The Press. — London, England, 1855-04-21 00:00:00

APRIL 21, 1855. is well for Spain to ponder on the concluding sen tence of his speech. It is not likely that we should ever degrade ourselves by a system of petty annoy ances and savage persecutions unworthy of a great and enlightened people ; but it is worthy of consi deration whether we have any and what interest in propping up a nation whose antiquity is best esti mated by its decay and its faith by its fanaticism. I am, sir, your very obedient servant, A CONSERVATIVE. Malaga, April 4, 1855. THE SCUTARI HOSPITAL. " ONE of the Medical Staff" at Scutari, writing from the hospital under date of March 22, requests us to correct some misstatements which have appeared in the columns of a contemporary relative to the state of the hospital. It was alleged that " the stretchers, which have as yet been the only resting-place of the patients," have just given place "to an improved kind of bedstead." Now these "stretchers," as they are contemptuously called, are, according to our corre spondent, perfectly efficient bedsteads, answering every purpose required, and have only been altered by adding a shelf to the supporter at the upper end of the bedstead. To the statement that "the sick who have come down with dysentery and fever have almost all died," a direct contradiction is given, the writer stating that, from his own positive knowledge, a large majority of the cases of diarrhoea, dysentery, and fever that come down from the camp do not fermi nate fatally, but recover entirely or partially. On the medical treatment of the sick, which was asserted to be most injudicious, to be of too stimu lating a kind, and wholly contrary to the practice of experienced physicians in the East, our correspon dent states that many of the hospital surgeons had had most extended experience of fever and dysentery in India, that the treatment varied with the age, con dition, disorder, and circumstances of the patient in each particular case, and that stimulants were dis countenanced in cases of fever and dysentery, unless the patient's strength was so reduced as to render them necessary. Many of the patients brought down from the camp are so fearfully reduced, appearing as if suffering from starvation, that stimulants afford the only chance of restoring them; and that they are in many cases unsuccessful must be attributed, not to their improper administration, but to the hopeless weakness of the patients. To the assertion that the treatment pursued during the illness of the seamen was totally wrong, and that the lives of officers and men were sacrificed to the incompetency of the doctors, " One of the Staff" re torts by quot►ng the previously-expressed sentiment of the censor, that on " the medical question it would be impossible for a layman to venture an opinion." On the devotion of the medical officers to their duties, on the present state of the hospitals, and on the urgent necessity for strengthening the medical staff, our correspondent may speak for himself : Of fifteen medical officers attached to the hospitals at Kullelt two or three days ago, ten were sick, one of whom has since died. All these officers had caught their illness in the discharge of their duty. The 95th Regiment has lost three surgeons within the last twelve months, and every medical officer of that regiment has been dangerously ill. I know of instances where medical officers have risen from a sick-bed, when so much enfeebled that they could hardly stand, and have dragged themselves to the bedsides of their patients, though themselves as ill as most of those they attended. Soldiers have told me of a medical officer dropping down exhausted in the hospital. A few days ago, at Kulleli, in consequence of the great sickness among the staff, one officer had for a short period to take charge of four hundred patients ! What is the consequence ? The mortality among the medical men is fearful ; and, of those who recover, many go home with shattered health and en feebled constitutions. And it must be remembered that those who die fall into the grave unnoticed said unknown ; they die, not on the field of glory—their names are never blazoned forth for the country to mourn and honour—their memory lives only in the hearts of a few friends and com rades—their only epitaph is spoken by the soldiers whose lives they have saved, perhaps at the cost of their own. Surely it is a little harsh to attack men against whom no charge of inattention or neglect is attempted to be brought. There are one or two other points upon which I must be permitted to touch. First. The hospitals at Scutari are profusely supplied with all food and luxuries for the sick. I will venture to affirm that there is no hospital in London in which so many extras are ordered and given : the number of fowls, eggs, jellies, &c., used daily would provoke a very strong remonstrance from the governors of any civil hospital, if ordered by their medical officers. The bread supplied is far better than that which the officers receive—the wine and porter are excellent—the meat is of the best quality the country can afford. Thanks to many kind friends in England, especially to