Star.
London, England, 1830-09-02 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.—CoxcLuDED.

The Commissioners in the Commission of Lunacy against Mr. Brand
assembled again yesterday morning, and several of Mr. Brand's ser.
•ants were examined.

Mr. Brand expressed a desire to recall Mr. Dunn, the surgeon, who
was examined on Tuesday afternoon in opposition to the Commission.
Ruben Harrington examined by Mr. Brand—Am gamekeeper to you ;
have known you sixteen years, have worked on your farm seven
years. Never saw any thing in your conduct or language to make me
suppose that you were mad. Remember being watchman in the yard on
the night of Mrs. Dashwood's death ; remembers speaking to you next
day, and attending the funeral a few days afterwards; did not see any
thing in your conduct at the funeral to make me suppose you were in-
sane; I watched over the grave the night of the busying; saw you there
that night; you told me I was asleep, but I was not when I spoke to
you.—(Laughter.) I saw you the last time you were at Sutton ; re.
member your feeding the fowls ; it rained very hard ; do not think you
were insane to go into the barn to get out of It. Am no judge of farm.
ing, but I have been a labourer, and think the farm doing very well ;
recollect your planting trees; you superintend your own plantation,
which I think thrives as well, if not better, than your neighbours';
should not be afraid to be in a room with you alone.
I ;Cross.examined.—Have not remarked much difference in Mr. B.'s
conduct since Mrs. Dashwood's dcath. Do not know whether I told
any body there was a great difference in his conduct. I recollect saying
he was very talkative. Do not know that Mary Thorpe is at Mr. B.'s
house.

:Sarah Matthews, examined by Mr. Brand.—Am wife of one of your
gamekeepers. Have frequently seen you during the last two years.
Have entered into conversation with you thirty times during that period.
Never saw any thing in your manner, conversation, or language, to make
me think you mad. Ilave .een you within the last four months—since
you have been married ; you sat down in my cottage with your wife one
day, when it rained ; did not think you mad at that time ; do not think
you mad at this moment. If you were released, I should not be afraid
to be in this room with you alone, nor in the plantations. (Laughter.)
Cross-examined—Did not see Mr. Brand's marriage; did not see the
procession ; saw Mr. Brand and his wife at my cottage on the day he
was married ; do not recollect his making any particular observation.
1 keep Mr. Brand's fowls.
Henry Matthews, examined by Mr. Brand--Am a gamekeeper. Have
seen you frequently during the last three years. Have seen you a few
times on the cricket-ground. Never saw any thing to make me think
you mad.
Cross-examined—Remember being out coursing with Mr. Hughes
and Mr. Brand in ApriL Remember a greyhound belonging to Mr.
Hughes. Remember Mr. Brand saying something about killing the dog.
It arose in the following way : a wounded partridge got up, and the dog
was just going to catch it, when Mr. Nand said, " Don t let him kill
the bird ; kill him rather than let him do it." • I may have said that
Mr. Brand was not the same man since Mrs. Dashwood's death. I have
remarked that he has been very low-spirited since that time.
He-examined by Mr. Brand I spoke to you on the cricket.ground on
the day of the Bury match. You desired me to buy some guinea fowls.
Mr. Brand—Arc you sure they were not peafowls ?
Witncss—l beg your pardon, they were ; it is my mistake.
Mr. Brand—Du you think me a goose—(laughter)—tor that?—
No, sir.

Mr. Brand—Did you think that I intended you to kill tile greyhound
alluded to ?—No, Sir. it was only an exclamation.
Mrs. Mercier examined by Mr. Brand—Have entered into conversa.
tion with you during the last eight months more than once. Saw no.
thing in you to make me suppose you were insane.
Cross-examined—Am the wife of a gentleman who was examined
here yesterday. It was in the spring that I last saw Mr. Brand.
Mr. William Clarke examined by Mr. Brand—Am in no profession;
reside at Cheshunt {_saw you last Saturday at Harris's Hotel, in Par.
liament.street ; saw nothing to make me think you were insane or in.
dined to be so ; should not be afraid to be alone in your company if
you had a knife in your hand or a dozen pistols.
Cross-examined—l think I was about an hour and a half in Mr.
Brand's society. lam not an acquaintance of Mr. Brand's; I intro.
duced myself to him, I wrote a note to him, and took it to the hotel
myself. I gave it to the servant, and Mr. B. sent down word for me to
step up. I wrote a note to him previously, and signed it a "
wisher, though a stranger." I wrote these notes in consequence of Mr.
Brand's stating that difficulties had been thrown in his way to obtain
evidence. I ate no impropriety in visiting a person supposed to be
a lunatic. Have studied books upon lunacy. Have read four or five
books upon that subject. I conversrl with Mr. Brand on the symp-
toms which Harris the hotel-keeper said he laboured under. I would
pursue the same course again if I heard a person say he had dlffi.
culties thrown in his way. I considered Dlr. Harris's evidence ill.
natured ; I only partially believed it. I cannot say that I knew Sir
G. Tuthill had been examined. I knew (from the journals) that Dr.
Paris had been examined. Even knowing that circumstance, I would
have gone, but I must explain the reason.
Here the Counsel insisted upon his right to go on with the examina.
tion, but the witness refused to answer until he had explained.
The Comatissioxnas at length decided that he was entitled to
explain.
The witness then said—l believed that the physicians had only seen
him when he was labouring under excitement from policemen being
forced into his house, and that they had formed their opinions at such
periods.
Counsel—Do you think :any person but a madman would have
said, " If you come near me I will thrust a knife through your
heart ?"

