The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-30 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.

CHELTENHAM, AUG. 29.—This morning a commission de
lunatico inquirendo, directed to Commissioners Winslow and
Barlow, was opened at the Plough Hotel, Cheltenham, to
inquire into the state of mind of Lieut.-Colonel William Lewis
Herford, of the '23d regiment of Foot Guards. The commis-
sion was issued at the suit of the colonel's brother, John Her-
ford, Esq., on behalf of the patient's own son, his next of kin.
The jury was comprised of sixteen highly respectable gentle-
men of the town, and the proceedings, from the Colonel being
an old resident of Cheltenham, created considerable interest,
The commission having been opened,
Mr. Charles Fowler, medical attendant in the family, de-
posed that in the August of last year he was called in to
treat the Colonel under an attack of apoplexy. He found
him labouring under general paralysis, and his mind was
so much affected that he could not return rational and co-
herent answers to the moat ordinary questions put to him.
He afterwards rallied in some measure, but had since been
visited by two or three similar attacks, the effect of which
was that his mind had become deteriorated, and witness
had not the least doubt, speaking as a medical man, that the
Colonel was now, and had been ever since August, 1844, of
unsound mind, and perfectly incapable of managing his own
affairs. He did not recollect witness's person from one visit to
another, and on one occasion, being asked what sort of a night
he had spent, he replied that the barometer had been rising and
falling all night.
Dr. Allardyce deposed that he had paid two visits to
the Colonel, to ascertain his state of mind The first of these
visits was on the 16th of April, when he saw him, by order of
the Secretary at War, to inquire whether he was in a fit state
of mind to make the necessary affidavits for receiving his pay
and allowances. Found him in decidedly an unsound state of
mind, and unable to return a rational answer to the simplest
question. Told him the object of the visit, but he appeared
perfectly unconscious, and could neither tell the day of the
week, the day of the month, or the name of the medical gen-
tleman who had been attending him. Witness asked him the
name of his regiment, but after looking at him a moment, with
vacuity of countenance, he was unable to tell the name of the
corps, neither could he tell the amount of his pay. Visited
him again on the 9th of June, and found him
in the same state ; and it is witness's opinion, without
a shadow of a shade of a doubt, that the Colonel
is perfectly incompetent to manage his own affairs from un-
soundness of mind. Witness has had great experience with
insane patients, and should consider the cause of the disease
to be mechanical compression on the brain, caused by the apo-
plectic attack spoken of by Mr. Fowler. It was very unlikely
he would ever regain his mental faculties.
Sarah Coates, who had nursed the Colonel ever since Ja-
nuary last, said, that during the whole of that period he had
never asked any questions or taken any interest in what was
going on around him ; he had never even asked for his own
son.

The Colonel was here introduced to the court, and in answer
to questions put to him by the Commissioner he gave very in-
coherent and rambling replies. He could not tell where his
property was situate. Knew he had estates in Italy, but did
not know what they were mud'. Knew he had a son, and
that he was now in *England, but could not tell his age ; and
when asked where he had come from this morning, said, " Oh,
somewhere near the mountain."
The jury expressed themselves quite satisfied, and immedi-
ately returned a verdict that Colonel William Lewis Herford is
of unsound mind, and incapable of managing his own affair►,
and that he has been so fince August last.

GRAVESEND AND ROCHESTER RAILWAY.—The
following are the traffic returns for the week ending Aug. 2:3,
1645 ; —Passengers, 12,761; amount received, 8131. 9s. 4d,