The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

p NOVEMBER 4, 1854. MISS NIGHTINGALE. The question, " Who is Mrs. Nightingale'" having been asked by many, the Examiner last week gave the following answer :—" Mrs. Nightingale is Miss Nightingale, or rather Miss Florence Nightingale, the youngest daughter and presumptive coheiress of her father, William Shore Nightingale, of Embley park, Hampshire, and Lea Hurst, Derbyshire. She is, moreover, a young lady of singular endow ments, both natural and acquired. Iu a knowledge of the ancient languages, and of the higher branches of mathematics, in general art, science, and liters• titre, her attainments are extraordinary. There is scarcely a modern language which she does not un derstand; and she speaks French, German, and Italian as fluently as her nativo English. She has visited and studied the various nations of Europe, and has ascended the Nile to its remotest cataract. Young (about the age of our Queen), graceful, femi nine, rich, and popular, she holds a singularly gentle and persuasive influence over all with whom she conies in contact." The following letter from the Secretary at Wur to Miss Nightingale has obtained publicity : Dear Miss Nightingale,—You will have seen in the papers that there is a great deficiency of nurses at the hospital at Scutari. The other alleged deficiencies, namely, medical men, lint, sheets, &c., must, if they have really ever existed, have been remedied ere this, as the number of the medical officers with the army amounted to one to every ninety. five men in the whole force, being nearly double what we have ever had before ; and thirty more surgeons west out there three weeks ago, and must by this time, therefore, be at Constantinople. A further supply went on Monday, and a fresh batch sail next week. As to medical stores, they ' have been sent out in profusion, but by the ton weight -13,000 pair of sheets; medicines, wine, arrowroot, in the same proportion—and the only way of accounting for the deficiency at Scutari, if it exists, is that the mass of the stores went to Varna, and bad not been sent back when the army left for the Crimea; but four days would have remedied that. In the meanwhile stores are arriving. But the deficiency of female nurses is undoubted, none but male nurses having ever been admitted to military hospi- tals. It would be impossible to carry about a large staff of the female nurses with an army in the field. lint at Scu tari, having now a fixed hospital, no military reason exists against the introduction, and I am confident they might be introduced with great benefit ; for hospital orderlies must be very rough hands, and most of them, on such an occa sion as this, very inexperienced ones. I receive numbers of offers from ladies to go out, but they are ladies who have no conception of what a hospital is, nor of the nature of its duties, and they would when the time came either recoil from the work or be entirely useless, and consequently, what is worse, entirely in the way ; nor would those ladies pro bably even understand the necessity, especially in a mili tary hospital, of strict obedience to rule, &c. Lady Maria Forrester ( Lord Roden's daughter) has made some proposal to Dr. Smith, the head of the army medical department, either to go with, or to send out, trained nurses. I apprehend she means from Fitzroy square, John-street, or some such an establishment. The Rev. Mr. Hume, once chaplain to the General Hospital at Birmingham (and better known as the author of the scheme for transferring the City churches to the suburbs), has offered to go out himself as chaplain, with two daughters and twelve nurses. He was in the army seven years, and has been used to hospitals, and I like the tone of his letter very much. I think from both of these offers practical elects may be drawn. lint the difficulty of finding nurses who are at all versed in their business is probably best known to Mr Hume, and Lady Maria Forrester probably has not tested the willing nets of the trained nurses to go, and is incapable of direct ing or ruling them. There is but one person in Eng land that I know of who would be capable of organising and superintending such a scheme, and I have been several times on the point of asking you, hypothetically, if, sup posing the attempt were made, you would undertake to direct it. The selection of the rank and file of nurses will be very difficult; no one knows that better than yourself. The difficulty of finding women equal to a task, after all, full of horror, and requiring, besides knowledge and good will, great knowledge and great courage, will be great; the task of ruling and introducing system among them great; and not the least will be the difficulty of making the whole work smoothly with the medical and military authorities out there. That it is which makes it so important that the experiments should be carried out by one with administra tive capacity and experience. A number of sentimental en thusiastic ladies, turned loose into the hospital of Scutari, would probably, after a few days, be mists a la ports by those whose business they would interrupt, and whose authority they would dispute. My question simply is, would ou listen to the request to go out and super% lac the whole thing? Yon would, of course, have plenary authority over all the nurses, and I think 1 could secure you the fullest assis tance and co-operation from the medical staff. and you would also have an unlimited power of drawing on the Government for whatever you think requisite for the suc cess of your mission. On this part of the subject the details are too many for a letter, and I reserve it for our meeting, for, whatever decision you take, I know you will give me every