The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-28 00:00:00

A PICTURE FROM SPAIN.—Tho Corernor of
Madrid has just issued a memorandum of the facts on
which he proposes to institute a reform of the hospitals of
that capital, in which he draws the following picture of
their present condition. lie declares that the provisions
served out to the patients are of the worst possible deserip
thin, and dearer than the hest, because nobody endeavoured
to force the contractors to fulfil their obligations. The
scales for the weighing out of the provisions were not
equal, so that scandalous facilities were given ti fraud.
The daily consumption of sheep amounted to forty, the
best of which went to the tables of the hospital clerks, and
tht wont to the patients. Eight hundred pounds of cho-
colate were consumed every month, not by the patients,
because chocolate is not an article of hospital diet, except
in raze came, but by the employr's. The kitchens were
filthy in the extreme; the number of cooks and kitchen
people so great, that they hindered each other from
working. The mattresses of the patients were half
emptied of their wool, the property of the patients; their
clothes were taken away without an inventory being
made, the bedding unclean, the wards unwashed. There
was neither respect nor consideration for suffering hu-
manity, the hygiene of the wards being left to the
will and pleasure of hospital clerks and ward lackeys.
The dwellings of the insane were horrible to ace
The medical case-hooks slovenly kept with great
intervals between the lines; so that agreeable er ali-
mentitious articles were interpolated in great quantitie a
but u lased by the unhappy patients. The bodies were
corded naked to the dead-house in the same cart, without
distinction of al or age, many hours before the term
marked down by the law, or dictated by prudence. The
hair and teeth of the dead were converter' into objects of
commerce. The dispensary fall of bad drugs, and, not-
withstanding the heap of employes, dirty in the extreme.
The young students employed as dressers were not under
any kiad of discipline ; were more than an hour at
the utmost in the discharge of their duties ; and when re-
quired by his Excellency the Governor to perform them,
imposed impertinent conditions, and when these were not
acceded to resigned their offices, sod left the patients with-
cut assistance; for which act the governor put them all
into prison, and then deprived them of the permission to
enter any public establishment. The clergy belonging to
the hospital were by for too numerous, and yet their duties
were inadequately fulfilled. The Governor of Madrid has
turned out all the inferior servants: he has put the econo-
mical part of the establishment into the hands of the Sister.
hood of Charity, which contains many women of great
merit and abnegation, and be has effected great savings
of every kind.
STRANGE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.-011 the morning
of Wednesday last, the goods train, which leaves Montrose
at 5 o'clock for the 'south, met with a very extraordinary
occident at Dubton, which fortunately, however, was not
attended with any serious result. On approaching Dubton
from Montrose, there are two sets of lines, regulated by
switches, for the Montrose traffic, one of which leads behind
or south of the platform at the station, and joins the up line
beyond the station ; and the other terminates at the cut
end of the platform itself, and is only used for the accom-
modation or extra carriages and such like. 0a the morn-
ing in question this latter line was quite empty, no carriages
being there, and the snitcher not having attended properly
to his duty, the engine and trait were dinned upon this
line, end went direct towards the end of the passenger plat-
form. Strange to say, instead of knocking the platform to
pines, the engine, in consequence of a piece of wood lying
across the end of the rails. started up to the top of the plat-
form, which is about two feet above the rails, and having
separated front the tender, which it left behind, want 15 or
20 paces foeward, and nearly approached the refreshment.
room. Had it done so, it would have carried it off bodily ,•
but fortunately it was brought to a stand before it touched
it, and did no other damage than probably destroying the
engine itself.—Monfrose Standard.

iMPROVEMENTE IN THE CITY OF LONDON.-
Among the local acts of parliament, which is numbered 188
in the late session, was ons for effecting improvements in
the City of Landon. The object of the act is to widen and
improve the north end of Dowirate-hill, Threadneedle-
street, opposite Old Broad-street, the south-east corner of
Mark-lane, and part of the north side of Great Towe►-
stwet. The corporation of London is to effect the Improve-
ments. There are several clauses in the act to carry mit
the lam, and that money may be raised on bond at interest.
The plans of improvements arc to be deposited in the Town
Clerk'. Oflioe, to remain there, and to be open to inspection
on the payment of lc