The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-11 00:00:00

THE LUNATIC ASYLUM AT lIANWELL

The report of the committee of visitors of the County
Lunatic Asylum was brought up and read,
Mr. TULK (chairman of the committee) directed espe-
cial attention to the following paragraph in the report,
containing the, official report of the present state of the
' asylum, by the Commissioners in Lunacy, appointed
under the new statute Bth and•9th Vic., c. 126.
"It is gratifying to the committee of visitors that
upon this, as upon many foruaer
occasions, they can
speak of the condition of the asylum in terms of cordial
approval. The ward attendants 'are observant of the
humane regulations adopted at Hanwell; and, on the
part of the officers, there is `no relaxation of effort in
their several departments to obviate every difficulty
against which it is possible in such an institution to
guard. It is due to the officers that this testimony be
borne to their contioued exertions and zeal; and the
more so, as the Comm.'ssioners in Lunacy, whose office it
is to watch over the con &Zion of such asylums, have, at a
recent visit, recorded their opinion of our establishment,
notwithstanding its magnftade, in the following terms:—
" Hanwell Lunatic Asylum, March 17, 1846.
" We have spent this dt.l- and yesterday in officially
visiting end inspecting this asylum. We have gone
through the various yards, w arch;
,workshops, and out-
building:, and have seen all tb w vatients now in the in-
stitutioa. We have also exarm'nod into the quality and
allowance of the food supplied to ,the patients, and have
made the other inquiries relative to the patients and the
management of the asylum and th e general condition of
the establishment which are dirk ct.ed by the Act of
Parliament.

"The fare of the patients appeare,l to us to be of ex-
cellent quality, and the all wance to be liberal. The
clothing and bedding were clean, cotnrwtable, and good.
The galleries, clay-rye ms, dormitories, and single bed-
rooms were clean and well ventilated, and with some
slight exceptions, free from any offensive smell.
" The patients are at present 981. in mmtber, of whom
413 are male;, and 568 females. None of them at the

time of our visit were under any mechailical coercion.
Two of the females were under seclusion.

" Generally speaking, they were in a quie.t and com-
fortable state.

" J. W. MYLNE,
J. IL HUME, Commissioners
B. W. PROCTER, in Lunacy."
J. C. PRICHARD,
Upon the motion that the report be received,
Mr. LAURIE wishcd to ask a questionlin reference to a
subject which had agitated the county so long ; he
alluded to the propoed extension of the buildings at
Hanwell, so strongly objected to by a large portion of
the inhabitants of Middlesex. Had the Committee re•
ceived any communication from the Commissioners in
Lunacy or the Secretary of State respecting that sug-
gested increase of the establishment?
Mr. Tula said that the Commit:ee had had a commu-
nication from the Cummissio ners in Lunacy, and were
preparing a reply.
Mr. LAURIE begged to know the effect of the Com-
missioners' report? It was ih'gh.ly important that the
public should -know.
Mr. Tina replied, that their opinion was unfavour-
able to the increase of the buildi.ngs now at Hanwell.
They had given their reasons, whit h in his opinion were
futile and inconclusive.
Some further conversation tonic place, and it • was
elicited in the course of the day that Sir James Graham
was aho hostile to the further augme.atation of the pre-
sent establisiiment.

Signed,

The report was received.
THE HOUSE OF CORRECTI

The report of the visiting justices of the House of
Correction was read. The number of prisoners was larger
than usual, amounting to 1,023, of whom 7.57 were male,
266 females, and 10 children. Appended to the report
was an extract from the 10th report of the prison in•
spectors, paying a high compliment to the magistracy and
officers for the state of admirable order in which they
found every part of the gaol, and the degree of corn-
parative comfort enjoyed by its inmates.
Mr. LAURIE objected to the printing of this extract
unaccompanied by some partial strictures contained in
another part of the Commissioners' observations.

Mr. WlLas, chairman of the visiting justices, said
that if that was a fitting opportunity he would be
glad to enter into a discussion of the whole sub-
ject of prison discipline, espec ally those parts
in which they might be found at issue with the
inspectors, if there should be any material difference
of opinion between them, which he was happy to say
was not likely to be the case, from the general commen-
dation the home inspectors had bestowed upon the
county gaols, which were unparalleled for the excellency
of their arrangements.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. WILSoN animadverted upon the conduct of the
prison inspectors. Jie thought that before twelve months
had passed these gentlemen would be shown up to the
world. He alluded, he said, to the shameful misrepre-
sentations respecting Bridcwell Hospital.—(Order.)
Mr. ROTC II said that the very object of the appoint-
ment of prison inspectors was to, point out defects, and
their office would melt into nothing were they to pander
to the prejudices of the magistrates. Their reports had
been productive of great good, and tended strongly to
keep the magistrates to their duty.—(Hear, hear).
Mr. Laurie's amendment for the omission ofthe extract
or the reference of the report, was lost by
14 to 11. The report was then received and ordered to
be printed. a majority of

