The Sun.
London, England, 1828-02-20 00:00:00

TEST ACTS.

Petitions for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts
were presented, from the Protestant Dissenters of Oxendon-
street-chapel, from a chapel in Stepney, from a Baptist
chapel in Saffron Walden, and another chapel in Worship-
street ; from Blakeney, Great Yarmouth, and another place.
They were ordered to lie on the table.
On the motion of Mr. PROT/LER-OE (we believe), an ac-
count was ordered of the net produce of the sale of copies
of the Reports of Public Records, the number of copies
sold, and the expenee of printing 'each, and the general ex-
pence of the commission.
A message from the Lords requested a copy of the third
report of the Emigration Committee, with the evidence and
append ix. —Ordered .
Mr. W. PEEL presented a Report from the visiting
Magistrates of the prisons of Middlesex.—Ordered to be
printed.
Mr: -KNOX presented a petition from the Roman Ca-
tholic inhabitants of the parish of Donoughtnore, in Ire-
land, praying for emancipation.
Mr. PONSONBY presented two petitions from the
Roman Catholic • inhabitants' of two pariShes in Queen's
county, against the Sub-letting Act.
Mr. BOYLE presented eleven petitions from diffeeent
parishes in the county of Cork, prayiug for emancipation.
Similar petitions were presented by Sir M. W. iIII,LKY,
from Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; by Mr. Alderman ATKINS,
from Arundel; by Mr. N. CALvear, from Sawbridge-
worth and Ware, in Hertfordshire; by Mr. EASTIIOPE,
from Kingsland, in Middlesex, Watford, in T.Tertfordshire,
and Sheffield, in Yorkshire ; by Mr. LIInLEY, from a
parish in th© county of Nottingham; by Mr. WILBRAHAM,
from Nantwich ; by Mr. Alderman WAITIIZIAN, from
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight ; by Mr. 'WARBURTON, from
Bridport and London -; by Mr. J. MARTIN, fnim Acton,
in Middlesex ; by IW. SLANEY, from a place'• in Slump'
shire ; and by Colonel DAviis, from a congrigation in
Westminster. •

Sir 111. W. RIMY presented a petition faun New-
castle-upon-Tyne, praying for the repeal of the duty on
stamp receipts.
PROCEEDINGS IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL
• COURTS.

Mr. N. CALVERT preSented a petition from Mr. M•
Bourgoyne, churchwarden of Sutton, in Bedfordshire, on
behalf of the other inhabitants of the parish, Setting forth
that a clergyman, named Fiee, was presented to the living
some years since, whose conduct had been so notoriously
profligate, that the church was as much deserted as if the
population of the village had passed away. The congrege-
Lien at present consisted of only an old woman and three or
four children. The petition further stated, that proceed-
ings had been instituted against him in the Ecclesiastical
Court, which had been pending many years, and had oc—
casioned enormous expense, and concluded with ptaying
that the' House would adopt some means of shortening the
duration and lessening the expense of suits in that Cburt..
After a few words from Mr. PEEL and the ATIOKNEY-
"GiNIitAL, the petitiOn was ordered to lie on the Table.
THE SUB-LETTING ACT.

