The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-12 00:00:00

CEYLON.

Sir Wet. DE CRESIIGNIf, ill risiug to move for
certain papers relative to the Island of Ceylon,
said, that the system of law pursued in Candy was
creative of much misery, and was alike disastrous
to the inhabitants mod to us. The late King of
that country was a crud and sanguiliery tyrant; he
carried acts of oppression to stills sic extent, that
Isis subjects revolted; he deprived his principal
nister of all his property, sod had his family
cruelly murdered. That Minister fled for protec.
lion and redress to this country. After anise tune
the Government heard his co►nplaints, the tyrant
was finally expelled, and the English took posses.
sion of the country, and treaties were signed on the
parr of the British Government acid the natives of
that country ; yet, notwithstanding these treaties,
the people of Candy were greatly oppressed, their
rights were Hot respected, and they have not been
allowed to enjoy any salutary change.—[Here the
Hon. Baronet went at some length into detail of the
present situation, and the former exertions, of the
people of Canily.]--hie contended, that justice
should be fairly sod impartially administered to-
ward. them, mid that every means should be taken
to win their affections. lie said, that the highest
and the lowest were oppressed, and the bli.
Mater Eleapohla had lately lost his head. The
Hon. Baronet concluded by moving for a copy of
the proclamation of General Brosvinigg, dated
in January, 1816 ; and also for the copy of a
a pruclsraation. and the copy of a treaty, dated
March 2, 1816, signed by General Buiwurigg, on
the part of his Britannic Majesty, and by the prises
aril Chiefs of the Cand►ms provinces.
Mr. GOULBURD said, he could assure the lion.
Baronet that by the latest accounts the Minister
Eleapohla was in perfect health.- ,(A luusl4.l

IVIr. Fortnr.ii said, ilett the infest and 0.1., Arrest
way of 'governing the. people wag to leave the in.
hishitnnts diemoleateil. fly writing thug, we might
protrnut the p.ritt of nor dadOmmi in Ob:st ennoilry.
%Ve might, he retAio it far n %rem, I s,it we
tvrnld not keep the iiernionelit pcniaresion of that
Coll ntry.
The moiinn WWI put and eiirried without a

