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

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—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
banquetting and revelry—those who prefer something
permanently useful to a passing pageant, and a grateful
and becoming sacrifiNe to charity rather than the indul-
gence of a personal 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, and which is not known so exten-
sively as its benefit,: Asa.. so to be, and this institution
is the Royal Free Hospital in Gray's•inn•road. In the
discharge of my humble duties as chaplain 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, moreover, 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-
bads that all had been done for 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 186. 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, 39,491 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 2,0001. 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 late Royal Highness to the national
gratitude and respect are appreciated.
Under all these circumstances, I am emboldened as
a minister of religion connected with the charity, and
not acting under any formal resolution of the officials
of the institution, to venture to submit the case of
the hospital, 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.

THE MARITIME LAWS.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-THURSDAY.

The following is a list of the majority against Lord Col
cheater's motion ;
PRESENr.
Cambridge,Dake Granville Aveland
of Grey Alvanley
Lord Chancellor Granard Broughton
ARCHBISHOP. Harrowby Byron
Canterbury Kingston Camoys
DUKES. Kintore Cremorue
Argyll Kenmare Congleton
Newcastle Minto Do Manley
Wellingtoa Morley De Tabley
MARQUISES. Portsmouth Denman
Breadalbane Romney Dacre
Camden St. Germans Dufferin
Lansdowl/.3 Shaftesbury Foley
Sligo Somers Glenslg
Westmins:er Stanhope Hathei ton
EARLS. Spencer Kinaaird
Aberdeen Scarborough Lytteltou
Abingdon Zetland Leigh
,
Airlie VISCOUNTS. Lilford
Albemarle Enfield Lurgan
Bessborou;h Falmouth Mostyu
Burlingtot Falkland Methuen
Chichester SyclnoY Overstone
Clarendon Torrington Panmure
Craven BISHOPS. Potre
Clanwillian Bath and Wells Rivers
Denbigh Chester Saye and Selo
Ducio Limerick Btafford
Durham Ripon Stanley of Alder,
Effingham St. A saph ley
Essex Worcester Suffield
Elgin BARONS. Wealock
Furtescue Ashburton Wodehouse

PROXIES;
ARCHBISIOP. Ellesmere Carew
York Fitzhardinge Churchill
DuKE,S. Fingall Cowley
Devonshire Glasgow Dorchester
L3eds Haddington Dormer
Leinster Home Dunfermline
Roxburgh Ilchester Elphinstone
Sutherland' Lindsay Erskine
mARQui.,,Es. Leicester Gardner
Anglesey Meath Godolphin
Bristol Ripon Harris
Donegal Itosebery Howard de Wal.
Headfort Stair den
Huntley Suffolk Keane
Londonderrt Yarborough Londosborough
Norinanby BISHOPS. Lovat
Northamptcn Derry Monson
Townshend Hereford Manners
EARLS Llandaff Poltimoro
Amherst 'Manchester Rossraore
Cottenham Norwich . Stuart de D3cics
Catnperdowl Peterborough Truro
Cork Salisbury Vaux
Carlisle BARONS. Vivian
Clare Belhaven. Ward