The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-28 00:00:00

•

LORD PORTSMOUTH'S CUL
I'llo essodnations in this ease being now closed Oa both
we present osr rattlers with a summary of the pro-
eee4tollts glace our last Report. la the exasioatioas of the
Phasicinns which hare taken place this week, sad which we
%have stated copiously,tbe thief poleto are tartdved that hare
been brought forward in this cue, es Wail es the eonfilet-
ing opinions OD which the Jolty are 10 pronoeveetharir jedr

Mrs':
Cie Monday. Mr. 14ergeent Pitt bnieght forward as *B-
reese' of Lord Portsmouth's sanity, besides other., Wil-
fie in Rawlinson. Esq. a Mariana% of Hampshire. James
Farquhar' Esq. Proctor, Richard Paul Joddrell, Esq. Mr.
Hell, ate Police Magistrate, Mr: Joshes Bayley, and cot-
ton of the Physicians, who had bee@ consulted on his Lord.
ship's ease. Of these Physicians, Dr. Latham was the only
one examined on that day. On the several interviews he
had bad with his Lordship, the Doctor said his opinion va-
ried. On the fist and second Interview Lord Portsmouth
appeared to Id. to be of a weak and imbecile mind, but not
inisoand. His Intellect would be fully competent to matters
le a lower state of life. With kind testament and able ad=
sire. he thought his Lordship might do well @neigh. He
certsialy had delusions, such as that respecting the tapes
and lancets, Dr. L. scconsted for that, from the einem.
stance °lbis being, as the Doetor believes, totally impotent
in body. He has no more idea of sexual intercourse, gee,
tease, gad pregnancy, than a nide* resident of the tropics
its. of bee and cohgelstion. theta a blind man has of colours,
or a deaf man of sound. He is totally impotent. The Doc-
tor then proceeded to give his delnition of mental derange-
meet " I conceits; said he, " madams to be a state of
naafi which Is just capable of the reception of impressions,
hut witirout the power of will, memory, and judgenmt.,ll
arrange and combine them. f.ausey is Madness with Mr
mission, is the lucid intervals the patient recovers the
use of will, memory, end judgment. Lord Portsmouth's
ease belongs to neither of these classes ; nor to idlotcy, be.
MOW idiots cannot be acted upon by any impressions at
all, still less Is there the power of will. memory, mad judg-
ment. Lord Portsmouth retsina more or less of these
power& but his pied is imperfect. I think it a sort of twi-
light. not enough to geld* him in the intricate Images and
Irregular paths of life. It Is a sort of crepaiestas light of
onderstatling, if I may be allowed to use sJobesonita ex-
pression.
On Tuesday, Dr. Ainslie was examined, when the Doctor,
after detailing several latersiews and conversations, stated,
that he considered Lord Portsmouth ae a weak and ignorant
man, ratafonned to a great degree, bet knowing some things
remarkably well, and capable of concocting himself with
great. propriety. He thought his Lordship's wind wee Me
casiooslly deranged, but did not consider such derangement
es a proof of unsoundness. Ile believed that delusions am
be created and enlarged by the impressions made upon lie
Lordship's tided by the conversation of others: thinks hie
Lordship's mind may be restored to almost its original state
by kind and judicious treatment. A partiality for attending
foam's. ringing of bells, or driving horses, does not prove
unsoundness of mind ; they show a weakness of mind, but
certainly sot an unsoundness. He was of opinion, that if
a man thought soother carrying a log was a Amend. he
should call such a man irrational • if he expressed his unite.
ty for a slit to die that he might attend her funeral, he
should call him cruel and foolish; if he were told of ifty
such acts (none of which he bed witnesses!. and was eons-
ton ed to see his Lordship frequent)y, foetid him sane, and
was told that they were only Meld intervals) he should it-
low those lucid intervals entirely to owtweigh all those tiny
elleced sets of insanity t If the delusions under which his
Lordship laboured as to the object of witness, had been re-
moved by those who boasted that they could remove any of
the delusions of his Lordship's mind, witness would have
been enabled to prove the sanity of his Lordship as clearly
es the sun shines at woos.
The same day Dr. Bankhead underwent examination. He
detailed the circumstances that occurred between Mm and
Lord Portsmouth, when be visited his Lordship at Hurst-
' bourn. From all he saw and knew, the Doctors said Lord
P. wee not what we should cull a man of unsound mind. al-
though there was something very particular in his manner ;
there was great timidity—great susceptibility about hint; be