Mr. Arthur Smith of the Egyptian hall, the patients are abundantly supplied with books and newspapers. The nurses, as far as my experience extends, are most kind and attentive; in fact they are invaluable, as the orderlies are necessarily inexperienced. The great want is more medical officers. The present staff is dreadfully overworked. Although the number of patients to each officer is not apparently very large, vet, from the serious and extremely complicated nature of the cases, we have far more than we can properly attend to. have between eighty and ninety. A friend of mine has a hundred and fifty. Now, if these were ordinal? cases, THE PRESS. viz., many very slight, many more moderate, and a few very bad, it might be possible to get through them, but with such cases as we have it is a simple impossibility to give each case the attention it merits. The writer concludes by stating that he does not impute wilful misrepresentation to the correspondent of the journal in question, but imagines that he has been misled by receiving his information from persons not well informed on the facts. Sroi.xz's long announced performance of Fides in the Prophite has at length taken place, and (says Galignani) by no means realised the expecta tions of success anticipated by her admirers. THE SEASON OF THE ITALIAN OPERA has just ter minated in Paris. The works produced were Matilda di Shabran, by Rossini; Il Barbiere, Semi ramide, Otello, by the same master. Bellini's Puritani, and Beatrice di Tenda. Donizetti's Linda di Chamonix: Le Tre Nozze, by Alary ; and Gli Arabi, by Pacini. Without doubt the great bait of the season has been Verdi's Trovatore, which opera, out of the eighty representations given during this season, has been performed no less than twenty three times. It is asserted that if Verdi's Rigoletto could have been produced, these two operas alone would have rendered the season completely success ful in a financial point of view. ........ LADVERTISEPIENT.) — " No peremptory rule can well be laid down for the guidance of nations any more than for the conduct of individuals respecting interference with the affairs of others. It is conceivable that a nation may be so supereminent in power, so justly confident in its own judicial qualifications, so unencumbered by nearer and more pressing duties, as to be warranted in curbing the excesses of foreign despots, allaying democratic disorders, and protecting weak commnnities from the brutal oppres sion of the strong. Again, in the case of individuals, in terference between the oppressor and the oppressed may be an act of manly duty. Oftentimes, however, when the brave yet tender heart swells with sympathy and righteous indignation, reason and justice hold back the ready right arm, and compel us to abide in patience until the ways of Providence are justified to men. A special charge en trusted to our care may command onr undivided attention. Prior claims may press upon the conscience, and forbid our undertaking new duties ere the former are discharged. So in the case of a nation laden with grave responsibilities, having long-standing evils to redress, and many deficien cies to supply, it would be a mixture of mockery and pre sumption to stretch forth an officious hand in aid of dis tant sufferers, whilst at her very doors, and in her inmost chambers, pestilence and want, ignorance and crime, daily contribute their miserable victims to the hospital and the workhouse, the gaol and the graveyard. It may, however, be maintained that the present war is undertaken, not for the purpose of defending an oppressed community, but simply to prevent an already powerful nation from acquir ing an increase of strength dangerous to the whole family of nations on the Continent. In short, we are at war for the sake of preserving the ' balance of power,' that beautiful 4iseovery of krngs and statesmen which has proved so fer tile a source of zrime, misery, and bloodshed to all the races of Europe. We will, however, take liberty to doubt whether the people of Great Britain would have oordially entered into this orthodox view of the subject. In fact, the gravest of our statesmen think it well at times to spice their harangues with a seasoning of indignation against the tyranny of Russian aggression, and raise their elo quence to a tepid heat by a dash of sympathy with the ill used Turks. gut, on the other hand, when our statesmen desire, as does happen sometimes, to be precise and busi nesslike instead of vague and declamatory, they carefully inform us that this is no war in aid of oppressed nationa lities; we are solemnly assured that we take the part of Turkey, not because Russia is cruel, vicious, and glutton ous, but because she is likely to prove too powerful for our own safety ; not because honour and humanity call us for ward, but because self-interest impels us from behind. This is the statesman's view of the whole matter. We go to war for the sake of that important personage—number one. Away then with the sentimental slang about op- pressed nationalities—the grandiloquent announcement that we are engaged in resisting and subduing the spirit of Cossack aggression—away with the vain expectation that now at length the pure air of freedom will flow un checked through the length and breadth of Europe. It is no mistake, we are fighting not for a principle, but for our own ends ; not for the sake of humanity, but for the sake of self."