THE LATE ASSAULT UPON HER MAJESTY.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 494, 8 January 1851, Page 3

THE LATE ASSAULT UPON HER MAJESTY.

The following luller statement of the tiial of the criminal in this case than we had means of giving until the arrival of our last English files, will no doubt be read with interest: — The tiial of Robert Pate, Jate Lieutenant in the Tenth Ilussais, for striking the 12ueeu 011 the face with a cune, took place at the Central Criminal Court on Thaisday, before Baron Atderson, Justice Patterson, and Justice Talfourd. The pusonei stood erectly in the dock with his hands behind him, and eyed the Couit and spectators with cool indifference: he pleaded " Not guilty," with a clear ff rm voice. Mr. Cockliurn and Mr. Iluddleston defended htm. For the Crown appeared the Attorney-General, and thiee other gentlemen. The proofs of the assault added no new point; indeed neaily at the oulsct Mr. Cockburii admitted the fact cf the assault, the point raved be the plea was, therefore, whether or not the prisoner was of sane mind ai the lime of the act. To prove that he was not, Mr. Cockburn called sixteen wits nebsesj who deposed to the habitual ccceiwicity and liuulic conduct of the pusoucr, from about the year 1841 up to the piesent liinet Culontl Vandeleur, gf

he Tenth Hussars, proved that the prisoners charoclci totally cii.xnqi-il in the (he year IS 11, after the loss of three favourite horses by hydrophobia caused by the bite of a dog. lie became subject to delusions— be-> lieved his stomach was full of bricks, and that the cook of the mess waa consp<riD? with olhcis to poison him: he was an exeirplary officer till tlien, but after that he forsook the mess, became solitary, neglected his person and his duly, and at last left a military order half pc formed and went home to ins father; his father 9ent him back ; and, both from the kind respect which was felt for his excellent nature and fioin allowance for his weak state of mind, he was allow c\l to lesume duty ; but ultimately a communication was &ent to his father, advising his withdrawal from file regiment, lie sold out for £1,800. Captß.n Frith and Sir Thomas Mnnro gave joufiimatory tvidoi.ee; and some uon- commissioned officers and piivUes ol tl>c regiment proved that the prisoner was loved by the men, but deemed by them "not risjht in his h-ml. 1 Dodmnn, a pnvat* of the regiment, became h;s ".rivani a flu he cold out ; and detailed to the Court vancu'i partienh's of his stnnge mode of living. He vus rigidly punctual in p^jments ; he lose at ervei, and bathed in wa'ti oonta nnii i la n n |, r i; -,y, >!•,'-, y who tin an ounce of camphor had been du&olv<\l. 'hou'i'i» \vhoincntly and singing during the opinnui, h« jieu 1 " leceivcd company, and ahvay-, had his b'hid* d,,u.n down. He read t!,e pajiei, indsuch '»oo':s iw lhc N"! scry Rhjmes. Punctually at a (juutor |i,>, |« p» ii<* drove out in a cab. Lee, theeib-iim i, M.iicl tlmr he attended cv ly «l<iy, \v"t or dry, sinHnnc, hail, or enow, foi eighUeii nuontlw, muJ d. u i tia \ v-: -»cr exactly the. came duve ovei I'utncy Llcath t><id libi is"s Common; he always alighted at, one paiiiouLu spof, and run through the fui/,3 to a dis ant point ne^li n pond, where the cab went round and met hi % -M ; if it was wet he expussed himself delighted with tho tun ; in winter it was always dark before the cdb got ll>iv, and Lee was alarmed for him at first, but he never emu: to harm, though sojk times he looked :>s if )ib had gone through the poi.d. In the cab he used sjmeiio.ps to bolt about in all directions, swe^puif, his cane as if repelling an attack. Ueregulaily p.ud a fare of mtio shillings, every shilling tinned v.iih the fare ui> and looking onn way; for the turnpikes ihoic was always a sixpence and a large penny, which his act vaut bail regularly to provide. Mr. James Starlen, silicon, ot Savill Row, hud formeily noticod the priaonci in hensingtou Gaidens, and cautioned his wife not to ntri.iof his attention, as he was obviously a <% poor lunitic'' — " dangetous.