COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON A RUSSIAN PRINCESS.

Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 67, 14 November 1844, Page 4

COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON A RUSSIAN PRINCESS.

On Monday a commission of lunacy was opened before Mr. Commissioner Barlow and a jury of freeholders,™ amongst whom were several magistrates of the county, at the Canonbury Tavern, Islington, to inquire into the state of mind of the Princess Elizabeth Catherine Louisa Maria Frances Bariatinsky, daughter of Prince Bariatinsky, a Russian nobleman, married to a daughter or the late Earl of Sherborne, who died at Altona, on giving birth to the above lady. The greatest interest was manifested in the proceedings, the unfortunate object of tbe inquiry being nearly related to several noble English families, and among the noblemen present were the late earl of Carnarvon, Earl Ducie, the Earl of Sherborne, &c. Mr. Cockburn, QC, and Mr. 11, Walpn!e appeared as Council to support of the Commiss sjon ; and Mr. Carpenter Rowe on the part of the present Prince Bariatinsky, half-brother to tbe princess, in opposition to it. The learned Commissioner having briefly explained to the jury the object for which the commission bad been issued, Mr. Cockburn said they were called upon to inquire into the state of mind of the Princess Bariatinsky, who was the daughter of a Russian Prince, by A the Honourable Francis Neville Dutton, daughter of the late and sister of the present Earl of Sherborne. The marriage" took place in the year 1806, and the unfortunate princess, the object of the present inquiry, was born in 1807, at Altona, Her mother died in giving birth to her; and some time after she was removed to England to receive her education, according to the dying wish of her mother. She was placed under the care of Lord and' Lady Sherborne, under that of her aunt, tbe Honourable Anne Dutton, visiting the family of Lord and Lady Sherborne during that period. In 1823 she was again taken under the care of Lord and Lady Sherborne, for the purpose of participating in the education then afforded to their daughter, the present L«dy Ducie. In 1825 she came to town with Lady John Ihynne, and two years afterwards paid a visit to Holkl.am Hall, the seat of the Earl of Leicester. In 1822 she was presented at Court, on the occasion of his late Majesty's George the IV.'s birth day. Up to that time she appeared well, although at no time did she (fever possess any first-rate capaoity or intellect. Tbe following aufum (1824). whilst on a visit to L( rd and Lady Ducie, she exh Wed Tery extraordinary conduct, such as would lead any one to believe that her mind was not as it should be. This only lasted for a short time, but left no r<oubt that her mind was diseased. On her return to > Lord Sherborne's, in 1830, these symptoms became more manifest, and her conduct at church became so strange that she was prevented from attending j divine -ervicc. In the streets she would lift up her dress and, tie up her garters with tbe greatest nonchalance; and at the time she became so outrageous that she was not permitted to go a second time. Her mind then became so much deranged, that after consulting with tbe Rev.'Mr, Smyrnhoft, chaplain to th« Russian embassy, Lord Sherborne felt it necessary to place ber under some restraint. Miss Clifton, who had formerly been her governess, was the person selected to watch her. After that she went to live with Mis. Newman, (who had also been a governess iu Lord Sherborne's family), in Highbury-place. He (Mr. Cockburn) was not aware what the opposition to the commission was 1 (o be grounded upon, unless it was that the Prince { Bariatinsky, half-brother to the Princess* had I thongt proper to question the right of the Earl of Sherborne to act in and parental manner he had done towards the unfortunate princess. In October, 1830; she made a will in favour of Miss Dutton, which was at a time she was wholly incompetent to do so. In the year 1833 she was placed under the'eate of Miss Chalmers, in Highbury grove, where she remained until the present time, exhibiting extraordinary evidences of her being of an unsound state of mind. After some discussion it was agreed that the learned Commissioner and jury should go to Highbury-grove, for the purpose of seeing the princess. On entering the apartment they found the afflicted lady crouched down in the tront of a large wire guard fixed before tbe fire. On being questioned, she appeared somewhat alarmed, and muttered incoherently. She suddenly sprang across the room towards the window. Mr. Barlow then addressed her, but her reply to the questions were only low murmurings irrelevant to the subject* On a sovereign being shewn her, she took it into ber hand, and exclaimed " Ah, it's just like my room upstiirs." The jury considered further examination unnecessary, and returned to the Canonbury Tavern where the evidence was proceeded with. Dr. Conquest was first called He said he first attended the princess in the autumn of 1831, and continued to do so op in 1836. She was at'fnst afflicted with total absence of mind, and she continued to get worse. He considered she had been uniformly treated with the utmost kind% ness. "Cross examined by Mr. Rowe? I was called in to see the Princess at the request of Lady Suffolk and Lord Sherborne. She would enter into conversation occasionally, but not often. Con- I sidered her e*?e hopeless from the year 1834. Did not believe tlia; ."he was afflicted with paralysis of j the brain, nor could he give the jury any pbysical cause for tbe foundation of his opinion tnat her case was hopeless, I met Sir George Totbill there once. He had seen her before I did. I think that every thing has been done, both in a medical and moral point of view for the princess. Miss Maria Chalmers said she was governess in Lord Suffolk's family up to the year__lß23, and knew the princess since she was twelve years of age. She saw her in the year 1830, She then had very strange manners, would laugh vacantly and without cause. Had tbe two Ladies Howard under witness's charge at the same time as tbe princess, but-could not allow her to walk in tbe garden with them, her conduct was so improper. I Remember the princess coming to London from Bibury, in the autumn of 1830. In the month of December she would get into the carriage with a low muslin dress on, and would laugh out at tbe window, so that people would stop to look at her. On one occasion she ran into a cutler's shop, and tied up her garters before all tbe men. Her manner at church was so bad that the Rev. Mr. Smyrnboff, the chaplain to tbe Russian embassy, prohibited her attendance. She would laugh

