The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-27 00:00:00

Wind—West; blowing fresh, with fine weather.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DA.T.—Morning, 7h. 21m.—Afternoon, 7h. 47m.
To-sionnow.-Morning, Bh. 16m.—Afternoon, Bh. 48m.

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LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1863.

" In the multitude of councillors there is wisdom,"
is a common saying, but, like many other sayings
not always correct. Take the worthy governors of
St. Thomas's Hospital, for example. Of their num-
ber there is no end, nor of their decisions is there
any conclusive settlement. These consist of a gene-
ral body, divided into a grand committee, a sub-
committee, aud a treasurer's committee, which last
seems to rule the roast. Now, in all this there must
be a great variety of opinion, and not a little jea-
lousy. The hospital is richly endowed, and is per-
haps the wealthiest in the metropolis. Its princely
income increases with the progress of time, and the
march of improvement serves still more to contri-
bute to its fortune.
Its situation near London-bridge, on the Surrey
side, is contiguous to the terminus of both the
Brighton and South-Eastern Railways. Some time
ago the directors of the South-Eastern having occa-
sion to extend their line further westward, required
a corner of the ground on which the hospital stands.
This corner seemed of little value, nor would the
intended railway alteration intrude but slightly on
any portion of the buildings. But no. The hos-
pital would surrender no particle of the ground.
The railway must take all or none. The ground
was about four acres—but the railway did not
know what to do with so much. They offered
a fair price for the small corner required, but
it was declined by the Governors of the
hospital, who demanded the modest sum
of seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, or
three.-quarters of a million sterling, for their valu-
able trust. Here was a demand large enough to
stagger the conscience of even a railway company.
Recourse to law became the order of the day, and
eventually St. Thomas's Hospital was awarded to
the Railway Company for £296,000. Thus what
was deemed public utility triumphed over private
cupidity under the mask of a public charity—so the
wisdom of councillors did not ,benefit much by the
motion.

The Governors seem now to be as much at sea in
the choice of a new habitation as they were per-
plexed in disposing of the old one. If there was a
great deal of " bad blood" exhibited in the one case,
there seems no better understanding in the other, if
we may judge by the acrimony of repeated " con-
sultations," and yet there is no decision, save that
the disease is " local"—but where ?

" Who can decido when doctors disagree?"

At one time there was an idea of going into the
country for a cbange of air., the patient being dis-
satisfied with a residence in town—but this was
to their
objected to by the faculty as
prejudicial
fees. Then, to compound the difference, why not
have a town and country house also,
for expense
was no object. True, money might be no object to
the Governors, but time was a great objection to
the doctors. In this dilemma more consultations
were held, for the " irritation" was becom-
ing more alarming than ever, and each
proposed prescription more objectionable, than
the other, for none suggested any remedy of a " seda-
tive" tendency—and the question became, " Who
can administer to a mind diseased! " " Send him
to the Bethlehem," said one; " Why, the Treasurer
has been in' Bedlam' already !" exclaimed another ;
while a third hinted that Doctor's Commons
might suit him better. Thus every wiseacre's
remedy was better than his rival's, but the disease
still lingers on without a " local habitation and a

name."

Various " eligible" eites for the new building
were proposed and discussed ; each individual sug-
gester declaring with becoming diffidence his na-
tural disinterestedness in the scheme for " choice,"
the object being to obtain a site as central and con-
venient as possible in the south of London." New
it has occurred to us that the piece of ground lately
used as the Queen's Bench or prison is very central,
and would be found convenient to the neighbour-
hood, being accessible on every side. The
only disadvantage appears to be insufficiency
of extent, but that could be easily remedied by
taking in adjacent ground and premises of no great
v . Surely if th© " Old Hospital." was carried
ou bi.neficLilly on four acres, and that not wholly
occupied, there is room i,nd verge enough for the

new one to dispense relief and comfort on a scale
commensurate with the requirements of that noble

Charity.

The news from Poland is anything but reassur-
ing. However the present crisis may terminate,

we fear that it will inevitably result in fresh op-

pressions, fresh exactions to that unhappy people.
We learn from Berlin that owing to the interruption

of the telegraphic communication no reliable infor-
mation had been received, but the latest intelli-
gence reports that the insurrection in Warsaw had
been completely subdued ; and a traveller who left
that ill-fated city on Sunday mom-lug reported it
to be tranquil. In official quarters, the speedy sup-
pression of the outbreak is confidently looked for.
The Russian authorities have too often seen the
indignant uprising of the trampled nation subdued
by the strong hand of military despotism, and the
scaffold, the knout, and Siberia pay the debt due
from the CZAR to inconvenient patriotism and obsti-
nate independence. There is, no doubt, grounds
for their expectation, although the simultane-
ous outbreak in all parts of the kingdom
show an extended and systematic design
rather than the irrepressible movement of
sudden indignation. We can scarcely anticipate
such an immediate subjection of the Poles. The
action of a secret central committee, whose words
are law throughout the whole country, is difficult
to deal with, and though it is improbable that the
present outbreak will succeed in accomplishing! the
far-off hope of Polish independence, it is probable
that it will give the oppressors some trouble before
they tread out these revolutionary fires, and leave
the land to the gloom and national dark-
ness in which their tyranny has too long
plunged it. What, then, do the Russians
propose es the end of their noble and Christian
efforts ? What is to be the fate of those two
thousand conscripts, the flower of Polish youth, who
have just deserted from their enforced service. The
eyes of civilised Europe are upon them and will
watch their actions narrowly. The speech of the
CZAR to his army shows no relenting, although we
are told that he manifested emotion while address-
ing them. Well may he be troubled, for the blood-
shed, the suffering, the fierce and cruel passions
aroused on both sides, are doubtless his own work.
He has kindled the flame, and who can tell where
its ravages will stop, or what it will destroy ? The
Imperial speaker sees in the events before him only
" the work of the revolutionary party desirous of