*' Afterwards he casually became acquainted with the prisoner, and communicated wilh lun lather on his state of mind. Mr. Pate, Hie piiuoneiS fathei, stated many facts proving thar iv h-diihv'j-lelt that h.s son must go into an asjlum, bir, un'ioi Dr. Connolly'* udvice, hi had postjior.ed taking measures, b-ctuse in London hi-, son tiatl nol been so bad as when firs' he lelt lieLuid. The.O'Gorman Mahou.M.P., avowed his iie'ief 'h,U the prisoner) « ould be thelast.man 111 tho woild to do a dishonourable or disloyal act. ' Inspector Squire slated, that the Police have loug observed the prisonei's eccentric gait and wild gasturcs in the street ; he was known to them by the name of" CtU-and-thiust," fiom his mode of flourishing Ins cane as he inshfd along. The Rev Charles Dnscoll saw him on the afternoon of the assault 011 the (i jcru ; he stood near Cm'aridge House for a short time, and then started off in a more excited manner than naial to him, so as to induce Mr. Dnscol! to notice him more attentively. Dr. Connolly and Dr. Munro gave their opinions distinctly, that the prisoner is now insane; not under any specific delusion, and knowing right from wrong; /» oonversafion.. but ii-!..". -x-i-act under sudden and uncontrollable impulses, which he may even know to be wiong. He know* that he did wrong, and regrets it; but seems to have been under an impulse which he was unable to control, lie is unfit for all the ordiuaiy duties 0/ life. Baron Aldeison, in summing up, corrected a grievous delation in the minds of medical men, that a man ia unpunishable because he is iusaue. The only insanity which exculpates is the special insanity which prompts to the act alleged, A man wi'h a delusion that another will kill him, may be acquitted if under that delusion he kills in supposed self-defenca ; but a man with a delusion that he h^s a glass head has no similar excuse for such an ac Doubtless, abundance of eccentricity is heie proved ; but is eccentricity to excuse a man for striking the Queen ? The impulse is no excuse if the prisoner knew right fiom wrong : if a man knows that what he does is ivrong 1 , and still has anirreiistible impulse to do it, tlu law will have an irresistible impulse to punish him for the act. There must be a proof of a formed disease of the mind— a disease existing before the act was committed, and. one which makes the person incapable of knowing that the act he i 3 about to do is wrong. Unless the f Jury can say that the prisoner knew not right from wrong, they could not acquit him on the ground of in=anity. The Jury retired at twenty minutes past three ; at five minutes past seven tliey returned to court with a verdict of " Guilty." Baron Alderson addiessed the piisoner with pathos and seventy colloquially blended — " It is quire clear that you are a person of very eccentric habits and in. some degrpe differing fiom other men ; and il is probable that it has pleaseJ Goi to visit you with some mental affliction, for which jou aie to be pitied. The offence you havf committed, however, is> one of a very serious and important character. You have been found guilty of btnking a woman, which lor a soldier is very shocking." " Considering the station of your family and jour own position, tue Court will not inflict the disgiaceful punishment of whipping upon you. The court has some respect for you, thoiij:;i you hid no aspect forotheis. It will stili, however, ',c u^ duty to pass huch a sentence upon you as will pi event, you, at all events for a long period, fioin doaig any further mischief. I would lain believe you wcie not in your right senses at the time you coiuiniUu! fins act., .... Under all the circumstances, the sentence that I fee/ it my duty to pronounce upon you ia, that you be transported beyond the seas for the teun 0! seven years. The prisoner heard the sentence without a token of emotion ; at its close he boweJ to the Court, and immediately turning round, iciiied to the gaol wnhoul a word.— -Spectator, July 13.

Statistics op thu Primitive Mm rroms>i Cosnexion.—The thuty-fitst annual conference ot the Primitive Methodist Connexion w.is held in the Canon Street Chapel, Nottingham, on Wednesday, June full, ISuO. Tne state of the Connexion ua& ab follows, viz —stations, 227 •, nmsioudiy ditto, 68 ; members m church fellowship, 104,762 ; tiavelliog pivaiheis, 432 „ missionaries, 87, local preachers, 8,521-; classicalers, G,I2G ; conneruoiial chapels., 1555 , ienlcd chapels, 3,515; Sunday schools, 1,278, .^and.ij' ccholais, 103,310; teachcrh, 20,114; deaths of ihureh members, 1507 ; net incrciJ.se ol chuich membcis, 9,205. Several nnpoitant measure& adopted for the prospi'iny o\ the connex o>, peace and harmony amongst ilie breUuen. Voity joung men taken on trial as (ra;Jling preachers; everything quite satisfuctoiy to the conference, and at the coufucn. c camp meeting upwards of 10,000 peisons aUeiukd,