The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-17 00:00:00

tients ; and the physicians who visited the paupers, by
order ofilui paritihes, had repeatedly declared that the
crowd in Mr;,'WARBUIttON's house made the reco-
very of these paupers highly improbable." His Lord-
ship further stated, " that each of the dormitories con-
tained from , sixteen to twenty beds ; and, on the
female side, that many of the paupers lie two in a
bed, the bedsteads being only 18 inches from each
other ; and that the exercising yards were more
crowded than ever yet was dog kennel."—And Sir
ANDREW HALLIDAY, frORI his own knowledge,
affirms, that this description will apply to a very great
majority, of the private asylums in the counties y
Middlesex and. Surrey.
But this picture of human misery, in its last stage of
degradation, is Lot all--the greater portion, we-might
almost say, the whole of these creatures, are doomed to
end their days 'in these melancholy, receptacles from
which but few, very few, ever escape perfectly cured.
Indeed we do not know whether those who perish,
are not more to be envied than the forlorn persons
who are permitted again to revisit " the glimpses
of the moon," with the memory of their past suf-
erings haunting their day-dreams with apprehen-
sion, and their nights with the horrible mockery
of agonising reality, till they startle awake to the bitter
recollection of their inexpressible sufferings in that den
where brutality swayed the lash, and moody madness
laughed in scorn to the echo of his wrongs. By the
statement of Mr. ROBERT BROWNE, it appears that
in the licensed houses and workhouses of Middlesex,
out of 663 patients, 81 only, or about one-eighth,
have been discharged ; while in the county. lunatic
asylums, of 3857 patients, 1550, or a proportion,
nearly one-half, have been disebirged cured, and 171
relieved. Hers is a convincing proof 'of the great
benefit the public, and far more the unfortunate
patients, would derive by the establishment of a county
lunatic asylum.

The spirit of monopoly pervades every thing in
England---even our misfbrtunes are turned to account
in one shape or other, and the number of private mad-
houses will bear testimony to the immense sums ex-
tracted from the public purse, for prolonging life in its
last stage of distress and mental aberration. In a
public asylum there can be no motive for keeping the
patient immured after his recovery, or preventing his
return to reason ; but the case is reversed in a private re-
ceptacle, where the continuance of the malady must be-
nefit the keeper. We do not mean to say that there are
not many respectable persons who keep private recep-
tacles, but the very nature of the thing is enough to
awaken suspicion. With respect to pauper lunatics,
there can be no motive forfnends to keep thein con-
fined, but as the parish pays for their maintenance,
it is obviously the interest of the keeper to prolong
the day of cure. The least glimpse of returning rea-
son in these patients, would be the most alarming
symptom of their madness to the whip-attendant of
their cell, and 'strait jackets, and low diet, would
speedily attest how forlorn were the hopes of a final
cure !

But with rich patients the case is so far worse
in proportion to the extent of property likely to
devolve upon broken-hearted friends. And in
this view of the case, it is really a misfortune
to be rich, especially if the gentleman be blessed with
an ordinary share of eccentricity, which his very watch-
ful relations, particularly the expectants, pervert into a
good ground of private inquiry, and with the advice of
their friends, and the sanction of the family physician,
the unsuspecting object of their solicitude is secretly
hurried off to a private madhouse, there to end his
days, while his next of kin take care 'that his property
is not squandered away. If inquiries are made
in the neighbourhood respecting the gentleman's dis-
appearance—the question is hushed by a significant
shake of the head, and a deep sigh of thankful regret
that matters are no worse. It may be said that the
LORD CHANCELLOR is the public guardian of all
lunatics ; but notwithstanding all his Lordship's power,
and watchful superintendence, cases of gross fraud
are daily practised by designing parties in every
county of England, and the practice will continue
more or less wail private receptacles are abolished.
These receptacles are like plague houses—if a patient
is not already insane, they will make him so before
he escape,—

" And breathe a holy madness o'er his mind,"
We know of no misfortune in which the sympathies.
of our nature are more interested than in the deplo-
rable condition of a person hurried off to a mad.boUse,
without any other cause than the avarice of his
friends, eager to snatch his fortune.. If the
secrets of the prison house could be unfolded
what a harrowing picture of villainous depravity would
be presented to shock our sensibility !--the midnight
whisper of despair hushed in the groan of agony, till
the mind sunk under the reality of imputed madness.
But the thing is too horrible for contemplation—the
power which clandestinely immures an individual, can
keep him confined ; and some of the sane portion of the
public who are yet at large, may see in this circum-
stance the chance of a terrible destiny. The being
who enters a private madhouse from the contrivance of
his needy relations, may bid farewell to the world,
for the door once opened to receive him, closes like the
gloom of the grave, or the awfulness of eternity, upon
his troubled spirit!

Letters from Paris, received in the city this morning, speak of
a commercial Convention having been agreed upon between Mr.
Canning and M. Villele. The arrival and departure of Messen-
gers are said to be incessant.

Other letters from Paris also state that Villele is going. to put
his f►nancial project into execution by paying off the G per cents.
with the Sinking Fund. And it is added that he is making an
arrangement for paying the emigrants at last.

(Extract of a Letter received from Leghorn.)
. The most recent news from Napoli states that the. Greek
squadron is cruising on the coast of Minor Asia, to prevent the
attack of the enemy's fleet on the island of Samos, which at pre-
sent is well orgauized, and in case of danger can bring front 12 to
13,000 men, who have sworn to die before they abandon their posts.

A letter has been received
1' h had the agency. for 'LIM'. the
Greek York, the hm►se which aring. for publication an
from Messrs. liowlitnd.aun.,,d..Colg.,oef
Greek frigates►, stating that they are
explanation and answer to the:charg
by the next packet.
that affair, which will be transmitted
last, received a commu-
nication; Duke of Devonshire, on Tuesday
charges Zainst them in relation to
I►euse, informing
nication from the Commissioners of the Cotton" ' belonging
him that they had reamn to sus
his Grace, or hisimite, but containing silks, had b
g ence of th►s
some Of his servants among his luggage. . In:l:„.o„n„iseff-u on the sub-
jject, his Grace inatituted a strict ...I— . !....A to place
ect, and discovered that dais foreign courier had contrive,.
ul other
pect that trunks n. o_teetiplaerd
by
amongst the luggage some packages, containing silks a.I
articles, and his Grace inirnediately made the communication to
the Commissioners of the Customs, with a request that the trunks,dau.
so improperly placed with his luggage, might be examine d
detained.

SURREY REFUGE Pon THE DESTIYUTE.---
A
Meeting of the Magistrates and Gentry of Surrey was held yester-
day at the Sessions House, Newington, at which a Resolution was
put and carried, stating, that the " Surrey Refuge of the Desti-
tute (whose chief object is the reclaiming Criminals, by putting
theta out to trades), deserved the public suppork."