Mr. RICE presented two petitions from certain Roman
Catholics of Limerick, praying for the repeal of the above-
named Act. The lion. Member did not approve of the
prayer of the petitions. •
Mr. V. STUART presented a similar petition from cer-
tain persons in the comity of Waterford. He also was ad-
verse to the prayer of the petition.
Mr. BROWNLOW agreed with the Hon. Member for
Linierick,that though be Was not the author of the Sub-let-
ting Act, any n.;:a" might be proud of having framed it.
He concurred with his Noble Friend in thinking that it
was absolutely necessary for the sake of the Irish peasantry
themselves, to put an end to the endless sub-letting of
farms which took place among them. _
Sir H. PARNELL was one of those Members who had
assisted in passing this Bill- through the House. He
Amsted that when the pea-santry, of Ireland saw the, una-
nimous feelings of the Irish Members in favour of this Bill,
they would abandon the objections which they now felt
against it,
Mr. GRATTAN did not complain, nor could any body,
of the principle on which the Bill was founded, but he
thought that the operation of the Bill-might undergo con-
siderable amendment.
Mr. G. MOORE thought it too tnitch to attribute the
evils Of Ireland, with its overgrown unemployed popula-
tion, to the operation of this Act.
General HART was tinxious to lend his upport to any
measure that could improve the condition of Ireland. •
Mr. WALLACE thought that several provisions in the
present act were objectionable, and calculated to produce
great inconvenience to the occupiers of leasehold property.
The intention of the act was to put some restraint on the
minute sub-division of small farms; but the fact was, that
it applied to all leasehold property to whatever amount.
Mr. L. FORSTER considered the subject entitled to
much consideration.
Mr. W. LAMB, in reply, said that the general policy of
this act, and the extent of the evils against which it had
been directed, had been fully and ably pointed out. Never
had an act been more unanimously or more decidedly called ,
for. He knew this law had produced a certain degree of
popular outcry in Ireland, but although the Legislatiire
would not yield to violent language and intemperate con-
duct, yet equally far would thy be from, on that account,
refusing to amend any unfavourable operation in the appli-
cation of a new act.—(Hear.)
The petition was then brought up, and laid on the table..
Sir H. PARNELL postponed until Thursday next his
motion respecting the Treaty of Limerick.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave
notice, that on Monday next, iu the Counnittee of Sup-
ply, a Right lion. Friend of -his would propose the Navy
Estimates.
Mr. PEEL g;mve uotice, that on Thursday next he would
submit a motion upon the state of the police of the Metro-
polis and its vicinity.—(Hear,.hear.)
PAUPER LUNATICS.
Mr. R. GORDON rose to move for leave to bring
Bill, in pursuance of the recommendation of the Com-
mittee of last Session, on Pauper Lunatics and Lunatic
Asylums. lie had, in a former stage of this inquiry,
stated the great incenvebiente which arm, both with re-
gard to the facility of imprisoning individuals under the
false pretence of insanity and for interested motives, and the
difficulties attending their subkquent removal. Of the too
great facility of obtaining what were called medical certifi
cates, theme was abundant evidence. The only proviiien of
the law, to prevent false. imprisonment under the plea. of
insanity, was, that the keeper of the alsylunt was bound to
receive the certificate of a physician,surgeon, or apothecap-,
which last designation was-, in practice, interpreted ttolll7
elude a vender of drugs ,-_arty druggist, or 'chyrnis, any
apprentice just released one day from his servitude, was
competent to sign his name to a paper, which`bathe legal
effect of consigning any fellow creature to a madhouse.
--(Hear, hear, hear.)—So that any unfortunate person
who might be suffering under the temporary delirium
of a fever, or the partial insanity of opium, was
liable to be transferred to a lunatic asylum upon a eer-
tificate so obtained.
Upon all sides, the improper facility
of obtaining those certificates was allowed, and an altera.i
tion imperatively called for. He Wished in. the nett place
to call the attention of the House to the wanner in which

ho
fo lob itieety
individuals wife treated in the neighbourhood of the naetro-'..
polis-after their entrance into these asylutaa woad
suppose a pauper patient transferred from assistance of
-half tine lunatic
eha.oa rrE:eielsiitv:sapipshi
Miles, Srias that the'visits of 'his friends mast be rare.
chance there was'
s of which his
unattainable. He would take this pauper ,-to the Wbit.;e:-
t,areignipitt Warburton
rltrteect noo;,
ntahh, aedh:empttel
curative
u.
ere
nrot
6apc.
toa cart
g
3:rlw)enritGedivartesins before the committee on that point; and there they
would find that no attempt whatever at curative protests of
this mental malady was observable: If none; then,.existed
frirtlie Mental malady,' what chance was there of haVing
• proper =bodily treatment? -No care whatever, he asserted,
could be found : to four hundred patients only one medical
attendant was assigned, and he- (Mr.-Dunstan) only at-
tended' on alternate' days ;, and • he admitted that at- 'the
same time he attended another asylum, and had a fair
Aare of private patients. Out of these 400, only eight wtte
found under medical treatment. Nowinsanity was kntiwn
to be a disorder Capable of medical cure, but here they
found that the patients underwent neither mental nor bo•
dily treatment. There was .among them no attempt at
proper classification : their diet was likewise imperfect;
that, in point of fact, the only advantage they derived was
safe custody. He would suppose this pauper patient,. int
what was called the class of crib-room patients, and'lbere
• he was placed in a box six feet long; with some straw, his
knees and legs chained down, and in that state left all
night- without assistance. In one room there were 16
patients so confined ;—he was wrong, he had been taunt-
inglycontradietedat the former time when he. had Made
that assertion,.-there were only 15 proved to have been in
this manner stowed away in a room 26 feet long, thus left
insensible to the calls of nature, and wallowing in a condi-
tion too revolting to deseribe.—(Hear, hear.) This was
not the case Bethlem and St., Luke's: there the patients
Were carefully attenled, and placed in separate cells... In
the former condition were the wretched patients ditrinithe
night of a Week day, but what was the -state of the pauper
patient on a Sunday ? .

