The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-19 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Comparatively few of the wealthy and benevolent
of this country are aware of the existence of this invaluable
institution. It occupies no proud position in a leading
thoroughfare, where it may attract the attention and invite
the liberal contribution of the passer-by : but, situate in the
midst of a densely populated and notoriously poor district,
immediately contiguous to the overcrowded parishes of
Spita:fields, Bethnal-green, Whitechapel, and Shoreditch,
it effects an amount of good amongst the extremely poor
second to none of the more wealthy institutions of a similar
kind.

It is unendowed and dependent entirely upon voluntary
contributions for its support. In the year ending Dec. 31,
1862, the attendances of poor patients for medical and sur-
gical relief reached the enormous amount of 103,933; the
income for under £3,000. It has
by a few City merchants
hinitchereto been principallysupported
and their friends; but, owing to the fact of its being en-
tirely free, no letter of recommendation being required to
obtain admittance, arid also to the removal of St. Thomas's
Hospital, the applications for relief have increased so rapidly
as to render it absolutely necessary to seek for some more
general support. Believing an appeal in your columns is
rarely if ever made in vain, the committee earnestly so-
licit your insertion of this plain statement of facts, in the
hope that many will be induced at this season of the year,
in the fulness of their hearts, out of the store with which
they have been blessed, to assist in endeavouring to alleviate
the sufferings and distress of the sick and destitute.—l
have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
JNO. GURNEY FRY.
Metropolitan Free Hospital, Devonshire..
square, Bishopsgate.

Death of the Rev. T. Forshall, M, 6,, F.E.S.

We have to announce, and so soon after the decease of
the Rev. Dr. M'Caul, the removal of another ripe and sound
Biblical scholar by the death of the Rev. Josiah Forshall,
M.A., F.R.S., some time fellow and tutor of Exeter Col-
lege, Oxford, and subsequently keeper of MSS. and also
secretary of the British Museum. Mr. Forshall entered
Exeter College as a commoner in 1814. He took his degree
of B.A. in 1818, obtaining a first class in mathematics and
second class in lit. hum. In 1821 he proceeded M.A. In
1519-20 he was ordained deacon and priest respectively by
the Bishop of Oxford. Mr. Forshall's first appointment to
the British Museum dated from 1824, when he was nomi-
nated assistant-keeper of the MSS. by Archbishop Howley,
who always entertained the highest opinion, no less of his
personal worth, integrity, and gentlemanly bearing, than
of his scholarly accomplishments and great learning. Mr.
Forshall's active connection with the British Museum was
only severed in 1851, when he retired from the secretary-
ship, in the enjoyment of a pension, and carrying with him
the reputation of being one of the most accurate and deeply
versed scholars of the day on all matters connected with the
MSS. of the Bible. At the period of his death Mr. Forshall
was occupied in preparing for press, at his own expense,
" The Holy Gospels in the Received Text of the Greek,
with various readings. • , • • • Ex-
posing the errors of modern editors, and maintaining
the
general integrity of Scripture, as read in the Church of
England." A few specimen pages lie before us es we write
these lines, and for beauty of type, convenience of form,
and unexampled laboriousness of search, they promise a
work altogether invaluable to the student of the Bible.
Mr. Forshall has carried with him the peculiar qualifica-
tions, both natural and acquired, for the completion of his
plan, and it is to be regretted that a work of so much pro-
raise, from the pen of one so completely versed in the
codices of the Greek Testament, must lie unfinished. De-
serving of great commendation are Mr. Forshall's recently
published English edition of the four Gospels, printed in a
oheap form, "fur the use of schools and young students."
The Gospel according to St. Mark, of this series, has al..
ready taken its place as a text-book for candidates for holy
orders, chiefly owing to the valuable introduction which
precedes it. It contains also some very piquant "cautions
against the Greek Testament of Dean Alford and the
Hulsean lectures of Dean (now Bishop) Ellicott." Mr,
Forshall was a thorough scholar of the massive old Eng-
lish divinity school. He looked wistfully askance at what
he considered the empirical attempts of modern theology
to elucidate and to furnish amended readings of the sacred
text.

Mr. Forshall died yesterday (Friday), at his residence,
Russell-square, at half-past 5 a.m. His
49, Woburn-plac©,
removal will prove a great loss to the Royal Society, of
which he was a distinguished member.