We have it on the word of Justinian, that “by the law of nature all men were born free.” Yet the Blue Book of the Commissioners in Lunacy, recently published, shows that 36,871 Englishmen are deprived of their liberty, and confined in lunatic asylums. And if we compare these numbers with those in the Report for 1869 it will be found that during the year 1870 the insane of all classes have increased in number by 2,042, or 174 private and 1,868 pauper patients. This increase is not exceptional, but has been going on for many years.