The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-22 00:00:00

THE INTENDED NEW LUNATIC

ASYLUM AT BIRMINGHAM.

The asylum is intended for 300 patients, 150 of each
sex ; being completely separated. The principal and
most novel feature in the plans for the asylum is ar. in-
spection passage, which, from the entrance, traverses the
whole extent of the main wings, and communicates with
the end of each gallery or ward for patients, so making a
ready complete means of inspection and channel of com-
munication between every part of the building—that ap-
proaches to the patients, the governor and matron's resi-
dences, the kitchen, and washing departments3he chapel,
and, in fact, to every part of the house. From the inspec-
tion of the passage before mentioned, the galleries or
wards (each for one class of patients), branch off at right
angles, each gallery being complete in itself, with its
own day-room, airing courts, sleeping rooms, bath, store,
and attendant's lodging room. Each gallery being for
one class of patients, noisy, expileptic, &c., as the case
may be, and having no communication with any other
gallery except by mewls of the inspection passages, the
disturbances which often occur in asylums, and which is
detrimental to the patients, will be prevented, and those
who may become violent or noisy, may be readily re-
moved to their proper department. Separate sleeping
mg roams fhe number of beds will vary from three to
nine. The air will be warmed before admission into the
different rooms, by means of a steam apparatus, and ar
rangements are made for an effectual method of summer
ventilation. Open fire-places are provided in the rooms
where the patients sit, and this experience has proved
to be very conducive to the comfort of the unfortunate
inmates of an asylum for lunatics. Appropriate resi-
dences for the medical superintendent and the matron
have been provided, together with a room for
magistrates' meeting, the necessary office, and a hall
for recreation, in which it is proposed to have meetings of
the patients for music, singing, or other such amusements
as may seem proper. The chapel is so placed as to be
conveniently approached from both the males' and
females' departments. Workshops have also been pro-
vided to permit of the employment, in their own trades,
of such of the patients as may be in a fit state of health,
and many others can be emplo3ed in the grounds.
Every arrangement has been made to provide for the
constant occupation of the patient, to preventing that
fatal brooding over their painful state, to which many
persons of unsound mind are particularly subject. The
building will be in the Elizabethian style, of plain cha-
racter ; the materials will be brick, with stone dressing
to the door and windows, and quoin stones at the angles
of the entrance buildings, which will be approached by
a drive, and are raised on a terrace. The tout ensemble
will be at once cheerful, neat, and substantial, and the
building will be an ornament to the town.—Birmingham
Herald.

The Lord Lieutenancy of the county of Brecon has
become vacant by the death of Mr. henry Williams,V of New-
port, who succeeded the late Duke of Beaufort in that office
in 1835.
DISCOVERY OF CURIOUS ASTRONOMICAL MSS.
IN CIIETHAM'S LIBRARY.—A few weeks ago, Mr. Thomas
Jones, M.A., the librarian of Chatham's Library, in clearing
out some of the less frequented "classes," found a box with
a small piece of parchment on the lid, inscribed "S. Smet-
hurst's Manuscripts." The box, which was open, was
found to contain a thick 4to MS. volume, filled with as-
tronomical papers, calculations, and diagrams; two thinner
4to volumes of MSS., and a number of loose sheets of calcu-
lations; amongst others, one for ascertaining the quadra-
ture of the circle, apparently deduced from the tangent
of 30 degrees, and another for ascertaining the square
root of twelve. Amongst the snore curious calculations
in the larger volume are some as to the moon's longi-
tude, anomaly, and node for every year front 1782
to beyond the year 2000, and similar ones as to
the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and
Saturn --all annually, and extending to a period of 150 or
160 years hence. his volume contains diagrams and types
of a great many solar and lunar eclipses, many of them cal-
culated and constructed before the occurrence of these
phenomenon ; transits of Mercury to a period yet distant,
occultations, &c. One of the smaller .IS. volumes contains
a treatise on the rise and progress of astronomy, with cal-
culations and types of many solar and lunar eclipses in
ancient times, some of them hundreds of years before Christ.
At the end of this volume is a printed prospectus (of four
pages) of works to be published by subscription by Samuel
Smethurst. From an incidental notice in one of the MSS.
we learn that Sainucl Smethurst was born in 1714, and was
living in 17)3, at the age of 76 years. But his name ap-
pears to be unknown amongst astronomers, geometricians,
and mathematicians, though living so recently as within
the last 60 years, nor do we find any publication by Samuel
Smethurst in Watt's" Bibliotheca Britannica."—Manchester
Goardian.
THE DUTCII Navr.—The Dutch Navy consists of
two ships-of-the-line of 84 guns, five of 74 (of which three
are building), two of CO, one of 54, eleven of 44, two of 38
(building), three of 32, nine of 28, four of 20 (of which
two are building), two of 22, two of 20, eleven of 18 (of
which one is building), one of 16, eleven of 14. seven of 12
(of which four are building), two of 8, five of 6, five of 5,
four of 4, and three of 3 tams ; in all 92 vessels, with 2,356
guns of different calibre. Besides, there are ten steam-boats,
carrying 64 guns, two iron steam-boats (and one building),
five transports, ten gun-boats, and one bomb-vessel.

THE DISTRESS IN SCOTLAND.-ISLAND OF LEWIS.
—We have seen a letter from a respectable merchant in
Stornoway, describing the measures which that enlightened
and liberal proprietor, Mr. Mathieson, is adopting for the
raii4 of the destitute islanders. "He is giving employment,"
says t4a writer, " to all who apply for it, and is giving them
food in return, 4t prime cost. He is doing a vast amount of
good in the country, mid J Inn confident will do more. The
attacks made upon him by certain persons are very ungene-
rotis."--Suuttish Guardian. _

. . -
We read in a letter from EATihos (Greece), of the
25th ult. :—" There is In the whole of Greece only one guil-
lotine. Wherever an execution is to take place, therefore,
the guillotine must be taken to the place. For some time past
this instrument had been stationary at Athens, as there were
a great many brigands to decapitate who had been taken in
the environs. Tne guillotine is now making the tour of the
provinces, and is at this moment at Egribos, where it has
just served to cut off the heads of eleven persons, one of them
a.priest, who were condemned to death some time ago for
piracy. Although a great portion of oar population do not
regard piracy as a crime, and have a profound veneration for
priests in general, whatever their private conduct may be,
there was no manifestation at the place of execution in favour
91 the puriosity. The number of persons present to witness
the epcutlon yes about 12,000."

Paipits OF POULTRY, 4,411 E, AND WILD, FOWL AT
PARIS ow THE 17TII iffsr.—Cliickens, 4 francs 10 sous to
5 frau 10 sous each ; geese, 5f 10s. to 7E 155.; cicks, 2f, to
31. each; wild ducks, Of. We. to 4f. a couple; red partridges,
4t. 10s. to 51. 10s. the -brace; grey partridges, af. 10s. to
4f 10s.; woodcocks, 4f. to hf. 10s. the braca; hares, 3f. 10s.
to sf. 10s. each; wild rabbits, lf, 10s. to If. 12e. each;
Nantes chickens, 2f. ss. to 2f 15s. each; pheasants, 16f.,
'7ll aid 18f the brace,