The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-13 00:00:00

THE WORKHOUSE INFIRMARY
ASSOCIATION.

The committee of this association met on Mon-
day last to consider the provisions of Mr. Hardy's
Metropolitan Poor Law Bill ; Earl GROMTENOR in
the chair. The meeting was numerously attended,
and included Lord Charles Bruce, M.P., the Hon.
Dudley Fortescue, M.P., Mr. Julian Goldsmid,
M.P.,•Mr. Arthur Mills, Mr. Henry Goschen, Sir
Walter James, Mr. Briscoe, Dt.P., and many
others.
Mr. Hardy's proposed measure met with general
approval, though some speakers objected to its not
being sufficiently comprehensive. The principle of
taking the duty of relieving the sick poor out of
the hands of people whose direct interest it is to
save expense ; the abolition of the local acts under
which ten London parishes are governed ; the
placing the salaries of doctors and other medical
charges upon a common fund ; all met with un-
qualified approbation. Grave doubts were ex-
pressed whether a system of unpaid nominees
would work well, and it was remarked
that, while the portion of Mr. Hardy's measure
which embodied the recommendations of the asso-
ciation commanded universal approval out of doors,
some of the points added would probably occasion
controversy. An east-end clergyman, speaking to
the meeting in the name of his fellow guardians,
protested that it would be impossible to carry out
the asylumsancridtemtionsasproposed without afar
greater extension of the common fund principle than
was proposed ; and Mr. Ernest Hart pointed out to
the meeting that the provision for contagious dis-
eases would put typhus fever upon the common
fund, while a typhoid fever case would be left in
the same hands as at present. Again, the question
of expense was seriously discussed. The scheme of
the association provided six district hospitals Lir
the whole of the sick poor, at an outlay of 250,0001.,
while Mr. Hardy's estimate for a portion of the
same class is 400,000/. The original recommenda-
tions made through the agency of the association,
and endorsed by the leading medical authorities of
the kingdom, are as follows :
The sick poor should be separated from the able•bofficil
pauper., and their treatment should be placed under a
distinct management. In lieu of sick wards annexed to
each workhouse, consolidated infirmaries should be pro-
vided, where the following rules of hospital management
should be adopted under skilled supervision. They are
those generally accepted in this and other European coun-
tries:-1. The buildings should he specially devised for
the purpose, of suitable construction, and on healthy sites.
The rules laid down by the Barrack and Hospital Commis-
sion may be consulted with advantage on this subject. 2.
Not less than 1,000 (and for particular classes of cases
1,:700 to 1,300) cubic feet of air should be allowed to each
patient. :1. The nursing should be COIOIIMA entirely by
• paid AIM. and there should be not less than one day
nurse, one night nurse, and one assistant nune fur each
fifty patients. 4. There shoal be resident medical officers
in the proportion of not less than one for each 230
patients. 5. The medical officers should not have any
pecuniary interest whatever in the medicines supplied,
nor should they be charged' with the duty of dispensing
them. 6. A judicious classification of patients should be
strictly observed, the epiliptio and imbecile, the acutely,
sick, and the aged and infirm being treat,..l in separate
wards. 7. The aged and infirm, the chronically sick, sod
the convalescent should be provided with day rooms isepa-.
rate from the dormitoi les.

It will be seen that these foregoing clauses are
incorporated almost literally into r. Hardy's bill.
After a careful analysis of this measure, as fore-
shadowed by its introducer, bad been given by
Mr. Ernest Hart, two resolutions were unanimously
agnied to. First—" That this ixinnuittee recog-
nises with great 'satisfaction that the bill intro-
duced by Mr. Hardy embodies litcra:ly.thi, greater
number of suggestions that they have laid befAtt•
Mr. Villiers and himself for the bettor manage-
ment of the workhouse inlirmarita, and the better
treatment of the sick. They regret that he has
not been able to place a larger numeer of the sick
upon the common fund, with. the view to relieve
to a greater extent the poorer par!. dies ; and they
entertain doubts as to the successful working of
the proposition for adding a proyortion of unpaid
nominees to the guardian board ;" and, secondly,
" That a sub-committee should be appointed to
examine the clauses of the bill and report upon it
before the second reading, such sub-eutuu.ittee to
consist of Earl Grosvenor, M.l'., Charles
Bruce, M.P., Mr. Davenport Br.c lac, M.P., Mr.
Laurence Oliphant, M.P., Mr. Julian Goldsmid,
M.P., the Hon. Dudley Fortescue, M. P., the Rev.
Mr. :WOW, Dr. Carr, Mr. J. C. l';.rkin..on, and
the honorary officers of the association."

