The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-09 00:00:00

ASYLUM FOR IDIOTS.

The sixth anniversary festival of this excellent institue
tion took place last evening at the London Tavern,
Blshopsgate-street. `About 120 gentlemen were present,
amongst whom were the Rev. Edwin Sidney, Rev. H.
Christmas, Richard Gibbs, Esq., James Nisbet, Esq.,
Dr. Conolly, Dr. Little, Dr. Tuke, &c.
In the unavoidable absence of his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, the president of the evening was
Lord Dudley Coutts Stuart, M.P.
Upon the removal of the cloth, the health of her
Majesty the Queen and the usual loyal and patriotic
feasts were proposed and duly responded to.
The noble CHAIRMAN then gave the principal toast of
the evening, " The Asylum for Idiots." That toast was
emphatically the toast of the evening. (Cheers.) He
thought they must be deeply impressed with the im-
portance of the society. The smallest amount of feeling
must render them feelingly alive to the merits of this
charity. For his part, throughout the whole range of in-
stitutions which adorned this great city, he knew no insti-
tution which spoke more touchingly to the feelings. Let
them imagine a parent who found his child deprived ofthe
light of reason. He could not form any idea more disheart-
ening than to find an affectionate parent looking day after
day to the development of the signs of reason. (Hear.) He
could picture the feeling of such a parent, who had thought
there was no other consolation but hope in God's mercy,
finding that through the medium ofthis institution there
was hope for his child. He might have given him up in
this world. How then must he be charmed with the
hope that reason was not altogether gone, and that he
might be permitted to see the development of feelings
which would elevate his child to the dignity of human
nature. Without further observation he would simply
inform them that the charity was established in 1847,
and in that short space of time they had erected three
houses in which were 244 patients. (Cheers.) But
there were still 200 hundred applications for admission
at the next election. The first stone of the new asylum
had been laid by his Royal Highness Prince Albert. It
was fitted to accommodate 500 patients, and when fin-
ished would be one of the noblest buildings in this country.
(Cheers.) The advancement of this charity had been
extraordinary, although the difficulties they had had to
encounter were great. The noble chairman concluded
an earnest appeal on behalf of the new asylum, and of
the institution generally, by giving the toast of the even•
ing, " The Asylum for Idiots."
The toast was drunk with all the honours.
The Rev. EDWARD SIDNEY, in an extremely interest.,
ing address, detailed many personal instances of suc-
cessful treatment that had come under his notice in the
asylum.

The musical arrangements were under the direction of
Mr. Jolley, assisted by Miss Clara Henderson, and other
professionals, who contributed much to the pleasure of
the entertainment.

The amount of the subscriptions announced during
the evening was between 1,4007. and 1,5001.

COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—There was an explosion of ear-
buretted hydrogen gas yesterday morning at the
colliery of Mr. John Fletcher, Little Lever, near Bol-
ton, which killed the underlooker of the mine, and severely
burnt four of the workmen. A platform had been erected
12 yards from the bottom Of the downcast shaft, where
repairs had to be effected, under which the dangerous
explosive gas had collected, and the workmen, not
reckoning upon the partial obstruction of ventilation
caused by the platform, used naked candles, as they
always do in the air passages and shafts. The gas was
fired by one of these candles, and the explosion was in.
stantly fatal to James Mort, the underlooker, as above
stated.
THE POOR REMOVALS ACT AND A METROPOLITAN
RATING.—The inhabitant ratepayers of the parish of
St. Luke, Middlesex, have passed a resolution
approving of the principle of the bill to abolish
comßulsory removal of the poor, as tending to les-
sen much suffering on the part of the poor, and save
the expense of removals ; but they apprehend that the
immediate result of the act will be, to increase the
charge on the rates of the parish, and to lessen the
charge on those metropolitan parishes inhabited princi-
pally by the rich ; and to obviate this result, they sug-
gest that a uniform rate should be made over the whole
of the metropolis.