The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-18 00:00:00

THE SICK POOR IX WORKHOUSES.

Tff POOR LAW INQUIRY AT ROTHERNTTHE.
(THIS DAY.)
Mr. Yarnell, C. 8., this morning resumed at the
Betbsrhithe Workhouse the inquiry relative to the serious
chance preferred by Miss Beeton with t to the treat-
ment of the pauper patients at that estab ent.
Captain Strannock, chairman of the board of guardians,
wee the first witness called. lie deposed that he was
chairman of the board at the time Miss Beeton was elected
paid nurse, in July, 1864. She was told to refer to the
mister and matron for everything. Some of the guardians
abed to visit the infirmary, and he believed they did so
every board day. The guardians gave everything they
were asked to give for the infirmary. He never heard
any complaint of cruelty in the infirmary.
Mr. Blake, • guardian of Rotherhithe parish, said that
he took great interest in the fitting up of the infirmary
after it was built. The guardians met fortnightly,
and some of them usually visited the infirmary.
Witness frequently visited the infirmary with Mr.
Miskent • medical man. Witness saw Miss Beeton
every tune he went there. She asked for • basket for
dirty linen, and it was supplied. The patients always
said that they were satisfied. They made no complaints.
The beds were complained of, but not in Miss Beeton's
time. He examined the beds. He saw no mawts. The
hods were changed: Miss Beaton made no complaints.
By the Commissioner—Miss Beeton was told that she
was to complain to the master and matron.
Mr. Ernest Hart, as representative of the Association
far the Improvement of the Sick Infirmaries of
$e examined the witness on various points. He saidhouses,
that be thought the pauper nurses were strong enough to
lift patients, &a He did not know whether they could
write. The paid nurse was there to superintend and
moist in bad cases. There were no paid night nurses. It
was likely _that some bedridden patients were in the wards
who needed night nursing.
Mr. Hart—lf you had sick relatives, would you think it
props that no one should nurse them at night ?
Witness—l think that what you may have in your
private house with your own friends has nothing to do
with this.
Examination continued—There are no water-closets for
the upstairs wards ; there are for the lower wards. He
never heard of the man Procter who died while eating
meat cut up
_in large pieces ; nor of the person who died on
the floor while going to the closet. There were no night

B~ Guardia—Never heard at word from Miss Beeton
relative to persons being put on heir left side to cause
the to die.
Mrm . Hart—Miss Barton did complain to the matron and
toaster about it.
Mr. G. Michelle said that he was at one time medical
officer at the workhouse for eight years. The new infir-
mary was not then built. He remembered • pauper nurse
in the lying-in ward named Britton. She was a very use-
ful and efficient nurse. There were no paid nurses then.
That was four years ago. As far as witness could judge
she was kind to the patients, especially to the children.
When witness was not in time she acted as midwife.
There was no fatal case.
By Mr. Hawke!, clerk to the board—He was at all
times of the day and night in and out of the lying-in
ward. He never found her intoxicated even in the
lent. The ward was the same as that now in use.
By the Commissioner—She took opium, but not to any
great extent.
By • Guardian—Witness found the master, matron,
and assistant-master uniformly kind. He often saw the
matron in the sick ward. Witness did not find the wine
bad. lie never tasted the spirits. The pauper nurses ad-
ministered the stimulants to the sick.
The Commissioner—Did you ever see the pauper nurses
drunk !
Witness—Not in the house.
The Commissioner—Do you think it safe or proper to
trust them with the stimulants which are intended to
go down the throats of the patients and not down the
throats of the nurses ?
Witness—No ;I do not think it safe to trust them. I
never saw them drunk in the house. I have seen them
brought home drunk after a holiday.
By Mr. Hart—l do not know whether Britton could
put on a poultice or not. Ido not know that she was re-
moved from the nursery because 'of her cruelty to the
children. I saw no cruelty. She would not of course beat
any one before the doctor, but no one complained of her
cruelty to me. No one complained to me that any nurse
had misbehaved or had ever taken the stimulants.
The Commissioner—Did a pauper patient ever complain
of anything to you whileyou were doctor!
Witness said he thought not.
The Commissioner-1 am quite gore they did not, for
pauper patients never do.
['The inquiry was proceeding when our report left.]

