The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-22 00:00:00

SELECT VESTRY.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Select Vestry
was held yesterday morning, in the Parish-offices, at
Brownlow-hill. Mr. &itch Warden Cropper presided,
and the other members present were Messrs. Smith,
Critchley, Satchel!, Scott, Milton, Peck, Bairstow,
Geodacre, Owen, and Byford.

The proceedipgs of the WorkhOuse Committee, whictt
included the traiisfer Of several appointment within the
establishrtiefit, Were first read add confirmed.

THE SOLDIERS 1W THE iASHAHTS.

The following letter from Mr. Leather, atirgeoli, was
read and referred to the WOrkhouie Committee

TO J. W. CROPPER, ESQ., CHAIRMAN OF THE SELECT vEsrnY.
Sir,—l was somewhat'surprised that my written applicat'on
to the India Board in London should have fallen into your
hands, and been used as public property at your committee
meeting, appearing in extenso the very next day in all the
Liverpool journals. I had flattered myself that on retiring
front my position as medical officer of the workhouse I should
not again have hMome subjected to the animadversions of the
variously-opinioned Members of the select vestry ; but as I
find I have been misrepresented dtfririg nay absence, there
remains to Me but one alternative—that df requesting you to
read this rebitation in like public Manner as you did rely letter
addressed to the India Board, and as a gentlenian and a man
of principle, >i feel convinced yob will do se.
At the meeting alltided to Dr. Gee is reported to have said
that " he was under the iniprasiion that I was favourable to
the arrangement by which a certain! sum of money had been
awarded to .the medical officers for their cervices in attending
the soldiers from the Great Tasmania." You Will observe, he
merely states, "he was under the impression." I believe,
however, the only conversation I. held with that gentleman on
the subject was one respecting the problem then mooted as to
whether the soldiers were to be received as patients, to be paid
for by Governnienti or as paupers claiming charity ; but I on
all occasions strenuously Maintained that such men never
could be classed among the latter.
Mr. Smith's assertion, that I expressed myself satisfied that
"the East India Company had behaved handsomely to We,
and that I hoped I should be able to get the money," is simply
absurd. Firstly, I never did consider the sum awarded a
handsome remuneration; and, secondly, if the India Board
had really undertaken to pay me any specific sum, I should
have had sufficient confidence in their integrity of purpose to
have rendered it unnecessary for me to have made use of the
not very elegdrit eipressiort irapuied to me, namely, " that I
hoped I should be able to get the money."
Now, as respects the governar,of the Workhonse. I know be
will pardon me if, after our lengthened intirdady, I aid candid
enough to say that his statements frequently assume a slight
couleur de rose—a circumstance which, no doubt, emanates
from his anxious zeal to please the vestry, and is highly par-
donable on that account. However, to use the mildest term,
he istmistaken as to, the purport of any conversation I may
have held With him upon the subject of the soldiers landed
from the Great Tasniatiiiii iri I declare I never expressed
myself to him _satisfied with the temiuneration meted out
"not" by the. India Board. but by you, sir, acting as chairman
of the select vestry.
Now,' sir, on reference to the Liverpool Jourunl, bearing
date the 2nd day of June last, you are reported to have said—
" When the! soldiers from the Great Tasmania first came to
the workhciuse, the medical officers said they would make a

Claim." Therefefe, lir. Gee must then have held similar views
and opinions to my. own. adating further on, from the same
journal, you state "that you spoke to Eft. Gee upon the sub-
was_not I also consulted i)---attl then you
ject"---( Why, sir,
proceed to say, "I, as chairman of the Select Vestry, Wrote
certain sums against each name." Now, sir, with all due
deference to your exalted position in society, I utterly repu-
diate your authority to dictate to me what amount of fees I
should charge to the India Board for my professional services,
much more especially when you do not even condescend to
consult rde drion the subject.
I next cone to' the reaOlution moved by Mr. Peck, and
seconded by Mr. Byford, passed the committee at your

