secrecy of the Roman quisition. The Crown of Engle d Catholic inquisition, no reporters being permitted in the master's Catlle is office, and even relatives being excluded, except the heir at law, and he is said to be allowed to be present, not by right, but by sufferance. In these remarks we beg respectfully to repudiate the remotest intention of any personal attack upon the honour of the Lord Chancellor, the masters, or their subordinates; it is the precedents upon which they are bound to act, that we would expose--for they all tend, as regard lunacy, to vitiate justice, perpetuate persons, wards of Chancery, and encourage cruelties which are a stain on the jurisprudence of a Christian land. stained by tenor ties perpe- Court of Lorl Bron, ham's Bill ou behalf of lunaties. Salaries of the repe trators of Chancery persecu tions. This was felt by Lord Brougham, who in 1833 introduced a Bill dated 24th July, to diminish the expense of commissions in the nature of writs de lunatico inquirendo and to provide for the better care of lunatics. Under it, authority is given to the Lord Chancellor to appoint, as visitors of lunatics, three persons, two of whom shall be physicians, and one a barrister of not less than five years standing. Also, a secretary, with salaries and expenses as follows: Two physicians £500 a year each ..£1000 0 0 300 0 0 One secretary 300 0 0 For an office and general expenses 300 0 0 £1900 0 0 Exclusive of travelling expenses, which might be allowed by the Lord Chancellor. By a return ordered July 8th, 1851, it appears there was paid to this Board. hepors ci medical visitors of The Act further says, that each of such persons so found lunatic shall be visited at least once a year, by one of such the Cost of medical visitors, who, after such visitation, shall respectively Cancery to make a report to the Lord Chancellor, in writing, of the state of "crit," &c. mind and bodily health and general condition, and of the care and treatment pursued to each such person visited, which reports are to be duly filed and kept secret in the office of such visitors, and shall be open to the inspection of no person whatever, excep' be kept the said visitors, their secretary, and the Lord Chancellor, or such as the Lord Chancellor shall appoint. This Bill was passed in 1833, when the number of Chancery lunatics was 356; their numbers now are about 600. the Court of Inquisi The Board consisted of Dr. Southey, Dr. Bright, Mr. Philli- Officers of more, barrister, and Mr. Enfield their secretary, who, when the Masters in Lunacy were appointed, became also chief Clerk to tion. them, with a salary of £800 a year, in addition to the £300 he previously had. It must be evident these two medical gentlemen in general practice cannot be expected to watch over the care and treatment of the 531 Chancery lunatics, nor do they pretend to do so. The Board is constructed for the purpose of assisting the Lord Chancellor, but it is not paid to regulate the treatment or watch over the expenditure of the Committees, beyond mentioning in the 531 Reports the state in which they find the lunatics; nor with such salaries can more be expected of them. If all men were taught that none were exempted from this malady, on adequate existing causes being applied, such an opinion might be useful, by inducing them to reflect on the possibility of their becoming the victims of its humiliating influence, as in the cases of Lords Liverpool, Castlereagh, Ward, Lords Liverpool, and others of both Houses of Parliament; and might lead to Castlethe real amelioration of the treatment of lunatic wards of reagh, &c., on lunacy. Chancery. Nothing is more cruel and unnecessary than that of sending any person possessed of wealth to the ordinary lunatic asyluns, where he is compelled to witness scenes, and encounter degradations, in the way of society and otherwise, tending not only to retard his recovery, but to render his malady permanent. Atrocious Yet there are 238 of the lunatic wards of Chancery so treated. The money annually paid for their maintenance, without Chancery. further additional expense, would amply enable a Board and the two Masters in Lunacy, (if adequate powers only were given, under the authority of the Lord Chancellor), to place them all at asylums solely appropriated to wards of Chancery, under the care of medical men who would have an interest not in continuing them there, but in restoring them to society. Detached cottages for convalescents might surround these dwellings, and means of attending public worship be afforded. The absence of protection to Chancery lunatics is illustrated in the two following examples: treatment of Wards in A Chancery patient charged £300 per annum and employed to perform revolting services. "Mr. C., the committee to a lunatic, receives £300 a year by Lord Chancellor's order, pays £200 for his maintenance in a lunatic asylum. A similar prisoner, Mr. Owen Gray, a Chancery patient of £600 a year income, used to be employed in scouring the chamber-pots, shaking the carpets, making the beds, sweeping the rooms, and carrying water. He was to be seen every day, when the weather was fine enough, seated on a stool in the garden, near the muck-heap, with tucked-up shirt-sleeves, and cloth in hand, washing out the chamber-pots in a tub of water. He paid five guineas a week (that is, it was paid out of his income), for the rooms occupied by me during my abode in the madhouse; he certainly was never in them all the time I was there."