assistance and advice. I d) not say one word to press you. You are the only per a n who can judge for yourself which of conflicting or incorm atible duties is the fiist, or the highest, but I think I must not conceal from you that upon your decision will dept n I the ultimate success or 1, lire of the plan. Your own personal quali ties, your knowledge, and your power of administration, and, among greater things, your rank and position in society, give you advantages in such a work which no other person ;assesses. If this succeeds an enormous amount of THE PRESS. good will be done now, and to persons deserving everything at our hands, and which will multiply the good to all time. I hardly like to be sanguine as to your answer. If it were yes, I am certain the bracebridges would go with you, and give you all the comforts you would require, and which their society and sympathy only could give you. I have written very long, for the subjectis very near my heart. Liz iswriting to Mrs. liracebridge to tell her what I am doing. I go back to town to-morrow morning. Shall I come to you between three and live ? Will you let me have a line at the War-office to let me know? There is one point which I have hardly a right to touch upon, but I trust you will pardon me. If you were inclined to undertake the great work, would Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale consent? This work would be so national, and the request made to you proceeding from the Government, which represents the nation, comes at such a moment that I do not despair of their consent. Deriving your authority from the Govern ment, your position would ensure the respect and consi deration of every one, especially in a service where official rank carries so much weight. This would secure you any attention or comfort on your way out there, together with a complete submission to your orders. I know these things are a matter of indifference to you, except as far as they may further the great object you would have iu view ; but they are of importance in themselves, and of every impor tance to those who have a right to take an interest in your personal position and comfort. I know you will come to a right and wise decision. God grant it may be in accor dance with my hopes '.—Believe me, dear Miss Nightingale, ever yours, SIDNEY lIEREERT. October 15. Miss Nightingale and her staff of nurses embarked yesterday week at Marseilles in the Vectis for Malta sod Constantinople. They were everywhere received in their transit through France with demonstrations of sympathy and respect. The Semaphore de Marseilles contains the following account of their departure The war in the East has not only exhibited the courage of English and French soldiers, but has also given rise to acts of the most sublime devotion on the part of the weaker sex, who know so well how to fulfil acts of Christian charity. The arrival of fifty-five ladies, who volunteered to proceed to the. East to attend uu the sick and wounded, has caused a profound sensation in our city. The Times expressed its regret a short time since that the English nation did not follow the example set by our heroic Sisters of Charity. We find that the appeal has not been made in vain. Some years ago a young lady, Miss Nightingale, founded in London an establishment for nurses, and she has undertaken to exercise her Christian charity on a theatre exposed to more danger and under more trying cir cumstances. From all we could learn of Miss Nightingale and her companions, we are convinced that she is equal, if not superior, to this undertaking, to which the English Government has given its support. Miss Nightl-e-i -possesses every advantage this world can afford. She is young, rich, and in possession of a fortune of 30,0001 ; she has nevertheless devoted herself to au existence of self denial. Moved by the sufferings of her countrymen in the East, she resolved to follow the sublime example of our Sisters of Charity. With that view she left London to seek a new theatre where she might display her charity and benevolence. The Roman Catholic religion, which has to sustain its ancient reputation for charity, also furnished its honourable contingent of young English ladies. Twelve nuns from the convent at Norwood, under the charge of their superioreas, an Irish lady, have also volunteered to accompany Miss Nightingale. Charity alone can effectually smooth down all differences in religiuu. For a long time past Sisters of Charity, acting under a pious inspiration. have been in the habit of attending the sick and suffering. This is the neutral ground chosen by the Norwood nuns and the companions of Miss Nightingale for emulation. An English priest, the Rev. Mr. W'heble, has already set them the example. This clergyman gave his services wherever they were required, without asking of what per suasion the person was who stood in need of them. At three o'clock to•day these ladies traversed our city to take passage in the Vedic This vessel, which generally plies I between Marseilles and Malta, has been placed at the dis posal of these charitable ladies by the Peninsular Company, midis to convey them to Constantinople. The commander, Captain Powell, as well as the crew, received them with every mark of respect. Every one admired the simple and becoming costume of these women, particularly that of Miss Nightingale, who from her ladylike manners and ap pearance might be taken for a Parisienne, She wore &brown dress, a grey shawl, with a mantle of the sante colour, and a black bonnet, altogether in harmony with the Christian mission ~he has undertaken. The Roman Catholic ladies where habited in their conventual dress—a white robe and black cap. Amongst the certificated nurses who have left