SOUTH NOTTS ELECTION.-(THIS DAY.)

(BY ELECTRIC TILBORAPH.)
NEWARK, MANDAT.

The above election took place at the Town Hall
this morning. Cilonel HOLDEN proposed and Mr. MIL-
IrAiM seconded Mr. Hildyard as a fit and proper person
to serve in parliament.
No other candidate being proposed, the sheriff declared
Mr. Hildyard duly elected.

An " indignation" meeting was held at White-
Sold, near Bury, on Saturday, to protest against the closing
of some ancient footpaths which run across Lord Derby's
property in that neighbourhood. One of the paths, which
Lord Derby or his agent wishes to abut up has, it is said,
been publicly used for 70 years within the memory of
living residents, and considerable ill-feeling has been
occasioned by the present apparently arbitrary measures.
A resolution was adopted to raise " money and means to
contest Lord Derby's right to shut out the public from
their ancient walks."

The protracted dispute in the Sheffield file trade
has at length come to an end, and the men will begin work
to-day. They will do so upon the old terms, but the
employers have promised to consider the claims of any par
ticular section of the operatives whom they may deem
entitled to an advance. The straggle has lasted sixteen
weeks, and has been attended with great loss on both
sides.

A Brighton correspondent says:—" I saw the
Brighton coach for London start on Thursday. It is called
the ' Old Times.' There were seven passengers outside—
VIZ., one lady and six gentlemen ; and two ladies inside.
Its departure from Brighton causes quite a sensation. It
runs to London in five hours, and changes horses five times.
I hear that London coaches at other parts in the south are
about to be started for the summer months for passengers
who would like to see the country during the most beauti-
ful part of the year, and who are not bound to time."
A letter from Calcutta says ;—" An opera com-

;any from Trieste is delighting the Calcutta people with
the master-pieces of Verdi and RoBllll2i, though the Town-
hall defies all acoustic principles and the stage would dis-
grace a booth at a fair. The ticket. are it. each, and
the heat reminds the enchanted listener of a Turkish bath.
Till the singers go up to Simla the fortunate people there
complain of the intolerable dulness."
' '

A meeting of the special committee of her'
Majesty's Commissioners for the Paris Exhibition of 1867,
on navigation, was hell on Saturday afternoon at half-
past two o'clock, at the South Kensington Museum. The
Right Hon. Sir John. Pakington, M.P. presided. There
were present the Marquis of Drogheda, the Lord Vane,
Mr. John Fowler, Mr. J. D. A. Samtida, M.P.,Rear
Adelina Ryder, Mr. J. White, Mr. Isaac Watts, aptain
M. C. Close, of the Trinity-houth, Mr. J. H. Ritchie, Mr.
J. MacGregor. Mr. H. Cole, C. 8., the secretary of the
commission, attended.
A meeting was held in the Mansion-house, Dublin,
on Saturday, in pursuance of a requisition to the Lord
Mayor, to take steps with the view of erecting a testi-
monial to the late Earl of Carlisle. The Right Hon. the
Lord Mayor occupied the chair. The Lord Chancellor,
Lord St. Lawrence, Mr. Justice O'Hagan, Sir William
Wilde, Captain Lindsay, D.L., and other gentlemen, out-
drew,' the meeting, and • aeries of resolutions were
adopted is furtherance of the object stated.
Tho distinction of the Second Class of the Bath,
or K.C.B.' is about to be conferred on the Hon. John H. T.
Manners-Sutton, the new Governor of Victoria ; Sir Alex-
andor Malet, her Majesty's Minister at Frankfort ; and
the Hon. Charles Murray, her Majesty's Minister at
Dresden.
We (Sunday Gazette)are glad to learn that H.R.H.
the Duke of Cambridge has made a rule under which the
Proceeds of the commissions of officers selling out while
under age are to be handed over to their parents and guar-
dians, and not to themselves.
DEATH OF THE EARL. OF ROGELTIC—The death
of the Earl of Roselyn occurred on Saturday. Deceased
was a lieutenant-general in the army, had been Master of
the Buckhounds to the Queen from September, 1841, to
Jul', 1646, and from February to December, 1852 ; and
had been Under Secretary at War in MarohlBs9. The
title descends to his son, Lord Loughborough, now 33 years
d gee.