" Even Sunday shone no Sabbath-day for him."
From the Saturday night until the Monday morning were
these,htipleirs persons left 'to wallow in this revolting con-
--Mr. Warburton had:attempted to contradict this
description, but the Committee, after first hearing, as it
were, the evidence for the prosecution, had heard all Mr.
Warburton's own people, and the result was, the statement
of the horrid treatment was not disproved, but fully con-
firmed. What was done with these poor objects on the
Alonday morning? They were mopped in pails of water,
often M. se-inter floating with ice, without reference to
their bodily xeealth, or different and conflicting conditions
of suffering. There was another room, called the infir-
mary, the horrors of which he could not describe, and the
particulars, as detailed in the report, were in the highest
degree offensive. Mr. Hall, who had entered it, could
hardly breathe, from the noxious state of the atmosphere.
It was right he should state, that in the opinion of the phy-
sicians who had been examined before the Committee, Mr.
Warburton's asylum was entitled to be considered, as as
good, if not better than, the other places for a similar
use, in the neighbourhood of London. So it ought
to he taken as a fair sample of the kind of treat-
ment to which pauper lunatics were exposed. He
would say nothing of it but what was confirmed by the
examination of its own people. Of the medical treat-
ment he had. already in part spoken. It appeared that Mr.
Warburton merely attended twice a week, and had himself
admitted, that though he knew more of the care of mad-
ness than any other person, he had not time to investigate.
the numerous cases thus submitted to his charge. Before
the Committee they had had the testimony of a Mr.
Cordell, the assistaut of I.llr. Dunstan. He was asked
how lie could describe himeslf as giving an efficient assist-
ance, when he only called occasionally. "0, but," said
he, " we have a perfect register, a pattern for medical
example, a large folio -volume kept for the last six or seven
years, in which We cars regularly trace every patient's eve,
and every prescription." Would the House believe that in
this Statement there was sot one word of truth.--( Heal,
hear.)—The Committee sent to Mr, Dunstan's -for this
folio volume, and found that no such book was kept: Mr.
Dunstan was called, and knew nothing of it. Mr. Cordell,
on being agairobrought before the Committee, was asked,
" Are we to understand that all you have said to us
is correct ?"—" Yes, very probably. "__(A laugh.)—" Is
the story of the- book ?"—. No." " Which are we
to believe—what you have to-day told us, 'or your pre-
vious statement Take your choice. "—(A laugh. )—lle
then admitted that it was all false. The- Committee at
length severely reprimanded this person; but as the repri-
mand was not inverted in the printed minutest:he feared
the conduct of the individual had not received the public.
reprobation which it deserved. It was said that Mr. Cor-
dcll Waft removed from hii attendance at Mr. Warburton e,
but'the revere proved the fact, for upon a recent inquest.
upon a patient, this same person was stilt-found in attend-
ance. But after leaving the patient iu this asylum, the
Committee inquited into the meaning of a certain expen-
diture, 'under the head of sick stores. This was explained
by-the people ol.Warburton's infirmary, to 'mean sago,
arrow-root, wine, &c.. for the use of the patients. The
Cominittee asked to see bills for the payment of thiSe luxu-
ries. Mr. Warburton's people had no bills, for he always
pail cash, and the entry was called " sundries."—(A
laugh.).—lt was quite clear that from the absence of all
books, or iithei documents, that the statement was un-
true, or grossly exaggerated. Having described the int -
perfection of, the medical
.certificates, and the improper
treatment, he now cesne to the time, when,
by the inter-
position of divine Providence, the recovered patient was to
be reeadmitted into society. it was singular that he knew
noof process by which a party so placed could recover his
if the intereet'of the keeper, or of the committing
party, ran counter
to such a liberation. To talk, of a
writ of habeas corpus was to offer an expensive, laborious,
and impracticable process for a person so
liberty,
placed. fie ought
to state that by law there were, in the - metropolis; five
physicianse who were empowered to visit and keep a re-
gister of the proceedings of these asylums. This duty was,
he regretted to say, very imperfectly performed, for palpa-
ble abuses had not been adequately reported. The Hon.
Member here alluded to the case of a Mrs. Pettingel (if we
caught the name rightly), who had been declared con-
valescent in a,partieular asylum, from May, 1825, until
the present time, and yet was not discharged. She seas
returned sane on the books, but Dr. Bright said, her
husband refused to take her away, because, he said,
" she was troublesome woman, and ought' not to
N-htitinlibbeerr,tyt. (Much laughter.) Upon finding,
:at this female was so detained, he in-
formedlhaas Dr. Bright that if her removal were not at once
accomplished, he (Mr. Gordon) would issue a writ of
habeas corpus for that purpose, at his own expense. Not-
withstanding this interference, lie was unable to obtain her
deliverance until four or five days before the meeting of
Parliament. Now, what was• the remedy which the law
had at present provided to meet such evils ? It was the
licensing of the five physicians, who were directed to visit
the asylums once a-year,. and place their report in the cen-
sors'. room of the College of Physicians. Now this provi-
sion had, he believed, been discontinued since 1800.---
They had in fact, done nothing to remedy the- existing
abuses. The Hon. Member here again referred to- the
Reports which had been made of the noxious
.aod
disorderly condition of some of - these asylums,
the state of laceration, privation, and band-cuffing, which
were perpetrated ill many of thern,_and inquired why the
visiting magistrates had failed to call upon the Secretary
of State for new aid, it' the existing provisions of law did
not arm them with.sufficient power to abate the evil: He
for 'legislative interposintisiueen
(talieelasr,'to6bare'ranhkeeadr.)io the
thesephii4n
thelplesshrlp i
ts._ beings,(H eaanrd, cared
e.
)
State, and four Under
thmtglit he had now. exualee.,out a, sufficient case to call
claimed protectionpfsee:d
iAnsvitdoio,tusse
not, while employed
could not avoid noticing a splendid
Bcliasllswhoifeh he meant to introduce, he could only
say, that it had been thought acceptable by two. Secretaries of
. which had recently occurred.
liberalityo.rsetsinre
(Ata
under Secretaries within the last six months.
J.F. 'Browne); had de-
visedßefore he t. 5
would yield an arinual 'income for supporting
usion-house and land for the purpose of forming
ma
a lunatic asYlauli and 11 also Placed money in the
l~y
of pauper lunatics, and fur facilitating the build.
it -ropeelY,—(llear.)---The Hen. Gentleman concluded
iva
lA
friend 'ol'llPi:!‘i.uatne
f-or leave to bring in a Bill to consolidate into
ene- Aetof Parliainelitt the provisions of several Acts for
of lunatic asylums."
Jug ,
Lord ASHLEY seconded the motion.'
Mr. PEEL complimented the
Hon. Geutlenean who had
tfuhiei ectevbp
brought foieverd _this motive, for the undiminisleed zeal
and disinterested humanity with
-"which
he had prOssecuted
so painful, but at the seine tirdeA important ad inquiry.
In his vpiniont the beet way of meeting,the evil complained
of would be by the introduction of a priiCiple Which
would ieselfe execute the ohjeet Which - the Gentle-
eiee,shad iii view::' He thought it adviSable.uot to have a,
permanent board of visitation, but from time to time to
'have new-physicians tor act visitere. kvery'asSistance
which he could give in forwarding the object of the Hone
Gentleman should be freely bestowed.—(Hear.) .1
. An Hon. NEMER, whose name we could noffii-•.-:
'fended, as we understood, the estistingbnirirtif
Mr.spEEL had merely adverted to a general iiipcipe.
Mr. W. SMITH, , hopeo the Right' h-ton. Genilemae
(Mi. Feel) would enter into thie subject as fae at was cos'

