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Leader (1850-1860), 14th July 1860, Edition 2 of 2, Page 8, a56 TheSatw>day Analystand Leader. [July...

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      The Rifle Association.—Distribution- Of ...

      Points . Prince Consort ' s Prize , won by Lieutenant Lacy , 12 th Begiment , Instructor of Musketry ... ... ... .... .... 22 Second Prize , won by Sergeant Lawley , 2 nd Derby Volunteers • • 1 | Third Prize , won by Mr . Peter , Geneva ... • .. ; . ' ... 18 Her Majesty ' s Prize , £ 250 , and gold medal of the Association , opentb the 20 winners of the Volunteer prizes , and 20 next best shots , at 800 , 900 , and 1 , 000 yards , 10 rounds at each distance witn Whitworth Rifles . nA 1 7 thNorth York f

      . Ross , ... - ••• ;•• * Mr . Ross , the winner of the Royal prize , was no stranger by the time Lord Elcho arrived at that announcement . He had appeared and taken two minor prizes . When called up to receive the Queen spnze of £ 250 , the band struck up , " See the conquering hero comes , and the applause that had greeted him before was redoubled , lie aore Ins honours with great quietness of manner , receiving the prizejust as coolly as he shot for it . He is tall , slight , and very youthful m appearance . He was congratulated on his skill and success by the President , the different members of the Council , and a knot of friends —Kmnrta whom Was his father , the famous deer-stalker . Mr . Ross

      was called on to show his gold medal , and , finally , to put it on ; he held it up to the spectators , but could not comply with the other request—the medal had no "fixings . " It was announced by Lord Elcho that Her Majesty has expressed her intention to make the prize she has given an annual one as long as the association exists . The proceedings were closed by a short address from Lord Elcho . -Li . ! The spectators then quitted the Palace , and dispersed through the grounds ; the fountains played at 5 o ' clock , and a hurdle-race and some other games were commenced , which continued till twilight . The scene in the gardens during the whole evening was magnificent .

      A56 Thesatw>Day Analystand Leader. [July...

      a 56 TheSatw > day Analystand Leader . [ July 14 r 1 S 60 .

      National Kiele Associailom". The Council...

      NATIONAL KIELE ASSOCIAilOM " . The Council of the Association entertained at dinner on Monday evening at the Crystal Palace the Swiss riflemen who had competed for the prizes at Wimbledon , and those gentleinen composing the School of Musketry at Hytlie who had assisted in carrying out the arrangemeets during the past week . Lord Elcho presided . Among the com . ; pany present were Earl Spencer , Colonels Kennedy and Bewes , M . de la Bive , the Swiss Minister , the Swiss , officers , who-accompanied the riflemen to England ; Captain Archibaldi 58 th Eegiment , and Lifeut . Lacy , 12 th Begiment . " ~' J

      Union Bank Of Looton. The Half-Yearly Me...

      UNION BANK OF LOOTON . THE half-yearly meeting ^ of shareholders was held at the London Tavernron Wednesday last , when the motion for adopting the report was carried with only one dissentient voice , "and a , vote of thanks and continued confidence in the directors was carried by acclamation . This result will not create much surprise , although it may cause regret that proprietors should tamely submit to the loss of £ 263 , 000 out of a paid-up capital of £ 600 , 000 , without insisting on being informed what steps had b ^ en taken to ascertain who were Puxltngek ' s accomplices . That one man should , under any circumstances , be enabled to carry on depredations to the extent of upwards of a quarter of a million sterling , and that these frauds sho uld have extended over five years without exciting suspicion , can only obtain credence from those who ftrAjgh / . n ^ iin ^ qimintftd with the business of banking , and although it may be wise to stifle inquiry with a view to prevent furtlier depreciation in-thp value of shares , it will be productive of incalculable injury to commercial credit . If PujciiNaEK , by his " very obliging plea of

      guilty , " hus screened others who were worse than himself , it requires no great foresight to perceive that tho success in accomplishing frauds to so gigantic an extent with imp unity , will operate as a direct incentive to some hew description of fraud , and a question therefore arises respecting the meana which have been adopted to prevent the repetition of a similar calamity . So far from learning by experience , the directors deem determined to persevere in continuing a negligent system of audit . The Chaibjian stated that the auditors were two of the directors in rotation , and that the directors did not intend to appoint an independent auditor , because from the nature of banking business such an audit must be illusory . "We do not intend to enter fully into the subject of audit at present , but we would ask whether the shareholders have any security for the safo custody ef their property , if so essential a safeguard is neglected . The present directors may , one and all , bo men of high honour and unimpeachable integrity ; but it by no means follows that the direction will always be similarly constituted , and supposing for a moment that by any combination ot tne

      events , a dishonest set of directors were to succeed in obtaining management , what would then bo the security of shareholders ? By a well-organised conspiracy , it is by no means improbable that a band of unscrupulous men might succeed in . accomplishing frauds to a much greutor amount than Pullinger and his co nfederates dared to attempt , und if two of these directors in rotation are to be allowed to audit the uocounts according to their own pleasure , without any supervision , tho public would not bo surprised at another joint-stock bank boing added to the failures which have created such unexampled , misery during the last few vears . mfoinna

