The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-01 00:00:00

, DECEMBER 1, 1855. THE NIGHTINGALE FUND. AN influential and brilliant meeting was held on Thursday at Willis's Rooms, to consider the best mode of recording "that the services of Miss Nightin gale in the hospitals of the East demanded the grateful recognition of the British people." The chair was taken by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, who arrived shortly after two o'clock, and experienced an enthusiastic reception. The Marquis of Lansdowne, the Marquis of Clanricarde, Viscount Goderich, M.P. ; Lord Stanley, M.P.; the Bight Hon. the Lord Mayor, the Right Hon. Sir J. Fakington, M.P.; the Hon. and Rev. S. G. Osborne, the Hon. Major Powys, Mr. Monckton Milnes, were present on the platform. His Royal Highness the Duke of CAMBRIDGE, on - taking the chair, made an eloquent allusion to the wretched state of our hospitals in the earlier part of the war, to the noble motives which actuated Miss Nightingale to leave home and friends in the hope of mitigating the sufferings of the soldiers, and to the success which attended her exertions :-- In spite of loss of health tor a brief period, and notwith -standing the many difficulties which surrounded her, she has never relaxed in her endeavours to accomplish the object she had proposed to herself. That object I venture to think she has most fully attained. All the accounts which come from the East bear testimony to the good ariler and the good system which have been established in .oar hospitals there, not indeed by her alone, but certainly Ito a great extent by means of her most valuable assistance. 'His Royal Highness then came to the point of his address—the manner in which it was proposed to -testify to Miss Nightingale the respect and sympathy her noble conduct had excited in England : I believe I am authorised to state that the object we have in view is not to build a new hospital—( cheers )—but to enable Miss Nightingale, with the assistance of a council whom she will be requested herself to select, to make use, unfettered, of a sum of money to establish a school for nurses, partly I believe of a higher order, if there be any such who may desire to come forth—and partly of the or dinary description, who, when trained by her, may be sent forth to the various hospitals which shall require their ser -vices. (Cheers.) That I believe to be the real object and intent with which this subscription has been formed. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE, Sir J. PAICINGTON, Lord GODERICH, and others then proposed reso lutions, as advertised. Lord STANLEY, who was very warmly received, said that a resolution had been placed in his hands, worded in the following manner "That to accomplish this object on a scale worthy of the nation, and honourable to Miss Nightingale, all classes be invited to contribute." (Cheers.) That resolution fol lowed so obviously from those which had already been .carried, that it needed but little eloquence to recommend it to the adoption of the meeting; but a word or two he might be permitted to say on the general object which they were there to promote, and on the means by which they proposed to accomplish that object. His lordship alluding to the arduous task Miss Nightingale had undertaken, observed : The public had heard much of late about " urgent pri vate affairs "—( cheers and laughter)—and it might well happen that those whom no danger could daunt, no diffi culty dismay, would turn sick and weary from the tedium of a protracted exile ; but Miss Nightingale had declared that, while the war lasted and the necessity for her services continued, and as long as her own health remained unim paired, her " private affairs " should not become " urgent," and she would not abandon her self-imposed duty. (En thusiastic applause.) Upon the principal object of the institution about to be established, Lord Stanley made a few leadi►ig remarks : The object of Miss Nightingale's mission was in part to substitute a voluntary attendance, prompted by charity and softened by refinement, for the services, sometimes no doubt valuable, but not always satisfactory, of hired nurses ; and for that purpose it was proposed to train and educate benevolent ladies, of whatever rank, by means of an in• stitution the general object of which was sufficiently clear, brit the specific form of which was left uncertain,—partly as a personal tribute to the lady in whose honour it was to be founded, and partly because they deferred to her as herself the best authority on the subject. (Loud cheers.) The noble lord, in conclusion, stated be did not at all apprehend that this new system of hospital nursing would degenerate into a mere fashionable pastime. The duties were too arduous and distaste.. ful to be undertaken by any one not seriously in earnest in the work : He regarded the institution, therefore, as earnestly prae• tical ; he was persuaded that it would be productive of the happiest results ; and it only remained to consider how it might be carried out in a manner and on a scale worthy alike of its object and its author. (Loud cheers.) After a few more speeches, the proceedings ter minated. for regulating the expenditure of the Turkish Loan are still unable to come to a satisfactory understanding with the Turkish Government. The Porte resists the inquisitive pro ceedings of the commissioners, who insist upon executing their ;mission with tillOUte fidelity, THE Pllt§g. ~.~.