTIC
Our obituary this week records the death of a per-
son (Ann, Duchess of Palata) the history of whose
fortunes would fill no small page in romantic story.
She was the daughter of John Peele, a small farmer
nearlivelihoodGainsborough, who eked out
by
dealing in
aa t e o rri
somewhatngh a tu,
declining
horses, &c., having previously been in better cir-
cumstances. Being an only daughter, and aware
that she possessed no small share of rustic charms,
our embryo Duchess, despising the limited sphere in
which she lived, resolved to try her fortune else-
where. She became a dressmaker in Gainsborough,
and resided subsequently in Hull, and it is said as
housemaid in a good family in London, where her
attractions obtained for her the attention of a person
of rank, to whom she afterwards averred she was
married • and she from that time occupied a po-
sition Where her fortunes led her into contact
with some of the highest classes. A few years
afterwards she astonished her former companions by
appearing with her carriage and livery servants in
the character of cher amie to Mr. Fauntleroy, then
a flourishing banker in London. Unfortunately,
the riches of the banker were of a doubtful character,
and some time afterwards he was convicted of forgery,
and paid the penalty with his life. Affected by the
ruin, but not participating in the crime of Fauntleroy,
our heroine struggled bravely with fate, ang
generally maintained a fair appearance in so-
ciety, both in London and in Poi'. She shortly re-
appeared in her native country as Duchess of Palate.
At this time the fortunes of her family had re-
duced them to be the occupants of a small cottage at
Morton, and, age rendering her father incapable of
active exertion, he filled the humble office of rural
postman. To her honour it should be recorded
that she enabled her parents to pass the remainder
of their days in comfort. Six or seven years ago she
again visited her native place, a widow, his Grace the
Duke of Palata having paid the debt of nature.
Her mother she left at Morton, paid the last duties
to her father (somewhat ostentatiousl.o, and volun.
teered her assistance to promote the advancement of
her female relatives. Again, however, " a change
came o'er the spirit of her dream ;" and, some three
or four years ago the public journals announced her
marriage to the son of an Irish clergyman of good
family. In this character, accompanied by her niece
as femme de chambre, but not by her husband,
she once more visited Gainsborough and the scenes of
her youth. After making her mother an allowance,
to be paid monthly (to prevent some avaricious
person from defrauding her of it, as she had too much

reason to suspect would be the case), she again
departed for Italy, in good health ; but death,
which spares neither rank nor character, has
closed the " last scene of all this strange eventful
history." The above are but the broad lines of her
career, although it would be easy to expand them to
any limit. As related to the writer of this notice,
they seemed more like the tales of romance than of
veritable narrative, so true it is that " truth is yet
more strange than fiction."—Sheffield Times.

INSTANCE OF CLAIRVOYANCE
DURING SLEEP.
(From the Zoist.)

" My dear -,
"It: accordance with your request I herewith transm.,
you particulars, El 3 they occurred, of the peculiar dream
if such it may be called, which proved of so essential
service to me.

" As I mentioned to you, I had been bothered since
September with an error in my cash account for that
month; and, despite many hours' examination, it defied
all my efbrts, and I almost gave it up as a hopeless case.
It had been the subject of my waking thoughts for many
nights, and hal occupied a large portion of my leisure
hours. 11%tters remained thus unsettled until the 11th
December. On this night I had not, to my knowledge,
once thought of the subject; but I had not long been in
bed, and asleep, when my brain was as busy with the
books, as though I had been at my desk. The cash-
bolt, bankers' pass books, &c. kc., appeared before me,
and, without any apparent trouble, I almost immediately
discovered the cause of the mistake, which had arisen
out of a complicated cross•entry. I perfectly recollect
having taken a slip of paper in my dream and made such
a memorandum as would enable me to correct the error
at some leisure time; and, having done this, that the
whole of the circumstances had passed from my mind.
When I awoke in the morning I had not the slightest
recollection of my dream, nor did it once occur to me
throughout the day, although I had the very books
before me on which I had apparently been engaged in
my sleep. When I returned home in the afternoon, as
I did early for the purpose of dressing, and proceeded to
shave, I took up a piece of paper from my dressing table
to wipe my razor, and you may imagine my surprise at
finding thereon the very memorandum I fancied had
been made during the previous night. The effect on me
was such that I returned to our office and turned to the
cash book, when I found that I had really when asleep
detected the error which I could not detect in my waking
hours, and had actually jotted it down at the time. I
should not have thought much of all this but for our con-
versation. It certainly is a convincing proof to me, that
the mind can and does act quite independently of the
body,• and that in a more rational and connected manner
than many folks would suppose.
" You are perfectly at liberty to make any use you
please of this communication if it will support any theory
you are anxious to establish.