I out loud, put out her tongue, and make faces* She would never wash herself, aud her throat was as black as if dyed. She would burn valuable articles of clothing, and did not understand tbe value of money. She with great impropriety at the Opera, and ou one oocasioo, when in the boxes of tbe theatre, she sat miking faces and laughing the whole evening at a genth man who sat near ber, and, on|coming out, ran up to him and [ did the same. Captain Howard was with them at the time, and remarked that she must be mad The learned counsel here read a letter from Sir George Tothill, which expressed hit conviction that tne princess was labouring under imbecility. He also read some letters, identified by tbe witness to be in the band writing of the princess, of which the following is a sample ; " Deo. 28 (without the yearj"My dear Mr. Newman—l have pleasure in informing you that I have bit uponja pleasing scheme. 1 should like very much to go with you to Walmer. If you will ask Mrs. Brook? I have no doubt she will let me go. I should like to have a child veiy much." Cross-examined by Mr. Carpenter Rowe.'—l have heard that Miss Masters, the sister of Lady Carlwright. was refused to see the princess. That was before I had the care of her. I have nev«*r refused to let Prince Bariatinsky, her brother.see her. I have used coercion towards the Princess, by order of Dr. Sutherland. It was tbe straight waistcoat,~and no Jother. —Madame Martine de la Salle said she was lady's maid to the princess in the year 1030, and acted so under r the orders of tbe> Earl of Suffolk. On the 18th of December that year/she went with ber to Miss Clifton's, at Fulham. Considered her very odd, if not imbecile, in her manner. She threw a cold buckle of great value into tbe fire, and would serve her clothes, handkerchiefs, books, &c. in like manner. On one occasion she threw a valnable'book of prints ton the fire, and witness said she had better give it to her than destroy it. • The princess tore all the drawings out, and then gave it her. She would imaginefthat the flowers on fhe paper ot her bedroom were sheep running along the wall. The princess was very fond of low language, aud was indecent and unladylike in her manners. She would sit with her feet upon the mantelpiece, would spit at every one she met with and tie up her garters in the streets befoie any one.— By the Comrnsssioner : I consider her o f unsound mind ever "sinoe 1830.—Earl Sherborne was about to be oalled by Mr. Cockburn, when the jury announced that they were satisfied.— Mr. Kowe said, on the part of th? illustrious prince he represented, he bad no desire to protract these painful proceedings, but begged to observe that prince Bariatinsky had no pecuniary motive in view in opposing the commission. He was only anxious that his sinter should be well cared for, more particularly as the case would be a subject for consideration by another tribunal.—After some fnnher discussions, the jury found" that * the Princess Elizabeth Catherine Louisa Maria Frances Bariatinsky is of unsound mind, and has been wholly incapable of managing herself or her affairs since August 1830." There is a certain age, before the love for the sex commences, when the feeling of friendship is almost a passion. You see it constantly in girls and boys at school. It is the first vague craving of the heart after the master food of hu> man life—love. It has its jealousies, and humours, and caprices, like love itself.— Bulwer. A Lab'iorer'b Acviceto ms Fexlow Labourers—" And now, mates, one word more ; a short word and a simple, that you may not forget it. Mates, remember Him who set you to be labourers, and love the lot He gives yon. Be thank* ful if His blessing on your industry keeps you in regular work and fair wages. Ask no more from God of this worlds goods. Believe things kindly of the gentlefolks, for many sins are heaped upon their heads whereof tbeir hearts are innocent. Never listen to the Councils of a servant who takes away his masters character ; for of such are the poor man's worst oppressors. Be satisfied with all your lowline.s on earth, and keep your jnst ambitions for another world. Flee strong liquors and ill-company. Nurse no heated hopes, no will-o'-the-wisp bright wishes—rather let your warmest hopes be temperately these—health—work—wages."—Tapper's Crock of Gold. Loss or A Steamer.—An arrival from Philadelphia brings a dreadful account of the wreck of the "Shepherdess/* steamer, on the 4th u!t., bound from Cincinnati to Philadelphia. The vessel struck a snag just above the mouth of Cahokia Creek. One account reports the loss of life to be from ninety to one hundred, and another represents it to be between thirty and forty. To Charles ll.'s partiality for his accomplished cousin, Frances Stuart, we owe the representation of Britannnia on our copper coin. His admiration of this celebrated beauty induced him to assail her with compliments of various kinds, but in vain; and it was from one of the medals struck to perpetuate his high opinion of her delicate symmetry, that Britannia was stamped in the form she still bears on our halfpence and farthings. The Presbytery of Edinburgh have suspended and deprived the Rev. James Hamilton, the present minister of the Scotch Church, Regent-square, London, and declared him no longer capable of holding any preferment in the Church of Scotland; and Edward Irving was removed from it, on the sole ground that he was cut off by his presbytery in Scotland.