<. LORD STANLEY ON THE EDUCATION OF THE RURAL POPULATION. LORD STANLEY, in a letter addressed to Sir Willoughby Jones, of thimmer hall, Norfolk, upon the subject of the late educational meeting at Fakenham, pro pounds a scheme for encouraging the acquisition of knowledge among the rural population at once simple, practical, and suggestive. The establish ment of public libraries and local reading-rooms is the object of this plan. "These once established," observes the noble lord, "the desire for more and better schools will speedily follow. The evil which friends of knowledge have now to fight against is not poverty, nor prejudice, nor the want of qualified teachers, but sheer apathy and indifference on the part of parents in the labouring class." The noble lord then proceeds to explain the plan upon which such libraries should be founded in Norfolk : I should suggest (observes his lordship) the establish ment of five principal or central libraries, from which smaller institutions of a similar nature might be supplied with books. Beginning from the west, Lynn occurs as the first suitable point; and here, in fact, the work has been done. Norwich and Yarmouth should be provided with depots of the same kind ; and there, at least, neither means nor will are likely to be wanting. Fakenham towards the north, and Thetford on our southern boundary, might, with a proper organisation, supply the intervening districts. To pronounce what number of volumes each such library ought to contain is difficult. I have often stated my belief that a collection of 5,000 volumes may be so chosen as to include nearly all that, for popular purposes, is valuable in English literature ; and that estimate I see no reason to alter. The cost of books may be taken roughly at 4s. per volume, or five to the pound, which, allowing for expenses of furniture, would imply an outlay of 1,2001. for each library, or 6,0001. for the whole. To the inquiry, in what manner the influence of these central libraries may be extended beyond the limits of their own immediate vicinity, Lord Stanley replies:— By the establishment, in every village, of small local reading-rooms, each of which may be supplied with books from the nearest central depot, paying for their use, and having, also, if that be practicable, a limited stock of standard works in its own possession. Such a reading room may be easily established wherever a school exists. All that is required is that some one person should make himself responsible for the due payment of the annual subscription and for the safe custody of the volumes issued. In the district immediately surrounding Lynn many parishes and villages are thus assisted, and there is no reason why the system should not be extended over the entire county. Taking its area in square miles (in round numbers, 2,100), it will be seen that forty-two institutions such as 1. describe would give one to every fifty square miles, or, in other words, nearly one to every square of seven miles each way. If the number were doubled, we should have one to every twenty-five square miles, or one to every square of five miles each way. The latter number might probably he considered as sufficient for all purposes. In conclusion, Lord Stanley expresses his opinion of the attempt about to be made at Fakenbam as one which must ultimately succeed, and which at once seizes hold of the right end of the great question of education, and adduces three leading reasons why in raising the capital required contributions should only be asked for on condition of success .-- 4 A manifold advantage is thus gained. First, the fear of entire failure, and of the consequent abandonment of the project, acts as a stronger stimulus than the mere apprehension of an inadequate result. Next, in the unfor tunate event of such failure, you have at least the ground clear for a fresh attempt, and not encumbered with the ruins of an abortive enterprise. Thirdly (and this is most important), many persons are more willing to assist in a good work than sanguine of the issue. Such persons are apt to hold back, not out of apathy, but because they think success impossible; their objections are met by a form of promise which, if their fears prove well-grounded, binds them to nothing. After a few more points of detail, his lordship con cludes by expressing the pleasure he feels in being associated in so good and useful a work : That neither political rivalry, nor sectarian difference, nor apathy among the wealthy, nor ignorance in the poorer class, may interfere with its speedy success is the earnest wish of many. Obstacles to such an undertaking vanish on approach. Little more is needed than the will to overcome them and the confidence which a good cause ought to inspire. THE MINISTER OF WAR AT Tutus, in order to favour enrolments in the Anglo-Italian Legion, has decided that officers of the Sardinian army now in the receipt of pensions, who enter that corps, shall not lose either their pension or the rank which they had attained. THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH, as " a particular mark of his affection for the Empress," has issued a decree placing the educational establishments of the Legion of Honour under the immediate control of her Majesty. They are also to resume their original title of "Maisons Imperiale Napoleon." THE QUEEN OF SPAP. , /, who last year presented the Pope with a magnificent diamond tiara, has lately sent his Holiness two fine Murillos, " The Marriage of St. Catherine" and "The Prodigal Son." The Pope has had them magnificently framed and placed in the law= of the Vacitan. \ 1143 SIR ROBERT PEEL ON THE