gist w
houses t
ciernptei
Mr. I
under th
the. Hon
to bun,
-
Leave
Mr.,(
the hettg
persons.

Sir J
to alter
cap.
vagrant

Mr.
that pa
the wea
of Mare

The
mean tx
observe
the,poM
that col
with re

A 10.
of Scot
Estcoui
and M
Irish p
conditi
count!'

The
to reca
which
AEU
Wood,
given
Sir

A r
'roper
the at

1.

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3. A

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2.

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all
St;
th

a
tr

11 metro-'
He weal&
'stance of :2-0
t be -rare 'or
the Whitel-
iad the care
to metropedia
ad then ask
the curative
Apply to the
id 'there thrt
ve process of
then, otisted
!re of having
, he asserted,
y one medical
tan) only at,
I- that at the
I had a flit'
ily eight were
y was knriwn
,ut here they
(Mal nor bo•
o attempt at
imgerfeet ;

derived was
r patient,. in
ts, and'ibere
ne straw, his
state left all
Sere were 16
cl been taunt-
le had inade
have been in
,ng, thus left
1g in a condi-
) This was
.e the patients
.te cells. In
its duriai- the
the pauper

bitn."

norning Were
evolting 'con-
mtradict this
Bearing, as it,
heard all Mr.
the statement
lilt fully eon-
bjects on the
sails of water,

reference to
rig condition'
led the infir-
z.ribe, and the
.a the highest
red it, 'could
f atmosphere.
ni of the phy-
Erimittte, Mr.
sidered, as a;
for a similar
So it ought
nd of treat-•
ir posed. He
firmed by the
'edical treat-
ared that Mr.
d had himself
care of mad-
to investigate

srge. .Before
ay of a Mr.
le was asked
fficieut assist-
), but," said

ean), whu
liminialrcl zeal
[lad prosecute,l
at an inquiry.
complained
rinoipli which
Iron: Gentle-
uot to -have a
me to time to
,very 'assistance
ci of the Hon..
!ar..)
notYeat n, de-
'of vpireris.
eral
n. Gentleman
13 Was cow'