The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY E

he naval service. Distinguished men of
bog sisasilais who have been wounded or
waved in action are confounded with others
who have never seen active servioe at all, and who
are "Mbar to be regarded as labourers or as
dome* servants than as seamen. What wonder

that under such arrangements the better class of
men should shrink from entering the Hospital !
But this reluctance to become a pensioner is not
founded upon idle sentiment. On admission the
pensioner ,s made to relinquish any pension he
may have gained in the service. Under the name
al tobacco-money he receives the sum of one
dulling, which is understood to be a provision for
various humble comforts, as well as for pocket
allowance. This allowance has not been increased
for more than a century and a half. Even for
unmarried men it is far from adequate ; for the
married it is painfully scanty. The only privi-
lege which married men have is to be allowed to
receive a money payment instead of provisions—
less than 10d. a day—part of which they can give
their families. Some act as servants ; but no
assistance is afforded the pensioner to enable him
to reach his friends, or to maintain him when
away, or to defray the expense of his return.
What follows ? These parsimonious restrictions
are at once offensive and demoralising. Many
pensioners present themselves before visitors to
this great national asylum in the character of ordi-
nary beggars ; whilst others seek in the lowest
dens of Greenwich menial and degrading employ-
ments. These things inevitably tend to exclude
the pensioners from associating with all but their
own monotonous fraternity ; and to aggravate the
evils which attend all monastic institutions.

But if all the pensioners are thus uncomfortable,
those who are married are infinitely worse. The
Commissioners say " the wives are wholly ignored,
" and their'circurnstances are deplorable." From
the Hospital they receive nothing but the broken
meat of the hall, and the rations of men on short
leave of absence. For it should be observed that
when the pensioner is away his allowance is
stopped. The 10d. a day and la. a week is
wholly inadequate to supply clothing, lodgings,
and the necessaries of life to a wife and family.
In short, the wives are reduced to extreme wretch-
edness, and sometimes even become chargeable on
the parish. But if the condition of the wives is
had, that of the children is if possible worse. For
them there is in fact no school at all. The lady
who fills nominally the office of schoolmistress is
superannuated, and the produce of the sale of
grease from the kitchen which supplied the means
of supporting a good school has been stopped.
One witness says :—" It does not bear to be
" spoken of as a school. Yesterday morning I
" think there were six boys in boys' clothes and
" four or five in petticoats ; and in the girls'
" school, reckoning the little infants, I should
" think there were seventeen. It is, in fact,
64 gm,.

Such being the condition of the wives and chil-
dren of the pensioners, it is not difficult to predict
bow this must operate upon the minds of seamen.
A husband or a father will hesitate long before
he enters a hospital upon the condition of aban-
doning his wife and children tostarvation, the work-
house, or casual benevolence. Many a worn-out
sailor would sternly reject a berth at Greenwich
under such circumstances. It is admitted that in
some Mel sailors do enter the Hospital in order
to get rid of their families ; but the Corn

assert that of the affection of
the named pensioners for their families the
evidence is abundant and incontrovertible.

The craving, we are told, of some of them, when
separated from their families, to send them relief
out of their little savings, is displayed to an extent
that is truly touching. The concluding paragraph
of this section of the Report is so startling that it
must be given verbatim : " But more touching
" still is the spectacle often exhibited by pen-
" loners who have brought their wives with them
"to Greenwich, and whose own sufferings
" require that they should become in-
" mates of the infirmary, and thereby
" forfeit the advantage of the money list.' In
" such circumstances there is, in fact, nothing for
" the family. Dr. WIIJOON assures us that, rather
" than abandon their wives to the destitution
" which thus ensues, pensioners even in the last
" stage of life will refuse all the benefits of the
" infirmary, and will persist in this abnegation
" till actually at the point of death." And this,
let us remember, is the noblest of hospitals,
founded to relieve the sufferings and to comfort the
declining years of the British seaman I
Whatever may be the difficulties in the way of
reforming these scandalous evils, the want of
money is not the chief. Unfortunately, this parsi-
mony towards the pensioners is the most painful
part of the subject. Can it be believed that whilst
the sum allowed to each pensioner—the seamen for
whom the Hospital was founded—remains almost
es it was at the end of the 17th century, the sum
absorbed by the officers has enormously increased?
The expense of the establishment now is abso-
lutely more than double its cost at its foundation,
whilst relating to the number of pensioners it is
more than treble its previous charge. From the
Report it appears that whilst the expense of the
individual pensioner has not been increased during
55 years, and whilst the aggregate number of
pensioners has been diminished by 30 per cent.,
the cost of the establishment has during
that period been considerably more than
doubled. It may ho interesting to add
that upon comparing the sums spent in the
Invalids., at Paris, in 1848, with the sums spent
in Greenwich, in 1805, each pensioner cost nearly
the same, from 281. to 281. ; but the administra-
tion 5/. ss. and 9/. la. In the year 1859, however,
the Greenwich pensioner cost 301., whilst the
administration instead of 51. ss. like the Invalides,
or 9/. Is. like the Greenwich of 1805, cost the