--Richard Paternoster, Barrister. (To be continued.) Society is to be afflicted with a furthor increase of 239 soli eitors. TERRIBLE INCREASE OF LEGAL TORMENTORS. THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS. ON Tuesday notices required by the act were given in the Court of Queen's Bench to the number of 239 to be placed on the roll of attorneys, already numbering upwards of 10,000.Morning News, May, 1856. Extraor dinary composition of an equity draughts man. HUGH MACCALMONT CAIRNS, ESQ., M.P. FOR THE twenty-fourth or last interrogatory put by the learned barrister to Charles William Gregory and to his brother Edward Henry Gregory, for the purpose of entertaining the audience of the High Court of Chancery (or otherwise to puzzle the defendants, who, by not replying satisfactorily, become candidates for the Bastile) reads thus :- "Have or hath, or had not the said defendants, or one and which of them, or the agents or solicitor's agent, or solicitor of them, or some and which of them, now or lately, and when last in their, his, or her possession, custody, or power, divers or some and what deeds, evidences, and writings, drafts, copies, and abstracts of deeds, evidences, and writings, securities, letters, copics of letters, accounts, books of account, receipts, vouchers, memorandums, and paper writings, deed, evidence, writing, draft, copy, or abstract of a deed, evidence, or writing, security, account, book of account, letter, copy of a letter, receipt, suming fuel voucher, memorandum, or paper writing, belonging or relating to the said partnership, or to the trade carried on by the defendant under the firm of Desnaux and Company, or the other matters and things in the said bill stated, or some and which of them, or whereby if the same were produced, or otherwise, and how the truth of such several matters and things, or some and which of them, would appcar-set forth a proper list or schedule Time-conof every such deed, evidence, writing, draft, copy, or abstract of for the a deed, evidence, or writing, security, account, book of account, Chancery. receipt, voucher, letter, copy of a letter, memorandum, or paper writing as aforesaid, distinguishing such of the same as are from such as are not in the possession, custody, or power of the said defendants, or their agents or solicitors, or any of them respec- seeking tively, and set forth what hath become of such of them as are candidate not now in their possession, custody, or power." Court of H. M. Cairns, M.P. and Q.C., a patronage for the Bench or Note. The defendants are respectively required to answer all any other these interrogatories. April, 1856. situation requiring COURAGEOUS ASSAULT BY THE TIPSTAFF OF Bastile of the High Court of Chancery, MESSRS. GREGORY, CHINERY AND CO. MY DEAR SIRS, C. W. the Home Depart ment on the 6th July, gesting litary music for the 1855, sug suitable mi I arrived at my office in Ingram-court yesterday as usual, at wrote to the a quarter past eight o'clock, and while seated at my desk writing state for Secretary of to the Secretary of State for the Home Department on public business, a powerful man introduced himself to me as the Tipstaff of the High Court of Chancery, who, without the ceremony of reading his warrant or handing to me a copy, seized me by the collar and dragged me with great force off my chair, tearing the buttons off my waistcoat. I was quite unprepared for such harsh treatment, either from him or my partners, as I had attended my office for upwards of twenty-six years, without (from any cause) absenting myself, until last June, when I was ject on the recommended to proceed to Switzerland. I could not therefore 14th and surrender my liberty without knowing for what; and, after some 1856. also on the same sub 21st April, Lord Crate worth fo The Com mittal of the Bastle of the In persuasion, I succeeded in inducing the officer to permit one of my clerks to read his warrant. I then asked him to release his grasp, as I told him I could not escape, which he declined, until Signature of another clerk came up and spoke to him. As I was not permitted to touch the warrant or to take a copy, he pointed to the signature of the Lord Chancellor "Lord Cranworth." I thereC. W. G. to upon surrendered myself a prisoner and am confined here. This morning information was brought to me that last evening a Sheriff's officer had introduced himself into my private residence at Forest-hill, as from me, when he gave my sisters to understand he had been sent to distrain my goods and chattels, for costs of sixty pounds, and for seven pounds Sheriff's fees, &c., incurred by the respectable solicitor Robert Blackburn, Esquire, of Surreystreet, Strand, the accomplice of Frederick Desnaux, referred to in my printed report of proceedings against me in Chancery. No bill was ever furnished to me, neither had Mr. Blackmore, or his client, applied to me for payment. quisition. mild accomplice. Vice-Chan- the perpe tration of atrocities in The Vice-Chancellor having decreed that I am not to touch my money, but to leave it all in the hands of my partners, Ogilby, Moore and Power, it is possible he and they with the legal profession may be in league to stop my movements for the exposure and suppression of the cruel atrocities perpetrated and his Court. encouraged against mankind in the High and Honourable Court of Chancery, under the garb of honour, righteousness and reputation. Their object is not, however, likely to be successful; The Le is and as the Legislature is composed of many interested members of the legal profession, it is not likely the people will get any redress there; so that they must now begin to prepare law for themselves. late coll posed of too my lawyers. As it is not possible for me to be released out of this, unless I commit perjury, by swearing I am sorry for treating with contempt the injunctions obtained from the Court under corrupt and false evidence, I shall do all I can for my fellow-prisoners while here. Remaining, my dear Sirs, Yours faithfully, CHARLES WILLIAM GREGORY |