last meeting, "That this committee considers the soldiers
landed from the Great Tasmania. in the tight of destitute
persons," Sec. And such is the expressed opinion of the Select
Vestry of the ' borough of Liverpool, in conclave assembled,
,namely, that soldiers who have fought and bled in England's
cause, who have aided by their military discipline and indo-
mitable courage in placing an imperishable wreath of tame
on the brows of their commanders, are to be brought back
from the scenes immortalised by their victories, in a state of
disease and utter exhaustion (I forbear to state by what cir-
cumstances induced), and on landing in this grateful northern
metropolis are to be hailed by Vass beneVolent members of the
Select Vestry as destitute persons ending charity, while the
officers under whoM they served, and Who in many instances
wear but the reflection of their men's proWess, are feasted and
banqueted by the great and noble of the land, and welcomed
as the protectors and saviours of their gratified country. I
leave you, sir, to say what encouragement such sentiments are
calculated to inspire in the hearts of those brave men who now
compose our army. Verily Messieurs Peek and Byford must
form the very embodiment of " the gentlemen of Eng!and, who
live at home at ease." Of a differently constituted feeling, how-
ever, is Mr. J. Whitty, one of the members of the select (or non-
select) vestry. He openly declared before your committee, on
the 29th day of Ma, last, on the subject of what was termed
the "Government gratuities," that "he looked upon the
money as a kind of shame offering on the van of the India
Board—as a mark of penitence ;" and this declaration was
received with cries of " hear, hear." From whence the
exclamations of approval emanated I am unable to state, but
the members present on that occasion were Messrs. Peck,
Byford, Smith, Denton, Critchley, Scott, Broome, Williams,
Lightbaund, Goodacre, Turner, Whitty, and "you," sir, acting
as their chairman. I am, sir, respectfully yours,

PETER *IL MAK LEATHER,

Mr. SCOTT said if they received them as destitute
persons—but he thought they were not—ho did not
see why Dr. Gee or Dr. Leather should receive one

penny.

Mr. OWEN said the soldiers were destitute for the time
being, not that they had no claim upon the Government.
They were not paupers. At the same time, the work-
house officers were obliged to do their duty to all who
came into the house : to them at least they were paupers.
Mr. PECK said the matter had been well and fully dis-
cussed in the Workhouse Committee, and their resolu-
tion stated that they were not considered paupers, butin
the light of paupers.
Mr. BAIRSTOW said that when the Tasmania arrived
here, the men were in a state of great exhaustion and
disease. There was no hospital to receive the men here ;
and Mr. Rathbone, in his desire to see proper attention
paid to them, came to the Workhouse and asked if
accommodation could be provided for them there. The
governor thought it could be done ; and Mr. Rathbone
rata it mar, were so, ne wouia guarantee the parish free
of expense. The gratuity given by the India Board
was perhaps not so satisfactory as it might have been if
the matter had been brought before the vestry ; hut
unfortUnately, the chairman, in his kindness of heart,
had thought this ought not to come before the pulylic—
that their officers had paid much attention, and that the
sum sent was as an acknowledgement of their kindness.
The gratuity was not in the form of pay at all. There
should be none of this pettifogging on behalf of their
officers, which would draw down upon them the odium
not only of the India Board, but of the country at large.
It was a pity that gentlemen had not felt their position
more truly than to be higgling for a few shillings and

pounds.
The CHAIRMAN said they should consider what would
have been the result, supposing any of those soldiers had
been landed on the quays, and died there, in consequence
of their refusal to admit them to the house. It was a
rule of the vestry that they should not receive paupers
into the house under the condition of being paid for ;
but this was an exceptional case. The India Board had
paid £350. They were not in a legal position to call
upon them to pay anything.
Mr. BAIRSTOW observed that Dr. Gee and Dr. Leather
had got the full pay of army surgeons in the time
of war.
The subject then dropped.