THE WESTMINSTER BRIDEWELL.
The report of the visiting justices of the Westminster
Bridewell was read. The number of prisoners was 677,
of whom 500 were males, and 177 females, all 4,rderly
and healthy. From the Ist September, when the com-
mittals to the New Priso.n (now in course of demolition)
ceased, to the 3d of Apriil, the number of committals to
the Bridewell was 3,830, and since the 21st February to
the date of the last reportt, the number was 754.

THE COMMITMENT .OF SUICIDAL PRISONERS.
Having mentioned the details that usually form the
prine.pal portion of their reports,_ the visiting justices
proceed to invite the notice of the Court to some matters
that have requirA peculittr consideration, and as to
which they deem it proper that the Court and county
should be fully informed.
. .

The yisitinii justices having learned that on the 11th
ult a prisoner who had been committed for re-exami-
nation en a charge of murder, strangled himself in the
prison, and that no intimation had been given by the
committing magistrate to the 'governor of his being in an
unsound state of mind, or incli'ved to commit suicide, they
directed their clerk to address ;the letter, of which they
annex a copy. dated the 18tfr ult., to the Secretary of
State for the Home Departmentefrom whom they received
an answer on the 21st ult., and, a ough unaware whether
the directions suggested have been issued from the
Home-office, they have understood with pleasure that
in some subsequent cases their hints have been carried
into effect in cases of commiteals from the police-
courts. The visiting justices, in making their pro-
ceedings known to the Court, beg to' .draw the attention
of the magistracy of the county at !ergo to the sugges-
tion contained in their letter and to ,impress on them
the propriety of their adopting it in ies'ery case which
shall come before them, and to which the suggestion may
be applicable ; as otherwise, prisoners so' peculiarly
occur
March 18, 18 46.
afflicted may not receive special attention, ant; sad
Tyc
aunhappilyrlis
lCarlisle-street,
tre
e ote, Soho,e
catas-
trophes, distressful to the governor, and painx7ul to the
~
public mind,
" Sir—A prisoner named John Rofe, who was Com-
mitted to the House of Correction at Westminster, on
the 9th instant, from Worship-.street Police• court, to b`te
brought up for further examination, for cutting and
wounding Edwin Rofe, with intent to murder him,
strangled himself in the water-closet of the prison, on
the 11th instant, while the van was waiting to re-convey
him to the police-court. In consequence of this
melancholy event, I am directed by the visiting
justices to acquaint you that it has occurred
to them, that it is desirable that whenever a prisoner
w'ao is about to be commited shall appear to be
insane or of unsound mind, or shall be suspected of in-
sanity, or an inclination to commit suicide, a private
communication on the subject should be made by the
committing magistrate to the governor of the prison.
And I am therefore instructed to request you will
be plea,ed to issue directions to that effect to the
police magistrates. With reference
to Role's ease
lam desired to observe that it did not appear on the
face of the warrant, as the fact was, that the person whom
he attempted to murder was his own son, an intimation
whereof would probably have led the governor to sus-
pect that the prisoner was not of sound mind, and thatno communication was made, or message delivered,
from
the committing magistrate to the governor, either of
that fact or any other, that would induce special
tion or precautions with respect to him,although a
itten-
, t did
happen that both by the surgeon and the officers parti-
cular attentions were afforde to the prisoner.
" I am further directed to state that the coroner'
jury who sat on the body. in returning their
verdicts,
unaiiimously expr. ssi d themsees satisfied that every
reasonlible precaution had been taken by the governor
and the officers of the prison against the commi-sion
of suicide, and that a relative of the deceased, who
attended the inquest, joined in that opinion, and
thanked the governor for the vigilance and kindness
which he had shown to the prisoner. The visiting,
justices, also, having cussed inquiry to be made into'
the circumst9nces of the case, are happy to be able fully
to exotic rte the governor and all the officers from any
blame on the occasion, yet they trust that the precau-
tionary me-.cures they have suggested frill be approved
and sanctioned by you.—l have the honour to be, Sge.
,t C. P. ALL EN, Clerk to the Justices.
"To the Right lion. Sir James Graham, Bart."
o Whitehall, 21st March, 1846.
" Sir,--I am directed by Secretary sir James Gra-
ham to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the
18th. instant, submitting a suggestion of the visiting
justices of the House of Correction at Westminster that