overturning legal order everywhere." This party

reckons, he affirms, on finding traitors in the
Russian ranks, but he expresses his confidence in
the devotion of the army, and his conviction that
if circumstances should require, he may depend
on their faithful assistance, and affecting magnani-
mity be declares that " even in presence of these
atrocities he will not accuse the whole Polish
nation." Yet, that the Whole Polish nation is dis-
affected to the Russian Government, there is not
the shadow of a doubt, and if the EMPEROR can
find no better way of reconciling it than
by invoking the assistance of his army,
his reign is likely to be fruitful of internal com-
motions. It is indeed high time, for its own in-
terests, that Russia tried some other system of
government. The experiment could scarcely re-
sult in more disaster and disgrace. We, who ob-
tain only the bare outlines of these conflicts, can
hardly realise the injury inflicted on the country,
not by them only, but by the state of affairs
that produce them. The insecurity of life and pro-
perty—the risk of the terrible conscription—the
violent repression of all thought, and speech, and
action throughout the length and breadth of a land
whose people have always been remarkable for their
proud and patriotic spirit, could not be expected to
produce other than violent results. The question
for the CZAR and his Ministers to consider is how
long the state of Poland is to be a scandal to
Europe, and a reproach to themselves—how long
enforced submission is to alternate with these die.
estrous outbreaks, which renewing and keeping
alive the angry feeling on both sides go far to pre-
vent all chance of union between the peoples of
Russia and Poland.

With all our boasted humanity there are occa-
sionally transactions brought to light in this modern
Babylon which startle the most unthinking and
shake us a little in our self-satisfaction. It cer-
tainly seems somewhat extraordinary that with all
our expensive appliances for the relief of destitution
and punishment of vagrancy, in the midst of our
hospitals, our workhouses, our police-stations, with
porters, and constables, and relieving-officers sup-
posed to be always on the watch, a woman
should be found in the streets of this
great metropolis dying of absolute hunger
and cold. Yet such was the case a day or two ago.
A woman was seen crouching on a door step in the
dreary dawn of a winter's morning by a gay party
returning from a festive meeting. What was the
ragged, dejected creature to them ? Doubtless she
seemed to be scarcely the same flesh and blood as
the fair maidens fresh from the scene of social en-
joyment. They passed in ; and, perhaps, it is hard
to blame them, for it was certainly probable enough
that she was merely one of the victims of intoxica-
tion, too frequently found in our streets. As one
of the party was a surgeon, however, who after-
wards rendered every assistance to the unfortunate
woman, it is a matter of still greater regret that
he did not take the trouble to ascertain her real
condition. Time went on, a policeman on his beat
went by the lonely figure and, thinking the
same thing, passed on, probably deeming it
little kindness to rouse her from her torpor.
Policemen are always too ready to jump at this con-
clusion and melancholy deaths have often resulted
from it. The constable in question, however, see-
ing the woman later, and still in the same
position, tried to arouse her. Her real
state once known, every
t was
stimulants He
a
awere
given, willingly
rendered, but relief came too late.rangtehr the
surgery bell, and hot coffee and s
given, but her
case was seen to be so desperate
that her immediate removal to the infirmary
fo
was thought necessary. The policemah, express-
t r his former negligence
ing great regret
to convey
hastened to the workhouse for a
" cradle"
the ground of some
her in, which was ref used, on
technical objection, He then procured a stretcher
from the station, and removed the poor creature to
the workhouse infirmary, where she died very
shortly after her admission—a warning that even
in the midst of vice and crime and intoxication, it
is not always safe to " pass by on the other side,"
if we would not see a human life succumb.
There is certaialy room for reform in the matter
of our public relief. The casual wards of work-
houses are no real assistance to the friendless pauper,
houseless and benighted_ 'What would bee,)me of
the thousands whom our night refuges shelter did
not voluntary charity come to the rescue ? Surely
' our authorities should look into this matter, that
our wealthy Christian nation may no longer bear
the shame of deaths from actual starvation in the
midst of our London thoroughfares.

THE ACCIDENT AT THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE.--
We were informed last night that Miss Smith was likely to
survive, and that Miss aunt, tl:•ough more seriously injured
than was at first supposed, will also recover.