4ir JodiN elen97vr 1.'14e to move for leave to
forint in a 8111 to extend •. 'retool the powers graveled to
Mattistraies, talseriffri, and Coottalaes in Eietlind, by the Arts
of `..ta Geo. 111. r. 49, and 33 Geo. 111. c 55.
Mr. C. GRANT seconder, the motion; which was put, and
Carl ices without a dtvision.
ortimlA MIC mrisritA
Mr. J. P GRANT rose to move for certain papers relative
to the establishment of a new Hospital fur the core of the
Ophthalmic complaint. An Iluispital, he said, hail during
the war hero established, for Ike elloe of the Ophthalmic
complaint; great cures of that hero eff..ctetl,
and it was found of late yearn to hive babel in the.
army. Not withseaneling in a time of prae,, and at a
moment when polthe economy was cu moth talked of, not
only • lit tv establishment was formed. but a gentleman (Sir
W. Adams) was placed at the Meta of it who never was in the
army ; and who had therefore no claim to military patro•
stage. Of that Gentleman's protium • al talents he knew
nothing, but he believed they were respectable. He heard
hue was very skilful, coil he believed it. There were,
he said, different estehlishments of this kind already.—
The formation of the present one, however, might be a
right or wrong measure, bat however that might Ise, he
could not see why a Gentleman, no matter how clever in
his profession, should have been selected in preference to
many skilful and meriturnue military men. The Hots.
GeOltle Mall concluded by moving fora aeries of papers re-
lative to the tphthalmic Eitablishinvipt.
When the first mot' was read fr t!.' Chair, namely,
for copies of all letters and efin ssssssss 1C11.0011,1 that have
Itagotil between the Commander-in Chief, the Secretary at
War, and the Army Nleatcal Komi, relative to Ihr treatment
of pettaionera and others fur the cure of the Egyptian Uph-
ill:omi, etimpla:nt
Lord PALMERSTON said, lie hoped lie would he able to
convince the Huse Ihiet the e,tahlislatieut alluded to by
the Hon. Gentlemen was not an iiistitiition who h Govern-
ineut shoolil nut support. During the war, the Ophthalmic
disorder haul made am alarmism progress in the army, and the
rune of the patients was not (mewl Cu, he as successful as
might lee wished. A numb, r of pen,iiisitea of lict.d with
Obi* di,roder were placed' under the care of Sir William
Adam., and the result was, that a rapid an.l important im.
provement was observed to take glare animist them. In the
treatment of these people, Sir Wigisin Adams gave the
li:gbetil satisfaction. He hail restored many from a slate
or otter helplessness and misery, to he usef. 141 themselves
OA to society. The highest men in Isis own proles • Imre
testimuoy to time success and altilitit s of Sir William
Ad.ums. He hail only to meeition the names of Sir it.
Milford, I. &tithe, Mr. Cooper, amid Mr. Abernethy. TUC
NOW. 1.0141 then procreatd tot remd several extracts of cum.
nmmiralium front these Gentlemen, highly applauding Sir
William Adams's mode of cure.
The Noble Laid then quoted the following passages from
the opinion of Dr. Brilhe :—" I think he has the merit of
i oviducts', a practice which is likely to be highly useful in
a particular chronic aisle of ophthalmia." And again—.
" 119 mode of operating by a knife of his own inventi ssss
promises to be much MOM elfiCiellt, and to lie more expe-
ditious in aeconsithelaug the cure than that of Mr. Saunders,
and likely to root ye the eyes of many individuals, which
would otherwise have beets lust." The Noble Lord next pro.
melted to stair Ile, plan on which the present estahltshosent
is formed. He sand it was impossible to reward Sur W. Adams
in any other professioaal telyfor the inipmtanl services he bad
retitle-red than by placing hen at the head of that establish-
ment. The' House *ashes i It on part of the Regent's Park, and
he (Lord Palmerston) umile arrangements with an architect,
who built the house, and fumed all the materials himself.
He is to receive stilt out ei; the building fur seven years,
and after that period 46.s:outer public properly. it was, he
said, due to Sir Wm. Maui. to state that lie stipulated
fur no compensation whatever for iii. SerVireS; that be has
been on the establishment now for a year and a half, attend-
ing with the utmost zeal and assiduity, without having re.
e'eived any remuneration whatever. lie left that to the
consideration of Government, to be estimated according to
the success of his system. What he had now said was
in pail an answer to the objection no thee score of expense,
because, if any military man had been appointed to pre-
side over the new institution, he would have expected to be
paid in proportion to his trouble and responsibility; and there.
fore the proposition being assumed, that au hospital for the
treatment of ophthalmia, and its effects, ought to have been
erected, his statement ',hewed, that, as to expenses isicurred
fur medical assistauce, it had been established we the t
saving mode. It would) be tedious to go through the
various objections successively raised against Sir William
Adams's practice. first, it was said not to have been suc-
cessful—ghat objection was I/VeteMlie by the success at.
tendaut on repeated public experiments. Then it was
alleged that the ophthalmia had been eradicated; but, on the
contrary, it appeared on incontrovertible evidence, that at
the very time whole regiments were labouring under a most
severe inflammation in the eyes, let it be called what it
might, terminated in blindness. Next it was urged, that if
the disease was nut extisiguished, the surgeons of the army
were equally competent to cure it with Sir W. Adams.
To which the latter replied, " it arty be an, but it is
five years after you have availed yourself of the im-
provements which I introduced "—( Hear, bear, hear.)—
Which was the fact, for lire latter Gentleman had eared
many persons who hail been untie, tlw care of the Army
Sormons without any benefit. He (Lora Pelmerston) hail
inspected a number of tlw cases treated in flee new institu-
tion himself, and he could assure the House, that never iii
the course of bis life bad he eisjoyea a greater gratification.
Hebad found that, in various instances, relief hail been
afforded to the patients to a degree that he could nut have
thought possible.—.(flear.l—As he saw the House was im-
plicit., he should not trespass much longer sin their time,
but he should beg leave to deseribe our or two of Ilha
cases with which be was arquaroted Prune his own per-
sonal knowledge. Wm Hill, a subtler in the nil regiment,
was admitted into the hospital in July, 1517 ; his eyelids
were vinous with opacity amid vu.rulierily of both cornea;
he himself described his state of vision at that time to he
such, that he could nut see a post ur a tree. He was dia.
charged in January last, the villiisity of the lids and opacity
sad vascularity of the right forma having beets removed,
sad the opacity of the left cornea nearly su. With the
right eye he could read the smallest print of • newspaper
fluently; with his left he could mead moderately sized
print, tell the initiate and seroud marks on a watch-dial;
and he said he could, un a clear day, discern large objects at
the distance of a mile. Charles Smith said, that on his ad.
adagios in June. ISIS, lie could out see his fingers at arm's
length ; he was discharged in January last, at which period
be could read very smell print, ante, and work at his trade
of a shoemaker, having, in fact, worked several weeks at
the Hospital previously Cu his discharge. (Invent Voltaic,
on his admission, could only distinguish light from darkness.
He was admitted in July. ISIS, and discharged in January,
being able to walk any where wills perfect eio.e and security,
rend small print, awl tell the hour by a watch Another
peasiimer, who had beets 30 years Alleged with disease in
his eyes, and described himself as unable to distinguish a
man from a woman, left the hospital in a lition in re.
same his trade of a goldsmith. For these people, nothing
cuold exceed the delight and gratitude with which they de-
scrorsibewed
stir; beannedlitist they h
..
oarilierceeu
ri *Thiel frimornostSirpllreVosiin.gAdsaimost'ss
it had ever fallen to his lot to behold, to witness the gratify.
lag erects of it exhibited in these poor iudividnals. He
had already stated that there was a great opposition and
prejudice against Sir W. Adams among the medical gentle.
men of the army. He 'World nowprodoco a sensaikable
Widener of it, but was unwilling to meution names. 'roe
men of the filth regiment were taken Gone Chatham sad put
wader the care of Sir W. Adams in the Ophthalmic Insiito•
plea. After undergoing treatment there, they were inspected
by the Staff Surgeon, and considered Si. be so far recovered
as to be reported to be fit fur foreign arnica, and they wars

