The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-01 00:00:00

The Queen of the Netherlands,

Yesterday morning her Majesty the Queen of the
Netherlands paid a brief visit to Westminster Abbey,
and, after returning to Claridge's Hotel, Brook-
street, proceeded to the terminus of the Great
Western Railway at Paddington, whence her Ma-
jesty travelled to 'Windsor by special train on a visit
to Queen Victoria and the royal family. Her
Majesty reached Windsor shortly after one o'clock,
and was received on the platform of the station by
the Princesses Helena and Louise, who accompanied
her Majesty to the Castle in one of the royal car-
riages. Shortly before half-past three o'clock the
Queen of the Netherlands returned to the station,
accompanied by the two princesses, of whom her
Majesty took an affectionate leave and then returned
to Paddington by the special train. On reaching
London her Majesty honoured the Countess
Dowager of Jersey with a visit, at her ladyship's
residence in Berkeley-square, and also paid several
other visits. In the evening her Majesty dined
with the Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe-
Weimar.

The Condition of Workhouse Infirmaries.

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The Lancet commissioners on the infirmaries of work-
houses publish this week in that journal the first part of a
detailed report : they describe the system in vogue at the
metropolitan houses. They point out that, besides the in-
mates of the " sick wards" proper, an immense population
of the infirm crowd these houses, whose condition is
lamentable. ThesO aro commonly classed with the "able-
bodied," and lead a life which would be like that of a vege-
table, wore it not that they possess the doubtful privilege
of sensibility to pain and mental misery. The commissioners
invoke special sympathy for the infirm, and indicate the
absence of necessary provision for their comfort, nutrition,
and possible restoration. They maintain that if all the
infirm were medically treated, there would be a very large
per-cent:ago of recovery, and an important saving of
the rates. Owing to the numbers of patients nominally
assigned to each workhouse medical officer, many of the
evils complained of are unavoidable in the present state of
management. The workhouse system is a more simulacrum
of real hospital accommodation, although pretending to
afford treatment in London for 7,463 "sick," and nominally
for about 7,000 "infirm," but in reality for a much larger
number. As the result of their personal inspection of the
" sick" wards, they divide the London workhouses into
throe classes :

1. A class in which the accommodation is irremediably
bad, and in which the buildings ought to be altogether
abandoned.

2. A class in which, with certain alterations, the build-
ings might be retained for the treatment of chronic disease
and infirmity.

3. A class in which the buildings are capable of being
developed into really good hospitals for the treatment of
all kinds of disease.

In all the infirmaries there are great defects as to classi-
fication and separation.

The ventilation is in all cases imperfect, owing to the
insufficient supply of cubic space, in many cases aggravated
by essential defects in construction. The recognised al-
lowance would be at least 1,000 cubic feet to each bed ;
little more than 500 is the rule—in some cases there is con-
siderably less. The washing arrangements are generally
bad ; in several cases the patients were found washing iu
their chambef utensils. The bedding is frequently inade-
quate to beds ; in some cases little more than 5 feet in
length, and commonly less than 6 feet, which should bo
the regulation length. The system of nursing is defec-
tive, and great evils arise from the deficiency of organised
night-nursing, the pauper nurses often terrorising tho
patients, and sycophantic to the officials. The quality of
the provisions is generally good, but the cooking is not
always so; the dietaries are often good, but very varying
in their nutritive value, and not adapted to the chronically
infirm. The medical officers are overburdened with work,
underpaid, and frequently placed in a false position. As to
the prevention of epidemic disease, great improvements
have been introduced lately and with good effect ; but
more remains to be done. The classification of disease is
very imperfect. The reporters advise the application of
the general system of the voluntary public hospital to these
great national infirmaries, as far as practicable, and sug-
gest that by a carefully considered measure of concentra-
tion, means might be devised for economically obtaining
results which would relieve the public conscience wit bout
burdening the Exchequer in an important degree.

ADELINA PATTI'S FIRST CONCERT AT THE ST.
JAMES'S HALL ON WEDNESDAY NEXT.—Tho great topic of
the day is Adelina Patti's Morning Concert, when sho will
appear no less than seven times. Among the interesting
features in the programme are—Ave Mari; Gounod
Polacca, Bellini ; Trio, Costa ; the duo " Sull' aria," with
Mlle. Pauline Lucca; Duo, Don Giovanni, with Signor
Graziani ; Scotch song, " Within a mile of Edinburgh
Town." The fair songstress will also introduce a now
song written expressly for her by the Baroness Willie de
Rothschild, the words by Arsene d'Houssaye.

THE DRAMATIC COLLEGE FETE AND FANCY.
FAIR will, as usual, take place at the Crystal Palace
on the 15th and 17th of July. The committee are making
great exertions to provide attractions for the occasion, and
in addition to the usual stalls, at which most of the metro-
politan actresses will preside, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Paul,
assisted by a swarm of pretty girls, will officiate as bees in
a vast hive now in course of construction, and in which
they will dispose of all sorts of elegant trifles in the way of
fans, gloves, portemonnaies, music, autographs, &c. Mr.
Toole is again to the fore with a panorama illustrative of
his song, " The Norriblo Tale," and he will likewise
assist at a waxwork exhibition. Mr. Clarke, of the Princ•
of Wales' Theatre, will direct and enact the arch-conspirator
in " Richardson's Show," and Mr. Burnand has written him
a wonderful lecture on " Comparative Anatomy." Mr.
Bucketone will take charge of a burlesque circus, and the
show of animals at Wombwell's this year will embrace
some marvellous specimens of the animal kingdom. With
this promise of novelty the charity should benefit largely
by the fete this year.
Is CHOLERA IMPENDING ?—To us in Britain a
somewhat alarming circumstance is the news which
has just been announced in Galignani's .31essenger, that
virulent cholera has broken out, and is rapidly on the in-
crease, in Alexandria. The daily deaths in a week rose
from 3 to 61. The present summer with ourselves has
hitherto been rather a close ono ; we have had but ono
rattling thunderstorm over London. The cholera seasons
in this country, we have noted, always followed close and
oppressive summers. Let us hope to have soon a good
thunderstorm or two to clear the air and sweeten the
ground.—Builder.
Large quantities of mackerel have been caught off
Christchurch, in Rants. 1 few days since one boat brought
in 40,000 fish, and the fishermen on that day cleared £lOO.