was of a very swans habit. his credulity Was quite child-
Ish; be WY a tealkobe could be acted upon amazingly by
terror. Gelds ends examination by Ilr.Brougliam. Dee.
for B.said. insane persons generally bad good reeollegden
of trifling matters • his Lordship bad (in witeess's Wee*,
appreheasioa of the Commission of Lunacy,his appellees's,'
appeared tee of the Maws family. Witness bed Wee
Day yeses ibie opielkeeO be sever sew seeb td
es an I:spotlit sae, I* an
be believe that lath a Wig
*listed.
Mr. Baoo , very glad to beat it.—(Leed
Itegbser.)
Q.—Sappose a aka were is a violent passion with Ms
servants, and onset them said," Look, there is a Mackie's,"
sad he immediately became passive and tranquil, and fol-
lowed the funeral, would you call that man of sound mindt
A.—Why, I ehould not call that a sound mind: but by it
would not measure the quantum of mind that person might
bare. Winless recollected the case of a man who had been
three years conducting the buskins of a first-rate mercantile
house, and who was never found to be a madman until be
heard the noise of drums and trumpets, and then he started
from his 'oaners and soon after appeared amongst the sole
diers, with a cocked hat and ribbends. Lord P.'s state of
mind was not of this description: he really believed that if
Lord P. wars under the protection of humane persons, be
would be as well able to attend to the management of his
his own slain as any man. If Lord P. heard of a " black
job," end ran suddenly to the window, and seemed delight-
ed, witness thought he could net be in a state of soundness
of mind. If a man followed a log for a funeral, he was not
performing a rational set.
Re-examined.—Cruelty was not proof of a disordered
mind ; nor did a depraved eppetita, nor a fondness for driv-
ing a coach, nor imbecility of mind indicate insanity.—Ad-
journed.
On Wednesday, Dr. Baokbead's examination was re-
snm ed by ?dr. Telt. After several questions had been put
t h the Doctor on points that had arisen out of his inter-
s laws with Lord Portsmouth, he said he did not consider his
Lordship as deranged on any one point; formed his judg-
ment of his Lordship's state of mind from the actual exami-
nation of his Lordship, coupled with a perusal of the facts
contained in the various affidavits put into his hands by or-
der of the Lord Chancellor; conceives sanity of mind to be
time power of the mind to combine facts and circumstances.
and the ability afterwards to discriminate and draw correct
e•melusions ; having abstained from examining Lord Ports-
mouth on particular subjects, thinks himself competent to'
Ely positisely, that Lord Portsthouth's mind is perfectly
sound; there is a material distinction between mind tad
judgment; conceives 'the mind to be the whole; judgment
is one of the properties of the mind; perception, memory,
and instinct, are some other of the properties, which are
very numerous.
Mr. Commissioner licitocx.—This is a dissertation, not
an answer.
Examination continued—Does not think more frequent,
opportunities of seeing his Lordship would lead him to a
mnielusion different from that lie Ins now formed.
Hy Mr. G. BANKl3—Used the letter from the Countess as
an introduction to his Lordship ; when he first called upon
Lord Portsmouth, he tendered the letter; his Lordship re-
fused to take it, and also to receive witness in his profes-
sional capacity; the secnnd time witness cai.ed upon Lord
Portsmouth. his Lordship was in a better humour; witness
then again tendered the letter.
Why did you again offer the letter to his Lordship ?
Because It *as addressed to his Lordship, and, as 1 thought
meant to be forwarded to its destination. Why should I
not?
Mr. Commissioner Hu ts.ocs.—That is a question; not an
answer. •
liasmiustion continued—Witness did not question his
I.ordship as to funeral.. dung carts, logs of wood, or any
of the other subjects alleged to have been those in refer-
ence to which his Lordship had shown so great eccentricity.
Ills Lordship's conduct In this respect evinced an unsound-
ness of the judgement, which is the foundation stone of the
mind ; it the judgment be unsound, the mind cannot he per-
fectly sound; a sound judgment would draw correct In-
ferences from obvious facto and alecriminate between right
ur wrung; if, out being under the influence of feelings, mo-
tives. prejudices, or misrepresentations, a man of his Lord-
ship's income should declare his ignorance upon the extent
of hit property, whether it be worth 1001. or 20,0001. annu-
ally, should conceive him to he of unsourd mind; hevaight
declare such ignorance, yet not be really uninformed upon