THE ROYAL H LT KA L S. It • I ETV. —The
annual meeting of this society was hi hl y...t. r.lvy at the
l'ouncil.room, South Ketisiegton. The Dale. of 13oc-
cleuch, the president of the society. wail i.. the chair.
The report, read by the secretary, stated eotwith-
standing the monet.iry distress of Cie 1... t year, the
council were able to report an increase in ti.. summand of
annual subscriptions. The sums paid by f..lows as sub-
scriptions in amounted to 7.97:!. Is. Id., hut their
annual anbecriptions rose to +4,171if. (.l. in le.ii. In
the sources of income least liable to fluctuation, the
society had made decided progress, am: “Ithough the re-
ceipts from exhibitions and from th.i,y had
fallen considerably below the average. the council
were of opinion that the affairs of the society. though re-
quiring strict economy, were in an encour.e.iug position.
A lung discussion ensiled, the prevailing toting being that
the society was clearly entitled to a portion of the surplus
in the hands of the committee of the liort;c:.ltural Exhi.
bition, it being understood that in case tt.. re should be a
surplus from the exhibition the society should have a por-
tion, a minute to that effect having been reeord ad on the
transactions of the society at the time the as;reetueut be-
tween the society and the committee was entered upon.
The report was adopted. Lieutenanta mist Hen. C.
Grey, Major T. Clarke, and 31r. W. W. Buller were
elected member' of the council ; and the ...her
having been appointed, the proceedings chased with a vote
of thanks to the chairman.

A PItth*LANIATION IN WATER COL/ l' Amongst
the articles front TWOUIUIa shown in tie. Exhibition at
Melbourne is a veritable salmon smolt. about half a foot
long, preserved in a bottle, utfonling • cadence of the pro-
gre,s, thus far, of the recent experMa id tll a+Caiiatisie the
salmon in Australian waters. The other ;s a et:lions spy-
' o of a pictorial proclematiom lately discovered on
taking up the dour of the old Coverntrivo:dihuse in Hobert
M./Wm. It seems that Goven,er Davi., in the year INII4
found that merely printed proclamation+ al mit law awl
order were not very elfectual among the hatives, for a
reason which one of them conveyed to too 4oveitior in
the following pithy, though nut very outtiy, speech :
" I say, Ouboner, that proclamation of yours all gam-
muu blackfellow uu able read him." The xov• rear, struck
with the objection, caused to be print ..1 ::t dei -colours,
and on • moderate sized sheet of ilrawin.: r. a series of
groups of figured, vigorously illuatrative oi the impar-
tudity of British law, whether applied to white or black
men. One group represents a black bay iuri .. white buy,
hand in band, like two brothers • another group shows a
black mother nursing a white baby. sml a white mother
nursing a black baby. A third peep exhibits a white
man strung up to the bough of a tree by sir he, k for killing
a black man, whose inurdenal holy .a+ one side of
the picture, while a guard of re.l-cout so, tiers, headed
by the governor in cocked hat raid feathers, is presiding
over the execution ou the other aide. cm:Marmot to
this is a similar group, with the differ-heti that the mur-
dered meet is a white, while a black t, ;low •;..egles front
the improvised gallows. The whole w-•.:, it, mot very
artistic drawing, supplemented by 1: lad Ine-s of its
colouring, is an amusing illustration of the ehrly history of
Van Dienien's Laud.
LEECHES AUSTRALIA.—A leeches is
carried un by the 31urriy :liver • tampany the
fishermen, it is said, toning their at.. _ie.. to letelies at
unfavourable w :twin, for the onliu:try y. "At such
times," runs the account of the ent. " it i- custo-
mary for the sterner of the CUUlpally to its a trip down
the Murray 100 UT 200 miles, and toe le.. 4es are then
gathered from the swamps, lagoons, os. and shallow
anabranches of the river. From 1:10.1;u to :::aO,Ollll leeches
are sometimes collected in one of these trips. They are
then packed and conveyed to Melleiurue, where a large
proportion of them are put up for tratismis+ion abroad.
Large numbers of them are mot to London and Paris,
where it is stated they are preferred to lembes brought
from any othi r place ; but the principal outlet for the ex•
port is America, where the densand rs alway great from
the absence or rarity of the proper kind of leech through-
out the whole of that great Confluent. The shipments
of the company are made to San Francisco, Panama,
and sew York, whence they become iastributed in all di-
rections."

DIAPENAARY FOR SKIN DINT. ... sEs, lA, GREAT
MAILLIWIROUGWATREEr, ItIcFNT•ATrELT. 207 rodents
were relieved at this dispensary daring the week eliding
Feb. 9.