—From an " Inquiry into the War with Russia," by an English Landowner—Hamilton and Adams, Paternoster row. Ittimtg Varktt an titg linttiligtntt. 711 DAT IYININO. WHILE waiting for the Budget-speech of the Chan cellor of Exchequer, and for the result of his propo. sitions for a loan, the habitués of the Stock Ex change have to a great extent taken holiday during the week, postponing basiness, like the rest of the community, to the pleasure and interest derived from the visit of the French Emperor and Empress. The transactions have accordingly been exceedingly limited, and allow us only to trace the depressing effect of the very unsatisfactory intelligence from Vienna respecting the proceedings at the conference. This morning the bildings, or rather bidding, for there was but one, for the new loan of 16,000,0001., were duly investigated, and the wept ance of the terms offered by Messrs. Rothschild, the single competitor for the loan announced by the Finance Minister. The following are the conditions as put forth in ;their formal letter to Sir G. Lewis : London, 20th April, IWO. Sir,—ln conformity with the public notice issued by 601 Treasury, we have the honour of submitting the following offer for the loan or sixteen millions. We agree to take the whole of the sixteen millions three per cent. Consoli dated Annuities, with dividend from the Oth of Janina"' last, at par, payable in instalments at the periods dated lit the said notice, upon receiving for each 1001. an annuity cll tourteen shillings and sixpence, say 14s. 6d.—terminable in thirty years, to commence from the Oth inst., payable half-yearly; and we are accordingly ready to pay the deposit on the same. We remain, air, Very respectfully, your obedient servants, N. N. ROTIIIICMILD. To the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The terms herein offered and accepted, we may state, are equivalent to a creation of Consolidatei Stock at a fraction closer than 87 per cent. This afternoon considerable depression has pre vailed in the Stock Market, and a decline of fully per cent. has been experienced; Consols having re ceded to 891 to 89i for Money and the 10th of May. Reduced Three per Cents. have also declined to 881. and the New Three per Cents. to 89. Bank Stock. 2111. India Bonds,lss. Exchequer-bills, 4s. to 10a. prem. Ditto Bonds, 991. The transactions in British shares present no fluctuations of importance. The market has genertlly been well supported. FOREIGN. Transactions in Foreign Stock have not been nume rous. The only change requiring notice is the advance in Turkish,which have recovered to 741 ex. div. To-day prices have been somewhat flatter for their securities. SHARES. The Court of East India Directors have decided upon according a guarantee of 5 per cent. interest upon 500,0001. of the capital of the Bombay, Bemis, and Central India Railway Company, and have in consequence formally notified to the company that the section of their line between Surat and Baroda, °e. and proceeding to Ahmedabad, must be pro with immediately. The directors of the corn have, in consequence, resolved to reduce the espi of the company to 500,0001., an amount whieh is considered sufficient to make the first portion of the lice. This line of railway is of very considerable importance, as it will open the productive cotton districts of India in the same manner that the SeiodS Railway will bring the produce of the rich corn growing valley of the Indus to a port for shipment. BRITISH FUNDS. Closing Prtoeo. OFFICIAL QUOTATION. Mond. need. Wed. i Thsers ] Tridag. —'— —I-- --- I per Cent. Console 9O I 204 N 1 4. 00 69f ',Motor Account $ per Cents Reduced 3 per Cents Long Annuities Bank Stook, 7 per Cent — 210 210 :114 India Stook, 104 per Cnt 228 Bich. Bills, 24d. per diem 8 10 10 5 5 10 . 4 10 India Bonds, (1,0001.) l4 11 14 11 14 5 16 BANE OF ENGLAND. AR Account, pursuant to the Aot 7th and Bth Victoria, cap. 321 for the week ending on Saturday, the 14th day of April, 1665. 15505 DEPARTIMIT. Noteslueued 428,351,30 Oovernment Debt 111,015,100 Other Securities .. 2,984,200 Bold Coin & Hulllon 1051,3 OA Silver --• 328,361,365 421411/1,868 Prourietors'CapitalBl4,Bs3,ooo Government Seen- Rest Public, Deposita* 2,740,440 Dead WeigbtAn.i 414,478.718 Other Deposits %even Day & other Notes 7,967,63/ Bills -- ---- 1185,678,603 193,1173,11 1 u3 e Including Eschmuer, Savings Banks, Commissioners of National Debt, and Dividend Accounts. The toregoing return, when compared with that of the preceding week, ending Apra 7, exhibits the following changes: In the Public Depotits MICISAIII , of Other Deposits Notes Issued Do. Reserved D of 019,64111 green -day Bilk I of Coin and Bullion Goserrament Securities .. :1110RICASO Of Other Sseurikes D of SW 997 The Rest VAN fue amount of active circulation in Notes /910,111% , 3 RIO Do. in Seteci•day and other Bills 9 7 721 .....—........- 21.832.1114 Coln and Bullion In both Departments /4,4113,087