The Express. — 1846-11-27 (London, England)

COMMISSION OF LUNACY. Yesterday, an inquirendo de lunatico was opened at the Court-house of the Sheriffs of Middlesex, Red Lion-square, before Francis Barlow, Esq., a commissioner in lunacy, and a jury, touching the sanity of John Webb, Esq., now residing in France. The alleged lunatic, a gentleman of considerable property, now in his 60th year, is cote of three brothers who were illegitimate sons of Sir John Webb, who died in the year 1797, and leaving no legitimate tame, he willed his property,which consisted of estates in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Middlesex, to the subject of this commission and his brothers. The Yorkshire property was given to James Webb and his children in tail, and in default of issue it was to revert ter John Webb, the alleged lunatic. The Lincolnshire property was given to John Webb for his life and to his children, mad the property in Northamptonshire and Middlesex was devised to Frederick Webb. James Webb unfortunately was the subject of a similar inquiry to the present, and he died a lunatic in 1823. By this event the present patient became entitled to the property in Yorkshire, which produces about 6,0001. a-year. Frederick Webb died in February last, leaving a widow and four children, two daughters and two sons, the eldest of whom being the heir in tail, and who was now 18 years old, sued out this commission by his next friend. The alleged lunatic was born in 1788, and was never married. Early in life, however, he had formed a connexion with a lady who always resided with him as his wife, and by whom he had a daughter, who was now in her 19th ' year. He left England in 1810, and fixed his residence at Paris. In July, this year, an application was made to the Lord Chancellor, who issued a commission for the taking of evidence in France, so to she sanity of Mr. Webb, who was then at a private asylum, conducted by Messrs. Fabri and Winsur, at the village of Montmartre, near Paris, it being deemed imprudent to remove him to London. That evidence was now in court, together with the depositions of the French physicians, who had the care of the Lunatic. From these it appeared that the patient talks incoherently in five different languages, destroys clothes, furniture, and papers, alleges himself dead, and has a desire to commit suicide. His habits generally are the reverse of cleanly or decent. He was subj,ct to short lucid intervals, and once had &remission for four days. Many years ago he made his will, and by it , he conterred the whole of his property upon his daughter.— The return to the commission having been produced, the first deposition read was that by Mr. Edgar Smith, a solicitor to the English Court of Chancery, but now practising in Paris, who was of opinion that the alleged lunatic was quite incapable of managing his own concerns. Sir Alexander Churmside, the physician to the English Embassy at Paris, deposed that the lunatic quoted Greek passages with the moat fantastical gesticulations. He talked incoherently of the Emperor of Russia and Bamfylde Moore Carew, and averred that he was a captain of a man-of-war, lying off the Isle of Wight. A deposition made by Dr. Blanche, a French physician, pronounced the malady a most acute one. Captain Roger Palmer, who married the lunatic's niece, deposed to Mr. Webb calling himself the son of Julius Coxiar, and his daughter the offspring of Frederick the Great. He claimed the Palace of the Tuileries, and said he had been guillotined, which had done him much good. He recommended witness to try the same experiment. Witness saw him on Monday last, when he was quite uncontrollable. In answer to a juror the witness said the lunatic could be removed from Paris to London with proper attendance. Dr. Southey's evidence was is the effect, that though it was possible to bring the lunatic to England, it would be a very imprudent and dangerous step. He was well treated where he was.—Mr. J. Parker, as the representative of the supposed lunatic, addressed the jury. He said, the promoters of the commission ought to have produced the person of the lunatic ; that there was no evidence as to Mr. Webb's insanity at the present moment; and that a jury could not be called upon to find a man a lunatic whom they had not seen, and when it was shown that he was subject to lucid intervals. The Commissioner thought it was as much the respondent's duty to produce the lunatic as it was that of the promoters.—Mr. Parker contended to the contrary. The lunatic was in the custody of M. De Lisle, the banker. The lady with whom he (the lunatic) had been connected, and the daughter are the promoters or supporters of the commission ; therefore he (Mr. Parker) was not answerable for his nonappearance. He did not impeach the motives of the promoters.—Mr. Wilford, for the daughter of Mr. Webb, said the commission was in direct opposition to her wishes.—Mr. Bacon watched the case for the West of England Life Insurance Company, who were creditors to a considerable amount. —The Learned Commissioner having summed up, the jury found that Mr. John Webb had been of unsound mind since the Ist of December, 1845.