no •yreol, al t preptnt.•ry step, to the 1.1.• of Med fl.
Surgeon at that place disagreed with the *Weft Sologneo, %II
thologlit the men not lit for foreign •ere"^••. Ao ronlingly
they were kept there doing 4mr,igilis doily, from hnotembo r
Le Noerenoleor, mot th►n rout hark to (ha: harm. A 'Win/ the
whirr charges against the new prartite was this, that toceson•
supposed to he earn; of the effects of ophthalmia, uer •
hither to 3 relapse, loot it *ilia thought tlees► two inn wood
furnish an example of it; and he should beg tray. to .east
a part of a letter lately written un that audio et, from assn
medical officer iA town to another at Cleathsrie, oi 1 w •
mooch disappointed Wit the own men were not s-ot
time for the het Roar.' at (ho Ilea, NO I WOlll.l have tat ..
cars• tiny bluish! have been inspected before it. ■nd abi..
th it the inopection should goo 04 overfly, wilh.•nt any
friend of Sir Wollonm Adam. being pi none //ear.
1 hope yon have IMO med.llrd OM II Ihi I r )(.e.11141 Sissy min y
on their arrival, be in a state of propo r va•colarity of contra.
Do nnt prevent ---- from gelling drunk. I cool I the
more readily have effected the passing of the men so diseased,
■s I hare heard the poor Knight had a fall front his boos- Tel.
Ornla y, which sentinel, injured his knee."—'Lord
mention then staled, that the letter having heron in pas•
through his office open, was put into his hand' by a
clerk, and he thought it his duty to take notice of II )
—That was written by a person who was applying at tliq
time to Sir Win. Alum. in get a situation in the 614,0 r•da-
blishment tinder him, and who made we of the *trompat
profi•asions of frienoliohip towards him. He frankly aan.ittc•l
that the medical officer+ declared all along that Sir
Adolph's practice contaiued on improvement ion whit went
before it; and if the papers moved for were to be I old n•s
the table, the House would only find in them a repo union
of the same assertions and the same charges, 311.1 wauld
only have nue aide of the controversy. Brablee, he its -t
not agree in the correcotteas of the description of the pd•
Items on leavinz the Hospital, given by them. Ito
thought the account of the cases was not an accurate
and fair one, and would only mislead the House. The
House was nut to be made the arena fur the divot., of
medical rivals; they would be much better rained on
through the press, and the controversy should be lo ft to tb••
judgment of the public. The House hail a right to decide
whether the establishment shook! or should not rant , boot
Ise entreated 31embers, befure coming to a hasty are i•jU re..
to recollect the immense benefits likely to flow from
magnitude of the privation it was 110.01111 f II f, r
pierpole of removing. The whole cospenoe wouta itot
exceed 1,5001. a year, and if it reason d eel n a tw
veterans to that degree of vision, that they would 1..•
less a burden in thsnoselvea, and be enabled to sp. sad
the evening of their days with something more of nonifort.
He could nut believe the House would refuse the (tomtit. ol
soldier such an inestimable advantage when pun hawl um
such easy term..--(ffser).—He should nut convent to the
production of the papeni, as he thought it would out robin -
butte to real informatiuu, or lead to useful discussion.—
(Hear, Atom).
Sir J. MacntaToso said, that the justice due to a most
meritorious class of men, the medical officers of the army,
required that the papers should be produced.
Mr C. Hu'rentison said, that the Nohle Lord (Palm. r-
*too) was very much to be praised for his exert' to era-
dicate one of the most painful and 'Abetting of olonisolocz.
Such an object was well worthy his attention; every rap,.
nment fur the purpose ought to be tried, and 1,50111. a year
was well laid out, even on supposition that it was only in
making an experiment. The Hun. Gentleman then pro-
nounced a warm eulogiurn on the professional characto r of
Sir W. Adams.
Mr. BAnttAM thought the Noble Lord fully jostified iu
refusing the papers, because they were loot net ciliary to
form au opinion on the merits of the new Hospital, alio
were sufficiently evident from other documents which the
two Him. Gentlemen who supported the motion might easily
li have obtained. Besides, the papers were not fit In be pro-
duced unless the House would go intothe wholeof the coolest.
The Hon. Gentleman then read a statement of the 'motor
of pensioners cured or benefited in the establishment during
the last year, and inferred that it afforded evidence of in-
calculable advantage. The total expense of the Marital,
independently of the chargeof building and other items, which
i ought not properly to be included, was not more then 3)11.
per annum; so that making a calculation uo the Humber
cured last year, it appeared the expense of restoring a blind
man to sight was only 41. 1103. The generosity of the cotton y
would out take away the pensions already grimed ; but if d a
future only two soldiers were to be restored to sight annually,
this institutiou would actually effect a SaVII/C for the 00000 icy.
The pension allowed a blind matt was 10/. a year; takito:
the value of this at twelve years purchase, as many of Oh:
penaiouers wore young men, two such peusioma cost thud
country 4601.; so that the ►endering them tintiefeacory,
would save the country above one bombed puustok Hear
He had himself visited the place in company Intl. his Nooolc
Friend behind (Lord Ebritigion, we 1110. ratemoo), and soere
had received greater gratification ohm, f llia V Olt . lla
had seen 50 ur 60 persons, nearly all of 'lions had Is.. is, te
their account, led up, so far recovered as to lie able to *era.
about by themselves, and many of them to read an; wink,
after basis: been afflicted 8,9, or even 18 years, atilt usido i-
gnite medical treatment before in vain.
Lord EURINGTON opposed the motion. He said he had
visited the ophthalmic institution wolt the greats sI
and satisfaction, suit gave a description of wbat he had sccoo
there, similar to that of Mr. Barham.
Lord CASTLEKTAGN opposed the motion. He thought
the very worst effects would be produced to the service, it'
Army Surgeons were to look out, on any imagined iojustio
dune them, for champ' to suppott them in Parliamebti
Mr. J. P. GRANT replied.
The motiou was then negatived without a division, as were
the renaming motions on the same subject.
MAIL COACHES (IRELAND).

