of the unhappy individuals, for whose relief it was projected. For this purpose, or rather for these purposes, the author com

mences with an abstract of the 14th Geo. 3. c. 49. which he' accompanies with a few reflections; he then proceeds to recite and examine the provisions of Mr. Rose's Bill, in the pream-, ble of which the former Statute is repealed, "except as to the penalties before incurred.”

We have neither time nor room to enter as we could wish, into the merits of the argument on this part of the subject. We shall content ourselves with remarking, that the comments and deductions every where display considerable talent and sagacity. The analysis of the Bill is conducted with great skill and precision; and redounds as much to the honor of the author, as it demands the serious attention of the Legislature. The objections are many and forcible; they are lodged in positions at once strong and commanding; positions which we think would be found impregnable, if the remedial suggestions of the author were adopted; particularly that securing the superintendance of Lunatic Asylums, to those only who have taken a "regular degree in medicine, at some University, or are members of the College of Physicians, or of the College of Surgeons, or have under- gone an examination of their qualifications by some competent judges."

But although we cannot at present further touch on this topic, we will submit to our readers and the country at large, the author's synopsis of the Act of Parliament 14th Geo. 3. c. 49, that they may see, upon comparing it with the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons, and the evidence on which that Report was founded, how flagrantly the law of the land has been violated, in cases wherein its behests have every claim to compliance which can be advanced on the score of jus tice, humanity, and the commonest sympathies of our nature

"By this Act, after reciting that abuses existed, it was enacted That if any person in England, Wales, or the town of Berwick upon Tweed, should conceal, harbour, entertain, or confine, in any house or place kept for the reception of lunatics, more than one lunatic at any one time, without having such licence as therein after directed, (except such lunatics as should be committed by the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Keeper, or Commissioners for the custody of the Great Seal, for the time being, ) every such person, for every such offence, should forfeit and pay the sum of £500.

"The second, third, and fourth Sections provide for the elec-2 tion of five fellows, or in the want of fellows, of licenciates of the College of Physicians, to visit such houses as should be licensed CRIT. REV. VOL. III. January, 1816.

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and kept for the reception of lunatics, within the cities of London and Westminster, and with inseven miles of the same, and within the County of Middlesex, and to grant licences within the same limits.

The fifth Section prescribes an oath to be taken by each Commissioner, That he would faithfully and impartially execute all the trusts committed unto him, by virtue of the Act, and that he would not, directly or indirectly, give notice, or cause notice to be given, to the keeper or person having the care of any house licensed for the reception of lunatics, of the time of visitation of such house or place.

"The sixth and seventh Sections enacted, that the meetings of the Commissioners should be held in the College of Physicians, that the Treasurer of the College should be treasurer for the purposes of the Act, and that the Commissioners should appoint a Secretary, who should be sworn, That he would faithfully execute all such trusts as should be committed to his charge, as Secretary to the Commissioners for executing the Act, and that he would keep secret all such matters as should come to his knowledge in the execution of his office (except when required to divulge the same by legal authority.)

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"It was then by the eight and tenth Sections enacted, that the Commissioners, or any three or more of them should annually meet according to a public notice, on the third Wednesday in the month of October, or within ten days afterwards, and should grant licences for keeping houses for the reception of lunatics, for one year, from the 20th day of November then next ensuing, within the limits before mentioned, to every person who should desire the same, upon the payment of certain sums, amounting in their greatest extent to something less than sixteen pounds. Each licence to extend to only one house. By the tenth Section no Commissioner was, during the time of his being such, to be interested in keeping any house for the reception of lunatics, upon pain of forfeiting fifty pounds.

"After some provisions for the summoning of meetings, and the manner of the voting of the Commissioners, it was enacted by the fourteenth Section, that the Commissioners, or any three or more of them, either by themselves, or with their Secretary, as they should think fit, should, and they are thereby required, once at least in every year, and whenever required, by the Lord High Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, or Commissioners for the Custody of the Great Seal, or by the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, or by. the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, for the time being, to visit and inspect all such houses as should have been licensed by them, as aforesaid, between the hours of eight and five in the day time; and might in like manner, at any other time or times, within the hours

aforesaid, visit and inspect all such houses, as often as they, or any three or more of them, should think necessary, and should have at all such times liberty and power to continue in such house, and to examine the persons confined as lunatics therein, for such time as they should think proper.

"And it was by the next Section further enacted, That the said Commissioners, or their Secretary, should, at every such visitation, make minutes in writing, of the state and condition of all such houses which they should so visit, as to the care of the patients therein, and all such other particulars as they should think deserving their notice, together with their observations thereupon; all' which minutes should within one week next after such visitation, be by the said Secretary entered, by way of report, in a register to be kept by him in the said College of Physicians for that pur-' pose, and the same should be read to, and signed by, the said Commissioners, or any three or more of them, at their next meeting; but no minute which tended to impeach the character of any house should be so entered, unless such minute should have been so previously signed, by three or more of the said Commissioners who should have been present at such visitation, and in case the Commissioners upon their visitation, should discover any thing, that in their opinion, should deserve censure or animadversion, they should, in that case, report the same; and such part of their report, and no more, should be hung up in the censor's room of the College, to be perused and inspected by any person who should apply for that purpose. By the sixteenth Section, if any keeper of any house or place for the reception of lunatics within the limits before mentioned should refuse all or any of the said Commissioners, at the time of their visitation, admittance into such house or place as aforesaid, with or without their Secretary, the master or keeper of such house or place should, for such offence, forfeit his licence.