Witness—lf any person came to my house, to take me in the same
way from my home and family, I speak as the father of a family, I
would thrust a knife through their hearts. (This was ►pokcn with
emphasis, and persons at the end of the roars received it with applause.)
The COMMISSIONERS ordered the officer to take any person into
custody who interrupted the proceedings.
Several other witnesses were examined, but there was no novelty or
interest in the evidence.

Mr. AUSTIN shortly afterwards rose to reply, and said, after the
voluminous evidence which has been taken during the last eight dais,
he should have to ask the indulgence of the Court, especially as he had
lost the assistance of Mr. Sergeant 'faddy. It was fortunate for him,
however, that this case was not marked by any of those circumstances
which attended some investigations of a similar nature. The parties
who were proceeding with this cause had no interested motives tonne,
and the finger of calumny could not be placed on a blot in their charae:
ten. The evidence of Mr. Moody that day had put this question at
rest. The Roman law provided that those persons who squandered
away their property should have restraints placed upon it, and that
others should have the management of it. Mr. Fit:brand was the no-
minal party in this cause, but from lMr. Page had come all them°.
ney, sod who would not derive one farthing advantage whatever the
verdict might be. He had acted like a good uncle to Mr. Brand,
in endeavouring to save 3001. per annum, which might be all that
was left out of a large property originally possessed by Mr. Brand. The
Jury had to consider whether' acearding to the Commission, Mr.
Brand was of unsound mind. The:proof of the existence of insanity
had been mystified, but he thought Sir George Tuthill had placed the
subject in a clear and simple view. It was discovered, when parties
were found labouring under certain delusions over which tht y had no
controul, that on other subjects they might be perfectly sane. The
Learned Counsel then referred to the evidence to prove that Mr. Brand
had laboured under many delusions ; that he had conceived he saw
portraits of those who had been his companions in the disgraceful course
of life he had led ; that he conceived he bad seen Mrs. Cur and blrs.
Dashwood since death ; that his friends had all conspired against him,
and, last of all, the melancholy delusion that unnatural crimes were to
be attempted upon him. This disease had reached its climax when blr.
Brand implicated the other sex in the same crime. This firmly marked the
delusions under which Mr. Brand laboured,as well as the complaints made
by Mr. Brand that smells in the hotels and elsewhere arose from personaof
a particular description. The ben. gent. at great length,went on to em-
brace every important point of the evidence, and laid great stress ;upon
the respectability of the witnesses, Dr. Paris, Dr. Sutherland; bit.
Paynter, Mr. bloody, and othets, who were called in support of the
Commission, all of whom had repeatedly spoken to the lunacy of Mr.
Brand, and some of whom had sworn that it was a dangerous lunacy.
He observed, further, that all the witnesses called for Mr. Brand, OZ.
cept Alderman Wood and Mr. Ward, were obscure persons or servants,
whose minds bad not been sharpened by education—he excepted, of
course, the chime and cricket players. The learned gentleman concluded
by stating, as incontretible proofs of Mr. Brand's insanity, the facts of
his having squandered away 1,6001. upon one chess-player, 3,0001- for
shells, wasted thousands upon one woman of bad character, promised
marriage to another, and absolutely consummated that enormous folly
by marrying a third. He called upon the Jury to save Mr. Brand from
the effsas of his own delusions.

John Smith, a surgeon, who was to have been called prior to Mr.
Austin's addressing the Jury, was then called. He spoke to his opinion
1 of the sanity of Mr. Brand
Considerable discussion took place as to whether the case should be
proceeded further wish that night (it was then nearlf seven o'clock).
The Commissioners earnestly pressed fee such a course, which was ob-
jected to by some of the Jury. The Commissioners alluded to the great
expense attending an adjournment.
The Jury then retired for a few minute. On their return they, by
their Foreman, informed the Court that they had come to the unanimous
opinion of not troubling the Commissioners to sum up.
Being called upon for their verdict,
The Foreman said that it was the opinion of the Jury that Mr. John
Brand is a lunatic without lucid intervals, and has been incapable of
managing his own affairs since the Ist of April last.
The CHIEF Commissions:a—A verysatisfactory verdict, Gentlemen.
Mr. Brand heard the verdict communWated with apparent indifference.,
and coolly took up his papers and left the room in company of his
keepers, Immediately afterwards.—The Court then broke up.