      The report is an extremely meagre document , and gjives no - tion colciUStdd"to ^^ "dispei ^ the painfut-BuspioionB which have forced themselves upon the public mind . The course wluoh lma been adopted may , perhaps , prevent further depreciation , and proprietors ) may bo enabled to dispose of their sharos at a higher price than could have been obtained if nil particulars had been fully and freoly explained ; but tho credit of tho bank itself is not likoly to bo fully ro-estabUBhed until all mystery is disnolled . , ' ; , , A shareholder , inquired in whoso handwriting the fraudulent passbook was , and whether it was in more -than ono handwriting j while another proprietor wished to boo ' the two pass-books—tho genuine Bank of England pass-book , and tho book which was otatod to bo a fabrication , A book purporting to bo the forged pass-book was produced , but the real pass-book was withhold , and although satisfactory ovidenco

      of good faith might thus have been given , by the production of botb books , the shareholders still remain in entire ignorance of thenature of this marvellous representative of a quarter of a million sterling . The wl olTcas * will probably soon be brought before the Court of Chancery , as Mr . EdmundLAlderson Fawcett , a shareholder , has served a notice on the company that he objects to the proceedings oT the / directors , andprotests P against the proposed writing off of 120 , 000 * . capital , and that he shall apply for an injunction to restrain them from so acting Without anticipating the result of the application , ^ ma y be presumed that , if the case should be broug ht before the Lord Chancellor ^ no subterfuges will prevent a full revelation of all the circumstances which have hitherto been concealed , for reasons which may possibly be sound , but which , in the absence of all detail , do not appear to justify the reserve and secresy with which this remarkable case of embezzlement is at present surrounded .

      Philosophy Of Insanity.* (Second Article...

      PHILOSOPHY OF INSANITY . * ( second article . ) WE return to Dr . Winslow ' s interesting work for the sake of adducing a few more illustrations of mental disorder , some of which will tend to widen the popular conceptions formed upon the subject , and aid amore rational application of jurisprudence to the various important questions of insanity which it involves . Our avowed mode of deciding whether the plea of insanity can be admitted in the case of a person accused of crime is most absurd and barbarous , being made to depend upon the individuals ability to discriminate right from wrong . A reference to the actual decisions which have been arrived at , would show the impossibility ot adhering to any such rule , and in practice it comes to this—tha ^ criminal lunatics who are lucky enough to enlist the sympathies of judge and jury , escape capital punishment ; while others , perharl more mad . end their lives on the gallows , because something

      in the act they have committed , in their personal appearance , or the temper of the public mind , creates a prejudice against them . Secretaries of State are even more capricious than judges and iuxies , and Sir G . Grey was remarkable for inexplicable notions concerning the proper exercise of the discretion committed to his care Although some cases might be cited to the contrary , stupid lunatics stand a better chance than clever ones ; and , if the way in wliich the criminal act was committed , and the subsequent demeanour of the criminal-exhibit design , intelligence , and ^ cuteness it is difficult to get the fact of the insanity recognised . As instances of insanity being consistent with apparently healthy mental activity , we may adduce a few remarkable cases , auoted by Dr . Window , thus : —" Tasso coinposed his most eloquent of lnsanityy Lucretios

      and impassioned verses during paroxysms wrote his immortal poem , Be Reriim ¦ Natura , when suffering from an attack of mental aberration . Alexander Cruden wmpiled hiscelebrated Concordance while insane , and some of the ablest articles in Aitkin ^ Biographical Dictionary were written ! by a patient in a lunatic asylum . " Such cases , which might be multiplied , do not prove the advantages of insanity , nor are we warranted in affirming the insanity to have been the cause of the mental vigour displayed . What probably took , place amounts to nothing more than that certain portions of the brain were strongly -jfarngfrb ^ ltMly- ^ xoitea ^ or had their energies morbidly depressed . It may be said that the excitement in the first case was morbid , because exceeding what

      the organs could experience without injury . Sometimes this ^ may have been the case , but over-work is distinct from functional derangement , and While the function of an organ is correctly discharged it would be a misnomer to call it insane . Dr . Winslow tells us of a young gentlotnari suffering from an attack of insanity , supposed to have been occasioned by ill-treatment at school . In his original state he was incapable of doing even a simple sum in arithmetic ; but when recovering from the acute symptoms of a maniacal attack , he was a skilful calculator . When bis health was restored liis stupidity returned . It would have been interesting to know the size and form of this boy ' s brain , his temperament , & c , but concerning these things , Dr . Winslowjs perfectly silent . In another of Dr . Winslow ' s patients—the wife of a clergyman—a wonderful talent for rapid and clever versification was exhibited during paroxysms of mania and ceased

      when recovery took place . . Among the most singular effects of insanity are those in wmcii human beings are approximated to clever brutes , by an exaltation of instincts , and a depression of reason . Dr . Winslow says : — "In the lower grades of stupidity and congenital idiocy , wo occasionally see exhibited that extraordinary sagacity and cunning which is so characteristic of the higher animals : " and he goes on to tell of mechanical ingenuity , acuteness of sensations , and wonderful adaptations to physical conditions as observed among a certain class of insane persons incapable of appreciating a single rational idea . ' He adds , " It would appear that in proportion a * the reaspning and reflecjtive powers are in an arrested , latent , ana dormant stated do th ^

      balance ) ascend the scalo , Occupy the seat of . reason , and arrogate and exercise tho right of undisputed , and often unbridled sovereignty . " These facijs afford the most interesting ground tor speculation , and we desire to know what" are the differencea botween ihstinot and reason ; and if wo are to regard man , tne microcosm , as containing in hiinsolf tho faculties of lowor creatures , with his own superaddod ! We ask , where is . tho seat of interior , and where of tljo superior qualities' ?

      * On6bacttrel)Uease8ofthebrain. By Fqubk...

      * On 6 bacttrel ) Uease 8 oftheBrain . By Fqubkb Winslow , M . P . » « S ; C . J . Churchill .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), July 14, 1860, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14071860/page/8/