The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-25 00:00:00

JANUARY 25, 4550

the fxtract from the letter of the 6th Dec. it appears
that, after our-visit of the 10th Nov., and promised in-
vestigation, • the Commissioners, who had visited this
patient for two years, became of opinion that the case is
one which cannot be properly nor beneficially treated in

a lunatic asylum. -
This is unfortunately not a solitary case. Mr.
PuRNELL says— •
" It makes the second instance which I have found in
this county, during the past year, where private lunatic
asylums have been conveniently employed, like the Bas-
tile in France, under it; ancient regime, for a father to
confine, by lettres de cachet, an unmanageable son; the
second, where that most dangerous doctrine—that the
yielding in particular individuals to that propensity to
vice or immorality inherent in human nature—but
checked in the generality, of the class to which they may
belong by the regulations (,f society and the laws of the
land, is converted by medical men into a proof of insa-
nity, which they term moral insanity, and where they
allow that intzllectual insanity does not exist.
!' Jly correspondenee.proves that these cases have be-
come of no uncos.amon occurrence.
'• It is obsertable that the entrius as to this ease,through
the two years of its continuance, treat the patient, in
their general tone, as a viciously inclined youth, placed
in a severe school for punishment and reformation, ra-
ther than it; an insare patient, legally or illegally, in a

lunatic asylum.
"It cannot be matter of Surprise,_ that the visitor
should adopt, in these cases, impressions derived from
the entries of the salaried metropolitan commissioners,
composed, as that bonrd is, of individuals selected for
their eminence in the legal and medical profession—upon
whose decided or undecided conduct in countenancing or
checking tbu further spread of this doctrine, its con-
tinued existence must mainly depend.
" Medical certificatns authorising these convenient: ar-
rangements will bo always procurable, founded upon this
doctrine, which drag's no detinite—no evident line be-
tween responsibility and irresponsibility—and offers the
cover of the last, equally to the petty offender as t.) the
perpetrator of the most revolting crimes."
Can we be surprised, after the countenance which
this dangerous dcctrino of moral insanity receives
from those in high place?, that juries _re
lase to convict persons who hive corn.
mitted crimes of more than ordinary atrocity,
and are willing to accept the very atrocity of the
crime as proof of the non-responsibility of the crimi-
nal ? Surely the, conduct of the Commissioners as
regards these and s imilar cases requires investigation,
and we trust that: the Lord Chancellor will lose no
time in causing a searching inquiry to be made as to
the manner in which the Commissioners perform
their duties. Two things are abundantly clear-from
the facts detailed in Mr. rurtN ELL'S report—first; that
it is absolutely necessary that some public prelimi-
nary investigation should take place as to the state ol
mind of an alleged limatic before the proprietor of a
private lunatic asylum shall be authorised to receive
such alleged lunatic into his establishment; and, se-
condly, that the comfort and safety of the patients
require that a much more efficient system of in-
spection should be organized than the one which at
present exists.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