BALTIC CAMPAIGNS. SIR ROBERT PE} at a public dinner at Tamworth last Tuesday week, expressed the following opinion upon the conduct of the two last Baltic campaigns• Sir Robert Peel holding the position of a Lord of the Admiralty, his opinion upon such a subject is worthy of attention. Sir ROBERT having entered upon the question of the war, proceeded to observe that the best way to obtain au honourable peace would be by tha most hearty and vigorous prosecution of it But (continued the honourable baronet) however de• termined the Government and the people were to carry on the war with vigour, it would be perfectly useless unless they had fitting agents abroad to answer to the policy of Lord Palmerston. Having touched nit the cost of the war, which he set down at 100,000,0001., Sir Robert went ou to say that, during the Ill6t year the fleet in the lialtichad cost the country between eight and nine millions sterling, anti he thought he was expressing the opinion of the country — at least, he was sure he was expressing the opinion of many in the country—when he said that the eight or nine millions spent in the Baltic had not answered the expecta tions of the people. (Hear, hear.) Then, again, take the fleet in the Black Sea. Admiral Dundas had been recalled before Lord Palmerston came into office. Admiral Dundee was a brave man, but he had to give way to Admiral Lyons, who, it was thought, would inspire more vigour in o the actions of the fleet. He did not believe that such had turned out to be the case, and they expected more from Admiral Lyons because his fleet was twice as large as that under the command of Admiral Dumb's. Admiral I yons had six first-class steam-ships, thirteen steani-frigates, twenty steam-sloops, besides mortar vessels and other kinds of boats ; and, in addition to all these, six or seven sail of the line. Now, Nelson, with thirteen sail of the line, gained the battles of the Baltic and the Nile, and be thought they would with him that all had not been accom plished by Admiral Lyons in the Black Sea which might have been. (A Voice : " The enemy would not come out.") It was said that the enemy would not come out, and that might be perfectly trne ; yet, notwithstanding, he must say that, whether right or wrong, the people ex pected, after the enormous outlay incurred on the fleet, much more would have been done. (Hear.) In the last war the sailing-vessels had to manamvic and work their way in to attack the enemy's forts, and to make their escape the best way they could, and then there was no hesitation in attacking forts; but now, when, by the aid of steam, a vessel might get beyond the reach of harm in five minutes, our vessels had not been (with one single excep t tion) within 2,000 yards of the enemy's batteries. Two thousand yards was the respectful distancethey kept, and it was at this range that Sweaborg was attacked. This was not the way in which Nelson and Exmouth acted. They all knew the way in which Nelson attacked the famous Dutch three.crown battery; and at Algiers Lord Exmouth went in with five sail of the line, five frigates, four bomb vessels, and one or two other small vessels, making altogether sixteen, and he did not stop at a distance of 2,000 yards, but within 200 yards of the muzzles of the enemy's guns he attacked and captured the place. He did not wish to insinuate that our naval commanders were wanting in courage, but what he intended to convey was, that all had not been done by the fleet which was expected. (Hear.) NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE' Her Majesty has been pleased to promote Rear- Admiral of the Red Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., G.C.8., K.C.H., commander-in-chief of the fleet in the Black Sea and Mediterranean waters, to the rank of Ad miral of the Blue, the first exercise of the Royal prerogative in such matters since i the new order in council was adopted. General Sir James Simpson, late commander-in chief of her Majesty's forces in the Crimea, arrived in London on Sunday night last. On Monday the gallant general visited the War-office, and the United Service Clnb in Pall-mall, where he was cordially welcomed by the officers who had the good fortune to be present. Sir James Simpson looks remarkably well, and does not appear to have suffered from the effects of the climate of the Crimea. Bear-Admiral the Right Hon. Sir Maurice F. F. Berkeley, K.C.8., M.P., Senior Sea Lord of the Ad miralty, visited Portsmouth dockyard on Thursday, and inspected the progress making in the refit of the steam gun-boats and the mortar-boats.; and especially examined the newly-constructed iron mortar boat lately sent to that yard by Mr. Laird, of Birken head. Major. General Sir'A. J. Cloete,C.B., lately in com mand of the South Wales district,has been appointed commander of the forces in the Windward and Lee ward Islands, with the local rank of lieutenant general, in succession to General W. Wood, C.B. resigned on promotion. The new Polish Corps' head-quarters, it is rui mowed, are to be at Chatham. Sir Colin Campbell, It is stated upon authority / will, at the expiration of his leave (Feb. 15), rturis to the Crimea, to resume the command of the High. land Division. Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Clement Moody,B.B.i is appointed to succeed Major-General Gordon as the commanding engineer in North Britain, The 12th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, frone a e , Cape of Good Hope, and the 54 th and 68th, Gib. raltar t will shortly embark for the Crimea. ...11 `fit :~