under the charge of Miss Nightingale is Miss Erskine, eldest daughter of the Dowager Lally Erskine, of Pwll-y.crochan, North Wales. Two sis ters of Mr. G. 0. Higgins, M.P. for Mayo, are also about to depart for Scutari. Twenty-four Sisters of Charity have just taken their departure in the Lycurgate, from Marseilles, for Alexandria. THE TESTIMONIALS TO THE BEV. ROBERT WHISTON, MA., head master of the Cathedral Grammar School, Rochester, in acknowledgment of his eflbrts in the cause of cathedral reform, and purchased by public subscription, were presented to that gentleman yes terday week. The deputations from London, Man chester, Liverpool, Derby, and other places asseml le 1 on that day at Mr. WW piston's residence, and, having been duly introduced by the Mayor of Rochester, the complimentary ceremonies appropriate to the occa sion were duly completed. t e irtlan b. The report that Lord Bangor was certain to succeed as Irish representative peer to the vacancy caused by the death of Lord Dunailey has elicited a letter from Lord Talbot de Malahide, who announces his inten tion of becoming a candidate. 'Viscount Donerail, who had obtained several promises, gives way to Lord Bangor, but will be a candidate upon the next vacancy. An official communication has been received by the Registrar of Queen's College, Belfast, that students who have taken the degree of A.B. at the Queen's University in Ireland will le admitted as candidates for orders in the Church et England and Ireland, after an attendance of one year at St. Aiden's Collet - re. Birkenhead, which is under the direction of theAreb bishop of Canterbury. The so-called " Catholic University' was to be opened yesterday (Friday), without any ceremonial, in the absence of Archbishop who has left for Rome. It was expected Oat at the close of the session, the form of confeiong degrees and honours by virtue of a bull to 3e obtained trom the Pope would be gone through. The agricultural products, &c., of Ireland are shown in a very impertant o cial return just pub lished. The results are calculated to cause some surprise. It appears that there was in the prsent year, as competed with 18 53 , an increase of wheat of not less than 84,527 acres; but the decrease in other grain was very great; in oats it was 114,383 acres; and in here, barley, end rye, 01,377 acres. The total decrease in cereals was 91,233 acres. With regard to green crops, considerable changes have °centred in the system of cultivation. 'rhere was, in the pre sent year, an increase in the breadth of land under potatoes to the :arge extent of 90,702 acres ; but tur nips decreases to the amount of 70,271, and other green crops, 21,141 acres ; so that the augmentation in potatoes was fully met by the decrease in other green craps. There was also a decrease in flax, and in meadow and clover. The total decrease in land under crops in the present year was very consider able, having been 124,575 acres. The return affords further evidence of the rapid increase of pasturage and diminution of tillage farming in Ireland. (fib ituarg. Loner commit:Awe flied at his residence in Edin burgh upon Thursday week. The deceased was the eldest son of Mr. John Cuninghame, merchant, of Port Glasgow, and wag born in that seaport in the year 1782. He was called to the Scotch bar in 1807. On the accession of the Whigs to office in 1830 he was appointed an advocate depute, and promoted in 1831 to the Sheriffship of Elgin and Nairn. In 1835 he was appointed Silicitor-General for Scotland, and continued to discharge the duties of that office until 1837, when he was elevated to the bench of the Court of Session. Lord Cuningliame resigned his judicial seat about eighteen months ago. VICE-ADMIRAL RICHARD ARTHUR, C. 8., died at Plymouth, very suddenly, yesterday week. His com missions date, commander, 1805 ; captain, 1810; rear-admiral, 1840 ; and vice-admiral, 1858. His principal war services were at Copenhagen in 1807, where be commanded the Vesuvius, bomb; and in command of the Cherokee at the capture of seven privateers, including Minable Nelly, under the bat teries of Dieppe, in 1810, in which year lie was gazetted. Another naval officer, REAR-ADMIRAL LEITH HAY, expired on the 25th ult. at Blachford. The deceased was second son of the late General Alexander Leith Hay, and brother to Lieutenant-Colonel Sir A. L. Hay, M.P. for the Elgin district of burghs. He entered the navy in June, 1808, became lieutenant in 1809, commander in 1815, and post captain in 1825. He had been on the invalid list since his return from the Barbadoes station in 1841. Mr. CHARLES BEACH, the colleague of Mr. Ellice, sen., in the representation of Coventry, died on Wed nesday afternoon. The lion. member had been during the last ten days in a precarious state. Mr. (leach began life as a clerk in the Birmingham branch of the Bank of England, on the salary of 1501. per annum. From that situation he was selected as the managing director of the Birmitigll am and Midland Joint Stock Bank, which he conduAed with great ability and credit. Mr. Leach was a few years since the co-partner in the patent for the rsilwey axletree, a monopoly which, though the patent has expired, has continued a large source of wealth to the two proprietors. He was a director of the Crystal Palace Company, of the Manchester, Shef field, and Lincolnshire, and of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham railways, and a large contractor for working power. He was also the principal and active partner in one of the most extensive manufac tures of machinery in Staffordshire. His eabits of business and personal industry were uncommon, and a d his extensive commercial operations sr ;re all conducted with singular regularity and prudence. 1039