Mr. E. S. Coorio gave notice, Uut he wool 1, on Sf. 1.. y
next, moire fur leave to bring in • Bill fur limning the mem-
ber of passeugers to be conveyed by mail coached to
!Maud. _ _

POOR RATES.
The Order of the Day for the second reading of t' a P...r
Rates Misapplication Bill, was, at the (hone of Mr. S.
BOURNE, postponed till Monday next
CLERK OF PEACE (IRELAND).
_ .

On the toot iun of Sir J. 14:RWPORT, the (Wit of the fdt y
for the second reading of the auk of the Peace (lielai.d)
Bill was read.
The Earl of CannaMmfon wished the second r 'ding to
be postponed till the cleeimula of a suit pending in Ilse t o'4l
Of King's Bench, Ireland, brought to de termitic *I ether the
right to appoint to the office was in the Crowu or the Catthhi
Retslorrot. He hoped the second readin would be po►t-
poned till this day fortnight.
Mr. CouRTR!tAY supported the motion.
Mr. CROREIt felt the greatest interest in the Bill on -
count of the wound on which it rested—um the statute Lrer
of England and Ireland should be brought to a similarity
to as was practicable.
Mr. C. Gnaw'. fully concurred in what had been said in
praise of the Bill.
Mr.D. Ca AAAAA thought the Bill was mime/ 'Nary, and
that a misapprehension prt wailed as to the duty of flesh of
' the Peace in Ireland& which was rot in any say level.
Af►er some observations from Lord Carhampton, Mt
Cruker, Sir. J. Newport, Mr. G. Callaghan, M►. V. Blake, ao I
Mr. Martin, the Bill was reed a sec I time, and fixed tea
a Committee—Committal on Monday next.
Lord CARHAmrTom proposed that the Committee should
be postponed till Wednesday It iinight, bat afterwards with.
drew his proposition.
CONDUCT OF A JUDGE.

Mr. MARTIN gave notice, that on Wednesday sennlght
be would lay on the table a charge against Baron M`eisllau.l.