"The seventeenth and eighteenth Sections required the Commissioners, to cause an exact account to be kept of all their proceedings, in a register in a particular manner mentioned in the Act, which register should be the property, and for the use of the Commissioners, but subject to the inspection of the President of the College.

"The next Section provided, That if any person should apply to one of the Commissioners, in order to be informed, whether any particular person or persons should have been confined in any of the said licensed houses, and the said Commissioners should think it reasonable to permit such enquiry to be made, and should sign an order directed to the Secretary for that purpose; he, the said Secretary, was thereby required, upon the receipt of such order, to make search upon, his papers; and if it should appear, upon such search, that the person or persons so enquired after, had been confined in any of the said houses, the said Secretary, should immediately acquaint the persons so applying with the name of the keeper in whose house, and also the names of those by whose

direction and advice, such persons or persons had been so confined.

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By the twentieth Section, each Commissioner was to be paid by the Treasurer, one guinea and his reasonable expences for each visit made to any licensed house, in obedience to the Act. The Treasurer was required to keep an exact account, to be examined by the President and elects of the College of Physicians.

"The twenty-first Section of the Act provides, that, in order that the said Commissioners might know, when any patient was received into any such licensed house or place; the keeper of every such licensed house or place within the limits before mentioned, was required, within the space of three days after any patient should be received into any such licensed house or place, (except such pauper Lunatics, as should happen to be sent there by any parish officers,) to cause notice thereof to be given to the Secretary to the said Commissioners, which notice should contain the name of every such person received as a Lunatic into such house or place, the name or names, and place or places of abode, of the person or persons by whose direction, such Lunatic was sent to. such house or place, and also the name or names, and place or or places of abode, of the Physician, Surgeon, or Aphothecary, by whose advice such direction was given; all which notices, should be sent, sealed up, directed to the Secretary, who was required to file and preserve them, and cause a copy or extract, to be entered in the register; and every keeper of any such licensed house or place, who should admit, harbour, entertain or confine, any person as a lunatic, without having an order, in writing, under the hand and seal of some Physician, Surgeon, or Apothecary, that such person was proper to be received into such house or place as a lunatic, or should receive any lunatic into such house or place, having such order, and should not give notice thereof to the Secretary of the said Commissioners, within the time, and in the manner aforesaid, should forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred pounds.

"By the twenty-second and twenty-third Sections, every house kept for the reception of more than one Lunatic, not situated within the limits before mentioned, was to be licensed by the Justices of the Peace, at some Quarter Sessions of the Peace to be holden for the county or place wherein such house or place should be situated, which Justices were required to grant licences to such person or persons as should apply for that purpose, alike in effect and expence to those granted in London. And the said Justices were required, at the time of granting such licences, to appoint two Justices of the Peace for the said county, and also one Physician, to visit and inspect all such houses as should be licensed by such Justices, and the said Justices and Physicians, so nominated and appointed, or any two of them, whereof the Physician should be one, might, and were thereby authorized and impowered, to visit in the day time, every house so licensed, within the county wherein such,

house or place should be so licensed, so often as they should think fit. The Visitors last mentioned were by the next Section authorized to make minutes in writing in the same manner as the visiting Commissioners; which minutes should be entered by way of report, in a register, to be kept for that purpose, by the Clerk of the Peace, of the county, and a copy thereof be from time to time transmitted to the Secretary to the said Commissioners, to be by him inserted in a separate register; to be preserved in the same manner as the other register to be kept by him. The Clerk of the Peace of each county, was required to keep the accounts of the receipts and expenditure under the Act, within his county, and was to be paid such sums of money for his trouble as the Justices should order and direct. By the next Section he was required to take a like oath to that appointed for the Secretary to the Commissioners.

"A similar forfeiture was then prescribed, if any keeper in the country, should refuse admittance to the visitors, to that appointed for the like offence within the limits first mentioned; and he was required to send the same notices to the Secretary to the Commissioners, the time only being extended to 14 days, under the like penalties, and regulations, as those residing in London.

"The twenty-eighth Section required, that no licence should be granted as aforesaid, either by the Commissioners, or Justices of the Peace, unless upon the granting of such licences, the person to whom such licence was granted, should enter into a recog nizance to the King's Majesty, his heirs and successors, in the sum of one hundred pounds, with two sufficient sureties, each in the sum of fifty pounds, or one sufficient surety in the sum of one hundred pounds, under the usual conditions, for the good behaviour of such person, during the time for which such licence should be granted.

"The twenty-ninth Section provides, that the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Keeper, or the Commissioners for the Custody of the Great Seal, or the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, or the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, for the time being, might at any time or times, by any written order, directed to the respective visitors, require them to visit or inspect, any house or houses so licensed; and also to make a report to him, or them, touching such matters as they should, in such orders be directed to enquire into, or as they should think deserving his or their Lordship's notice; and the same persons might also, at any time or times, by a like order send for and inspect the register or registers, so to be kept as aforesaid;⋅ and might summon and examine, all or any of the persons concerned in the execution of the Act, as often as should be thought necessary or proper; and in case they or any of them, should not obey all such orders as aforesaid, within two days after the receipt of the same, and should not shew sufficient cause to the contrary, every person so offending, should be deemed guilty of a contempt