Mad doctors, mad houses, and mad laws : in a series of three letters addressed to the editor of the "Scotsman."

  • Mackintosh, Angus.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mad doctors, mad houses, and mad laws : in a series of three letters addressed to the editor of the "Scotsman.". Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    1852. My supporting my personal expenses and further proceed- ings at law on the small income I had reserved to myself, was out of the question. Moreover, I had assigned to my trustee the right and duty of proceeding in my hehalf. To move him to do so I found to he very up-hill work : possibly he had no great desire to bring the trust to a conclusion, as it provided for him an ample remuneration, and he might conceive that so long as I remained under a cloud I was less likely to terminate the trust. But, with whatever view, he was in no hurry to take action for me. After much delay, he consented that the opinion of Edinburgh counsel should be taken on the whole circumstances of the case. And for Mr Dean, I will say this, that, however shy he shewed in com- mencing an inquiry, once he had passed his word that an opinion of counsel should be taken, it was really his intention and desire that this should be done with the least delay possible; for he is a man of much activity of body and great energy of mind. How^ ever, in preparing the case and obtaining an opinion of counsel, a firm of Scottish agents in London—Messrs Connel and Hope—came to be employed, and under them a young man of the name of Monelaws, a W.S. here in Edinburgh—a poor fellow, who, I believe, has since come to a very unhappy end. Now, as a general rule, no one admires the adage Be mortuis nil nisi bonum more than I do, although in the present case, so far as I deem it necessary, I con- sider myself justified in disregarding it. Having previously, for some time, resided in London, I came down to Edinburgh in the beginning of the year 1855, (when Mr Mone- laws was conducting it,) to urge the matter forward. I remained at that time about a month in Edinburgh; but finding my presence did no good, I returned to London. What I have now to state, I had from Mr Dean. Soon after my return to London he had a meeting with Mr Connel on some other of the trust affairs. Mr Connel was called out for a few minutes to see another gentleman, and Mr Dean saw in front of him a letter, headed Holme Trust, evidently on our joint affairs from Mr Monelaws to Connel and Hope. He could not but see the contents of it; it was dated dur- ing my residence in Edinburgh, and to the effect that I was there urging forward the preparation of the case for counsel's opinion with great pertinacity, that he had done all he could to delay the matter, and keep the drag on, but he feared he could not do so much longer. I may mention that Mr Monelaws had been sought out by myself, and intrusted with the case at my own desire, on