The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-01 00:00:00

FOREIGN RAILWAYS.

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East Indian . ss.
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Madrid and Valentia .. 2 .... 1%
Northern of France Constituted.. 5 .... 14%
Orleans and Bordeaux .. .. 6 10 ..... 10
Faris and Lyons Constituted 1.. 5 .... 6% •• . • • • 6%
JOINT-STOCK BANKS.
Australasia .• .. • • • • .. 40 .. •. 20 ••.•• • • • . • 20
MINES.
Real del Monte, 'Unregistered —3% •.••• • . • • • 3%

HANWELL LUNATIC ASYLUM.
For some time back considerable discussion has taken
place amongst the Magistrates of the county of Middle-
sex, assembled in Quarter Sessions, upon the subject of
the additional Lunatic Asylum proposed to be erected at
Hanwell. The Court having determined upon erecting
the new edifice in the vicinage of the present asylum, and
actually purchased a piece of ground for that purpose,
plans and elevations of the proposed asylum were pre-
pared and transmitted to the Metropolitan Commis-
sioners in Lunacy, who had subsequently taken these
propositions into their consideration, and made their re-
port thereon, signed by Lord Ashley, to Secretary Sir
James Graham, in which they totally disapprove of the
proposed plan, with reference to the building of the new
asylum at Hanwell, and express it as their opinion that
the new edifice should be built as near as may be to the
centre or mass of the population of the county of Mid-
dlesex. The whole of the correspondence, together with
the special report of the Committee of Visitors of the
County Lunatic Asylum, were laid before the Court on
the last county day, when they were ordered to be
printed and circulated ; and as they contain some valua-
ble information respecting the increasing wants of the
county, we subjoin the following extracts from the re-
port from the Commissioners in Lunacy to Sir James
Graham, upon proposal, &c., for erection of an addi-
tional Lunatic Asylum for the County of Middlesex, at
Hammel'

" It appears from the documents transmitted to us,
that the Committee of Visitors propose to erect a new
(or second) asylum at Hanwell, at the distance of 100
feet only from the present asylum for the reception of
1,010 pauper lunatics, and to make various alterations
in the existing offices, with the view of rendering them
applicable both to the present asylum and to the asylum
proposed to be erected. And it is estimated that the
cost of the new asylum will not exceed 85,0001.
" Supposing Hanwell to be the most convenient place
for a lunatic asylum as regards the western division of
the county (a fact, however, not established), it is ob-
viously exceedingly inconvenient as regards the eastern
division. There can be no doubt, we apprehend, but
that an asylum built at so distant a place as Hanwell
(instead of being near the metropolis, more especially
the eastern part thereof,) must greatly increase the ex-
pense and difficulty of transferring pauper lunatics to
and from the eastern parishes and unions; that it must
add to the inconvenience, and lessen the frequency of
the visits of parishes officers ; and must, in effect,
almost wholly preclude the poorer friends of the patients
from visiting them at any time during their confine-
ment.

" We are satisfied that the asylum at Hanwell at
present contains more patients than it is capable of ac-
commodating properly, and more than should be en-
trusted to one superintending or controlling power. It
is the opinion of every medical man of eminence, conver-
sant with the subject, and, amongst others, of Dr.
Conslly .himself (the visiting: physician, and, until
lately, the superintendent of the Hanwell Asylum),gthat
not more than 400 patients should be assembled in any
one curative establishment for lunatics ; and the Hanwell
Asylum already contains nearly 1,000 patients.
" It is desirrble, we think, on this account, that there
should be ifo further congregation of lunatic patients at,
or near, Hanwell.
"In regard to the question of expense, adverted to by
the justices in their published address, we consider:the
sum of 85,0001. as far too large for the objects proposed
to be accomplished by the outlay. And we are disposed
to think that several of the items specified in the address
as savings, are peculiar, or unnecessary instances of ex-
pense ; and that any saving reckoned upon by the jus-
tices, will be more than counterbalanced by the erection
of a new asylum, at a moderate and reasonable cost.
"A reason for placing a new asylum in the eastern
division of the county, lies in the facility with which
the patients might in such case be visited by their
friends. It is a great source of comfort to a large pro-
portion of persons afflicted by mental disorders to receive
occasional visits from their relations and friends. These
friends and relations belong for the most part to the
poorer classes of society, and are so little able to spare
either time or money, that to erect an asylum on a site
so remote as Hanwell is from a great portion of the
county of Middlesex, would in effect deprive a great pro-
portion of the patients altogether from the comforts they
are fairly entitled to receive."

THE EMIGRANT'S LIFE.
The following article is eitraeted from an interesting
letter which appeared in last week's Stamford Mer-
cury :---

" Deerfield Cottage, Rattons Prairie,
March , .
"We have had rather a long winter here,24 andlB46 much
more severe than the preceding one: cold weather pre-
vailed from the last week in November to the first of
this month, with a great deal of snow : it is now mo-
derate.

"I will now endeavour to give you a brief sketch of
the manners and customs of this people, whose social
arrangements are so different to yours. It is very
frequently the case that the settler selects his location
in the midst of the unbroken forest, though there
are thousands of miles of rich prairie altogether
unencumbered with trees : he does so on account of
the facility thus afforded him in timber for building,
fencing, and firewood, by which be is saved a great
.deal of labour. The settler (particularlarly if a Yankee)
is generally very expert with the axe, and commences
his clearing b ycuttipg down such trees as are most
proper for building his house, which in most cases con-
slats only of one room for all purposes, built of square
logs piled one upon another, and often without a win-
dow ; he consoles himself by promising that in a few years he will build himself a better one, though he fre-
quently spends the whole of his life in this, unless, in-
deed, his family become large ; in which event he con-
structs another room similar to the one already de-
scribed. In such a situation, you may conceive how
slow his progress must be ; yet he soon contrives to
break up land sufficient to raise corn for the use of his
family. He has one great advantage in being able to
keep his stock of every description on the lands re-
maining unenclosed around him : his hogs will thrive
well on the acorns, nuts, and roots, to be found
in the woods; and he does not pen them up till he wishes
to fatten them in the fall of the year. He generally
plants an orchard, which soon becomes useful and pro-
duces him plenty of peaches in the course of three or
four years from the time of planting; while these are
coming to maturity, he grows melons of several kinds,
which do extremely well here, and are very nice and
cooling in the bet weather. The apples in this country
are in great variety, and, generally speaking, far supe-
rior in size and flavour to those of England. The settler
keeps cows, poultry, one or more horses (for go where
he may he invariably rides), and a small flock of sheep,
the wool from which his wife spins, dyes, and in many
cases weaves and manufactures into clothing for the I
whole family; this article, which is generally dyed blue,
makes up into very neat dresses, and I assure you the
fitting of these garments reflects great credit on the fair
artiste,' whose life is by no means a sinecure,