The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-04 00:00:00

TELEGRAPH TO INDIA (LIMITED).

The directors of this company report that the
arrangements entered into with the British Indian
Submarine Telegraph Company, which were ap-
proved at the meeting of the sth and confirmed on
the 22d of February, 1869, for the purchase of the
company's line, would probably be carried out
within the next few months, as the Great Eastern
steamship would shortly commence laying the cable
between Bombay and Suez. The Board recom-
mended the payment of the dividend for the past
half-year at the rate of 3 per cent. per annum, free
of income tax.

GREENWICH HOSPITAL AND THE
DREADNOUGHT.

It is with much satisfaction we are at last able
:o state that the Admiralty have forwarded a formal

and final offer to the Seatnen's Hospital Society ;
that the sick sailors of the mercantile marine will,
before many months are over, be housed in the in-
firmary of Greenwich Hospital ; and that, iu con-

sequence, the Dreadnought will soon be numbered
among institutions of the pa 4. This decision is a
matter of congratulation to the, present Government,

uder whose auspices this vexed question has at

length been amicably settled; to the Committee of
the Seamen's hospital Society, who have, through
their very able and energetic secretary, Mr. Kemball

Cook, so urgently and persitently brought the claims
of our sick sailors before the notice of the Govern-
ment ; and to the seamen themselves, who will find
in Greenwich Hospital a far more comfortable

temporary resting-place than the old ship can, under
any circumstances, afford. The Dreadnought, in-
deed, should long ago have become traditional ; bu t

its well-known usefulness, its world-wide notoriety
and its great popularity have all naturally tecded
to perpetuate the existence of an establishment

which, according to the ordinary laws of
hygiene, ventilation, and sanitary requirements,
fails to fulfil properly the purposes for which it is
intended. But the committee have not, for some
time, been unmindful of existing defects in their

floating institution. Five years have now elapsed
since they determined, under the advice of their
medical officers, to remove their patients to an hos-
pital in the immediate vicinity of the river ; and a
plot of ground was accordingly purchased with this
object. But meanwhile, the wards of Greenwich
Hospital were emptied, and the Seaman's hospital
Society, unwilling to spend all their capital in build-
ing, applied for a portion of the Royal institution.
It is foreign to our purpose to recapitulate the
opinions given officially and unofficially, either as to
the claims of the merca:itile marine to a participa-
tion iu the funds of Greenwich Hospital, or as to
the special fitness of any particular wing of that
hospital for the purposes of the Dreadnought autho-

rities. It is sufficient to state that, according to
our knowledge and belief, that part of the build-
ing in which they will be shortly located is better
titted for the care and cure of the sick than any
quarter of the hospital proper. The infirmary
is, indeed, furnished lavishly with all ordi-

nary appliances necessary for administration; and.
though wanting in some of the essential principles
on which all hospitals would be (or should be) con-
structed in the present day, it is far better than a
floating establishment, with very large and very
low wards, draughty ventilation, wooden walls, in-
sufficient accommodation for nurses, subject to all
manner of noises from within and from without,
and very badly lighted both for the performance of
operations and all other working purposes. But
the Dreadnought, even after its disestablishment,
will live long and pleasantly in the memories of
many of our readers. The Seamen's Hospital
Society has had a local habitation and a name on
the Thames for nearly half a century ; and its com-
mittee should be proudly conscious of the fact that,
in relieving the sufferings of sick seamen, it has at
the same time given large opportunities for the ob-
servation of disease, and so has aided indirectly in
developing the progress of medicine and surgery in
this country. That these opportunities had not
been afforded in vain, the names of Budd, Busk,
and many others who have, since their connection
with this hospital, gained prominent positions
in the services and elsewhere, at home and abroad,
sufficiently attest. The Society has also been
laudably active in affording preventive aid and
hospital relief during the various epidemics of
cholera ; and, at the last outbreak in 1866, in the
absence of any sanitary supervision of the Thames,
its medical staff took entire and effectual charge of
this important district by means of a ship-to-ship
visitation, which was very ably planned and super-
intended by their chief officer, Dr. Rooke. It is
hardly necessary to revert to the exertions of the
Dreadnought authorities in the matter of hygiene
afloat, which has resulted, as we believe, in great
improvements as to the sanitary condition of the
mercantile marine, and, by consequence, as to the
safety of our ships at sea. But it is necessary
to remind the committee of the Seamen's Hospital
Society that, in commencing a new lease of
existence, they will incur new responsibilities as
well as possess new privileges. Their range of
usefulness should be widened, not only for the
benefit of their clients, but for the advantage of
those whose duty it is to perfect themselves in
the arts of prevention and cure of disease. op-
portunities should be afforded for the establish-
ment of a good pathological museum—a very valu-
able nucleus for which now exists in the Dread-
nought. This hospital, indeed, from the cosmopo-
litan character of its inmates, affords a groundwork
for the study of pathology, practical medicine, and
venereal and some other surgical diseases, such as
very few, if any, institutions possess. The formation
of a Naval Medical School at Greenwich Hospital
has been frequently adverted to, and strongly urged,
in these columns. We believe that Dr. Armstrong,
RN., the present active Director-General, is parti-
cularly favourable to the scheme, and is anxious to
place it before the Lords of the Admiralty fur de-
finite consideration. We trust that his efforts iu
this direction will meet with success ; and there can
be no doubt that most valuable material for clinical
instruction would be found in the wards about to be
tenanted by the Seamen's Hospital Society. But
the Dreadnought authorities must first establish
themselves, and make good their footing in their
new home. In so doing, we would gladly invoke
for them a large share of public support, and wish
them great prosperity.-1 he Lancet.