" I remain, dear Sir, yours truly,
" Jan. 14, 1850. _ "C. J. E.

" P. S. I may add that, on a former occasion, nearly
a similar occurrence took place; with, however, this
difference, that I awoke at the conclusion of the dream,
and was perfectly aware, when certainly awake, of
having made the memorandum at that time. This, how-
ever, was Rot the case in the occurrence I have above de-
tailed."

In reply to our inquiry for further information, our
informant writes as follows:
" I have no recollection whatever as to where I ob•
tained the writing materials, or rather paper and pencil,
with which I made the memorandum referred to. It
certainly must have been written in the dark, and in
my bedroom, as I found both paper and pencil there the
following afternoon, and could not for a long time un-
derstand anything about it. The pencil was not one
which I am in the habit of carrying, and my impression
is that I must have either found it accidentally in the
room, or gone down stairs for it. "C. J. E,"
a This is absurdity. The brain was acting in all this : and
the writer, while he uses the babyish language of the world,
really knows better; for he says his "brain was as busy with
his books, as if he had been at his desk." Sleep is quite
consistent with partial action of the brain : and this partial
action may be more intense than in the waking state. Ima-
gination or conception is infinitely stronger in dreams than
in the waking state.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
BAIL COURT, Nov. 7.
(Sittings at Nisi Prius.)
SPRAGUE V. MOORE.
Mr. Edwin James and Mr. Hawkins were counsel
for the plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Shea and Mr.
Willey for the defendant.
This action was brought by the plaintiff, an archi-
tect, to recover 1121. (from the defendant, who .was
the Roman Catholic priest in the district of the Com-
mercial-road, for different plans and drawings he had
made for some schools and a new Roman Catholic
church, which it was proposed to erect in that dis-
trict. The matter was one entirely of liability, the
defendant contending that he was not liable. The
following evid«•nce was adduced :
The Rev. John Kay—l am the Catholic chaplain
in Spanish-place. The plaintiff i 9 an architect. The
defendant is chaplain for the district of the Commer-
cial-road. I introduced the plaintiff to the defendant
in 1847. The defendant was building schools, and I
having been appointed to the same mission by our
bishop, introduced the plaintiff, who prepared plans
by which some of the buildings have been erected.
The school will cost 3,0001., and 1,000/. has gone
through my hands on this account. The
money was provided by subscriptions, which
were given to the defendant. There was a
proposition to build a new district church, as the dis-
trict was too large. The defendant was appointed to
that mission as well as myself. It was arranged that
the money received should be funded in the defen-
dant's name. All bills were to be sent in to him, and
paid by him, and he had the entire control of the
money. I paid to him all moneys I received. The
defendant gave the plaintiff instructions about the
plans for the church. The defendant paid the charges
to the Metropolitan Building Commissioners. The
plans were altered because they did not give satisfac-
tion to the parish. Dr. Wiseman also objected to
them, as he thought it better to have a permanent
structure at,once, and not a temporary church, and the
plaintiff prepared fresh plans. One plan of the church
had no tower, but the defendant ordered a plan to be
prepared having a tower. Upon some occasions the
defendant complained that the plans were too long
about, and said be must give them into other bands if
they were not delivered. The defendant desired to
have the plans delivered in time for a meeting on St.
Patrick's-day, when the Lord Mayor of Dublin was
present in his gorgeous official robes. The plans were
then produced, and were much approved of. We first
thought of 3,0001. or 4,000/. to build the church, but
we doubled that sum as we proceeded. The church
was to contain 1,200 sittings, and there were not to
be any galleries. The church has not yet been built.
Cross-examined—The plaintiff is a convert to our
faith. He knew neither the defendant nor myself
had any means, but he knew there was money in the
parish. The poor are quite as liberal contributors as
the rich. There was 1,500/. in the hands of Dean
Horrabin, who had charge of another district. Our
congregation amounted to 12,000 persons. The sub-
scriptions amounted to about 500/. a year to pay all
expenses. I wanted accommodation for four priests
fur that parish. There has been a good deal of
church building going on in England of late in the
Catholic religion.
Re-examined-3,000 shillings were stated to have
been brought up from the Wapping boys.
Emily Sprague—The defendant came to my father
about the plans for the Church of our Lady Loretto.
He gave particular directions about a tower.
Other witnesses stated they bad always heard the
defendant speak as having employed his architect (the
plaintiff).
For the defendant it was urged, that the plaintiff
had volunteered to prepare the plans without remu-
neration upon the expectation of being employed to
build the church. It was absurd to suppose that a
man like the defendant, who was dependent for his
support on the contributions of the poorest of the
poor, would give orders to render himself liable for
such an amount.
Mr. Justice PATTESON having summed up,
The jury found a verdict for the- plaintiff for the
whole amount.