The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-24 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Slll,—The approaching holiday for the celebration of
the great national blessing of peace will lead to much
expenditure of time and money to do honour to the
occasion. Neighbours and friends are consulting each
other what should be done. Whether, or not, to illu-
minate private houses is a frequent question ; and, at
all events, something to mark the day seems generally
agreed. Instead of any useless expense in gas or
candles, in folly and finery—much more in excess of
bang:letting and revelry—those who prefer something
pernrinently useful to a passing pageant, and a grateful
and becoming sacrifi.!e to charity rather than the indul-
gence of a per3onal gratification, would not be unwilling
to hear of a befitting channel for the distribution of their
benevolence. I beg, therefore, to submit the peculiar
claims upon the public support of an institution whose
gates are always open to the appeals of destitute sick-
ness and suffering, add which is not known so exten-
sively as its benefits deserve to be, and this institution
is the Royal Free Hospital in Gray's-inn road. In the
' discharge of my humble duties as chapla;n to the charity,
I have constant occasion of coming in contact with
masses of misery and suffering of which their more
highly-favoured fellow-citizens have little conception,
and whose most affecting advocacy would be simply to
witness the spectacle. I have had, mcreover, the fre-
quent satisfaction of reporting to the Weekly Board the
hearty expressions of gratitude of poor patients, re-
turning relieved to their families, or of poor dying men
and women, thankfully acknowledging on their death-
beds that all had been done fir them which kindness and
proiessional skill could supply.
Situate in one of the poorest and most densely.
peopled districts of the metropolis, free to all classes of
destitute sick persons from any part of the kingdom,
without the delay of application for tickets so often pre-
judicial to,the chances of disease, dependent entirely
upon voluntary subscriptions, having neither endow-
ments nor public nor parochial grants in aid of its re-
sources, and recently enlarged so as to increase the num-
ber of its beds to 180. The patients of the hospital have
exceeded an average of 20,000 annually from its com-
mencement in 1828, and this last year nearly doubled
that number, 39,891 sick persons having been more or
less relieved.

The hospital was honoured in being selected as the
medium of perpetuating the memory of his late Royal
Highness the Duke of Sussex by the erection of a new
memorial wing on its site called the " Sussex Wing," to
be opened on the 18th June next, under the presidency of
Lord Leigh. The inadequate public subscription for the
above memorial having devolved a balance of 2,000/. on
the direct funds of the hospital, I venture to hope that
the interesting coincidence of the permanent enlarge-
ment of the hospital's means of relief, with the erection
of a kindred monument in memory of the distinguished
benevolence of the deceased Prince, will commend
itself to the public judgment and liberality, not only of
the metropolis, but in all parts of the realm where
the claims of his lets Royal Highness to the national
gratitude and respect are appreciated.

- Under ad these circumstances, I am emboldened as
a minister of religion connected with the charity, and
not actin under any formal resolution of the officials
of the institution, to venture to submit the case of
the haipital, and of its hosts of patients, now num-
bering by its tens of thousands, to the public philan-
thropy at this affecting crisis in the national affairs.—
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
J. B. OWEN, Chaplain.
37, Great Ormond•street, May 23, 1856.