We have receiv ed the Paris journals of yesterday.
Before the adjournment of the tagisleive As
sembly on Wednesday evening,- the first three.:clauses
of the Bill for tb e transportation of the insurgents of
June to Algeria, were voted by considerable ma -
jorities. As a specimen of the proportion of _ the.
voters pro et contra, it may be observed, that on the-
division for the third article there was a majority in:
favour of it ef 220, namely, 397 for, and l 77-
against. Of course there was the usual squabbling
and disturbance) throughout the debate ; the -quarrels
of the belligerent factions being enlivened as hereto-
fore, by wranglings at the foot of the tribune, ended
in each instance by the interposition of the President.
M. BOYSETT having passed a brilliant panegyric on
the innocent 'Tune insurgents., amidst the approving
shouts of the :Mountaineers, General BEDEAU could
no longer rest rain his expressions of contempt and
indignation. The illustrious soldier ascended the tri-
bune, and thus protested against] the indiscreet eulo.
giums passed upon the savage insurgents of June by
the apologists of -Red Republicanism - • -
General Bededu—l did not intend to hare taken
any part in this discussion.. The Assembly will,. I
think, comprehend the motives which might in the
first place h eve prevented my doing so. I.must,
however, say; that after having been wounded in the
deplorable d ays of June, I had the happiness to be
able to save the lives of a number of those unfortunate
men against whom -I, had fought—(Hear, hear)—l
em astonished at bearing fall from the tribune such
an expression as " the calumniated of June:' Gen-
tlemen, if their have been calumniated, it is we who
were guilty.--(Sensation—Loud applause from the
Right.) Ho •.v can you • suppose that I who had the
honour of commanding different corps on that day,
troops of the line, National Guard, and Gerdes Mo-
bile—that I should hear it said that these corps de-
served reproaches ?—(Bear, hear.)
A Volce—lt i 3 disgraceful. •
M. Bouirzat—You have misunderstood what was
said.
On the Right—Have a little modesty, M. Doti-Teat,
M. Latrudo—Who justified the insurrection? _
On the Righ t--Nothing else has been done for the-Imt
two days.
General Beileaue--It has been declared here that the
insurrection of June is due to the conspiracy of the old
Monarchical' parties--
On the Lef t--Yes! yes!
On the Rigisi—You well know that it is a disgraceful
falsehood. -
M. Denjoy —You speak like accomplices in the mat-
ter.—(Movem e nt.)
General B odeau—Surely that is not credible. You
cannot then 'be aware what was the mot-d'ordre at the
barricades of Junel You must be blind not to see that
those guiley of the insurrection of June are the same
men who 'on the 15th of May violated the national so-
vereignty.—(Hear, hear.) The guilty ones are that de-
testable dem agogical party which incessantly wages war
against society.—(Hear, hear.) We the members of the
Constituent Assembly saw, on the 15th of May,-seated
by our side, those pretended missionariss of civilisation
—(Loud choere.) It is really incredible, that tfi,er the
lapse of so short a time facts should be so misrepre-
sented. Those who thus-plead in favoUr of. Close men
are then ;nOrant that we know that the insurrection of
Juno was an attack on the national sovereignty by the
lowest so ldiers of the most execrable of the clubs.—
(Loud aj tplfasse.) Do you suppose that in ph ading
their cause-you display a love of liberty—a love for the
Republic;' - -
M. Mn unet—The Republic is being destroyed:
Genera .1 Bedeau—Do you suppose, I say, that you
show a 'love far the Constitution? No; those who
fought b 3hind the barricades of June did not fight for
the Conk titution. The Constitution was not made; they
fought to prevent that result being arrived at. It was
the baseist, the most disgraceful protest against the ma-
jesty °fele national sovereignty.
M. Nsdaud here uttered a loud cry. -
On th a Right—" Silence, silence! shame, shame!'
Gene Bedeau—l do not fear to say that no one
would h aye dared to have uttered before the. Constituent
Assembly the words which have so much wounded me.
—(No, no.) The Members of the Constituent Assem-
bly hat; too fresh in their memories the dangers which
society' hail incurred to have tolerated such expressions
as " the ,calumniated of June."—(Loud applause.)
M. Nt sdaud—Bring the men to trial, then!
The President—Be silent, M. Nadaud!
General Bedeau—l think it my duty to reply in a few
words is •M. Boysett.—(Hear, hear.) As to Art. 2, it is
only the execution of a resolution come to by the Con-
stituent Assembly deciding politically, taking an ex-
ceptions 1 measure commanded by an 'exceptional crime.
—(e het Ir, hear, that is it.") It is not variations in the
majorit3r that change the character of that attempt. So
long as universal suffrage shall prevail in the country,
they w ill be criminals who shall seek to overthrow an
Assembly which is the expression of the will of the
countr y.—(Loud applause.)
In i eturniug to his seat, General Bedeau received the
warm congratulations of a great number of his col.

leagues.
A stormy discussion followed the eloquent inter-
position, of General BEDEAU ; and the debate was
not adj ourned until a quarter-past six o'clock. Every
reason able expectation, however, was then entertained
that file Bill would be definitively passed yesterday.
It appears that the statement given in The Sun
of last evening, respecting the manner in which the
duel between M. DE COISLIN and M. TESTELIN, the
eavesCiropping Mountaineer, was fought and tenni-
natod, was scrupulously correct ; the wound in
the h, lad received by the young Representative oc-
curre din the third round. M. DE Coisurt wanted,
notwithstanding his wound, to continue the combat,
but the seconds would not allow him. Owing to
the s !verity of the weather, both parties wore their
coats.
The following is the proces verbal drawn up by the
seconds :
" IIM. de Coislin and Testelin, Representatives of the
People, have fought a duel to-day, with the sabres of
effioers of infantry. After several passes without any
•Efd et, the two adversaries wero obliged to repose them-
sell es for a moment, on the invitation cf the witnesses.
At the second round, M. de Testelin having appeared to
be 'wounded by a coup de point in the breast, the seconds
ags in suspended the combat. At a third round M. de
Co'islin, although struck on the top a his head by the
po'int of his adversary's sword, insisted on continuing,
until it required nothing less than the absolute order of
the, seconds to put an end to th• struggle. The wound,
without presenting the slightest danger, was sufficient
to .render the continuation of the combat completely
impossible.
(Signed) "For M. de Coislin--LEO DE LABORDE,
0. DE CAULAINCOURT.
" For M. Testelin—F. GRADRIER.
A. BAUDIN.
The Evenernent says, it is not true that M. GuizoT
is a candidate for the Charente.
The trial of M. EMILE DE GIRARDIN was fixed for
F'.eiday.
On Wednesday the editor of the Gazette de France