enormous sum of 281. 18e. 4d. It is indeed too
plain that the seamen have been sacrificed to the
officers. The abuse is glaring, and requires a
speedy remedy.

ABOR IC N 124' Psoncriow Soctirr.—Tbe annual
meeting of the Aboriginals' Protection Society was It lent
evening in the Society of Trimide place of worship, White
Hart-court, Gracechurch-street; Mr. Samuel Gurney, M.P.,
presided. Mr. Cliseion, the secretary, read the report,
which stated that the society had been in existence 40
years, and that the need for its exertions was rather in-
creasing than iliminiahieg. During the year the eociety's
efforts had been ellierly (Greeted to the Hudson 'a Bey Coen-
peny's terrikey, and as it was believed that the valleys of
the Red River and the Seakatcheran were to be formed into
an independent colony, the Oolonial Minister had bees
petitiosed by the ...misty to peat the lame privileges to the
ladies residents as to the English settler,. The sorody hail
also made exertions to ameliorate the condition of the
Native population is Sierra Leone. A melancholy
picture was theism of the condition of the deposed Kaffir
chiefs who inhabit Robin Island, which is said to he •
prisioa• , a hurtle asylum, and a larar have ; but Sir George
Grey's policy towards the natives of the rape was deacribed
aa humane. Some &ameliorating inluences were at wort in
ludas. After elating that the aborigines of Victoria were
fairly treated by Mr. Duffy in his capacity of commissioner
land., and that auxiliaries to the parent society
had been formed in Bridgwater, Cireneeater, Gloucester,
From., and Plymouth, the report oneeluded by enegratu-
luting the soecety that Mr. Gureey, M.P., list consented
to become it. preached. Mr. Alylf, who has Lees. for
malty yearn • missionary in South Africa, communiarited
much interesting information in reference to the aleniginal
ea..., and rabbinate care delivered by other gentlemen.
The report was adopted

Abe Court.

08BORIZE, MAI at.
The Qom and the Prinoe Consort walked. in
the Poem& early this morning. The Prince= Alio., as-
emagenial by the Maid of Honour, also walked in the
gross&
The Deans' of Kent arrived at Osborne, at half-past ane
o'clock. Indy Bunn Melville and Kr George Cooper wean
attanisaes upon the Royal Ditcher. Her Bowl Hies
as= was recsived by the Queen, the Prince Consort, and
the Prises= Allem, at the entrance of the Palace. The
Prises= of Waggon arrived at the same time on a virit
The Queen, the Prince Consort (driving), the Primers
Alias, and the Princess of Leiningeo, went out this after-
noon in the small char•i-banc.

Poosonby attended on horseback._

The dinner party in the evening comprised the Duchess
al Kent, the Princess Alice, the Princess of Leiningen, the
lady in Waiting on the Dachas of Kent, Sir George Con.
per, Bart, and Major Elphinstone.

A deputation on the subject of the West India Mail Ser-
vice had an interview with the Right Hon, T. Milner Gib-
em yesterday, at the cface of the Board of Trade. The
deputation coesisted of Mr. Spooner, ILP., Mr. f3cholefield,
M.P., Mr. Edmund Sturge, sad Mr. Arthur Ryland, from
the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce ; Mr. Bright, /LP.,
and Mr. George Gangway (City of Landon).
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs. Gladstone bad
a dinner party yesterday at their residence on Carlton.
housetarrace. The company included the Prussian Meis-
ter and Countess of Bernatortf, the Bishop of London sad
Mrs. Tad, Lord and lady Braybrooke, Countess Dowager
lad Lady Sarah Spencer, the Hon. J. Warren, Sir Thomas
and lady Gladstone, Sir John and Lady Young, and the
Hon. Miss Lyttelton.
Mrs. Gladstone had afterwards an evening party.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales em-
barked from the Southampton Docks yesterday afternoon
as board the royal yacht Fairy, in ohmage of the Hoo. Cap-
tain Denman, for Osborne, to he present at the 41st eel.-
trains of her Majesty's birthday to-day (the24th lust). Major-
General the Hon. Robert Bruce, the prince's governor, and
Major Teantele, equerry in waiting, were in attendance
upon the prince. His royal highness was received on
hie arrival by Colonel O. Pratt Barlow, chairman
of the Dock Company ; Mr. T. R. Davison, deputy-chair-
man ; Mr. H. Faudel, one of the directors; and Mr. P.
Hedger and Mr. J. Levy, principal officers of the Dock
Company. The heir apparent was introduced to Colonel
Barlow and Mr. Davison by Major-General Bruce, and con-
vened with them for a few minutes in the most affable
manner. His royal highness, who appeared in the enjoy-
ment of the beat health, returns by the .iime route oo Fri-
day afternoon, on his return to Oxford.

His Highness Prince de Sagan Talleyrand, ac-
companied by the Heron de Vidil and M. Latte, has
arrived at the Brunswick Hotel, Jermynwtreet.
The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort have left
town for Brighton for a short period.

We are requested to state that the Marchioness
of Salisbury's party will take place on Saturday, June 2,
instead of Wednesday, June 6.
The Earl and Countess of Derby entertained at
dinner last evening, at their residence in St. Janica'sesmars,
tie following circle :—Viscount and Viscountess Ingestre,
Lord and Lady Naas, Sir William H. Jolliffe, IL P., and
lady Jolliffe and Miss Jolhle, Sir Hugh and Lady Cairns,
Hon. F. Lygon, Mr. Thomas Baring, Mr. George Bentinck,
Mr. Da Cane, Mr. Kenneth Macaulay, &c. Covers were
laid for eighteen.

The Hon. Mr. and Mre. Smythe Vereker re-
ceived at dinner, at their residence in Cbealuun.plece, on
Tuesday last, the Duchess of Inverness and Miss Gore, the
Countess of Clancarty and Lady Ann Le Peer Trench, the
Earl of Belabor., Mr. and Lady Isabella Stewart, the Hon.
Mr. and Mrs. Coventry, Viaoount Banelegh, the Hon. Mrs.
Raslikagh, Lady Shelley, Major and Mrs. Bull, Mr. Caven-
dish Taylor, Mr. Fraser, and Captain Berkeley.

A letter from St. Petersburg of the 16th mays :
"The last bit of hoe has now quitted the Neva, which once
more, in summer binaural, glides onwards to Cronstadt.
The navigation is entirely open, and the be.. mantle of the
capital are quitting the hot and dusty city—those who have
the means, to the Continent—those who have not, to the
islands. Lady Crampton—recently Mir lialfe—bas left us
for England. It is said air John will soon follow on tem-
ponuy leave of aluenoe."

The Countess of Harewood gave birth to a
daughter, at Harewood House, Hanoveraquare, on the
21st hot.

We have to announce the death of Mr. P. H.
Glover, F.S.A., librarian to the Queen, who died yesterday
at his residence adjoining the palace. The lamented gentle-
man had been librarian to her Majesty upwards of 20 years,
end was much rosported by a large circle of literary and
antiquarian friends. He was taken unwell last Friday
ar'snight from • carbuncle formed in the back part of his
mak.

By the death of Sir Fortunattia Dwarris a mar
tership in the Court of Queen's Bench becomes vacant% as
well as a benchership of the Middle Temple, and the Ream-
derahip of Neweastle.under-Lyme. The deceased gentle-
man was born in 1786, and having been educated at Univer-
sity College, Oxford, was called to the bar by the hon. so-
ciety of Lincoln's-inn in 1811. He was a colonial law com-
missioner, and received the honour of knighthood on the
passing of an act of parliament for the reform of the colonial
courts, founded on the report of the commission.

Mdnie. Ristori's representation, at Paris con-
tinue, says (lalowans, to attract crowded houses, but no
novelty has been produced since Elizabetha. This week,
we repot to add, brings the performances of the great
tragedian to a close in Paris. An Americ►n manager is
understood to have made munificent offers for a six menthe'
visit to the Kates.

Lust night, the exhibition of paintings in the
Museum at Peel-park, fialfonl, was inaugurated by a sante
given by the mayor. The invitations numbered about 700,
and ladies sail gentlemen to nearly that number enjoyed
the splendid hospitality of the mayor, whilst the exhibi-
tion &Minted u treat of a very high character.